Do you actually own copy of Axis & Allies (any version) or just play tripleA?

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    I have Larry Harris’s copy of his Nova version.


  • @Gargantua:

    I have Larry Harris’s copy of his Nova version.

    Jealous….but do you have all 4 of the gamemaster series? Shogun, Axis, Fortress America, and Broadsides and boarding parties?  :evil:

  • Customizer

    2 copies of classic. AAE/P original versions.DDay. BoB. Global 2ed. Pac40 first edition. The grail Aniversary. Spring 42. AA42SE. AA41. 1914. Table Tactics sets all except Central powers. Every HBG battle piece in every color except white and the new Japanese set. Last but not least I do have tripleA but it’s used for solo or hot seat games.

    I created this topic to see how many people who play competitively actually own a copy of at least one hands on game. I also frequent the Customization forum and noticed that most who take the time to build rooms or make custom works of art have a huge passion for this game. What I noticed was they don’t have thousands of posts and if they do they’ve been here a while.

    Case in point one of our friends here has built a fantastic game room with detail that makes one feel as if you had been transported to a war time office or bunker. This freind created a thread expressing thoughts on the game from an experienced point of view. Needless to say many subsequent comments acted as though it was the stupidest ignorant comment ever made. It was even called whiney. These comments were made a lot of times by people I doubt have ever played anything but tripleA.

    I know a lot of work and dedication goes into tripleA and I by no means wish to offend or discredit thier fine work. I will simply point out that for some of us that clink of the dice, the sculpts we paint, that run to the fridge to get a buddy a beer in between turns, and that second checking of the mail box for our HBG order is what the game is about. Our points are valid too. We’ve been playing a while too… just un-plugged.

  • '18 '17 '16 '15 Customizer

    @toblerone77:

    I know a lot of work and dedication goes into tripleA and I by no means wish to offend or discredit thier fine work. I will simply point out that for some of us that clink of the dice, the sculpts we paint, that run to the fridge to get a buddy a beer in between turns, and that second checking of the mail box for our HBG order is what the game is about. Our points are valid too. We’ve been playing a while too… just un-plugged.

    These tangible and intangible differences between physical and electronic playing make all the difference in the world and why I think most people would prefer to hang out with friends and play a game than play via TripleA.

    Yeah, TripleA is a wonderful innovation that allows for many games that would otherwise never be played. But as advanced as electronic mediums may become, they cannot compete with in-person playing IMHO.

    While I guess that it would be possible, I find it very unlikely that someone who does play TripleA has never played Axis & Allies in person before. Just seems odd that they would not first be introduced to the boardgame.

  • Customizer

    @LHoffman:

    @toblerone77:

    I know a lot of work and dedication goes into tripleA and I by no means wish to offend or discredit thier fine work. I will simply point out that for some of us that clink of the dice, the sculpts we paint, that run to the fridge to get a buddy a beer in between turns, and that second checking of the mail box for our HBG order is what the game is about. Our points are valid too. We’ve been playing a while too… just un-plugged.

    These tangible and intangible differences between physical and electronic playing make all the difference in the world and why I think most people would prefer to hang out with friends and play a game than play via TripleA.

    Yeah, TripleA is a wonderful innovation that allows for many games that would otherwise never be played. But as advanced as electronic mediums may become, they cannot compete with in-person playing IMHO.

    While I guess that it would be possible, I find it very unlikely that someone who does play TripleA has never played Axis & Allies in person before. Just seems odd that they would not first be introduced to the boardgame.

    I think you’re right in the vast majority of cases.

  • Customizer

    I’m just saying computer matches do not make one an expert in Axis & Allies. TripleA is fine I have nothing against and admire those who put so much effort into the effort to make it possible. However not owning a copy of the game in any form and trashing the ideas of us old schoolers because we’re not GTO or TripleA addicts, is like a guy with a bus pass picking a fight in a biker bar over why Hondas are better than Harley’s in thier opinion.

    I’ve seen some here even attack HBG and complain about thier efforts to improve the game because it complicates the game too much. These guys are living the dream. God bless em! Call it assumption but I think it’s jealousy and envy from exclusively online players.

  • Customizer

    Guys,

    ––Well, for my Dad, brothers, and I it started when I was a little kid in the late 60’s/early 70’s when I watched, and then played RISK with them.
    ––In the 80’s I bought 2 copies of the “original”, (now “classic)” A&A game which we were all crazy about.
    ––For various reasons we all got busy and missed out on all of the other versions until the 1940-Pacific and Europe came out allowing us to play Global-40 games. My brother had his map enlarged to 48" x 108" and made in black & white. I had mine enlarged to the same size, only in color. His remains constantly set-up and ready to play in the meeting room of the small grass strip airport that he owns and we play on it almost every week-end.
    ––When the 2nd Edition rules came out for Global-40 we continued to use our same maps along with the new rules.

    ––As far as AAA goes, my job as a railroad conductor being a 24/7/364 “lifestyle” hasn’t allowed me to participate in any online games. I think they would be Fun,….and I’m sure the experience would make be a better player.
    ----However, I must say that as good as I suspect the AAA games are,…I get SO MUCH MORE FUN in a face-to-face game. The joking, camaraderie, and “shared experience” of having Fun with actual people is much more satisfying to me, especially when an unexpected move or strategy is thrust upon someone.
    ––I would imagine a lot of people prefer face-to-face games. I confess to being a “people person” and derive a lot of Fun from seeing others also have Fun. But I also suspect that since I’m over 50 years of age I’m simply used to things being this way, unlike some younger people who seemingly have grown up on the internet and consider it’s impersonal experience as normal.

    ----Also, I really get a LOT of enjoyment from seeing real, three-dimensional units marching across the map, especially if they are painted. IMHO detailed/painted units add a huge amount to my “gaming enjoyment” and I hope to one day have an entire set of them. To this end I must say a big Thank you to HBG, FMG, “Allworkandnoclay”, “SgtWilTan”, and “LHoffman”.

    ––Also, I might point out that my background is that of an historian rather than a gaming ‘nerd’. I say that term with the utmost respect for all. I’m simply pointing out that I love this game as a sort of living, breathing history in simulation of many new and different situations. It’s Fun, keeps the mind sharp, and makes for a lot of memories,….both good and bad,…haha.

    ----IMHO Axis & Allies is the best game in the World!

    “Tall Paul”


  • What I personally like so much about the boardgame incarnations of A&A is that I get to move real little plastic models on a real mapboard on a real table.  I have nothing against online games and I have no problem with people who prefer the electronic version of A&A; my individual tastes simply don’t happen to be for online gaming.  Like Toblerone and Tall Paul, I find it more satisfying to handle actual sculpts.

    Two of the first WWII movies I ever saw – Sink the Bismarck and Midway – feature multiple scenes in which high-level naval officers stand around large map tables, scrutinizing various small wooden markers which depict the major warships of the two adversaries, pondering their next decision or moving the markers to reflect the evolving situation at sea.  Sink the Bismarck shows one such table (on the British side, in the Admiralty’s Operations Room), while Midway shows two such tables (a Japanese one aboard Yamamoto’s flagship and an American one at Nimitz’s headquarters).  I remember thinking how cool these tables looked, and being struck by the way in which these officers seemed to be playing a complex, high-tension game with quite deadly real-world consequences.  So when A&A came along, I was happy to get a chance to have the same kind of fun.  As newer A&A games started being published, with more sculpt varieties and bigger maps, it didn’t take much to turn me into a piece junkie.  And when the first-edition Global 1940 mapboard came along, I took the step of assembling a dedicated gaming table for it, complete with a sheet of acrylic to cover the map.  I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of my table and my sculpt collection, and they add an extra kick whenever I re-watch those two movies on DVD.


  • @CWO:

    What I personally like so much about the boardgame incarnations of A&A is that I get to move real little plastic models on a real mapboard on a real table.  I have nothing against online games and I have no problem with people who prefer the electronic version of A&A; my individual tastes simply don’t happen to be for online gaming.  Like Toblerone and Tall Paul, I find it more satisfying to handle actual sculpts.

    Two of the first WWII movies I ever saw – Sink the Bismarck and Midway – feature multiple scenes in which high-level naval officers stand around large map tables, scrutinizing various small wooden markers which depict the major warships of the two adversaries, pondering their next decision or moving the markers to reflect the evolving situation at sea.  Sink the Bismarck shows one such table (on the British side, in the Admiralty’s Operations Room), while Midway shows two such tables (a Japanese one aboard Yamamoto’s flagship and an American one at Nimitz’s headquarters).  I remember thinking how cool these tables looked, and being struck by the way in which these officers seemed to be playing a complex, high-tension game with quite deadly real-world consequences.  So when A&A came along, I was happy to get a chance to have the same kind of fun.  As newer A&A games started being published, with more sculpt varieties and bigger maps, it didn’t take much to turn me into a piece junkie.  And when the first-edition Global 1940 mapboard came along, I took the step of assembling a dedicated gaming table for it, complete with a sheet of acrylic to cover the map.  I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of my table and my sculpt collection, and they add an extra kick whenever I re-watch those two movies on DVD.

    My only problem with the plastic pieces in later versions of axis and allies is that they try too hard to accurately represent the pieces, resulting in different sculpts for different nations. Veteran’s won’t mind, but I train a lot of new people, (hosting an axis group in St. Louis, Mo.) and because the naval units are to scale, often (especially in second edition pieces) new players can’t tell the difference between destroyers, cruisers, and transports with some nations such as Anzac, Britain, and France…In my humble opinion, make the types of ships out of scale, Large for BB, Medium length for Cruisers, short for destroyers, and make the transport wider or fat for easy identification. We should not need a silhouette card book to Identify the Bismark from the Prince Eugen. ;)

  • Customizer

    @Tall Paul AMEN!

  • Customizer

    @CWO Marc. Love your commentary and helpful insight you provide to the community.

  • Customizer

    CWO Marc,

    @CWO:

    What I personally like so much about the boardgame incarnations of A&A is that I get to move real little plastic models on a real mapboard on a real table.  I have nothing against online games and I have no problem with people who prefer the electronic version of A&A; my individual tastes simply don’t happen to be for online gaming.  Like Toblerone and Tall Paul, I find it more satisfying to handle actual sculpts.

    Two of the first WWII movies I ever saw – Sink the Bismarck and Midway – feature multiple scenes in which high-level naval officers stand around large map tables, scrutinizing various small wooden markers which depict the major warships of the two adversaries, pondering their next decision or moving the markers to reflect the evolving situation at sea.  Sink the Bismarck shows one such table (on the British side, in the Admiralty’s Operations Room), while Midway shows two such tables (a Japanese one aboard Yamamoto’s flagship and an American one at Nimitz’s headquarters).  I remember thinking how cool these tables looked, and being struck by the way in which these officers seemed to be playing a complex, high-tension game with quite deadly real-world consequences.  So when A&A came along, I was happy to get a chance to have the same kind of fun.  As newer A&A games started being published, with more sculpt varieties and bigger maps, it didn’t take much to turn me into a piece junkie.  And when the first-edition Global 1940 mapboard came along, I took the step of assembling a dedicated gaming table for it, complete with a sheet of acrylic to cover the map.  I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of my table and my sculpt collection, and they add an extra kick whenever I re-watch those two movies on DVD.

    ––Another movie with a big situation table, although it monitored only air units was “The Battle of Britain”, at least until the roof fell in on the table after the Stukas attacked. In case you couldn’t tell, I also love old war movies.

    “Tall Paul”

  • Customizer

    @Tall:

    CWO Marc,

    @CWO:

    What I personally like so much about the boardgame incarnations of A&A is that I get to move real little plastic models on a real mapboard on a real table.  I have nothing against online games and I have no problem with people who prefer the electronic version of A&A; my individual tastes simply don’t happen to be for online gaming.  Like Toblerone and Tall Paul, I find it more satisfying to handle actual sculpts.

    Two of the first WWII movies I ever saw – Sink the Bismarck and Midway – feature multiple scenes in which high-level naval officers stand around large map tables, scrutinizing various small wooden markers which depict the major warships of the two adversaries, pondering their next decision or moving the markers to reflect the evolving situation at sea.  Sink the Bismarck shows one such table (on the British side, in the Admiralty’s Operations Room), while Midway shows two such tables (a Japanese one aboard Yamamoto’s flagship and an American one at Nimitz’s headquarters).  I remember thinking how cool these tables looked, and being struck by the way in which these officers seemed to be playing a complex, high-tension game with quite deadly real-world consequences.  So when A&A came along, I was happy to get a chance to have the same kind of fun.  As newer A&A games started being published, with more sculpt varieties and bigger maps, it didn’t take much to turn me into a piece junkie.  And when the first-edition Global 1940 mapboard came along, I took the step of assembling a dedicated gaming table for it, complete with a sheet of acrylic to cover the map.  I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of my table and my sculpt collection, and they add an extra kick whenever I re-watch those two movies on DVD.

    ––Another movie with a big situation table, although it monitored only air units was “The Battle of Britain”, at least until the roof fell in on the table after the Stukas attacked. In case you couldn’t tell, I also love old war movies.

    “Tall Paul”

    Battle of Britain… nice situation room.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    Gentlemen Please…

    What about the first few minutes of Battle of the Bulge? When Col Hessler gets to see the war room? And see the “Toys” Germany is making these days… the ones that aren’t for children. :)

    “The First Battle vill turn dem into men”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JDkdc246QQ

    I remember humming that song plenty of times, whilst planning my conquest of Russia over the board of the 2000 release of Europe.

    Those THICK Panther tanks on the board, and Stuka fighters… Yeah… :)

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    And NOBODY should ever forget this epic moment.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Csv1wXOr5tY&NR=1

  • Customizer

    Gar,

    ––It’s good to hear from you, buddy.

    ----I believe it was Don Rickles who suggested trying to “make a deal” with the tank commander. “Who knows,…maybe he’s a Republican!”

    “Tall Paul”

  • Customizer

    @Gargantua:

    And NOBODY should ever forget this epic moment.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Csv1wXOr5tY&NR=1

    Nice Garg…nice!


  • Thanks Garg.
    I enjoyed that. Has been a while since I saw the film. I had forgotten that, excepting Clint, they all look a bit mental. Must be the thought of all that gold.

    I did notice the  tank number is wrong(115). There were only 4 Tigers in a Platoon.


  • Thanks for those references to the map tables in The Battle of Britain and The Battle of the Bulge.  I’ve never seen the first one; I have the second one on DVD, but I don’t recall much about the opening map room scene, so I’ll have to check it out this weekend.  The film Action in the North Atlantic is another movie with a nice, big map table, which we see (all too briefly) at some kind of US Navy command centre after Bogart’s tanker gets sunk.  And I think that one of Frank Capra’s Why We Fight films, “The Battle of Britain” (not to be confused with the later film of the same name mentioned by Tall Paul), shows planes being tracked on a room-sized map table using little markers moved with long sticks by a group of WAAFs wearing earphones, while air control officers watch from an observation gallery one floor up.

    It occurs to me that, in an odd echo of the current thread’s discussion of models on horizontal map tables versus graphics on vertical screens, the movies Midway and Sink the Bismark use both methods to depict the forces which are engaged.  In addition to the map tables and models that I’ve mentioned, Midway has a couple of scenes in which officers on the Lexington are plotting aircraft movements with grease pencils on a vertical sheet of glass, to which three small cardboard carrier profiles are (somehow) attached.  As for Sink the Bismark, it has a scene in which a WREN officer is standing in front of a map affixed to a vertical corkboard, moving pin-mounted flat markers depicting various ships.

    Whenever I watch Midway, I’m always amused by the map table continuity errors.  There are some scenes in which the positions of the models on the map tables change between the long shots which feature the actors and the map close-ups which were shot separately by (presumably) the second-unit crew.  The best example on the US side is the scene in which Nimitz asks Spruance what kind of moves he would recommend for the three American carriers.  The best example on the Japanese side is the scene in which Yamamoto learns that Operation K has been cancelled.

  • '18 '17 '16 '15 Customizer

    @Gargantua:

    Gentlemen Please…

    What about the first few minutes of Battle of the Bulge? When Col Hessler gets to see the war room? And see the “Toys” Germany is making these days… the ones that aren’t for children. :)

    “The First Battle vill turn dem into men”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JDkdc246QQ

    I remember humming that song plenty of times, whilst planning my conquest of Russia over the board of the 2000 release of Europe.

    Those THICK Panther tanks on the board, and Stuka fighters… Yeah… :)

    Always loved that part of the movie. And the music was so excellent that I ended up buying the film score.

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