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(More customer reviews)Axis and Allies Anniversary Edition is an updated version of a board game classic. The original game was designed by Larry Harris and was part of the Milton Bradley GameMaster Series - large box games with full color mounted boards, simple mechanics which allowed rapid understanding of "how to play" yet with deep subtle strategies, and of course wonderful little plastic soldiers, tanks, planes, ships and submarines. The game has changed hands over the years passing through Avalon Hill/Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast. Wizards of the Coast currently is the publisher. This new version is published on the 50th anniversary of the Avalon Hill company. Avalon Hill is widely regarded as the company which helped to popularize board wargaming in the US and was for many years the leading producer with mounted game boards and die-cut counters. The company produced such classics as Panzerblitz and Squad Leader.
For people who are unfamiliar with the game, Axis and Allies is a board game recreating World War II on a grand strategic level. Armies, fleets, and air armadas are represented abstractly by wonderful plastic pieces (battleships, tanks, soldiers, etc.). Movement is by area and combat is resolved in a simple yet satisfying system. Research and industrial production are key parts of game play. It was a huge hit when first introduced and spawned variants and a Revised version a few years ago.
If you are familiar with the original game and the later variants (A&A Europe, A&A Pacific, etc) the fundamental mechanics are the same. The designer and developers have clearly been tracking the progress of this great game and have incorporated many of the rule changes seen in later variations. The major differences are:
1. There are now three Axis powers: Germay, Japan and Italy. This alters the game play sequence from Germany-USSR-Japan-UK-US to Germany-USSR-Japan-UK-Italy-US. This eliminates the Allies "double move".
2. There are special rules for China - there are now specific Chinese game pieces and help to recreate the historical situation where huge numbers of Japanese troops were tied down in China - making an attack against the USSR (a favorite strategy) in coordination with Germany more difficult.
3. The map is smaller than the original version but about the size of the Revised version. The colors are a muted green/brown earth tones. It may be nostalgic or just my eyes getting older, but frankly I liked the original primary color map - the details were easier to see and less fatiguing. Admittedly, the newer maps are more artful.
4. The game map now includes major cities (sort of like the key cities in Third Reich)and controlling form the victory conditions (unlike the older Industrial Production Certificate [IPC] total method)but in practice this is quite similar.
5. The game map now has impassable and neutral territories which cannot be crossed/invaded/flow over. The Sahara, Switzerland, and other territories are now impassable. Other territories don't have much IPC value.
6. Ships are a bit cheaper to acquire than the original version. The commonly used "double hit" rule is now standard for Battleships. There are now cruisers and destroyers in addition to the original Aircraft Carriers, Battleships and Submarines.
7. Transports now no longer automatically defend with a value of 1. The old strategy of having an armada of transports (e.g. 10 or 12) overcoming an attacking sub force is no longer allowed. If attacked and undefended by other forces, transports are automatically destroyed. It is also no longer possible to move-unload-and-scoot. I understand why this rule change was made but at the large grand strategy scale, the transport unit represents not a single ship or small flotilla of transports but a whole transport fleet - with minor escorts, oilers, etc. So it is reasonable to think it has some self-defense capability.
8. Research now has 12 possibilities. Old favorites like Heavy Bombers and Jet Power are still there but tweaked down. Heavy Bombers only inflict two dice worth of damage and not three. Jet powered fighters attack at 4 and not 5.
9. Armored or tank units are upgraded and attack and defend at 3. The older version attacked at 3 but defended at 2.
10. The little plastic pieces are all there and have been tweaked a bit to reflect the different nations. The UK tanks look like the Churchill and the USSR tanks look a bit like the T34.
11. Rule books and misc. Again, I fear it is just my aging eyes, but the newer version with the darker muddier colors and fancy watermark/faded images on each page are quite beautiful but are a bit harder on the eyes. The game play examples are hard to see the colors of the printing obscures the detailed outlines of the pieces. Again, maybe a simple bright colored illustrations would be more legible. I saw an comment on another site complaining that the IPCs were printed on only one side - but that was the case with the original version. The box art on the site is a bit off. On the actual box, it is entitled "Spring 1941" and not "1942"
Who will like this game? Anyone who is familiar with the original or later Revised version will appreciate this new version. For newcomers, Axis and Allies is a wonderful system - simple and easy to learn, but full of subtle moves and strategies.
Is it worth the price ($80-100)? For collectors and nostalgia buffs, it is probably worth having a nice new version. If you are just into playing the game, and have already your own set of homebrew rules then you are probably already using most of the new rules and could draw up your own maps!
A great game for the board gamer!
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AXIS & ALLIES ANNIVERSARY EDITIONAxis & Allies celebrates 50 years of Avalon Hill games with this Anniversary Edition of the classic World War II strategy board game. Designed by Larry Harris, A&A Anniversary Edition utilizes the standard D6 combat system found in Axis & Allies Revised, Europe, and Pacific, and contains two different set-up options.Italy will debut as the third Axis nation, China will be operated by the U.S. player, and cruiser class ships will join the naval line-up for the first time.The largest board ever produced for an A&A game (24' x 46'), along with new sculpts and deluxe components will ensure this is the granddaddy of all Axis & Allies board games. Deploy your forces and prepare for battle!
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