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I have spent nearly 50 years reading about the Waterloo campaign. The photo below (Quatre Bras at the top, Ligny below) shows the position early pm on 16 June as per ‘Napoleon’s Last Battles’ by Decision Games.
But not until playing this game through (solo) did I realise quite how blooming difficult every decision was. Some examples, for the French first:
1) where to send D’Erlon’s I Corps?
2) how hard to hit the Prussians at Ligny? Their position is scarily strong
1) where to send D’Erlon’s I Corps?
2) how hard to hit the Prussians at Ligny? Their position is scarily strong
3) How much force to send after the retreating Prussians?
4) if the British get safely into the Waterloo position, how on earth to get them out of it?
4) if the British get safely into the Waterloo position, how on earth to get them out of it?
For the Allies:
1) how hard to fight on 16 June?
2) when to retreat? The timing has to be perfect.
3) how much effort should rearguards make to slow French? They will die, but equally you can’t let the French just follow up unopposed.
1) how hard to fight on 16 June?
2) when to retreat? The timing has to be perfect.
3) how much effort should rearguards make to slow French? They will die, but equally you can’t let the French just follow up unopposed.
Those are just a few of the questions which I had not appreciated the full difficulty of until playing this game. And those were the tough questions when I had 100% information of both sides positions, strengths, and intentions. With imperfect knowledge, how much harder....
Reminds me of the dangers for historians of 20/20 hindsight and of under-estimating the difficulty of decision-making people in the past faced
In case you are wondering, here is the situation at 1400 on 17 June, just before rain stops play until the next morning. The British are on the Waterloo ridge with 2 pretty much full strength Prussian corps close enough to attack the French early on 18 June. Napoleon’s bogged it.
