What do you think the first expansion should be?

I would think it would have to be Austrians with Russians after that so that we could have coalition armies.

or maybe Spanish and Portuguise troops to expand what we have now.

Austrians and Russians would give us more campaigns to play in, I think. I also would like to see the Prussians for a complete, linked Waterloo mini-campaign.

I think if they do expansions for this, they'll probably concentrate on more well-known battles first and mix them in with a few surprises. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Borodino-based expansion at some point. At least that way, they can even quote Tolstoy in the adverts!

We are working on several expansions.

The plan is still subject to change but this is what we're preparing.

One is a very simple one, which essentially allows you to purchase a second set of figures (with different color bases) and gameboards, at the same time introducing more extensive scenarios.

In this way anybody interested in playing larger battles is not forced to purchase a 2nd box of the game.

The next expansion is focused around Elite units, both for the French and British army, with new figures, cards and scenarios.

After that, we will have two expansions introducing the Prussian army and the Austrian army (most likely in this order) - again new figures, new cards and new scenarios.

As this is a boardgame, not a miniature game, the expansions will come in at a reasonable pace- we expect one new expansion to release about every 4-6 months, unless the customers force us to change our plans - for better or worse

The above is Cut'n'Pasted from a response by the Designer on BGG: boardgamegeek.com/thread/500095/expansions
I think it looks like a good plan

El Mikel said:

I think that sounds quite good! I hope they do not forget the Russians.

Hi everybody,

this is my first post here. I've been in love with the napoleonic era since a very long time (I was still attending at the high school) and I've been following news reagrding Battles of Napoleon since the game was announced.

Wanted to thank El Mikel for the precious link at the BBG. Further developments of the game seems to grant something really exhaustive of the subject. Hope the resonse of the public would be great, and we can see all these projects become true

And how hard would it be to do a set of ...Americans... who could be pitted against the Brits in a War of 1812 expansion??

Koa Kahiko said:

Excellent idea. Lots of space for irregular units and interesting terrain.

i am making a scenary and it will be a egipt battle in fact that i have painted mameluca cavalry.

I think that it will be a great battle but i need to find a Cairo´s map instead.

i am from spain and i have studyed a independence spanish war (1808-1814) and i have to say that it was others important soldiers as partisan.

The spanish partisans foght versus france troops in Bailen´s Battle so i think it sould be in the game.

The Bailen´s Battle was the first battle that Napoleon lost.

The history of the entire Napoleonic period is fascinating and I've been interested in it since I was 13. However napoleon was not in Spain when the Battle of Bailen was fought. General Dupont was in command and unfortunately was wounded in the first clash. The Peninsular conflict is also fascinating.

The plans for expansion seem darned fine to me! Well done if they can pull off the feel and style of the period. I am waiting with an open mind and wallet!

An American 1812 expansion seems a great idea!

This all sounds fantastic. I am a great fan of the Sharpe-novels by Bernard Cornwell. With this game, I could bring them all to life.

The first expansion should include the largest campaigns of Napoleon in 1799 and 1805 (battles of Marengo an Austerlitz). The next expansion should include campaigns in 1809 with batlles of Wagram. Including activities in the Austrian army in Duchy of Warsaw. and heroic Polish army who had not committed to join the war of Prussia and the defeated a stronger Austrian armies.

I'm excited to see this game appear and hope it will expand along the lines of Tide of Iron. However, I really think the first expansion needs to add a new nation - either Austria or Russia. When we look at the epic battles of the Napoleonic era, most were not fought against the British. Austerlitz was against the Austrians and Russians, Jena/Auerstadt was against the Prussians, Wagram was against the Austrians and Borodino was against the Russians. The later battles (Dresden, Leipzig, Lutzen) were against varying combinations of Austrians, Russians and Prussians. Even at Waterloo, where the British fought the French in a direct, pitched land battle, the Prussians also contributed.

I think the long-term success of this game is going to depend on getting a couple other nations into the mix sooner rather than later. I am enthusiastic about the game and will probably buy pretty much any expansion, but I think expanding the British-French forces before adding other countries is a mistake.

Let's not forget Marengo! Since the main boxed set contains two nations, the first expansion should contain two as well in order to maintain the series momentum. Releasing one nation at a time would be classic dribble marketing, but risks alienation and loss of interest.

My vote is for Russians and Austrians in the first expansion.

Ran across this at Boardgamegeek as well ;

www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/74169/grand-melee

"Grand Melée, the first expansion for Battles of Napoleon, contains additional game boards, in addition to more than 200 French and British figures that will allow players to reproduce and fight new and especially larger battles, as the boards are modular.

Also Grand Melée will include an alternative set of bases with different colors to create a greater number of unit groups.

The scenarios included are from the Peninsular campaign, the Waterloo campaign, and one from Egypt, with some interesting variations created by "zooming" in and out from the level used in the core set, and a Peninsular War scenario (Vimeiro/Ventosa) which can be played as two separate battles or one larger battle (even if historically the two battles were spaced a few hours apart, it's a reasonable "what-if" that they could influence each other more).

Source: Nexus spring 2010 catalog, and thread/539499/arrived-at-last"

I am thrilled about playing this game. Like many of you, I would like to see an expansion featuring the Austrians and Russians sooner rather than later. I am fine with the next expansion being one which allows you to get extra pieces and for grander battles without having to buy the whole set again but afterwards I'd like Austerlitz. What I have my fingers crossed for is an expansion which comes like the bas game: 100 Austrians / 100 Russians, respective cards and componenets, some terrain boards with water (for the Lake Satschan event of Austerlitz). Then do the expansion that creates elite units which includes elites for all four of these nations, five if they do Prussians first. Adding these other nations first will make for better multi-player games too.

Dapper Dan said:

PS: For those wondering what I meant by Lake Satschan, here is a quote from Baron de Marbot who was at Austerlitz, "chiefly Russians, sought to pass over the ice. It was very thick, and five or six thousand men, keeping some kind of order, had reached the middle of the Satschan lake, when Napoleon, calling up the artillery of his guard, gave the order to fire on the ice. It broke at countless points, and a mighty cracking was heard. 'The water, oozing through the fissures, soon covered the floes, and we saw thousands of Russians, with their horses, guns, and wagons, slowly settle down into the depths. It was a horribly majestic spectacle which I shall never forget. In an instant the surface of the lake was covered with everything that could swim. Men and horses struggled in the water amongst the floes. Somea very small numbersucceeded in saving themselves by the help of poles and ropes, which our soldiers reached to them from the shore, but the greater part were drowned."