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Napoleon in Egypt

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Napoleon in Egypt

Item #: GMT-NIE

GMT Games

Max. Discount Price: 73,89 € *

82,10 € *

Preorder item, date of delivery not yet determined

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“Think of it, soldiers; from the summit of these pyramids, forty centuries look down upon you.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

On July 1st, 1798, 35,000 French soldiers landed in Alexandria. This expeditionary force’s mission was many-fold: to find an alternative spice route through a foreseen Suez Canal, to settle yet another score with the British, to enlighten the population with ideals stemming from the recent French Revolution, and to discover what marvels and riches this fabled land of the 1001 Nights might hold. This was indeed an expedition where scientists walked alongside soldiers. Leading the French troops was also a young and ambitious general named Napoleon Bonaparte…

Napoleon in Egypt is a two-player, card-driven, operational wargame that allows you to recreate the French campaign in Egypt and Syria, from the landing of the French troops to the surrender of General Menou on August 31st, 1801. The game draws inspiration from other top-selling CDGs like Here I Stand and Twilight Struggle. A good and fast-playing introductory wargame thanks to its tight ruleset with few exceptions, the game will also please the veteran wargamers with 100 cards dripping with flavor, challenging players with the hand management every CDG fan has come to love!

Napoleon in Egypt comes with four scenarios:

The Conquest – Where the French surprise the Mamluks and sweep across Egypt (2 hours).
The Syrian Anabasis – Where the French offensive starts to lose steam as it has to face multiple fronts (2 hours).
The Fall – Where the French, weary from the fighting, adopt a defensive posture to face strong retaliation from the Mamluks, the Ottomans, and the British (2 hours).
The Campaign – Where players relive the highs and lows of the French expedition, from its landing to its bitter capitulation (5-6 hours).

Highlights:

Battle system featuring custom dice which represent the Combat Quality of each Unit involved, leading to a fast combat resolution without having to compute DRMs or refer to charts.
Events capturing the many pivotal moments of the campaign: the naval battle of Aboukir, the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, Napoleon’s untimely decision to return to France, etc.
Fortified Spaces’ populations side with one faction or the other as they trade one occupying force for another.
Espionage actions include the assassination of generals, ambushes, and sway of public order.
Tracks to measure the progress of the scientific side of the expedition, with perks helping the French Player on the field.

In Napoleon in Egypt, a French Player will square off against an Allied Player, controlling the loose Mamluk/Ottoman/British coalition. At the early onset of the campaign, the French will appear unstoppable as everything is in their favor: number and quality of troops, element of surprise, better leadership, etc. The French Regulars, however strong they are in Combat, are a finite number. The French have to tend to their wounded, convince the local population they are better off under French occupation, and dedicate some time and effort to the scientific mission of the expedition.

As the turns go by, the Allied Player gains the upper hand, being able to recruit locally, master the Mediterranean with help from the British Navy, and exploit General Menou’s incompetence once Napoleon leaves Egypt. The Allied Player has their own challenges though. Ottoman Generals can Command Mamluk Units but not the other way around, which makes it hard to muster a sizable force to strike back at the French. And even strength in numbers is not always enough. As Napoleon has proven time and again, no matter what the odds are, he can pull off a miracle on the battlefield!

The map is point-to-point, ranging from Alexandria to Thebes and Damascus on the continent, as well as Malta and Cyprus in the Mediterranean. Difficult and Inhospitable Spaces represent the harsh desert and other hindrances to army movement. Sea Spaces allow for naval action (Combat and transport of Units).

There are 4 types of custom dice in Napoleon in Egypt, each associated with a Combat Quality ranging from Elite to Mediocre. Each die type contains blank faces (Misses), targets (Hits), or Squares (which can be treated as Hits if a relevant Reaction Event has been played). Players roll the dice granted by their Units and total their number of Hits. Of course, Reaction Events allow for nasty surprises at the cost of a hand reduction, so nothing is ever guaranteed.

Solitaire Play Enabled by the CDG Solo System: Experience Bonaparte's excursion to Egypt solitaire with the cinematic play of the CDG Solo System! Napoleon in Egypt is compatible with the CDG Solo System and will come with an original playsheet from the game’s designer, edited by Ken Kuhn (one of the System’s co-designers). The included playsheet describes how the rules of the game are adapted to work with the CDG Solo System to support solitaire play. The CDG Solo System itself is not included with Napoleon in Egypt, but it can be purchased or downloaded as a free Print & Play Kit on the System’s home page.

If you’ve always had a hard time getting 6 players together for a game of Here I Stand or Virgin Queen but crave such immersive card-driven wargames, do not miss Napoleon in Egypt. Come witness how Bonaparte proved his worth as a general before his ascension to the head of the French nation!

Components:

One 22”x34” mounted game board
100 poker-sized playing cards
2 Home Cards
30 custom Combat Dice (10 blue “Elite,” 5 red “Drilled,” 10 green “Average,” and 5 yellow “Mediocre”)
Two six-sided dice
15 black Espionage cubes
20 Leader standees
2 full-color countersheets
Two double-sided player aid sheets
One CDG Solo System playsheet
One rulebook
One playbook

Number of Players: 2

Game Designers: Pascal Toupy (Great War Commander) and his son Tom Toupy-Durant (PhD student in History with a focus on French Revolution)
Game Developer: Marco Poutré