Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor (15 mm figure scale) collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry. The system was first released in 2005 and was produced by Avalon Hill, a division of the game company Wizards of the Coast, which itself is a subsidiary of Hasbro.
Aimed at the collectible miniatures game market, the title Axis & Allies drew on that game's historic strength and notoriety. However, the miniature game bears little resemblance to the widely sold board games and other Axis & Allies items. Instead of a game of grand strategy, the miniatures game focuses on the tactical battle, with units fielded on either side of the battle being rarely greater than a company. Each piece is assigned a point value so that balanced matches can be constructed. Tournament play is typically done with 100 points per side, with infantry units usually having values of fewer than 10 points each and vehicles range from less than 10 to 50 or more based on relative strengths. Scenarios may alter these numbers or otherwise determine the constitution of each side. The map board consists of 2" (5 cm) or 3" hexes, with different terrain types represented within. Most set-ups are fewer than 20 hexes in either dimension. Combat resolution is done by rolling pools of standard six-sided dice.
Rule books are included in every starter set. For the Ground Sets, Expanded Rules were published separately. For the Naval Sets, Advanced Rules are available online.
Base Starter Set: Released in the fall of 2005, contained 12 randomly selected units, four double-sided battle mats, 10 six-sided dice, a rulebook, and a set checklist.
Two-Player Starter Set: Contained 18 randomized units, 6 double-sided battle maps, and rulebook. Dice not included.
1939–1945 Two-Player Starter Set: Includes basic and advanced rule book, 10 pre-selected units (from 1939–1945 set), two double-sided maps, a rulebook, and eight dice.
Boosters
Base Set: Basic set of 48 models, released in the fall of 2005
Set II: Set of 45 models, released near the end of 2005. Introduces Nationalist China, Poland, and Romania units, as well as new elements such as snipers and paratroops
Contested Skies: Set of 45 models (Set III), released on March 24, 2006. Features aircraft and air defenses as well as a single Australian unit
D-Day: Set of 45 models (Set IV), released on June 6, 2006. Introduces obstacles as well as Canadian units
Reserves: Set of 45 models (Set V), released on November 10, 2006. Introduces support and Hungarian units
1939–1945: Set of 60 models (Set VI), released on October 26, 2007. Mainly an "errata" expansion: recosted some units and changed others slightly. New scale for vehicles (15mm instead of 10mm).
North Africa 1940–1943: Set of 60 models (Set VII), released on March 28, 2008. Added commander vehicles, trucks and added Greek units
Eastern Front 1941–1945: Set of 60 models (Set VIII), released on December 16, 2008. Added Finnish units
Early War 1939–1941: Set of 50 models (Set IX), released on December 15, 2009. Introduces units from Belgium, Slovakia and South Africa
Counter Offensive 1941–1943: Set of 50 models (Set X), released on October 26, 2010. Introduces units from the Independent State of Croatia, New Zealand, and Yugoslav Partisans
Unreleased Sets
Set XI-Late War 1944-1945: This set of 50 models, although never technically cancelled, has been postponed indefinitely.
Italy and the Balkans 1943–1945: Canceled set of 60 models.
Ground Rules
Axis & Allies uses fairly simple rules.
The players can get quickly familiarized with the Quick Start guide, and the complete Rulebook is available also.
The official website has an interactive demo.
Ground Errata
The latest rules revisions, now available on the internet archive:[1]
Naval Sets
A sister series, Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures: War at Sea, was released around the time of the fifth series of miniatures. This game follows the same basic concept of collectible miniatures played on a paper map, using Six-sided dice to determine battle results. Like its predecessors, it features many historical figures that include aircraft, battleships, destroyers, and aircraft carriers to name a few. Each figure came with a stat card that tells you what each unit can do. They are though completely incompatible, a battleship being as long as two infantry.
Air Sets
A second sister series, Axis & Allies Air Force Miniatures, was released on February 21, 2012 (its original release date was in October 2011). It focus on air combat, with scale models of fighter squadrons and bombers. The scale is 1/100 and the instruction manual has the unit statistics to make them compatible with ground forces games.
Two sets came out for this series: Angels Twenty and Bandits High, with each set containing 31 models.
Scale sizes of miniatures
Originally, the Figure Scale for vehicles in the Ground Sets was variable (10-15mm). Because of players' and fans' complaints (and possibly for commercial reasons as well), Avalon Hill has been re-scaling vehicles to 15mm since the introduction of Set VI (1939–1945). However, there are still some slight variations between models (probably for technical reasons).
Infantry and Aircraft have always kept the same scale (15mm and 1/240 respectively), so those units from older sets (I to V) are "compatible" with newer sets (VI and on).
Ground Sets Scales
Item
Rulebook
Actual
Soldier
15mm (1/120)
~1:100
Vehicle
1:120 and 1:100
Aircraft
1/240
??
2" hex
100m (1:2000)
3" hex
100m (1:1800)
Naval Sets Scales
Item
Rulebook / Actual
Ships and Submarines
1/1850
Aircraft
1/900
Maps and Scenarios
Ground Set
Base Starter Set: Four maps included: Able, Baker, Charlie, and Dog
Two-Player Starter Set: Includes six double-sided maps
Expanded Rules: Includes 8 new battle scenarios and two double-sided maps (5/6 and 7/8). Released on July 18, 2007
1939–1945 Starter: Includes two double-sided maps (1/2 and 3/4)
North Africa 1940–1943 Map Guide: Set of three desert maps (D1, D2 and D3) and two scenarios. The overleaf of these maps is jungle terrain (F1, F2, and F3).
Gazala 1942: Two desert maps (produced under license by Historic Battlefronts)
Solomon Islands 1942: Two jungle maps. (Produced under licence by Historic Battlefronts)
Eastern Front 1941–1945 Map Guide: Includes three Eastern Front maps and two scenarios. Released on December 16, 2008.
Stalingrad 1942: Was to be released as 2 separate scale maps. One at 10mm the other at 100mm per hex. Release was supposed to have been January 2009 for the 10mm and April 2009 for the 100mm.
Hex Tiles
These were released in the now defunct Combat Zone-A store support to help foster the game with special maps, tiles and different colored minis.
Writing for Armchair General, Tim McCormley admitted that "many people will be turned off on this game because it’s a 'collectible.'" However, he pointed out that "As collectible games go, this one doesn’t require a large investment." McCormley thought the quality of the miniatures was average, commenting, "The figures themselves are reasonable, basic plastic minis from China or wherever. The modeling is quite acceptable (for an amateur like me), but the paint job varies quite a bit." Although he enjoyed the mechanics of the game play, he warned "Make no mistake, this is a dicefest. You can minimize the odds, but you can’t control the odds. If you’re one of those people (like myself) that seem to have angered the 'Gods of Dice' for some arcane reason, you can end up getting creamed no matter how good your tactics are. But I often have fun even when I get slaughtered."[1]
Awards
At the 2006 Origins Awards, Axis and Allies Collectible Miniatures Game won in the category "Gamer's Choice Best Historical Game of 2005."[2]
AAM revised card database. A complete database of searchable/printable Axis and Allies Miniatures cards. Includes cards for Forumini Generals, Bandits High and A20 planes with AAM stats. Owned by the Axis and Allies Underground.
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