How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?

If you mean only Axis and Allies then I started when the first game, Classic we now call it, came out in 1984. But I played Avalon Hill games before that like Gettysburg, Midway and Bismarck. Of course, I watched my brothers play Blitzkrieg but they never let me play because I was too little.

Hi Witt,

Since 1988 a friend of mine (here in Denmark) had the Classic version on the shelf - but I didn’t start playing until 1993. Today, it’s hard to imagine that it took 5 years before we really started playing. Well, serving in the Army really brought the game to my attention, since the game of course was popular among soldiers.

So, in 2 years from now, we will celebrate 30 years anniversary of Axis & Allies. We are now only 3 players left from that 1993 group. Fortunately, new players have joined our play groups over the years

I started playing in '96. It was good then and it’s still good now.

-Midnight_Reaper

@andrewaagamer said in How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?:

… But I played Avalon Hill games before …

Sweet ! Did you ever play “Russian Campaign” ? That was my bros n mines favorite. Loved that stuka dive bomber bump

We used clay and made battleships, tanks, fighters, bombers, ICBMs lol and other stuff for our risk game.

Then a guy I met on a Alaska trip turned me on to A&A in 92. I got the Milton Bradley one and then Xeno Games with 39 start. That was the only one we really played.

Once in a while our buddy Mick would play. His best quote was " Good thing I’m not a dictator. Too many people would die" lol

@witt I started playing the original Axis and Allies in 1986.

@witt

Early 1994…
Playing Risk with a guy I did know but not that good.
So playing Risk… finishing the game. Discussing it… And then… then I said: “Well, yeah, would be nice if Risk had ships to cross the seas.”

And then… then he said: “Well, Axis and Allies got little ships?”

Me: What?
He: You want to see this game? Will get it from my room?
Me: Yes.

And the rest is history…

Please do understand: this was (just) before the Internet started… so it was not easy to find new games. At that moment I did not live in a big city. So…

@witt

How did you get Axis and Allies? I guess Denmark in the 1980s was just like The Netherlands… not really having many boardgames around. Unless of course you lived in a big city or student city.

@thrasher1

In the 80s in Denmark we mostly played Stratego (by Jumbo games - and later Milton Bradley version) and a game called “Matador” - similar to Monopoly. Of course, chess was popular also.

Later came RISK. Most players I know started playing RISK before Axis & Allies - as did I.

A friend of mine has a game store in Copenhagen - he took it over from his father. Axis & Allies was the most sold strategy game in the early 90s. To this day, the game is still very popular

Since the days back in mid-1940s - where a 2.000 man strong voluntary unit called (translated) Free Corps Denmark fought on the Eastern Front alongside the Germans - there has always been an interest in WWII here in Denmark.

Today our Western Coastline is still littered with German bunkers from WWII - part of The Atlantic Wall. The most famous one is the Tirpitz Bunker (supposed to be housing the naval guns from the battleship), which is now open as a museum.

@witt said in How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?:

@captainwalker I didn’t know you had been playing longer than me. Suppose I never asked!

Heh heh that just means you’re probably younger than he is Witt. Which is a good thing, because this getting old crap blows.

Unfortunately, I only know of one way to not get old and it isn’t much of an option lol

1992, began with original 1984 version. Never looked back. have all games except Battle of the Bulge.

@seancb

You never played the older versions?

@witt Been playing since '87, previously before I saw the game on the shelves of Toys R Us but didn’t buy it because it was too pricey for my budget. Eventually later on my brother found much of the game in the garbage of the downstairs neighbor’s porch, we both eagerly examined the pieces, map and Rules and fell in love with it! Later that week I bought the game from Toys R Us and we played it to death for many years since until the newer versions came out years later!!!

@witt

I think you can buy Axis and Allies Classic for a fairly reasonble price. Second or third hand of course.

I personally say: get it. Axis and Allies Classic for me is… well, where it all started. But also: a specific time. And on the other hand it is a timeless classic.

OK, I stop now

Eventually later on my brother found much of the game in the garbage of the downstairs neighbor’s porch, we both eagerly examined the pieces, map and Rules and fell in love with it!

So…

Later that week I bought the game from Toys R Us and we played it to death for many years since until the newer versions came out years later!!!

… you had a lot of extra pieces then

@thrasher1 Yep!!!

@barnee said in How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?:

@andrewaagamer said in How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?:

… But I played Avalon Hill games before …

Sweet ! Did you ever play “Russian Campaign” ? That was my bros n mines favorite. Loved that stuka dive bomber bump

We used clay and made battleships, tanks, fighters, bombers, ICBMs lol and other stuff for our risk game.

Then a guy I met on a Alaska trip turned me on to A&A in 92. I got the Milton Bradley one and then Xeno Games with 39 start. That was the only one we really played.

Once in a while our buddy Mick would play. His best quote was " Good thing I’m not a dictator. Too many people would die" lol

No Russian Campaign. Some Panzer Leader and Arab/Israeli Wars. I pretty much stopped playing the Avalon HIll games once Axis and Allies came out. The difficulty of those games took a lot of the fun out of them. One of the reasons I love Axis and Allies.

@witt said in How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?:

@nolimit I was one of those idiots that binned my first A&A game too. Didn’t want to piss off my wife with all the new games I had bought ij the 90s.
Hate myself!
I had so many fun evenings in our shared student kitchen playing with it my last year at university.

I was in MGM (Mentally Gifted Minors) during high school and one of the coolest things was we got to play a civil war game as part of class. Man that was smokin’ hot!

@thrasher1 said in How many players from the 80s and 90s have we here?:

… you had a lot of extra pieces then

LOL - having bought all the games over the years I have tons of pieces. In fact, just last night, I finally bought a bunch of plastic trays and put the troops in individual slots. Tired of digging around for them when we play. Spent five hours doing it and had to separate some of the pieces because I had mixed up the games and had different colored units and some different sculpts. Really looks organized and cool now. Can’t wait to play it on my new table sized Global Map with my gaming group!

@andrewaagamer

If you want please post a photo…

This is my new map. Got it during COVID and only used it once so far. You may have already seen this map; it is online. I just blew it up so it fits on my dining room table exactly.

Here are some of my new trays, pieces and battle dice.

This is a great website however I must say I can’t wait till I can start playing face to face again.

@thrasher1 I saved my Christmas money in 1995 and bought Axis and Allies.