La Grande Armée: The Campaigns of Napoleon in Central Europe

About this board game

La Grande Armée: The Campaigns of Napoleon in Central Europe is a two-player operational wargame with an approximately 180-minute play time, covering Napoleon’s central European campaigns of 1805, 1806, and 1809.

The game presents three distinct scenarios: the 1805 campaign against Austria, the 1806 campaign against Prussia, and the 1809 campaign against Austria. Russian forces appear in the 1805 and 1806 campaigns, while the 1805 scenario also allows for possible Prussian entry against the French.

Its emphasis is on maneuver, forced marches, and supply. Armies must disperse to move effectively, then concentrate for combat, creating an important tension between operational flexibility and battlefield strength. The French benefit from a significant advantage in forced marching and from higher-quality leaders.

• Three campaigns covering 1805, 1806, and 1809
• Different national army compositions across the scenarios
• A substantially different Austrian army in 1809, reflecting reforms made after 1805
• Operational play centered on movement, supply, concentration, and combat

The game includes a 22-by-28-inch map, a 400-counter sheet with a number of blank counters, accordion-format rules, and separate scenario and table sheets. The system is based on the earlier SPI game Leipzig.

With its changing alliances, varied armies, and three separate campaigns, La Grande Armée offers a focused study of Napoleonic operations in central Europe. It is distinct from the later TSR remake that used the same title.