Marching Eagles - Marengo

'This battle is lost, but there is time to win another!'
-General Louis Desaix to Napoleon (attributed)

At the end of March 1796, Bonaparte took command of the Army of Italy. Bonaparte's army lacked sufficient cavalry and artillery and was chronically under paid, short of food, clothing, weapons and equipment. Internally, France was bankrupt and the only way the French Directory (Government) saw to address these problems was to attack the enemy territory, plunder the land and win a military victory. Bonaparte moved the army forward in early April and so began the 'First Italian Campaign'.

The battle of Castiglione (Aug 1796) demonstrated Bonaparte's tactical brilliance and an early attempt to out-maneuver his opponent. The battle of Caldiero (Nov 1796) was Napoleon's first defeat and a battle under severe winter conditions. The battle of Marengo (Jun 1800), a narrow victory, brought the War of the Second Coalition to an end and solidified Napoleon's hold on power. Together, these actions gave the world a good first look at the relentless combination of luck and skill that they would face in Napoleon for the next 15 years

But it also displayed the arrogance and overconfidence that would ultimately bring him, and France, crashing to the ground.

Win the Battle

Marengo is the second game in the Marching Eagles series, which is based on a simple to understand and easy to learn system, but that yet manages to afford a deep and historical experience.

Covering major actions of the First Italian Campaign, the game includes the battles of Castiglione (which Napoleon won) and Caldeiro (which he lost), as well as the campaign around Marengo from May-Jun 1800. The first two battles, only months apart, are very different in both terrain conditions and numbers of men. They challenge the player to develop different tactics to win a victory. While the final battles around Marengo show just how lucky Napoleon was.

Come Up If You Still Can!

In Marching Eagles: Marengo, players command units at the regiment, brigade and division level. Maps are broken up into irregular-shaped areas, based on the local terrain, and recreate the effects and restrictions faced by the actaul troops on the field. Combat occurs at the end of each orders phase, and players are limited in the number of actions they can take during their turn to reflect historical command limitations.

The game also includes optional Event Cards, leadership, Command and Control, Fog of War, artillery, and special units such as the French Guard and dismounted cavalry. It also affords players a Tactical Play option, which allows players to select the tactics used on the attack/defense for a given encounter.

Add to this a unique troop quality and order system, and players can expect to be tested. Morale and effectiveness determine unit reactions under combat conditions, and as a unit is ultimately worn down by combat and maneuver the unit's order deteriorates and the unit may rout from the battlefield.

Forwards!

The game includes the following scenarios, which span multiple campaigns, terrain, and weather. In addition to historical battles a number of hypothetical 'what-if' scenarios are also included:

• Castiglione (1796)
  
• Casteggio/Montebello
  
• Marengo (8 am)
  
• Marengo (10 am)
  
• Marengo (6 pm)
  
• Caldiero (1796)
  
• Caldiero (What If: No Snow Storm)
  
• Caldiero (What If: Faster Austrian Response)
  
• Castiglione (What If: No Fiorella?)
  
• ...and more!

A Toast To the Guns!

The Marching Eagles system is innovative, easy to play, and historically enlightening. The action moves quickly, and there is almost nothing more satisfying as watching a nail-biting cavalry charge clear the enemy out of a defending position. But special features such as Fog of War, Battlefield Smoke and Local Initiative also work to immerse players in the real-life command difficulties of the Napoleo