Quatre Batailles en Espagne

About this board game

Quatre Batailles en Espagne is a 2–4-player historical simulation of four battles from the Peninsular War, fought between 1808 and 1814. Released in 2015, it is Volume VIII of the Vive l’Empereur series, portraying Napoleonic-era combat at regimental scale.

The game uses a scale of 250 metres per hex, with each turn representing 30 minutes. This provides a detailed view of battlefield movement and decision-making while retaining the larger formations of the campaign.

• Vitoria, 1813: Allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces attack King Joseph’s French army in a decisive battle that opened the way toward France.
• Ocaña, 1809: A major Spanish defeat, where Marshal Soult and King Joseph concentrated against the largest Spanish army of the year.
• Salamanca, 1812: Wellington’s Anglo-Portuguese army strikes Marshal Marmont’s French forces after days of manoeuvring around the hills near Arapiles.
• Sorauren, 1813: British and Portuguese troops defend a strong position against Soult’s attempt to relieve Pamplona during the Battle of the Pyrenees.

Each battle offers a distinct situation, from a French cavalry movement that rolled the Spanish line at Ocaña to the over-extended French position at Salamanca. Vitoria may appear one-sided because of the Allied numbers and approach, yet its outcome remains less certain than it first seems.

With its carefully defined scale and four historically significant engagements, Quatre Batailles en Espagne explores the contrasting challenges faced by French, British, Portuguese, and Spanish forces during the Peninsular War. The scenarios also highlight the “what-ifs” that make these battles especially compelling to revisit.