MGPRP: Against the Odds pocket reviews
Issues 1-9
· ATO #1: Hegemon
· ATO #2: Khe Sahn 1968
· ATO #3: Kesselschlacht
· ATO #4: Napoleon at the Berezina
· ATO #5: North Wind Rain
· ATO #6: Go Tell The Spartans
· ATO #7: A Dark And Bloody Ground
· ATO #8: Fortress Berlin
· ATO #9: Suleiman The Magnificent
ATO 1-9
"...something about the ATO mindset and approach just does not grab me. I was one of the first subscribers
and I got the deluxe games and everything, but I found that, while visually stirring (and you can read both
good and bad into that), they were awfully "involved and busy", Somewhat Bergian in their approach where
there are a lot of details to contend with and quite frankly, something about these games just did not push
me into delving into whatever they had to offer. Again, my age and POV colors my oponions, but so does everyone
elses, I like quick/fun games at this stage in life and I really just don't have time to dig into 12-16
pages of small font rules to play a game." AP
"I agree to a large extent. In addition, you have to have confidence that there is a good game in there to work
through the complex rules, often with significant errata and clarification issues. ATO has failed to provide that
confidence. I still enjoy their simpler games, though." EN
"Of the first ten issues of "Against the Odds", I have five that I got as back issues. I have a subscription to
ATO now [#19] and I fully intend to renew it. I very much like the physical qualities of the components. The counters
and maps are thick and will not suffer from the wear and tear of use." DB
ATO #1: Hegemon
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"I had trouble getting into this one. The way movement and combat combined to make it difficult to approach an enemy army
confused me and I could never figure out how to make it work. C." SB
"Needed Work, Average after amendments" PJ
ATO #2: Khe Sahn 1968
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“This covers at an “operational” level the fighting in and around the area of Northern South Vietnam from the highlands in the west to the rice patties in the east.
The main goal of the US player is to protect its firebases along the DMZ and the western boarder and keep a road supply route them open while the Vietnamese
player is trying to interdiction this supply rout and maybe take out a base or three. I found that the game simply does not work. Besides being hideously overly
complex, the CRT produced, as best as we could determine, essentially static results. Played correctly, the US player can absolutely prevent the Vietnamese player
from ever doing any damage to a fire base. Conversely, as long as the Vietnamese player refrains from exposing his troops for such a pointless assault he can hide in
rough terrain and avoid US attempts to hurt him. Overall a very disappointing game.” SB
"Combat was complex and futile. Some rules issues with helicopters and Fire Base support. Not a good game." BR
ATO #3: Kesselschlacht
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“A Perry Moore game. Cool graphics, fantastic situation, I REALLY wanted to like this game, but it's my firm conviction it is systemically
broken to the core. The Russian are reined in by activations, the Germans by supply, which is very cool, but the German token forces
are not limited by supply, so they can beat up the Russians and win the game alone. The combat table is constructed so that
the Russians can't possibly hurt the Germans, while the Germans eat the Russians for breakfast. And so on. Paul Rohrbaugh has made
a revision of the game that supposedly fixes it, so it would be nice to hear from someone who tried that variant.” EN
"a fun game. I got my copy with the errata and new map so I dont know what the problems were with the initial version released.
The counters are in "Cool" color schemes. They just look great! When the game is set up you have the historical situation perfectly
encompassed in one glance at the map: German line, then Big-Gap-in-Line, Soviets poised to take advantage of that Big-Gap-in-Line...
The game has one thing that is usually lacking in East Front games: an Air System. As one of the salient features of the situation is
the tenuous german supply states, Air Re-Supply is , as it should be, very important. And, rather than having nebulous 'air points'
like in "Battles for the Ardennes", you have actual air units according to type, Bf 109's, Ju-52's, Yak-3's, Ilyushins, Pe-2's, etc;
the air system uses simutaneous plot for air missions, but there is a solitaire mechanism, too. The errata for the game is essential
for good play; Otherwise some of the game sub-systems are 'off'. Otherwise the game is great fun, VERY challenging for the germans.
A SOLID " A-" (minus for the need for errata, I beleive that had I got the game in its original form,
I would have rated it much lower. )" DB
ATO #4: Napoleon at the Berezina
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“A Rob Markham solitaire game. Very (literally) cool map, counters fair. Napoleon is trying to get off map with as much of his army and robbery as possible.
Definitely a fun game, but you need to play it with a certain spirit, or there are ways to "trick" the Russians as controlled by the rules. My experience with Rob Markham
games is that they tend to contain lots of good ideas, but lack a certain calibration. Either you get the required VPs too easily, the reinforcements get to their places too fast,
the activations aren't limiting enough, etc. I had a little of this feeling with this game too, as I quickly ran out of Loot markers. But the game is certainly hard but winnable for
the player, which is the most important thing for a solitaire game apart from being fun. In sum, good game!” EN
"a game that I got when it was re-printed due to customer demand. It is a Solitaire game (and we never have enough of those) of
Napoleon's Epic Retreat from Moscow, specifically the attempt to cross the Berezina River,in Winter, with a disintergrating force,
with Russians coming to kill him. It is a fun game, with a very evocative map. The game system is not at all complicated, nothing
at all like the complexity of a game like any of the La Battaille games. There MAY be a posibility of 'gaming' the system. But
if you want to cheat in a Soliatire game... well, that's between you, God, and a good Psychiatrist (I mean, C'Mon!! Who is
actually so desperate, sad, and pathetic as to have to worry about cheating when playing Yourself?!?!). Nap at the Berzina
is a good fun and very playable Napoleonic game on a subject that hasn't been done before. I like it alot and enjoy it very much. "A"." DB
"(***) - I need to try this one again" MaP
ATO #5: North Wind Rain
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“Designed by Mark Stille. A more conventional game on a hypothetical Japanese attack on the Soviet Union during WWII. Nice graphics, though the counters felt "upside down".
The game mechanisms are fairly standard, with some interesting twists like night assaults. I definitely liked the system, and the game. My biggest complaints are rather minor:
The game has completely free setup, which is always tough on the beginner who doesn't yet know what he is doing. A suggested setup for beginners would have been helpful.
The victory points only give terrain points for the Japanese, which means they can lose all of Manchuria and still win if they hold Vladivostok. The two points tend to reinforce each other.
But in sum, it is a good solid operational wargame, definitely recommended for those interested in the subject.” EN
ATO #6: Go Tell The Spartans
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“Another Rob Markham solitaire game, this time on the battle of Thermopylae. This game was so broken as published
that ATO published totally revised rules in a later issue. With those, the game works mechanically, but it's problems
go deeper than that, in my opinion. The player is the Greeks, who need to do nothing than stand still fending off
(surprisingly small) hordes of Persians. Which is kinda fun in a twisted way, but doesn't involve any decision making
whatsoever. If the game had been designed with the player being the Persians, there might have been a game in there.
In addition, victory is totally out of control by the player, as the VPs in the end are more or less decided by which
formations the Persians attack with, as determined by a random die roll. The graphics didn't inspire me much either.
A definite failure to me, even with the revised rules.” EN
"The game is fairly meaningless to play. With even decent setup the Persian pieces can't hurt the Spartans,
who slaughter everything thrown at them. Very poor showing. F" SB
ATO #7: A Dark And Bloody Ground
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“Another very good effort, this covers the wars between the new United States and the Native Americans of Ohio in the late 1700s.
The map presents the area of what was to become Ohio divided into areas. Separate battle maps are provided to resolve
battles in different terrain types. The abilities of the two sides are dynamicly different and both have strengths and weaknesses,
so action can involve raids or stand up fights with the issue in doubt for both. Atrocities are a key tool for both players,
highlighting a part of history glossed over in the typical history books. Overall I found the game easy to learn fast playing,
though the campaign game is not a short game. [...] yes, I liked the map. There are some glitches in the way each player can game
the system, but it has a good feel and overall works well. B.” SB
"a game I HAD to get since I currently live in Toledo, Ohio (So I can battle on local terrain) and I read and value highly Allen
Eckhart's's book "A Dark and Bloody River" which covers the history covered in the game. Sadly, yet another game that requires
Errata to incorporated into the game before playing. I Know I heavent played this game nearly enough, but the several times that
I have played it, I enjoyed myself tremendously and could 'feel' the history of it. The fledgling United States engage the Native
Nations in the future state of OHIO and the areas of the neighboring Pennsylvannia, Michigan, Indiana and , most importantly,
Kentucky. The map uses areas instead of hexes, but the areas are small and function like hexes so it doesn't strike me as an "Area
Movement" game -it is seven areas between Cincinnati and Toledo- and there are three "Tactical Battle Boards" for resolving battles
that DO use hexes. The United States Player moves Settlers into Ohio to 'clear' the area and establish a Village and/or build Forts.
The United States has Regular Army and Militia Units to protect the civialinas as well as fight the Native Forces. The Natives Forces,
naturally enough want to extinguish any settlers and fight and destroy any US military units . There is a whole host of things to do:
Ambush, Massacre, Besiege, Raid, attmempt Assassinations, Pillage, Both sides can place 'Atrocity' Markers. The British and the Iroquois
can also help the Native Forces, who can also be armed with rifles. There are even two "Battle Scenarios" which use only the Tactical
boards . The whole point of the game is to settle Ohio and force the Native Nations to surrender. It is pretty fun. The game has several
of the Historical Personalities with thier own counters which adds to the historical flavor of the game. I do have to give this one a
lower score, due to the usual Errata required to play the game. I found it annoying to have to almost 'unlearn' the parts of the game
that needed fixing. SO, a "B+", a fun, colorful game." DB
ATO #8: Fortress Berlin
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“The battle for Berlin, designed by John Prados. A very rich game, with lots of detail. The map is atmospheric, the counters a bit annoying in colour choices
(the SS very similar to the Soviets) and arrangement of numbers, and there are some oddities in the combat resolution (artillery especially), but you quickly
forget that as you get engrossed in the game. Takes some time to play, but lots of fun! There are also interesting variants for varying numbers of players,
as well as a separate game on a Western Allied airborne assault on Berlin, published elsewhere. This game can keep you busy for a long time.
One of the 10 best games of 2004, in my opinion.” EN
“I completely agree and I think it´s the best ATO so far.” PK
"This is a fantastic game and when one includes the expansion scenario On to Berlin this game becomes even more replayable.
I'd been in search of a great Berlin game and had been dissapointed with XTR's Berlin '45 and I won't even get into the whole
Critical Hit/Moments in History debacle that was Gotterdamerung and so when I came upon fortress Berlin I found the naswer
to my quest. The game system is well suited to the fight for Berlin, and once one get's used to the rules and their concepts
the game becomes easy to play. There are some minor quibbles, the colour choice for the counters for example, the various
Soviet army groups are too similar in colour and some of the German units have a tendancy to get lost in the colour of the map.
Still this is a furious game and one comes away having felt like one was in a fight for their lives to defend Berlin. This is
the one ATO game in my opinion that deserves to be reprinted and have a hard backed map." RB
"one of the best games in my collection. I really like this game. DEFINITELY one of my all-time favorites and a game that
I will play without hesitation. The game has a very dark and almost disturbing map of shell-torn and bombed-out Berlin. I like the
counters; they are non-standard (no NATO symbols, no 'Attack-Defense-Movement points along the bottom of the counter) with unique
color schemes. I can tell the differences between the Soviet Armies rather easily, but I can see if you have any colorblindness
or even not-so-good eyesight, or even poor lighting there might be some squinting. The game system was first used way back in
Strategy & Tactics #102 "Monty's D-Day". The system takes a couple of turns to get used to, before it becomes second-nature.
But, it will. The game is much more than a Soviet blow-out. Yes, the Soviets have massive forces and Berlin will fall.
But it is not easy and it IS VERY BLOODY. And the game has several different variants, the various German last-ditch 'Relief
Attmepts' -Steiner and Wenck- and reinforcements as well as a whole new idea of the US and British dropping Airborne divisions
on Berlin based onthe historical plan "Operation:Eclipse". The germans get to set up his hodge-podge of forces as he see fit.
And it is the very definition of "Hodge-Podge":Nazi SS units (with Latvian troops as well as KonigTigers), German Old Men in
"Plant Protection Battalions, Volksturm and Hitler Jungend, as well as the Army regular units. The Soviets come on at various
entry areas around the map and have a huge amount of freedom as to how to get to the Fuhrer Bunker and Reichstag. There are
counters for the Nazi Leaders; Hitler and Eva and Blondi all in the ultimate Victory Hex. There are going to be some rules for
using the Leader Counters in an upcoming issue of ATO. But just having the Leader Counters on the map adds loads of flavor and
fun. I, personally, came up with a few house rules to add a bit MORE color to the game based on Martin Bormann's escape.
( a few rules to have units 'pick up' and move the leader counters. If Wenck and the SS divisions get to the Bunker, they can
try and get Der Fuhrer off the map.) . This Game is just simply outstanding! With all the variants, so far the replay value,
to me, has been endless. The game also has a pretty good solitaire mechanism that controls the actions of the Soviet Armies.
There is only a small amount of errata to go along with the game and a few fuzzy points (What happens to the intrinsic garrison,
stacked with only 1 unit, in an exchange result during Close Assault? I -think- it dies with the last 'actual' unit.) ,
but No show-stoppers as far as errata goes. This is definitely an "A+" game." DB
"Wanted to play this game as the topic was of interest. Turns out it was impossible. The graphics on the counters
are terrible for my eyes. Some love the graphics, but due to the lack of practicality, the game was never played by me.
I must say, I am surprised anyone can actually, read them. So, because the game counters are not functional, I am forced
to rate the game as an D. It would have rated as an F but the game map was interesting to look at and the mag had some
good articles. Too bad, there may be a great game in there, somewhere, I will never know." AK
"A favourite" PJ
ATO #9: Suleiman The Magnificent
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“This was one that surprised me as I expected to not much care for it. I’m not a fan of continuous activation systems but here it works. The subject is the battle of Mohacs
between the Ottomans and the Hungarian Empire. The map of the battlefield features a little terrain on the margins and a slight hill that the Ottoman forces have to march
over when entering the field, but is otherwise open. The key here is that the Ottomans were not expecting a battle and had started to setup camp, with much of their forces
yet to enter the field, which is where the game starts. The Hungarians start with the initiative and keep it as long as they successfully roll for continuation. Usually this means
the Hungarian right wing cavalry trys to overrun the camp and swing into the Ottoman left arriving on the map. Once the Hungarians “lose” the initiative it tends to swing back
and forth with both sides trying alternately to lead with their best units but also finding that they must activate others to keep the action going. It’s a tough game to win for the
Hungarian player but by no means a certain loss. Because of the sequence of play it plays differently each time. The rules are easy to learn and the game plays very fast with
neither player sitting idle for long.” SB
“I'll ditto the prasie for Suleiman. The best ATO game I have played. Though a house rule that prevents cavalry that start a turn in EZOC from charging is recommended;
this forces cavalry that have spent their initial shock to choose between wading in at less effect, or pulling back and re-grouping for another charge...” GF
“Designed by Richard Berg. The battle of Mohacs, using the same system as Men of Iron, by GMT. I was a playtester of Men of Iron, so I already knew I would love this game.
The system plays really fast, and there is enough variety to make you want to try again. The Hungarians are the underdogs, but they can defeat the Turks with a little luck.
The graphics made it too hard to tell the unit types apart, but other than that, a great game.” EN
"An odd looking map, a bit of too-small differences in Cavalry types on the counters. And that is all that is wrong wth this game.
Otherwise it is a fast, fun and exciting game. Based on RHBERG's "Men of Iron" medieval battles game system, "Sulieman the
Magnificent" is a game where the Hungarians lost utterly to the Ottoman Turks. But the game is NOT as one-sided as history was.
It CAN be. Yes, definitely there is the possibility for it. But the system is very interactive, with No Game Turns. One side
starts and goes with one Formation. When he finishes with that one Formation, he can roll a D10 to try and activate another
Formation, rolling equal to or less than the Formation's Commanders rating.If he rolls low, the Formation goes. If higher, the
other player gets to go with one of HIS Formations. Or the other player can try and sieze Initiative. Either way, you dont know
if you will go next, or who will go next, nor ofr how long. That alone is fun. But then, during a Formations Activation,
the non-moving player gets the chance to shoot back or counter-charge. Nothing goes as planned. This is, after all, Medieval
Calvary we are talking about. And although there are some Artillery pieces on the field, they are slow and fairly ineffective;
but dont plan on that. A few good shots and you are looking at a hole in your line.That horses can run through. and kill your king.
The situation is great. There is a huge horde of Ottomans advancing. the small, but brave, Hungarians, led by their youthful king
come out swinging. Just like a fight between a small man and a hulking brute, the smaller side has to hit and hit hard,
repeatedly. But then, there is the possibility that you just watch the Hulk shrug it off and keep coming at you!
Utter Fun! and Very Good replay value, due not only to the variablity of the system, but also due to reinforcement
rolls for the Hungarian side which can bring in possible, historically-available, additional Allies (which can come in at
different parts of the board). A good easy game that is fun to play for both sides. (Indeed, I havent made up my mind
which side I like better, yet!). Minor errata, nothing major. Another "A+" game." DB
"A very good game. Plays smooth, and is a brother to the GMT Men of Iron series. Very luck dependent
on the opening activation, but a simple house rule can fix that. The graphics...uh, well the map
looks like a chain link fence and the wild pastel counters with their ultra eye-squinting icons
definitely pull the score down (the follow-up game, Golden Horde, does improve on this).
I recently revisited this game, and enjoyed it a lot - a rare event for a magazine game
several years after its release. My rating: B" SC
"Agree with both of Steve's ratings 100%. Suleiman -- you get used to the grapics after a while.
Great situation." GF
"Average" PJ
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