Axis & Enemies; a way to make a unique & Variant A&A Game


  • This article is about how one can make up New Great Powers (eg  Ger or UK or USSR type powers) and also about how to make up neutral territories (eg South America, Turkey, etc).
    The numbers presented are based on a statistical study and extrapolation of the ‘territory values’ presented in the early MB A&A board game.
    My idea was to create a variant game named Allies & Enemies based entirely on the rules and game pieces used in the regular game. The new variant would have new Great powers, new neutral territories and designed to be randomly placed on a map of sea spaces such that for any game the land pieces could be randomly placed each game.
    This is possible if one wants to create new land pieces (new great powers & new neutral territories).
    If one looks at the original A & A map there are some factors apparent;

    1. with regard to the Great Powers, there are Single Territory Islands (Jpn, UK) and Single Territory Land Great Powers (Ger) and Multiple Territory Land Great Powers (US & USSR)
    2. there is a range of point values (PF values) for the Great Powers
    3. each Great Power has (or must have) access to a variable number of neighbouring Neutral Territories either directly (or indirectly) associated with a Great Power.
    4. these Neutral Territories must have a variable point value (PF values)
    5. there should be a number of separate Neutral Territories of various size (eg a ‘South America’ type down to a ‘Madagascar type’ (multiple territories to single territory islands).
      In my Statistical Analysis, I produced the following Value Ranges (all based on the original MB A&A board game map).
      One will need three six sided dice (3d6) to randomly determine values for each ‘territory’. A territory is any ‘space’ used to place units (either on a multiple land agglomeration or on a single Territory island.
      *The rolls are as follows for each player who wishes to create a random Great Power;
    6. roll 3d6 for size of ‘Great Power’ where 3 to 11 = Single Territory Great Power (62.55) and 12 to 18 = Multiple Territory Great Power (37.5%)
      A) if Single Territory roll 2d6 where 2 to 5 = Island Great Power (28%) and 6 to 12 Land Great Power (72%)
      B) if Multiple Territory roll 2d6 where 2 = 2 Territories (3%), 3 - 4 = 3 Territories (13%), 5 - 6 = 4 Territories (25%), 7 - 8 = 5 Territories (31%), 9 - 10 = 6 Territories (19%), 11 = 7 Territories (5%) and 12 = 8 Territories (3%).
      Note that Multiple Territory Land Great Powers will require random generation of geographic positioning of the territories (in relation to each other - to be illustrated ‘^’ below)
      ** The Production Factors (PF) of your Great Power is as follows;
    7. Roll 3d6 where 3 - 4 = 8 PFs (2%), 5 - 7 = 9 PFs (14.5%), 8 - 10 = 10 PFs (33.5%), 11 - 13 = 11 PFs (33.5%), 14 - 16 = 12 PFs (14.5%) and 17 - 18 = 13 PFs (2%).
      If you have created a Multiple Territory Land Great Power the following Adjustments to the PFs must be made;
      All the Territories except the first (the ‘capital’ territory) are assigned an initial PF value of 1. The remaining original PFs are assigned to the first (the ‘capital’) territory. The player than rolls 3d6 for every 1 point PF value territory where; 3 - 9 = PF value remains at 1 (37.5%), 10 -13 = PF value becomes 2 (46%) and 14 - 18 = PF value becomes 3 (16.5%).
      Hence, Multiple Territory Land Great Powers may increase in PF value over 13.
      *** The next important step is to determine how many ‘Neutral’ Territories there are adjoining your Great Power (whether your Great Power is an Island or a Land Great Power.
    8. Roll 3d6 where; 3 = 1 Territory (.5%), 4 = 2 Territories (1.5%), 5 = 3 Territories (3%), 6 = 4 Territories (4.5%), 7 - 8 = 5 Territories (16.5%), 9 - 12 = 6 Territories (48%), 13 - 14 = 7 Territories 16.5%), 15 = 8 Territories (4.5%), 16 = 9 Territories (3%), 17 = 10 Territories (1.5%) and 18 = 11 Territories (.5%).
      **** Production Factors (PFs) of Neutral Territories are as follows;
    9. Roll 3d6 where; 3 - 11 = 1 PF (62.5%), 12 - 13 = 2 PFs (21%), 14 - 15 = 3PFs (11.5%), 16 = 4 PFs (3%), 17 = 5 PFs (1.5%) and 18 = 6 PFs (.5%).
      !!! Note: All created Territories will be randomly placed on a Map Board comprising Sea Spaces of either a Hexagon or a Square shape. The number and extent of E-W & N-S spaces will be determined by the amount of players and the amount of neutral territories not directly connected to the Great Powers. Anyone who wants to try this Great Power creation will need to make a map up of numbered Sea Spaces. A square of 1.5 or 2’’ (or equivalent Hexagon) dimension is recommended due to unit playing piece sizes. All Land Territories should fit just over the dimensions of a Sea Space such that all sea space boundaries are apparent & not ‘ambiguous’. Land coastal boundaries and internal Boundaries are to be in alignment with common sense.
      ***** Readers will note that most of the Random rolls are ‘weighted’ to mean Averages such that most results will be close to each other. One can further limit disparities in PFs  (if required).
      ‘^’ Aligning territories is as follows  the Single Territory Island or Land Great Power or the ‘capital’ territory of a Multiple Land Territories Great Power is the base territory and must have North Direction indicated;
      A) Single Territory Island Great Power (ex UK): randomly determine an adjoining Sea Space that must be permanently a part of the Single Island Great Power. From this Sea Space randomly determine the first neutral Territory (which cannot in the case of an Island Great Power be adjacent to the Great Power). Randomly determine the direction of the Second Neutral Territory from the First One, always using the most choices to randomize the next Neutral Territory from the previous one until a Random shaped land mass is determined. This will be a Neutral Territory Landmass associated with the Island Single Territory Great Power (in other words, a close area for the Power to expand into).
      B) Single Territory Land Great Power (ex Ger): Start by Randomly determining First Neutral Territory direction from the Great Power Territory. This territory (& likely/perhaps others) will connect directly by land. Again, randomly determine all subsequent Territories by as much randomness as possible to determine Landmass shape.
      C) Multiple Territory Land Great Powers are randomly built the same as in B, however, the Multiple Territories of the Great Power must be randomly placed before any Neutral Territories are placed. Again, follow the guideline to make the placement of territories as random as possible. Interior ‘Lakes’ are possible.
      Note 1: With a plain map board of numbered Sea Spaces there will be the necessity to make paper sheet Lands - the Great Powers & their Adjoining Neutral Territories.
      Note 2: Names and PF values will have to be inscribed on these individual Territories (plural: Landmasses). Names? I used an index in an Atlas. Name any "Sea Connection’ or Lake as required.
      Do not forget to indicate N on the underneath side of the ‘Capital’ Territory (for random placement purposes).
      Note 3: The Landmasses may be coloured. I used pencil crayons & tried to use related colours for related national names
      Note 4: The Sea spaces are numbered & the ‘Capital’ Territory has N indicated so a random alignment placement of the Landmass(es) can be made. Where a Landmass is partially off the sea Spaces one must use the same rules of ‘sliding’ it onto the map so that no Territory is off any Sea Space. Territories may border an edge of the map (obviously). No Territory should cover another Territory although a single Territory neutral island could cover a named Sea space or Lake.
      ***Note 5: It is advisable to have various sized (by number of territory) Neutral Territory Landmasses made up including a few ‘single’ Territory Neutral Territories. The multiple neutral Territory Landmasses (be judicious on how many you make up of these & use) MUST be placed before any Great Power Landmasses are placed. The ‘single’ Neutrals are always randomly placed last (as they may ‘link’ other Landmasses).
      *** Note 6: This version of A&A (A&E as I call it) starts with low numbers of PFs & a small number of units (the initial builds) so I incorporate a random free major unit piece and the idea that this version begins in 1939 before any real war has begun. Also, I incorporate builds & PF scoring as mutual play phases - only movement, combat & research is single player. This removes the multiple counting of PFs for Territories that change hands. I also use a random order of player turn for each round of play (an initiative randomness).

    Authors Note: Of all things, I made up seven sets of (mostly) metal pieces for A&E (Allies & Enemies) plus I thought it would be interesting to make up new, unique Great Powers. A total of 12 players have made up Great Powers using this method. The one oddity for me (us) was the ‘largish’ number of single territory Island Great Powers (a UK type). When it came to naming I randomly chose Norwegian as a nationality for my personal GP (I decided on ‘Germanic’). The crazy part of this is I randomly got the name ‘Tynset’ as my GP name, a single territory 10 pt land GP, btw (lol)


  • WT !  :?  You got White Walkers in there somewhere ?

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