Just How Old Are We Axis and Allies Players?

[Witt]

I bet you are one of those annoying kids who sit on the bus and plays his music loudly and does not get up for we older citizens. The youth of today!

[Gargantua]

I especially like sitting in the ‘special accessibility’ seats. :D

Well… that was when I rode the bus like 12 years ago lol…

[Warplayer12]

@wittman:

Well said Loz. Totally agree.

[Most Holy]

I turn 40 in the fall. First time I played I was about 20ish. A bricklayer a couple doors down showed me the game. It took me about 10 games or so before I beat him and he was no happ when I did. Always wanted to buy the MB version but couldn’t justify it in the family budget. About 4 years ago I discovered a guy at work had been playing since 84 and I got back into it. Now I’ve spent about 20 times what MB version would have cost me and I’m totally obsessed.

[Commando Brado]

I’ve been playing for 25 years now since 1987. I started playing w/the 1984 version.

[Commando Brado]

I started playing as a sophmore in high school. I’ve played all the versions(Original, Revised, Anniversary Edition, Original Europe and Pacific, Europe and Pacific 1940, Battle of the Bulge, D-Day, Global). Even played World at War…

[ABWorsham4]

Wow, this poll is old. I have changed demographics of the poll, from the 20’s to the 30’s.

[Tall Paul]

Yep, AB

But they still haven’t changed the totals to represent my 87 year old Dad
(a WWII vet) and my 64 year old brother.

“Tall Paul”

[Witt]

That is cool Tall Paul. My dad says I should stop playing games and grow up!
Has not let up for the past 25 years.

[Robson]

Hello guys,

i just discovered this thread and I´m amazed because of this interesting stories.
My grandparents were sudeten german and had to flee at the end of WW2.
They came from a small village called Heflein near Znaim (today called Znoimo in Czech Republic).
My dad was born 1937 and told me things which sounds surreal to me today but very exciting.
Things like fleeing and hiding from russian fighters.
Or german soldiers retiering and throwing their hand weapons and grenades into a small pond.
Children from that village who played with the grenades and the one who lost his arm along the way.
Russian soldiers invading the village and share their food with the people.
One of my grandfathers was in Paris with Wehrmacht and the other fought in Stalingrad and get prisoned in Russia severel years.
So all in all, this time period and the history of the 19th and 20th century became my great hobby.
When I was a teenager I played Risk several times and I loved it.
At the age of 16 a friend of mine told me of a game he had played. It was the first game from ´84.
That was in the year 1997.
It was in my mind but I´ve never have the opportunity to play since I saw AA revised in a gaming store.
So I bought it, although I had noone to play with.
Luckily my roommate at college tried it once and was hooked too.
With him and two friends of him, we began to play regularly.
But it was only me who gehts fanatic :-)
So I bought every A&A game I could and now I only miss Anniversary and the old Europe game.
Our old group came together every  two or three months.
And I hope I meet more people in South Germany to play with.

Greets Robert

[RJL518]

and im 43 btw…my grandfather on my mothers side was a gunner in B-24s in the european theater of operations…my grandfather on my father’s side was a doctor in the pacific theater of operations

[Slackaveli]

@Krieghund:

I first played in 1984.  I got the Milton Bradley version as soon as it hit the shelves.

me too! I was 10 years old and got hooked for life since 84!!

[Bigtiti]

@Frontovik:

14 :-)
i started playing a bit over a year ago
first game i was Africa-corps :-D
that’s why i’m rommel on 3A

wow, i’m 18 now…
a blast from the past XD

[boboshonda]

Love this thread.  Great stories.

My story goes like this.  It was 1984 and I had just finished mowing 3 lawns in the neighborhood.  After collecting my pay, I put it with my past earnings and realized I had enough…Fianlly!!  I begged my mother to take me to Toys R Us so I could get a game for my… Colecovision.  She of course refused at first, but I would not be detered.  I bugged her and begged and offered up many options of additional chores I would do if she would just drive me to Toys R Us.  My Colecovision was calling my name and wanted a fresh new game to be plugged into it.  My mother relented, and off we went. 
I knew the game I wanted.  Frontline!  I’d been eyeing that one for months now.
We arrived at the store.  I could barely wait for the car to stop so I could jump out and run in, grab that little piece of paper, run to the register, pay for the game and collect it at the game security booth (those of you old enough know what I mean).  I entered the store.  Took the all to familiar right, then left turn.  Walked right past the wall of board games.  I didn’t look at them.  No sir.  I was a video game junky.  I hit the Colecovision aisle.  Found the box for Frontline. Went to grab that piece of paper from the little blue pouch…EMPTY!!!  What!!! Empty!!!  Surely there must be some mistake.  Frantically I looked around for a Toys R Us associate.  There must be one close by.  There’s one.  I raced over to him and asked in an anxious voice if they had more copies in the booth or in the back.  He told me he’d go check. 
Minutes felt like hours…Then he emerged from the swinging doors that lead to the storage area.  What did he have in his hands!!!  Was it Frontline???  No, it couldn’t be.  It was much to large a box.
He walked up to me and said how sorry he was, but they were out of stock.  The emotions!!!  My stomach felt empty.  I went numb.
At that point, the associate said, “Hey.  Do you like boardgames?”
I told him that I wasn’t a boardgame type kid.  He told me that was too bad because the game he was carrying just came in that morning and it looked like fun.  He handed me the game he was carrying.  It was big and blue and said Axis and Allies.  I flipped it over and looked at the back. 
Oh!!! I thought to myself, look at all the pieces.  That could be a blast.  My brother played risk, but this looked better.  I wasn’t sure though.  I’d mowed so many lawns to get Frontline.  Could I spend that money on a game I’d never heard of? 
Then, good old Mom jumped in.  “You know you have lots of video games.  Why don’t you try this?”
Seemed logical at the moment, so I bit.  Went home and opened the box.  Talked my brother into playing with me.  Had a blast.
I eventually did go back and get Frontline, but it sat unused mostly.  I was hooked on Axis and Allies.  I have bought every version since and introduced countless numbers of friends and family to the game. 
I use to play 2 or 3 times a month, but now that I have my own child and can’t seem to find other players as easily in this busy world, I probably play once a month.  But I can promise you, I will play until the day I die.

[Gargantua]

I will play until the day I die.

See you for a game in hell? lol…

[General 6 Stars]

Was talking to a friend at work about war gaming one day and he said I got a game to show you. It was the 1984 version and I was pissed because I always wanted to play war games and asked him when this game came out. Always played with the army guys and tanks, but never saw this game ever. So we played right away and that was it. Hooked forever! Then I told him I could check on internet and see what I could find out about axis and allies. We bought the revised game and played 2 games and believe it I won both games as axis. Just figured to attack right away with Germany. He used to get pissed. Then came across a advanced 12 dice game by IL. We played that game once and I won with axis again. He was pissed. I told him you got to play like it happened in real life somewhat.****Now playing a advanced game with different rules and setup from somebody on this site. ^600 starting pieces and 4 x 8’ map. Have 5 of IL’s maps and tiger’s with over 5000 pieces from all the games. For me the advanced games are the most awesome do to pieces and all the things that go on. I’m 51 and just started playing 4 years ago. Thanks to IL, Crus, and the rest of you guys for all the advice and ways to play and new pieces to buy (soon HBG ) and rules to use.

[gamerman01]

Great story, Bob, thanks
Have you ever tried playing it on this site, on-line?  Suits busy people like you, because you can play a whole game 20 minutes at a time, whenever you want, at your convenience.

[boboshonda]

@Gamerman01:

Great story, Bob, thanks
Have you ever tried playing it on this site, on-line? � Suits busy people like you, because you can play a whole game 20 minutes at a time, whenever you want, at your convenience.

I have not played online.  I tried to download the game on my work travel computer but it was blocked.  I use Mac at home.  Can I play on a Mac?  I don’t want to sabotage this thread either, so tell me if this question should switch to a different thread.

[Gargantua]

BOBO you can,  just get tripleA, the latest version is 1.6.1.1. you can get it in the software section.

Then download the mac compatible version, done!

[Noll]

I’m in the 30ies, still playing this awesome game  :-D