Napoleon’s Quagmire: The Campaign in Extremadura, 1809

Napoleon’s Quagmire: The Campaign in Extremadura, 1809 is an Operational Studies Group wargame on the difficult Spanish campaign of 1809, after Napoleon had left the Peninsula to face Austria on the Danube.

With Joseph Bonaparte nominally commanding from Madrid, French forces pushed to master Old and New Castile while Spanish and Anglo-Portuguese forces contested the approaches from Portugal and Extremadura. The game covers four battles from this campaign: Medellín, Talavera, Almonacid, and Ocaña.

As part of OSG’s The Library of Napoleonic Battles system, Napoleon’s Quagmire emphasizes command, maneuver, historical terrain, and the operational tempo of Napoleonic warfare. It is a strong fit for players interested in the Peninsular War beyond the better-known later Wellington campaigns, showing a theater where French strength, Spanish resistance, British intervention, and distance from Napoleon’s direct control all shaped the fighting.

Contents include: game box, two 34" x 22" maps, two 17" x 22" maps, two countersheets with 560 die-cut pieces, two booklets covering the system rules and study folder, 15 player aid cards, 5 resource cards, and two 50-card decks.

Boardgamegeneral Advice

Napoleon’s Quagmire: The Campaign in Extremadura, 1809 is an excellent choice for Napoleonic players who enjoy operational depth combined with detailed battle scenarios. Covering key actions of the 1809 Peninsular War, it offers a superb blend of maneuver, logistics, and tactical decision-making within OSG’s acclaimed Library of Napoleonic Battles series. Ideal for experienced wargamers looking for a richly thematic campaign with strong replayability and a particular interest in the Peninsular War.