So the first time I ever saw the Axis & Allies boardgame was in elementary school, on a rainy day in the 5th grade.
I believe the rationale was that the game was cool for kids who liked history or math, but I was fairly terrible at math, so the way we used the materials was essentially like very tiny plastic army men with the map as a battlefield.
Like I’m sure it was missing plenty of pieces, and I’m certain I didn’t know the rules. My reading comprehension at that time would not have allowed me to make sense of the rulebook anyway, but it was still eye catching and a good first introduction. The problem of course, was that the game took up a lot of space, so you really couldn’t just leave it out, and recess was what like tops an hour for lunch? Probably less. So even if it came out on a rainy day, it always had to go back in the box hehe.
I tried something like this again, not too long ago, with my ex-gf’s kid. Basically I got him into the A&A 1942 game at age 8.
That’s 4 years younger than the recommended “12 and up” age range, but it completely worked. Again taking the plastic army men approach to the initial gameplay. Axis and Allies plastic army men were actually cheaper pound for pound, than the standard 1:32 plastic army men toys, or rather you could get a lot more stuff with a single purchase at a similar dollar amount. I think I picked up 1942 for like 24.99 on sale at Target, which gave him about 100 more sculpts and a world battleboard, compared to a similarly priced large bucket of 1:32 dudes with the standard issue plastic playmat.
It was a nicer presentation too, with a cool looking box to keep stuff tidy, dice and roundels and other things you wouldn’t get with the bucket. Plus the appeal of “a game” and one that ostensibly teaches a bit of history and math while you’re at it. So I’ve always viewed A&A with that mindset. That it’s basically miniature plastic army men, but with simple rules to decide who wins/loses a battle using dice. Kids can get into that.
I think they could do the same stackable gamemap with raisers idea mentioned on the previous page, without needing to go full magneto board for that. Cardboard works fine actually, too keep it affordable, provided there are no folds.
The key is to divide the map into smaller rigid cardboard panels that can be moved separately one at a time.
Whatever the max size the box allows, make the rigid panels that large. The 1942 gamemap is 26x40" so for that game call it 4 rigid panels at like 13x20" in a box about that large, that can lay out side by side while playing, but also stack into a more compact space with the units still in place when “put away.”
Maybe a game like G40 has 8 rigid panels instead of 4 for the larger gameboard. You get the idea. As long as the mapboard doesn’t have folds it works. Folds are where the wear and tear tends to happen. Kid folds it the wrong direction, the board bends or rips, the game can’t be moved without a large support/backing and masterful balance. Do it in 4 separate smaller panels instead and those probs go away, plus it probably just looks cool. Like “oh yeah, should have been doing that all along!” heheh
