Why is 1942 scenario so unpopular???


  • 1943, heck, the war was pretty much over by then.


  • @Upside-down_Turtle:

    1943, heck, the war was pretty much over by then.

    Well, if anyone can make it work - it would be IL!
    (what’s that brown spot on my nose…?)


  • It’s not that hard to “brown-nose” IL.


  • The idea was too make a game that can be played in under 2 hours. Both sides start with techs and techs get turned on on historical based occurrences. Germany obviously gets most of the tech along with USA.

    Also, German gets Waffen SS units and some other special rules for a “battle of the Bulge” type of surprise once per game.

    The Victory is for the axis to last past turn X or the allies must win by turn y… any other result is considered stalemate.

    I made the set up map, (search the files) but its not finished. The rules however are kept in my back pocket as a mental note for something to do latter.


  • The 1942 game is just as much fun to play as the 1941 game is. I can never understand, after reading all these forums how anybody could say that this game is broken or that one is no good ,it seems as if there are many people who just can’t be satisfied and always have to complain about something. Larry Harris has created these great games for us to play and I for one appreciate and play everyone of them and enjoy them everytime. There is nothing perfect in this world and you are always going to find something wrong with something if you look hard enough, so I just wish that you complainers would just try to see what’s great about these games and not always look for something you don’t like about them.


  • i really don’t see how the axis are more disadvantaged by the 42 setup than the 41. Just looking at the units and IPC incomes the allies might be weaker starting out in 41 but they get an IPC income of 40+43+30=113 to the Axis 17+10+31=58. That is a huge disparity of first round income 113-58=55 IPCs and what is more, the axis can’t erase that deficit even if all their wildest dreams come true in the first two rounds. so the allies can play conservatively and use their excess income to build up their armies and navies before feeling any pressure to respond to axis incursions.


  • I actually found that the Axis have the advantage in 41 and they can win 75% of the time if they do the right things. The Allies win if they prolong the war so as to slowly eat away at the Axis advance and take back abit at a time. The Axis need only capture the victory cities needed and they have it. It is harder for the Allies as they lose to much right off the start and their money drops rapidly. The Axis should be making all their NO’s by turn 3 and raking in the bucks. Also they can eliminate most of the Allies NO’s in short order.
    The 42 set-up is the exact opposite, the Allies win 75% of the time and they have an easier time capturing the victory cities. The Axis have to make serious strides right away or they are on the slow path to ruin. 8-)


  • @Panzer:

    I actually found that the Axis have the advantage in 41 and they can win 75% of the time if they do the right things. The Allies win if they prolong the war so as to slowly eat away at the Axis advance and take back abit at a time. The Axis need only capture the victory cities needed and they have it. It is harder for the Allies as they lose to much right off the start and their money drops rapidly. The Axis should be making all their NO’s by turn 3 and raking in the bucks. Also they can eliminate most of the Allies NO’s in short order.
    The 42 set-up is the exact opposite, the Allies win 75% of the time and they have an easier time capturing the victory cities. The Axis have to make serious strides right away or they are on the slow path to ruin. 8-)

    I pretty much agree with your conclusions.  That’s why I am starting to prefer the 1942 scenario (I like Allied wins).


  • @gamerman01:

    I pretty much agree with your conclusions.  That’s why I am starting to prefer the 1942 scenario (I like Allied wins).

    Thank you for the note of agreement.
    I actually kinda of prefer the 42 scenario as well as I like the truer historical feel to it.
    When palying the Allies I like the feeling of being in control and having that winning feeling going on throughout the whole game.
    BUT - I also like playing the Axis as the underdog and feeling like you really have to overcome the odds to kick Allied butt and pullout a victory. 8-)


  • @gamerman01:

    @Panzer:

    I actually found that the Axis have the advantage in 41 and they can win 75% of the time if they do the right things. The Allies win if they prolong the war so as to slowly eat away at the Axis advance and take back abit at a time. The Axis need only capture the victory cities needed and they have it. It is harder for the Allies as they lose to much right off the start and their money drops rapidly. The Axis should be making all their NO’s by turn 3 and raking in the bucks. Also they can eliminate most of the Allies NO’s in short order.
    The 42 set-up is the exact opposite, the Allies win 75% of the time and they have an easier time capturing the victory cities. The Axis have to make serious strides right away or they are on the slow path to ruin. 8-)

    I pretty much agree with your conclusions.  That’s why I am starting to prefer the 1942 scenario (I like Allied wins).

    Old overdue +1 karma for you. :-D


  • Just give China more infantry…then 1941 wont be nearly as fun.


  • I like both 42’ and 41’.  Whenever I play I alternate to help make it so that 2 games are never the same.

  • TripleA '12

    Put it this way - I’ve owned AA50 since it first came out and my group have only just started our first game of the 1942 scenario two weeks ago! The '41 is that popular! However, it’s interesting because now nobody knows what to do in the '42 game - all sorts of blunders going on and lessons being learned.  :-)

  • '20 '18 '17 '15

    My play group has always flipped to see which scenario, and randomizes who is what country.  Unless there’s a newb in the group; they get Italy.  :-D


  • I’ll play 42.

    If I want to start before Germany attacks Russia…then I’ll play the global 40 game.


  • At my Axis and Allies Club, we never play 1941.  We always play AA50 with the 42 setup.  The reason is that the game is actually even for both sides, and there are fewer units, which means shorter games.


  • @Upside-down_Turtle:

    The reason is that the game is actually even for both sides, and there are fewer units, which means shorter games.

    Unit values via battlemap do not support the less units in 1942 contention.
    Here’s the unit value counts by country (land) comparison (1941 number first):
    Japan: 172 166
    Russia: 142 146
    Germany: 171 166
    UK: 142 161
    Italy: 45 53
    USA: 107 127
    China: 22 37

    So except for Germany, every countries total unit value of ground units (includes planes) is higher in 1942.

    Just for sake of completeness, here’s the naval value comparision
    Japan: 117 101
    Russia: 6 6
    Germany: 44 60
    UK: 100 114
    Italy: 51 51
    USA: 87 127
    China: 0 0


  • @axis_roll:

    @Upside-down_Turtle:

    The reason is that the game is actually even for both sides, and there are fewer units, which means shorter games.

    Unit values via battlemap do not support the less units in 1942 contention.
    Here’s the unit value counts by country (land) comparison (1941 number first):
    Japan: 172 166
    Russia: 142 146
    Germany: 171 166
    UK: 142 161
    Italy: 45 53
    USA: 107 127
    China: 22 37

    So except for Germany, every countries total unit value of ground units (includes planes) is higher in 1942.

    Japan is less, too.

    Here’s the thing: on average, the allies have more, the axis have less.  Germany also has most of it’s forces stretched thin and is easily taken out on R1.  This coupled with the general IPC advantage of the allies, yet with the US being far away, I’d say it’s even.

    In 1941, Japan takes India and Australia on J2.  India Factory on J3, Tank waves on Caucuses J4+.

    If want a more balanced view of each, '41 is KGF, '42 is KJF.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @axis_roll:

    @Upside-down_Turtle:

    The reason is that the game is actually even for both sides, and there are fewer units, which means shorter games.

    Unit values via battlemap do not support the less units in 1942 contention.
    Here’s the unit value counts by country (land) comparison (1941 number first):
    Japan: 172 166
    Russia: 142 146
    Germany: 171 166
    UK: 142 161
    Italy: 45 53
    USA: 107 127
    China: 22 37

    So except for Germany, every countries total unit value of ground units (includes planes) is higher in 1942.

    Just for sake of completeness, here’s the naval value comparision
    Japan: 117 101
    Russia: 6 6
    Germany: 44 60
    UK: 100 114
    Italy: 51 51
    USA: 87 127
    China: 0 0

    This is really cool, but…if I may make a suggestion?  Could you post the comparison of most likely units on the board at the end of Round 1?  Reason I ask is, we all know for a fact that the American navy is more than decimated after Japan 1, and there are quite a few units lost in Russia, but Russia’s attack punch is significantly higher on R2 than in R1 during the 1941 version. (Because Russia’s more focused on armor/artillery on Round 1 buys.)


  • @Cmdr:

    @axis_roll:

    @Upside-down_Turtle:

    The reason is that the game is actually even for both sides, and there are fewer units, which means shorter games.

    Unit values via battlemap do not support the less units in 1942 contention.
    Here’s the unit value counts by country (land) comparison (1941 number first):
    Japan: 172 166
    Russia: 142 146
    Germany: 171 166
    UK: 142 161
    Italy: 45 53
    USA: 107 127
    China: 22 37

    So except for Germany, every countries total unit value of ground units (includes planes) is higher in 1942.

    Just for sake of completeness, here’s the naval value comparision
    Japan: 117 101
    Russia: 6 6
    Germany: 44 60
    UK: 100 114
    Italy: 51 51
    USA: 87 127
    China: 0 0

    This is really cool, but…if I may make a suggestion?  Could you post the comparison of most likely units on the board at the end of Round 1?  Reason I ask is, we all know for a fact that the American navy is more than decimated after Japan 1, and there are quite a few units lost in Russia, but Russia’s attack punch is significantly higher on R2 than in R1 during the 1941 version. (Because Russia’s more focused on armor/artillery on Round 1 buys.)

    Yeah, this is like in P40 where both sides start with the same number of BB’s, but Japan easily kills one of them.

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