2005 BGG rank #4704

Wellington: The Peninsular War 1812-1814

2–4 players 180 min Ages 12+ 3.2/5 complexity 5.8/10 rating

About this game

Adapted from the designer's "The Napoleonic Wars" covers the campaigns in Spain and Portugal between 1812 and 1814. Simplified diplomacy as the four players play in two teams (Spain & Britain vs France Nord & France Sud).

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Dice Rolling Campaign / Battle Card Driven Point to Point Movement Napoleonic Wargame

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Setup

1. Place units and flags according to the historical starting positions: - ARMÉE DU NORD: Madrid (7 SP, Murat/use Kutuzov counter, Flag), Burgos (4 SP, Bessieres/Jourdan counter, Flag), Pamplona (1 SP, Flag), Vitoria/Lerna/Valladolid (Flag only). - ARMÉE DU SUD: Lisbon (5 SP, Drouet, Flag), Toledo (3 SP, Flag), Castellon (2 SP, Flag), Barcelona (2 SP, Flag), Cordoba (3 SP, Suchet, Flag), plus Flags only in Elvas, Badajoz, Don Benito, Castuera, Gerona, Tarragona, Ciudad Real, Aranjuez, Tortosa. - BRITISH: Gibraltar (1 SP), Portsmouth (9 SP, Moore/Hill counter). All duchies in Portugal except Lisbon and Elvas are controlled by England (place red markers). - SPAIN: Corunna (6 SP, Blake), Zaragoza (6 SP, Palafox/De España counter), Ciudad Rodrigo (2 SP, Cuesta), Valencia (3 SP), Granada (2 SP). All duchies in Spain not under Imperial control are Spanish. 2. Assign starting resources: Armée du Nord 3, Armée du Sud 2, British 1, Spain 1. 3. Assign starting Control Keys per faction (see Control Keys section). 4. Deal starting hands: Armée du Nord (3 Home + 2 other cards), Armée du Sud (2 Home + 3 other), British (2 Home + 4 other), Spain (1 Home + 5 other). 5. Remove cards #4, 5, 6, 26, and 77 from the deck before play. 6. Armée du Nord takes the first player impulse in 1808.

Turn flow

The game is played over four yearly turns: 1808, 1809, 1810, and 1811. Each year constitutes a session. Within a turn, players activate their armies using Command Points (CP) from played cards to move units, contest duchies, and establish supply lines (flags). The Armée du Nord goes first in 1808. Preemption is only possible after the 1st round of 1808. At the end of each turn's interphase, reinforcements and CP are received according to the scenario reinforcement table (not standard rule 16.2). Sudden victory is checked each session; if unclaimed after 1811, Victory Points determine the winner.

Scoring and victory

Sudden victory is checked at the end of each yearly turn (1808–1811). If a faction meets its sudden victory condition, it wins immediately. If no sudden victory occurs by end of 1811, the faction with the most Victory Points wins. Scoring sources: 1 VP per Key city in Spain controlled, 2 VP for Madrid (controlled), 2 VP per Key city in Portugal controlled by an Imperial (French) faction, 3 VP per Key city in France controlled by Spain or England

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Setup

Armée du Nord starting unit placement

At game start, the Armée du Nord places the following units: Madrid — 7 SP with the Murat leader (using the Kutuzov counter) and a Flag; Burgos — 4 SP with Bessieres (using the Jourdan counter) and a Flag; Pamplona — 1 SP and a Flag; Vitoria, Lerna, and Valladolid — Flag markers only, no combat units.

Setup

Armée du Sud starting unit placement

At game start, the Armée du Sud places: Lisbon — 5 SP with Drouet and a Flag; Toledo — 3 SP and a Flag; Castellon — 2 SP and a Flag; Barcelona — 2 SP and a Flag; Cordoba — 3 SP with Suchet and a Flag. Flag markers only (no combat units) are placed in: Elvas, Badajoz, Don Benito, Castuera, Gerona, Tarragona, Ciudad Real, Aranjuez, and Tortosa.

Setup

British starting unit placement

At game start, the British place: Gibraltar — 1 SP (no leader); Portsmouth (off-map entry point) — 9 SP with Moore (using the Hill counter). All duchies in Portugal except Lisbon and Elvas begin under English control (marked with red control markers). Lisbon and Elvas are controlled by Armée du Sud at game start.

Setup

Spain starting unit placement

At game start, Spain places: Corunna — 6 SP with Blake; Zaragoza — 6 SP with Palafox (using the De España counter); Ciudad Rodrigo — 2 SP with Cuesta; Valencia — 3 SP; Granada — 2 SP. All duchies in Spain not currently under Imperial (French) control begin as Spanish-controlled.

Setup

Each faction's starting resource count

At the beginning of the scenario, resources are allocated as follows: Armée du Nord — 3 Resources; Armée du Sud — 2 Resources; British — 1 Resource; Spain — 1 Resource.

Setup

Starting control key assignments for all factions

Control keys (strategic cities) assigned at start: Armée du Nord controls Madrid, Burgos, Bordeaux, and Bayonne. Armée du Sud controls Lisbon, Elvas, Cordoba, Barcelona, Perpignan, and Toulouse. British control Gibraltar, Porto, and Almeida. Spain controls Zaragoza, Valencia, Granada, Cartagena, Cadiz, Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, San Sebastian, and Oviedo.

Setup

Starting card hand composition for each faction

Each faction begins with a specified hand of cards: Armée du Nord — 3 Home cards + 2 other cards (5 total); Armée du Sud — 2 Home cards + 3 other cards (5 total); British — 2 Home cards + 4 other cards (6 total); Spain — 1 Home card + 5 other cards (6 total).

Setup

Cards #4, 5, 6, 26, and 77 are removed from the deck before play

Before the game begins, remove cards numbered 4, 5, 6, 26, and 77 from the standard Wellington deck. These cards are not used in this scenario.

Common questions and edge cases

Lisbon begins under Armée du Sud control, but British duchies in Portugal are also defined as English-controlled. Who controls Lisbon at game start?

Lisbon is explicitly listed as an Armée du Sud starting position (5 SP, Drouet, Flag). The rule that English controls Portuguese duchies specifically excepts Lisbon and Elvas. Therefore, Lisbon starts under Armée du Sud control despite being in Portugal.

Elvas has an Armée du Sud flag at setup, but Portugal duchies are listed as British-controlled. Who controls Elvas?

The setup rule explicitly states that the British control all duchies in Portugal EXCEPT Lisbon and Elvas. Elvas therefore starts under Armée du Sud control (Flag only, no SP).

In the 1808 reinforcement step, Napoleon arrives and Murat is removed. Can Murat act in 1808 before being removed?

Yes. Murat starts in Madrid and may be used normally during the first round of 1808. He is only removed after the first-round reinforcement step, when Napoleon and Victor arrive. Napoleon then takes over command for Armée du Nord.

Can a player use preemption during the first round of the 1808 turn?

No. Preemption is explicitly prohibited during the first round of 1808. It becomes available from the second round of 1808 onward.

Armée du Nord loses Napoleon and Bessieres in 1809 but receives only 4 CP. Is this a deliberate tradeoff?

Yes. The scenario reflects Napoleon's historical departure from Spain. Armée du Nord loses its two strongest leaders but gains only 4 CP for new units in 1809, making it significantly weaker than in 1808 when 12 SP arrived with Napoleon. This is by design and creates a window of opportunity for allied factions.

Spain wins if all Keys in Spain are free of Imperial units. Does Spain need to control those keys, or just have them unoccupied by French forces?

The condition states all Keys in Spain must be 'free by imperial units,' meaning free OF Imperial units. Spain does not need to actively control each one — the keys simply must not be occupied by Armée du Nord or Armée du Sud forces. Another allied faction controlling a key would still satisfy Spain's condition.

The British sudden victory requires Madrid to be 'free by imperial units.' What if a Spanish unit is in Madrid?

If Madrid contains Spanish (or British) units but no Imperial (French) units, the condition is met. The requirement is that Imperial units are absent from Madrid, not that the British specifically control it.

Can the Armée du Nord spend its 1810 CP (20 CP) to place units anywhere on the board?

No. Units built with CP must be placed in that faction's national duchies. For both French armies (Armée du Nord and Armée du Sud), units must be placed in French national duchies only, not in Spain or Portugal.

If an allied faction has captured Bordeaux before the 1808 reinforcement step, where do Armée du Nord's 12 SP arrive?

If Bordeaux is occupied by an enemy at the time of reinforcement, Armée du Nord's 12 SP arrive at either Limoges or Narbonne instead. The controlling player may choose between these two alternate entry points.

How many VP is Madrid worth for final scoring?

Madrid is worth 2 VP (not 1 VP like other Spanish Keys). The general rule gives 1 VP per Key in Spain, but Madrid is a special exception explicitly valued at 2 VP.