I’m new to the forum, and a bit confused as to which version of A&A i was playing back when I was a kid.
I bought A&A back in Jr High, in the mid 1980’s. It was published (at the time) by Milton Bradley games. My friends and I played on a lot of weekends - especially in the winter (in Michigan). I remember that there is nothing quite as satisfying as planting the Japanese flag in the Eastern US :) I just wish I could remember how I managed that trick…
I’m thinking I was playing 2nd Edition. The rule book looks about right, but it’s been … a couple of years, and I don’t have the game anymore. I gave it to a friend when I joined the Army. The map (as I recall) looked like the one attached.
What I am really looking for is the names and values of the territories. I whipped up the Setup Charts and Unit data in Excel, and would like to add the territories. A group of gamers at the local game shoppe have decided to start playing A&A fairly regularly, and I want to use the information to come up with some basic strategies and to help knock some of the rust off that part of my brain. Like me, the guy bringing the game to Game Night bought his copy back in the 1980’s and it is also MB games, so it makes sense to wrap my head around that version.
I also want to be sur I’m in the right part of the forum. There is a lot of information and knowledge in here, but I want to be certain I’m reading the right stuff and not confusing myself.
Welcome to the forum, ironnerd.
As you can see from the main page
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php#2
the edition that this subforum is about has been released in July, 2012.
This is a different game with a different ruleset.
You are looking for the subforum of the game released in 1986,
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?board=28.0
That’s indeed A&A 2nd Edition (of “Classic” by MB).
HTH :-)
Dude! :mrgreen:
Thank-you.
What is the current version of the Classic MB game? I may have to buy myself something for Christmas (since finding the Logan’s Run books is proving to be very difficult).
The standard, medium sized edition is refered to as 42.2 (5 teams). This takes about 4-6 hours to play in a competitive game, and costs 45/70 (amzn vs retail). This is the game most often played in tournaments.
I call that version “1985”, the backronym for it is 1942. The old edition is still played at Gencon, but the 42.2 game is the same scale, with some of the updated pieces and rules. As you may suspect, this 1985 edition is playable but feels outdated because defending yourself at sea is a bit difficult because of the piece selection and smaller economies.
A “Cadillac” version of the game was also created, this is two separate boxes that are refered to as “Global 1940”. These sets are (70/90 x2) more expensive, but you get the full flavor of the rules and the sweeping scale of the whole world. This game is the gold standard for extremely dedicated play (8-10 hours or more, 7 teams).
There are also custom games such as Global War 1936 that are spin-offs of AxA. These games are more complex and expensive, but they are more fully “strategic” games. They are not printed by WoTC.
There are also 5-6 obsolete versions of AxA, which have their own maps and layouts, but are no longer in print and use a less modern ruleset. There is a 50th edition set, which is the rarest as it was a collectors edition and the last copy I saw was $300+, though Global is far better and similar.
Many of these games are considered solid but flawed, such that one team or the other (usually the Axis) is considered to have a decisive advantage with the out of box rules. Adding or removing select pieces can address these concerns.
“1985” is the version you played to clarify. 1942.2 is the most current, mainstream edition.
Steer clear of the “1941” version found at Target. This very cheap (20-30) edition was created as an entry level game and does not contain enough pieces or goodies, and is not very high quality.
Just a bit more of information about the timeline in the 80’s:
http://www.harrisgamedesign.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2244#p24512
Alrighty then…
Which AAA map represents 1942 2nd ed?
Milton Bradley put out the “Classic” Axis and Allies back in 1984… this is the version I have… in 1986, they polished up the rules a bit and put out “2nd Edition”, but there’s really no difference between the 1984 and 1986 versions of the MB game, the board and units were all the same, only the rules changed a bit (not drastically).
The CLOSEST current version to that 1984 Classic A&A out today is Axis and Allies 1942: Second Edition… that is the closest experience today to the 1984 version you recall.
There are four versions currently in-print, that (more-or-less) equal five games…
1941
1942: Second Edition (SE)
1940 Europe: SE*
1940 Pacific: SE*
*the two 1940 versions combine to make 1940 Global: SE, which is a much bigger and more involved global game than the smaller 1942 version… but will also take much longer to play
As for the people warning of the horrors of 1941, take that with a grain of salt… 1941 has a target audience which you may or may not be a part of… 1941 is the cheapest version with the fewest pieces and is basically a “light/fast” version of 1942… its a global version like 1942, but with fewer territories, fewer units… this makes it less complicated and faster to play… its target audience is people new to the game and/or people looking to play Axis and Allies in the shortest amount of time (as opposed to the many, MANY hours that 1940 Global can take).
1942 is the closest cousin and direct descendant of the classic Axis and Allies of MB 1980s days, and probably what you should look at getting first… 1940 is the more hardcore, longer-playing version, and 1941 is the fastest/simplest version of the game. At the very least, 1941 provides new unit sculpts that you could mix-in with 1942 and/or 1940 that neither of those games have by default for a cheap cost… there’s nothing wrong with 1941 if you understand what it is.
I agree with Wolf about 1941.
I play and own all four (or five) versions he lists, plus 1914. But the shorter duration of 1941 allows me to play it most often - typically twice per month.
It has also allowed me to introduce over 20 new players to the wonder that is A&A. :-)
Welcome to the forum ironnerd!
Cheers
PP
