Last Battles of Napoleon

Play Thirty-two* Napoleonic Battles with One Set of Rules

The Last Battles of Napoleon system is a fast, low to moderate complexity, brigade-level game of Napoleonic battles, combining a grand tactical perspective (battle strategy, not micromanagement) with a focus on a historically sound use of your units. It can use the components of the Napoleon's Last Battles and Library of Napoleonic Battles systems, incorporating a modern, fire-based combat system, an interactive chitpull sequence of play, and an orders system. As a result it delivers a greater level of Napoleonic battle "feel", at the same scale and in comparable playing time to these older systems.

* The refits below and Salamanca add up to 23 battles, however the system can be used as-is with all the "Library of Napoleonic Battles" games. Look at the refit for La Patrie en Danger to see the necessary TLNB rule adaptations.

These rules are compatible with those for CHS Salamanca (and future games using that system), but a major part of the design intent was backwards compatibility with the components of existing games. In fact, the genesis of the system lay in the desire to come up with a system that did justice to that beautiful game in the NLB series, Clash of Arms' Napoleon at Leipzig. Below are the variant rules (and additional components) to refit nine existing games (eighteen battles in total) to be played with the new rules, called Napoleon's Later Campaigns. More refits, hopefully, to follow.

The basic rules (no chitpulls, no written orders) are for those who don't dare dive into the whole system right away and want to dip a toe in first.

(Since chitpull may interfere with PBEM games, I have also included an optional rule on how to deal with PBEM.)

Comments from BGG

"A great experience, a lot of period feel with simple rules, no factor counting, and no downtime on either side." - Paolo Angelini

"Increases realism tenfold while making gameplay more tense." - BGG comment

Comments from talk.consimworld.com:

"These games produce battles that look like Napoleonics battles as the mechanics now encourage Napoleonic tactics. [...] I probably like the rules so much because they encourage players to adopt sensible historical tactics and formations without strait-jacketing them into doing so. [...] I'm a fan."
- Karl Laskas, designer of Great White Fleet

"Your system is in my view the most consistent at this scale."
- T.Nguyen

"Having played/watched quite a few games of this now I'm really impressed by every single element of it."
- A.McBrien

"I'm very, very excited by the elegant order system. I spent my time wondering about real commander [problems] and not anymore about optimising the hexgrid, the CRT, each movement point and each strength point. Very refreshing."
- R.Foret

Comments from perfidiousalbion@yahoogroups.com:

"A startling transformation [...] Use the Stumptner variations."
- Charles Vasey

"Markus has made some good variant rules. I suggest the NLB series [...] only if using them."
- Ed Wimble

Comments from www.strategikon.info:

"Pour sauver le beau matériel des jeux de [TLNB], je vous recommande chaudement la variante de Markus Stumptner. Un must!"

Key Weblinks

Consimworld Discussion topic

BGG Entry


Napoleon's Later Campaigns Rules

Basic Rules: Current version (2.0.8, April 2018). Four pages of rules total, plus fire and terrain effects table. Corresponds to CHS Salamanca rules version (with errata incorporated). Includes appropriately simplified versions of NLB/NaL/Dresden refits (about 1 page each). No additional counters needed. Previous version

Full Rules (PDF Format): Current version (Version 2.2.3, October 2021. Minor update. Eight pages of rules, four of optional rules, plus game tables and design notes. Modified passages since 2.1.8 are in blue text. See next section below for individual game refits.
Previous versions: Version 2.1.8, October 2018. Version 2.1.7, April 2018. Corresponds to CHS Salamanca rules version (with errata incorporated). Modified passages since 1.1.0 are in blue text. Version 2.0.3 (2011), Version 1.2.0 (2007), Version 1.1.0 (2004).

Marker-free Basic Rules (Experimental): PDF format. A version of the Basic Rules that needs neither extra markers nor written orders, in exchange for more information carried on leader counters. Requires dedicated leader and courier counters, currently only available for Napoleon at Leipzig and Abensberg/Eckmuehl. (See individual entries below.)

Blank order template: Word format


Refits for Existing Games


After Action Replays

Links to AARs posted on consimworld are labeled as "CSW"

Note: If you are trying to access the consimworld links and are not registered, press the "Guest Access" button to get read access.


How to become a designer with these rules

These rules are copyrighted, not public domain. However I am more than happy to give permission for their use by others if someone wants to come up with their own refits to existing games, or wants to use them (or parts of them) for new games. After all, the purpose of these rules is to give me games that I like to play. The only exception would be if one of these conflicts with a project that is on the drawing board. If you are thinking about using the rules, or part of them, please contact me.


Optional Counters (artillery breakdown counters, NLB alternate counter set, order markers)

Set of useful marker counters

Game Markers (PDF). Contains some auxiliary counters that may be useful in particular games. Note that their use is mostly optional (e.g., you are not required to indicate to an opponent that a particular formation is demoralised. However I use them a lot in solo play.)

Here is another set of auxiliary markers, done by Mikolaj Lenczewski who preferred a different style.

Alternate NLB counterset

Alternate counterset for those who don't like the counters of the Decision Games edition of Napoleon's Last Battles.

Artillery Breakdown Counters

Most of the NLB system games represent corps artillery with one large artillery counter per type (foot and horse artillery). In reality though much of this would have been parceled out to the corps' component divisions. In the original NLB system, with little differentiation between unit types, this would not have improved things, but with the new rules additional flavour can be gained by giving players the choice between the main historical styles of operation: tactically deployed for divisional or corps use, and grand batteries.

Artillery Breakdown Rules

Optional order markers

Order Markers I know that many people don't like writing orders; as a result I included an optional rule that replaces order writing by a system of markers.


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mst@REMOVETHISdbai.tuwien.ac.at
Last modified 12.11.2016