The French Way of War Pack
Three ziplock ATO and TPS releases for a great price!
The French Way of War package focuses on France's misfortunes over decades, from Napoleon's troops shattering on the Waterloo battlfield, to the misbegotten adventure in Mexico in the 1860s, to the nadir of French military operations with the Fall of France in 1940.
What a great way to introduce yourself (or a friend) to ATO and TPS 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!
The Day of Waterloo
After Napoleon’s return from Elba, he watched his peace efforts spurned and knew that four large armies would eventually invade France. In a precarious position at home as well, he elected to move quickly, hoping for a powerful spoiling attack against the two closest armies that would rally some of his former allies and, even better, encourage the “Seventh Coalition” to negotiate.
His movements with the Armée du Nord shocked both Wellington and Blucher and hinted at the old brilliance of mind. But when it came to the battles… it seemed the imagination was no longer there. Wellington expected a flanking attack (and 25% of his troops missed the actual battle in preparation for it). What he got was “a pounding match.” Though he had claimed his troops made up “an infamous army, very weak and ill-equipped, and a very inexperienced Staff,” they bore the brunt of the best Napoleon could throw at them for 8 hours and turned the tide.
Leadership and morale in this game are key, while artillery bombardment and tactical ability are both highlighted. It is, after all, a pounding match. The designer gives us both basic and optional rules, with the opportunity to test some variables around smarter troop dispositions or operational planning, as well as giving the French the opportunity to begin the battle sooner (and deal with more severe mud).
The Day of Waterloo (TPS) includes:
Map - Full color, 11” x 17” mounted mapboard
Counters - 280 full color, die-cut counters
Rules length - 16 pages
Charts and tables - 3 player aid charts
Complexity - Advanced
Playing time - Up to 6 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Ed Wimble
Development - Donald B. Johnson
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey
Cactus Throne
Dissatisfied with the Mexican President's decision to halt all payments on foreign debts until the Mexican economy improved, a coalition of European Powers that included the French Empire, Spain and Great Britain agreed in 1861 to send an expeditionary corps to capture the main Mexican port of Vera Cruz and hold it until debt payments were restored. The
wily Napoleon III further schemed to conquer Mexico and set up a puppet regime that would bleed Mexico of its treasures to finance a resurgent French Empire.
From 1862 through 1866, Napoleon III and his puppet Maximilian attempted to forge a Mexican Empire, but after the United States won its Civil War, the threat of an invasion from the North and growing concerns about the ascendancy of the Prussian military in Europe forced Napoleon to withdraw his army from Mexico. The remaining troops loyal to Maximilian were not enough to stop the growing Republican army, and Maximilian was captured and executed in 1867.
Cactus Throne and issue #15 of ATO
Maps - One full color 22"x34" mapsheet
Counters - 320 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 10 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Medium
Solitaire suitability - Average
Playing time - Up to 6 hours
Design
- Andy Nunez
Development - Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphic Design - Craig Grando
Four Roads to Paris
Shortly after Poland was conquered in 1939, Hitler begin urging an immediate attack in the West. The original plans were uninspiring and his generals feared an attritional stalemate. Over the winter the Germans keep taking the measure of their opponents and hit upon a plan was that inspired, risky, and utterly decisive. Ironic of Hitler to assume his remarkable success was simply the new template for all future campaigns. His eyes turned east....
But why, exactly, did France fall? This ATO Annual edition features four top designers all tasked with re-examining the 1940 campaign and answering that very question. They’ve each settled on a single overriding theme to focus on. Yes, here is an issue not just featuring a game or two, but four complete simulations that provide hours and hours of challenging play and comparison. Don’t miss it!
Four Roads to Paris and the 2015 ATO Annual Magazine
Maps - Four full color 17"x22" area mapsheets
Counters - Over 300 full color 9/16" die-cut counters
Cards - 24
Rules length - Around 8 pages each game
Charts and tables - Averages 1 page each game
Complexity - Medium
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor to Excellent, varies by title
Playing time - Up to 3 to 4 hours for each game, 12 to 16 hours to play them all
Designers - Mike Rinella, Roger Nord, Steven Cunliffe and John Prados
Development - Lembit Tohver
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey
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