Axis & Allies - Custom Setups and bids for Revised and Spring 1942 (1st)

Considering that it is good to use as few chips or bucks as possible to fill each player’s amount, more high-value coins and fewer low-value coins should be used.
Looking at the needs for the Anniversary edition we cover all the others except the Global edition which has higher requirements and taking into account that the Anniversary, Europe, Pacific and Global editions also require extra amounts from the National Objectives Income.
It should also be taken into account that it is impossible to achieve all National Objectives at the same time because on the one hand some overlap between rival powers and also it is impossible for both sides or for all powers to excel at the same time. However, here the calculation takes into account the theoretically maximum amount that can exist.
Below I also list the quantities required in editions as well, including the revenues from the National Objectives, where they exist:
Starting IPC’s for Axis & Allies games:
1941: 55
Pacific 1940: 81 (157)
Spring 1942: 166
Anniversary: 171 (246)
Europe 1940: 149 (249)
Global 1940: 241 (373)
A&A IPC Calculation.pdf
A&A IPC Calculation photo.png
For the Anniversary edition:
IPC Chips with a value of 1:
It is possible that 6 quads with a value of 1 are needed at the same time. For example if all powers have income ending in 4 or 9 (eg 4, 14, 9, 19 etc). This means that 24 chips with a value of 1 may be needed.
IPC Chips with a value of 5:
Also if all powers have income ending in 5 to 9 at the same time (eg 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16 etc) they may need 6 tokens with a value of 5 at the same time. This does not change if there are chips with a value of 25 in the set because then, they complete the five after 25 to make a ten up to 30 for the amounts that follow (e.g. 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42 etc.).
IPC Chips with a value of 10:
If there are no chips of 25 then 20 chips with a value of 10 may be needed at the same time since the maximum total income reaches 246 IPC.
Having chips worth 25 greatly reduces the requirement for chips worth 10 used to complete tens between 10 and 25 or between 25 and 50 (eg 35, 45 etc). Therefore, the highest requirement for chips with a value of 10 occurs if all powers need two chips with a value of 10 at the same time, so 6 pairs, i.e. 12 chips with a value of 10.
So the perfect sets for the Anniversary Edition are:

Simple required set: 24x1 + 6x5 + 20x10 = 256 IPC with 50 chips Simple configured set: 25x1 + 5x5 + 20x10 = 250 IPC with 50 chips Full required set: 24x1 + 6x5 + 12x10 + 3x25 = 249 IPC with 45 chips Full configured set: 25x1 + 10x5 + 10x10 + 3x25 = 250 IPC with 48 chips

Likewise for the Global version:
IPC Chips with a value of 1:
If all powers have income ending in 4 or 9 (e.g. 4, 9, 14, 19 etc), 10 quads with a value of 1 may be needed at the same time, meaning 40 tokens with a value of 1.
IPC Chips with a value of 5:
Also, 10 chips with a value of 5 may be needed at the same time if the powers’ incomes end in 5 to 9 (eg 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16 etc). This does not change if there are chips with a value of 25 in the set because then, they complete the five after 25 to make a ten up to 30 for the amounts that follow (e.g. 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42 etc.).
IPC Chips with a value of 10:
If there are no chips of 25 then 29 chips with a value of 10 may be needed at the same time since the maximum total income reaches 373 IPC.
If there are chips with a value of 25 it greatly reduces the requirement for chips with a value of 10 which are used to complete tens between 10 and 25 or between 25 and 50 etc. Therefore, the highest requirement for chips with a value of 10 occurs if all powers need two chips with a value of 10 at the same time, so 10 pairs, i.e. 20 chips with a value of 10.
Therefore the perfect sets for the Global version are:

Simple required set: 40x1 + 10x5 + 29x10 = 380 IPC with 79 chips Simple configured set: 40x1 + 10x5 + 30x10 = 390 IPC with 80 chips Full required set: 40x1 + 10x5 + 20x10 + 4x25 = 390 IPC with 74 chips Full configured set: 40x1 + 10x5 + 20x10 + 5x25 = 415 IPC with 75 chips

The dice rules for both “Low Luck” and “No Luck” (that means “No Dice”) ways to play, in pdf file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/x4j29q8euk5u8hv/A%26A Dice options.pdf?dl=0
(The texts are not entirely mine, but I do not remember the sources. However, it is from the time when we played on “Game Table Online”)

“Low Luck” Rules for Axis & Allies:
The common way to play with Low Luck is like this…
For every combat round you add the values of the attacking and defending units.
For instance if you are attacking with 4 inf and 1 fighter and the defender has 2 inf, then the attacker has 7 attack points while the defender has 4.
Every 6 points means that you’ll get a hit, and you roll a dice for the leftovers.
On this case the attacker would have 1 automatic hit, while rolling a die and hitting with a 1, while the defender would roll a die to hit on a 4 or less.
Imagine both the attacker and defender had 1 hit each. On the next combat round the attacker doesn’t have to roll (it has 6) while the defender rolls for 2 or less. And it goes on until one or both sides are destroyed or the attacker retreats.
The same applies for ships doing land bombardment during amphibious assaults.
Example: For two Battleships you have 8 firepower points in bombardment, so you get one automatic hit and you roll the dice for 2 or less to get a second bombardment hit.
For the Antiaircraft guns if the attacking airplanes are six you get one automatic AA hit. If they are less than six you roll the dice and if you get the number of planes or less you get one AA hit.
Example: For nine attacking airplanes you get one automatic AA hit (for the first 6 planes) and you roll the dice for 3 or less to get a second AA hit (for the remaining 3 planes).
Alternative rules (for AA guns):
With AA shots you can either roll individually for each plane, or you can roll for each type of plane.
Or just add up all the attacking planes and divide that number by 6. 11 Fighters, 11 Tactical Bombers and 2 Strategic Bombers = 24 Planes, 4 planes are lost.
The thing with that approach is that it allows for very effective strategic bombing campaigns. You send 6 bombers against an IC on a territory worth 8 IPC or more (on Global 40 against a Major IC): 1 bomber gets shot automatically by the AA, resulting in a loss of 12 IPCs but the other 5 bombers deal an average of 3.5 damage to the targeted IC. You keep buying one bomber to replace the lost one and the other guy has to either pay a lot to build units or abandon the IC.
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“No Luck” (that means “No Dice”) Rules for Axis & Allies:
The total firepower points of the fighting units divided by 6 and rounded gives the number of hits. That means if the firepower points are 3, 4, 5 or 6 you get a hit and if they are 1 or 2 you don’t get hit. For example:
Three attacking tanks (firepower 9) causing two hits to the defender (one for the first 6 points and one for the remaining 3 points of the total firepower).
If the opposing fighting units have low firepower (less than 3 points) and no one can do a hit to each other, you must keep the leftovers between battle rounds until there is at least a 3 firepower hit. For example:
Two attacking infantries (firepower 2) eliminate one defending infantry (firepower 2) in two battle rounds.
Antiaircraft guns (AA):
The total number of attacking airplanes divided by 6 and rounded gives the number of AA hits. That means if the number of airplanes is 3, 4, 5 or 6 you get an AA hit and if it is 1 or 2 you don’t get hit. For example:
If the attacking airplanes are nine the AA gun causes 2 hits (one for the first 6 planes and one for the remaining 3 planes).
Alternative rules:
Whenever you have a battle, you add up each of the different types of attacks, just like low luck. The difference is, you keep the leftovers between battles.
No hits are inflicted until a total of 6 is reached.
Example: I attack with 10 infantry against 3 tanks.
Round 1: I have total attack value of 10 (10 infantry attacking at 1). Total defense value is 9 (3 tanks defending at 3). So I get 1 hit, and the defender gets 1 hit. However, the remainder is NOT rolled, but saved for the next round.
Round 2: I now have 9 infantry attacking 2 tanks. My total attack is 9; the total defense is 6. HOWEVER, we add the leftovers from the last round, so my total attack becomes 9 + 4, while the total defense becomes 6 + 3. That makes for 13 and 9 respectively. I get 2 hits, the defender still gets 1 hit. Now I have 8 infantry, the defender has nothing.
Obviously antiaircraft guns become totally useless because you can attack with up to 5 planes, and nothing will ever get shot down (the AA gun total never reaches 6 or more since it only fires once).So the solution is to keep a running total for AA guns not just between combats, but for the WHOLE GAME, and knock off a fighter (or a bomber) whenever the total hits 3.Same thing for battleships.

@barnee Tutledove is a treasure trove for an Alien Invasion during Spring 1942 Axis & Allies Universe. Perhaps a Larry and Turtledove Kickstarter Game.

Or u can wait for another exciting WOTC Axis & Allies 🧟‍♀️ 1914 Zombie Game. Thanks, Pellulo

@jesse144 I don’t know about Football or whomever “John Boyd” is. Clausewitz is the real genius and to read his book is to profit from real military wisdom. You can believe that.

I have put together a video of some of my biggest blunders and lowest luck. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R-B2AkMWAo

@Panzerboy0191 Unfortunately, the WBC no longer supports Axis and Allies (or many wargames these days), mostly due to the shift in nature of that tournament away from wargames and towards more traditional “Euro-games” (think Power Grid, Settlers of Catan, etc.).

However, Greg Smorey hosts A&A events at Origins and Gen Con every year, if you’re in the neighborhood. See @Midnight_Reaper 's post for more details.

@jagdpanther69 I do not know of any such rules. I’ve looked and looked. I have never found anything. I’m planning to gin some up in the new year, but they would be strictly house rules.

If you do find anything, please let me know.

-Midnight_Reaper

@Karl7:

@CWO:

@Narvik:

Pacific 2001 was the first game with convoy zones, naval bases and air bases, and my favorite, the CAP, Combat Air Patrol, the current scrambling is by far not that good.

Another novel feature of the original Pacific game was that it came with two types of American infantry units (regular infantry and Marines, represented by one sculpt model in two different shades of green) and two American fighter units represented by two different sculpts (though their cost and characteristics in the rules were identical).

And don’t forget the sheer number of bright red toys you got to play with as Japan!

Or that crazy J1 turn where you had to try to get in as many attacks in as possible while your opponents were defending at 1.

Ahhhh, the memories….

Also, don’t forget the unique victory condition. Could result in real cliffhanger games–the US bombing Japan trying to claw back the VC points while Japan tries to hold on/capture India.