@Azrael:
if you have 8+hours to burn per game played and like generic plastic both in appearance and stat pieces then the boardgame is for you. If you like endless variety fighting famous battles like kursk, stalingrad, midway, battle of the denmark strait (or anything you want) etc then the minis are for you, if you have an actual appreciation for the units you will have alot of fun trying out tiger tanks, panzers, wehrmacht infantry, super bb’s like yamato and Iowa, famous aircraft like the fw 190’s , helldivers, swordfish etc etc etc. If moving generic plastic pieces over enemy territory against generic plastic pieces then rolling dice to determine who wins is more your thing then you probably won’t enjoy the minis as much as the boardgame.
While this site is #1 for the boardgame its maybe 4th or 5th for the mini’s (Forumini, seas ablaze/axis and allies underground, wotc site , here or boardgame geek) if you get into the mini’s check out the forumini as well it is the mecca of the miniature games line and has the most traffic of any axis and allies site.
Alot of miniature players come from the boardgames saying they were cool when you were younger and had 8+hours to burn on a weekend but now that you have grown up and have things to do commiting an hour or so for a miniatures game is a much better route to go. The boardgames some people find are fun a couple times a year but if its something you want to play every weekend you won’t get tired of the mini’s .
Well said.
If you really want to know why the miniatures games are so fun and historical take a look at these two cards databases and see the wide variety of units that are ready to play. You can play by battle, theater and most importantly by year. So you can play a 1941 North Africa match using desert hex maps and historical weapons unique to the time period. Were not limited to a certain year or theater, its wide open. Pretty much every nation that fought in the war is included in the miniatures games. Basically any battle, campaign or skirmish can easily be scenarioed into a game.
Land game dbase: http://www.aamcardbase.com/search_AAM.aspx
Sea Game dbase: http://was.tamgc.net/