Axis & Allies 1942

by Avalon Hill

Product Features

• Spring 1942 The World is at War Axis and Allies Board Game by Wizards of the Coast

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16 x 10.5 x 3 inches ; 2.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0026J3PO6
• Item model number: 25066
• Manufacturer recommended age: 12 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)

Product Description

This updated edition of the original classic game Axis & Allies features new sculpted playing pieces and rulebook.

• 2-5 players
• Ages 12+

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game but...., October 7, 2009

By 

Hoop - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Axis & Allies 1942 (Toy)

The game itself is great. Having only played the 1941 version before I was nervous about some of the rule changes. But the game plays well, and the new navy boats and artilery pieces make for more diverse battles. My biggest problem is two things: 1) Wizards of the Coast doesn't provide you w/any money for the game. The instruction book says "Keep track of your IPC's ($) with a piece of paper and pencil." LAME! C'mon Wizards, would it have realy killed costs to throw in a couple of paper bills? Next time, give less navy units to Russia (cause it's not like anyone ever buys them) and include some $$. And 2) You are suppose to use the grey and red chips under your units to represent multiple units; but they dont even give you enough chips to set the game board up in the begining! You have to resort to using some upsidedown country flag token things right off the bat. We used to do this in the 1941 edition also. But normally not until the game was underway. You at least had enough chips to set the board up. So again, c'mon Wizards, why so skimpy with the chips?? Do they really cost that much?!

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Axis & Allies, a classic, December 5, 2009

By 

Leland Hicks - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Axis & Allies 1942 (Toy)

The game of Axis & Allies has long been a classic board game. Not only does the player learn game strategies, but in the process, learns a great deal about WWII history. The only drawbacks about this particular edition are:

No currency is included: players are told to keep track of paydays on paper
No planning trays are included: In older versions, each army had trays that separated the items, for ease of location.
No enough dice and chips: More dice and chips, as in other versions makes for a more playable game
Not enough of some items: Some armies are thin on such items as tanks.

In general, it appears that the maker decided to cut costs by cutting valuable items from the game inventory. I would much rather have seen those items included, and paid a bit more.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Revamp of a Classic, February 15, 2010

By 

J. Schaefer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Axis & Allies 1942 (Toy)

This game uses the newest revision of rules introduced in the 50th Anniversary Edition of Axis & Allies but is more streamlined (no Italy) and plays much closer to the revised edition with nearly the same map layout.

One of the biggest changes from the revised edition is the Cruiser naval unit. While I don't find the unit particularly useful in my style of play, the higher attack value (compared to Destroyer) with the additional ability of Shore Bombardment (like a Battleship) makes this a versatile unit to any powers' Navy looking to rule the seas. There are additional rule changes from the revised edition regarding the use of Anti-aircraft guns, damage done by Strategic Bombing, Transports, and more.

If you enjoy more detailed strategy board games and haven't played Axis & Allies you definitely want to give this a try. You can't find a better strategy board game for the money in my opinion. The low price of this game does come with some drawbacks that seem to disappoint others. There is no paper money, storage boxes and the game could use some additional pieces at times (mostly chips). There are plenty of inexpensive solutions to remedy all of these issues and something had to be trimmed down to keep the low price point.

The biggest issue with this edition is that the map can get cramped in Eastern Europe/Western Russia once the game gets rolling. Using chips is a must and action in the aforementioned area of the map will deplete your chip reserves fairly quickly. This is nowhere near significant enough of a problem to stay away from this great game, however.

Play time can vary greatly depending on the experience of players. Those who have not played before can expect the game to take WELL over 6 hours if you don't keep people moving along. Once you're familiar with the rules and general strategies you can expect a game to run between 3 1/2 to 5 hours. [If you haven't played Axis & Allies before, I would highly recommend playing a 1 on 1 game to work through the rules. Then introduce new players once you're comfortable with the core rules so you and your buddy can help them out.] The more conservative the players are, the longer the game will run. Most games I have played are all but decided within 4 or 5 rounds with each round taking about an hour.

I recommend Axis & Allies 1942 for anyone looking to have many hours of board gaming enjoyment. Pick this up, learn the core rules and explore the other A&A games that are being re-introduced with the new set of rules (Pacific 1940 and Europe 1940). The A&A community is massive and there are plenty of homebrew rules, variants and player aids out there for those looking to enhance or alter their A&A experience.

Happy Wargaming!