Napoleon Against Russia

About this board game

Napoleon Against Russia is a historical wargame for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 180 minutes, covering five battles from the critical phase of Napoleon’s 1812 campaign.

Set between 16 August and 24 October 1812, the game follows the Grande Armée from Smolensk toward Moscow and into the troubled retreat. Players can explore the decisions and missed opportunities that shaped the campaign, including Napoleon’s attempt to bring the Russian Army to the decisive battle he sought.

• Smolensk: A battle postponed as the Russians withdraw along the Moscow road.
• Valutino: A rearguard action following a confused Russian night march.
• Shevardino: The fight for the redoubt, in which the French capture the position at heavy cost.
• Borodino: The climactic battle, with room to attempt attacks against either Russian flank.
• Maloyaroslavets: A struggle for a bridge over the Luzha River as the retreat goes awry.

Each battle uses the shared rules and game system of OSG’s The Library of Napoleonic Battles series, formerly known as the Napoleon’s Last Battles series. The large-scale presentation represents 480 meters per hex, one hour per turn, and 400–800 men per strength point.

Individual Approach to Battle games last about 22 turns. For a broader experience, the full campaign links the individual battles, allowing the sequence of events to carry from the French advance toward Moscow into the decisions that doomed the Army’s return route.

Napoleon Against Russia combines five connected historical situations with a system designed to portray maneuver, battlefield opportunity, and the consequences of command decisions during one of the campaign’s most critical phases.