''Austerlitz'', subtitled "The Battle of Three Emperors, 2 December 1805", is a

board wargame A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board game, board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby (as distinct from military ...

published by

Simulations Publications Inc. Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship ''Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innovati ...

(SPI) in 1972 that simulates the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

between

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's French forces, and the Austrian-Russian forces of the

Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, France and its client states under Napoleon I and its ally Spain opposed an alliance, the Th ...

Background

In 1805, an Allied force of Russians and Austrians was lured into a trap by Napoleon near the town of Austerlitz.

Description

''Austerlitz'' is a two-player wargame in which one player controls the Alliance army, and the other player controls the French army.

Components

The game includes: *22" x 28" paper hex grid map scaled at per hex *100 die-cut counters *Map-folded rule sheet *Two Terrain Effects charts *A small six-sided die

Gameplay

''Austerlitz'' uses a simple "I Go, You Go" alternating system of turns first used in SPI's ''

Napoleon at Waterloo ''Napoleon at Waterloo'' is a 1984 computer wargame published by Krentek Software. Gameplay ''Napoleon at Waterloo'' is a game in which the player controls Napoleon while the computer commands the forces of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Welling ...

'' (1971). First the Allied player moves and then fires. Then the French player has the same opportunity. This completes one game turn, which represents one hour of game time.

Publication history

''Austerlitz'' was designed by John Michael Young, with graphic design by

Redmond A. Simonsen Redmond Aksel Simonsen (June 18, 1942 – March 9, 2005) was an American graphic artist and game designer best known for his work at the board wargame company Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in the 1970s and early 1980s. Simonsen was consid ...

and was published by SPI in 1973, first packaged in a plain white box with a red title ribbon, then later in a "flatpack" box with integrated counter tray.

Reception

In a 1976 poll undertaken by SPI to determine the most popular board wargames in North America, ''Austerlitz'' placed a respectable 54th out of 202 games. In his 1977 book ''

The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 1977 book by Nicholas "Nicky" Palmer about the hobby of board wargaming. Contents ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 223-page book exploring wargaming as a hobby, written for ...

'',

Nick Palmer Nicholas Douglas Palmer (born 5 February 1950) is a British politician, translator and computer scientist. He was the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe (UK Parliament c ...

called ''Austerlitz'' a "simple, well-balanced operational level game." In the 1980 book ''

The Complete Book of Wargames ''The Complete Book of Wargames'' by Jon Freeman and the editors of Consumer Guide was published in 1980 by Simon & Schuster under the Fireside imprint. Contents This book comes in both a 285-page hardcover edition and a paperback version. In ...

'', game designer

Jon Freeman Jon Freeman may refer to: *Jon Freeman (game designer) Jon Freeman is a game designer and co-founder of software developer Automated Simulations, which was later renamed to Epyx and became a major company during the 8-bit era of home computing. He ...

commented that ''Austerlitz'' was "probably the best of the company's Napoleonic series of games and one of the most interesting around." He noted that "Play is quick and clean; there are enough units to minimize the effects of chance, but few enough to avoid the drudgery of piece-pushing." Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Excellent", saying, "The game is usually in doubt until the end, offers a variety of outcomes, and presents innumerable opportunities for sharp tactical and strategic play." In ''The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training'', Martin Campion questioned the balance of the game, saying, "With any kind of competent players, the French will always win. The question is, by how much?" He concluded, "The mechanics are not very reliable, but the action tends to follow the original battle."

Other reviews and commentary

* ''Campaign'' #102 and #106 * ''

Richard Berg's Review of Games ''Richard Berg's Review of Games'' was a wargaming review magazine edited by Richard Berg and first published in 1980 by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI). Contents ''Richard Berg's Review of Games'' was a slim professionally produced fanzi ...

'' #8 *''Grenadier'' #13 * ''Panzerfaust'' #63 *'' Moves'' #53

References

{{reflist Board wargames set in Early Modern history Cultural depictions of Napoleon Napoleonic Wars board wargames Simulations Publications games Wargames introduced in 1972 Works about Napoleon