What’s in the bag? ~

Michael Eckenfels, 11 April 2018

Against The Odds is a folio-packed game from Lock n Load Publishing. I’m not sure if ‘folio’ is the correct term, but as it comes in a bag and not a box, to me that’s a folio game.

Even as a ‘folio’ game, or a baggie game, or whatever you want to call it, it’s significantly thick (or thicc depending on your point of view).

Once opened, a veritable treasure trove of stuff spills out.

I start with the map, which looks like I imagine the Golan Heights might look – what seems to be U-shaped defensive positions, a road, mountain terrain to the north and south, and an escarpment to the east, all making it look like an excellent place to make a stand.

The counters look interesting; some have what looks to be NATO symbols while others are iconic representations of vehicles involved in the battle.

All of the counters look great, actually; the color schemes make it very easy to tell them apart at a glance. The only thing about them is, they’re not cut, nor are they mounted. You’ll need to get some cardstock at your local hobby store, some adhesive, and a good ol’ rotary cutter (I recommend the Fiskars 45mm, myself). Now, to be honest, I do not like this kind of thing – I’d MUCH rather pay more money to get something pre-cut that I merely need to punch out (and clip the corners – heh heh heh), rather than do it myself. I’ve done it before, and it’s kind of a ‘meh’ experience, but your mileage may certainly vary.

The player aid/handouts look good and go along with the desert theme by using a lot of shades of beige. The stylized typewriter font, which is used to a huge extent in A Wing and a Prayer, is clear and easy to read.

The rule book seems to be well-organized and has a lot of full color examples, making the plethora of information on the counters (in this example) look pretty easy to figure out.

Overall I like the initial look and feel of this game, though it’ll take some time for me to mount and separate the counters so it can be played. I would love to get it to the table, though, as this represents a battle I’ve not ever played before in a wargame.

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