Axis & Allies Miniatures Set 3: Contested Skies

And now we wonder why the Thread is locked??? :-o :|

GG

Aircraft Deployment
After the movement phase and before the assault phase there are now two new phases: the flight phase and the airstrike phase. Unlike most other units, Aircraft don’t get placed on the battle map during deployment, and they don’t move around. Instead, they are placed during the flight phase and then removed from the battle map at the end of the turn. As a reminder that they don’t move around the battle map, Aircraft have an “A” on their stat cards where the speed value should be.

Extended Sequence of Play
A. Initiative phase (both players)
B. First player’s movement phase
C. Second player’s movement phase
D. First player’s flight phase
E. Second player’s flight phase
F. First player’s airstrike phase
G. Second player’s airstrike phase
H. First player’s assault phase
I. Second player’s assault phase
J. Casualty phase (both players)
K. End of turn (remove Aircraft)

Flight Phase: During your flight phase, you can place your Aircraft anywhere on the board. Aircraft with face-up Disrupted counters can’t be placed—you’ll have to wait until the disruption wears off first.

Airstrike Phase: During your airstrike phase, you can attack with each of your Aircraft. Hits scored in the airstrike phase are considered to be simultaneous with hits scored from normal attacks during the assault phase.

Assault Phase: Soldiers and Vehicles may attack Aircraft during the assault phase.

• The first hit counter received by each of your opponent’s Aircraft during your airstrike or assault phase is a face-down Disrupted counter.
• The second hit counter received by an Aircraft is a face-down Destroyed counter.

Casualty Phase: In the casualty phase, both players apply the effects of damage dealt by enemy fire in the airstrike and assault phases. Take these steps in the following order.

1. Remove current face-up Disrupted counters, including those from disrupted Aircraft that are off the battle map. Don’t remove existing Damaged counters.
2. Flip over new hit counters.
3. If a unit has a Destroyed counter, it’s destroyed. Remove it from the battle map.
4. If a Vehicle has a single Damaged counter, it’s now damaged.
5. If a unit has a Disrupted counter, it’s now disrupted.

End of Turn: At the end of the turn, remove your surviving Aircraft from the battle map. You won’t be able to place disrupted Aircraft during your next flight phase—you’ll have to wait until the disruption wears off first.

Aircraft Combat

Attacks Against Aircraft: When attacking an Aircraft, units use their anti-Soldier attack values, but get a –1 penalty on each attack die.

Hit Counters on Aircraft: An Aircraft that receives two simultaneous hits gets a face-down Destroyed counter, just like a Soldier.

Terrain: Aircraft never have cover. Terrain does not block line of sight to or from an Aircraft.

Facing: Like Soldiers, Aircraft have no facing.

Defensive Fire: Aircraft can’t make defensive-fire attacks against Soldiers or Vehicles that move between hexes adjacent to the Aircraft.

Stacking: Aircraft do not count toward the normal limit of four units in a hex. However, there is a limit of one Aircraft in a hex.

Antiair
Some units in the Contested Skies set are better at shooting down Aircraft than others. Units with the antiair ability do not suffer the usual –1 penalty on each attack die when attacking Aircraft.

In addition, if an Aircraft is placed in a hex adjacent to a unit with the antiair ability, then the Aircraft provokes a defensive-fire attack from that unit. Other than the condition that provokes it, this attack is a normal defensive-fire attack.

And, the new pictures are up.  Why is there another freaking Sherman?? The 232 is nice, but the LAST thing we need is another Sherman….at least one in American markings.

That is probably a Sherman 105 or Sherman Firefly…

Having perused the Avalon Hill boards, and comparing every Sherman mini to about four different Sherman web galleries, I’m convinced it’s the M4A3, 105mm.  If they’re going to try and give the US an assault gun, why not the Priest?

Why do they give the americans so many useless units? There are way too many variants of the same tank. The americans still dont have a MG, which is retarded. The 50 cal had an important role in the war. I am sick of the vickers, it sux compared to the MG42 and 10 times outta 10 it is blown away before it does any significant damage. PEACE

I agree that the allies need an mg, they also need a different sniper than the russian one. They could also make MP44’s for the germans and MP40s. They could make thompsons for the americans and stens for the brits, they could make so many different figures, its amazing they haven’t yet. I’m really looking forward to the set though. I’m ganna get a case as soon as I can.

Well, Predator, that’s the whole concept behind Miniatures games.  If they released all these units, then the projected life of the A&A Minis collection would not be as long as it could be.  It is, after all, about making money over the long-term.  They broke the ice by releasing the Russian sub-machine gunner. I’m convinced that future sets will bring up most, if not all, of the units that all you guys want to see.  :wink:

Werd, they’ll keep releasing sets until there’s not enough people buying the game to warrant it, which means they’re gonna feed 'em to us s-l-o-w-l-y. I don’t mind actually, since it gives us time to get up the cash to buy enough of one set before they hit us with another one. Plus it’s not a tabletop war game like Flames of War. It’s a collectible wargame, which is why everything isn’t out at once.

-=Grim=-

My only concern about Axis and Allies as a collectible miniatures game is the inveitable glut of items available for play.  Magic set the standard for restricting tournament play for those who hadn’t collected the early power cards.  The Clix games are doing the same thing-Mechwarrior has a restricted tournament environment.

I don’t want to see the same thing happen eventually in A&A.  One of the great things about historical miniatures gaming is the fact that the Panzer IV is never rotated out of the game - that would be absurd.  Granted, if such a thing would happen, I’d quit playing in an organized format, but I don’t want it to come to that.

The only limitation I can see ever being on the game without people walking away in disgust is the one that’s already on the cards: the dates fpr each unit. I can see Early War and Late War tourneys, but since this is a historical game there’s no justification for taking out units. A Panzer IV removed from a tourney could only be done so in some lame “what if?” event.

Otherwise WotC gets a kick in the groin from every person who stuck through this game from the beginning and were loyal customers (if not prolific). I’ll hold 'em down, everyone else get in line. ;)

Naw, I don’t think they’d do that. This is a historical game. Magic is not.

-=Grim=-

I’m with Grim - the only restriction “The Man” can impose is to strictly adhere to unit dates, and also to certain nationalities fighting/not fighting together.

The new preview is up, and we’ve got stats for the 105mm Sherman and the SdKfz 234, and what do I see?  We’re getting a Katyusha!!  The flakpanzer is also nice, but the late-war Russians just got real good.  I hope the range of the Katyusha’s rockets is reflected on the card.

I called it from the beginning, the german flak and the russian rockets. Another indicator of what to come is the romanian tank busters, there will be americans too, i have a certain inkling. PEACE

Erm… I can’t seem to find this stuff on the site all of a sudden. The link brings me to the page w/ all the boosters and stuff. I wanna see the new stuff,  :mrgreen:!

-=Grim=-

Our weekly dose of update is available on the Avalon Hill site.

The Katyusha looks good for the cost, but I can’t decide if the salvo ability is really worth it.  Are there any soldiers that can be hit with only two successes?  It seems snipers and Anti-tank guns already disrupted are the only things touchable.  The Flakpanzer seems to be a good unit to have if you know you’re dealing with a lot of soft targets.

And the preview minis are….A Sturmovik!  It keeps getting better for the People’s Army.  More cool stuff to throw at the facists.  The other mini looks like a forward artillery observer or a simple radioman.  I can’t tell nationality, but it’s definately a winter weather outfit.

Cool, the Italians, Romanians, and French are getting fleshed out.  Each get a commander and some fire support.

2 German, a Japanese, an American, and a Russian aircraft.  Three Air Superiority fighters and two ground attack aircraft.  Five planes?  Not much to contest the skies with.