Hi all, newbie doubts about A&A. Help please.


  • Hi there.

    I’m a newbie learning this game. I’ve read yet the manual several times. I tried to play on the board and with TripleA and I have some doubt I hope u could answer:

    1-. When u attack with an aircraft, can u move, for example with a basic fighter movement range of 4, to a territory 4 spaces of distance far away of the territory where it takes off? or I have to count the number of spaces to return to land?

    For example, from the initial positions of the armies on the map, can I attack as germany with the fighter is on Western Europe to Caucasus 4 spaces or I can’t because I have to count 4 spaces between the attack itself and the returning to a friendly territory.

    (I know that in TripleA I can’t, but I don’t know if this is the case on the board game, I don’t see it clear on the manual.

    2-. When I have a fighter on an aircraft carrier, if I move on a non-combat movement the carrier (with the fighter on itself), for example, 2 spaces, can I move the fighter on the carrier its 4 spaces (from the space the carrier has just reached) if I didn’t move the fighter on the combat movement? Or I have to launch it before the carrier does his noncombat movement to fly it to friendly territory (or another aircraft carrier)?

    In the manual only is said I have to launch the aircraft if I want to attack with the fighter, but the manual says nothing about launching it for the fighter’s noncombat movement.

    Thanks in advance

  • Official Q&A

    The number of spaces that an air unit may move is the total number for the turn.  When you make a combat movement, you must reserve enough of the unit’s movement to make it back to a safe landing space (2 spaces out, 2 back; 3 spaces out, 1 back, etc.).  The only time you could move 4 spaces with a fighter in combat movement is when you’re attacking at sea and a friendly carrier will be in the sea zone by the end of your turn (unless you have Long-Range Aircraft, of course).

    When a carrier moves in noncombat movement, any fighters onboard must either launch before the carrier moves and move separately or stay on the carrier.  Fighters that belong to your ally don’t have a choice - they must remain onboard.  Fighters always launch from a carrier before the carrier moves and land on a carrier after it moves.  Either way, a fighter can’t extend its movement allowance for the turn by adding on a carrier’s movement.


  • Thanks very much for the fast reply. I don’t know where in the rules u read it this things, the more I try the more I realize that is impossible to know from the manual how to play properly. But I suppose that this stuff got cleared contacting avalon hill for doubts and broadcasting the answer to the community on the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the game is as u described. It’s only a bit of a complaint about the clearance of the manual rules (not your explanation, much better IMHO that the one of the manual).

    I have 1 more doubt. On TripleA u can move units to friendly territories even on the combat move. But on the manual rules it’s said u have to end the combat movement on an hostile territory. It’s only that TripleA is played different from the board game or that I misunderstood again the manual rules?

    Thanks again in advance.

  • Official Q&A

    Yeah, the rules do have a few problems.  The FAQ clears several of these up.  I was going to post a link to it, but the website seems to be having problems right now.  I’ll post it later.

    Units must always end their combat move in a hostile territory or sea zone.  However, there are three exceptions:

    1. Tanks may blitz through an unoccupied enemy territory and into a friendly territory.
    2. Sea units may move to escape combat if they start their turn in a sea zone with enemy units.
    3. Sea units involved in an amphibious assault may end their move in a friendly sea zone in order to unload transports into a hostile territory.


  • Then the TripleA implementation of the rules is wrong, isn’t it?

    Thanks.

  • Official Q&A

    It appears so.  I’ve never used TripleA, so I’m not familiar with it.

    Here’s the FAQ: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/faqs/axisrevised


  • I’ve been thinking about it. I didn’t play this game much yet, but if u respect the rule of not moving units that have been on combat, isn’t the same to be able to move units into friendly territories on combat movements (without triggering combats, of course that the not been able to move units into friendly territories on combat movements?

    Is any difference really? Maybe I miss some strategic point.

    Thanks in advance.

  • Official Q&A

    I’m not sure I follow you.  The rules allow for moving only into hostile spaces during combat movement (with the exceptions I mentioned earlier), and only into friendly spaces during noncombat movement.


  • Sorry. Yesterday I tried to write the last post with a terrible headache and that was the result. Even me, I can’t understand that post.

    I try to re-explain what I meant:

    The question is, isn’t the same to be able to move units to friendly territories on the combat movement phase (and noncombat movement phase as well provided that the units you are moving on the noncombat movement phase haven’t been moved on the combat movement phase) that not te be able to do it?

    Example:
    Notation: GU stands for German Unit, RU stands for Russian Unit and T for territory


    Initial situation:

    • GUa on Ta

    • GUb on Tb

    • RUa on Tc

    • German territory Td is empty of units


    • Board game manual rules:
    • Combat movement:

      • GUa moves from Ta to Tc, attacking RUa
    • Conduct combat: The combat resolves with these possible results:

      • GUa is eliminated and maybe RUa too

      • GUa retires to Ta; RU remains on Tc

      • GUa wins and is now on Tc

      • RUa wins and remains on Tc

    • Noncombat movement:

      • GUb moves from Tb to Td (Td is within GUb movement range)
    • TripleA rules: (on these rules you can do noncombat movements on the combat movement phase or in the noncombat movement phase. You can only do combat movements on the combat movement phase, though)
    • Combat movement:

      • GUa moves from Ta to Tc, attacking RUa

      • GUb moves from Tb to Td (Td is within GUb movement range)

    • Conduct combat: The combat resolves with these possible results:

      • GUa is eliminated and maybe RUa too

      • GUa retires to Ta; RU remains on Tc

      • GUa wins and is now on Tc

      • RUa wins and remains on Tc

    • Noncombat movement:

      • We can move here units to friendly territories like on the manual rules. I just decided to move all units on the combat movement phase

    And from the two set of rules we reach to the same final situation.

    Final situation:

    • One of the these three cases:

      • GUa on Ta (It retired)

      • GUa on Tc (It won)

      • GUa eliminated

    • GUb on Territory Td

    • One of the these two cases:

      • RUa on Tc (It won)

      • RUa eliminated

    So it looks like is the same with or without the restriction of movement to friendly territories on combat movement phase but maybe I’m missing a strategic point. Maybe is not good for you to reveal your noncombat movements before the conduct combat phase and because of that TripleA doesn’t enforce you to do the noncombat movements on noncombat movement phase. Maybe I’m completely lost. Please help on this.

    Thanks in advance

  • Official Q&A

    Yes, I see what you’re saying.  The end result is the same.  However, there’s a reason the game rules are the way they are, other than consistency.

    Splitting movement into combat and noncombat phases allows you to see the results of all your battles before moving reinforcements up to the front lines.  Moving rear units up before seeing these results can compound problems caused by a bit of bad luck.

    Since movement is split into two phases, it makes sense to require that all movement resulting in combat be in one phase and all movement not resulting in combat be in the other.  This avoids problems keeping track of which units have moved already and which haven’t when you get to noncombat movement.  Of course, in TripleA’s case, I assume that the computer is tracking that for you, so it’s not a big deal.  It’s a little more difficult if you’re playing on a physical board.

    So, there are basically two reasons to keep (almost) all movement into friendly territory in the noncombat movement phase: ease of record keeping and strategic flexibility.  Does that make sense?


  • THAT’s the answer I hoped. It makes totally sense. The computer does track the movements and it’s not of the interest of the player to do noncombat movements on the combat movements phase, so why coding to enforce something is not really needed? Now I understand. Thanks very much for the fast and good reply, Krieghund

  • Official Q&A

    I’m glad I could be of help.  Happy gaming!

Suggested Topics

Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

27

Online

17.0k

Users

39.3k

Topics

1.7m

Posts