Axis and Allies 1914 FAQ/Question and Answer Thread

[Krieghund]

The FAQ is finally official.  You can find it on the product page of the official website.

[Flashman]

I really think the neutral US should also be barred from moving any units. Building & moving transports to London preparatory to bridging UK units into France still seems rather “un-neutral”.
And would neutral US warships have the maps of belligerent powers’ minefields?

Much better that the US doesn’t have a turn before its at war, and is taken over by the Russian player. But that’s a rewrite.

[Cow]

It is to my understanding all my clusters of units must contain 1 infantry… I do not have to leave 1 infantry in a spot. correct?

[Cow]

Can you write the rulebook better? Make the game playable out of the box (you should have added 2 more infantry to each box at the very least)?

Also the color issues with the chips are an issue.

Slightly bigger board. Charge a bit more perhaps?

Can the Central Powers lose a game? Like give USA more units or something? USA is pretty much a non factor in this game and when they get moving, Russia is already out of the game.

I can understand why the optional rule was written, because it is extremely advantageous to take Russia out. There is still a weak Italy and the Italy first strategy is viable. When Italy goes, America has a hard time liberating it to say the least. Central powers still end up going after Russia, because what else is Hungary going to do?

The Allies are left with one offensive option, which is to focus on the Ottos and to take it out first. That is unacceptable.

I prefer playing the Axis, which in this case is the Central Powers, the problem is that in every board after 50th anniversary the axis have been stronger than the allies. 50th the axis advantage was small. In Global Japan is ridiculous and in Europe if the axis feel like getting the middle east, they can do so easily (airbase German air to the Italian held Alexandria or if UK attacked Tobruk round 1, Italy can dump men on transjordan or shuffle units to syria). Bombers are ridiculously effective against Russia more passive games. If Russia gets less than 3-4 air from the allies flying in, Germany takes Moscow round 6 no problem. In all the 1942 maps after global the axis advantage is real.

If you start to tally up axis wins on the tournament and league boards, it is in the axis favor, despite bids going to the allies.

What I am trying to say, is that can you flip the script for once and make the game advantageous for the allies?

[Krieghund]

@Cow:

It is to my understanding all my clusters of units must contain 1 infantry… I do not have to leave 1 infantry in a spot. correct?

Correct.  Or to put it another way, I don’t always have units in each territory I control, but when I do, one of them is an infantry.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

[Cow]

I do like how trench warfare is simulated on the western, that is one thing I do like. At the same time this is what creates the all in strategies of going after Russia, because the lines are not really going to move since France is many turns away.

Getting all the Russian income is huge. Playing with the optional rule is not so bad either, because not having to send units a certain direction is huge as well.

[defiant]

Can someone clarify the blockade rules?

The rulebook says:

Place all of your new sea units in any sea zone that shares a naval base symbol with a territory that you originally controlled
(has your power’s emblem) and is not currently controlled by an enemy power.

Does this mean if enemy have battleships in your ports you cant mobilize new sea units there?
If so does transports and submarines count?

Or can i mobilize new sea units even if there are ships on the sea zone but I control the land zone where the harbor is?
If so when does the sea battle occur when I mobilize in a port with enemy ships?

Thanks

[Cow]

You may place naval units regardless if enemies have units there or not. No battle occurs. Enemy may attack it on his/her turn or move away. You simply have to control the adjacent territories (land spaces are territories, sea spaces are sea zones).

[Krieghund]

Welcome. defiant!

Cow is correct.  These errata from the FAQ should help clear it up:

Page 11, Spaces on the Game Board, Sea Zones: The third sentence of the second paragraph should read “The naval base is controlled by the power that controls the territory. If the territory is contested, the naval base is controlled by the power that originally controlled the territory (unless its capital is controlled by the enemy, in which case no one controls it). Naval bases allow the controlling power to mobilize new sea units (original territories only) and repair its battleships in the corresponding sea zone.”

Page 23, Phase 4: Mobilize New Units: The first sentence of the second paragraph should read “Place all of your new sea units in any sea zone that has a naval base that you have controlled since the beginning of your turn and is located in a territory that you originally controlled (has only your power’s emblem).”

[Muscleape]

THe rule book does not state anything about building new units in an enemy capitol that you conquered. So am I correct in assuming that the French cannot build units in Berlin even after they have captured it and held it for a round?

[Krieghund]

That’s correct.

[S0UP76]

Krieghund,

I’m very sorry if this has been asked/answered previously.  I just picked up AA1914 and really enjoyed it, my group played our first game last night (~8hrs with Allied Victory in Berlin & Constantinople).  My question is about Fighters.

We played the Fighter Strafe as a non-defendable attack, was this correct?  Is it the same as a Sub’s First-Strike capability in other A&A editions?

I was surprised to not find it asked about more online, and then even more surprised to not find it in the official FAQ.  This morning, I went over page 19 of the rulebook very carefully, and I understood the passage on Step 5: Remove Casualties “Each player can select any unit in their attacking or defending force as a casualty, including fighters.”  to mean that they are defendable.

If the attacker has the fighters, they can remove them as casualties when the defends rolls, yes?  Meaning that the strafe run does NOT instantly remove these hits from the battle?  Otherwise, why would/could the attacker choose fighters as casualties, unless they are simply participating in the land battle now…right?

Thanks for all your help!

[Krieghund]

Welcome, SOUP76!

Strafing fighters are treated in exactly the same way as land units in steps 3 through 5 of the combat sequence.  They roll to hit (and their casualties are inflicted) at the same time as other units, and they can be taken as casualties (in fact, they must if the only alternative is the last remaining infantry unit of that power).

[S0UP76]

Awesome!  Thanks for the clarification!

[gtsg]

alright I am currently engaged in a most  epic struggle  :evil: britain has 2 damaged battleships and a sub in sea zone 11 I also have a damaged battleship in seazone 11.

now my question is this the rulebook states that i do not have to attack them so can I use 2 transports in seazone 12 to transport critical art. pieces to berlin since this does not involve an amphibious reinforcement or attack  :?

any help on this would be stellar cheers

[S0UP76]

gtsg,

If you load the transports in SZ12 and then move them into SZ11…you would have to engage in warfare since SZ11 would be a hostile sea zone (Rulebook: Page 11).  The battleships are surface warships and you would need to conduct combat before you could offload the critical artillery (Rulebook: Page 16) into Berlin.

Hope this helps!

-Soup

[gtsg]

ok but i can move my 2 transports without any cargo to the protection of my BB (since it will be repaired and joined with fresh navy) without an attack on the british squadron  :| cheers

[S0UP76]

gtsg,

Once you move those transports into the SZ11 and leave them along with the battleship, you will engage in combat with the british battleships.

Surface warships cannot other surface warships, and the transports would be claimed last in any casualty count.

-Soup

[gtsg]

refering to page 20 of the rule book “when you have warships (not transports) in a seazone containing enemy ships, you can elect to attack them or not attack them” which in my opinion means you always have a choice between attack or doing nothing or moving out.

so I could move these transports in since there is a warship of the germans to protect it and the transports have no combat value so are not considered warships as the rules see them.

or can this only be used with ships that start the round in hostile seazones  :| :-D

[S0UP76]

gtsg,

That passage on Page 20 in within the “Order of Play” section of the book…and it immediately follows the “Step 6 Conclude Combat” (on Page 19).  Because of this, I believe that passage is referring to after the actual dice roll.  After the first round of dice roll…you can decide to either continue or stop (this is in comparison to the land battles, which only have a round).

Someone of more official status (i.e. Krieghund) may have greater insight…but I believe you will have at least one round of combat in that sea zone.