Axis & Allies is a series of World War IIstrategyboard games. The first version was initially published in 1981 and a second edition known colloquially as Axis & Allies: Classic was published in 1984. Played on a board depicting a Spring 1942 political map of Earth divided by territories, players take the role of one or more of the five major belligerents of World War II: the Axis powers of Germany and Japan; and the Allied powers of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Turns rotate among these belligerents, who control armies of playing pieces with which they attempt to capture enemy territories, with results determined by dice rolls. The object of the game is to win the war by capturing enough critical territories to gain the advantage over the enemy.
More than ten spinoff games have since been produced. Some of these editions are revised versions of the classic game, while others depict a specific theater, campaign or battle of World War II.
Game development
Axis & Allies was designed by Larry Harris under the prototype name 1942 in the late 1970s.[1] Harris partnered with a local Connecticut hobby shop, Citadel Game Store, to publish Axis & Allies in 1981 under the company name of Nova Game Designs, with the name originating from Pat Flory, the owner of the shop.[2][3] The game was republished by the Milton Bradley Company in 1984 as part of the Gamemaster Series of board games.[4] This edition has been retroactively named Axis & Allies: Classic to differentiate it from later revisions. In 1996, Axis & Allies: Classic was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame.[5]Games magazine also has inducted Axis & Allies into their buyers' guide Hall of Fame, an honor the magazine extends to "games that have met or exceeded the highest standards of quality and play value and have been continuously in production for at least 10 years; i.e., classics."[6]Axis & Allies: Classic was the most successful of the five Gamemaster Series of board games.
After acquiring Milton Bradley (1984) and Avalon Hill (1998), Hasbro transferred the Axis & Allies: Classic (1984) board game from the Milton Bradley division to the Avalon Hill division in 1999. In 1999, Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast. In 2004, Hasbro made Avalon Hill a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast (WotC). In January 2021, after corporate restructuring, Avalon Hill became a subsidiary of Hasbro Gaming instead.[7]
In 2022, Renegade Games Studios announced that they were entering a partnership with Hasbro which would include publishing future versions of Axis & Allies, among other games, as well as organizing an Axis & Allies world championship, and running an Axis & Allies website, starting in 2023. In 2023 the company released reprints of Axis & Allies: 1914, Axis & Allies 1941, Axis & Allies 1942, Axis & Allies 1940 Europe, Axis & Allies 1940 Pacific, and announced a reprint of Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal, as well as two new, upcoming games: Axis & Allies: North Africa and G.I. Joe: Battle for the Arctic Circle, a board game centered on the G. I. Joe line of action figures that will use the Axis & Allies game engine.[8][9][10][11][12]
The mainline Axis & Allies game has gone through several revisions, most recently in 2018, and the game has several spinoffs. The series is currently published by Renegade Game Studios through a licensing agreement with Hasbro. There are a total of 15 board games in the Axis & Allies series (not counting second editions), 5 of which are currently supported by Renegade Game Studios. These are Axis & Allies: 1914, Axis & Allies: 1941, Axis & Allies: Europe 1940 2nd Edition, Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940 2nd Edition, and Axis & Allies: Spring 1942 2nd Edition. Many out-of-print A&A board games can be found on various auction websites.
Gameplay
Troops in Asia (Axis & Allies: Revised 2004)
In almost every edition of Axis & Allies, players play as the major belligerents of World War II: Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The A&A: 50th Anniversary Edition also includes Italy as the third Axis power and China as the fourth Allied power. The A&A: Pacific 1940 edition includes China and ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand armed forces). The A&A: Europe 1940 edition includes Italy and France. The players playing the Axis powers team up against those of the Allied powers usually in an attempt to conquer key territories, represented by regions on the map board. In earlier editions, this was done by capturing and holding until the end of a round of play certain territories where the opposing alliance's capital cities are located. In later editions, this also included other territories on the map, where "victory cities" are located.
Certain versions of Axis & Allies have their own custom victory conditions. In the original Milton Bradley edition, A&A: Classic, the Axis powers could also win by capturing and holding until the end of a round of play enough territories to gain an economic advantage. This "economic victory" was dropped in later editions of A&A. In Axis & Allies: Pacific, Japan gains a point for every 10 IPCs they collect and can win the game if they collect 22 points. In Axis & Allies: D-Day, the Allies need to control the three cities of Cherbourg, Caen, and Saint-Lo at the end of the 10th round, in Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal, victory is achieved by controlling airfields, and in Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge, the Germans need to control territories totaling up to 24 points before round 8.
Each round of a game involves each of the powers moving in turn according to a specified order; the game ends when either the Axis powers or the Allied powers complete their objectives. When each power takes its turn, they must first declare how they are to spend the IPCs (Industrial Production Certificates, an abstract currency representing one million man-hours of labor) in their possession: this may go into buying new units, improving units through research, or repairing damaged structures (in later editions). Players then declare any movements made that would result in combat, moving their pieces as appropriate, and after resolving combat, declaring any non-combat movements. At the end of the turn, players then place any units that were purchased at the beginning of the turn and collect IPCs based on all territories that they control at the end of their turn.
Combat is typically divided into several types; in all types, however, combat is divided into rounds. In each round, attackers and defenders roll dice to determine which of their units deal hits on the opposing side. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the unit's attack or defense rating (where appropriate), the unit scores a hit on an opposing unit of the opponent's choosing. During the round if an attacker defeats an enemy, the enemy can do a final retaliation before death, then be taken off the board. Some types of combat, such as strategic bombing raids, naval bombardment, and anti-aircraft defense, last only one round, though in others the attacker has the option of either continuing with another round of battle or retreating. Combat is fully resolved when either side loses all their units or the attackers choose to retreat. Though combat in different territories may be resolved in any order of the attackers choosing, combat in one territory may affect the number of combatants in another territory for later battles, as in the case of an amphibious assault or when attacking units withdraw.
Spinoffs
Due to the success of Axis & Allies: Classic, as of 2021, there are thirteen[a] spin-off games in the A&A franchise using more or less the same mechanics. Four are updated or expanded versions of the original global A&A: Classic game. An additional four games are theater games depicting combat in Europe or the Pacific, three games are local games of specific battles, one game takes place at the beginning of World War One and one features a global theater with the addition of a zombie apocalypse.
Additional games have also been published by other game designers with similar mechanics (some requiring components from an Axis & Allies or similar game).
In 1999, Axis & Allies: Europe was released, with slightly updated rules and a focus on the European theater of World War II; this was followed in 2001 by Axis & Allies: Pacific with similar rules and focus shifted to the Pacific theater. Axis & Allies: D-Day (2004) focused on the Allied liberation of France. In 2004, the first major revision to the core game, Axis & Allies: Revised was released, with elements taken from A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific, also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Axis & Allies itself. Axis & Allies: Battle of the Bulge (2006) focused on the Battle of the Bulge in Europe while Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal (2007) focused on the Solomon Islands Campaign in the Pacific. In 2008, Axis & Allies: 50th Anniversary Edition was released as one of the three games celebrating the 50th anniversary of its publisher, Avalon Hill (the other two games were Acquire and Diplomacy). This was followed by Axis & Allies: 1942 in 2009, the second major revision to the core game, with mechanics taken from the anniversary edition, also celebrating the 25th anniversary of Axis & Allies itself.
Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940 was released in December 2009 and Axis & Allies: Europe 1940 was released in August of 2010. These games can be combined to form a Global game of World War II on a 175×80 cm (70" × 32") map. All nine major powers of World War II, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and the ANZAC forces, are represented in the combined global game with unique units and colors. To streamline the game and correct balance issues, Global 1940 was revised and a new rule set was released on the Axis & Allies forums in January 2011, later released as a second edition.
In 2012, Axis & Allies: 1941 was released, containing a simplified map and rules to make it easier for beginners. In 2013, Axis & Allies: 1914 was released, being the only non WWII centered Axis & Allies game. The most recent Axis & Allies game came out in October of 2018, Axis & Allies & Zombies, being an ahistorical version.
Axis & Allies is not a strict historical wargame, due to its streamlining for ease of play and balancing so that both sides have a chance to win. For instance, the economic model is simplistic, with each territory producing a number of Industrial Production Certificates (IPCs) for the purchase of new units. For example, in the original Classic version, the game is supposed to start in the spring of 1942, but Japan is immediately in position to attack Hawaii again, while Germany is pressed well into the Soviet Union with an initially superior force. If the game were truer to history, the Axis empires would be at their climax in 1942, about to be pushed back by the Allies.
*Mechanized infantry attack increases to 2 when paired with artillery. Mechanized infantry can blitz when paired with tanks.
Artillery
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
4
2
2
1
Increases matching infantry roll by one when attacking.
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Tank
Classic
5
3
2
2
Tanks have the ability to blitz. Was known as "armor" in the original release, but was renamed "tank" for subsequent releases.
Revised
3
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
6
1940 2nd
Fighter
Classic
12
3
4
4
Revised
10
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Tactical bomber
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
11
3/4*
3
4
*Tactical bomber attack increases to 4 when paired with fighters or tanks.
Bomber
Classic
15
4
1
6
May make a bombing run against opponent's IPCs.
Revised
50th Anniv.
12
May make a bombing run against opponent's industrial complexes.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
May make bombing runs against opponent's industrial complexes, air bases, and naval bases. Named Strategic Bombers in 1940
Submarine
Classic
8
2
2
2
Submarines shoot before other units, which can be eliminated without returning fire. Can withdraw instead of firing after first round of combat.
Revised
Same as above, plus can submerge instead of withdraw, and can also move past hostile ships.
50th Anniv.
6
1
Submarines shoot before other units, which can be eliminated without returning fire. Can submerge at any time (including before a battle begins), can move past hostile ships but does not block hostile ships.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Transport
Classic
8
0
1
2
Can carry up to 2 infantry, or one of any other land unit.
Revised
Can carry any one land unit, plus one infantry.
50th Anniv.
7
0
Uses Revised Edition cargo rules. No longer has combat value, and chosen as a casualty only if there are no other eligible units.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Destroyer
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
12
3
3
2
Negates all special submarine abilities.
50th Anniv.
8
2
2
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Cruiser
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
12
3
3
2
Can conduct shore bombardment in amphibious invasions
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Aircraft carrier
Classic
18
1
3
2
Can carry two fighters.
Revised
16
50th Anniv.
14
2
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
16
0
Can carry any combination of two, fighters and tactical bombers. Takes two shots to destroy.
Battleship
Classic
24
4
4
2
Can conduct shore bombardment during amphibious invasions.
Revised
Can conduct shore bombardment during amphibious invasions. Takes two shots to destroy.
50th Anniv.
20
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
Anti-aircraft Gun
Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA)
Classic
5
0
1
1
Only one defensive shot for each attacking aircraft before the first round of combat. Fires at any aircraft moving through the territory. Can only move during noncombat, if it has not fired that turn.
Revised
50th Anniv.
6
1942 2nd
5
Renamed Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA). Each AAA unit in the territory may fire up to 3 shots, but each attacking air unit may only be fired upon once. In other words, the total number of air defense dice rolled is 3 times the number of AAA units, or the number of attacking air units, whichever is the lesser.[14][15]
1940 2nd
Naval base
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
15
0
1
0
Repairs friendly capital ships in adjacent waters. Increases the movement of any naval units that start movement in adjacent waters by 1. Can be damaged by strategic bombing. Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Air base
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
15
0
1
0
Airbases on islands allow all fighters and tactical bombers to scramble, which defends adjacent sea zones. Increases the movement of any air units that start movement in the territory with the air base by one. Can be damaged by strategic bombing. Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Industrial complex
Classic
15
0
0
0
Original complexes have unlimited production for original owner.
Revised
All complexes' maximum production limited to the territory value.
50th Anniv.
Can be damaged by strategic bombing, reducing the complex's maximum production.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Minor industrial Complex
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
12
0
1
0
Produces a maximum of three units per turn, and can only be built on territories that produce two or more IPCs per turn. Can be damaged by strategic bombing, reducing the complex's maximum production. Can be upgraded to a major industrial complex for 20 IPCs. Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Major industrial Complex
Classic
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Revised
50th Anniv.
1942 2nd
1940 2nd
30
0
1
0
Produces a maximum of 10 units a turn, and can only be built on territories that produce three or more IPCs per turn. Can be damaged by strategic bombing, reducing the complex's maximum production. Fires a defensive shot when being strategically bombed.
Zombie
& Zombies
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Are only created when an infantry unit is destroyed.
Are not part of a playable nation.
Have special dice and cards.
It can be used in 1942 second edition as an add on with cards.
Revisions
Revisions would follow shortly after the game release as the rules didn't always produce results which made sense in the context of the historical setting. For example, the abstraction of submarines fighting airplanes, initially had a restriction that the bomber was the only kind that could attack a sub. This was later revised so that all aircraft could attack submarines.
Although not the very first edition, the Milton Bradley release was the first to establish the well known game mechanics. There were three versions of the rules for the Milton Bradley games, though only the first two were included with the game itself. The third edition rules were exclusive to a computer video game "Axis & Allies" by Hasbro released in 1998 and Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz with minor additional rules released in 1999. The three editions differed by minor details. There is also a newer video game, Axis & Allies: RTS released in 2004, a departure from the original A&A: Classic world map and introducing several tactical battle scenarios. The Axis & Allies: RTS (2004) was followed by Axis & Allies: RTS Collector's Edition (2006) with expanded strategy guide included.
The first major revision to the rules was designed by Larry Harris and Mike Selinker (who would later develop the board game Attack! based on the experiences learned working with Harris), who tried to address many of the Milton Bradley version's shortcomings, including removing the Axis economic victory condition and the requirement of capturing enemy capitals in favor of victory cities, which has been used in every revision since. With victory cities, the Axis and Allies start with an equal number of victory cities (specially labeled territories), and strive to capture enough victory cities to gain a majority of them (the size of the majority being agreed upon by the players prior to the game). This allows players to play shorter or longer games, depending upon the number of victory cities a power must control in order to claim victory.[16]
With each revision, there were also balance changes in order to make gameplay more dynamic: in the Milton Bradley edition, infantry were cheap units that tended to be most useful as defensive cannon fodder, due to their token attack and slightly better defense. This had led to many areas of the game board being heavily fortified, bogging game play down to a matter of who could build more infantry faster. To counteract this, the tank, whose defense ability was equal to infantry in the Milton Bradley release, had its defensive capabilities improved in the revised edition, so as to encourage players to use combined arms.[17] Other balance changes included altering the costs of the various units, and altering the transport capacity: in the Milton Bradley edition, transports could carry only two infantry or one of any other land unit; later revisions had transports able to carry one infantry in addition to one of any other land unit.
The variety of land and sea units was increased by introducing artillery and destroyers from A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific to A&A: Revised edition. Artillery increased the effectiveness of infantry in attacks, while destroyers limited the usefulness of submarines and acted as a lower-cost substitute for the expensive battleship. Cruisers were introduced in A&A: 50th Anniversary Edition to effectively split the destroyer's many abilities. While destroyers continue to limit the usefulness of submarines, the stronger cruisers now act as lower cost battleships.
The game board itself was also reworked in each revision. The Milton Bradley classic release featured largely vibrant colors, while the revised version featured mainly darker tones. The 50th anniversary edition and 1942 edition has a more realistic terrain with only subtle hints of color to denote which power has initial control over a particular territory. The composition of territories was also slightly altered, for example, the number of territories between Berlin and Moscow had been increased for the revised edition, including adding many Soviet territories of strategic importance.[18]
Strategic bombing was altered over the years. Until the revised edition, strategic bombing caused opposing players to lose the IPCs they had on hand. The 50th anniversary edition changed this so that industrial complexes were damaged instead. Damaged industrial complexes had less capacity to produce units and can be repaired at the cost of IPCs.
Later revisions have also included changes in research (which was generally not a worthwhile investment in the Milton Bradley edition due to its high cost and low probability of success) to have more of an effect, with mixed results, 1942 edition eliminates research altogether. Another feature that was implemented but was later dropped was the revised edition's "National Advantages", which represented tactics and technologies used by a specific power during the war. For example, a British ability allowed the British player to delay their combat movement until the American player's turn once per game, in order to have a coordinated attack.
Later editions had minor cosmetic changes in the playing pieces. In the Milton Bradley version, only the infantry pieces were unique to each power in appearance. Unique units was later expanded to include nearly every unit in later editions. Compared to the generic fighters of the Milton Bradley release, the Supermarine Spitfire was used in later editions to represent British fighters, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero was used to represent Japanese fighters, while two different fighters (the Grumman F4F Wildcat and the Lockheed P-38 Lightning) represented American fighters. The color scheme to associate units with powers was also standardized across all Axis & Allies series games, based on the colors used in A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific, and is different from those used in the Milton Bradley release.
In 2009, an updated version of Axis & Allies: Pacific was released, titled Axis & Allies: Pacific 1940. The 10th board game in the A&A series, A&AP 1940 introduced the ANZAC forces as a playable power, along with two new unit types, mechanized infantry and tactical bombers.
In 2010, an updated version of Axis & Allies: Europe was released, titled Axis & Allies: Europe 1940. A&AE 1940 introduced France as a playable power. Mechanized infantry and tactical bomber units continue to appear after debuting in A&A Pac40. Italy also appears as a playable power in A&AE 1940 after debuting in A&A 50. In A&AE 1940 and A&AP 1940 aircraft carriers and battleships are capital ships that are damaged with 1 hit and sunk with 2 hits. Damaged CVs & BBs can be repaired by moving the damaged CV or BB to a friendly naval base for repairs. Special rules apply for fighters and tactical bombers if a CV is damaged. A&AE 1940 is the 11th A&A boardgame in the series. A&AE 1940 and A&AP 1940 are designed to be played as separate games or may be combined into one game to create a 2-6 player global 1940 scenario, complete with separate set up and national objectives. The combined A&AE 1940 and A&AP 1940 maps measure 175x80 cm (70" x 32"). All 9 major powers of World War II are represented with unique unit pieces and their own unique color.
Board games
In addition to designing the board games, Larry Harris had also designed A&A: Europe and A&A: Pacific, which had the core mechanics of Axis & Allies adapted for a specific theater. This, in turn, served as the catalyst for the revised edition. Although there were preliminary plans for a variant that allowed players to combine Europe and Pacific together, it had never been published. Larry Harris has announced two completely new editions, Axis & Allies Pacific 1940 released in December 2009 and Axis & Allies Europe 1940 released in Summer 2010, which will also include a variant that combines both games together.
Warren Spector reviewed the 1984 Milton Bradley version of Axis & Allies in Space Gamer No. 72.[19] Spector commented that "Overall, Axis & Allies is a winner. It's simple to learn, easy to play, requires lots of thought, and has immense replay value (since each country has unique goals, resources, and geography)."[19]
In a retrospective review in Issue 4 of Simulacrum, Joe Scoleri noted, "Sometimes seen as the bane of 'serious' wargamers, this design has stood the test of time and the Milton Bradley re-release served to introduce a whole new generation to wargaming. While it won't please the Advanced Third Reich crowd, it is an entertaining game nonetheless."[20]
Axis & Allies was declared the best-selling physical wargame in August 1996, having eclipsed the 275,000 copies sold by PanzerBlitz, the second-highest seller in the genre.[21] It went on to sell roughly 1 million copies by 1998.[22]
In a review of Axis & Allies in Black Gate, M Harold Page said "Its big advantage is that its historical setting can draw in less geeky players. There are, however, rules to learn and master."[23]
Video games
Two video games based on the official board game were released in 1998 and 2004. Axis & Allies by Hasbro released in 1998. It features a departure from the original A&A: Classic world map and introduces several tactical battlefield scenarios. Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz released as an updated version in 1999 with minor additional rules and features marines, paratroopers, destroyers, and kamikazes. Axis & Allies: RTS by TimeGate Studios released in 2004 and is primarily based on real-time strategy gameplay. Axis & Allies: RTS Collector's Edition released as an expanded version in 2006. The game became TimeGate's best-selling game.[24]
In 2008, Wizards of the Coast created an online version of Axis & Allies as part of their Gleemax game site. When Gleemax was cancelled the game found its way to the GameTable Online game site, who programmed the game for Wizards of the Coast. The initial version was based on the 2004 Revised edition.[25] In September 2010 GameTable Online has developed a new version based on the Axis & Allies: 1942 set.[26] Game Table Online is no longer available, as it shut down in 2015. Axis and Allies and many different variants can currently be played via the TripleA website.
TripleA is an open source adaptation of Axis & Allies, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.[27] It allows users to play single player against an AI, or hot-seat against other friends in the same room. It allows multiplayer on an online lobby, and also over email (PBEM) and network connections. Originally released in 2002, TripleA is now on stable version 2.2 as of year 2020. Version 2.2 is able to play the major versions of Axis & Allies: Classic, Axis & Allies:Revised, Axis & Allies: 50th Anniversary Edition, Axis & Allies: Spring 1942. It also hosts many fan created maps, which have similar rules to Axis & Allies, but use a different setup or a different map or era altogether, for example, historical scenarios like a map based on Napoleon's conquests, Sci-Fi maps and Fantasy maps.
In 2019, Axis & Allies 1942 Online was published by Beamdog.[28]
^"Axis & Allies". Renegade Game Studios. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
^While there is no physical piece for Mechanized Infantry in the 50th Anniversary edition, there is a research titled "Mechanized Infantry." It allows infantry paired 1:1 with tanks to move 2 spaces
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