Okay, so it’s time to let the secret out on who is helping DJensen check out these new A&A games… He handed them off to me last week to check out and play. I got the chance to unleash the new AA41 on some people who have never played before and some who are novices. Here is my full report after living with the game for a week:
Once I got the boxes home, I opened up 41 and went straight for the pieces. I’m a piece junkie after all! I’m also very critical of plastic pieces now since working for Coach at HBG. I will cut right to the chase. I really dig this set! Except for the infantry, this is a truly unique set of A&A pieces and they all look great on the board. I especially love the new detail on the ships and aircraft. A real step up from any previous A&A sculpts. I am personally buying at least 2 copies. The colors match G40 perfectly so no issues there. And while most of us don’t like the shared sculpts between friendly powers, this was a big advantage for teaching new players who were not familiar with each country’s equipment. These sculpts have a perfect home in this game. Personally, I will take out the ones I want (like Akagis!) and replace them with other A&A pieces. My one major complaint is running out of certain units. I diligently used chips everywhere I could but ran into multiple occasions where another destroyer was needed. 2 is not enough! I could see Germany running low on tanks as well. 8 infantry is enough and aircraft seem ample at 4 fighters and 2 bombers since these and capital ships are rarely purchased in this game. You will have to chip the 2-fighter carriers though :cry:
Next point of interest is the map. We’ve all heard about the US income issue and honestly I’m still not sure which way it’s supposed to be. I honestly think the US is supposed to be 15 and they made a mistake with territory values. But I played with the US getting 17 and it didn’t make much difference surprisingly. The size of the map is perfect for this game. Territories are all mostly ample size for the number of units. This game does require you to use chips under the units though for simple lack of plastic pieces! The upside to this is it’s the first time I’ve ever played A&A comfortably on a coffee table in 3 hours. That was great!
Finally, a few notes on the accessories. It has the dreaded 2-piece battle strip that every veteran player chucks back in the box. The dice are 4 black Anniversary style dice. The control markers are of the cheaper smooth cardboard rather than the textured stuff like E40 and Anniversary has. And, as some of you know by now, the poker chips have been replaced by cardboard counters that look kinda like poker chips… :? I confess. I couldn’t use em. I had to bust out my regular A&A chips… :|
As others have already mentioned, the setup seems to heavily favor the Axis. Germany starts with a big Panzer force and Luftwaffe. Japan’s IJN seems unstoppable. With Germany going before Japan, the Royal navy is obliterated quickly and German subs keep the UK and US busy in the Atlantic. Even with a KJF strat, the US seems to struggle to keep pace with Japan attacking the Pacific, China and India at will. There is a way to beat the Axis, but we need some very clever Allied players to figure it out. Russia does fall quick, although I held out with them until G4. We stopped the game there as an Axis domination of England was clearly next.
Overall, this game offers more than I first thought. It is a great intro game as touted. My noobs picked up the concepts right away. All I had to do was help with a bit of strategy. By the end of one game they understood how the pieces move and battle, and what each person does in a turn. Everyone wanted to play more! But this game offers experienced players something as well. Completely new challenges and strategies are required for this map. Things we’ve come to rely on like artillery and AAA fire are no longer at our disposal. Somehow, making a simpler game has created a bigger challenge.
