Best transition into Global 1940.2


  • I’ve purchased Global 1940.2, but realized it’s going to be too overwhelming for my kids to learn.

    We played 1941 a couple times over the Christmas break, but I’m wondering which would be the best intermediate step for them before going Global - AA50 or 42.2 (or other - I have seen 42.1 being sold fairly cheaply)? Or should I try to just do Europe or Pacific 1940?

    They are still elementary schoolers, so it will be a few years before we get to it. :)

  • '17 '16 '15

    probably go for 42.2. If they did pretty good on 41, which I assume they did since you bought global, go for Anniversary.
    Only my opinion of course : )

    Then again, since you already have it, give them the call up to the majors and give europe a try. They can always go back to the minors for more seasoning


  • If you’re trying to teach kids, then just go old school, go buy the original version of Axis and Allies since they have the most simple rules to date however you can also look at it like this and just spend a couple of days teaching them G40 and then literally every version of Axis and Allies is watered down compared to this.

  • '19 '17 '16

    42.2 (probably with the 42.3 setup update) is the best step to Global but significantly less rewarding to play. I’d be more interested in Anniversary in spite of the rule differences.

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    I like teaching them Memoir 44 first.

    If they haven’t played Risk or Chess first, going straight to AxA is probably too much for kids under 12.

    You can use the memoir hexes with the AxA pieces, or just draw a simple 3x3 map on paper, to roll out combats with little kids.  Give everyone some small armies, introducing land units in order of complexity, starting with just 2 types and moving up.

    Roll combats, simulate movement, declare battles are all covered by this kind of sandbox play

    If we’re talking about -7/8 year olds, I’d start with just playing “army men” on the carpet or table and gaining unit familiarity (these tanks move 2… farther than the men…) with the axa pieces.

  • Sponsor

    Teach them Chess then Anniversary edition.

  • '22 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16 '15 '14 '12

    I find the easiest to teach to newbies (even kids) is the 1999 Europe.

    Rules basically just classic w/dds and arts, and the theater is confined to Europe without too many zones or special rules.  This cuts down on need for complicated moves or complex usage of transports.

    1999 Europe was really one of the more simple, enjoyable games (that is if you can get passed the broken 5 IPC tanks, which you can just bid around or make the new play Germany).


  • @Booper:

    I’ve purchased Global 1940.2, but realized it’s going to be too overwhelming for my kids to learn.

    We played 1941 a couple times over the Christmas break, but I’m wondering which would be the best intermediate step for them before going Global - AA50 or 42.2 (or other - I have seen 42.1 being sold fairly cheaply)? Or should I try to just do Europe or Pacific 1940?

    They are still elementary schoolers, so it will be a few years before we get to it. :)

    The intermediate step between 1941 and Global for elementary schoolers is probably to wait till they get to High School.

    Having said that, you mentioned playing 1941 with them, but you didn’t mention how WELL they played 1941… it’s one thing to understand basic mechanics (move into enemy territories to start combat, roll low to score a hit), but its an entirely different thing to formulate winning strategies (should one go KJF or KGF, how best do I spend my money, etc, etc). This is a lot on a young child… there’s nothing at all wrong about getting them into board gaming (preferable to zoning out on a TV or computer screen), but once again, playing and strategizing are two different things… are they ready to move beyond 1941, or did they understand the game, but were poor on strategy?

    Perhaps most importantly of all… do your children want to move on to something “meatier” in the A&A lineup? Or are you asking because you desire more opponents in your house for A&A? Push them hard too early, you may scare them off.

    Being honest, the differences in gameplay between 1942.2 and AA50 aren’t huge… mostly AA50 has a bigger map, Italy and slightly more involved China rules, but otherwise is very similar to 1942 (rules-wise anyways). Both games are intermediate between 1941 and Global, but I’d be more apt to ask how your elementary-aged children actually handled 1941 in detail, and if they want to move on, before giving advice on the matter.

    At that age, getting them to play something along the lines of Risk is usually more apropos, but of course every child is different. Good luck adding more A&A members to your family and the community, but don’t push it if they’re not ready… you don’t want to scare them off!


  • Really appreciate all the input on this topic. Just to answer a few questions, my kids have played Risk, and are actually pretty decent at chess.

    They didn’t do great strategically with 1941, but seemed to understand the game mechanics for the most part. I realize it will be a while before they can come up with a good game plan, so appreciate the advice to not push them into it, which may turn them off from the game.

    I do own Classic (which I played quite a bit back in high school/college days). Personally, Anniversary seems more interesting to me, but I was willing to give 42.2 a shot if it would help the transition to Global. I think I may end up going Classic -> Anniversary -> Global, but will take it slow… Thanks for the tips!


  • I seriously doubt that Global 1940 is a game that would appeal to elementary schoolchildren.  The problem isn’t so much that the mechanics would be too complex for them to handle, though that’s certainly an issue; the real problem is whether kids of that age would have the interest and the endurance to play a game that takes many hours to play, and which has the potential to last indefinitely with no clear winner.  Those aspects of the game are already tough enough on dedicated adult players.  The 1941 game, the smallest and simplest of the A&A games which are currently in print, operates on a scale that an interested elementary-schooler can handle; the 1942 game would be the next level above that, and would be the logical next step because, like 1941, it’s a global-level game and therefore is more conceptually similar to 1941 than Europe 1940 or Pacific 1940.  But as Nowhere Man commented, the first thing to consider even before moving up to 1942 (let alone Anniversary or Global) is whether your kids enjoyed 1941 and how they feel about playing a scaled-up version of that game.  The Milton Bradley version of A&A is another option, since you won a copy; it’s arguably simpler than 1942, but it looks and functions differently so the “retro” design of the game could be a complicating factor.

  • Disciplinary Group Banned

    @Booper:

    I’ve purchased Global 1940.2, but realized it’s going to be too overwhelming for my kids to learn.

    We played 1941 a couple times over the Christmas break, but I’m wondering which would be the best intermediate step for them before going Global - AA50 or 42.2 (or other - I have seen 42.1 being sold fairly cheaply)? Or should I try to just do Europe or Pacific 1940?

    They are still elementary schoolers, so it will be a few years before we get to it. :)

    All depends on their mental capacity. I taught a five year old how to play Cantan. The youngest age on the box is 12.

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    Good points, Mr. Marc and Vann,

    Only a certain type of person, even a certain type of GAMER, will be attracted to this kind of wargame.  The only risk (pun intended) is that you will put out their fire and passion to play by overwhelming them with something so complex and variable that they give up once all the exceptions and nuances start to fly.  Chess really comes at this because chess has set moves, clear responses, an entire playbook, but you can still play not knowing any of that and just re-creating the wheel.  That’s why I think going straight to the actual game with under 12s can be a mistake.  However, if someone isn’t interested, they simply aren’t–I don’t think you can make anyone like any game (your gaming wife, for example).  I’ve played wargames and AxA with my mostly female Eurogames group, and while they played along, they’re not engaged or excited about it.

    However, things like colorful maps, plastic pieces, exotic nations, these all capture the imagination (not talking about Candyland).

    I remember unboxing WW1 AxA with grayson when he was 2 and he loved the color-coded boxes, pieces and maps.  This is where the spark is lit.


  • Maybe another option could be playing Attack! or Attack! Deluxe with them first, it’s similar to Axis & Allies but not so complex.

Suggested Topics

Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

37

Online

17.0k

Users

39.3k

Topics

1.7m

Posts