Check out the new version of the board game – looks an awful lot like BigWorld, with some really nice rule changes. Fortunately, ComradKev is working on a version for TripleA and an early build is expected in a couple of weeks.The game looks nice, although in light of recent events I'm a bit unsettled by the T-shirt ad in the left sidebar.
2009-01-04
Great Patriotic War
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TripleA
Brian reports on the 50th Anniversary (of Avalon Hill) Edition of Axis & Allies:
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PS. I'm up for a game. Do we want to use bidding?
ReplyDeleteAside from a completely new (and huge) map, here are some of the new rules:
ReplyDeleteThere are two scenarios: 1941 and 1942. Aside from differing unit placements and incomes, the order of play is different:
1941
1. Germany
2. Soviet Union
3. Japan
4. United Kingdom
5. Italy
6. United States
1942
1. Japan
2. Soviet Union
3. Germany
4. United Kingdom
5. Italy
6. United States
Strategic Bombing Raids are completely different. No longer do SBRs result in immediate IPC loss. Instead, they damage the industrial complex. Each point of damage that an industrial complex has sustained reduces its maximum unit output by one. Industrial complexes can sustain up to twice their terriotory IPC value in damage tokens, beyond which they don't sustain any more (and no, they can't be destroyed). Damage to industrial complexes is repaired during the purchase units phase, so it is possible to not be able to place all of your purchased units due to damage sustained by SBRs. In this case, these units are not lost, but remain in the queue to be placed on any future turn.
Naval/air units have had their costs adjusted.
Battleships cost 20 (still 4/4)
Carriers cost 14 (1/2)
Cruisers cost 12 (3/3)
Destroyers cost 8 (2/2)
Submarines cost 6 (2/1)
Fighters cost 10 (3/4)
Bombers cost 12 (4/1)
Transports cost 7 and have no combat values (0/0). As such, they can not be used as casualties as long as other eligible units are present (no more free hits). Undefended transports are instantly sunk by attackers.
China has special rules. Since China was not an industrialized nation in WWII, it has no industrial complexes, but each turn gains 1 infantry for every 2 Chinese territories it controls. This infantry is placed in any Chinese-held territory that doesn't have 3 or more units in it already. China starts with around 7 territories (more than bigworld42)). There is also a limit to how much China can expand. There are only two Japanese-held territories that China can expand into. Chinese units can not enter any other territories.
There are no more National Advantages.
There are now two categories for technological advancement/breakthroughs. One is centered on naval/air benefits, the other on army/land combat benefits. You may choose on which list to roll.
Each power has a list of National Objectives. These are too numerous to list here, but they each provide bonus income to that power. Basically they are conditions that are checked when income is paid to the power and each satisfied objective earns that power 5 additional IPCs.
Industrial complexes still cost 15.
AA guns now cost 6.
The board is huge! 45" x 23 1/2" It looks like a cross between bigworld42 and Pact of Steel.
As usual, evaluating A&A in terms of "realism" is foolish, so my opinions are from a ease-of-play and play-balance perspective. Detailed criticism will follow from close study.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not clear on the changes to the Strat Bombing rules, but it seems unnecessarily complicated.
The China rules are unobjectionable and perhaps preferable to BigWorld42.
The no-free-hit-transports makes sense, although it will necessarily change some strategy and tactics.
The proliferating National Objective/bonus concept seems part and parcel of Hasbro's plan to grow sales by co-opting widely held (if less than thoroughly playtested) house rules. I encountered something similar when Oscar was given the latest edition of Risk for Christmas. Sometimes the changes are wise, but they often seem included simply for novelty's sake.
Brian & Aaron came over this afternoon and we set up the 1941 scenario. A (6.7MB) photo of the board can be found at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tfik.org/images/A&A50.JPG
Likes:
ReplyDeleteI actually like the new system for SBRs. I'd like to see it in action, though.
The new tech rules are nice. I like having two different tracks to choose from. Some, like advanced artillery, sound very cool.
China rules are much better than BigWorld42. China can get new infantry every turn, but has no factories for Japan to capture and use.
The Pacific Ocean is now huge.
Dislikes:
The Atlantic is virtually unchanged from Revised. This is probably my biggest problem with this version of the board (and I hope it gets addressed in the TripleA variant). There's no reason they couldn't/shouldn't have expanded this.
Unit colors for Russian and Italian units are nearly identical, so great care is needed when putting the units away.
On the fence:
National objectives can add a LOT of income to the game, so if we choose to play with them, everyone will need to know what they are for EVERY power, since your actions (or lack of specific actions) can result in your primary competing power getting huge amounts of bonus income. I can see using these rules to add some income to the game to actually see some of the tech in action, but I'd be worried about people simply devoting it all to massive unit buildup (which may not be an immediate problem until people start building additional factories). Mainly, everyone would need to be familiar with them so they're not caught off-guard when the USA gets 15 bonus IPCs on their first turn...
I just wish Hasbro would have the balls to put Hitler in the watermark.
ReplyDeleteA little while ago I was in a toy store that was selling a cylindrical tub of "WWII soldiers," quartered to represent the four [sic] combatant nations: Germany, Britain, Japan, and the USA.
ReplyDeleteThe omission of the Red Army wasn't the worst of it. Each nation's soldiers included a flag bearer. The Union Jack was fine, but the US flag had 50 stars, the Japanese flag was a plain red dot on a white field, and the German flag was the frikkin' Bundesflagge.