La Bataille d’Espagnol-Talavera

About this board game

La Bataille d’Espagnol-Talavera is a detailed simulation of the culminating battle of Wellsley’s 1809 counter-offensive, designed for 1–3 players with an approximately 2,400-minute playing time.

Set during the events of July 27–28, 1809, the game pits the radically different English and Spanish armies against the corps of King Joseph Napoleon’s multinational Armée de Espagne. It is suited to solitary study as well as team play, with the balance determined entirely by the players’ skill.

The battlefield is presented across four 17-by-22-inch period-style maps overlaid with a hexagonal grid. Each hex represents approximately 100 meters, while every game turn covers 20 minutes of real and simulated time. More than 700 multicolored playing pieces portray the forces that fought across the ground.

• Infantry appears in regimental or battalion organization.
• Cavalry is represented by regiment, and artillery by battery.
• Units distinguish line and light infantry, guards, and other elite forces.
• Leaders are represented alongside the combat formations.

Every unit is individually rated for its number of men or guns, morale, ability to initiate combat through gunfire or mêlée, movement, and, where appropriate, range. The scale represents approximately 50–100 men per strength point, with regimental and brigade-sized formations included.

La Bataille d’Espagnol-Talavera uses a revision of the award-winning Marshal Enterprises Household system, covering the broad range of features associated with the Napoleonic battlefield. A special rulebook addresses the Spanish Campaign of 1809, while a historical narrative provides additional perspective on the battle and its setting.