Thinking of 1942.2 buy?

We usually play G40, so buying 42.2 was a way of finding a shorter game.

Boy, it is short; the Allies consistently lose on or before Turn 4.  This means we play more often, but then we argue over what the bid should be and who gets to play the allies.

It’s as fun as any other version once you get used to the bias, and it wasn’t a waste of $42 (4 players x 20 games = .52 cents per game per player .17 per hour).  Cheapest date in town.

I would buy Global boards if you dont’ have them, they have the most variation and the most expansive ruleset and piece set.

If you do already have those, this is a lighter and faster version.  America and Russia are too weak, some of the incomes are printed incorrectly, and the Axis has minimal problems “meeting in the middle”, but none of that stuff is too different than the original version from 1985 (though it might have been a bit more balanced without the new pieces).

You’ll need to bid Allies in order to make this one fair.  We started at 12-14 and are up to 24-30 (just like G40!!)

I really enjoy 1942.2, but it would never occur to me to buy it if I already had Spring 1942. Just get a sharpie and draw a line separating out Algeria, Sudan, and Malaya! Presto, instant “upgrade”.

It’s pretty similar in terms of the materials and scale. The map has some fairly significant changes though, particularly with the sea zones.

The main thrust is largely the same, meaning you can expect Axis to do pretty much what they always do in A&A, but the Allied response has to be executed rather differently mainly on account of the sea zones.

If find that the early rounds feel almost backwards in the Atlantic compared to earlier boards. Here the US really has to lead UK (at least for defensive fleet positioning), and the Anglo-American piggyback can seem a little jarring on that account. Less shucks.

The Pacific side is also rather different. The position of the British, and again the sea zones, make the early rounds as Japan rather tweaked on the water too.

The ground game is much the same, though somewhat less defined by tank drives, you see a similar sort of push on the center. China is organized somewhat differently, and India/UK purchase is a bit more central to the whole process of managing Japan vs Russia.

I wasn’t thrilled at first, and it still has some kinks for sure, but it’s still the latest board at this scale, so it has that going for it. Its kept me entertained, even just puzzling out how I can make it play the way I want it to haha, so I think it was worth grabbing. Though I would brace for a larger Allied bid,
and maybe a few head scratchers along the way.

Global 1940 second ed is a solid buy, even if rather pricey at this point. The set up, rules, and gamelength are more involved in Global. 1942.2 is pretty stripped down by comparison,  but also a lot cheaper. Many of your sculpts here are interchangeable with other recent boards, so 42.2 can be nice for bolstering the toy trays or battle bags. It’s also got the green chip hehe
:-D

its a good point that after seeing many key Lego sets go out of print (commanding 200-500% MSRP NIB within 2 years), that at some point, specific boards will no longer be in circulation and then they will be $300.    Someone already offered $100 for Guadalcanal…I found D-day for $5 at a garage sale last year…

I always track prices on Amazon.  I got 1941 in early December for 15.99, just for the sculpts.  It just recently went back to 15.99 and now to 17 buck or so.  I have both Global second edition games and those are quite pricy, but very nice.  To your point….when do you forsee Global 2nd edition going out of print?  Do you think it is a good investment ?

1941 was printed as a mass market game, it was $20 at US Target Stores.  I don’t foresee any recent edition being truly “collectible”, because they have been printed for long runs and most stores seem to have 1 or 2 copies of 1940 2nd edition at this time.  The AxA minis appear to be somewhat collectible, again they were massively printed but they have been out of print for several years and there is a community of people who still want select (ships).  I don’t believe that the “land warfare” AxA collectible game was nearly as popular.

When a game is active, new editions will push out old editions, such as the Pacific 2000 and Europe 1999 boards.  I see very little demand for these as well, because they are obsolete rulesets.  However, they do have a different set of “hard” glossly plastic sculpts that are different, and the games are indeed different.

Its different for the Dday, Battle of Bulge and Guadalcanal versions.  Those are completely different games and they were printed for a short amount of time, 10 years ago.  They are collectible.

As far as the Global Boards go, they are the premiere product.  They should stay in print for a while.  However, the game appears inactive (this can change at any time) right now, so eventually they will run out of the most recent print of these and the decision will have to be made to print 20-30K more…which I don’t think they will make (Argo points out many recent editions contain disappointing properties and re-issues).

So, to conclude, Global boards may grow rare in the next couple years, or dry up, but I don’t see them as going up in price much.  If there is still “fulfillment by amazon” and a 20% discount, that is a sign that they have many copies at the warehouse.  Once only individual sellers are pricing the game at %100MSRP, its becoming uncommon.  The naval minis and “theatre” games appear to be the best targets.

I personally would recommend you purchasing 42 2E in addition 42 spring.  I played both - both are great games and IMHO they are different enough for worthy purchasing.  It looks similar but actually play very differently due to the redesigned map and initial setup.  In addition to this you likely will need more pieces than the box provided if you play a complete game so 2 boxes are perfect :-D

Absolutely get it - it is the sweet spot between beginner and super advanced(global).

@Argothair:

I really enjoy 1942.2, but it would never occur to me to buy it if I already had Spring 1942. Just get a sharpie and draw a line separating out Algeria, Sudan, and Malaya! Presto, instant “upgrade”.

Is this really the only difference between the two versions? (Aside from the AAA units and rules/setup I assume)

@Booper:

@Argothair:

I really enjoy 1942.2, but it would never occur to me to buy it if I already had Spring 1942. Just get a sharpie and draw a line separating out Algeria, Sudan, and Malaya! Presto, instant “upgrade”.

Is this really the only difference between the two versions? (Aside from the AAA units and rules/setup I assume)

Let’s get some pictures of the two maps, so that you can see the difference. I know that the first map (one 33" x 20" board) is smaller than the second map (two 20" x 26" boards for a total size of 40" x 26"), and I think there are more differences than that, but I think pictures would work better.

Spring 1942 (42.1) Map

1942, Second Edition (42.2) Map

I hope this illuminates things for you.

-Midnight_Reaper

P.S. Edit to add size of maps.

I see a question about if he should buy 1942.2 and everyone jumps in and tells him to buy Global.

1942 and Global are completely different animals… it’s like if I had a Camaro and asked if I should keep it or get a Firebird (assuming they still existed in production) and everyone chimed in that I should just buy a Lambrogheni… whoa, whoa, whao, completely different thing here.

Imho, 1942 to 1942.2 is mostly about updated sculpts and a few map changes, but the difference isn’t huge… really you just need to ask yourself if the cost is worth it to you for very minor changes (to some it would be).

If you’re looking for a different gaming experience,  sure there is Global, which is a huge step up in complexity, map size and most of all, time commitment… go for it if that’s your thing, but it’s a lot different than the scale and time commitment of 1942… there is a middle ground upgrade that is more involved than 1942 but less than Global and that’s Anniversary edition which I’m surprised nobody mentioned as an option… I might recommend that as your choice if you want something similar to 1942 but not as drastic a change as Global.

@Nowhere:

I see a question about if he should buy 1942.2 and everyone jumps in and tells him to buy Global.

1942 and Global are completely different animals… it’s like if I had a Camaro and asked if I should keep it or get a Firebird (assuming they still existed in production) and everyone chimed in that I should just buy a Lambrogheni… whoa, whoa, whao, completely different thing here.

Imho, 1942 to 1942.2 is mostly about updated sculpts and a few map changes, but the difference isn’t huge… really you just need to ask yourself if the cost is worth it to you for very minor changes (to some it would be).

If you’re looking for a different gaming experience,  sure there is Global, which is a huge step up in complexity, map size and most of all, time commitment… go for it if that’s your thing, but it’s a lot different than the scale and time commitment of 1942… there is a middle ground upgrade that is more involved than 1942 but less than Global and that’s Anniversary edition which I’m surprised nobody mentioned as an option… I might recommend that as your choice if you want something similar to 1942 but not as drastic a change as Global.

This thread is from early 2017, when Anniversary hadn’t been reprinted yet.

yes Anniversary is the sweet spot between 1942 and Global 1940.

Spring 1942 is a waste of time IMHO. Revised is better for the “'quick” game of A&A.
1942 2nd is totally different game than Spring 1942. Just look at the Pacific theatre of both maps. More territories and decisions to be made in 1942 2nd ed.
I took all my Spring 1942 pieces and added them to my other games to beef up unit counts.

The board in Spring 1942 is also too small for any real play value.

@calvinhobbesliker:

This thread is from early 2017, when Anniversary hadn’t been reprinted yet.

Oh, i missed the fact that someone brought the thread back from the dead, my bad.