The Battle for Dresden 1813

About this board game

The Battle for Dresden, 1813 is a two-player brigade-level simulation of the two-day battle around Dresden during Napoleon’s 1813 campaign in Germany. With a listed play time of up to 840 minutes, one player commands the French forces while the other controls the combined Austrian, Russian, and Prussian forces.

The game uses a map representing the area where the formations fought. Through a structured sequence of play, players maneuver their units across the map and engage adjacent enemy units in combat. The playing pieces represent the actual military formations available during the battle.

Its scale connects the tabletop to the historical action: each hexagon represents 400 yards of terrain, while each strength point represents approximately 450 to 650 men or one artillery battery. Game-turns represent one to four hours, with the system specifying 60 minutes for daytime turns and four hours for nighttime turns.

• Colorful 22 × 33-inch map
• 400 back-printed die-cut counters in four colors
• 28-page medium-complexity rulebook
• Basic, advanced, and optional rules
• Three scenarios lasting approximately 5 to 14 hours

The rulebook also includes designer’s notes and historical background, providing context for the formations and terrain represented in the game. Released in 1995, The Battle for Dresden, 1813 presents a detailed tabletop account of a major 1813 engagement at brigade level.