2 by 2

Napoleonic's — 2mm Wargames Rules

A Napoleonic miniatures wargame for two players, fought to a finish in an hour or less upon a two-foot board. No order writing, no cards, and the only marker you need is a wisp of cotton wool. Free to read, free to print, and now in its twenty-sixth year.

A complete 2 by 2 Napoleonic's battlefield laid out on a two-foot green board on a kitchen table, with roads, woods, a stream and 2mm units, beside a stack of Napoleonic wargaming books
The entire battlefield — roads, woods, a stream, and both armies — on a two-foot square.

Read the Rules

Version 3.04, the current playtest. Everything you need to play.

Build an Army

Twenty-eight armies, from the levée en masse to the War of 1812. New, and a separate book.

At the Table

One sheet to keep beside the board while you play. Take your pick.

What's New in Version 3.04

The army lists have outgrown the rulebook. What used to be three lists at the back is now a booklet of its own: twenty-eight armies, each with its own allowances, its own Staff Point ration, and one small special rule to call its own. It is a separate download now, which is a big change — but the right one. The rulebook stays a rulebook, and the lists finally have room to breathe.

There is also a new one-page Officer's Dispatch: the standard game in its plainest clothes, for teaching a new opponent or for anyone who would rather not meet every modifier at once. The full Quick Reference Sheet is still there when you want the whole machine.

As for 3.04 itself — it is very nearly all your doing. A limit of one manoeuvre per move, a rout that no longer lets you dodge the enemy, and a good many clarifications, every one of them drawn from the feedback form. My thanks. The full list of changes notes who asked for what.

The Battle of Bundaberg

A complete sample battle played through move by move, with photographs of every turn — the best way to see how a game of 2 by 2 actually unfolds before you commit to reading the rules.

Two millimetres to the man, and a puff of cotton wool for the smoke.