The Napoleonic Wars covers the entire period of conflict from 1796 to 1815. Each turn represents 4 months. The map is divided into areas, with terrain in the area (forest, swamp, etc.) and along the area borders (river, mountains, etc.). According to the rules, the pieces represent small corps or oversized divisions. Some units also represent commanders that can command other units. Fortresses are also represented by pieces. The sequence of play is fairly standard for a wargame - 1) Negotiations 2) Rebuilding Cadres 3) Supply Determination 4) Movement and Combat 5) Reinforcements 6) Adjustment of Revenue 7) Move game turn marker When playing one of the campaigns (i.e., not the full Napoleonic Wars), skip Negotiations, Rebuilding, and Revenue. The Movement phase has a unique mechanic that requires units with lower (worse) leadership to move before those with better leadership, regardless of which country controls the unit. Units which don't move when it is their turn may only move later if led by a commander with higher leadership. A player may use his highest rated leader to preempt the movement of another player's lower rated leader. This game was sold as a stand alone game with a paper map. The game could also be played by combining the pieces and mounted maps from the other three games in the series (Napoleon's Italian Campaigns, Napoleon's Russian Campaign, and Napoleon's Peninsula Campaign) and adding the extra rules and pieces from Expansion Module 2.