I, Napoleon Interview: Ted S. Raicer

 

I, Napoleon is a solitaire historical role-playing card game in which you step into the boots of Captain Buonoparte (as he still was) in the year 1793. Louis XVI has just gone to the guillotine, the brothers Robespierre control the destiny of France, and all Europe has joined French Royalists to take down France, end the Revolution, and restore peace and safety for the hereditary principles that have underlain society for 1,000 years.

The rules and images shown here are not final

You cand find it in P500

1-Who are you and you favourite wargame/s?

My name is Ted S. Raicer and I live in NYC in the USA. I'm about to turn 64 and have been designing games for over 30 years. As for my favorite wargames, my favorites of my own design are The Dark Valley which covers the East Front in WWII (from GMT Games) and I, Napoleon, which is not yet out. Of other people's designs, I'm very fond of Mark Herman's We the People and John Butterfield's solo designs.

2-Why did you decide to do this game?

The inspiration for I, Napoleon came from Clash of Arms' game Legion of Honor, where players became a grognard in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and experienced different adventures as they tried to survive and rise in the ranks, perhaps ultimately attaining a Marshal's baton. I thought, what if instead of an ordinary soldier, the soldier was Napoleon Bonaparte? But though LoH was the inspiration, the game evolved in a different direction because Napoleon was, of course, no ordinary soldier.

3-Can you talk about the mechanics?

I, Napoleon is basically a card game. The game comes with a map, but the map is really just a way to keep track of what cards are in player, and various administrative aspects of the game. The cards are divided into 3 decks: The Commander Deck (for when Napoleon was a soldier who was subordinate to others. The second is the First Consul Deck after Napoleon overthrows the Directory (if he succeeds in doing so) and rules the French Republic. The third is the Emperor Deck, after he decides to crown himself. In each deck card are drawn one at a time and have different effects, benefits, or penalties, some immediate and some delayed, that the player uses to direct Napoleon's career, above all in pursuit of Glory. Above all, I, Napoleon is a narrative game, where the goal of winning is more to give you a direction as you explore the different paths Bonaparte's life might have taken.

4-How the different factions work?

There are no different factions as I, Napoleon is a solitaire game, but the cards keep track of Napoleon's enemies both in France and among the other Great Powers (Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Spain). Napoleon will go on military campaigns (covered abstractly through Campaign Cards) and use diplomacy (through the spending of Diplomatic Points) to conquer or win over foreign powers, imposing Treaties when victorious.

 

5-Scenarios and/or length of the game?

There are three scenarios (one for each of the three decks) and a campaign game that you can start as either Commander or First Consul, I think about 3 to 4 hours for a full campaign is a reasonable estimate.

6-Do you have another game/project in mind?

I always have ongoing projects. I'm currently doing a chit-pull activation hex and counter game for Revolution Games on the campaign in Northwest Europe in 1944-45.