(NEW) The ACW Way of War
Three ziplock back issues for a great price!
What a great way to introduce yourself (or a friend) to ATO games, or catch up on back issues you've been meaning to get. A price like this is almost "buy 2, get one free." Don't miss it!
If all the campaigns and environments of American Civil War could be described in one word, that word would be "diverse". Through thick forests to the seacoasts, and along the iron rails that carried men into battle, and the supplies that fed the armies, Civil War armies proved willing to fight in any place and at any time.
Now, the "ACW Way of War" gives you three great back issues that capture three remarkable campaigns.
Lee's Greatest Victory
The Chancellorsville campaign, which took place in and around Virginia’s Wilderness in May 1863, is considered by many to be Robert E. Lee’s masterpiece, a true triumph “against the odds.” Opposing Lee was Union commander Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker, who had devised a plan that seemed assured of success. His cavalry would raid deep behind Confederate lines, cutting Lee’s supplies, while Hooker and four of his seven infantry corps would march west, then south, and appear behind the Confederate defenses opposite the city of Fredericksburg.
Lee would be compelled to withdraw south, in which case he would be pursued, or he would be compelled to attack with his numerically inferior army to avoid being crushed between the hammer and anvil of Hooker’s forces. “May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none,” Hooker declared. (Needless to say, the ensuing Union disaster became Lee's greatest victory...)
Lee's Greatest Victory and issue #55 of ATO:
Map - One full color 22"x34" area mapsheet
Counters - 176 full color large 5/8" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Medium
Playing time - Up to 3 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Michael Rinella
Development - Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics - Mark Mahaffey
A Gate of Hell
During the summer of 1863, in the aftermath of the Gettysburg and Vicksburg campaigns, battles on land and sea were fought over control of the birthplace of the Confederacy, Charleston, South Carolina. A Union victory here would send an unmistakable signal to the states in rebellion as well as the rest of the world that the Confederacy’s cause was lost and further fighting a waste of lives and effort.
A Gate of Hell uses an interactive design to portray this decisive battle of the American Civil War. Players use “military support points” (MSPs), representing the logistical and political support for the campaign, to mobilize and support their forces (ground and naval) on one of the most inhospitable battlegrounds of the war. Both sides have a variety of military assets to deploy, but the planning and effective use of MSPs throughout the game will determine in large measure who is the victor. Units represent mostly regiments for the ground units, and each ironclad for the naval units. All of the famous batteries and forts, including Sumter and Wagner, are portrayed.
A Gate of Hell and issue #49 of ATO:
Map - One full color 22" x 34" area mapsheet
Counters - 200 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Medium
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Paul Rohrbaugh
Development - Lembit Tohver
Graphics - Mark Mahaffey
Confederate Rails
Confederate Rails, designed by Richard H. Berg, is a unique type of railroad game. Players operate the historical railways of the Confederate States of America during one of the "hottest wars" of the 19th Century – the American Civil War - which ends up turning it into a kind of an "anti-railroad" game. Not only do players have to deliver goods, supplies and military loads during a difficult time, but they have to adjust to a dwindling rail network.
Yes, paradoxically each player's rolling stock and rail net are at their absolute finest on the first turn. From there on in the players (representing the South's various railroad companies) battle Union military advances, each other, Confederate government decrees (and neglects), the rapidly inflating and worthless money, plus wear and tear on irreplaceable equipment.
Confederate Rails and the 2016 ATO Magazine Annual
Maps - One full color 22" x 34" PtP mapsheet
Counters - 280 full color die-cut counters
Cards - 24 full color cards
Rules length - Around 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2
Complexity - Low
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Playing time - Up to 3 to 4 hours for each game
Designer - Richard Berg
Development - Lembit Tohver
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey
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