Game of the Week, Oct 20-26
This week’s spotlight turns to one of the grandest and most decisive campaigns of the Napoleonic era: Napoleonic Battles: Campaign Leipzig. Covering the monumental autumn campaign of 1813, this title from the Napoleonic Battles series brings to life the ebb and flow of Napoleon’s fortunes in Germany — from fleeting triumph to catastrophic defeat. Welcome to another week, and another featured game. This title is on sale for 25% off now through Sunday, October 26th.
A Turning Point in the Napoleonic Wars
By the spring of 1813, Europe was in turmoil. Napoleon’s once-invincible empire had been shaken to its foundations after the disastrous retreat from Russia. Yet, remarkably, the Emperor managed to raise a new army — largely of young conscripts — and marched east to confront the advancing Coalition forces. In May, he won hard-fought victories at Lützen and Bautzen (as shown in Napoleonic Battles: Campaign Bautzen), driving back the Russians and Prussians and momentarily restoring the aura of his genius. These early successes, however, could not hide the weaknesses of his new army: exhausted recruits, a shortage of cavalry, and an overstretched logistics network.
The summer armistice that followed was meant to provide breathing room, but instead it proved fatal to Napoleon’s prospects. The Allies used the respite to reorganize their forces, draw Austria into the war, and secure fresh armies from Sweden under Crown Prince Charles John (formerly Marshal Bernadotte). By August, Napoleon faced a formidable Sixth Coalition — a truly multinational host determined to drive him from Germany once and for all.
The ensuing campaign was a masterclass in both maneuver and misfortune. Napoleon’s operational brilliance was undiminished; he struck dazzling blows at Dresden, defeating the Austro-Russian army in late August. Yet his subordinates faltered elsewhere — at Katzbach, Kulm, Dennewitz, and Grossbeeren — where independent Allied armies followed their new Trachenberg Plan: to avoid direct battle with Napoleon himself, while overwhelming his scattered marshals one by one. The strategy worked. As his forces bled away in these peripheral defeats, Napoleon found himself encircled by converging enemy armies closing in on Saxony.
A Battle of Nations...
"Jamais je n’avais vu une pareille multitude d’hommes et de canons; tout l’horizon était vivant de combats. Nous ne combattions pas une armée, mais l’Europe entière."
"Never had I seen such a multitude of men and guns; the entire horizon was alive with battle. We fought not one army, but all of Europe"
- attributed to Auguste de Marmont, Marshal of France
In mid-October, the Emperor gathered his remaining strength near Leipzig, a vital crossroads city in central Germany. There, from 16 to 19 October 1813 (212 years ago yesterday), nearly half a million men clashed in what became known as the Battle of Nations— the largest engagement in European history before 1914. The fighting raged across villages, rivers, and causeways as Napoleon’s multinational army — French, Italian, Polish, Saxon, and Westphalian troops — resisted the onslaught of Russians, Prussians, Austrians, and Swedes attacking from all sides.
Despite moments of brilliance, the weight of numbers proved overwhelming. When several of his German allies defected mid-battle, the French position collapsed. The chaotic retreat that followed saw the destruction of the last bridge over the Elster River — dooming thousands of trapped troops and sealing the Emperor’s fate. Napoleon’s Grande Armée of 1813 was shattered; by the end of the month, he had withdrawn west of the Rhine, leaving his former Confederation allies to make their peace with the victors.
The Campaign of 1813 marked the beginning of the end for Napoleon’s empire. The Coalition’s victory at Leipzig not only liberated Germany but opened the road to France itself, setting the stage for the 1814 campaign and the Emperor’s first abdication. For contemporaries, it was a war of nations as much as of armies — a decisive shift in European power politics and national awakening, vividly remembered in monuments and memory ever since.
"Leipzig hat Jena gerächt! Sagt dem König, daß seine Armee die Schmach von 1806 ausgelöscht hat"
"Leipzig has avenged Jena! Tell the King that his army has wiped out the shame of 1806"
- attributed to Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prussian Generalfeldmarschall
Napoleonic Battles: Campaign Leipzig captures this dramatic sequence with exceptional scope. It features hundreds of scenarios ranging from the spring battles around Bautzen to the climactic four-day struggle at Leipzig, along with numerous subsidiary actions in Silesia, northern Germany, and even Scandinavia. For those who experienced the earlier Campaign Bautzen game, this title serves as its direct continuation — carrying the story of 1813 to its thunderous conclusion on the fields of Saxony.
Whether commanding Napoleon’s embattled legions or orchestrating the vast Coalition armies that finally brought him down, Campaign Leipzig offers an unparalleled opportunity to relive the epic struggle that decided the fate of Europe.
What’s In The Game
Campaign Leipzig includes 314 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head to head play and vs. the computer AI.
Campaigns included:
- The Fall Campaign of 1813.
- The Dennewitz Campaign.
- The Grossbeeren Campaign.
- The Battle of Leipzig Campaign.
- The Silesian Campaign.
The master map (501,762 hexes) includes all the significant locations fought over in the Leipzig campaign.
Over 60 maps to include the large Halle-Leipzig map and the mammoth Berlin Operational map which measures over 700 x 700 in size.
The order of battle files cover the French and Coalition forces that participated in the campaign with other formations added in for hypothetical situations.
Campaign and Scenario Editors which allow players to customize the game.
Extensive documentation about the game:
Campaign Leipzig provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by E-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play as well as two player hot seat.
Bibliography and Videos
Below you find some book recommendations for more background information on the 1813 fall campaign and the Battle of Leipzig.
...and here are some videos both about the battle as well as gameplay videos of the game itself
Screenshots
Following are some in-game screen shots of what to expect. Each image can be clicked for a full-sized view.
We hope you enjoy this week’s Game of the Week: Napoleonic Battles: Campaign Leipzig
Like all WDS titles, it provides countless hours of rich historical gameplay at a very attractive price.
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