Quick answer

Buy the Close Quarter Battles Waterloo Companion Book first if you already own the core game and want more battles to play. Buy the Premium Canvas Maps first if your paper maps are worn, curling, or slowing down setup. They solve different problems, so the right order depends on whether you need more game or a better table.

What each accessory actually replaces or adds

The Premium Canvas Maps are an accessory that replaces the game maps included in the board game edition. They are printed on canvas paper that is tear resistant, water resistant, and wipes clean, and the set rolls up between sessions without coming out creased. Nothing about the scenario content changes; you are upgrading the physical surface you play on.

The Companion Book is content, not a component swap. It covers tactical Napoleonic warfare at Waterloo on 18 June 1815, at the level of the orchard, the sunken road, and the gate at Hougoumont, and it walks through how the game plays with line formations. If you want more situations to command, this is the book that supplies them.

Where the money goes

At catalog prices, the Companion Book is USD 31.99 against a USD 49.99 comparison price, and the Canvas Maps are USD 43.19 against USD 59.99. The book is the cheaper purchase and the one that changes how much game you have. The maps cost more and change how the game feels to set up, store, and play across a long session.

Neither product is required to play the base game. Treat both as upgrades you add when a specific annoyance shows up: too few scenarios, or maps that will not lie flat.

How to decide in one evening

Set up your current game on your usual table. If you spend the first ten minutes flattening paper and the last ten minutes trying not to crease it, the Canvas Maps are the higher-value purchase for you. If setup is fine but you have already played the included scenarios and want new tactical problems, the Companion Book is the better spend.

If you are buying for a group that plays the same scenario repeatedly, content runs out faster than table surface quality. If you play solo or in a small space where the game lives rolled up between sessions, the canvas upgrade pays off every single time you unpack it.

Trade-offs at a glance

  • Canvas Maps: durability vs price: You pay more than the Companion Book, but you get tear resistance, water resistance, wipe-clean surfaces, and crease-free rolling. Best first buy if your paper maps are already the weak point of your setup.
  • Companion Book: more game vs no component upgrade: It adds Waterloo scenarios and tactical depth at the orchard, sunken road, and Hougoumont gate, but your table plays exactly as it did before. Best first buy if you have played out the included scenarios.
  • Buying both vs buying one now: The two products do not overlap, so there is no wasted purchase in owning both; the only question is which fixes your current frustration sooner. Fix content shortage with the book, fix table problems with the maps.

Product facts

  • Close Quarter Battles - Waterloo Premium Canvas Maps: Premium Canvas Maps are printed on canvas paper that is tear resistant, water resistant, and wipes clean, and they roll up without creasing. You get a map that survives spilled drinks, repeated rolling, and years of table use instead of a paper sheet that creases and frays.
  • Close Quarter Battles Waterloo Companion Book: The Companion Book covers tactical Napoleonic warfare at Waterloo on 18 June 1815, at the scale of the orchard, the sunken road, and the gate at Hougoumont. It gives you new command situations and tactical context rather than new physical components.
  • Close Quarter Battles Waterloo Core Rules Book: The Core Rules Book covers skirmish play with unit activation, command and morale, written for squads, officers and elite troops rather than divisions. If you do not yet own the core rules, buy those before either accessory, because neither the maps nor the companion book replaces them.

Which should you buy?

Buy the Premium Canvas Maps if

  • Your included paper maps crease, curl, or slow down setup
  • You play in a space where the game is rolled up and stored between sessions
  • You want a surface that wipes clean after snacks or spills

Skip the maps and buy the Companion Book if

  • You have already played every scenario in the base game and want new ones
  • Your current maps lie flat and you have no storage or wear problem
  • You do not own the Close Quarter Battles Waterloo Core Rules Book yet