@Flashman:
You really have to see new A&A editions as game kits.
Nobody seriously believes that the first edition is the finished article anymore; the small playtest group and cloak and dagger secrecy puts paid to that.
How many people who bought this don’t have cash? I still use my MB edition money, and have 3 or 4 unopened money packs from other games I’ve never needed.
The shortage of infantry is due to it being completely new sculpts; expect this to be rectified in the next edition.
The income chart is a serious blip, can’t believe anyone uses it.
You make some valid points Flashman, and of course in my case you are correct on all accounts. I have cash from previous games and supplements I have purchased over the years, I always tally the income at the end of every turn regardless of what the NP chart says, and I have more than enough pieces from other games to fill in the blanks. But what about a player who is completely new to the A&A universe? This person is not going to be satisfied, it’s like they don’t want new customers! They are effectively alienating new enthusiasts and are not even cashing in on their own incompetence to provide the required game pieces. I could understand WotC implementing a strategy to get people to buy extra chips, IPC’s, sculpts etc. but the reality is that they don’t even sell these extra pieces as a standalone. Which can only lead me to the conclusion that they just made a mistake or don’t care? Either way, it’s BIZARRE right? I love the games, I think they are all very clever and have subtle intricacies that impose no limits on the game’s “replay-ability”. They just haven’t constructed them very well.