RBM Studio's Waterloo
Hexes of War · 2025 · Strategy, Board Game, Turn-Based Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics, Wargame
PC
Mostly Positive77% · 22
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About RBM Studio's Waterloo
In RBM Studio's Waterloo, take command of either Napoleon's army or the allied armies of Wellington and Blucher for the battle of Waterloo, the battle that ended the Napoleonic Wars. Each side has an historically accurate order of battle that details when and where reinforcements will arrive, letting the player attempt to outdo the generals of history. As Napoleon, it's your task to advance and clear a path to Waterloo. As the Allied Coalition commander, you must prevent Napoleon from opening a route while at the same time limiting your losses in the battle. RBM Studio's Waterloo features gameplay based on the historical wargaming boardgames of the 70's and 80's. Players maneuver markers that represent their units on a hexagonal map that mimics the gameboard and cardboard counters of traditional boardgames. Turns are completed in an "I go, you go" style, wherein players alternate their turns with their opponent until one player passes. Once that happens, a random number of unopposed actions are given to their opponent. Pass too early and you risk giving your opponent the opportunity to maneuver completely around your forces. Combat is resolved through die rolls modified by terrain, supporting units, and for Napoleon, the Grand Battery. The use of cavalry and infantry together gives an advantage to attacks. The terrain itself can become an ally or enemy, as heavy rains may slow Napoleon's advance or delay the arrival of troops to support Wellington.Napoleon's forces include an Old Guard infantry unit and the Grand Battery that can be placed by Napoleon to strengthen an attack. Key Features
- Command your units in an historically accurate representation of the real Battle of Waterloo.
- Maneuver to try and pin your opponent's forces, while keeping your own free to act.
- Make sure your opponent's losses outweigh your own but remember that a route to Waterloo gives Napoleon 5 VP.
- Choose your fights carefully - losing units attempting to capture a well-defended hex without adequate preparation is a sure path to defeat.
- Solo play as both sides to explore the rules and potential strategies.
- Solo play against an AI designed to challenge players of any skill level.
- Online multiplayer play against a human opponent.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
A Faithful but Lightweight Waterloo — Fun, but the AI Lets It Down. As a remake of a classic magazine wargame, RBM Studio’s Waterloo deserves some credit — it’s always good to see these old-school hex-and-counter games revived for PC. That said, remember what you’re getting: this was originally a magazine insert wargame, so expect light rules and a high-level conceptual overview of the battle rather than deep tactical play. This one operates at the corps level, which honestly feels like it’s stretching the design — only a dozen or so counters per side means it gives an abstract sense of the battle but not much to really dig into. The biggest issue, though, is the AI. It’s either genuinely poor or the RNG gods were simply smiling on me — after running through the tutorial, I managed easy victories as both sides. The Coalition wiped out the French in one go, and then the French crushed most of the Allied army in the next. It makes for a quick ego boost, but not much of a challenge. Still, it’s reasonably enjoyable in that nostalgic, dice-rolling, “move some counters around a map” way. I got this as part of a bundle with RBM’s Gettysburg (probably the best entry point and a bit to…9 found this helpful
1) First some information about me: I am a veteran wargamer of over 40 years and have played every historical period with emphasis on the Napoleonic wars; from Board Wargames and Miniature Wargames to PC Wargames. Moreover, I have played a ton of Battle of Waterloo games and a couple campaigns. 2) When I first looked at "RBM's Studios Waterloo" I was not interested in it because I had already played the Original Avalon Hill Waterloo from the 1970s as well as the PC version and "thought" I had had my fill with the "Waterloo Campaign". I WAS WRONG. I purchased this game based on a uTube recommendation and WOW, they were correct! It is awesome! 3) It looks like a simple campaign game at the "Corps Level", but it is more than that. It is FUN, CHALLENGING, EXCITING and SUSPENSEFULL. 4) The reason for the greatness in this game is not from flashy graphics (been there done that), it is due to a no nonsense approach of historical accuracy and SUPERB game play. For example, the first 5 times I played the Historical Waterloo campaign of June 15 to June 18; which has a day and night turn for each day, I thought I would beat the AI easily. I WAS WRONG. Those 5 games had to be used as a l…3 found this helpful
This is a lot of fun, I like how much space there is for maneuver. It doesn't seem like the French have much of an incentive to move north towards Waterloo unless the Allies move to occupy those entry hexes, but they also need to leave a detachment behind to guard their entry hex in order to meet their strategic victory condition. IMO this is much better than their Gettysburg game but also more complicated, so maybe start with Gettysburg and then move up to this one.1 found this helpful
Fantastic old school hex-based wargame - I hope this marks is a rebirth of the genre!1 found this helpful
its ok, always like the chance to play an old style boardgame port but its far too dependent on range. The small number of instances (move/battle) combined with the low unit scores and relatively high random variance makes it far too random to be enjoyable - there simply aren't enough in-game events for luck to even out so luck really dominates ... and that is frustrating, as opposed to being a tool to model the problems of command etc
Totally boring. Lethargic gameplay. Can any game come close to Total War: Napoleon?
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