FAQ

Bonaparte at Marengo FAQ. General questions, Is the game shipping now, Can I buy the game in retail stores or other resellers, Are there any more games using this system, How long does the game take to play, Can the game be played solitaire, Who is the designer, Why is the US flag used for English, Questions about the board, Is the map white, Which way on the map is north, Questions about the pieces, Why are the Austrian pieces red, Why are the Austrian pieces red, part 2, Questions about the rules, Are the rules available in other languages, Technical rules questions, Are corrected rules available, What is the current rules version?

Reference Map

Bonaparte at Marengo Reference Map. Because Bonaparte at Marengo does not use a grid, there is no ready way (other than pointing) to reference a particular location on the standard mapboard. This reference mapboard exists to solve that problem. Every locale on the board is given a number. (For example, the town of Marengo is in the locale numbered “8”.) To indicate that a piece is in reserve in a particular locale, simply give the number of that locale (a piece in Marengo would be at position “8”). To indicate that a piece is blocking an approach in a locale, give the number of the locale it occupies, followed by a "/" then the number of the opposite locale (a piece in Marengo blocking the approach to Peterbona would be at position “8/4”; a piece in the Peterbona locale blocking the approach to Marengo would be at “4/8”). The reference map can be readily printed to an 8.5" x 11" paper if hard copy is desired. The online version is searchable (just type the number of a locale or the name of any named feature on the map, and a flashing red arrow will point it out).

Solitaire Rules

Bonaparte at Marengo Solitaire Rules. With the standard rules, Bonaparte at Marengo is a difficult game to play solitaire due to its use of limited intelligence. The purpose of the solitaire rules is to maximize the game’s solitaire playability while preserving as much as possible the character of the two player game. It should be noted that the rules do not ‘auto-play’ either side – the player still actively plays both sides, he just does so without the cognitive dissonance caused by the combination of limited intelligence and solitaire play.

Tournament Rules

Bonaparte at Marengo Tournament Rules. Bonaparte at Marengo is well suited for tournament play, but some additional rules are helpful to ensure that the matches are fair and that play proceeds expeditiously. To that end, these tournament rules exist. The tournament rules supplement the main rules and cover three new areas: bidding for sides, clock play, and rule enforcement.

ConSimWorld

ConSimWorld (commonly abbreviated CSW) is a website that provides news and community services related to conflict simulation games. Users can read the news articles and messages on the forums without registering, but must register to be able to post messages (registration is free, but premium membership is also available). You can go to the home page for CSW by clicking here. To go to the home page for the CSW forums (with instructions on their use) click here. There is a topic in the forum section of the website dedicated to Bonaparte at Marengo. There is plenty of interesting content that has been posted there regarding the game rules and strategy. If you register, you can also ask questions there yourself; the forum is monitored by Simmons Games and questions directed at the company will be answered. To go to the forum, click here.

BoardGameGeek

BoardGameGeek (commonly abbreviated BGG) is a website built on top of a large database of boardgames of all kinds. It is searchable by a wide variety of different criteria and is a fine site for locating games of interest. Every game in the database gets its own page, where users of the site can post pictures, reviews, session reports, ratings, general comments, and create lists of games based on whatever rules take their fancy. Users can browse anonymously, but but must register in order to add content (registration is free, with premium membership available). The home page for BGG is here. Bonaparte at Marengo has its own page on the site (the picture gallery is particularly interesting for those who haven't seen the game), which you can get to by clicking here.

Ladder

Bonaparte at Marengo Ladder. Dick Jarvinen is running a Bonaparte at Marengo PBEM (Play by E-Mail) ladder. For those who've never played in one, a ladder is rather like a tournament that never ends, but which people can enter and leave at any time they wish. The ladder is played as a series of rounds. In each round, the players are paired up to play based on their ranking, which depends on their performance in prior rounds. If a player wins in a round, they rise in the rankings, and if they lose, they fall. In each pairing, players bid for which side they want to play, with morale points as the currency of the bid (a bid to play the French with a demoralization level of 15, for example, will beat a bid to play the French with a demoralization level of 17). The games are played using the freeware program Cyberboard. Everyone who owns a copy of Bonaparte at Marengo is invited to play. Downloads, rules, and contact information, are all available on the ladder website here.