• So A friend of mine will be coming in from out of state latter this month and he wants to play Canal as he hasn’t got the chance to ever play it before. Naturally I agreed as I was just thinking about this one the other day. It will also be my first time playing.

    So…any tips? What units to buy, what not to buy? Specifically tips for the Japanese, because I will be darned if I let those dirty marines snuff out the Rising Sun!

    Also, quick question…do both players make their moves “at the same time?” As in, During the movement phase, does the first player move and THEN the second player moves before going onto the combat phase? Or does the first player take his turn going through all the phases and then the second player goes? Rulebook (reading the PDF now) is a little vauge on that…either that or it’s 5AM and I’m just not noticing it lol.


  • On the quick question, the active player makes the first decisions during movement and then the other player answers for each phase of movement.

    As to tips here’s some first turn US stuff spelled out along with links to AH strat articles (I didn’t check if they’re still good.)

    Make sure you are using the correct reinforcement points – 10 per turn and 4 per controlled island.

    Skip any of the optional rules for your first game.

    Get fighters. Fighters disappear quickly in this game and you don’t want to be the guy with less.

    Escort your capital ships sufficiently. Escort heavy fleets can engage technically stronger but escort light fleets. This is a benefit of the random nature of the combat system.

    Artillery can shoot to sea.

    We’ve covered a lot of rules questions here. Don’t be afraid to go back to the earliest pages. FAQ.

    And the most important thing:

    @frimmel:

    The biggest impediment for new players in this, BOTB and to a lesser extent D-Day, is a tendency to think things work like they do in the global A&A games. You must read the rulebook as an independent document. If you get stuck on something DO NOT fall back on a ‘that’s the way it works in _________’ method to sort it out. You will be wrong.

    Do not use the optional national advantages rules for your first game. Note the errata on the reinforcement point system.

    This is a fun game but it is really different. You have to set aside all of your thinking from other games with “Axis and Allies” in the title except for the most fundamental strategy considerations. The considerations that you’d apply to any war game fundamental. This radical difference is both the game’s blessing and curse.


  • Make sure you are careful if you plan on moving into ‘the slot’.  The other side can most likely attack it with their entire Navy/Air force.

    Both sides need to rush to the one island in the middle with two possible airstrips…

    Good luck man.  It’s been a few years since I played this, but its one of my favorites.

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Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

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