Customer Reviews

Axis & Allies Board Game, 2004 Revised Edition

5 star:		(121)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Axis and Allies is best described as a "thinking person's Risk." While random dice rolls still determine the outcome of battles, the decisions players are forced to make, allow the game to be far more challenging than the better known Risk while not hampering its play-ability. Do you need infantry or armored units? Should you build an airforce or a navy? When do you attack and when do you assume a defensive posture? All are questions players need to consider. Axis and Allies is easy play the first time and challenging enough that it is still a game you will want to play the hundredth time you take it out of the box. The flexibility of the game which pits the Allies (US, USSR, GB) against the Axis (Germany, Japan) allows for two players to enjoy the game as much as when as many as five players each control the destiny of each country during WWII. The colorful gameboard and plastic infantry, tanks, ships, and planes all work together to make this one of my favorite games.

I've been a huge fan of Axis and Allies for over 10 years, and regularly have gaming sessions with friends to play it and the other games in the series (Shogun, etc). I enjoy Axis and Allies a lot because of its historical roots.

It's a great way to learn about the situations in World War 2 without getting bogged down in the nitty gritty details like some other games. It's not a quick game - you can easily play for many hours before you get to closure. Also, if you play it a lot, you might want to go on the net and find some alternate rules to keep things interesting.

Good fun if you have a large block of time and friends who share your gaming interests!

This is a classic-- one of the best games ever made. Deceptively simple rules lead to complex campaigns which accurately reflect geopolitical, military and strategic considerations of the period. Like in real life, the Axis powers need to win quick before the industrial might of the USA kicks in. Sometimes play gives amazingly historical results, or you can change history with daring strategies (or strategic blunders). A most fun and educational game, highly recommended for everyone!

With over 100 reviews already online I'm not sure what I can contribute but after owning and loving this game for over two years I think I can help you decide whether this game is a good purchase for you. This is a great game but it is not for everybody. It is not a good board game to play with your family in a couple hours on "family game night." To truly enjoy the game requires an investment of time that most people except true game nuts are not willing to devote to it.

A&A is educational in the sense that it develops logic, reasoning and problem solving skills but it is not really a military simulation of WWII. Instead it is a game of economics and probability using tanks, battleships, etc. to make it more interesting. Every military piece has a cost and every territory yields economic benefit to its owner. At the beginning of the game the Allies have a stronger economy than the Axis and the only way the Axis can win is to reverse this situation by conquering more territory or they will eventually be overwhelmed by superior forces. Correct cost-benefit analysis is required in order to win the game. You must figure out what it will cost to attack and win a territory or how much it will cost to defend and lose a territory against how much your opponents will spend to do the same. The most efficient player will win, regardless of the dice, because an efficient player will be in the game long enough for the probabilities to even out. Because there is A LOT of dice rolling, the game is not about luck. This may seem counter-intuitive but the more rolls there are the more the dice will fall within predictable probabilities, thereby allowing planning and analysis to win out over luck. Regardless of which side you play, if you lose quickly it is because you spent your money unwisely, failed to anticipate probable losses and put forces at risk faster than you could afford to replace them. The novice player will see this as unlucky dice rolling. The advanced player calls this ineptitude.

If this all sounds boring then A&A is probably not a game you will enjoy for very long because after a few three-hour games where each player had just 3 or 4 turns and the outcome was randomly determined by a couple of lucky rolls you may decide the game is not fun enough to justify the effort. True, at a basic level you can set up the pieces, crash through territories and try a few low-odds attacks that every once in awhile yield a quick victory against an inexperienced player in just a few turns. I'm sure many people enjoy A&A at this level, but if you put some time and thought into developing your skills you will be rewarded with an intellectually challenging game where you work as part of team to share resources, orchestrate complex attacks, diversions and feints and fend of an enemy team doing the same to you for hours on end.

There is more to this game than analysis and probability. Do not underestimate the social side of the game, which is the best part in my opinion. The game is much more enjoyable with at least 4 players so each person has a teammate. You get to haggle out strategy and cajole for additional resources from your allies while threatening your enemies with all sorts of attacks to disguise your real plans. After a few beers the trash talking really heats up. (Beer spillage is not friendly to the cardboard country cards and game board so be careful!)

Criticisms of this game are more about what kind of game you like than the game itself. Does the game take a little time to set up? Sure, but it's not a problem to take 20 minutes to set up while you wait for your friends to arrive. Is the rule book a little longer than most games? Yes, but the print is large and there are lots of illustrated examples of game play. After reading the rules and guiding your friends through one or two practice turns everybody should understand how it all works and be ready to play. Will smart players experience a long game? Yes they will, and if you see this as a burden instead of a reward for your commitment to an excellent game, then this game is not for you. No more than two players are ever doing anything at one time so the others can get up from the table, cook a burger, drink a beer, watch football, whatever. I try to make an all day party out of it so nobody gets bored when it's somebody else's turn. ("Hey, Churchill! Get over here. It's your turn. And while you were out smoking that cigar the Japanese took India. We rolled for you. I hope you don't mind.")

BTW, the example of Japan's first turn in the rule book is just about the worst thing Japan can do in a real game. Instant death for the Axis is guaranteed if you mimic the example.

I've played hundreds of board games but Axis and Allies remains one of my all time favorites. Axis and Allies recreates all of World War II on a world-wide scale. Players play the US, Great Britain, Russia, Germany and Japan in an all out battle for world supremacy. Players have to contemplate many of the decisions real policy makers had to make - whether to concentrate on carriers or battleships, whether to go for tanks or bulk up the air force, whether to risk all in a lightening blitzkrieg or to take a more conservative, more defensive approach.

The most intriguing part of this game are some of the interesting "alternate history" outcomes that can occur. Want to see the Nazis conquer South America? Want to see the Japanese blitz through Africa? Want to see the US win Pearl Harbor? Want to see D-Day happen four times...in Finland? If so, than this is the game for you!

Great pieces, great rules and great fun are already making this game an all-time classic!

I have been an Axis and Allies owner for about three years, and believe me, I have not regreted it for a second! Axis and Allies is by far the best strategic game ever made, and anybody who is into history will love this game. Coming with a large gameboard will all the historicly accurate countries, this game makes you feel as if you are actually in charge of the whole world and it's ground forces. Coming with infantry, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, fighters, bombers, battleships, submerines, carriers, submerines, and transports, this game will never siece to give you an option on your unit choices. Though the game is historically accurate, it is missing some crucial land and sea units (which ARE available in the new Axis and Allies Europe board game, which comes with destroyers and artilery) This is a MUST for all board game lovers. But if you do get this game, make sure you get the new Axis and Allies Europe game as well, which comes with pieces that are historically accurate to the countries untis. (German tank=Panther, American fighter=P-38, British battleship=Royal Oak class etc.) Great game! Dopn't plan on playing it unless you have 4 hours (or more) at your fingertips!

If you like strategy board games like RISK and the economic gist of Monopoly, but are looking for a little more action then perhaps you should take a look at Axis & Allies.

Axis & Allies plays over a large game board that divvies up the world as it may have looked during the spring of 1942. With the two powers of Germany and Japan beginning the game with a military advantage over Britain, U.S., and Russia, its up to the Allies to hold their ground as their economic advantage gets kick started.

2-5 players chose their power (it's okay if you have only 3 or 4...some players can easily play more than 1 power, and a new player can enter the fray and take over a power if they chose).

Each country takes a turn and turns are pretty wild. You make multiple attacks like in RISK and the more countries you acquire the more money you get...meaning the stronger your military is each turn. Battles have a component of strategy and luck. You must make strategic decisions that impact future turns, but all the planning in the world is determined by the outcome of the dice. You may do well one turn, or really bad the next.

The game can easily take hours, if not days and entire weeks to complete. So make sure you can safely store an unfinished game away from young children or pets.

There are many small plastic models including: soldiers, fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, tanks, AA guns, factories, subs, transports, destroyers, chips, and cardboard markers. This is why I gave the game a three is durability. The pieces are small (they have to be or the board would even be bigger) and can be easily lost, broken or swallowed by a child. I also find that you may not have enough pieces to represent your war machine later in the game, so there is an order form inside the box to purchase more models.

Educational value is good because it makes you think about strategy and economy in a WWII setting, and the outcomes of battles are very different every game. What if Germany won? What if Japan took out the US early on? Many possible alternative history outcomes. However, the game is designed for players 12 and up. Well, your child better be pretty bright and have a lot of patience, for thsi game is involved, long, and complex. Two of my friends and I play this and even in our 30's it took a bit to understand all the rules. Though I think a child can learn this, 12 may be a little young....I'd say you need to be at least 15 or 16.

The fun is really in the models and combat turns. Though it can be a bit drawn out at times, there is nothing more satisfying than watching your tanks, soldiers, and bombers infiltrating enemy territory on one turn, just so your opponent can crush you elsewhere in the world the next turn.

This game requires a lot of patients and a hard time board game player (one that will stay in it for a few hours.) The pieces are small and not for use in houses with lots of children. I have lost many pieces already because they get caught in the furniture. This is a purelly educational game in that it teaches not only WWII but strategy. I've only played this game twice, and I've enjoyed it, but as for the people I played it with, it kinda took a toll on their patience. If you are into strategy and learning games, this is the game for you!

Playing this game is about as much fun as you can ask. I've played with some great players (Chuck Shye where are you), but everytime you play you learn something new. There is a computer version of the game available but nothing beats playing another human.

I first played axis and allies back in about 1985, and I most recently played it about a year ago. It's a fun, beer and pretzels strategy game. Complicated compared to monopoly, simple compared to squad leader or more serious war simulation games.

It is time consuming, especially if you play it out to the bitter end. You have to at some point admit defeat gracefully, or it will come down to one player building a horde of infantry and forcing the other players to come dig him out. Unless you really get into rolling dice, there's no need to go that far.

There are variants for A&A on the internet that will help resolve the problem that once you've played enough times you will find that the outcome is somewhat fixed. If both sides play their best strategy, the allies will win, barring a fluke in one of the first turn battles in the societ union. It's bad when you play the first turn, and declare a winner, but experienced axis and allies players should be able to do that.

Once you have mastered axis and allies, look into the pacific version, or "Swords of the amurai" formerly sold as "Shogun!"