• Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    Okay, so it’s time to let the secret out on who is helping DJensen check out these new A&A games… He handed them off to me last week to check out and play. I got the chance to unleash the new AA41 on some people who have never played before and some who are novices. Here is my full report after living with the game for a week:

    Once I got the boxes home, I opened up 41 and went straight for the pieces. I’m a piece junkie after all! I’m also very critical of plastic pieces now since working for Coach at HBG. I will cut right to the chase. I really dig this set! Except for the infantry, this is a truly unique set of A&A pieces and they all look great on the board. I especially love the new detail on the ships and aircraft. A real step up from any previous A&A sculpts. I am personally buying at least 2 copies. The colors match G40 perfectly so no issues there. And while most of us don’t like the shared sculpts between friendly powers, this was a big advantage for teaching new players who were not familiar with each country’s equipment. These sculpts have a perfect home in this game. Personally, I will take out the ones I want (like Akagis!) and replace them with other A&A pieces. My one major complaint is running out of certain units. I diligently used chips everywhere I could but ran into multiple occasions where another destroyer was needed. 2 is not enough! I could see Germany running low on tanks as well. 8 infantry is enough and aircraft seem ample at 4 fighters and 2 bombers since these and capital ships are rarely purchased in this game. You will have to chip the 2-fighter carriers though  :cry:

    Next point of interest is the map. We’ve all heard about the US income issue and honestly I’m still not sure which way it’s supposed to be. I honestly think the US is supposed to be 15 and they made a mistake with territory values. But I played with the US getting 17 and it didn’t make much difference surprisingly. The size of the map is perfect for this game. Territories are all mostly ample size for the number of units. This game does require you to use chips under the units though for simple lack of plastic pieces! The upside to this is it’s the first time I’ve ever played A&A comfortably on a coffee table in 3 hours. That was great!

    Finally, a few notes on the accessories. It has the dreaded 2-piece battle strip that every veteran player chucks back in the box. The dice are 4 black Anniversary style dice. The control markers are of the cheaper smooth cardboard rather than the textured stuff like E40 and Anniversary has. And, as some of you know by now, the poker chips have been replaced by cardboard counters that look kinda like poker chips…  :? I confess. I couldn’t use em. I had to bust out my regular A&A chips…  :|

    As others have already mentioned, the setup seems to heavily favor the Axis. Germany starts with a big Panzer force and Luftwaffe. Japan’s IJN seems unstoppable. With Germany going before Japan, the Royal navy is obliterated quickly and German subs keep the UK and US busy in the Atlantic. Even with a KJF strat, the US seems to struggle to keep pace with Japan attacking the Pacific, China and India at will. There is a way to beat the Axis, but we need some very clever Allied players to figure it out. Russia does fall quick, although I held out with them until G4. We stopped the game there as an Axis domination of England was clearly next.

    Overall, this game offers more than I first thought. It is a great intro game as touted. My noobs picked up the concepts right away. All I had to do was help with a bit of strategy. By the end of one game they understood how the pieces move and battle, and what each person does in a turn. Everyone wanted to play more! But this game offers experienced players something as well. Completely new challenges and strategies are required for this map. Things we’ve come to rely on like artillery and AAA fire are no longer at our disposal. Somehow, making a simpler game has created a bigger challenge.


  • Thanks for the review.  Will you also be reviewing A&A 1942 Second Edition?

  • TripleA

    This will be the greatest game ever.

    USA can actually take over japan. Germany can do sea lion if it wants to and even possibly take east usa.

    Everything the axis or the allies do leaves a gap or opening for the other side.

    you have to be very tactical, every battle is critical. Infantry attack better than tanks because of cannon fodder factor… however you will want to roll 3s for big battles so treasure those tanks. TANKS ARE YOUR BALLS DO NOT LOSE YOUR BALLS.

    Treasure your battleship, that tilt is so important especially for japan. The might of japan rests on that battleship.

    It is a tooth and nail battle, every roll is important, EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT.

  • Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    @cebrickey:

    Thanks for the review.  Will you also be reviewing A&A 1942 Second Edition?

    Yes, I will be helping with that too.@Cow:

    This will be the greatest game ever.

    USA can actually take over japan. Germany can do sea lion if it wants to and even possibly take east usa.

    Everything the axis or the allies do leaves a gap or opening for the other side.

    you have to be very tactical, every battle is critical. Infantry attack better than tanks because of cannon fodder factor… however you will want to roll 3s for big battles so treasure those tanks. TANKS ARE YOUR BALLS DO NOT LOSE YOUR BALLS.

    Treasure your battleship, that tilt is so important especially for japan. The might of japan rests on that battleship.

    It is a tooth and nail battle, every roll is important, EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT.

    100% agree! Mistakes are huge between experienced players. Every piece lost is devastating. As I said, somehow making the game simpler has made it more challenging…

  • '10

    Thanks for the review.

    Great point on the ships being the same sculpt for each side. I hadn’t thought of that before, but being an intro game it will make it easier to distinguish each one. It takes a few games to be able to tell just at a glance what each ship is in 42 and the global games. They can be confusing for new players, but this helps that.


  • The same scuplts were certainly a bonus for the new players.  I hadn’t thought of it either but when they all commented on it I realized it was important.


  • @boboshonda:

    The same scuplts were certainly a bonus for the new players.  I hadn’t thought of it either but when they all commented on it I realized it was important.

    Seems that’s part of why classic was so popular everyone knows the difference between a tank and a inf. not everyone will see right off the difference between a fighter and a tactical bomber. Never thought of it that way either.

  • TripleA

    this has tactical bombers? ewww


  • @Cow:

    this has tactical bombers? ewww

    i have no idea I just threw it out there as an example of units that are kind of hard to tell apart for new players

  • Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    @Cow:

    this has tactical bombers? ewww

    No, there are no tacs in this version. Not even artillery to deal with since they have the pairing rule with infantry. Units are: Infantry, Armor, Fighter, Bomber, Sub, Destroyer, Battleship, Carrier, Transport.


  • What are the dimensions of the game board (map) for A&A 1941?

  • Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    @cebrickey:

    What are the dimensions of the game board (map) for A&A 1941?

    17.5" X 32.5" is the board dimension. The map is a hair smaller inside that at 17.25" X 32.25". The IPC tracker is overlaid on the upper right-hand corner of the map and takes up about 1" X 23".


  • Thanks Variable.

  • Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    Side note to the game…

    Just set it up again to start another game. By myself, it took me 11 minutes to do all five countries and I’m pretty OCD about facing pieces etc. Not bad!


  • tell us how it goes  :-D

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    Sounds great… but after 2 games under your belt, and strategies becoming standard.

    Doesn’t it just become a dice fest?

    IE you know if you lose Egypt G1 that’s game?


  • @Variable:

    Side note to the game…

    Just set it up again to start another game. By myself, it took me 11 minutes to do all five countries and I’m pretty OCD about facing pieces etc. Not bad!

    I have to have 1 unit(Inf preferably) on the national flag of each territory and all units have to face the enemy. Straight and tidy.
    If we leave a game and come back days later someone(my wife) will have turned a few units around. Oh my God does that annoy me! My best friend is so messy with his. I am sure he does it to put me off thinking straight. OCD rules!

  • Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    @DarthShizNit:

    tell us how it goes  :-D

    Just finished up another game. Axis win again, BUT it was a very unlikely win. The game dragged on for several rounds with no capitols being captured. Not even Moscow…

    Turn 1: The Russians started with a moderate counter to Germany. The Germans essentially put enough into Russia to hold the line while focussing on a fleet for a KEF strategy. In this game, that boils down to buying a carrier and raiding the Luftwaffe for aircraft. The Royal Navy was dispatched easily. The UK seeing no German transports, went to help US with a KJF strat since they get an IC at Australia and India. Japan did their usual land grab for money and Pearl Harbor attack. US could only build and sit as Atlantic was owned by the Germans and the Pacific looked treacherous under the shadow of two IJN carriers and an IJN battleship.

    Turns 2-4: Russia and Germany traded hordes of materiel leaving both depleted on the front lines. Germany destroyed anything in the Atlantic above water but couldn’t muster the IPCs to get to an almost empty England just yet. Next turn… The UK had a series of fantastic dice rolls which can really turn the tide in this game (stay tuned!) and had completely routed the Japanese in Asia and the South Pacific. Japan, while grabbing islands and forcing Russia to guard the back door had one key failure when trying to take the money islands… they lost! Bad dice. The US used a modified strat to get airpower to the South Pacific and took care of half the IJN while protecting their own.

    Turn 5: Russia stands nearly empty. Germany has almost nothing left but is still churning out units from the factory while holding all of Europe. UK is pushing through Asia taking Japan’s money and (more good dice) have sunk the Kriegsmarine with a submarine force. Japan is turtling hoping for a miracle against the sea of green and tan descending on them in all directions. The US sees an end in sight as they revel in their KJF strat… And then it happens.

    Turn 6: Germany hurls everything it has left at the unsuspecting London. A force consisting of 1 infantry, 1 armor, 1 fighter, and 1 bomber takes on the UKs 4 infantry and 1 fighter… and wins with a lone Tiger! The entirety of remaining Allied forces in the Atlantic consist of 1 UK sub and 1 US sub. Russia has no transports to help. End game.


  • Wow Sea lion with 1 transport, gota love it

  • Sponsor '17 TripleA '11 '10

    Right? This is an interesting iteration. If the game drags on too long, there is literally nothing left on the board if you have two aggressive players. The income can’t possibly pace the losses. Even the richest country isn’t buying more than 3 or 4 units per turn, and that would be mostly infantry.

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