Napoléon à Austerlitz

Napoléon a Austerlitz is a board wargame designed by Jean-Pierre Defieux and published in 1977 by his own company Descartes Editeur, later known as Jeux Descartes, making it the first board wargame published in France. The game is built for two players, one commanding French forces and the other commanding the combined Russian and Austrian army, and it recreates the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz through a single scenario spanning twelve turns that typically takes about two hours to complete. Despite covering a major set piece battle, the design keeps its rulebook to only fourteen pages while still incorporating standard wargaming concepts such as zones of control that restrict enemy movement near friendly units and a demoralization mechanic representing the collapse of a unit's fighting spirit under pressure. Unit strength is hidden from the opposing player through double sided counters that are only turned face up when combat is resolved, producing a fog of war effect. A special rule lets the French player bombard Russian troops attempting to cross a frozen lake during the historical retreat, with the possibility of breaking the ice beneath them.