Napoléon 1870: The Collapse of the Second French Empire

Lien vers la page miroir en français : https://shakos.fr/napoleon_1870/

For Spanish-speaking backers: Hay que reservarlo desde este enlace para los mecenas que lo quieran en español, que publicará DracoIdeas junto con Shakos.

Welcome to Napoleon 1870, History for all!

In 1870, Napoleon III’s Second Empire was on the brink of collapse. After hastily declaring war on Bismarck’s Prussia, the French armies were overwhelmed and surrounded at Metz.

This is your opportunity to write something different.

Napoleon 1870 is the fourth instalment in the Napoleon’s series, a series devoted to the great strategists of history. Following on from Napoleon 1806, Napoleon 1807 and Napoleon 1815, Napoleon 1870 brings its own unique challenges to this well-tried and highly acclaimed campaign system.

In Napoleon 1870, two players, assume the role of Napoleon III or Bismarck, making the key decisions that will shape the fate of Europe. In the role of Napoleon, will you manage to escape the trap set by your opponent and avoid being besieged in Metz, or, like Bismarck, will you succeed in taking the French armies by surprise and outflanking them? A variety of scenarios, lasting from 40 minutes to 2 and a half hours, will allow you to rewrite the battles along the borders right up to the final assault on Metz.

 Napoleon 1870 is aimed at both seasoned grognards as well as enthusiastic young conscripts keen to understand how history is made. Thanks to a set of simple rules that remain faithful to historical reality, all the key aspects of the campaigns of the Napoleonic era are recreated so that players can engage with them. As events unfold, there will be scope for both subtle bluffing and the brutal use of overwhelming force.

Can you lead your men to victory

Napoleon 1870 follows the rules of the Napoleon series created by Denis Sauvage, but two authors wellknown to the general public have teamed up to produce this new installment:

•       Fred Serval, a specialist in the Second Empire and author of Red Flag over Paris and A Gest of Robin Hood.

•       Brian Asklev, an expert in Napoleonic strategy and operations, author of 1812, Napoleon’s Fateful March.

"Best operational level gunpowder era game in existence. Beginner friendly and highly recommended!"

"The system is easy to learn with many subtleties and a high replay-ability. The player's strategy is more important than the luck factor. The game is very immersive with a lot of historical flavor."

"Improved by the experience of many players on Napoleon 1806 and Napoleon 1807, the system is now perfectly proven."

Preview of the game by Fred Serval

A total of 5 scenarios are proposed in the game, surely enough to play and replay many times!

The scenarios are:

• Battles on the Frontiers (historical)
• Battles on the Frontiers (free setup)
• The Battle of Metz (Introductory scenario) - UNLOCKED
• The Fall of the Eagle (full campaign - historical)
• The Fall of the Eagle (full campaign - free setup)

2 more scenarios will be added if the corresponding stretch goals are unlocked.

Rules of Napoléon 1870: https://shakos.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Rulebook-english-version-Napoleon-1870.pdf

Les règles en français : https://shakos.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Rulebook-french-version-Napoleon-1870_v2.pdf

Take a look at the fundamentals of the game system:

Combat Drill 1 - How to use the card

Combat Drill 2 - How to win

Combat Drill 3 - Orders of Battle and Fatigue

Combat Drill 4 - How to move

Combat Drill 5 - How to fight

If you are familiar with the series, you already know the art of Nicolas Treil who did a remarkable job for Napoléon 1806, Napoléon 1807 and Napoléon 1815.

For Napoléon 1870, we wanted to highlight a graphic style of the period known as "Images d'Épinal". The term "Image d'Épinal" takes its name from the town of Épinal, in the Vosges, and from the Imagerie d’Épinal, a printing house founded in 1796 by the printer Jean-Charles Pellerin.

Jean-Charles Pellerin began publishing popular prints, religious images and vividly coloured illustrated scenes in the form of series. Over time, the expression "Image d'Épinal" took on a figurative meaning, referring to an exaggerated, traditional and naïve view that shows only the positive side of things, particularly the victorious French armies. This was certainly not the case in 1870!

Below are some examples:

Retailers pledges are made of 4 copies of Napoléon 1870, or 4 copies of Napoléon 1870 + 4 playmats. If you want to order more games, please send us a message at shakos@orange.fr with quantities. We will then work out shipping cost and potentially extra-discount depending on your order size. 

For Add-Ons Shipping, please see the dedicated section below.

You will find some add-ons directly linked to Napoleon 1870 (extra copy of the game, playmat, dice set and dice tray).

However, this campaign is also an opportunity to get some of our games, as they are not widely distributed (is you are a reseller and you want to distribute our games, do not hesitate to contact us)!

We won’t wait the release of Napoleon 1870 to send you these games. They will be shipped as soon as the campaign ends and your payments have been confirmed.

EU: Games will be sent from France, where our stock is located. 

Rest of the World: Our partner GameQuest will fullfil all other orders.

Fred Serval: Designer, Fred hosts Homo Ludens, a show dedicated to the intersection of history and board games, where he speaks with researchers and designers about how games interpret and represent the past. He is also an award-winning game designer, with titles published in multiple languages by GMT Games and PHALANX, including Red Flag Over Paris, A Gest of Robin Hood, and A Very Civil Whist.

Brian Asklev, Designer, Brian is the designer of the acclaimed Marshals & Quartermasters game series which cover operational level Napoleonic campaigns, as well as the recently released Thirty Years of Misery by VUCA Simulations and Baltic Empires by GMT Games.

Denis Sauvage: Game Developer, Denis is a grognard of history wargames, having to his credit several publications centered mainly on the Napoleonic era. He is the author of the series "Maréchaux" which currently has 5 scenarios, and of the Napoleon series (1806, 1807 and 1815). He is also the winner of the bicentenary trophy on the "Days of Glory" system, rewarding the best player in Napoleonic wargaming after 19 years of the tournament.

Nicolas Treil: Illustrator and graphic designer, Nicolas joined the adventure and convinced the original Shakos Boys with his enthusiasm. His work in Indian ink brings the artistic touch in connection with the period simulated by the game. Nicolas has already unveiled his talents in historical war games through the game "No Man's Land" and Napoléon 1806/1807/1815 and Breizh 1341. 

Julien Busson: Game Developer, Julien is a great enthusiast of the First World War, and of historical war games in general. As a deep-rooted entrepreneur, he always dreamed of publishing his own historical war games and his association with Denis, his favorite gaming partner, was unavoidable.