Production

[kzucker]

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE FOR NAPOLEON AT THE CROSSROADS

announced publication date 5 September

counters and map to artists 15 May

box cover to Rowland Printers 22 May

box press match from Rowland Printers 5 June

counters and map to Rowland Printers 12 June

box press sheets to Cardinal Box 19 June

counters and map press matches from Rowland Printers 26 June

(Origins 3 July)

counters and map printed, counters to Kustom Finishing 10 July

cards to printer 17 July

press match from Rowland Printers 24 July

rules folders to Rowland Printers 31 July

press match from Rowland Printers 7 August

rules printed, deliver all components 14 August

[Cundiff]

cards to printer 17 July ???

Um ... this thing has cards? Don't tell me this has a card game component to it like 4 Lost Battles or any of the other games we get these days, such as We The People, For The People, or any of that GMT card driven stuff.

IF it does, right away I'd have to say I'd rather have my money back. It's simply a game mechanic for which I have complete disdain. Don't want to be a jerk here, but I know I don't like that type of game at all.

I'm hoping you merely intend Unit Display & Leader Display Cards and the like.

Take Care,
Tom

[kzucker]

Tom,

"Cards" = Cardstock. These are the Player Aid cards, such as March Tables, Organization Displays. etc.

As for your other comments, I am not trying to convince YOU, but it is obvious you haven't played Four Lost Battles.

Bye now.

[Cundiff]

Ah, good. No, I've never seen 4 Lost Battles. I've only heard it uses a kind of card system. You know, I've still got a new in shrink copy of We The People (AH) because I and a friend bought them together and then played his before I unwrapped mine. The incongruities of historical cause and effect that results from things being permitted to happen out of chronological order or probabilities just turned me off. And, I've been trying to unload that dog ever since and no one wants it. Now, it's become somewhat of a collector's item and still no one wants it.

Anyway, no, I've not seen 4 Lost Battles. I'd have to see and play it before I did just because I'm so leery (sp?) of such systems.

And, yes I am a stick in the mud, I know.

[Peter M. Baysdell]

Not to take exception with your tastes; you like what you like but
to put the 4LB Card system into a little context.

The cards really only effect two areas of gameplay; one broad
and one narrow. The broad area is that set of local circumstances
quite often represented by die rolls and turn notes in other games-
notably weather and the various issues that effect the ebb and flow
of battle.

The second (narrow) area is reinforcements. In each battle, there
is a set of alternate reinforcements for each side who were within
reasonable march distance and which could have intervened had the
overall commander dispatched them, if they had marched to the sounds
of the guns, if certain personages had followed (or disregarded) their
orders. Some Corps are theoretically available for more than one battle
but, in the campaign game, once they have been committed to one
they can not be used in another.

The purpose (as I understand it) and the effect (as I have experienced
it) of the cards is not to introduce the elements of whimsy that you
seem to be concerned about. They create for the player a reasonable
level of certainty about what he will face on the field (his at-hand
forces and those of his opponent, battle length, likely weather conditions)
while still creating uncertainty about whether his reinforcements will
arrive, whether all of the enemy is he is likely to face are already present
etc.

A final note. It seems to me that even the best researched and designed
wargames depart "history" the moment the first brigade is moved. The
4LB card system manages that departure in a way that recreates the
very real uncertainties that governed these particular battles (esp Kulm)
while limiting those departures to what was, in fact, possible or were
believed possible by one side or the other.

Not an argument, just some context.

Peter

[Cundiff]

So, what you are describing is a sort of "Random Events Table" engaged by the use of cards. That makes far more sense than the GMT card driven standard (or Avalon Hill in the guise of WTP or FTP). With those types of games you can get the Brusilov Offensive occuring before the Taxi Army drives from Paris, or you can have Jutland Occur in 1914 before a single sub ever sails for the convoy routes. Truly amazing the way the card play was created for Paths of Glory for instance; made me slap my hand against my forehead and utter, "Sacre Bleu!"

[kzucker]

We say that 4LB is the first Card Assisted Game; the cards are not the game "engine."

These battles were all meeting engagements with great uncertainty as to proximity of friend and foe alike. We found that it would have been impossible to simulate Kulm, for example, in the traditional way. No player in his right mind would attack down the slope into Priesten knowing that the whole Allied army was before him, and Prussians were approaching from the rear.

We have gotten accustomed to knowing the exact timing of all reinforcements on both sides, as players, when any general in history would have given his eyeteeth for such an intelligence windfall.

When you do play an Alternate Reinforcement card you lose 3 VPs (unless it is cancelled by the enemy player)...

[Florent Loyer]

On the NAC page some counters have no portrait.Is this the definitive countersheet?

[kzucker]

Hi.

Each portrait will be filled-in. In addition, there will be some changes in leadership ratings, depending on what we find. Some counters will be moved around so that units of the same color are touching. We are still playtesting the game, the counters are supposed to go to the printer in about one week...

[kzucker]

The box cover will go on the press next week. Here is a sample of the situation map for the back (about October 12).

[kzucker]

I just received press sheets of the printed box wraps. They are on their way to the box manufacturer.

We hope to have color proofs of the map and counters to show at Origins, next week.

[kzucker]

Special Thanks to our most dedicated, patient and persevering Graphic Designers. At about noon today Mark Simonitch sent the graphic art file containing the counters to our Printers (Rowland Press of Phoenixville, PA). Knut Grünitz followed suit two hours later with the map. Hats off, gentlemen.

The Printer has promised that the color proofs will be at Origins.

[kzucker]

Just received the color proofs of the counters from Rowland Printers. So we will have the box, counters and map to show at Origins!

[kzucker]

Maps for Napoleon at the Crossroads were just delivered by the printer. They are very fine, and compare with the Highway to the Kremlin maps.

The counters will be delivered to the die-cutter tomorrow, he will laminate and glue them next week.

Scheduled delivery for the remaining components is still Sept. 5th.

[MHaggett]

This is shaping up to be a very good looking game as well---am looking forward to it!

A group I played with in the late 90s photo-enlarged the Struggle of Nations map and we played with the latest version of the campaign rules at the time. It was quite a large 3-player production and took us a good six-months of weekends or so to finish. I am eager to compare the results of the two :)

[kzucker]

In Nap at the Crossroads the Campaign can be completed in three sessions.

took us a good six-months of weekends or so to finish.

You might be just the sort of person we are looking for to proof our Napoleon at the Crossroads rules. The rules are posted at the Campaigns of Napoleon discussion (on Consimworld). Please follow the link below...
kzucker, "Campaigns of Napoleon series / Napoleon at Bay" #2289, 14 Aug 2006 5:23 pm

http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?13@769.uYfOcVqaeLY.20@.ee6d535/2353

[MHaggett]

Yes, I can take a look at it today.

[MHaggett]

Kevin,

Sent you comments for the Standard Rules. I will try and do the exclusive ones in the next day or so.

Mike

[kzucker]

The finished Standard and Exclusive Rules have been completed and sent off to the printer. We are still on schedule for September 5th publication. The counters are to be die-cut this coming week (the 21st). Boxes are made up and maps are in the warehouse. Only the 17 loose sheets (March Tables, etc.) remain to be finalized.

Version 1.1 of the rules went out to the playtesters on April 19th. In the past four months we have gone through about two dozen versions of the rules, each set improved by hundreds of comments received from the playtest team.

[kzucker]

Approved proofs on the rules went back to the printer yesterday. The booklets will be printed next week. We will see whether all the various player aid cards will be ready in time for September 5th delivery. It looks like we may lose a few days on our publication deadline. Anyway we are not going to rush things at the last minute.

[kzucker]

The counters are now die-cut and the Player Aid Cards are finalized. Jay Olsen is now turning them into pdfs for the printer. They will probably be ready to send in on Monday. The plan is for the printer to fax proofs later in the week and get them all printed by Friday, ready to go out on the 5th, but it will be tight, and we may not receive everything until the 6th or 7th. We will assemble 500 copies and start shipping the overseas airmail games on the 8th.

[kzucker]

We are taking delivery of all the game components at 8 AM on Tuesday, September 5th (definite). We will assemble games on Wednesday and start shipping on Thursday.

[kzucker]

Napoleon at the Crossroads is now in Stock. Many thanks to our assembly crew: Peter Baysdell, Chuck Frascati, and Robert Lindsay. We'll be assembling more on Weds and Sat.

[MHaggett]

And my wife just informed me I had a package waiting at home from OSG :D

Thanks Kevin and company for getting it out!

[MHaggett]

As a follow-up, I just wanted to note the quality of the components is high. The map, as we have seen in previews, is gorgeous and the counters don't disappoint either. There are copious player cards with the march tables, strengths, etc. A wealth of information! :)

I hope to have a game played in the near future, for at least one of the scenarios. A friend of mine wants to try both CNS and 4LB--we might opt for 4LB first, or do a split.

[kzucker]

Mike,

You might try starting with Grossbeeren, then converting the situation at the end of that game into a Napoleon at the Crossroads situation for the 26th. See the NaC Designers notes for a few guidelines.

[kzucker]

If your copy of Napoleon at the Crossroads is missing either Coalition Organization Display, you can download it here ...

http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?233@769.Fls2cRZIkHJ.79@.ee6bef6!enclosure=.1d d161f6

[MHaggett]

I might see if my opponent would try that--but he is a Napoleonic virgin, so to speak, and these will be his first forays, so it might be best not to overload him with 2 new games systems at once! On a positive note, he took advantage of the CNS game special so I am looking forward to giving SoA and BiI a workout, as well as NaC.

[kzucker]

Well, as my friend Dave Schubert always says, be kind.

[cmoeller]

I posted my observations on the Consim forum, but I think it bears repeating here: a truly beautiful game. The counters are as gorgeous as always, but Mark Simonitch is a known quantity, so I expect no less. What struck me is Knut Grunitz's map. It is gorgeous. Your comparison with the HtK map is right on the money. Has he done professional work before? If not, I can't imagine he won't have folks pounding down his door for work after this. Wow.

I can't wait to play. Very exciting day, guys. Thank you.

-Chris

[kzucker]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your comments. Knut has done graphic design work for several companies starting about two years ago. In addition to the box and the map for Napoleon at the Crossroads, Knut also designed the box cover for Four Lost Battles.

[kzucker]

We mailed out 14 copies of Napoleon at the Crossroads without the Organization Display for the North and Silesian Armies. Mostly they were sent to overseas airmail addresses. All those customers have been mailed their replacement parts. Their games were assembled on September 9th, 2006. We tracked down four more copies that were assembled on the same date, missing the same display, and repaired the deficiency. All games still in our inventory are correctly assembled.