(NEW) The Early Modern Way of War
Three ziplock ATO and TPS releases for a great price!
The Early Modern Way of War set focuses on when gunpowder artillery first appeared and its subsequent century of dominance on the battlefields of Europe. Starting with the end of the Hundred Years War, and through the Hussite Wars, to the Ottoman campaigns to seize Hungary in the 1500s, warfare became less reliant on raw courage, and more so on...gunpowder.
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!
Joan of Arc's Victory
Even in full armor, she still looked very much like a young girl.
History would call her Joan of Arc, with a subtitle "The Maid of Orleans." The French would call her, "St. Joan." The English would call her, "witch." And you can call her the center of an intriguing game.
Joan of Arc's Victory: Render to the Maid! covers the entire campaign of the siege and relief of Orléans, with one-month turns beginning in April, 1429. The French player must consolidate his polyglot army and its inspiring leader, while dealing with Joan's "voices" via an events table that leaves him feeling slightly out of control. The English player has to deal with Scots and herrings and trying to resist the "help" of an unwanted Burgundian ally. Both players face the challenges of making siege and open-field combat work for them, in an era where artillery and charges by armored knights belong on the same battlefield. Will you be able to keep your focus on the Maid?
Joan of Arc's Victory includes a random "Joan Events" table that will render the French player a sense of the uncertainty being around someone divinely inspired might provide. And it keeps life interesting for the English too, as Joan may do something very unexpected (and have surprising combat benefits too!).
Will the English make France little more than their "eastern counties," with a Balkanized set of small kingdoms? Or will France become France? The decision is yours, based on how you react to the "voices" that The Maid hears.
No two games will ever be alike!
Joan of Arc's Victory (TPS) includes:
Map - Full color, 11” x 17” mounted mapboard
Counters - 200 full color, die-cut counters
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and Tables - 1 player aid charts
Complexity - Easy
Playing time - Up to 6 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Average
Design - Andy Nunez
Development - Jim Werbaneth
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey
Blind Faith
Jan Zizka is held to be one of the single finest military minds in world history. Having never lost a battle, what makes this feat even more impressive is that Zizka was in command of only peasants and rebels. Blind in later life but still tough as nails, he ordered that upon his death, his skin was to be turned into a war drum! With Zizka leading the rebellion in Bohemia as well following a heretical faith, the Emperor Sigismund must wage war to both extirpate the heresy and secure his throne.
The Hussite player's forces are largely Bohemians (i.e. Czech) and others, who, inspired by the teachings of Jan Hus, supported the taking of Communion with both bread and wine, along with other reforms of the Roman Catholic Church. The Hussites are in turn divided into two to three factions: the Calixtenes (Moderates), the Taborites (Radicals), and a later splinter group called Orphans. Moderates preferred to reform the church, while radicals wanted more comprehensive reforms, not only of the church, but of the state and society. Some even rejected church and monarchy.
The Imperial player controls those forces under the Emperor and King, Sigismund of Luxembourg. They support the execution of Hus and oppose the taking of Communion with both bread and wine. Royal Crusaders, including both the Catholic minority in Bohemia and the Kingdom of Hungary are also under the direct control of the Imperial player. Papal Crusaders from the Holy Roman Empire (i.e. Germany) are under the indirect control of the Imperial player.
Designed by Jason Juneau, Blind Faith depicts a classic example of asymmetric warfare, granting both players many options in waging war. The resources and position of the Imperial side are pitted against the skill and morale of the Hussite side. Storming and besieging towns become part of players' strategies for loot and victory. This war was part of a larger sea change in warfare in Europe. Knights and peasants, artillery and threshing flails, clergy and laymen were thrown together in a war the signaled the demise of the feudal system and the universal church.
Blind Faith and issue #59 of ATO
Maps - One full color 22"x34" hex mapsheet
Counters - 180 assorted full color die-cut 9/16" pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Low
Playing time - 4 to 5 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Average
Design - Jason Juneau
Development - Russ Lockwood
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent is a game covering the massive battle on August 29th, 1526 between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, resulting in the fall and disappearance of Hungary as an independent country for 400 years.
The Hungarians numbered around 35,000 (including artillerists), the Ottomans, about 60,000. While there is much disagreement about numbers at this battle, all sources agree that the Ottomans did outnumber the Hungarians significantly.
The Hungarian front line was stretched rather thinly to match, or attempt to match, the frontage that would be presented by the Ottomans. The Hungarians had, as was the practice for the last 200 years in European warfare, dug a trench in front of their front line infantry and artillery to give them a defense advantage. The actual battle, which started at around 3:00 PM, lasted but a few hours, maybe less.
Suleiman the Magnificent is an accessible, fast-playing, fun game of low complexity. Each combat unit represents about 750 men. The map scale is about 225 yards per hex and depicts the flat and, because of the proximity of the oft-overflowing Danube, somewhat soft and, in many places, slippery battlefield at Mohacs.
Suleiman the Magnificent and issue #9 of ATO
Map - One full color 22"x34" hex mapsheet
Counters - 240 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 9 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Low
Playing time - Up to 3 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Average
Design - Richard Berg
Development - Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphic Design - Craig Grando
|
