The Dardanelles and Fighter Escort/Interceptor optional rules are included as optional rules
Neutrals are in this version
New Mechanized Infantry and Dive Bomber making their first appearance
Italy is in this game
This will contain many new ideas and is not like the AA42 version that replaces AAR. This is a new kind of game entirely and upgraded in all respects.
There will be a dedicated French infantry unit. The rest of the French units will be made up of various existing unit types. All French units will be a different color – probably some kind of blue-ish color.
You collect income at the end of your turn… again, this is simply an established A&A system. It works and heck… I like it that way.
The Italians will pretty much be the same as found in Anniversary.
Mechanized infantry (1/2/2 – cost 4) will be represented with half-tracks. Allies M-3’s and Axis powers will use the SdKfz 251. Oh, and Russia has its own half track as well (if I remember correctly). They can blitz with tanks.
You can invade Sweden or any neutral country frankly. There will be three types of neutrals… True neutrals, Pro-Axis and Pro-Allies. Their standing armies will be listed on the map and appear should they be attacked. Invade Sweden, a true neutral, and perhaps all the other True neutrals become pro-something else. Get my drift?
The board(s) will be the biggest maps ever produced. Two words come to mind… “huge” and “amazing”. When combining the two games… because you can, five words come to mind… “huge, huge” and “Amazing, amazing… amazing”…
Yes there will be an ANZAC power – It will/can be, controlled by a dedicated player.
There are no specific neutral pieces. Neutral territories will be represented on the map in one of 3 possible colors. The specific color depends on their neutrality status.
France gets its national tokens… it gets its colonies that are all over Africa in AAE and a couple of places in the AAP game (French Indo-China and New Hebrides) It has its own dedicated colored units. If captured by the initial German blitzkrieg its surviving units are controlled by one of the allied players – probably the British player. If France is liberated it recovers its liberated factories and goes back to war against the axis as any major power would.
The biggest new pieces, in terms of number and game play are what I call Tac-bombers.
At sea they are considered torpedo and/or dive bombers and on land they are strictly dive bombers. A couple of examples of the different aircraft represented… the Stuka (of course), the Japanese Val, the American Avenger, the British Mosquito, and … the Russian IL2. They are expensive (11) but when combined with armor… They attack at 4!, otherwise it has a 3/3 with a range of 4. It’s blitz time. Bye, bye France. At sea, or during sea battles, it selects its target for the first round of battle.
By the way… AAE40 begins shortly after Dunkirk. Germany, on its first turn will probably be launching the Battle of France. Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway have just been successfully invaded and are occupied. AAP40 will also begin at around that same period (19 months before Pear Harbor). The Japanese can attack any time, but are they really ready? As the controlling Japanese player you decide when and how. ( LH 7/27/09)
Kamikazes – yep. Blockhouse and paratrooper rules…not decided yet.
No tech, but there will be NOs. Actually – there well be tech but it will only be used in what I’m calling the “Global game”.
I don’t get into cost issues.
Connectivity… interesting word. There will be a seamless “connectivity”.
I think I’m only going to let Sweden attack Norway. There seems to be a lot of animosity in that part of the world (inside joke).
Victory conditions will be based on Victory Cities and capturing of capitals.
At this point it is a little bit difficult to define what exactly a power is. Sometimes a power has its own sculpts and sometimes a power is represented by the color of its sculpts and sometimes a power is represented by a combination of dedicated sculpts and color. But if you want to know which powers have their own “Income/economy”, they are:
US
UK
Russia
France
China
Australia/New Zealand (ANZAC)
Germany
Japan
Italy
Your questions go on… Size of the board… BIG (that’s all you’re going to get out of me for the moment). No, REALLY big would be more accurate. There is a completely new map lay out with many more territories and many more sea zones.
(LH 7/29/09)
Fortress Malta is in the game. You bet! How to turn it into a “fortress”. Any dedicated push by the Axis would eventually cause its fall. Calling it a fortress is probably a misnomer. It would require this “dedicated push” I’m talking about to take it over however. The island sits smack dab between Libya and Italy (Southern Italy actually) and causes some big problems for the Axis, as it historically did. Maybe it can win another George Cross. Perhaps, as I strive to capture this sort of thing in my designs, it will once again be, as Roosevelt called it…one tiny bright flame in the darkness. (LH 7/31/09)
source: (LH 8/1/09)
On the other hand damaged capital ships, and there are now two such things - battleships and carriers, must return to a friendly naval base when damaged, if they want to be repaired. Damaged carrier’s can’t land or launch aircraft when in a damaged state… you know they’ll be making a bee line to a friendly naval base. Did I mention that ships leaving a naval base can move 3 sea zones? Did I tell you about airbases and two different sized factories… if not I’ll tell you about them some other time. Did I tell you that Russia now has a new Battle ship sculpt.
Source: (LH 8/1/09)
In AAP40 and AAE40 you can’t build on an island. Exceptions being Australia, England and of course Japan.
AAE40 and AAP40 include some changes in the very areas you are talking about. Case in point, you can’t build a factory on an island. I don’t care how many IPCs it generates. China – you can move into Hong Kong and Burma. This does not include the Flying Tigers however, they’ve got to stay within China. If the Burma Road ( oh yeah now there’s a Burma Road) is open the Chinese can purchase artillery. In AAP40 China has its own economy, makes it own purchases, moves it own units. Being exactly like the other powers, in turn sequence, it will place its new units, purchased with IPCs generated by territories controlled by China. These new units can be placed on any Chinese territory that is free of Japanese forces. There are now 12 territories that China starts with and potentially there are 18 territories that China can control. Each generating 2 IPCs (exception (there always is one)) Manchuria is worth 3 IPCs. Oh and one more thing… China collects a bonus of 6 IPCs each turn the Burma Road is open. Chinese units are placed, during China’s Mobilize New Units phase 5 and collects income during phase 6. Those Flying Tigers… they’re nicely nestled in between 4 Chinese Infantry units.
As for Egypt… guess what. There are NO Germans (at all) in North Africa at the beginning of the game. They don’t even have a ship in the Mediterranean. The Italians well be well represented however. If you’re playing the Axis you better hope they do better than they did historically. One more bit of information. between Libya and Egypt lays two new territories… Tobruk and Alexandria. There should be some additional back and forths going on down there. The cruisers… they’re still 12 and will have to remain so.
Tanks are now 3-3-2-6 units! ( LH 8/1/09)
All neutrals will be limited to infantry for the sake of simplicity. This could change however.
FYI… naval bases, factories and airbases now each have their own air defense. AA guns are restricted to protecting land units only.
I’m considering a boost for Mechs when supported by artillery. Don’t really feel comfortable increasing the artillery movement ability.
Germany will be split into three territories.
Germany (with Berlin), Western Germany and Greater southern Germany.
Any CAP rules (I hope not)Huh. Sort of… An island can launch aircraft (fighters and Tac bombers to its surrounding sea zone and attack or defend in a battle if the island has an airbase.
If ANZAC gets there own Income, why not Canada? Canada… Oh Canada… All the Canadian Provinces are represented . It has its own national control markers. Totally controlled by the British player, however. ANZAC forcers, in AAP40 have a different status due to its relative power and influence in the region. Canada would probably prove to be too small a power and there really is no need to have another Allied player represented in the Europe game.
What countries will have their own sculpts? They all will to some extent, except perhaps Canada.
Will the neutrals have sculpts (pieces) or just use other Allied pieces? They will be represented by the aggressor’s opposing alliance.
The fact is tactical bombers now have, what is called, Air Superiority… Fighters can be matched up with Tac bombers. A matched up set of these aircraft increases the tac bomber’s attack number from 3 to 4. This same aircraft can also be matched up with tanks during land battles and attack at 4.
I prefer the so called “cutting room floor” idea of Tac Bombers with tanks Vs land go to 4 on attack, and at sea they choose what they hit on the first round (if they get a hit). This rule was not included in the game, but i know it will be a house rule.
LH 8/1/09
AAP40 is not coming out in 2010. It’s coming out this year (2009). AAE40 will be released in summer 2010.