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Axis & Allies

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Axis & Allies Board Game
Axis & Allies: Classic (1984)
DesignersLarry Harris
Players2–5
Setup time10-30 minutes
Playing time2–10+ hours
ChanceMedium
Age range12+
SkillsTactics, strategy, economics, teamwork, logistics

Axis & Allies is a series of World War II strategy board games. Originally designed by Larry Harris and published by Nova Game Designs in 1981,[1][2] the game was republished by the Milton Bradley Company in 1984 as part of the Gamemaster Series of board games. This edition has been retroactively named Axis & Allies: Classic to differentiate it from later revisions. In 1996, Axis & Allies: Classic was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame.[3] Games magazine also has inducted Axis & Allies into their buyers' guide Hall of Fame, an honor the magazine extends to "games that have met or exceeded the highest standards of quality and play value and have been continuously in production for at least 10 years; i.e., classics."[4]

Axis & Allies: Classic was the most successful of the five Gamemaster Series of board games. Long after the Gamemaster name was retired, A&A: Classic lives on having been moved to the Avalon Hill lineup following the acquisition of Milton Bradley Company and Avalon Hill by Hasbro. The game itself has gone through several revisions, most recently in 2013. The object of the game and its spinoffs, is to win the war by capturing enough critical territories to gain the advantage over the enemy in a recreation of World War II.

After acquiring Milton Bradley (1984) and Avalon Hill (1998), Hasbro transferred the Axis & Allies: Classic (1984) board game from the Milton Bradley division to the Avalon Hill division in 1999. In 1999, Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast. In 2004, Hasbro made Avalon Hill a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast (WotC).

The Axis & Allies (1984–present) board game series is currently produced by WotC under the Avalon Hill label. Hasbro is the parent company. There are a total of 11 board games in the Axis & Allies series, 8 of which are currently available from many game resellers. The two out-of-print A&A board games, Axis & Allies: Classic (1984) and Axis & Allies: 50th Anniversary Edition (2008) can be found on various auction websites.

The original Axis & Allies: Classic board game has been followed by ten spinoff games using more or less the same mechanics: in 1999, Axis & Allies: Europe was released, with slightly updated rules and focus on the European theater of World War II; this was followed in 2001 by Axis & Allies: Pacific with similar rules and focus shifted to the Pacific theater. Axis & Allies: D-Day (2004) focused on the Allied liberation of France. In 2004, the first major revision to the core game, Axis & Allies: Revised was released, with elements taken from A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific, also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Axis & Allies itself. Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge (2006) focused on the Battle of the Bulge in Europe while Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal (2007) focused on the Solomon Islands Campaign in the Pacific. In 2008, Axis & Allies: 50th Anniversary Edition was released as one of the three games celebrating the 50th anniversary of its publisher, Avalon Hill (the other two games were Acquire and Diplomacy). This was followed by Axis & Allies: 1942 in 2009, the second major revision to the core game, with mechanics taken from the anniversary edition, also celebrating the 25th anniversary of Axis & Allies itself. Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940 was released in December 2009 and Axis & Allies: Europe 1940 was released in the second half of 2010.

The 11th A&A board game in the series, Axis & Allies: Europe 1940 was released in August, 2010. The game can be combined with Pacific 1940 to form a Global game of World War II on a combined 175x80 cm (70" x 32") map. All nine major powers of World War II, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and the ANZAC forces, are represented in the combined global game with unique units and colors. To streamline the game and correct balance issues, Global 1940 was revised and a new rule set was released on the Axis & Allies forums in January 2011.

Axis & Allies is not a strict historical wargame, due to its streamlining for ease of play and balancing so that both sides have a chance to win. For instance, the economic model is simplistic, with each territory producing a number of Industrial Production Certificates (IPCs) for the purchase of new units. Moreover, the game is supposed to start in the spring of 1942, but Japan is immediately in position to attack Hawaii again, while Germany is pressed well into the Soviet Union with an initially superior force. If the game were truer to history, the Axis empires would be at their climax in 1942, about to be pushed back by the Allies.

Versions

Release Title Start Pieces Board (inches) Board (cm) Type New units[n 1] Playable powers
1981 Axis & Allies (Nova Games Edition) 1942 415 37 × 19½ 93 × 50 Global Same as Classic plus nuke. Pieces were cardboard 5:  Germany,  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
1984 Axis & Allies: Classic 1942 299 33 × 19½ 83 × 50 Global Infantry, armor(tank), fighter, bomber, battleship, aircraft carrier, submarine, transport 5:  Germany,  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
1999 Axis & Allies: Europe 1941 373 30 × 20 75 × 50 Theater Destroyer, artillery 4:  Germany,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2001 Axis & Allies: Pacific 1941 335 30 × 20 75 × 50 Theater Destroyer, artillery, marines 4:  China,[n 2]  Japan,  UK,[n 3]  USA
2004 Axis & Allies: D-Day 1944 241 30 × 20 75 × 50 Local Artillery, blockhouse 3:  Germany,  UK,  USA
2004 Axis & Allies: Revised
(A&A 20th Anniversary Edition)
1942 366 33 × 20 83 × 50 Global Destroyer, artillery 5:  Germany,  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2006 Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge 1944 157 30 × 20 75 × 50 Local Artillery, truck 3:  Germany,  UK,  USA
2007 Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal 1942 172 30 × 20 75 × 50 Local Destroyer, cruiser, artillery 2:  Japan,  USA
2008 Axis & Allies: 50th Anniversary Edition
(Avalon Hill 50th Anniversary)
1941/42 672 46 × 24 115 × 60 Global Destroyer, cruiser, artillery 7:  China,[n 2]  Germany,  Italy,[n 4]  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2009 Axis & Allies: Spring 1942 (A&A 25th Anniversary Edition) 1942 370 33 × 20 83 × 50 Global Destroyer, cruiser, artillery 5:  Germany,  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2009 Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940 1940 455 35 × 32 89 × 81 Theater Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, mechanized infantry, tactical bomber, air base, naval base 5: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( Australia and  New Zealand),[n 5]  China,[n 2]  Japan,  UK,  USA
2010 Axis & Allies: Europe 1940 1940 550 35 × 32 89 × 81 Theater Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, mechanized infantry, tactical bomber, air base, naval base 6:  France,[n 6]  Germany,  Italy,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
Axis & Allies: Global 1940[n 7] 1940 1005 70 × 32 178 × 81 Global Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, mechanized infantry, tactical bomber, air base, naval base 9: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( Australia and  New Zealand),[n 8]  China,[n 2]  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Japan, Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2012 Axis & Allies: 1941 1941 160 32.5 × 17.5 83 × 44 Global Destroyer 5:  Germany,  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2012 Axis & Allies: 1942 (Second Edition) 1942 410 40 × 26 102 × 66 Global Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, antiaircraft artillery 5:  Germany,  Japan,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2012 Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940 (Second Edition) 1940 500 35 × 32 89 × 81 Theater Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, mechanized infantry, tactical bomber, air base, naval base, antiaircraft artillery 5: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( Australia and  New Zealand),[n 9]  China,[n 2]  Japan,  UK,  USA
2012 Axis & Allies: Europe 1940 (Second Edition) 1940 610 35 × 32 89 × 81 Theater Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, mechanized infantry, tactical bomber, air base, naval base, antiaircraft artillery 6:  France,[n 10]  Germany,  Italy,  Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
Axis & Allies: Global 1940 (Second Edition)[n 11] 1940 1110 70 × 32 178 × 81 Global Destroyer, cruiser, artillery, mechanized infantry, tactical bomber, air base, naval base, antiaircraft artillery 9: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( Australia and  New Zealand),[n 12]  China,[n 2]  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Japan, Soviet Union,  UK,  USA
2013 Axis & Allies: WWI 1914 1914 400 32.5 x 32.25 82.6 x 81.9 Theater Cruiser, artillery, naval base 8:  Austro-Hungarian Empire,  British Empire,  France,  Imperial Germany,  Italy,  Ottoman Empire,  Imperial Russia,  USA
Notes
  1. ^ New units when compared to the original A&A: Classic version of the game.
  2. ^ a b c d e f China is a separate power with limited production capabilities that is played by the United States player with light green infantry units.
  3. ^ Australia and India are distinct powers that are both played by the UK player.
  4. ^ Italy appears for the first time in the A&A board game series as a separate power with brown units.
  5. ^ Australia and New Zealand armed forces can be played as a separate power or are played by the UK player with dark tan units.
  6. ^ France appears for the first time in the A&A board game series as a separate power with blue infantry units.
  7. ^ Playable by combining A&A: Pacific 1940 and A&A: Europe 1940.
  8. ^ Australia and New Zealand armed forces can be played as a separate power or are played by the UK player with dark tan units.
  9. ^ Australia and New Zealand armed forces can be played as a separate power or are played by the UK player with dark tan units.
  10. ^ France appears for the first time in the A&A board game series as a separate power with blue infantry units.
  11. ^ Playable by combining A&A: Pacific 1940 (Second Edition) and A&A: Europe 1940 (Second Edition).
  12. ^ Australia and New Zealand armed forces can be played as a separate power or are played by the UK player with dark tan units.

Gameplay

In every edition of Axis & Allies, players play as the major belligerents of World War II: Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The A&A: 50th Anniversary Edition also includes Italy as the third Axis power and China as the fourth Allied power. The A&A: Pacific 1940 edition includes China and ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand armed forces). The A&A: Europe 1940 edition includes Italy and France. The players playing the Axis powers team up against those of the Allied powers in an attempt to conquer key territories, represented by regions on the map board. In earlier editions, this was done by capturing and holding until the end of a round of play certain territories where the opposing alliance's capital cities are located. In later editions, this also included other territories on the map, where "victory cities" are located. In the original Milton Bradley edition, A&A: Classic, the Axis powers could also win by capturing and holding until the end of a round of play enough territories to gain an economic advantage. This "economic victory" was dropped in later editions of A&A.

Each round of a game involves each of the powers moving in turn according to a specified order; the game ends when either the Axis powers or the Allied powers complete their objectives. When each power takes its turn, they must first declare how they are to spend the IPCs (Industrial Production Certificates, an abstract currency representing one million man-hours of labor) in their possession: this may go into buying new units, improving units through research (in earlier editions), or repairing damaged structures (in later editions). Players then declare any movements made that would result in combat, moving their pieces as appropriate, and after resolving combat, declaring any non-combat movements. At the end of the turn, players then place any units that were purchased at the beginning of the turn and collect IPCs based on all territories that they control at the end of their turn.

Combat is typically divided into several types; in all types, however, combat is divided into rounds. In each round, attackers and defenders roll dice to determine which of their units deal hits on the opposing side. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the unit's attack or defense rating (where appropriate), the unit scores a hit on an opposing unit of the opponent's choosing. During the round if an attacker defeats an enemy, the enemy can do a final retaliation before death, then be taken off the board. Some types of combat, such as strategic bombing raids, naval bombardment, and anti-aircraft defense, last only one round, though in others the attacker has the option of either continuing with another round of battle or retreating. Combat is fully resolved when either side loses all their units or the attackers choose to retreat. Though combat in different territories may be resolved in any order of the attackers choosing, combat in one territory may affect the number of combatants in another territory for later battles, as in the case of an amphibious assault or when attacking units withdraw.

Units

Unit comparison: Five Global Editions
Unit name Edition IPC cost ATK DEF MOV Notes
Infantry Classic 3 1 2 1
Revised Infantry attack increases to 2 when paired with artillery.
50th Anniv.
1942
1940
Mechanized
infantry
Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 4 1 2 2 Mechanized infantry attack increases to 2 when paired with artillery.
Mechanized infantry can blitz when paired with tanks.
Artillery Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised 4 2 2 1 Increases matching infantry roll by one when attacking.
50th Anniv.
1942
1940
Tank Classic 5 3 2 2 Tanks have the ability to blitz.
Was known as "armor" in the original release, but
was renamed "tank" for subsequent releases.
Revised 3
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 6
Fighter Classic 12 3 4 4
Revised 10
50th Anniv.
1942
1940
Tactical
bomber
Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 11 3/4* 3 4 *Tactical bomber attack increases to 4 when paired with fighters or tanks.
Bomber Classic 15 4 1 6 May make a bombing run against opponent's IPCs.
Revised
50th Anniv. 12 May make a bombing run against opponent's industrial complexes.
1942
1940 May make bombing runs against oppnent's industrial complexes, air bases, and naval bases.
Submarine Classic 8 2 2 2 Submarines shoot before other units, which can be eliminated without returning fire. Can withdraw instead of firing after first round of combat.
Revised Same as above, plus can submerge instead of withdraw, and can also move past hostile ships.
50th Anniv. 6 1 Submarines shoot before other units, which can be eliminated without returning fire. Can submerge at any time (including before a battle begins), can move past hostile ships but does not block hostile ships.
1942
1940
Transport Classic 8 0 1 2 Can carry up to 2 infantry, or one of any other land unit.
Revised Can carry any one land unit, plus one infantry.
50th Anniv. 7 0 Uses Revised Edition cargo rules. No longer has combat value,
and chosen as a casualty only if there are no other eligible units.
1942
1940
Destroyer Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised 12 3 3 2 Negates all special submarine abilities.
50th Anniv. 8 2 2
1942
1940
Cruiser Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv. 12 3 3 2 Can conduct shore bombardment in amphibious invasions
1942
1940
Aircraft
carrier
Classic 18 1 3 2 Can carry two fighters.
Revised 16
50th Anniv. 14 2
1942
1940 16 0 Can carry any combination of two, fighters and tactical bombers.
Takes two shots to destroy.
Battleship Classic 24 4 4 2 Can conduct shore bombardment during amphibious invasions.
Revised Can conduct shore bombardment during amphibious invasions.
Takes two shots to destroy.
50th Anniv. 20
1942
1940
Anti-aircraft
Gun
Classic 5 0 1 1 Only one defensive shot for each attacking aircraft before the first round of combat.
Fires at any aircraft moving through the territory.
Can only move during noncombat, if it has not fired that turn.
Revised
50th Anniv. 6
1942
1940
Naval
base
Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 15 0 1 0 Repairs friendly capital ships in adjacent waters.
Increases the movement of any naval units that start movement in adjacent waters by 1.
Can be damaged by strategic bombing.
Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Air
base
Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 15 0 1 0 Airbases on islands allow all fighters and tactical bombers to scramble, which defends adjacent sea zones.
Increases the movement of any air units that start movement in the territory with the air base by one.
Can be damaged by strategic bombing.
Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Industrial
complex
Classic 15 0 0 0 Original complexes have unlimited production for original owner.
Revised All complexes' maximum production limited to the territory value.
50th Anniv. Can be damaged by strategic bombing, reducing the complex's maximum production.
1942
1940 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Minor
industrial
Complex
Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 12 0 1 0 Produces a maximum of three units per turn, and can only be built on territories that produce two or more IPCs per turn.
Can be damaged by strategic bombing, reducing the complex's maximum production.
Can be upgraded to a major industrial complex for 20 IPCs.
Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Major
industrial
Complex
Classic n/a n/a n/a n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942
1940 30 0 1 0 Produces a maximum of 10 units a turn, and can only be built on territories that produce three or more IPCs per turn.
Can be damaged by strategic bombing, reducing the complex's maximum production.
Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.

Revisions

Revisions would follow shortly after the game release as the rules didn't always produce results which made sense in the context of the historical setting. For example, the abstraction of submarines fighting airplanes, initially had a restriction that the bomber was the only kind that could attack a sub. This was later revised so that all aircraft could attack submarines.

Although not the very first edition, the Milton Bradley release was the first to establish the well known game mechanics. There were three versions of the rules for the Milton Bradley games, though only the first two were included with the game itself. The third edition rules were exclusive to a computer video game "Axis & Allies" by Hasbro released in 1998 and Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz with minor additional rules released in 1999. The three editions differed by minor details. There is also a newer video game, Axis & Allies: RTS released in 2004, a departure from the original A&A: Classic world map and introducing several tactical battle scenarios. The Axis & Allies: RTS (2004) was followed by Axis & Allies: RTS Collector's Edition (2006) with expanded strategy guide included.

The first major revision to the rules was designed by Larry Harris and Mike Selinker (who would later develop the board game Attack! based on the experiences learned working with Harris), who tried to address many of the Milton Bradley version's shortcomings, including removing the Axis economic victory condition and the requirement of capturing enemy capitals in favor of victory cities, which has been used in every revision since. With victory cities, the Axis and Allies start with an equal number of victory cities (specially labeled territories), and strive to capture enough victory cities to gain a majority of them (the size of the majority being agreed upon by the players prior to the game). This allows players to play shorter or longer games, depending upon the number of victory cities a power must control in order to claim victory.[5]

With each revision, there were also balance changes in order to make gameplay more dynamic: in the Milton Bradley edition, infantry were cheap units that tended to be most useful as defensive cannon fodder, due to their token attack and slightly better defense. This had led to many areas of the game board being heavily fortified, bogging game play down to a matter of who could build more infantry faster. To counteract this, the tank, whose defense ability was equal to infantry in the Milton Bradley release, had its defensive capabilities improved in the revised edition, so as to encourage players to use combined arms.[6] Other balance changes included altering the costs of the various units, and altering the transport capacity: in the Milton Bradley edition, transports could carry only two infantry or one of any other land unit; later revisions had transports able to carry one infantry in addition to one of any other land unit.

The variety of land and sea units was increased by introducing artillery and destroyers from A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific to A&A: Revised edition. Artillery increased the effectiveness of infantry in attacks, while destroyers limited the usefulness of submarines and acted as a lower-cost substitute for the expensive battleship. Cruisers were introduced in A&A: 50th Anniversary Edition to effectively split the destroyer's many abilities. While destroyers continue to limit the usefulness of submarines, the stronger cruisers now act as lower cost battleships.

The game board itself was also reworked in each revision. The Milton Bradley classic release featured largely vibrant colors, while the revised version featured mainly darker tones. The 50th anniversary edition and 1942 edition has a more realistic terrain with only subtle hints of color to denote which power has initial control over a particular territory. The composition of territories was also slightly altered, for example, the number of territories between Berlin and Moscow had been increased for the revised edition, including adding many Soviet territories of strategic importance.[7]

Strategic bombing was altered over the years. Until the revised edition, strategic bombing caused opposing players to lose the IPCs they had on hand. The 50th anniversary edition changed this so that industrial complexes were damaged instead. Damaged industrial complexes had less capacity to produce units and can be repaired at the cost of IPCs.

Later revisions have also included changes in research (which was generally not a worthwhile investment in the Milton Bradley edition due to its high cost and low probability of success) to have more of an effect, with mixed results, 1942 edition eliminates research altogether. Another feature that was implemented but was later dropped was the revised edition's "National Advantages", which represented tactics and technologies used by a specific power during the war. For example, a British ability allowed the British player to delay their combat movement until the American player's turn once per game, in order to have a coordinated attack.

Later editions had minor cosmetic changes in the playing pieces. In the Milton Bradley version, only the infantry pieces were unique to each power in appearance. Unique units was later expanded to include nearly every unit in later editions. Compared to the generic fighters of the Milton Bradley release, the Supermarine Spitfire was used in later editions to represent British fighters, the A6M Zero was used to represent Japanese fighters, while two different fighters (the F4F Wildcat and the P-38 Lightning) represented American fighters. The color scheme to associate units with powers was also standardized across all Axis & Allies series games, based on the colors used in A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific, and is different from those used in the Milton Bradley release.

In 2009, an updated version of Axis & Allies: Pacific was released, entitled Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940. The 10th board game in the A&A series, A&AP 1940 introduced the ANZAC forces as a playable power, along with two new unit types, mechanized infantry and tactical bombers.

In 2010, an updated version of Axis & Allies: Europe was released, entitled Axis & Allies: Europe 1940. A&AE 1940 introduced France as a playable power. Mechanized infantry and tactical bomber units continue to appear after debuting in A&A Pac40. Italy also appears as a playable power in A&AE 1940 after debuting in A&A 50. In A&AE 1940 and A&AP 1940 aircraft carriers and battleships are capital ships that are damaged with 1 hit and sunk with 2 hits. Damaged CVs & BBs can be repaired by moving the damaged CV or BB to a friendly naval base for repairs. Special rules apply for fighters and tactical bombers if a CV is damaged. A&AE 1940 is the 11th A&A boardgame in the series. A&AE 1940 and A&AP 1940 are designed to be played as separate games or may be combined into one game to create a 2-6 player global 1940 scenario, complete with separate set up and national objectives. The combined A&AE 1940 and A&AP 1940 maps measure 175x80 cm (70" x 32"). All 9 major powers of World War II are represented with unique unit pieces and their own unique color.

Spin-offs

Due to the success of Axis & Allies: Classic, as of 2010, there are now ten spin-off games in the A&A franchise. Three are updated or expanded versions of the original global A&A: Classic game. An additional four games are theater games depicting Europe or the Pacific. An additional three games are local games of specific battles.

Additional games have also been published by other game designers with similar mechanics (some requiring components from an Axis & Allies or similar game).

Board games

In addition to designing the board games, Larry Harris had also designed A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific, which had the core mechanics of Axis & Allies adapted for a specific theater. This, in turn, served as the catalyst for the revised edition. Although there were preliminary plans for a variant that allowed players to combine Europe and Pacific together, it had never been published. Larry Harris has announced two completely new editions, Axis & Allies Pacific 1940 to be released in December 2009 and Axis & Allies Europe 1940 to be released in Summer 2010, which will also include a variant that combines both games together.

Other Harris-designed Axis & Allies games were more tactical in nature, and focused on individual battles: Axis & Allies: D-Day (2004) focused on the Allied liberation of France, Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge (2006) focused on the Battle of the Bulge, while Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal (2007) focused on the Solomon Islands Campaign. Though these games retained many of the traditional mechanics, some were specific to the particular game.

Video games

There have been two Axis & Allies video game versions released each of which had an updated version release. Axis & Allies released in 1998 and Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz with minor additional rules released in 1999. A&A: Iron Blitz has marines, paratroopers, destroyers and kamikazes. There is also a newer video game, Axis & Allies: RTS released in 2004 and an expanded version, Axis & Allies: RTS Collector's Edition was released in 2006. The two RTS games are a departure from the original A&A: Classic world map and introduce several tactical battlefield scenarios. The A&A video games are known to have some bugs. There are A&A video game patches available on various A&A websites.

In 2008, Wizards of the Coast created an online version of Axis & Allies as part of their Gleemax game site. When Gleemax was cancelled the game found its way to the GameTable Online game site, who programmed the game for Wizards of the Coast. The initial version was based on the 2004 Revised edition.[8] In September 2010 GameTable Online has developed a new version based on the Axis & Allies: 1942 set.[9]

Also available is "TripleA", an open source adaptation of Axis & Allies made using Java. Requiring Java 1.5 or higher, it is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. It allows users to play single player against an AI, or hot-seat against other friends in the same room. It allows multiplayer on an online lobby, and also over email (PBEM) and network connections. Originally released in 2002, it has been steadily improving and is now on stable version 1.3.2.2, which is able to play the major versions of Axis and Allies: Classic, Revised, 50th Anniversary Edition, and Spring 1942. It also hosts many fan created maps, which have similar rules to Axis and Allies, but use a different setup or a different map or era altogether (like maps based on other conflicts, like World War 1 or Napoleon's conquests).

Miniature games

In 2005, Axis & Allies Miniatures was released as the series' first foray into miniature gaming. This was followed up by Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures: War at Sea, with Axis & Allies Air Force Miniatures: Angels Twenty being released in October, 2011. There have been several additional A&A Miniatures booster releases. Currently there are 20 countries represented in A&A Miniatures.

References

  1. ^ Whitehall, Bruce (March 2008). "25 Years of Axis & Allies". Knucklebones. 3 (2). Jones Publishing: 22–24.
  2. ^ Reid, Thomas M. (2007). "Axis & Allies". In Lowder, James (ed.). Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 17–20. ISBN 978-1-932442-96-0.
  3. ^ "Origins Award Winners (1995)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  4. ^ GAMES Magazine Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-07-26
  5. ^ A&A Preview #4: The Price of Victory from Wizards of the Coast
  6. ^ A&A Preview #14 A New Tank Blitzes Into View from Wizards of the Coast
  7. ^ A&A Preview #13 Brave New World from Wizards of the Coast
  8. ^ "Axis & Allies Revised on Game Table Online at Gleemax"
  9. ^ Gamasutra "GameTable Online Brings Axis & Allies 1942 to the Internet"