Axis & Allies Miniatures game!

[PK]

Just bought it and the wife and I played two rounds of it. Very fun game!

For those who haven't seen it, WotC in partnership w/Avalon Hill just released a two-player Axis & Allies Miniatures (AAM) wargame. The basic set comes with four double-sided maps that can be arranged into six different "official" configurations, each having one particular hex that's the "objective". (By the seventh turn, if one player controls that hex and those adjacent, he wins.)

The figures are 15mm plastic prepainted miniatures of vehicles and soldiers. The vehicles are really cool -- the tanks have rotating turrets and moving gun barrels; each one represents one vehicle. The soldiers (which includes artillery and machine gun units) each represent a squad and are not articulated but are sculpted and painted uniquely enough that it's easy to tell who's who on the playing field. Each miniature has a card with all of its stats and info on it -- there's no game info on the minis themselves.

The game has its share of rules, but nothing that we couldn't pick up almost instinctively by the end of the first game. The map has lots of terrain, which affects line-of-sight, cover, and movement. Gameplay is straightforward: 1. Roll initiative (commanders can give a bonus); winner decides who goes first in both phases. 2. Movement phase. 3. Assault phase (each unit can move OR attack). 4. Casualty phase (damage happens simultaneously, so you resolve every attack before officially removing pieces from the board).

Attacks are made with bunches of d6. Each unit has Short/Medium/Long range attack values vs. soldiers and vs. vehicles. Roll that many dice (after taking cover, etc., into account) -- every 4+ is a hit (again, unless something has it modified). If you match the unit's Defense, they're disrupted. If you beat a soldier's Defense, they're destroyed. (Vehicles are only Damaged -- unless you match twice their Defense or more, then they're Destroyed.) Disruption lasts for one turn and is an inconvenience; Damaged lasts all game and is similar to Disruption. If a Damaged vehicle gets Damaged again, it's Destroyed, of course.

There's a lot of strategy involved, as you can imagine. Anti-Tank Guns are slow and cannot move and fire on the same turn, but they're great against vehicles. Machine Gun Squads are great at mowing down enemy soldiers, but easily taken out by tanks. Infantry is actually great at attacking vehicles, IF you can get them into the same hex in one piece. And so on...

All in all, I have to definitely recommend this game. It's been a lot of fun and I'm planning on picking up a couple of booster next paycheck. It seems to be not unlike INWO in that the "rare" minis aren't necessarily the most powerful or useful -- they're the "cooler" ones that weren't used as frequently in the real war. I approve.

[Hex]

Being an Axis and Allies fan (Though after extensive play of the original...we broke it)...I didn't need to hear this...Uhhh...what was the price of the starter board game?

[MadWombat]

$24.99 for the starter. Rules, maps, dice. The starters are fixed (2 tanks, 2 AT guns, 2 commanders, 5 infantry) and one random rare. Boosters are $14.99 for 9 minis. As with other WOC mini products there is a fixed rare/uncommon/common distribution in each box (1/3/5 if I remember rightly).

There are 48 minis in the first set. Lots of German and US, then British, Japanese, French, Russian and Italian (in rough order of representation).

Scenarios are available on line, which look like Advanced Squad Leader scenarios (which makes sense since Hasbro owns AH). First impressions are a quick, fun game which requires some tactical sense and brainpower but does not have the often time consuming complexity (not that this is a bad thing) of games like ASL. IMO of course.

Michael Breen

[Hex]

Originally Posted by MadWombat

$24.99 for the starter. Rules, maps, dice. The starters are fixed (2 tanks, 2 AT guns, 2 commanders, 5 infantry) and one random rare. Boosters are $14.99 for 9 minis. As with other WOC mini products there is a fixed rare/uncommon/common distribution in each box (1/3/5 if I remember rightly).

There are 48 minis in the first set. Lots of German and US, then British, Japanese, French, Russian and Italian (in rough order of representation).

Scenarios are available on line, which look like Advanced Squad Leader scenarios (which makes sense since Hasbro owns AH). First impressions are a quick, fun game which requires some tactical sense and brainpower but does not have the often time consuming complexity (not that this is a bad thing) of games like ASL. IMO of course.

Michael Breen

What? No Canadian divisions? Looks like I'm going to have to write a few letters...

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Hex

What? No Canadian divisions? Looks like I'm going to have to write a few letters...

Canada has/had a division?
Really?

What were/are they a division of?
(And Mounties don't count.)

[Hex]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Canada has/had a division?
Really?

What were/are they a division of?
(And Mounties don't count.)

Not sure if that is sarcasm or a real question...

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Hex

Not sure if that is sarcasm or a real question...

That's what made it worth asking. *smirk*

[GoatRider]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

That's what made it worth asking. *smirk*

It's no fun making fun of canadians. It's too easy.

[Hex]

Originally Posted by GoatRider

It's no fun making fun of canadians. It's too easy.

Funny...I was going to say the same thing about Americans...

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Hex

Funny...I was going to say the same thing about Americans...

I'm still waiting for the names and types of those Canadian WWII divisions...[innocent look]