Just got Axis & Allies - seems very unfair to axis...

[AustralianJeremy]

Hi guys. Just got Axis & Allies (the boardgame, not the CD-ROM). Couple of questions (does anyone know where there's a good FAQ?)

1. How can the Axis have a chance at winning? They don't have enough to wipe out the UK or USSR early on, and then the three other powers inevitably overtake them just because there are three of them.
2. Can allies move units through/into each other's territories?
3. How do people pay the 3IPC penalty for invading a neutral territory if they are - as they usually are - out of money in the middle of their turn?
4. Can allied naval units share bits of sea?

[Evan von Christoph]

1. The Germans can take all of Africa to build up an industrial base while the Japanese invade Russia from the East.

2. Yes

3. National Debt.

4. Yes

[Evan von Christoph]

Do you have the standard rules set?

[AustralianJeremy]

It's got the second rules set I think. But are you sure - so russian tanks can be on british territory? Can american transports carry british tanks - if so, how? ie because the british can't move the US transports in their go and the US can't unload them, can they?

Do you know of any FAQ?

[Urban Ranger]

US transports can carry Brit tanks. The tanks move on the transports during the Brit's turn, the US moves the transports during his turn, and the Brit moves his stuff off when his turn comes around again.

What would you need an FAQ for? The game's so simple.

You are right though the Axis never stand a chance. Not if both sides have equal skills.
[This message has been edited by Urban Ranger (edited May 20, 2001).]

[OldWarrior_42]

I have played this game since the day it first came out in board version many years ago.

Allied units can be on each others territory. That is how they build the strenght to overwhelm the Axis in the long run anyway.

Also UR explained movement of different allies carrying and unloading on transports and such.

And as for paying to move through neutral territory, you must pay in advance before that turn. So you must know what you are going to do beforehand.

Play Russia restricted to give the Axis more of a chance. This means that on Russia's first turn, they cannot attack either Germany or Japan.

And if you get the online version cd rom game... they also have an xpack called Iron Blitz... you can play mp games or games by email and you start of by making bids.

This is a bit more complicated to explain and I will leave it go for now but enjoy the basics first anyway.

And the Axis can win if they get good die rolls in the beginning and attack early and fast. Key to the game is the asian continent. Remember that.

[OldWarrior_42]

Here are 2 sites that might help with startegy. May even have a FAQ somewhere if you still need it.

http://pub6.ezboard.com/baxisandalliesessayfeedback

and

http://207.137.146.227/ which is also known as www.Spring1942.com

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by OldWarrior_42
I have played this game since the day it first came out in board version many years ago.

Do you mean the original Nova edition? That would be cool!

[Venom]

This game is bullsh!t. Nothing like having your fighters roll fives all day long and have the computers fricking infantry hit 1's all damn day.

The board game still rules.

[Garth Vader]

Modify the rules slightly to give the Axis a chance. We played that combat wasn't simultanious. This means that you can attack a territory say Karelia with almost all of your forces, but hold back a few tanks and planes. If you take it you can blitz your tanks and planes through and attack Moscow. This keeps Russia spread out a bit. We also played Russia restricted. Our games were real close.

[SandMonkey]

So odd how Apolyton always has an active topic for something I am looking to talk about

My friends and I started a game of this last week, and it's the first time I have ever played. I got stuck with Russia... and I didn't attack Germany on my first turn. BIG MISTAKE! The Germans took Karelia on his turn, and that country has now been swapped about 10 times in the game so far. I am getting my arse beat back though, so i consolidated my forces into 31 infantry, 4 armor and 2 RAF fighters in Russia. It should be interesting to see how the kid playing as the Germans goes about attacking me...

I have found, while playing this game, that an effective (limited) attack/defense is just pumping out infantry every turn. Every once in a while i built an armor, but with the massive amounts of infantry I slowed and even beat back the Germans multiple times. I had some horrible rolls on his last invasion though, losing 12 inf and an armor, and only beating back a fighter (aa gun) and 2 tanks

After playing for 6 hours we (the Allies) are only now starting to beat back the Axis. The US has single handedly beaten the crap out of the Japanese, while the Brits and myself have helped to contain the Germans long enough until we just finish them both off. Hehe, with 7 people wanting to play, we have adopted the rule that losing team doesn
t play next game Makes winning that much more appealing.

[Urban Ranger]

It's never easy to play the Axis. You need to be lucky and have your opponents make blunders. Japan can't really attack the Soviets without the US breathing down its neck, and while Germany is strong it still can't fight both the UK and the Soviets at the same time.

Germany could try to take Africa, but is usually countered by the UK placing an IC (industrial complex) in South Africa. If it doesn't, the UK can place an IC in India and either messes with the Japanese, or help the Soviets defend.

The Japanese could attempt to take India if the UK puts an IC there, but it's never a sure thing, may even be risky if it's well defended - stands to lose precious fighters that it couldn't ever build back.

[OldWarrior_42]

Do you mean the original Nova edition? That would be cool!

Not sure what Nova edition is, but when the game was first available in stores ( I really don't remember how many years ago that was. 1969 or sometime in the seventies? I just can't recall)(Milton Bradley was the publisher) my brother and I put our cash together and bought it. We played for god knows how many years.

I eventually moved from NY to NC and had no one to play anymore.

I also built a large scale replica of the map and I drew all the territories and colored it exactly like the game. I had bought a 2nd and 3rd game before I ever moved to NC and I have plenty of actual pieces to put on this large scale board instead of using those little red and white chips that you would stand 1 unit on and the # of chips would represent the remaining amount of that type unit. White chip was 1 unit, red chip was 5 units.

This large scale board looks really cool with freakin tanks and planes and ships all over it.

I then got the CD game as soon as it came out and followed up with the Xpack.

They are making a sequel to the game called Axis and Allies Europe or something to that effect.

I guess this has actually been one of my all time favorite games along with a game called Feudal ,by Avalon Hill, and another Milton Bradley game that came out abit after Axis and Allies first appeared ...called Fortress America. I wish they would make that one into a computer game along with A&A.

[OldWarrior_42]

I just went into my basement and found one of the original game boards and the copyright on it said 1984 so it may have been one of the second edition boards. Or the dates I remember... of being out in 1969 or sometime during the seventies may be off the mark. Been so long I don't remeber when this game first came out. But whenever it did, I had it.

[Venom]

You could always play me OW.

[Leonidas]

What ever happened to A & A: Iron Blitz (the computer version)? I saw it on the shelves a while back - and presto - nowhere to be found. I heard it was better than the original computer A & A, and more scenarios are still being put out for this version. :(

[AustralianJeremy]

I don't know - I'd heard that A&A was a bit like an advanced Risk. But if it's so inherently biased against the Axis... maybe it isn't as good a game. Both have the limiting factor that they rely on dice (making them less brilliant than, say, chess). But at least Risk gives everyone an equal go.

My next wargame is going to be Diplomacy. We played half a game once, and it was brilliant (it just got late and everyone wanted to go to bed). But I do want to give A&A more of a go first. Does the russia can't attack first turn rule really make the game even?

Oh - does anyone know where you can download A&A? I can't find it in the stores anywhere. Come to think of it, I'd like to download risk2, too, because although I own it, I want to play it on my laptop which doesn't have a CD drive. Played my first game of risk2 on the internet wednesday - that rocked! It had never worked before, but now I've reinstalled everything on the computer it seems to work again.

[CapTVK]

The Axis have to take the iniative right at the start if they want to win at all. Even with the no attack rule for the Russians during the first turn.

Last time I played as the Axis I tried something different from the Karelia at all cost! scenario. I created a 'dead zone' in Eastern Europe, smashed the British fleet in the med, invaded Turkey and bought me some transports in the med.


Those moves caused confusion all round. I was suddenly in the postion to link up with the Japs in Asia and clean out Africa. The only thing the Russians could was attack en masse (and be obliterated by me the next turn) or split up their forces (which was fine by me).

Lucky for me, the Japs managed to meet me later on. We cleaned up Russia and Asia afterwards...game was basically in the bag after round 4

[Derfner]

personally i think winning with the axis is actually easier than winning with the allies. the allies have to be very coordinated if they want to win, it's almost easier for the allies if the same player controls all three countries. although it may seem hard for the germans at first, all they have to do is continue to fight the russians while piling alot of crap into africa, they can easily take the whole continent giving them the money advantage over russia. while the germans are doing that the japs can take over the pacific side of russia, the russians do not have the economic power to fight a two front war. the japs don't really have to worry about the americans because it's very easy to overwhelm america's pacific fleet on the first turn. more often than not the axis will control most of the eastern hemisphere while the uk sits on it's island with virtually no money and america sits on the other side of the globe, within the first few rounds the game is over.

ps axis & allies gets boring pretty quick seince it's the same game over and over again so I made a customized map where you get to choose where your unit's start and what units you want(under a certain budget) it's a pretty cool variation, it hold the same axis and allies game play while adding new strategy and ever changing variation.

[Urban Ranger]

CapTVK,

You got lucky your opponents were dumb. The Soviets could just ignore you while continue to buildup. The Brits could stomp over you in Africa and give you a hard time in the Med by wiping out your transports. The US could just beat the crap out of the Japanese like usual.


OW42,

Okay so you never had the original Axis and Allies. It was made by a small company called Nova. It had a fold-out paper map and cardboard pieces. The neat thing about this version is it has "advanced rules" which give each nation unique abilities. The Soviets could move their Industrial Complexes and Germans have SS Panzer tanks (+1 attack and defense).

[SandMonkey]

Okay, we're still playing the game I was talking about above... but I'm getting the crap kicked out of me. The germans are gonna destroy me next turn. He's going to have about 30 tanks, 20 inf, and fighters galore, and I'll have about 45 infantry and two RAF fighters. The situation is looking grim.

I am pretty sure my best move is to just get out my Risk board and play a game by meyself while everyone else finishes the game

[Urban Ranger]

Does that mean the UK and the US are both building a humongous force? If not your side is doing something wrong.

[SandMonkey]

the US is attempting to finish off Japan while also giving me support... and god knows what the UK is doing. He has 6 transports, but I doubt he has enough men to move onto them!

[Urban Ranger]

If the Germans are concentrating on attacking the Soviets, the UK should sweep Africa and threaten to invade from North Africa. That will force Germany to deploy defenses, reducing the pressure on the Soviets. Meanwhile, the US can clear up Asia of Japanese influence, and either move into Soviet Far East or the UK depending on the situation.

[OldWarrior_42]

Okay so you never had the original Axis and Allies.

Yes you would be correct then, UR. I never knew of a Nova version. Makes me want to go and find it somewhere on the net if I can. Sounds cool.

I had the original first Board game version put on market by Milton Bradley. May have been sometime in the 70's. I just don't recall actual dates for it was a long time ago.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by OldWarrior_42

Yes you would be correct then, UR. I never knew of a Nova version. Makes me want to go and find it somewhere on the net if I can. Sounds cool.

Why not? Providing the price is reasonable