Spring 42 or Revised

@SAS:

Well, to be fair, most of the Revised players probably ignore this thread.  You might get the opposite effect if you post this same poll on the Revised board.  I like '42 better though.

Also, probably most of the Revised players probably never played '42 so they can’t really compare both versions.

@Yoper:

Actually, most people consider the 1998 computer version as the 3rd Edition.

That’s because it was.  It was the same as the MB version, except for a few minor rules changes.  If you read the rule book, it says that it’s the 3rd Edition rules.

@Yoper:

Two versions for the original MB version.  The 1991 clarification sheet is more of a FAQ than an edition.

True, the clarification sheet doesn’t count as an edition, but the 3rd Edition rules in the CD-ROM do.

@Yoper:

The Nova edition is considered a “0” edition.

That then is where the 4th Edition moniker comes from for the Revised Edition.

Anniversary isn’t classified as part of this progression simply because it is a step up from the base game.

AA42 would then become the 5th Edition.

As I pointed out earlier, the MB version’s having had 3 different editions really makes the whole edition numbering scheme not work at all.

@Yoper:

There are always going to be people who have certain names that they call the game or came into the game series mid-stream.  That name may not be what you call it.
Just like in other threads where people talk about the abbreviations for the different units in the game.  Different people use different abbreviations.

True.  The systems different people use partly reflect the way they look at the various games and editions.  In my case, for instance, I’m only interested in the games having plastic micro-miniatures, so I disregard the original Nova Games version, the computer game versions, and the large-scale collectable A&A miniature lines of products.  And I don’t bother distinguishing between rule revisions of the same game.  So in my personal notes about the games, I call the MB global game AA1, the 1986 (2nd edition) global game AA2, and the 2009 (Spring 1942) global game AA3.  The Anniversary Edition was a special limited-edition release, so I don’t number it like the core global games; instead, I call it AAAE.  I likewise don’t use numbers for D-Day, Bulge or Guadalcanal, which I simply call AAD, AAB and AAG.  My original designations for the original Europe (1999) and Pacific (2001) games were AAE and AAP, but I guess I’ll have to revise that to AAE1 and AAP1 because the names I’ve been using for Pacific 1940 and Europe 1940 are AAP2 and AAE2.  I don’t have a designation for the Global 1940 game because I just regard it as a combination of AAP2 and AAE2, not a separate game that comes in its own box.  It’s interesting to see in this thread the other approaches that other people have used to identify the different games, based on their particular needs and preferences.

@CWO:

……  So in my personal notes about the games, I call the MB global game AA1, the 1986 (2nd edition) global game AA2, and the 2009 (Spring 1942) global game AA3.  …

What about Axis & Allies Revised (2004)?  wouldnt that Global game be AA3 and the 2009 Spring 1942 be AA4

@Keredrex:

@CWO:

……  So in my personal notes about the games, I call the MB global game AA1, the 1986 (2nd edition) global game AA2, and the 2009 (Spring 1942) global game AA3.  …

What about Axis & Allies Revised (2004)?  wouldnt that Global game be AA3 and the 2009 Spring 1942 be AA4

Oops, I wrote too fast.  In my original post, I should actually have written “I call the MB (1986 2nd edition) global game AA1, the Revised (2004) global game AA2, and the 2009 (Spring 1942) global game AA3.”  Thanks for catching that.

@Yoper:

Krieg,
My comments were based on your first post, which in my opinion, you didn’t properly distinguish the following entry as being the computer version:

A&A, MB Version, 3rd Edition (“A&A Classic, 3rd Edition” or “AAC3”*)

I thought that you were making a connection to the 1991 FAQ/Clarification sheet.  When I see MB, I think the boardgame, not the computer version by Hasbro or the Iron Blitz add-on by MicroProse.

It is, however, the same game.  You could just as easily print out the computer version rules and play the game on an MB board.  The fact that’s implemented on a computer doesn’t make it a different game.

@Yoper:

As for the comments of your about the whole numbering system, it is what it is.  The players need something to help them keep the versions straight.  Just because Larry doesn’t like the “Revised” moniker being used for the 2004 edition doesn’t mean it isn’t useful.  Or the LHTR only being a set of “tournament” rules in the sense that it helped clarify the games in the pbem/pbf games of the various club sites.  The accepted labels may not always be the official labels, but they end up being the ones that the majority use.

I was just pointing out that I would wouldn’t use your exact set of edition labels.  Or I would try to give all the different versions of each of the versions so that everyone would know where I am coming from.  There are always going to be people who have certain names that they call the game or came into the game series mid-stream.  That name may not be what you call it.

Just like in other threads where people talk about the abbreviations for the different units in the game.  Different people use different abbreviations.

That is precisely my point.  When someone says “3rd Edition”, I have no idea of their frame of reference.  They could be talking about the CD-ROM version rules, or they could be completely unaware of them and be talking about Revised.  They could also be talking about 1942 because they’ve never seen Revised, either.  This what makes revision numbers useless.  You may cite a frame of reference, but not everyone else will.  You can’t cite what you’re not aware of.  At least if people use an abbreviation, I have some idea of what they’re talking about.

I also don’t think that it’s too much to ask that everyone use at least close to the same abbreviations, or at least abbreviations that don’t resemble other abbreviations.  For example, I don’t like “AAAE” for Anniversary for two reasons.  First, it’s too close to “AAE”, the accepted abbreviation for A&A Europe, so such a reference could easily be a typo.  Second, it’s possible that there could be other anniversary editions in the future.  That’s why I supported “AA50” as the abbreviation for Anniversary.  This abbreviation has caught on for the most part, so I see no reason why most people can’t be on the same page, abbreviation-wise.  It just makes life easier for everyone when we all speak the same language.

You must also consider Iron Blitz as another version. Additionally 98 Hasbro offered many options like Paratroopers that you could toggle on…so many that it became a different game played on the same map. To me this is a new and distinct version.

Nova is 1st edition
MB 1984 is 2nd ed
MN 1987 is 2nd ed with tweeks
Hasbro 98/ Iron Blitz is 3rd ed
AAR is 4th

etc…

No such thing a version ZERO either. Nova must be 1st edition.

Thanks, IL, for helping to prove my point that edition numbers are totally subjective, and therefore useless as identifiers.

@Cromwell_Dude:

I do prefer the Spring 42 Edition over the Revised Edition.   I am undecided about the map layout though.   I would tend to prefer the Spring 42.   Revised possessed a bigger layout and clearly defined Europe.   However, pieces, rules, piece set up, territorial values, just make me prefer the Spring 42.   You can always just play National Advantages with Spring 42.

For someone that doesn’t have the Revised game they can get NAs from the online rule book at WotC website. Also, in the House Rules forum on this site there are some NAs that someone made for AA42.  Tech here:  http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=18803.0  and IL’s house rules here: http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=17701.0     NAs for AA42 here:  http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=15051.0

@Yoper:

Actually, most people consider the 1998 computer version as the 3rd Edition.

Two versions for the original MB version.  The 1991 clarification sheet is more of a FAQ than an edition.  The Nova edition is considered a “0” edition.

You beat me to the punch.

Since there were 2 MBs before 3rd edition it cannot be 1nova-2MB-3revised or even 1 nova 2,3 MB 4revised

I remember doing paratroopers on the computer version and being annoyed at losing my capitals.

I agree krieghunds 3rd edition in that list was a little confusing since it was only released in the computer game.