Just Got Axis And Allies Nova

Playing Kid · Oct 7, 2019, 1:38 AM

Hello, there isn’t a Nova page so I’ll put this here,

I recently purchased a copy of Axis And Allies Nova which is the original Axis and Allies made in 1981 which was before Milton Bradley (1984)

I’ve heard that many people don’t know there was an Axis And Allies before Milton Bradley, but I just wanted to post a photo of it all set up for anyone to enjoy.

(This game is also the only Axis And Allies to have an Atom Bomb that you can make)

DoManMacgee · Oct 7, 2019, 4:03 PM

I’ve never actually seen this version before aside from the occasional picture.

Just looking at the map there appears to be a number of differences between this edition and the Gamemaster Edition. Just at the bare minimum, USA owns Saudi Arabia and Venezuela? 3 China territories instead of two? Southeast Asia is similarly split into like 3 different territories instead of “French Indo-China”, similar story for Australia and South Africa. Special shout-out to German-controlled Ethiopia. IPC values look different too.

What’s the overall gameplay like Vs. Classic?

General 6 Stars · Oct 7, 2019, 4:09 PM

You sure US owns China, S A and Vene ? It does show Light blue and not dark ? What is the Atom rule ?

Playing Kid · Oct 7, 2019, 8:01 PM

@SS-GEN
China, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia are all Neutral Countries (which is odd for China as they were at war with Japan).

The reason they are colored differently is because at the end of the US players turn they get money equal to the territories they own + all light blue neutrals (they have IPC’s on them unlike classic)

This encourages others to invade neutrals to stop this from happening (unlike classic in which there was no real need to invade neutrals).

These aren’t the only neutrals to do this. Spain and Sweden give money to Germany, and Persia and Iraq give money to Britain.

Atom Bombs are made the same way any tech is made in classic. Pay 5 dollars for each dice, on a 6 you gain tech, roll again to see which of 6 different tech you get.

If you get an Atom Bomb you place it at an industrial complex like any other unit, they do not move by themselves.

They can be captured and be used by the enemy just like an AAA gun or Industrial Complex.

Using one of a bomber’s movement points you can load an Atom Bomb onto it (only one on a bomber at a time).

You can use the bomber to have a nuclear attack on the place. When this happens the enemy removes all pieces in this territory including factories and AAA guns.

Playing Kid · Oct 7, 2019, 8:03 PM

The bomber still has to avoid being shot by the AAA gun

Playing Kid · Oct 7, 2019, 8:09 PM

@DoManMacgee

I couldn’t tell you how the game is like as I haven’t played it yet. (In fact, I don’t even have anyone to play it with!)

But some notable differences is that there is a tech in which each country gets their own special ability.

Soviets can move factories

Germans have the Panzerkorps, a tank which attack at 4, def 5 (only one at time)

British have Home Guard, when defending “United Kingdom” infantry defends at 3

Japan has Kamikaze, planes do not need to land, just eliminate them at the end

And America has the Marines, infantry in an amphibious assault attack at 2.

Playing Kid · Oct 7, 2019, 8:13 PM

Another interesting thing, players have a max amount of any unit they can have. For example: You can only have a maximum of 20 infantry on the board which sucks for Russia as they start with 20 infantry on the board so they can’t by infantry on their first turn!

Midnight_Reaper · Oct 7, 2019, 8:30 PM

More information about the Nova Games Design version of Axis & Allies can be found on the Axis & Allies wiki, to include a pdf of the games rules and a mash-up map, with the territories from the Nova Games versions on a map with the look of the Milton Bradley game map.

-Midnight_Reaper

IWillNeverGrowUp · Oct 7, 2019, 8:39 PM

A co-worker of mine just told me today that he passed up buying a complete copy (less a bit of box damage) of this version for CA$70 last week because he didn’t think it was legitimate … I screamed at him.

DoManMacgee · Oct 8, 2019, 3:44 PM

@Playing-Kid said in Just Got Axis And Allies Nova:

@DoManMacgee

I couldn’t tell you how the game is like as I haven’t played it yet. (In fact, I don’t even have anyone to play it with!)

But some notable differences is that there is a tech in which each country gets their own special ability.

Soviets can move factories

Germans have the Panzerkorps, a tank which attack at 4, def 5 (only one at time)

British have Home Guard, when defending “United Kingdom” infantry defends at 3

Japan has Kamikaze, planes do not need to land, just eliminate them at the end

And America has the Marines, infantry in an amphibious assault attack at 2.

These remind of me of the completely absurd “National Advantages” you could use in Revised, which I think did mostly the same thing as these.

The rule about Neutrals is actually very interesting. A different take on the “Axis/Allied aligned Neutrals” that G40 had. I like how it creates incentive to attack but also lets you bypass them if you want to “go for the throat” so to speak.

The nuke sounds absolutely hilarious to play against. Not even remotely close to being balanced but a great deal of fun.

djensen · Nov 7, 2019, 9:18 PM

@Playing-Kid After you play a game of it, would you be willing to do a full review?

Playing Kid · Nov 8, 2019, 11:56 PM

I’ve been meaning to do reviews on the many games I have, problem is I got no one to play them with. Might just have to play them solo.

Does any have any idea for a good free program to record and or edit videos with (Preferably for ios)

Playing Kid · Nov 8, 2019, 11:56 PM

@djensen forgot to hit reply to you

zooooma · Oct 28, 2020, 11:21 PM

Awesome! I bought a copy years ago, and almost got it to the table once!

A big difference in this game is that newly built ICs have unlimited production. USA can build a factory in Finland and spend all there money there.

Imperious Leader · Oct 28, 2020, 11:29 PM

The game is broken, you can build a factory anywhere and USA build one in eastern china and rolled over Japans attempt of establishing her hold in Asia.

Imperious Leader · Oct 28, 2020, 11:30 PM

The only thing cool are the optional rules which include Panzerkorps SS, et al

AAdudeCPHDK1981 · Nov 7, 2020, 5:01 AM

@Playing-Kid I have one as well :) and I am currently on the hunt for the Australian released version of the same game (the letovers that didnt sell went downunder and were reboxed - as far as I know (please correct me if someone knows something else)).

Midnight_Reaper · Nov 7, 2020, 5:01 AM

@AAdudeCPHDK1981 said in Just Got Axis And Allies Nova:

@Playing-Kid I have one as well :) and I am currently on the hunt for the Australian released version of the same game (the letovers that didnt sell went downunder and were reboxed - as far as I know (please correct me if someone knows something else)).

So, there is a story to all of this. I don’t guarantee that I know the whole story. I do promise that this version is what I understand to have happened.

Larry Harris sold Nova Game Designs his idea for a game about WW2. This game was called Axis & Allies. While Nova Game Designs printed more games than just this one (even more games designed by Larry Harris than this one), we will concern ourselves with just this game.

Nova Game Designs (NGD hereafter) did a print run for 5000 sets of components (sheets of colored cardboard chits for pieces, sheets with the unit stats and initial setup, map sheet, rule book, dice, box, what have you). The NGD version of the game was first sold in 1981. Sometime between 1981 and 1984, Milton Bradley bought the rights to A&A and hired Larry Harris to be a game designer for them. When Milton Bradley bought the rights to A&A, NGD could no longer sells A&A. At least, not in the US. This apparently left NGD with about 1500 sets of pieces left.

By all appearances, what NGD did then was set up a deal with JEDKO, selling the down-under games producer everything they had left of the A&A print run. JEDKO made a new box and stuffed all of the old guts into the new boxes. And so, 3500 NGD A&As (roughly) and 1500 JEDKO A&As (roughly).

If you have questions, I’ll try to answer them.

-Midnight_Reaper

AAdudeCPHDK1981 · Nov 7, 2020, 1:36 PM

@Midnight_Reaper It sounds just about right (at least according to what I have heard from others about the Nova Games/Jedko Games versions).

We have talked earlier about you having som expansion sheets of the french and chinese for these versions, is this still the case? If so, I would like to purchase two if possible :)

Imperious Leader · Feb 10, 2021, 2:51 AM

US builds a Factory on the Chinese space that’s closest to Moscow, and game over. But if you not allow new factory’s then the game is fun. I shall never grow up games should make a AA counter set for games like Global 1936, because it has sooo many damn unit types that you need counters with combat values. They need to make a counter set for a world war one game due to the unavailability of decent miniatures, also add civil war…

Just Got Axis And Allies Nova

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