The French Way of War Pack
Three ziplock back issues for a great price!
The French Way of War package focuses on the French Empire's arc of triumph to decline, from Napoleon's troops mastering fearful odds on their way to Vienna, 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 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!


A Crowning Glory
Early December 1805 found Napoleon in southern Moravia facing east towards Austerlitz (modern day Skavkov u Brna) and at the end of a very stretched supply line. He also appeared to be slightly outnumbered by a Coalition army made up of the remnants of Austrian forces, plus a sizable Russian contingent.
Feigning weakness, Napoleon lured the Coalition force into attacking his own right flank (where he wanted them to), then counterpunched through the Coalition center to encircle most of them. Austria and Russia were crushed, and with this victory, Napoleon cemented his hold on his own throne.
It was...a crowning glory for his new regime.
A Crowning Glory and issue #57 of ATO:
Map - One full color 22"x34" hex mapsheet
Counters - 216 full color 9/16" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 1 page
Complexity - Low
Playing time - Up to 4 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Ty Bomba
Development - Russ Lockwood
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 Magazine Annual
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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