The Details

[hkytown1]

Man I hope the box art is differerent then this AA50 light version.  I have wavered on cutting out and framing the box lids because they are so cool….we shall see.

[Karl7]

If I had to guess, I bet the new scuplts are a driect resposne to FMG and HBG.  AH is losing control over its product and is moving to reclaim its central position….

I’ll buy AA41 because I am a life long A&A junky. I doubt I will ever play it. AAGlobal has raised the bar too far to go back…

[Imperious Leader]

If I had to guess, I bet the new scupls are a driect resposne to FMG and HBG.  AH is losing control over its product and is moving to reclaim its central position….

Oh most definatly. I bet Larry put his influence in at WOTC to make sure they spent money on new sculpts and keep people buying them. But people are still going to buy FMG/ HBG no matter what.

Probably the original idea was to make some “expansion pack” with extra pieces and bits, but they went in a new direction and made another game to also account for the many people who wanted a shorter game so they tried to make both happy.

Too bad they didn’t deal with the issue of Italy and how short they came in producing those unique pieces.

[Karl7]

I would love to see a track on all the horse trading that must go on between the accountants and the designers for these things and find out all the great stuff that’s probably been jettisoned for being too expensive…

If I had to guess, I bet there’s been a lot of stuff (like Italian sculpts) that were designed, but kyboshed by management, but Hasbro ended up losing money on anyway because it cost more to buy the molds/designs and not use them than it would have to use them and raise the price of AA40 by $5…

That being said, we should probably be thankful for what we do get…

[Hobbes]

@Gargantua:

The Strategic equation YOU need to consider, is how much time can be alloted for each piece, thus creating the strategic quotient wherby things can be compared.

Assuming both games are 2 hours long, 120MIN

Roughly speaking :

Chess- with diminishing exponents,� 120 / 32 = 3.75 minutes of strategic thinking time per PIECE

A&A with GROWING exponents because new pieces are added, assume 160 pieces at setup� �120 / 160� =� 0.75 min per piece.

Using your own equation:

Global has what, 900 pieces? Let’s assume half is deployed at the beginning, also with GROWING exponents, divided by 4 hours, that’s 240/450 = 0.5333 min per piece.

Consensus - LESS TIME + MORE PIECES = LESS STRATEGY and MORE DICE DETERMINATION

Following your logic, then 1941 will have more strategy and less dice determination than Global, since it has more time and less pieces than it. Which I (and most others) would disagree, so comparing number of pieces vs. time to play seems a poor criteria to judge if a game allows for more strategy or not.

[gamerman01]

@Imperious:

Too bad they didn’t deal with the issue of Italy and how short they came in producing those unique pieces.

No kidding.  AA50 actually has different tanks for Italy than Germany, but the G40 production with no unique pieces for Italy (other than infantry?) was disappointing.

[gamerman01]

@Karl7:

That being said, we should probably be thankful for what we do get…Â

:-)  No doubt.  At least they’re still making new ones and didn’t quit with Revised (2004).

[Derek]

This looks like a 1942 reprint (with 1941 setup), which makes no sense. 1942 is still in stock in retail stores at 30$

(a hoax i think)

but if not….Lets all pray the map is atleast slightly bigger than spring 1942

[Larrie]

@Lozmoid:

Hmm… I’m curious about the ‘shortened game length’. What could this mean, exactly? I expect we could be looking at fewer spaces on the map, less units than usual/expected for the set up, no technology or national objectives, and possibly a turn limit? What else?

Also, being an ‘introductory level’ game to get new players involved, I think it’s quite obvious there will be a fewer rules than what we are used to. However, I very much doubt that these ‘new sculpts’ will have their own special abilities; more like they will just be for show/decoration.

I also expect some units will be intentionally left out - possibly Mech. Infantry and Tac. Bombers. Perhaps even Cruisers!

Thoughts?

I would imagine also artillery and destroyers. The info that I have seen so far states that there are 32 plastic pieces per power. At 4 each of Inf., tank, fighter, bomber, battleship, sub, carrier, and transport that is all you get.

[gamerman01]

Classic had 2 battleships, 2 carriers, 6 or 8 subs, about 6 transports, 10 fighters, 10 tanks, 3 bombers, and 12 or 15 infantry…

[lozmoid]

At 4 each of Inf., tank, fighter, bomber, battleship, sub, carrier, and transport that is all you get.

Crikey, I hope we get more than 4 Infantry per power!

[techroll42]

@Lozmoid:

At 4 each of Inf., tank, fighter, bomber, battleship, sub, carrier, and transport that is all you get.

Crikey, I hope we get more than 4 Infantry per power!

Especially Russia, Germany, Japan (how do you do islands?), America and Britain!

[Larrie]

@Lozmoid:

At 4 each of Inf., tank, fighter, bomber, battleship, sub, carrier, and transport that is all you get.

Crikey, I hope we get more than 4 Infantry per power!

I’m sure there will be more than 4 Inf. per, but I was just using the breakdown of 4 per sculpt to show that there will not be much in this version to begin with. The announcement said 160 pieces. With that said, 32 per power x 5 powers = 160 pieces total. Sure you may get more Inf. and less, say battleships and carriers, but the point is it willbe bare bones. I think that Gargantua stated earlier it will be for beginners, a kids version if you will.

[lozmoid]

I see what you mean, Larrie. Thanks for clarifying.

[Imperious Leader]

The game has 160 new pieces, and 370 total playing pieces. You people are all wrong!

Its basically the same total as AA42 and plays the same…just 1941 scenario with VC conditions that are probably easy to get

[Hobbes]

@Imperious:

The game has 160 new pieces, and 370 total playing pieces. You people are all wrong!

Its basically the same total as AA42 and plays the same…just 1941 scenario with VC conditions that are probably easy to get

IL, I’m hoping so as well, but the announcement/order only says 160 pieces, total.

[Rorschach]

I did not see the word “new” after 160 pieces total either

but in all honestly … speculation is just that.  we will know when it’s released.

** Edit … here, from the announcement (copy/pasted)

Game Components
160 plastic pieces (32 per nation)
16 new combat unit sculpts
New map
Rulebook

That does not say 160 new playing pieces … it does say 16 NEW sculpts, but nothing about those totaling 160 pieces … anywhere, either in the announcement or the pdf.

[Imperious Leader]

Oh dear Lord… I wish people would read the ENTIRE PDF… just once…

The PDF does say…

Game Components
� 160 plastic pieces (32 per nation)  
� 16 new combat unit sculpts
� New map
� Rulebook

New Units:
A key feature for enfranchised players is an entirely new set of unit sculpts. There are 16 all-new designs such as the P-40 Warhawk, Tiger Tank, AVRO Lancaster, FW-190, IS-2 tank, HMS Hood, He-111, and the Akagi Aircraft Carrier. These playing pieces can be used in any other A&A game, and will be desirable to players who seek to expand their A&A collections.

But that is talking about what is NEW to the game as opposed to the standard stuff. It does not say it comes with a box or tokens for the nations, but obviously they are included. If you want to get stuck on semantics THEN assume the game has no box, no chips, no dice, no other tokens, no other pieces, no setup charts, etc…And add to that it uses the same mechanics as AA42 which means that is impossible without those components…you basically can’t play the game without parts from other games? I don’t think so. WOTC does not make games that require parts from other games. Each game stands on its own two feet, so obviously the 160 pieces listing refers to NEW SCULPTS AND NOT THE TOTAL GAME PIECES INCLUDED…

The 32 pieces are NEW PIECES PER NATION THAT ARE NEW SCULPTS, IT DOES NOT MEAN ALL YOU GET IS 32 PIECES…that is ridiculous.

Again the people at WOTC just don’t have any skills at explaining the product.

Item
Contents
SKU
UPC
ISBN
Size Wt.
MSRP
Axis & Allies 1941
Game
Game board, play components, rulebook, 370 game pieces
396870000
6 53569 70534 5
978-0-7869-6016-3
tbd
3.44 lbs
$30.00
Axis & Allies 1941
Case
4 games per case
NA
NA
NA
tbd
15 lbs
NA

[Gargantua]

Sarcasm

Sorry IL, you’re just not making any sense!  It clearly says 160 Pieces! Only 32 per Nation!

[Imperious Leader]

Axis & Allies 1941
Game
Game board, play components, rulebook, 370 game pieces