Tactical Map for Solo Campaign

The tactical map for the solo campaign is slightly larger than the one for the PBEM campaign.   The new one is twelve squares wide by nine squares deep.   The PBEM map was nine by nine squares.   This is to show four major cities, the left and right being the French and Allied main depots.   Nine squares (three by three) will still be a wargames table.   Each square still represents one of my two by two foot scenic squares.

In the PBEM campaign each commander started at in the left or right line of squares.   The campaign objective, always a city, was in the middle of the map.   Each commander could reach the objective at the same time, should they both race for it.   Neither started the campaign with any disadvantage.

This often resulted in both racing to take the objective, and the resulting campaign in a series of battles to take or hold the objective.   Consequently we had a lot of wargames involving one side attacking a defended city.   The campaign was usually decided by which side had suffered the most attrition (battle casualties) and fought the wargame with the most casualties.

With the wider map there is no city in the centre.   Instead there are two outer cities, which will be the respective main depots.   And two inner cities, which will be fought over.  

Being a solo campaign one side will be on the defensive, and have orders to hold the objective.   The other will have orders to attack, and will determine the shape of the campaign.   I will command both, but the initiative will always lie with the attacker.

For this particular phase of the campaign the campaign objective will be to take and hold the river Weser.  

Strategic Map for Solo Campaign

The first solo campaign will be based in northern Germany.   The white area is the strategic area for the first campaign.   Each square is a wargames table.

I have chosen this area because I have not used the Prussian and First French armies for some time.  They were the first to bow out of the PBEM campaign.    First French Army is commanded by Napoleon and includes the Imperial Guard.   This will be the first time that I have commanded them in a campaign.

I am using the same campaign maps and orders of battle, but the campaign area will be different.   For the PBEM campaign the phase objective was always a city, and was always in the centre of a 3x3 grid square map.   Both armies always started at opposite ends of the map.  This was to allow maximum freedom to each commander to choose his campaign strategy.  

However in the solo campaign the strategic map will be 4x3, with a city at each side of the map.  These cities will be the main French and Allied supply centre.   One side will always be in defence and one will attack.  This is to make it easier to play a solo campaign.   I will command both armies, but the attacker will have the initiative.

I will now work on the first tactical map.   It will be a 12x9 square grid map, and each square will be one of the 2x2 foot squares I use to make up my wargames table.   The table is 6x6 foot, and consists of 9 scenic squares.

New Solo 1813 Campaign

I have finally started work on the new campaign.

It is a continuation of the PBEM campaign, but redesigned for solo play.

The background is similar to the historical campaign in that there is an armistice to allow both the French and allies to regroup having fought 58 battles.   The French won 25, and four were a draw.   So both now ready for a rest and reorganisation.

In addition the French are faced with a War of Liberation in Germany.   This forces them to abandon many of their gains and retreat to Westphalia to reorganise. 

The Austrians have moved their army north to join the Prussians and Russians, again based on the historical campaign.

So the new campaign will start with the following deployment

North Germany - 1 French (Hannover) v Prussian (Brunswick)

Central Germany - 2 French (Kassel) v Russian (Gotha)

South Germany - 3 French (Darmstadt) v Austrian (Bamberg)

North Spain - 4 French (Zamora) v British (Oporto)

South Spain - 5 French (Aranjeuz) v Spanish (Toledo)

These are the same five campaign areas used in the PBEM campaign.   But in the solo campaign I will be gaming one area at a time.

The first will be Napoleon v Blucher in north Germany.   I am now working on the strategic map for this campaign.