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How to Play
The Library of Napoleonic Battles is a two player simulation at the brigade level. This comprehensive overview covers all the basics you need to get started. Subscribe to the Thursday Night Gamers Youtube channel to watch all of their game sessions on The Library of Napoleonic Battles (TLNB).
Charles S. Roberts Awards
Winner of best napoleonic game for 2023
Bonaparte Overruns Piedmont
WINNER OF THE 2023 CHARLES S. ROBERTS AWARD FOR BEST NAPOLEONIC GAME
Click here for more about this year's awards.
War of the First Coalition, Part I
Bonaparte's First Offensive, April 1796
With his commission order fresh from Paris, Bonaparte established his HQ at Nice and took command of a front-line force of 35,168 men of the Army of Italy, ordering them across the mountains and heading for a fight at Montenotte. After Beaulieu's 26,697 men of the Army of Italy escaped from harm's way and sprinted for Acqui, the Piedmontese Army became Bonaparte's next target.
Unless otherwise indicated, all paintings on this page: Keith Rocco, "Napoleon's First Italian Campaign" (2013)
Artwork: www.keithrocco.com
The library of napoleonic battles
The Library is an ambitious project to present 84 Battles of the Napoleonic era (Napoleon was present at 70 of them). So far, 59 battles in the Library have been published, as well as several Expansion Kits.
Explore the timeline of Napoleonic Battles. For a more detailed account of each battle, visit The Complete Library of Napoleonic Battles page
1794
French revolutionary wars
The decisive Battle of Fleurus led to the Austrian loss of Belgium. With the two armies clashing again at Mont St Jean, the campaign gave the French Republic additional resources and manpower, opened the gateway to Germany, and the port of Antwerp to the French navy.
Image: Jourdan at Fleurus
1796-1797
War of the 1st Coalition
General Bonaparte’s first campaign broke two years of stalemate in the coastal mountains, and succeeded in detaching the Piedmontese from the Austrian alliance.
Bonaparte parried four massive Austrian offensives in six months, marching quickly to gain local superiority.
Image: Napoleon at the Battle of Rivoli, by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux
1799-1800
War of the 2nd Coalition
After the first battle in Zurich (Zurich I, 4-7 June 1799) a stalemate ensued. Joubert’s force landed at Genoa and was defeated at Novi. At the second battle in Zurich (Zurich II, 25-26 Sept. 1799) Massena defeated Korsakov and drove Russia from the Second Coalition.
Bonaparte led his army over the Alps in mid-May (1800). Melas’s communications were cut with Ott’s defeat at Montebello. Melas launched a surprise attack at Marengo, catching Bonaparte off-guard. At 2:30 he arrived with the Reserve, and Desaix joined in at 5:30, clinching victory.
Image: General Moreau at the Battle of Hohenlinden
1805
War of the 3rd Coalition
Austria opened hostilities, seizing Venezia and Bavaria. Before Russian help could arrive, Napoleon marched his army from the Channel coast and surrounded Ulm. The swiftness of the collapse and the fall of Vienna stunned the world.
Image: Napoléon at the Battle of Austerlitz, by François Pascal Simon, Baron Gérard
1806-1807
War of the Fourth Coalition
THE COMING STORM (201):
In 1806 and 1807 the French encountered the poorly-led Prussians in Saxony and then came chaotic winter battles against the Russians.
Image: The French Army entering Berlin in 1806
1808-1809
Peninsular War
PART I, NAPOLEON IN SPAIN (211):
The disaster at Bailen and Joseph’s withdrawal from Madrid forced the Emperor to appear there in person. The British had a strong base in Portugal. Popular insurrections broke out and the French were nearly driven from the peninsula by the time Napoleon arrived in November. By January Madrid had been reconquered, but rumblings from the Danube interrupted the mopping up operations and forced Napoleon to depart on January 17.
PART II, NAPOLEON'S QUAGMIRE (207):
Wellesley advanced against Victor, who withdrew onto reinforcements from Joseph and Sebastiani. Together they advanced on Talavera, suffering a tactical defeat. Venegas and then Aréizaga advanced on Madrid only to be defeated in turn.
Image: Sir John Moore, British commander
1809
War against Austria
Napoleon and his Army of Germany met their first setback in the shadow of Vienna against a modernized Austrian Army.
Image: Napoleon at Wagram, painted by Horace Vernet
1810-1811
Peninsular War, Part III
THE STRUGGLE FOR PORTUGAL:
Wellington was forced to withdraw behind the lines of Torres Vedras to protect the approaches to Lisbon. Masséna's army was brought up short and eventually withdrew into Spain. In April 1811, Wellington besieged Almeida. When Soult gathered a new army and marched to relieve the siege of Badajoz, the opposing armies met at the village of Albuera.
Image: Marshal Beresford disarming a Polish lancer at the Battle of Albuera, Thomas Sutherland
1811-1813
Peninsular War, Part IV
THE SPANISH ULCER:
Wellington’s renewed offensive led to the defeat of Marmont at Salamanca. Madrid and Andalusia fell in quick succession.
Image: General Joaquín Blake
1812
From Smolensk to Moscow
NAPOLEON AGAINST RUSSIA (205):
The Russian Army finally gave Napoleon the decisive battles he so greatly desired. His first maneuver started out well—with the French poised to slip into Smolensk behind the Russians. However, the opportunity to bring an end to the campaign remained unfulfilled. After that, Moscow became the default destination.
Image: Napoleon before burning Smolensk. Oil on canvas by Albrecht Adam
1813
War of Liberation
PART I, NAPOLEON'S RESURGENCE (208):
Napoleon arrived with a fresh army at the end of April and drove the Coalition out of Saxony by the end of May. He left Oudinot to defend his communications against an advance from Berlin. The Armistice had been declared days before Oudinot’s loss at Luckau.
PART II:
At the conclusion of the armistice the Emperor advanced into Silesia and caught up with Blücher at Löwenberg, but Blücher retreated to safety. Napoleon returned to Dresden to repulse the onslaught of the main enemy force in the plain of Dresden. After several lost battles, Napoleon abandoned the right bank of the Elbe, and Yorck’s crossing could not be stopped.
PART III, THE FOUR LOST BATTLES:
Napoleon was outnumbered and strategically surrounded by three large armies: Bernadotte’s Army of the North, Blücher’s Army of Silesia, and Schwarzenberg’s Army of Bohemia. The Trachtenberg Plan required any one of these armies to retreat when faced by Napoleon in person, coordinated with an advance by the other two Armies. This plan was the undoing of Napoleon.
PART IV, NAPOLEON AT LEIPZIG (203):
Napoleon at Leipzig is a comprehensive game with a proven track record of excellent re-playability, among the most popular Napoleonic wargames of all time, with 20,000 copies in print across the first four editions. Now it has a bigger playing area and more manpower for both sides. Completely revised order of battle; all new unit set-ups; revised and expanded maps.
Image: The Red Lancers after the charge at the battle of Hanau
1814
Campaign in France
PART I, LA PATRIE EN DANGER (204):
Napoleon arrived at the front and surprised Blucher's Prussians and Russians during a snowstorm. Just two days later the Prussians triumphed at La Rothiere and wrote-off the enemy as a spent force, advancing hell-for-leather across the Marne and onto the highway to Paris. Ten days later Napoleon seized his opportunity when Marshal Vorwarts got his dispersed columns defeated in detail, in rapid succession in three short sharp combats.
PART II, NAPOLEON RETREATS (209):
Blücher withdrew from the Ourcq when he heard of Napoleon's advance. At Soissons he linked up with reinforcements that brought his total force to 100,000. On 7 March, Napoleon attacked westwards along the Chemin des Dames. The Prussians were forced to withdraw towards Laon.
PART III, TIME RUNS OUT:
With the Coalition armies converging on Paris, Napoleon and his Marshals were unable to stem the flood tide of history. Elba, and the Hundred Days, were to follow.
Image: General Emmanuel de St-Priest
1815
Campaign of the Hundred Days
Napoleon began by moving on the central position between the Prussian and British Armies. On June 15th the Grande Armée was unleashed across the Sambre River. As the 16th dawned, troops of both sides still converged on the battlefields. After withdrawing from the Rhine, General Rapp turned to oppose an Austrian crossing of the river line. The Württembergers moved to intercept. Rapp pulled back toward Strasbourg and fought the last pitched battle of the Napoleonic Wars.
Image: Scotland Forever!, the charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo painted by Elizabeth Thompson
A great way to get started
I had zero interest in Napoleonic operations until I played NLB... I stereotyped the era as two lines blasting at each other... NLB piqued my interest, was amazed at how much maneuver was involved, the to and fro of the battles. Until two years ago, I really had no Napoleonic in my library. Now I’ve the complete TLNB, all the OSG books, and have picked up the various books I’ve seen recommended in this folder. No lie, your games have literally opened up an entire era of history and gaming. Most importantly, I’m PLAYING these games, ftf and solo... and thoroughly enjoying learning about the history. I’ve even got tacit approval to join one of your battlefield tours ...
- Clint Pewtress
I wanted to compliment you and your colleagues for the excellent work done on the TLNB series. Aside from being rattling good games, and solid simulations of war at the grand tactical level, they are superior study aids. I'm currently reading Thunder on the Danube with Last Success maps and counters set-up, and it is nothing short of a revelation. The maps in the books are pretty good, but Success provides a unique visualization of situations and possibilities. The graphics provide clarity and aesthetic appeal, making study of the battles a curiously satisfying experience. Great job!
- George Pearson
I have followed your designs - and played quite a few of them - for many years now, and sincerely admire the crystal clear reasoning behind design decisions and your outstanding historical notes, which led me to get more involved in the Napoleonic Era in several ways, from some reading to historical reenactment (now for more than 10 years) of "our" Guerra de la Independencia/ Peninsular War.
I have been reading this evening every page of the most impressive "Wargame Design 2014" collection, a publication I did not know about, and have been REALLY impressed both by its quality and insightful information and the passion it is transpiring
- Gabriel Gonzalez Pavón
I like how the LNB tri/quad/quint-game format lets you include less-covered or never-covered topics. That was true from the start, with 4LB. Where else are you going to find a Katzbach game, for example? Now we have a mix of big-name battles plus Pultusk/Golymin, Maloyaroslavets, everything in the La Patrie box, and all the extension material that makes NLG not my father's NLB. Except for Talavera, nothing in the Quagmire box has been much covered, if at all. It's an 18" inch shelf of old & new, familiar & fresh.
- Dave Demko
I must admit that I just discovered this series of games. I'm pushing some counters around now on the solo table while trying to learn the rules. The quality of the components and obvious knowledge of the designer make the series addictive. I suddenly want to catch up and buy all the previous TLNB games. I guess I need to start saving my money since Napoleon's Last Gamblewill probably by my next purchase, even though I want them all. My only gripe is that I don't have table space for more than one map at a time.
- Jeremy L Jones
Just want to say thanks for the great games.The historical feel they offer is brilliant and they compliment my (just now,somewhat obssesive!) reading of napoleon's life and campaigns so well. The series is easily my favourite wargame system because of the well balanced rules, and outstanding maps and components which give the right balance between fun and accuracy. Have thus far got La Patrie and Last Gamble, but will be geting the rest in due time.
- Johnathan, Sweden