Description
Grouchy
Battle of Wavre:
While Napoleon fought the British at Waterloo, Grouchy was ordered to attack the Prussians at Wavre, to the east. The goal was to keep the Prussians from reinforcing Wellington but that failed. Blücher did indeed slip away and arrive at Waterloo, just in time for the decisive blow.
What went wrong? Was Grouchy inept? What else could he have done? Would it have made a difference? Were Napoleon’s orders to blame? In many ways, what happened here is the key to victory at Waterloo.
This map connects continuously to our Waterloo map with no gaps. -So you can accurately plot the march times between the 2 battles along different routes.
You can play as a stand alone battle. Better yet, combine it together with Waterloo! Excellent for 4 player games. You can split the maps up on different tables out of sight from each other. So the players at Waterloo won’t know what is happening at Wavre. They won’t know who will show up or when!
Rated Most Realistic & Accurate for:
• Command & Control limitations
• Fog of War -hidden units and chaotic move order
• Logistics -deployment crucial to victory and keeping your forces able to fight.
Used to train officers in the US military and in military academies around the world.
What the Professionals Play
Great for teams and solitaire play.
• Period style map.
• Kriegsspiel style, hardwood pieces.
Age: 12+ Choking Hazard
Components List
- Map, 24″ x 34″
- Scenario rules with Setup
- DOES NOT INCLUDE BLOCKS! All the pieces for this battle come with the Waterloo game.
Learn more about the Pub Battles system.
Waterloo Expansion: This is NOT a stand alone game!
You must have our Waterloo game to play this.
Paper maps are folded and come in an envelope.
Canvas maps are rolled in tubes.
Real maps of the period were printed on canvas. This authentic, premium map is tough, durable and beautiful. Printed on 100 year, museum quality, archival canvas. It is water resistant, spill proof and lays flat and smooth. Truly a work of art.
See the Waterloo page for more details.
Tom Dempsey (verified owner) –
Wavre is one of a family of four games, including Waterloo, Quatre Bras, Ligny and Wavre. Together, these games provide one of the best treatments of the Waterloo campaign on the military board game market. They are also fast moving and fun to play. Important for owners of the earliest versions of Waterloo, you will need to purchase the Waterloo update package, with the additional blocks and unit stickers, to play Wavre.
First the map: as usual with Pub Battles series games, the map is a jewel of military cartography, displaying an invaluable picture of how the respective amry commanders viewed the ground. The obstacle of the Dyle river dominates the map, canalizing the French attack into a small number of “mobility corridors” in areas with bridges and small gaps in the marshes that line the Dyle’s banks, the most important of which are at bas Wavre, Wavre itself, and Limalle. Pub Battles terrain rules are very important in this regard: cavalry and artillery cannot enter marshes except on roads. This effectively prohibits cavalry attacks across the Dyle except at these three locations, and then only if the Prussian player declines to occupy the buildings on the far side – which the Prussian player may very well decide not to do, since occupying the buildings at Wavre and Limalle will require the occupying infantry to become spent. Cavalry will find it very difficult to force a crossing at bas Wavre, because occupying the Chateau will not require Prussian infantry to become spent; remember that cavalry cannot attack enemy forces occupying buildings or chateaus.
The game quickly devolves into a series of deliberate French infantry assaults on the major crossings. Without artillery preparation to drive out defenders, or at least cause them to become spent, these attacks will probably generate heavy casualties among the French. While the Prussian III Corps is heavily outnumbered, especially with the arrival of the second French infantry corps (the other three Prussian Corps depart the map quickly, enroute to Waterloo), the French player will confront a major challenge just getting his forces up and into assault positions before he runs out of daylight.
If the French player can get a force across the Dyle river at Limalle, there is a possibility to outflank the main Prussian line, but it will require careful play and a lot of patience. The temptation to simply launch everything across the river as soon as possible is strong for the French player, but without combined arms and careful artillery preparation, a general assault is going to very costly to the French.
In sum, a great addition to the Pub Battles library of games. Fun to play, fast moving, and for those players interested in the history of the Waterloo, offering valuable insights into the entire campaign.