Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy 128 - Introduction

Table of Contents

Editorial

"Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”

— Mark Twain

The career of Napoleon Bonaparte is a fascinating one. How a gifted artillery officer rose to become the Emperor of France and then went on to dominate Europe is a question many (many, many) books over the years have tried to answer. Indeed, Napoleon's life is so exceptional it feels almost too strange, even for fiction.

Napoleon at his height of Empire and during his fall are topics we are sure to cover in the future. In this issue however, we're focusing on his early career, from the battle of 13 Vendémiaire (1795) to Caldero (1796) and Arcola (1796). Space prevented the inclusion of Toulon (1793), but we will return to this in a future issue of WS&S. Readers who are interested in Toulon should track down a copy of BBC’s Heroes and Villains: Napoleon (2007), which gives a fairly accurate account of the siege.

This issue will also hopefully throw some light on the battles of the French Republic during the revolutionary wars. We also covered this topic way back in issue 79, so if you are looking for more inspiration for gaming the period, be sure to check that out.

I have to make an apology to Stuart Mulligan. We accidentally miscredited his photos in the Battle of the Spurs in WS&S 126 to Simon Chick. The photos and the models definitely belong to Stuart, not Simon!

Next issue, we will be going back in time to the Bronze Age, exploring the roots and beginnings of organized warfare.

- Guy Bowers

editor@wssmagazine.com