• What is bidding? I see it referenced in a lot of posts but I still don’t know how it works


  • Hi Prey. Many people will not play the Allies unless they are given more units. Some say the games are Axis favoured. The system for redressing this balance is to have an auction. The highest or lowest bidder gets one side: the easier Axis or harder Allies.
    When people say I will play the Allies with a bid of 10 and the Axis player accepts, the Allied player would then have 10IPCs to spend on extra units.
    Where they are placed can be a  bone of contention: most allow them placed anywhere an Allied unit already is and not on an empty territory.
    I think it is used much more in competition.
    My friends and I  do not feel the need to use a bidding system. But we are all different.
    Hope that helps.


  • I’d always thought that bidding was for the Axis in this version?

    In any case your description is right, but it’s the first time I’ve heard that the version has an Axis-tilt.  Certainly in my group we find that the Axis is more fun to play, but also more challenging.


  • You could be right about Revised, Macphearson.It is not s game i own. I was simply answering what I had understood about bidding. I too asked the same question some time ago.
    As I said, I have never considered one side favoured, just played the games!
    If someone would only play me if they had one, I would let them have it. I play for fun and because I like the games. Winning matters less and less to me now.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I agree, I have not really seen a bias since Axis and Allies Revised (where the Axis had no chance to win the game against an experienced Allied player without a bid.)

    Also, there are different ways to “bid.”

    Dice bid where a die (or dice) are rolled to determine the bid
    Auction style where one player bids then the other can counter-bid
    Blind Bid where you put in your bids and the lowest wins without recourse to bid lower if you “lost.”


  • In the open days with the original game ( axis and allies vanilla) the allies would win without a bid around 90 percent + of the time.  For me to play the axis against a player of my skill equivalent i would want an axis bid of around 8-11 ipcs.  Usually this would translate into an extra tank and infantry in Egypt or something. With revised i think I stopped suggesting a bid as the sides were far more even and I just accepted that if I lost it was because my opponent was more skilled. Of course it has been a while and I’m certain someone has found a way to hack one side or the other :-)


  • in classic, my friends who played it more often bid 10 IPC/round to the axis.

    in revised, I think a bid of 8 is still allied bias, while 9 is axis bias, if the axis is alowed to buy 3 inf and put them in libya. (or it might be a fair game)

    I know that I almost never lose as the allied against a bid of 8 for the axis. (except when getting heavily diced, like losing w russia battle on R1)


  • We played 2 inf and 1 art for Germany and pick 3 techs at start of game. Of course UK always picked factory for India for one of there techs.


  • Wow. I played at university back in 87-91, but we never did bids. Never heard of the concept until this year on this site.
    I do remember hating not winning as Germany!

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @wittmann:

    Wow. I played at university back in 87-91, but we never did bids. Never heard of the concept until this year on this site.
    I do remember hating not winning as Germany!

    Agreed, never heard of bidding until here and AAMC.  But once you get playing with the people here, AAMC and FoE you start learning the tricks on how to organize and support your units in a smooth campaign.

    I believe, that in a 5 player game of classic, the bid for Axis might go down to 0 or at least way under the 8-11 it is in two player.  Mainly due to not being able to perfectly anticipate your allies moves with your own.  That may be where the whole problem started, it might not be.

    I do, however, remember my brother’s over powered strategy of buying an American battleship every round in Classic. (this was before coming here WAY before coming here…back then we didnt bother getting the infantry off islands, in fact, we played it more like risk where we ended up with a garrison on all territories (virtually))  Bidding in those games was not necessary.  :evil:


  • I am sure I remembering watching the US’ build up, fearing the loss of all those newly acquired possessions. US seemed so rich compared to the other nations. Now they get overtaken financially quite quickly (1942 2nd Edit most particularly).
    You are right though. I can remember US generally buying Battleships, but then no one else could afford them.
    Would like to see a map again to remind myself of it:25 years is a long time ago!


  • @wittmann:

    I am sure I remembering watching the US’ build up, fearing the loss of all those newly acquired possessions. US seemed so rich compared to the other nations. Now they get overtaken financially quite quickly (1942 2nd Edit most particularly).
    You are right though. I can remember US generally buying Battleships, but then no one else could afford them.
    Would like to see a map again to remind myself of it:25 years is a long time ago!

    triple a - download the classic map. note - with triplea you can have a bid.


  • Thank you Cystic Crypt. I have told Garg I will one day!
    I am so old fashioned: I would love to see a real map.
    Besides I am a technophobe for a reason; I cannot fathom new things.
    I am also too proud to accept a bid. I would rather die fighting!


  • I am to proud NOT to accept having a bid. If I am allied and playing against an axis with no bid, then there is no pride in winning, its like beating up a child.

    and when I play the axis against people that play allies properly, then knowing I got a less than 1% chanse of winning (classic), makes the game soo booring, I would rather not play it.


  • I did not know it was that bad. I cannot remember.  Thank you for reminding me.

  • Moderator

    Bid ranges for some of the games are:

    Classic (mid 80’s version) - 18-23 ipcs for the Axis.  Usually spent in Afr or a combo of Afr and Europe.

    Revised - 8-12 ipc for the Axis.  Again usually spent on Afr, maybe an inf for Ukr as well.

    Anniversary '41 edition - 9-12 ipcs for the Allies (possibly still going up).  Allies usually add some units to Egy and then maybe Russia or something to go against Japan.

    I’m not sure what the Anniversary '42 bids are or the G40 bids.


  • classic bid could be as high as 10 if you bid extra income each round instead of startunits (startunits are sooo much more valuable than extra income)

    after realizing the game in not balanced, I have made it a standard to implement a bid for any game where the two sides are not the equal. I am quite happy with that.


  • Hi guys! Just wanted to let you know what a standard bid for revised is.  I’m 350-112 in revised and have won several online tournaments for it.  Essentially a 7g bid (placed in Libya) is generally considered an equalizer for revised.  I open my bids for tourny games at 8G.  I would also advise against a Japan bid as you will really need those 2 units to secure Egypt.  You don’t want to play a game where UK counters Egypt on turn 1, its horrible for Germany.


  • the difference between 7 and 8 is that the axis buys the tank

    if egypt is retaken then the game is more or less over.

    I have been contemplating landing the ussr ftr in egypt on round 1, that way the axis need 9 with 3 inf in libya to be able to hold it (depending on the bidrules).

    I am not sure it is worth the essential loss of 6 USSR IPC to acomplish. what do you think Pherman?

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    As far as I have seen between 2012 and 2013 leagues, bids are ranging from +/- 6 IPC (that is up to 6 IPC or as low as -6 IPC, usually with someone just taking an AA Gun off the map so they can be allies or axis….)

    OH that’s for Global 1940 2nd Edition

Suggested Topics

  • 4
  • 23
  • 20
  • 6
  • 3
  • 17
  • 2
  • 11
Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

23

Online

17.0k

Users

39.3k

Topics

1.7m

Posts