ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi bˈʊk ðə kəmplˈiːt bˈʊk ʌv wˈɔːɹɡeɪmz, ɡˈeɪm dɪzˈaɪnɚ dʒˈɑːn fɹˈiːmən θˈɔːt ðə ɡˈeɪm wʌz ʌnbˈælənst, pɹɪdˈɪktɪŋ ðˈæt "ðə jˈuːniən plˈeɪɚ ʃˌʊd wˈɪn æt lˈiːst θɹˈiː ˌaʊɾəv fˈaɪv ɡˈeɪmz."
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames, game designer Jon Freeman thought the game was unbalanced, predicting that "the Union player should win at least three out of five games."