by TrojanDan
Introduction
The goal of this review is to compare Aton to a similar game, Dynasties. If you're looking for a review of Aton with pretty pictures and a detail description of the game play, I'd recommend checking out:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/126750
The purpose of this review is to give you a sense of how these two games stack up next to each other, and which one (if you could only pick one) is better suited for you.
Commonalities
2 player area control card driven relatively easy to learn short play timeQuality of Components
Aton has a definite advantage in the production quality of the game. The game has a beautiful board and functional cards. Aton has the quality bits and beautiful artwork that I've come to expect from Rio Grande/Queen Games.
Dynasties has very little window dressing. And in the two copies of the game that I've seen, boards become warped very quickly and easily.
The difference in production quality is far greater than the difference in price (Aton is approx $5 more - $20ish vs. $15ish).
Game Play
While on the surface level the two games seem like they are using the same mechanic, card deployment to manipulate area control, the choices, the strategy, and the tactics involved are drastically different.
In Dynasties, each player has a smaller set of cards to choose from, but actually has control over which cards to play in each round. In Aton, you are randomly drawing 4 cards for each hand (and here luck can play a role).
In Dynasties, you are choosing where to deploy various troop strengths, but you are influencing each area on the board every round. In Aton, you are assigning values to different actions that will affect the strength of your relative control in one region.
And the last main difference is in the scoring. The scoring differs in two main ways: 1) The Timing: In Aton, scoring occurs at a variable rate(depending on how many priests are sent to the city of the dead, whereas in Dynasties scoring occurs after a set number of rounds (I think 3); 2) The Method of Scoring: In Aton, each region has its own unique way of scoring, but these differences stay constant throughout the game. In Dynasties, all regions are scored in the same way, but the values for the regions changes during the 3 different scoring phases.(The changes in values, however, is set and is public knowledge).
Feel of the Game Play
In Aton, there is a bit more direct confrontation or treachery as part of the game is to remove the opponents pieces from the board. The variety in scoring methods between areas requires much deeper and varied tactical decision making. But since a lot of the game hangs on the cards that are drawn, play and choices are determined by short-term plans.
In Dynasties, there is more bluffing and anticipation. And since you are manipulating all areas every round, the game requires a bit more strategical planning and consideration of the larger picture both literally and on a temporal scale.
Lastly, I think Aton offers a greater variety in game play and also greater replayability, but offers less long-term planning, reactivity, and anticipation of opponents moves.
Conclusion
Aton is for you if...
As many people have said before, Aton is more of an abstract disguised as an area control game. If the look of a game is important to you.If you like Ancient Egypt/Priests more than Ancient China/WarriorsDynasties might be better suited...
If you prefer an area control for 2 in the tradition of El Grande If you abhor any sort of chance or luck in games If you prefer strategy over tactics - you prefer long-term planning and attack-counterattack planningSome might say Aton: Dynasties:: Euros: Ameritrash, but even then, I think Dynasties is more Euro than Ameritrash. (Don't you miss analogies from standardized tests?)"
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