Battles of Napoleon: Volume I – EYLAU 1807

About this board game

Battles of Napoleon: Volume I – EYLAU 1807 is a tactical Napoleonic battle game for 2 players, with an approximate play time of 720 minutes. It recreates the bloody winter Battle of Eylau at a scale of roughly 150 meters per hex, with infantry battalions, artillery batteries, and cavalry regiments represented on the battlefield.

Players direct formations through an innovative chit-based Command system. When an activation chit is drawn, players choose which formation will act, creating a highly interactive contest of timing, coordination, and initiative. A formation can activate up to three times in a turn, although each additional activation makes it less effective.

Orders are assigned at the beginning of each game turn and restrict the actions formations can take. More aggressive orders may help an army seize the initiative, but they also increase the risk of collapse through fatigue. Every decision contributes to the series’ central cat-and-mouse struggle: determining when and where to commit formations while reacting to the opponent’s choices.

• Infantry: Deploy in line for firepower, column for maneuver and assault, or square for protection against cavalry.
• Cavalry: Screen the army and deliver shock attacks that can force infantry into vulnerable squares.
• Artillery: Threaten squares and closely packed formations, while remaining highly vulnerable to charges.
• Terrain and special features: Use favorable ground, including reverse-slope tactics, while contending with snow storms, Russian Cossacks, the French Guard, and the possibility of a massive cavalry charge.

Unit strength is deliberately uncertain, so players never know the exact power of an enemy formation. Strength points gradually decline while units remain engaged, keeping battlefield assessments tense and decisions consequential. With each turn representing 60 minutes, Battles of Napoleon: Volume I – EYLAU 1807 focuses on the pressure, uncertainty, and changing tempo of Napoleonic command without excessive rules complexity.