Game: Napoleon's Battles
Manufacturer: Avalon Hill     Type: Board/Miniature
AH Complexity: Medium       Players: 2+
Price: $35.00

Shane Smith

Napoleon's Battles is a game that can be played with either cardboard counters, or 15mm figures. The system itself is relatively simple once you have gone through it a couple of times, though it does have it's own quirks.
One such quirk is the importance of command span with your Generals. In one battle, my Prussian Grenadiers were outside the command range of one of my generals, and were utterly destroyed by French artillery, even before the infantry showed up.
Movement is done in inches, and lack of unit coherency has much the same effect as being outside the command span of a general or being demoralized: you can't do much of anything, except get killed.
The game does provide information of the armies of the Napoleonic era, ranging from Prussia and France, to Nassau and the Ottoman Turks. Furthermore, it includes a scenario book which allows you to run simple engagements on a 3'x3' board, to Waterloo or the Battle of Borodino, which both require a 5'x9' playing area.
All in all Napoleon's Battles is a fun and easy to learn game that anyone interested in the Napoleonic era should at least try.

We had discussed going to the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly Michigan as a club event for August or September. Currently, the official site has not been updated to show the weekend themes for this year. What I have found is the following.

The Renaissance Festival will run weekends from August 14 through September 26, plus September 6. It will be open 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM each day it's open. Ticket prices are $13.95 for adults, $5.95 for youth 5-12, $10.75 for seniors 60 and over and children four and under are free. I am still trying to find out what group rates would be. You can check out the unofficial site at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~liamr/renfest/festival.html or the official
site at http://members.aol.com/Renfestmi/.

Another fair worth mentioning is Grand Valley State University's Renaissance Faire. It is a two day affair happening on October 9 and 10. It's on the campus of Grand Valley State University in Allendale Mich, and runs from
10:00 to dusk. Admission is free. Vender's tables are free. They are still looking for more venders. Acceptable products to sell include oils, perfumes, incense, silver and beadwork, jewelry, basket weaving, clay pottery, candles, art, leatherwork, and more. They would also like entertainers: juggling, vocal and instrumental music, story telling, dancing, dramatics and more. You can check out their site at www2.gvsu.edu/~gvren/ or call (616) 895-1312.