Not bad actually

Definitely not as good as other AA alternatives, but it’s an excellent way to coax new/casual players into the game. I’ve done several games in under 90 minutes, and the reduced troop count gives new players a fighting chance.

I love this game.  I first got it purely for the sculpts, since I am a 28-year-old child who is ready for his son to get here already so that it will be socially acceptable for me to play with toys again.  However, I have ended up playing it, and despite whatever criticisms I’ve read here, the game did what it said it was going to do and more.

I don’t find the Axis overpowered or any of the other things you might read on the boards (I find that we A&A players tend to love grumbling, sort of like that one Monty Python skit about the old guys fussing about their childhoods), but I am mostly using the game to break in a few new people.  The game is geared that way, and I think there is a slightly modified setup which adds a US destroyer to the Atlantic and 2 Infantry to Russia, but I haven’t felt the need to do that.  A couple guys and gals from a board-gaming group my wife and I have have expressed interest in playing, and I’ve been teaching them via 1941.  So far, the games go either way, with the others usually playing the Axis, since the Axis start with more toys, but not always.  I use the simple board as an opportunity to teach them about creating dead zones and identifying natural choke points.  The major change is in having to carefully shepherd your high-value pieces, since overextending here has far graver consequences in a much shorter time-span.

In our seven or so games over the past few months, I think that the easiest powers to play are Germany and the UK, while Russia and especially Japan have the sharpest learning curves.  I have seen a new player immediately grasp the use of transports and use infantry from Australia and India to deny the Japanese some of the “economy islands,” and the ensuing chaos led to a successful invasion of Japan.  I have seen the Russians (played by a new player) use the tempting target of a lightly defended Caucasus to isolate and destroy most of the German armored fist (also a new player, but they kept laughing about Stalingrad and Kursk, so I don’t think anyone was upset by the turn of events).  I have seen Hawaii invaded and a successful US bypass of the islands to kill the Japanese navy and follow it up with an island-hopping campaign that left Japan holed up on the home island unable to really get off.  Heck, we even had German ships in the Indian Ocean one game.

The people I play with are no strangers to brutal games or long play times.  We play Game of Thrones: The Board Game regularly (perhaps because we all secretly hate each other), Risk in various editions, Catan (easily and oddly enough the most hateful and competitive), and now Axis and Allies.  I used to only have a couple people to play with, and now this little game has really proven its worth.  Yes, it is very simplified, but that is its beauty.  I’m glad I picked it up, and I hope you see the success and fun that I have had with your own endeavors.

Good Luck.

Had an epic marathon last night of playing the Original Pacific first then the original Europe. I frankly stomped both games, and one of our 3 players had to leave after Europe, but the other wanted to play another game. Seeing as how he wasn’t at my level just yet, I got out 1941 and a fantastic game took place. Normally you want to give the new kids the axis but he took allies, so I gave him the buff of 1 US destroyer and 2 Russian inf. and set off getting him all oiled up on the combat and what not.

He was a little skeptic when we were setting up at the more basic looking nature of the game, but two turns in it was great fun. He was smart enough to go Japan first, though sloopy in his execution of it and it ended up costing him the game. He was able to invade the home islands of Japan but I had spent the past two turns waiting for that and a fleet of bombers from the Philipines  sunk his navy for the time being, though he honestly did a great job of going after Japan, he was rusty on the ostfront. I wasn’t really playing serious, and even though I ended up winning, I explained to him about good times to attack, when to defend, deadzones, using India to it’s fullest (I didn’t capture it until turn 5 with a horde of German tanks).

Personally, I love this version. Yeah sure it’s great for new players, but there can be some really great games when you take two experienced players, and put them down on a game that is A&A at it’s basics, strategy. With units now so vauluble battles have to be that much more decisive and no oppertunity can go left unexploited while at the same time you get out of position once and it can be game over. I really do love this game, not my favorite by any means (the first revised, and the original Pacific take the cake for me (until WW1 that is)) but still a really fun and quick game.

@AxisRommel:

Got my two very strategic friends to play 1941 and god did it take a while, it is very true that with two or more experienced players playing 1941 it can be lots of fun. I was Axis and they were Allies, unfortunately, are game was cut short and there was no winner, I was on the verge of invading UK and they was on the verge of invading Japan so the game could have gone either way  :-P

Told you it can be fun. It’s just so basic that it takes some real thinking to win against an evenly matched opponent.

This game is fun as effin hell. Great to teach beginners.

Indeed, even got my girlfriend to play it. She actually dominated as Japan and could’ve invaded the US if I hadn’t knocked out the German player…but shhhh! don’t tell her she’s good or it will go to her head.

Glad to hear people like it.

I have yet to buy it, but Will do so now. The girlfriend loves the game but AA42 2nd edition is too much for newbies if you dont have all the mechanics down.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

@Canuck12:

Glad to hear people like it.

I have yet to buy it, but Will do so now. The girlfriend loves the game but AA42 2nd edition is too much for newbies if you dont have all the mechanics down.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Don’t forget to give Russian 2/3 extra infantry in Moscow and an US destroyer on the EUS coast.

Actually, I’m playing a solo game at this time. ^_^

(Good way to scratch the A&A itch when you don’t have the time/patience for a longer game.)

Played a game tonight as the allies. Allies won, with Russia building a Battleship in the Black Sea just for fun…it was the greatest thing ever  :-D