Just Got Axis And Allies Nova

[Playing Kid]

@imperious-leader That strategy doesn’t work because although there is no limit on factory placement, in this version America doesn’t control any Chinese territories.

They would have to first get units onto the mainland, and then violate Chinese Neutrality before they could then build a factory there.

[Imperious Leader]

@playing-kid No. all the blue areas are US controlled.

[Playing Kid]

@imperious-leader
Yes all blue territories are US controlled, but the Chinese territories are light blue, and according to section 5 of the rules, light blue territories are neutral and not controlled by anyone.

[Imperious Leader]

@playing-kid OH I will reread that, can you scan and or take picture of the rules? If its a big deal , then ok no…but he has alot of rules that never were in any version like SS Panzerkorps…

[Playing Kid]

@imperious-leader If you have a BGG account, midnight reaper has posted the rules there.

Link to rules on BGG

[Imperious Leader]

@playing-kid The rules are cut off from the bottoms of all pages… I tried to find any reference to China…even the word China and nothing was said. Im thinking its on the cut off part?

I just remember all the blue areas were under US control. I cant imagine Mexico not being part of US or that US does not collect that income… Also note they latter made a counter sheet for France and possibly somebody else.

[Playing Kid]

@imperious-leader
I don’t know if there is a direct reference to China in particular, but section 5 says that grey, light blue, pink, and light green are neutral and that no one controls them.

However, even though no one controls them, section 12.6 says that nations still gain money from such neutral territories that are pro their nation. So China and Mexico give money to the US, they just aren’t controlled by the US.

[Imperious Leader]

@playing-kid But this makes no sense. The game has Chinese pieces ( and French too) and the counters were made by Nova games, and yet their are no set up sheets for them or neutrals…Why did they make them and how does somebody build in these areas?

Check again if their is something, perhaps the cut off bottoms have a clue?

[Playing Kid]

@imperious-leader The French and Chinese pieces were for an expansion that was never made.

[Imperious Leader]

@playing-kid No they exist, they were made. You want a picture?

[Playing Kid]

@imperious-leader Yes the pieces were made, but the rules for the expansion where never made. Either way they were not part of the base game.

[Midnight_Reaper]

@imperious-leader said in Just Got Axis And Allies Nova:

@playing-kid The rules are cut off from the bottoms of all pages… I tried to find any reference to China…even the word China and nothing was said. Im thinking its on the cut off part?

I just remember all the blue areas were under US control. I cant imagine Mexico not being part of US or that US does not collect that income… Also note they latter made a counter sheet for France and possibly somebody else.

The rules are cut off at the bottom. I need to scan the rule book I have on hand and post that… Anyways, the cutoff parts amount to a sentence at the end of some pages. The references that amount to no US Factories in China are: 1) Mostly available in the pdf that was posted and 2) Not actually put together in one place…

So, let’s tie this all together. A combined reading of the Nova Game Design A&A rules, amounting to no US factories in China:

Rule Section (5.0) The Playing Board (on page 2 of 11 in the pdf):
Paragraph 4 states, in part: Provinces are categorized by color according to who controls them … US controls the blue provinces. Gray, light blue … provinces are neutral and not controlled by anyone. Some provinces may contribute economical to one player, even though they are not controlled by any player…

Rule Section 12.4.3 Violating Neutrality (on page 5 of 11 in the pdf):
Section 12.4.3.1 states, in part: All neutrals … whether they are gray, light blue … “Pro-(blank)” neutrals mean that the neutral contributes economically to one player … It does not mean allied with.

This means that the US controls the blue provinces (no territories here, everything is a province instead) but not the light blue provinces. The light blue provinces are neutral, not controlled by the US. Some of the light blue provinces are worth money to, but are not controlled by, the US. The light blue (Pro U.S.) neutrals are not controlled or allied with the US.

We have established what control is and is not. We have established that light blue, (Pro U.S.) neutrals, such as Sinkiang, Tibet, and China, contribute money to but are not controlled by the US.

Now, placement of units. This is an area where the cutoff in the pdf matters. I will contribute necessary text as needed from my copy of the rules.

Rule Section 12.5 Placement of New Units (on pages 5 and 6 of 11 in the pdf):
The player places his new units … in any provinces he controls that also contain his industrial complex units. Only those industrial complex units that were

{cutoff text} controlled by him at the beginning of his player-turn may have new units placed with them. If he {/cutoff text}

bought any new industrial complex units, he places them last. They may be placed in any province he controls.

This means that you must have a factory (an “industrial complex unit”) in a province you control at the beginning of your turn in order to place any units in that province. If you buy factories, you place them last, after other units. In order to place a factory, you must control that province.

As the light blue Pro U.S. neutral provinces (such as China and Mexico) are not controlled by the U.S., you can’t put a factory there. You can’t place units where you don’t have factories. So, “Have the US build a factory in China and wreck Japan” might work really well, but does so is not within the rules, as I have laid out.

I will get to the France counter sheet / French expansion in my next post.

-Midnight_Reaper

P.S. Edited to correct formatting at the top of the post.

[Midnight_Reaper]

@imperious-leader said in Just Got Axis And Allies Nova:

@playing-kid No they exist, they were made. You want a picture?

They do exist. I have a few in my basement. Would you like a picture?

But having sheets of cardboard, full of cardboard chit units, do not a set of rules make. As near as I can tell, they printed those sheets while they were considering what the rules to a new expansion / edition of Axis & Allies should be. Those rules were never completed, as Milton Bradley bought A&A from Nova Games first.

Some references:

From the HGD (Harris Game Designs) forum: Axis and Allies Nova Games Edition Expansion Rules: come a synopsis of an article from Armchair General. In that posted synopsis is a reply from none other than Larry Harris himself, giving his version of events.

The Armchair General page in specific is a review of the A&A Miniatures line, with a title of: “Axis & Allies: 1939-1945 Game Review”. Buried at the bottom, in the comments to the article, are a pair of comments from someone purporting to be Joseph Angiolillo. In the rulebook for NGD A&A , there is a “Joseph Angiolillo” listed as the developer, right underneath “Lawrence Harris” as the game designer.

In those comments, Joe tells his tale of the would-be France/China expansion: “It is interesting to see how far Axis & Allies has come since I redesigned Larry Harris’ original design for publication through Nova Game Designs (I developed the game and designed the combat system and other elements of the game). If you were fortunate enough to have obtained the China and French counter sheet, you will see that I was working on a game which would start in 1939…”

It is from those comments, on HGD and Armchair General, that give me the evidence to state that: there are cardboard counter sheets, done in the style of NGD A&A, with units for France and units for China (France gets the A-Bomb). That is a real thing, I’ve held it in my hands.

There may have one point been a set of working notes, perhaps with a modified or new map, that explained what the new game would be and where those new units would go. If they ever existed, no body knows where they are or what they might have said.

The expansion sheets exist, but there are no rules to go with them. I do intend to make up some rules for such a thing, but they will be just as unofficial as other home rules.

-Midnight_Reaper

[Playing Kid]

@midnight_reaper Thanks for the summary and really cool history! I did know that the expansion pieces existed, I was just saying the finished expansion itself was never made.

[Midnight_Reaper]

You got pinged on this because I messed up the formatting at the top of the post. My comment was directed at Imperious Leader, not you. Your handle got tied to this post due to my error.

I just wanted to provide my perspective on this topic, you now have it.

-Midnight_Reaper

[jagdpanther69]

@midnight_reaper So, I’ve look everywhere to see if the expansion rules exist for China/France. I’m aware that the cardboard chits for China/France were originally released by Nova without rules right before A&A went to MB. The HGD website no longer works, so the link to any rules or discussion on that site is gone.

Does anyone have a copy of rules (or a link for the rules) that were developed either by Larry Harris, or any other house rules for the expansion? Thank you.

[Midnight_Reaper]

@jagdpanther69 I do not know of any such rules. I’ve looked and looked. I have never found anything. I’m planning to gin some up in the new year, but they would be strictly house rules.

If you do find anything, please let me know.

-Midnight_Reaper