Wagram 1809

About this board game

Wagram 1809 is a two-player divisional-scale board game, released in 2012, simulating one of Napoleon’s greatest victories during the 1809 campaign.

Following the troubling French defeat at Essling on 22 May, Napoleon still held Vienna but needed to restore his confidence and bring the campaign to an end. For the second time, he crossed the Danube to confront the army of Archduke Charles.

The game focuses on the preparations and fighting that led to the Battle of Wagram. During the night of 4–5 July, Napoleon successfully moved most of his troops across the Danube, allowing the battle to begin. The engagement would continue for two days.

• Divisional scale: Command the forces at the level of divisions.
• Plotted movement: Army corps use a plotted system for movement.
• Alternating activations: Units activate in alternation during each turn.
• No CRT: Combat does not use a traditional Combat Results Table.
• Progressive weakening: Units become increasingly weaker as the battle develops.

These systems place emphasis on coordinating corps movement and managing the gradual deterioration of formations across the battle. With no CRT and units that weaken progressively, the game presents Wagram as a changing contest in which the condition of the army matters throughout the engagement.

Laurent Martin adapted and evolved the system previously used for the battles of Bull Run and Cedar Creek, which appeared in Vae Victis. For players interested in historical wargames focused on Napoleonic operations, divisional command, and the two-day struggle at Wagram, Wagram 1809 offers a focused simulation of this decisive campaign moment.