Stripped Down for Parts: Waterloo, 1815: Fallen Eagles II

 

 

 

Walter Vejdovsky’s Eagles of France rules first appeared in Waterloo,1815: Fallen Eagles (Hexasim, 2015), a game released in time for the 200^th anniversary of the climactic battle. Since this release, we’ve seen Austerlitz 1805: Rising Eagles (Hexasim, 2016), Ligny 1815: Last Eagles (Hexasim, 2017), and Quatre Bras 1815: Last Eagles (Hexasim, 2019). The last two games can be combined into a single campaign game of the altercations immediately preceding the Battle of Waterloo (or la bataille de Mont Saint-Jean, depending on who you ask).

A couple of years ago, Hexasim released a second edition of the first game in the series, named (in line with long wargaming convention and tradition) Waterloo 1815: Fallen Eagles II (Hexasim, 2022[ hereon in I’ll just refer to the game as Fallen Eagles II). Through a confluence of means (some available credit in my PayPal account) and opportunity (a still shrink-wrapped copy available at an online second-hand dealer), I have now come into possession of this edition, my first Eagles of France game. Here is a look at what’s gone into this game, with a few comments of my own.

The cover illustration for the second edition revives the portrait from the first (with a slightly higher colour), of a solder of the Imperial Guard (the Old Guard, or grognards, were the only soldiers in the Grand armée granted permission to wear facial hair). The box is self is on the lighter side – closer to MMP card weight than GMT boxes – but is still sturdy, firm in coupling with the base, and does its job admirably. All in all, the presentation is enticing, but still gives the impression of a serious wargame.

The box back teases at what is to come inside. It presents the full Mont-Saint-Jean map with a row of sample counters of leaders and units above and below the map at roughly actual scale. The description details that this is the is the second edition of Waterloo, 1815, mentioning the improvements to the game – better representation of the geography of the battlefield (the landscape has been radically altered in the last 200 or so years), and the revised and more accurate Order of Battle for this edition. The blurb is prefixed with a British flag, indicating that this is an English-language edition of the game. Unlike some European publishers, Hexasim produces games in single language options, which can be frustrating when the English version has sold out, but I’m not going to criticise their business model as it obviously works for them.

Interestingly, Hexasim rates the game’s difficulty as 4-5 out of 9, something you don’t often see, but I think here it’s to denote the escalation in the in complexity from the first scenario – the French assault on Chateau d’Hougoumont – to fourth and main scenario, the Battle of Mont-Saint-Jean.

Unusually, no age-appropriate advice is offered here. From what I’ve seen of the game and rules, I think the standard fourteen years, or an engaged thirteen-year-old, should be able to handle the game, if not immediately grasp the tactical nuances. But I’ve always believed the best way to learn a game is to lose to a more experienced player a couple of times.

Fallen Eagles II comes with two booklets, an Eagles of Frace series rulebook, and a game-specific playbook. These are printed on a nice low-gloss paper-stock, in a pleasant font slightly smaller than I would have preferred - about nine-point – bit still comfortable to read without reaching for my glasses.

The Rulebook is 24 pages in length. One page is given over to a full cover, featuring an etching entitled Napoleon invading Poland, 1806 (alas, I haven’t been able to track down the artist, but the work looks broadly cotemporaneous with the event depicted). Most of a page is given over to a thorough Table of Contents. The essential rules are covered across nineteen helpfully illustrated pages, with the last couple of pages detailing the Special Rules (those not directly involving setting orders, movement or combat; Morale, Special Events resulting from combat, Leaser casualties, changing weather conditions, Fog of War (limited inspection of your opponent’s stacks, and Reinforcements are all covered in this section. These aren’t “optional rules”, per se, but You could play an initial game or two setting aside some or all of them, especially with the shorter scenarios, if you wanted to concentrate on getting the core rules squared away first.

The Eagles of France series has been in print for going on a decade. The current iteration is version 2.3, dated October 2022 – and with four titles released (well, I’d say five, as this second edition of Fallen Eagles, with its redrafted maps and revised Orders of Battle, surely warrants its own place), a lot of teething problems will have been ironed out with successive titles.

The Playbook also comes in at 24 pages. It too has a full-page cover. I’m okay with this, but I understand why some might prefer to have a Table of Contents (the Playbook doesn’t have one).

A single column on the first page covers the exclusive rules for Fallen Eagles II. The next three and a half pages detail the four scenarios. The Eagles of France games use a small deck of cards in a fairly novel way. I’ll come back to the tactical cards, but I’ll mention here that two pages are devoted to the Alternate History cards. These are essentially optional rules cards, six in all, to mix up the scenarios from their historical parameters (like the No Rain! card, that allows for an earlier starting time – chosen randomly – to the main battle, but also an earlier arrival of Blücher’s Russian reinforcements).

The remainder of the Playbook presents a four-page Example of Play (really a couple of contrived situations, but quite useful in demonstrating how the rules interact), Two pages of Designer’s Notes, another two of Player’s Notes, and a short but intriguing Bibliography of resources consulted in the preparation of this edition.

Player Aid Cards (and there are a few of them)

Player Aid Cards, front (Fire Table) and back (Melee Table).
A player's best friend in combat.

All of the Player Aid cards are printed on the same weight card with a light satin finish that minimises reflection under overhead lights. The primary cards are a pair of battle PACs, featuring the necessary tables and modifiers for Fire combat on one side and Melee combat on the reverse. It’s a small thing, but I’m always a little disappointed when a game only features a single combat resolution PAC to be shared between the players. These cards are both readable and easy to navigate. The information isn’t as all crowded, but it well laid out and, on the Fire Table side, incorporates a Random Special Events table, triggered by a roll of two on the Fire Table or by an even-numbered result on the Melee Table.

The Unit Identification Chart and Turn Track (my one point of consternation in
an otherwise brilliant package),

A turn in the Eagles of France system is one hour in length. While the turns on the universal Turn Track begin at 6:00am, the earliest scenario durations begin at 11:00am, when the historical Battle of Waterloo began. This was because heavy rain on the 17^th had left the roads impassable for cannon; Napoleon delayed his manoeuvres to allow the paths time to firm up enough to draw up his artillery. The extended turn track length is all to do with the

Terrain Effects Chart. There are two of these. No, really.

Which brings me to one of the few complaints I have about the game so far in my exploration. Fallen Eagles II features two Terrain Effects Charts. These are arguably as integral to the experience as the combat PACs in a game so focussed manoeuvre, but the decision was made to print one of these on the verso of the universal Turn Track. It’s a small thing, but for the sake of one more sheet of cardstock, we would have had a more perfect game.

The remaining TEC is provided on the verso of a Unit Identification Chart. This takes the unit information spelt out early in the rulebook covering the unit counters and lays it all out – slightly enlarged – in a useful infographic format that, until I get used to identifying the seven separate unit nationalities making up the Belle Alliance, will get a lot of use at the table.

As mentioned above, the game comes with two Terrain Effects Charts, but one is effectively unavailable for at least the grand scenario; one may be able to manage tracking a three or four turn scenario by other means. I don’t expect a better result would have been to print them on the back of Order of Battle charts; the Hougoumont scenario map is to be found on the back of the French OoB for the la bataille de Mont-Saint-Jean (the French name for the Battle of Waterloo, because... well, they're French), which does make sense as, if playing one, you will have no need for the other.

D'Erlon's Assault and Plancenoit Order of Battle cards.

Mont-Saint-Jean scenario -   Allied Order of Battle cards.

Mont-Saint-Jean scenario - French Order of Battle card.

Each scenario has its own Order of Battle set up card or cards, except for the Hougoumont scenario, which is small enough in scope and forces to incorporate the OoB into the board graphics. The OoB cards are useful in laying out all the units before positioning them on the board. These are provided for scenarios 2-4; Scenarios 2 and 3, D’Arlon’s Assault and Plancenoit respectively, each have a single sheet accommodating both sides’ forces, while the Mont-Saint-Jean scenario has three; two for la Belle Alliance and one for the French. It might feel like double-handling to lay out your units on the OoB card, only to move them when sorted to the playing area, but I think it saves time to pre-sort them, and it will guarantee that no units are truant from the battle when you need them most.

D'Erlon's Assault and Plancenoit Set-up maps.

Mont-Saint-Jean Set-up map (verso of the D'Erlon/Plancenoit map).

The combined Set-Up guide is a bi-fold PAC that offers a formation set-up guide (in miniature) for the Mont-Saint-Jean scenario outside of the fold, across both panels, and the D’Erlon and Plancenoit scenarios inside of the fold, one panel each. I personally would have reversed this; if the two smaller scenarios were demonstrated on the outside, the card would only have to have been opened for the one scenario for which it must be laid open anyway, but that’s a minor quibble and no indictment on the game. These set-up maps indicate which areas a given scenario’s starting elements should start in. Some latitude is offered to the players within these areas for the placement of individual units.

Order Boards, one for each player. This is where your plans
first make contact with the enemy.

At the beginning of the game the formations available to each side are given orders by their commander (that side’s player), and at the start of subsequent turns these orders may be changed or discharged and fresh orders given. These are plotted out on the Orders Chart. If a formation is given and order to go to a certain location, it must use its activation to make its way to that location. If it’s given a Defence Order, it will take a defensive stance until ordered otherwise. Much of war is about scarcity of resources, and this is no exception. Each scenario will dictate how many or few orders may be changed in a single turn. Sometimes a formation may have to continue to move to a location that’s no longer tenable or remain in a defensive posture when they would be of more use harassing the enemy’s flank because of poor communications. It’s a nice touch.

Maps

Scenario 1: Hougoumont map. This looks like an excellent introduction to the system,
or a good fast-playing scenario if you’re short on time and/or space.

Scenario 2: D’Erlon’s Assault map.

Scenario 3: Plancenoit map (verso to D’Erlon’s Assault).

It’s the maps where the graphic beauty of the game really stands out. They are a nearly a water-colour wash of greens, with subtle but distinct changes for differences in elevation, steep inclines and various trees and foliage. Woods, hedge hex-sides, orchids, gardens and even tree-lined roads are rendered beautifully, as are gradual and steep slopes, sunken roads, roads trails and villages. The blending shades of green set off the vibrant counters to best effect.

Scenario 4: Mont-Saint-Jean map. Apologies for the glare.
For scale, the table the map is laying on is near to exactly four feet wide..

The main scenario is played out on a two-sheet play-area (joining at a long edge with about a ½ inch overlap) that takes in all the important territory at a scale of round 200 and something metres per hex. The series hex-scale varies from 200-250 metres short angle diameter (perpendicularly from side to side); given the turns are one hour in duration, the variation in distance is of less consequence than, say the Vive l’Empereur rules, where turns cover twenty minutes of game time).

For paper maps, the two sheets making up the Mont-Saint-Jean battlefield lay remarkably flat right out of the box with just a little smoothing out. Nonetheless, I think I would still use plexi over the sheets, j

Counters

Counter Sheets 1 and 2. 

Counter sheets 3 and 4 and mini-counter sheet 5. The more observant may notice
sheet 3 is actually upside down. It was late, and these were the last components shot.
I'll try to do better next time.

The Eagles of France counters are clearly contenders – to my mind at least – the nicest-looking counters of any game at this scale (to be fair, I haven’t got my hands on a copy of Battles of Napoleon: Volume I – Eylau 1807 (Sound of Drums, 2024) yet, so there’s that). They are pre-rounded and nice to punch out, with very good registration. For the amount of information crammed into each counter, they are surprisingly readable.

Some of the information conveyed is chromatic’ the unit counters are split into three bands. The thinner top band offers the unit’s name against a coloured band which representing the formation to which the unit belongs, while the middle band’s colour denotes the formation’s nationality. I know this isn’t unique – other games use coloured stripes to denote formations at a glance – but to my mind, the Eagles of France counters do it best, with a clear diversity of colours and a thin dividing line between the sections to present the information more clearly.

The top segment offers the name of the unit, while the centre section presents the formation name (left), a NATO symbol (everything in the game is infantry, cavalry, heavy cavalry – denoted by bi-coloured symbol sections – or artillery), and the formation’s brigade or division designation (right). The bottom section is always presented in a pleasant ecru, and presents the functional information for the unit, with Unit Size (in lieu of a Strength rating), its Quality Factor (analogous to a Morale rating), and Movement points. Nearly all infantry units are rated 4, while most Light infantry get an extra movement point. Most cavalry units get 8 movement points, horse artillery get 6 while foot artillery come in at 3 points (those cannons are heavy).

While we’re talking about movement, I like how the Eagles of France rules handle road movement. Instead of tying it to a unit’s movement factor – say, half movement rounding down or an extra half point movement for movement on roads and one third on trails, Mr Vejdovsky has adopted a simple one size fits all; if all movement in a turn is conducted on a path, the unit can move an extra two hexes, regardless of terrain; no accounting necessary.

Formation leader’s counters have less factors, but are presented in the same fashion as their subordinate units. Along with the name of their formation, they include an Initiative Factor (bottom left) and a Leadership Factor. The overall leaders are backed with a solid national colour; these are not tied to any formation. All the leader counters also incorporate a tiny portrait of the man in question, which I think is a nice touch.

Fallen Eagles II comes with four sheets of counters, plus a two-row sheetlet holding dome extras. The counters are pre-rounded easy-punch chits mounted on white-core card stock, and are about 5/8” in size. It’s worth mentioning that four replacement counters for the Quatre-Bras game are included here.

The rest

Box, dice and a slim deck of very nice cards. 

As mentioned earlier, Fallen Eagles II comes with a slim deck of cards comprised of twelve Tactics Cards and six Alternative History Cards. I’ve already addressed the Alternate History cards, so I’ll go into a little more detail about the Tactics cards here.

At the beginning of the game, the Tactics cards are laid out for view of both players. Then, starting with the French player, each take turns taking one of the cards until all have been collected. At the beginning of each turn the two sides have the option (again, starting with the French player) to pay a card whose effects will have play for that round.

The Alternative History cards, bring some variation in the pattern of the scenarios. These are of course optional but will increase the replayability of the scenarios by shifting the parameters of the historical situation; for example, bringing forward the starting time of the battle of Waterloo by two, three or more hours/turns, but also bringing forward the arrival time of Blucher’s forces. I’ve never been as interested in “what if” historical games, and I think I’d be happy to play the unadulterated historical for some time, but it’s nice to know they’re there.

The game also comes with two dice. They are of a nice weight and quite serviceable. I’ve never been one to insist on special embossed dice or such, so I think they’re fine. I’m sure they will betray me  at a crucial moment their own time.

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I’ve been coveting the Eagles of France games since before the announcement of the Fallen Eagles reprint. Nobody would be surprised to hear that the experience of ging through Fallen Eagles II and familiarising myself with the rules and components has merely fanned my desire to grab the others in the series. Austerlitz, which had also be long out of print, has also been reprinted just recently, and there is a rumour that another venerable French game manufacturer, Fellowship of Simulations, will produce the next volume in the series, covering the major battles of Napoleon's 1812 campaign. One can only hope.