Marengo is one of history’s great near-run things. On the morning of 14 June 1800, Napoleon had badly misjudged the Austrians and spent most of the day losing; by evening, a counterattack turned catastrophe into the victory that secured his hold on France. That kind of swing is exactly what a good battle game wants to capture, and in this one I take Napoleon at War: Deluxe Edition from Decision Games onto the Marengo field.
A day that turned late
The interesting design question at Marengo is timing. Get the tempo wrong and you’re simply replaying a defeat; the system has to give the late reinforcements a chance to matter without handing them the day for free. Watching it play out is the best way to judge whether the Deluxe treatment strikes that balance — and whether the classic Napoleonic tension of lines, columns, and cavalry reserves comes through on the table.
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