Solitaire games can be played by more than one person, as a team.

For example, one player can be the supreme commander, and the others command subordinate formations. Or players can act as a “staff”, discussing possible moves and them developing a plan of action. This has the added advantage as everyone can win, or at least lose together. It also encourages social interaction which is always fun.

subject: discussion
author: Joe Miranda

I included optional rules so players can explore some of the what-ifs of the campaign. One of the biggest hypothetical was Napoleon having an improved command structure. Soult was unsuited for staff work, while both Ney and Grouchy had their shortcomings as independent commanders – the former was too aggressive, the latter not enough, though Grouchy did manage to win a creditable victory at Wavre. You can assign your leaders to where you think they will do their best.

You can assign your leaders to where you think they will do their best.

I did not include any special rules for committing the French Imperial Guard. I consider one of the more overblown myths of the campaign the idea that Napoleon held the Imperial Guard in reserve for only the most critical of situations, and that its defeat at the …

One of the unique design features is the Chief of Staff rule. Waterloo Solitaire gives the often unsung staff its due recognition. In game terms, the chief of staff can translate morale points into practical advantages on the field, such as pre-battle recon or purchasing special tactics markers. The player can assign a French marshal as chief of staff, and each has different abilities. Having the right man for that job can make the difference in what you can do in the campaign.

Both sides were operating on shaky ground

The Bulletin cards provide random events,  fog of war and friction factors. Some of these include morale checks for various events. The morale checks are important since they reflect the importance of the non-material factors as well as the political situation. Both sides were operating on shaky ground. The Anglo-Allied …

The Battle Results Table outcomes are based on an analysis of what happened during the actual fighting. The combat system is a little on the involved side–though bear in mind in the computer version it will be executed automatically. This was because individual battles often had profound effects. Therefore, I did not want them decided by single die rolls. Shifts for leadership, morale, Tactical markers, etc., can be more important than the raw combat strength of a force. This also adds in an element of unpredictability because you have to consider qualitative as well as quantitative factors.

The French can be devastating in the offensive if they can get in there with a Grand Battery

This is where Tactical markers come in. They show the unique strengths of each army at a level below the scale of the unit counters. …

This evening Dr Roger Mason and myself playtested Waterloo Solitaire. We played  collaboratively as the French Napoleon Command. We used the 16 June 1815 scenario, with Napoleon facing Blucher at Ligny, and Ney up against Wellington at Quatre Bras. Napoleon handed the Prussians a minor defeat, forcing them back, while Ney won a somewhat more substantial victory. But in the ensuing turn, Wellington got a March to the Guns campaign card, gathering up several stray units and piling onto Ney in a major counterattack, knocking him back on the French lines of communications.

We decided to march Napoleon and the French army westwards and take Wellington in the flank

Since the Prussians seemed to be out of commission, we decided to march Napoleon and the main French army westwards and take Wellington in the flank. We left behind two  cavalry …

This is the first in a series of posts regarding my design of Waterloo Solitaire.

–Joseph Miranda

Waterloo Solitaire

puts the player in the boots of Napoleon during those fateful June days of 1815. There are four forces in the game: the Napoleon Wing, the French Detached Wing, the Anglo-Allies, and the Prussians. The player controls the Napoleon Wing, with the game system controlling the other three.

The map covers the entire theater of operations from the French frontier fortresses to Brussels, Namur to Mons.  Time scale is one half day per turn, 15-19 June 1815. There are scenarios which start the game at various points in the campaign.

The game’s central system is in the Campaign cards, the artificial intelligence if you like. The cards generate game actions for the forces which are not controlled by the player. The player has to deal …