Dennewitz 20 Exclusive Rules v1.
Dennewitz 20
[0.0] EXCLUSIVE RULES
This expansion kit for Grossbeeren
20 uses that game‟s counters, tables, and its
copy of the Napoleonic 20 Standard
Rules. etc. combined with this game‟s map,
cards, and this rules sheet to play
Dennewitz 20.
These Exclusive Rules supersede the
Standard Rules when there is a conflict.
[1.0] INTRODUCTION
Dennewitz 20 is based upon the battle
that occurred during Napoleon‟s final
campaign in Germany, on 4-6 September,
1813. One player commands the Coalition
forces under the Swedish Crown Prince Carl
Johan (aka Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte), while
the other player commands the French army
under the command of Marshall Michel Ney.
[2.0] GAME EQUIPMENT
The Game Map: The 11” x 17” game map
portrays the portions of Prussia and Saxony
where the campaign occurred.
The blue units are French. The Anti-French
units include Russian (green units), Prussians
(gray units), Swedish (yellow units), and
Anglo-Prussian (red and gray) forces.
Unit abbreviations include:
Cz = Czernitchew H = Hirschfeld
Pr = Prussian Ru = Russian
Swe = Swedish
Elite Forces
There are no Elite units (see 9.6 and 10.0) in
this game.
The Swedish Corps is considered a Guard
unit only when committing it to
battle (see 12.2.1). It is not
affected by the La Garde Recule
rule (see Case 12.2.2).
[3.0] SETTING UP THE GAME
After sides have been determined (i.e., who
will play the French and Anti-French side),
the standard game set up proceeds as follows:
1. The Game Turn marker is placed on the
„September 4, Midday‟ space.
2. Place French and Allied markers on the „6‟
space of the Morale Track.
3. Place the units on the map as listed below:
French
Turn 1: XII and III Cv Turn 2: IV
Turn 3: VII
See Case 11.6 for details on where and how
these units arrive.
Set aside the French XIII, French ‘M,’ and
Danish units; they are not used in this game.
Allied
Hex 0404: Pr III Hex 0904: Pr IV
Turn 1: Pr H (Area Z) Turn 2: Ru Cz (Area Z)
Turn 3: Sw (Area Z) Turn 4: Ru XII (Area Z)
Set aside the Anglo-Prussian ‘W’ unit, it is
not used in this game.
[4.0] SEQUENCE OF PLAY
The French player is the First Player.
[5.0] RANDOM EVENTS
Skip the French Player‟s Random Events
Phase on the first Game Turn.
[9.0] COMBAT
[9.8.6] Retreat Direction Priority:
● French units must retreat towards one
of the French LOC hexes along the
southern map edge.
● Allied units must retreat towards one of
the Allied LOC hexes along the northern
map edge.
[11.0] REINFORCEMENTS
[11.6] Unit Arrival Locations:
Reinforcement units arrive in the following
Locations (color-coded along the map edge
for your convenience):
French units enter along the southern map
edge at Entry Areas A, B and C. On its
arrival turn, each unit must be committed to
one of these three Entry Areas where it will
enter, and that arrival area can‟t be changed.
At Entry Area A, it automatically arrives on
schedule. At Entry Area B or C, place that
unit off the corresponding map edge and roll
a die for its arrival the next turn. At Entry
Area B, it arrives on
a roll of $, % or
^; at Entry Area C,
it arrives on a roll of % or ^. For all other
results, that unit does not yet enter play; keep
rolling for its arrival each subsequent turn
until it finally enters play.
Allied units enter along the western map
edge at Entry Area Z. On the turn each unit is
scheduled to arrive, the Allied player rolls a
die. On a roll of $, % or ^, it arrives as
scheduled. On a !, @ or #, that unit does
not yet enter play; keep rolling for its arrival
each subsequent turn until it finally arrives.
[12.0] ARMY MORALE
[12.7] Onwards to Berlin: At any point
during his Movement Phase, the French
player may voluntarily eliminate any of his
non-Dummy units that are on hex 0118 (in
effect, marching them off the map). For each
French unit so removed, immediately lower
Allied Morale by one (-1); if this drops Allied
Morale to zero, the game ends in a French
Decisive Victory.
© 2011 Lance McMillan and Victory Point Games
[14.0] NIGHT TURNS
French Objective Hexes: none
Allied Objective Hex: Jüterbog (0316)
[16.0] OPTIONAL RULES
[16.8] Unreliable Troops: When an
unreliable unit (i.e., one with a
yellow Combat Strength)
participates in a Battle, roll a die
to see if it wavers (this is done
after Reserves, if any, have been committed),
subtracting one (-1) from the result if French
morale is currently lower than Allied Morale.
If the result is 2 or more, there is no effect. If
the result is 1 or less, the unit wavers: its
Combat Strength is reduced by one (-1) for
that Battle only.
Almost half the soldiers who comprised the
French Army of Berlin were from client
states (Bavarians, Italians, Saxons, and
Wurtemburgers) with waning enthusiasm for
Napoleon‟s cause. Further, many of the
French troops were barely-trained recruits.
[17.0] ALTERNATE SCENARIOS
[17.1] Hagelberg (Optional Rule): On 27
August, General Hirschberg‟s Prussians
defeated General Girard‟s French Middle
Corps near Hagelberg, enabling Hirschberg
to participate at Dennewitz. But that
engagement at Hagelberg could have gone
differently.
Procedure
During set up, roll a die to determine the
outcome of the battle at Hagelberg:
! Hirschberg Triumphant: Allied morale
starts at 7 (instead of 6). The
Prussian “H” unit is a Turn 1
reinforcement and the French
“M” unit is not used.
@ Hirschberg Victorious: The Prussian
“H” unit is a Turn 1 reinforcement and the
French “M” unit is not used. (This is the
historical outcome.)
# Hirschberg Successful: The Prussian
“H” unit is a Turn 1 reinforcement and the
French “M” unit is a Turn 7 reinforcement.
$ Stalemate: Both the Prussian “H” and
French “M” units are Turn 5
reinforcements.
% Girard Successful: The French “M” unit
is a Turn 5 reinforcement and the Prussian
“H” unit is not used.
^ Girard Victorious: French morale starts
at 7 (instead of 6). The French
“M” unit is a Turn 2 reinforce-
ment and the Prussian “H” unit
is not used.
These reinforcements are subject to Case
11.6 (above) concerning their Entry Area.
 Dennewitz 20 Exclusive Rules v1.0
[17.2] Napoleon Heads North (Optional
Rule): This variant requires
[17.3] The Trachenberg Plan: Beginning
with Turn 5, and on any turn thereafter, at the
[18.0] DESIGNER’S NOTES
Although his forces were still in fairly good
ownership of Dresden 20‟s start of his Step 4 (Movement), the Allied
order after his defeat at Grossbeeren, Oudinot
French units. Player can declare he is initiating an Orderly
chose to fall back all the way to Wittenburg.
Procedure Withdrawal. Thereafter, and for the rest of
Infuriated, Napoleon sent Ney to relieve him
the game, the Allied Player may voluntarily
During set up, roll one die on each table and resume the advance on Berlin.
eliminate one of his non-Dummy units that is
below to determine the results at Dresden and on hex 0118 (in effect, marching it off the But Ney‟s abilities as a commander were
the Katzbach: map). For each Allied unit so removed, little better than Oudinot‟s. Instead of moving
Dresden Outcome: immediately raise Allied Morale by one (+1). aggressively against the widely dispersed
!: Allied Decisive Victory Allied forces, Ney spent a day reviewing his
Victory Level Adjustment: If an Orderly
@: Allied Marginal Victory troops before starting his march north.
Withdrawal is ordered, then the final
# or $: Draw Victory Level might be adjusted as follows: Ney apparently hoped to fix the Allied left in
% or ^: French Decisive Victory position at Zahna and swing around them
At the end of the game, determine the French
Katzbach Outcome: towards Juterbog, but Tauentzein‟s Prussian
Augmentation Level by counting the
!: Allied Decisive Victory IV Corps was able to break contact, fall back,
number of their Dresden 20 reinforce-
@ or #: Allied Marginal Victory and establish a blocking position near
ment units (only; the French “M” unit does
$ or %: Draw Dennewitz on the evening of September 5.
not count; see 17.1) that have actually
^: French Decisive Victory The next morning, Ney concentrated his
entered play. Add one (+1) to this total if any
forces and launched a series of poorly
French Dresden 20 Reinforcements: of the arriving French units were part of the
coordinated attacks on the Allied position
Add the following French units from Imperial Guard (i.e., the GC, OG, YG or
that lasted throughout the day.
Dresden 20 to the Turn track: Art Res units). The Allied player then rolls a
die and, if the result is greater than the By midday, the French right with Ney
Turn 6: I Cav, GC Turn 7: VI Augmentation Level, adjusts the final personally leading the attack, had forced the
Turn 8: YG, OG Turn 9: Res Art outcome of the game by one level in the Prussians out of Dennewitz and were driving
These French Dresden 20 reinforcements French Player’s favor. Any other result has them back on Juterbog. Concurrently,
enter play via Entry Area A (only). no effect on the final victory level. however, the French left flank, by Gohlsdorf,
was under severe pressure from Bulow‟s
Arrival Difficulties Table: Example: At the game’s end, the Allied morale
Prussian III Corps. French reinforcements
Each turn a Dresden 20 reinforcement level is higher than French morale, and so the
were able to stabilize that flank until Ney
outcome is an Allied Marginal Victory. But the
unit is scheduled to arrive, the French player made a fateful mistake…
rolls one die for it and consults the following Allied player initiated an Orderly Withdrawal
table (cross-referencing the outcomes of the during play, so a victory level adjustment might Rather than acting as an overall Army
occur. Two French Dresden 20 reinforce- commander, Ney had become fixated on just
two battles, above) to determine whether that
ments (the VI and YG units) entered play, so the the small portion of the battle where he was
unit made it or not:
French Augmentation Level value is 3 (one for in personal command. Oblivious to the threat
Dresden Outcome that Bulow posed on his left, Ney pulled
Katzbach Allied Allied French
each of the two arriving units, plus one because
the YG unit is part of the French Imperial Guard). Oudinot’s XII Corps out of the line to
Outcome Decisive Minor Draw Decisive
support his own effort against Juterbog.
Allied 123 The Allied Player rolls a die: on a result of 4-6, the
Decisive None None None Soon, the French left began to crumble under
4%6 game’s outcome is shifted one level in the French
Bulow‟s continued hammering and Ney was
Allied 123 123 Player’s favor (to a Draw); on a 1-3 the game’s
compelled to order a withdrawal.
Minor None None $%6 $56 outcome remains an Allied Marginal Victory.
Casualties on both sides were roughly even,
12# 12# 12# Had the cautious Bernadotte been confronted
but the French lost much of their artillery and
Draw None $%6 $56 456 by a heavily reinforced French army, or by
baggage in the retreat. After two defeats, the
French 1@# 1@# 1@3 Napoleon himself, he probably would have
French Army of Berlin was irreparably
Decisive None $%6 $56 456 fallen back on Berlin in accordance with the
broken as an offensive instrument.
Trachenberg Plan. But to retreat his army in
If the die roll result is red, that unit is the face of only token French reinforcements Dennewitz 20 is a straight-up contest
permanently removed from play. If the die would have undermined his political standing between a small but nimble French force
roll result is green, that unit enters play via and brought accusations of cowardice. against a large, cumbersome Allied opponent.
Entry Area A. If the die roll result is white, As at Grossbeeren, the Allied army‟s initial
the unit does not enter play that turn; instead, GAME CREDITS deployment is its greatest weakness – if the
place it ahead one turn on the Turn Track and Game Design: Lance McMillan French can move quickly they can over-
roll for it again next turn in the same manner. Series Developer: Lance McMillan whelm the Prussians and occupy the Juterbog
After his victory at Dresden, Napoleon Producer: Alan Emrich objective before the rest of the Allied army
intended to reinforce Ney‟s march on Berlin. Research: Andreas E. Gebhardt can be brought to bear.
However, Blücher‟s defeat of MacDonald at Art & Graphic Design: Chris Magoun We strongly recommend using the optional
the Katzbach forced Napoleon to divert Playtesting: Frank Chadwick, Andreas E. Fog of War rule to reflect the full extent of
eastward instead. Had Napoleon shown up Gebhardt, Chris Janiec, Kim Meints, David Moody, the confusion and uncertainty that was prev-
with the promised reinforcements, Dennewitz Joe Oppenheimer, Carl Paradis, Volko Ruhnke, alent. The Napoleon Heads North scenario
would have been a very different looking Bill Rutherford allows you to experiment with what the battle
battle, indeed! might have looked like had Napoleon been
Proofreading: Bill Barrett, Hans Korting, Leigh
Toms less constrained by events elsewhere, adding
to the battle‟s unpredictability.
- Lance McMillan

© 2011 Lance McMillan and Victory Point Games