Bonaparte at Marengo: getting out the pieces

Bonaparte at Marengo comes with 80 wooden playing pieces representing the opposing French and Austrian armies. All pieces come painted by color to indicate whether they are French (blue) or Austrian (red) and have symbols painted on their face side to indicate their type (infantry, cavalry, or artillery) and strength (indicated by the number of symbols on the piece).

In order to provide a better visual representation of nineteenth century linear warfare, the pieces are not squares, but rectangles (1½" x ¼" x ¼"). Their three-dimensional design also allows convenient simulation of “the fog of war”, as pieces have their type and strength printed on only one side — this allows each player to see the type and strength of his own pieces by facing them towards himself, while leaving the blank sides facing his opponent.