AA50 Themed Dice Towers

Hey Incline,

I was in the same boat with AA50 and perhaps this might help.  Here’s a post that I posted on fieldmarshalgames.com forum site.

“Here is a folding game/poker table that I built for Axis & Allies. Quite a few hours and dollars to put together and it being my first table, I think it turned out pretty good! Now I don’t have AA50 but I did, with time and effort, make my own version. The map was printed to 28x48” (map was created by Imperious Leader that I downloaded from Gameboardgeek.com) and I even went as far to make the combat board, National production/research chart and the nation cards. I repainted the pieces so they match because I don’t have AA50 and had to mix pieces together to replicate it. I must say it turned out well and it was a lot of fun!"

Here is the link to the post as well for more pics.
http://fieldmarshalgames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=560

Here is the link for the AA50 manual.
http://www.wizards.com/%5CAvalonHill%5Crules%5CAxAl-AnEd_Rules.pdf

table5.jpg

Although I have only played a few games of AA50 a few things seem clear regardless of the scenario:

1. Chinamen vaporize faster than the humans In War of the Worlds…for a 1940 population of 455mil you have a better chance of finding a brontosaurus on the map by turn 3, possibly by turn 2 with the 41 scenario. Perhaps the spawn policy should be changed…maybe 1 for every 2 terr rounded up.

2. He/she who controls the Gaza strip rules the world…the strip between Egypt and India plays a major role in deciding the game. If this is in allied hands the russians can usually hold the Caucases… if not their position is tenuous. conversely,

3. Germans cannot live on a diet of sauerbraten alone… a little linguini and sushi help the digestion (of Russia) If the russian player is good I think it is difficult to do it with Germany alone. Just as russia need to hold out until the allies arrive Germany only needs to hold the front with/without  Italy’s help until you can get double/triple penetration on cau/rus with Japan.  Italy can either support france freeing the huns for eastward movement or shuttle thru Istanbul  Btw, I think closed Dardanelles is for pussies.

4. NOs…I don’t know. The axis NOs are more easily obtained but I certainly like the extra 5 I get in russia for no foreigners as it lets me squeeze an armor in here and there.

5. Pocket change…whenever I have a few extra scheckles I find myself buying subs particularly in a no tech game.  Its like a boxer with a good jab. keeps the Japs out of the Americans face, also good for the Med.

6. Advantage who…are the axis really favored???  I am currently plaing a gencom rules game where axis recieved a bid. Maybe this is to offset the allied VC
advantage with an 8 turn / 6 hour limit  an no NOs    I’d like to know peoples thoughts on who is favored and why

I agree for more than just the financial reasons.

A Pac Strategy is SOOO easy in this game to pull off, even a rookie can do it!  (With the Allies.)  Japan literally cannot be everywhere with it’s navy at once like it could in Classic and (to a lesser extent) revised.  Too many new sea zones let you hide your fleet around.  If Japan splits up to protect all avenues of approach (notice that they would have to move into range of your fleet to block you after starting out of range) then you can focus your firepower to destroy their smaller fleet(s).

@hakan:

I have changed my mind. I also think the NO’s are brilliant! Not only because they make the strategies look more like in the real war, but also (don’t bark at me Krieghund) because you can balance the game yourself, or to simulate for example the “Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact”, just by adding a few lines in the NO. Much better then to add complicated Optional Rules.

I have nothing against house rules, per se.  I use them myself.  I just think that some people are too quick to implement house rules to address perceived imbalances in games, before enough games have been played to determine whether there actually is a balance issue.

Thank you all for your comments so far :-)

@DarthMaximus:

Sorry Funcioneta.   :cry:
Now you and TC have to try and prove the opposite.   :-)

I had no doubt of it. Not even a slim doubt  :-D

There is a thread in the Find Players and Game Discussion section for people looking for AA50 games.

@timerover51:

@Krieghund:

Chinese units can’t leave China.  However, they may enter Hong Kong.

Since in many respects, China is played closer to the historic reality, I am not sure that I would agree with that.  In 1944, Chinese units were moved into Northern Burma as part of the Allied offensive to clear Northern Burma and get the Ledo Road into operation.  You also had Merrill’s Marauders in operation there as well.  Once the Northern Burma area had been cleared, the British-Indian forces proceeded to clear the rest of Burma, using a fair number of tanks units in the process once they got clear of the mountainous terrain.  This is one area where it would be nice to have some terrain effects, as the Assam-Northern Burma area and the Assam-Burma border is some of the worst terrain in the world to fight in or try to conduct military operations through.  It is not totally impassable, like the Sahara Desert or Himalayan Mountains, just very close to it.

Please recall that the game rules are probably to facilitate game play moreso than to ignore the historical reality of what happened.  Maybe you can incorporate a house rule that says something like ‘after round 10, the chinese units are no longer restricted to China’

Substitute whatever round you want, I just chose 10 for an example.