Vive L'Empereur

Vive L'Empereur! is a solitaire hex and counter wargame depicting the decisive Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 2015.  Can you overcome the Anglo-Allied Army under Wellington and Prussian Army under Blucher to renew French domination of Europe?

You, playing as Napoleon, are at the culminating battle of your brilliant "Hundred Days Campaign".  You have successfully separated the two armies opposing you - the Anglo Allied army under General Wellington and the Prussian Army under Field Marshal Blucher - and you have deployed Marshal Grouchy with a large force to pursue the recently defeated Prussians.

On this day, you must now defeat the Anglo-Allied Army before the Prussians are able to rally and rejoin the campaign.  Both Wellington and Blucher are long-time skilled rivals, and both are familiar with your strategy and tactics.  In addition, you have been ill for days, and this has affected your judgment and decision making.  Can you overcome these disadvantages and reclaim an uncontested throne of France and with that, its renewed dominance of Europe?

Vive L'Empereur uses a chit pull system to generate random force activations for both sides .  The Anglo-Allied and Prussian forces move and conduct combat based on the instructions resulting from a dice roll on their respective Activation Tables.  You must be prepared to expect the unexpected ... to seize the advantage when an opportunity presents itself to react swiftly if Wellington or Blucher order a sudden counterattack.

Because you have historically "humbugged" the Allies and Prussians on numerous occasions, you are able to hold some activation chits and use them when they will be most valuable to you and do the most harm to your enemies.  By the same token, your health has been compromised and lingering sickness may become a burden to your ability to command your La Grand Armee effectively.  Are you up for the challenge?

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR VIVE L'EMPEREUR

In 2023, the game received several nominations within the prestigious Charles S. Roberts Awards. These include "Best Solitaire or Cooperative Game", "Best Napoleonic Game", and "Designer Nomination (Hermann Luttmann)".

PLAYERS: 1-2
TIME TO PLAY: 90-180 minutes
AGES: 12 and up
SOLITAIRE SUITABILITY: 10 out of 10
SOLITAIRE COMPLEXITY: 5 out of 10

COMPONENTS:

• 22"x17" inch game map
  
• 162 Unit Counters and Markers (on 3 sheets)
• 1 Gameplay Activation Aid
  
• 1 Activation Tables Player Aid
  
• Rulebook
• Six 6-sided dice (6d6 with 3 red, 3 blue)

CREDITS

• Game Design: Hermann Luttmann
• Game Development: Fred Manzo and Ryan Heilman
• Game and Box Art: Tim Allen and Ryan Heilman
  
• Production: Blue Panther LLC