Bonaparte in Italy

About this board game

Bonaparte in Italy is a two-player historical campaign game with an approximately 180-minute playing time, covering Napoleon Bonaparte’s 1796–1797 operations in Italy.

At 26, Napoleon received command of the quiescent Army of Italy, his first field command. In a lightning campaign, he turned his theoretical understanding against the tottering Sardinian Kingdom and its Austrian ally, gaining the Po Valley and pursuing a series of operations toward Austria and the fortress of Mantua.

The game uses the Napoleon at Bay System and the CAMPAIGNS System—Series 1X. Its scale is 3,200 meters per hex, 1,000 men per strength point, and two days per turn, providing a structured framework for examining the campaign’s major operations.

Eight scenarios present key moments from the conflict:

• Montenotte
• Lodi
• Borghetto
• Castiglione
• Bassano
• Arcola
• Rivoli
• Marengo

The published game includes a 24-page rulebook with errata and clarifications, a 32-page study folder with campaign analysis, and three 22 × 34-inch map sections. The component set also contains 300 counters, including blanks, plus two 11 × 35-inch leader displays with eight scenario setups.

Designed by Kevin Zucker and released in 1979, Bonaparte in Italy focuses on the campaigns that established Napoleon’s reputation in the field and carried the French Army from northern Italy toward Austria.