Big Bang Theory!

@Mallery29:

I’m out to sea right now, so I’m only going off what my wife told me, but I guess they were playing A&A on the latest episode of Big Bang Theory….can’t wait to see it when I get back!

This is correct. On the episode new airing March 06, 2014 they had A&A laid out on the coffee table central to the set. I think this is the '42?

@Young:

What I find really interesting is when Leonard asks “are we playing individual or teams?” which suggests that these actors don’t know the game at all, or they have some kind of interesting house rule.

It suggests neither the writers, nor the actors know the game. My guess is props gets sent a lot of geek stuff to use to decorate the set and the script called for playing a game that was either individual or team and A&A was close enough.

Little disappointing, it’s a WWII game called Axis & Allies, aren’t factions implied to a lay person with some knowledge of history? The box has WWII artwork. Doesn’t actually take someone with a PhD to figure that out.

@frimmel:

@Young:

What I find really interesting is when Leonard asks “are we playing individual or teams?” which suggests that these actors don’t know the game at all, or they have some kind of interesting house rule.

It suggests neither the writers, nor the actors know the game. My guess is props gets sent a lot of geek stuff to use to decorate the set and the script called for playing a game that was either individual or team and A&A was close enough.

Good point.

Its on my DVR, I’ll watch it!

An A&A cameo… is it a first?

@Young:

@frimmel:

@Young:

What I find really interesting is when Leonard asks “are we playing individual or teams?” which suggests that these actors don’t know the game at all, or they have some kind of interesting house rule.Â

It suggests neither the writers, nor the actors know the game. My guess is props gets sent a lot of geek stuff to use to decorate the set and the script called for playing a game that was either individual or team and A&A was close enough.

Good point.

Very fine point, the short appearance in the sitcom of the game had to bring the game to the thoughts of a broader audience.

@wittmann:

Sheldon as Germany: I can see that.
Leonard the States, I suppose. Or would it be Howard?
Who would be Russia: a girl? Or Leonard…

Sheldon as Germany, Leonard as US, Rajesh as the U.K, Howard as Japan, bring in the comic book store owner as USSR.

I want Sheldon on my team!  He would be the best at getting the other players off their game, and distracting them or just plain driving them crazy.

Now if they would spend an episode going to the Board gaming convention and playing Axis and Allies….

I know I was pleasantly surprised to see A&A set up on the table, out of nowhere!

@ABWorsham:

@wittmann:

Sheldon as Germany: I can see that.
Leonard the States, I suppose. Or would it be Howard?
Who would be Russia: a girl? Or Leonard…

Sheldon as Germany, Leonard as US, Rajesh as the U.K, Howard as Japan, bring in the comic book store owner as USSR.

Raj (an east indian) playing the UK might be equal to Howard (a jew) playing Germany. Raj for Japan, Howard for UK… everything else you got bang on.

@axis_roll:

An A&A cameo… is it a first?

No. D-Day  had a cameo on NCIS (the original with Harmon.) Ducky and Palmer had the set in the morgue as part of profiling a suspect.

It’s hard to make out the details in those pictures, but we can see that the set decorators at least took the trouble to divide the pieces into correct Axis and Allied camps, with the black German and orange Japanese pieces on one side of the board and the green American, tan British and maroon Soviet pieces on the other side of the board.  With four guys playing five powers, the only possible team combination would be two guys playing Germany and Japan respectively, with the three Allied powers split two-and-one between the other two players.

I’ve never seen the show and I don’t know the characters, but from the positioning of the four guys and the five sets of pieces it looks like the two characters on the right are playing the Axis.  Their sofa is somewhat awkwardly positioned for both of them to handle the Axis pieces, but it would be manageable for the guy completely on the left to handle Japan (he just needs to get up) and for the guy with the glasses to play German (whose pieces he can reach from his seat).  Conversely, it would be difficult for the guy with the glasses to play Japan, since he’d have to lean too far to reach the pieces or get up and walk around the guy who’s on the sofa next to him.

The character completely on the left is probably playing the Russians (the maroon pieces are closest to him), and the character next to him is probably playing the US (the green pieces are closest to him).  The British pieces are in between those two guys, so either one could be handling the UK, but the character with the yellow sleeves seems better positioned at the table to control both the tan and green pieces.

So my guess is:

Far left guy: USSR
Middle left guy: Anglo-Americans
Middle right guy: Germany
Far right guy: Japan

It’s amusingly appropriate from a political point of view that (as seen from the audience) the Soviets are on the left, the Germans and Japanese are clustered on the right, and the British and Americans are in the middle.

@frimmel:

@Young:

What I find really interesting is when Leonard asks “are we playing individual or teams?” which suggests that these actors don’t know the game at all, or they have some kind of interesting house rule.

It suggests neither the writers, nor the actors know the game. My guess is props gets sent a lot of geek stuff to use to decorate the set and the script called for playing a game that was either individual or team and A&A was close enough.

I’d certainly accept that theory, but could it possibly be for comedic effect?  An in-joke perhaps?

We can only hope!

@frimmel:

Have not seen this episode yet, since Norway is a few months behind, but it is my favorite tv show.

I guess Howard, at left, play Russia, since he originate from Poland, and is a Jew. From his seat he reach all of Russia

Shelton is most likely to play both Germany and Japan, since he is from Texas (Dixieland) and tend to a fascist behavior, he always must have control. And from his seat he reach both Ge and Ja

Leonard must of course play USA, and is currently focused on the European theater.

Raj Koothrapali at far right play UK, of course

@Jermofoot:

@frimmel:

@Young:

What I find really interesting is when Leonard asks “are we playing individual or teams?” which suggests that these actors don’t know the game at all, or they have some kind of interesting house rule.

It suggests neither the writers, nor the actors know the game. My guess is props gets sent a lot of geek stuff to use to decorate the set and the script called for playing a game that was either individual or team and A&A was close enough.

I’d certainly accept that theory, but could it possibly be for comedic effect?  An in-joke perhaps?

The joke would be “going to war” since that is what ends up happening, metaphorically, to Sheldon and Howard. Or representative of being at war.

Maybe the set had been on the shelves in the comic shop set for a couple of seasons now but was just unnoticed because it is background/off camera? Some props gopher/intern/lackey went to the game shop the day before and said, “I need a wargame?”

The placement of each character is indicative of their regular seating plan on the show, and has nothing to do with the game board that is setup in front of them. Also, the dialog suggests that the characters haven’t made teams yet, however, that may not suggest that the characters haven’t declared their nation of choice. For example, the Russian pieces are in front of Howard and no where near Russia on the board, also… Howard is playing with a Russian warship piece in his hands which all suggests that he has chosen to play Russia. Sheldon is organizing the American and United Kingdom roundels, and the fact that the American pieces are positioned right in front of “his spot” as well as his wish to play on Howard’s team… automatically suggests that Sheldon will play America. Raj wants to play with Howard, although the plan was to play teams suggesting 2 against 2, but this is also contrary to the rules which state that in the event of a 4 player game, 1 player will play the axis, and the other 3 players will play the allies. Judging from the information of the 30 second cameo of A&A, Howard will play Russia, Raj plays UK, Sheldon plays USA, and Leonard plays the Axis. FYI… Playing on the same team as Sheldon would be hell, even if you win.

@Young:

Sheldon plays USA […] Playing on the same team as Sheldon would be hell, even if you win.Â

This is funny because just last night I was watching a documentary DVD that spoke about Montgomery in much the same way, saying that no American general wanted to work with him because he had such a detestable character.

Given the dynamics of the show, it would’ve made more sense for Sheldon to play as the Axis since it’s another chance to put down the intelligence and skill of his friends all on his own. Plus he’s stated a desire to create a genetically superior offspring with Amy that would become part of a ruling class to guide/rule the world, so Germany is definitely up his alley.

@General:

Given the dynamics of the show, it would’ve made more sense for Sheldon to play as the Axis since it’s another chance to put down the intelligence and skill of his friends all on his own. Plus he’s stated a desire to create a genetically superior offspring with Amy that would become part of a ruling class to guide/rule the world, so Germany is definitely up his alley.

You’re right