Vive l'Empereur ! Leipzig

a game by Didier Rouy

Briefly
The seventh volume of the "Vive l'Empereur" series, operational system of the napoleonic battles. Scale : 1 turn per 30 minutes, 1 counter per regiment
Number of players : from 2 to 8-10
Difficulty: medium

Give us your advice on this project !

See results

Leipzig 1813 : the mythic battle for all Napoleonic players, the biggest battle of the era. Even if the odds were definitively against the French, many options were possible, and the issue could have been different.

The campaign in Saxony in 1813 is a tremendous struggle between the French Empire and the rest of Europe. Its conclusion lies in the area of Leipzig, where the "Battle of the Nations" gathers 185,000 French and 320,000 Allies, mostly Russians, Prussians and Austrians. During this campaign, Napoleon's "system" showed its limitations, as the Emperor's lieutnants were beaten one after the other, eventually leading to this one-to-two ratio.

At Leipzig, during four days, the crippled corps of the Grande Armee will fight against the allied armies in a series of successive but linked battles: Wachau, Mockern, Lindenau, Liebert-Wolkwitz. All well known Allied leaders will be here: Blücher, Wittgenstein, Schwarzenberg, Bernadotte, Kleist, Barclay, Benningsen. And on the other side Murat, Ney, Marmont, MacDonald, Oudinot, and others.

A battle stuffed with cliches: a bridge blown up too early, a drowned Polish Marshal, Saxons who change side in the middle, Murat and Ney with dubious capabilities. The Allied armies enter the battlefield at different times, and as the French hold the central position with the "formidable" Guard, new opportunities arise, and one can dream of a possible French victory.

The "Monster" will be one: seven maps, more than twenty scenarios, and no less than eight countersheets.

However, we have an humongous work ahead to complete it. You have to decide if we keep working on it!

The battlefield

Click to enlarge