Played the first game last night

@andrewaagamer I have not heard of such a document, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Yes 2 tanks might not be enough…I find it is important for Russia to have some tanks as well so when necessary, it can run to India for temporary support. Just UK and US planes alone are not enough to support India at first few rounds.

Yes i agree. Ive played this game on triple a as the axis vs allies on easy AI, and it took me awhile to subdue usa (the only allied power left). I eventually did, just for the fun of it, (i think around turn47)(probably never going to do that again!) :-D But it took a painstakingly annoying lot of time and build up, even though axis controlled almost everithing. The japanese built a factory in brazil and just kept bombing the us, while germany built up ,took eastern canada, built a factory there, and eventually took Washington. With 63 fighters , 27tanks and 21 infantry, and 12 bombers. Then planes flew to canada, and a german tank took West usa and west canada on next turn by blitzing. The one thing i dont like about playing this game against AI,(i dont know about other ones yet, havent tried playing them), i had to built up a HUGE force as germany cuz i wanted to be sure to take usa. Because it seems like to me the computer is trying to “hack” almost every single roll for his favor when he ends up in a predicament :-), and i end up losing battles as the axis that i should have won guaranteed, were it a normal table board game. Having the computer roll for you, and rolling dice yourself is not the same thing :-D

Differences (from memory):

Second Edition adds/changes:

-Destroyers
-Cruisers
-Two hit battleships
-AAA (now a combat unit and nation specific)
-Strategic bomb damage works differently
-New costs for most units
-New rules for subs and destroyers
-Completely revised map: Lots more territories and sea zones; income levels and starting unit counts are very different (favors axis); the Atlantic ocean now takes two turns to cross for East USA to England; fighters have to land in Iceland or carrier otherwise don’t have enough range; China and the Pacific Ocean are much revised, et al

But the dice keep it fresh. Every game is different. New challenges. The need to recover from different setbacks. I think the random element adds a lot to this game.

On the other hand it is all about probability. If it wasn’t we would not need strategy. Strategy is what I love about this game. My weakness is that I can lose focus when I start to add up big stacks of unit numbers and values.

A perfect mix of strategy and chance.

I like them to start with Russia. Tanks and infantry are much easier to deal with than with all the units like Japan.

Start them off by saying, “Bill is your ally. You really need to listen to him until you get a feel for things. And that will take about 2 games.” The first game is always a wash. Always tell the new guy that the first game is just for fun. Because, really, they need to get through it to get an idea of the end game.

Also, I like to play 2 rounds and then reset. Then play Russia for at least 2 games, but preferably 3. It’s up to them at that point.

And it’s important to guide them while letting them make decisions. Keep things simple. New guys don’t need to know the intracacies of every unit type during the first turn. Set them up for the standard buy, and move on with life. Tell them what moves to make and let them roll the dice (because until they understand how combat works, they can’t understand what units to commit to battle, or buy, or even where to place them).

But again, I think it’s important to keep things simple. Don’t explain EVERY battle the other players fight. Of course, use the other battles as teaching moments. Show them the rule book and show them how the rules apply. “See, it says here that enemy subs can be ignored if there are no enemy surface ships.” And, “See how fighters start their movement independent of their carrier. See how they can move three spaces, fight, and then back one, and land on their carrier?” Just don’t pile on rule after rule.

And for several games at least, don’t let them make stupid mistakes. It’s no fun to win because they didn’t understand that bombers can fligh across the US and attack un-escorted carriers in the middle of the Pacific.

Funny blog and cool photos.  :-) I like the coloured units, lots of original colour on them - helps to differentiate them, very clever.

As per Krieghund. 10 for Allies, 9 for Axis