Remember your 1rst game?

First game…… long time ago! We were used to nothing more complex than Risk, and after a few turns, it dawned on us that we’d been doing a pretty bad job reading and understanding the rules. I can’t remember precisely where we went wrong, but it was such a major thing that we decided to cancel the game.
But we enjoyed the concept anyway, and played it quite a few times in years to follow. Not really often though - it’s always been difficult to find enough people for a long game. Well, and maybe because when we did, trying to hum the national anthem of each nation we were playing added a touch of strangeness to the atmosphere, though I don’t think anyone could remember the Japanese.

My first game(s) was on the Nova edition, my older brother brought it home.  He had played it at his friend’s house.  We both had an interest in WWII since our dad served in the Army - we were hooked.  After the first game (I played the allies), we immediately switched sides, I insisted.  I lost (but at least my suspicions of uneven sides were largely put to rest - hey, I was a kid ya know). And then it was game(s) on ever since. Over the years we of course introduced it to others, and even when I’ve moved about I’ve always managed to take along  some thrown together set.

Some good times with many editions…I recall being thrilled when the MB set came out and it had little miniatures! Wow… look at it now.  I’ve even read complaints about some of the fancy minis coming out and I look at the simple chits we were using… eh eh eh.

In regard to it being a beer and chips game in later years - I recall one of my past gaming groups had a tradition, we’d figure out what nation each person was beforehand, and that person was responsible for bringing some beverages from that country.  When we took land of an enemy, we also got to take one of their drinks (though truthfully, the long games just ended up being a free-for-all in that regard  :-P).

One of my most (recent) memorable games as far as those involved, was not too long ago.  I actually hosted three games (AA50th) where each nationality was played by a someone from that nation (admittedly, the Russian was new to the game and the Japanese student had a hell of a time with the rules the first time).  It was pretty awesome to hear the smack talk with the natural accents, the curse of a dice roll in their native tongue.  By the time we played the third time, all the newer players had done a lot of research - it was intense and some serious national pride going on with no end to historical referencing.  Eh eh eh… some of them have now moved away though, but it was excellent.

All in all, A&A has provide some damn good times. Beats the hell out of Monopoly  :wink: Good idea for a thread, I liked reading Herr’s and GoSanchez’s stories.  :mrgreen:

One of the original nova game rule screw ups we lived with for a considerable period of time was the number of pieces you could own.  It was thought you could only build as many units as you had cardboard pieces for.  I can’t recall what the numbers were but it was something like 20 infantry, perhaps 8 tanks and I would have to guess the rest.  There were no ‘poker’ chips in the original game if I recall.  It was rather important for Japan to get her units off the islands as you can only have so many infantry.

I can recall being the axis and having built all the units I could save a few navy units.  Both countries but mainly Japan would have saved enough money so right after the big battle against the USSR one could pretty much rebuild all the 20-x infantry you had lost along with all the tanks you were allowed to build plus most if not all the allowable air units.  The allies had the advantage as they could have 60 infantry on the board rather than the 40 for the axis and so on for the other pieces.  Those were the days……

Your story was a lot like mine…1988 at my friends house with 2 other friends and his dad…I was U.S. an like you had no idea what I was doing.  The dad was germany and for some reason sent 3 subs down around south america.  I spent all game chasing that damn wolfpack and pretty much losing the game for the allies.
We still laugh because our buddy that played the U.K. put a Industrial complex in every african country so, I didn’t feel like the only clueless player that night.

@GoSanchez6:

What made it great AB was all the trash talk at the table and comraderie and the drinks. Aside all of that I have always had a great interest in WW2 thats how the game got me. I have been hooked ever since.

Trash talk makes the game.

Good stories.
The part about a player native to each country was unbelievable.
I can’t remember much (was over 22 years ago :-o) but I remember my very young opponent, who had played all of 2 or 3 times, buying steady fighters with the UK. Not stupid, except that he kept them all on the island, doing nothing but defending against some future attack that wasn’t coming.

Funny, if you consider this game I’m playing currently:
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=24311.0
Have played at least 200 games since those days in the 80’s! Hooked again since discovering “Revised” in about 2007 (played about 50 games on GTO) and fortunately got my copy of Anniversary in November 2008 when it came out…. Have been gaming constantly on this site ever since… Don’t know if I’ll ever stop - A&A is that good. :-)

Can’t remember first game and what happened or who I played( I probably lost), but I was hooked. Was at University in 87. I know it was of the things I most looked forward to each week (!) Played on a week day night for 4 hours at the Boardgames Club and sometimes were so many wanting to play, I had to watch!
I did pass my exams in case you were worried.

I played as the U.S.

The Axis players wanted to spend a turn -building up- and didn’t attack much of anything LOL…

My first roll was 6, 6, 6. On Tech Development… :D  And of course to us - that meant 3 technologies!  Industrial Production, Long Range Air, and Jet Fighters.

POW!

@Cromwell_Dude:

Early 1990’s. Played my best friend. He had to get up and leave the table because of the stress on his heart. Never got to finish the game. I play for the friendship and don’t tolerate trash talk at the table.

Stress on his heart? How is his condition today?

Oh yeah, I remember!  Well, it was the mid 80’s and we had always played Risk.  “We” being my brother and I, my dad and sometimes a friend of his and occasionally my mom.  I was 11 or 12 at the time, so pretty young.  This was 1985.  Dad would always make house rules that we had to follow.  Funny how those rules always seemed to favor what he wanted to do as far as strategy….LOL.  Well, mom took us to a toy store one day and there was this really cool looking war game on the shelf called “Axis & Allies”.  I still remember my brother and I gawking at the pictures on the side of the box showing all the cool little miniature pieces.  We wanted to take it home but mom didn’t buy it for us that time but came back a month later and bought the game for my dad for his birthday.  All four of us played it that night.  The only game of A&A my mom ever played.  I don’t remember what nation I played but I was hooked on it as was my brother…and so was dad for the most part.  We played several games over the following years with dad although he doesn’t play anymore unless we bring it over and we all have time, usually on a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas.  My brother and I play head to head on occasion if we both can find the time in our busy lives.  I still have a couple complete copies of the 2nd edition game even though I know I will probably never play them again.  I just have them for nostalgia purposes.  Great memories!!

Good stuff, Busa, thanks for sharing.

You may want to look into online play.  It is the perfect way to play A&A, especially with family/friends and you can sit down and play just a half hour at a time.  It doesn’t take up a table in your house, and won’t get messed up.

Good story. Play it on this Thanksgiving. Get it off the shelf.

Cheers Sanchez - it was a good idea.  I always read this thread’s updates.  :-D

Guys,

Another GREAT thread!

––Although it’s been at least 300+ games ago, in our 1st A&A game(mid-80’s)Europe/England was a big cauldron when the U.S.(my Dad) invaded and then built a factory in Norway. That led to a lot of scrambling by everyone.
----I always enjoy a group that invests time & thought in their strategies. Anytime a new idea/strategy is implemented, modifications and/or counters follow. GREAT GAME!

----Several times in the past we’ve gone to one of the local universities to “enlist” some young/bold competitors. Usually the 1st game the “college boys” get humbled by the “old men”, which leads to much better thought out strategies by them, no doubt to exact revenge, and much better and longer games.

----I must say though. My older brother, Pat, who has an M.B.A. and has such an “Alpha Male” competitive spirit that he’s known as “Maverick” in games and when piloting his hot-air balloons,…is a great “OUTSIDE-THE-BOX” type of thinker and it’s very dificult to beat him. He doesn’t always do what you’d expect,…and is very EFFICIENT in his purchases/movements/attacks. I guess that come from his business background.

----This game is great FUN!

“Tall Paul”

My first game was never finished, at least it ended in an agreed tie.

Basically the Axis controlled the entire Eurasian landmass, the Allies the oceans; and nobody had any idea how to break the stalemate.

Great thread.

I saw the game the first in a toy store. And spent hours in the next few weeks just to stare at the box pictures and figueres. Eventually I bought the game in a book store, but was disappointed that the rules were only in English and the figures less detailed than on the pictures. I was probably around 15 years old and English is not my mother tounge.

Soon I played my first game with a friend. But I’d had the advantage of studying the rules, the game’s goals and map more than him, so it was not all that fair for him. We had hardly understood all the rules, especially I remember we struggled with the rules regulating submarines. We understood the Suez Canal, but in the start we believed an allied party had to control Gibraltar in order to let friendly vessels pass from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and vice versa. We had no idea what strategies we should use. No one dared to attack on the Eastern front, because of the vast number of forces we eventuelly put there. Most of the fighting took place in Africa and other places far away. We built and dispatched expeditionary forces that would conquer / liberate Brazil, Madegaskar, Australia etc over and over again. My buddy was the Axis powers, and at one point he had more troops in Africa than in Europe. In a moment of clear vision, I took a chance and invaded Germany. He was stunned and lacked enough forces to liberate Germany afterwards. Instead he decided to defend Japan to the last man, and bought only armor to ble placed in Japan for the rest of the game. Both of us were now hooked on A&A and he bought a game for himself next week. He defeated me some games later, and we have defeated each other over and over again after that.

Some of the best moments were when we had 4-5 players. Great atmosphere, loud cheararing, laughing… The Allied players sang “Rule Britannia” at the top of their lungs when the UK player was rolling dice in crucial battles. The Axis players knelt and prayed loudly to God, if He really existed He had to let Germany win World War II. Only for fun of course, and mighty fun it was!

Nice post Herr KaLeunt; enjoyed the read.
I used to look forward to the weekly games at university at the Games Club. More often than not  there were more than 5 wanting to play, so I would have to watch and dream of conquests(German ones of course).