MOVED: High resolution (vector graphics possibly) Axis & Allies Map (2nd edition style)

@CWO:

To use a chess analogy: there are chess sets out there that are fabulously ornate works of art, but which are impractical for play because the pieces are not necessarily easy to identify.  That’s the reason why official chess tournaments are played with plain, simple, rigourously standardized chessmen: so that the players don’t have to waste any mental energy trying to figure out what each piece is supposed to represent.

But won’t everyone recognize Captain Kirk and Emperor Palpatine as the king piece in my chess sets? lolz

This can depend on how the R1/UK1 went (and how much your “valued” axis ally screwed you)
Assumptions: EI Fleet wiped out, UK CA survived, UK FTR in India, 2UK FTRs in WRus, Buryatia or Yakut is stacked, 1 Russian inf added to Schezwan. Aus Transport w/2inf in SZ30 (to reinforce India UK2). Burma inf retreats to India
You assume that the Allies are focused on knocking out Japan first.  Buy 2 Trans/CV (I do also like 3Trans/3inf) for this situation.
Combat:
If Yakut stacked, send 1inf into Buryatia. If Buryatia stacked, 3inf/FTR from Manchuria, Bomber/FTR from Japan.
Send Shanghai’s 4inf into Anwhei, use Manchuria FTR (use FIC FTR if hitting Buryatia).
Send inf/art from Hong Kong, inf/art from Phillipines, inf/tank from Japan, 2inf/art/FTR from FIC and BB to Yunan.
NCM/Placing buys:
You need to consider having both CVs in position to have FTRS and protecting your transports. Your Caroline fleet/SS need to pull back.  Place the SS at Borneo.  Caroline Fleet can go to FIC and/or Japan.  This is just one of several routes to go, but if India/EI fleet is not the focus of the allies, then you just need to use your two transports and FIC to land in Burma (buy 2trans/IC for EI).  Leave the Russians completely alone and hit China where you can for IPCs.  You shouldn’t be able to hit India J2, but you can make them regret they didn’t think more about India when they had an opportunity.
The great thing about Japan is you have options.  Just beware of a US buildup in the Solomons…they want to take Borneo or the Phillipines from you.  Don’t chase, just have a counter that won’t frak you.

Don’t attack PH. This is even more important to not do if you lost your EI fleet.  Attacking PH will knock Japan out of the game instantaneously because you will lose that fleet as well.

Aniversary Is cool to have but other than having Italy I just wasn’t all that stoaked about it. The sculpts in mine were really bad in alot of ways I ranted about this along with others when it came out . 1942 Second Ed is awesome and with a bit of tweaking you can probably get a better experience than AA50. HBG and FMG have a set of Italian minis and roundels you could easily use. As far as balancing goes you could simply combine Germany and Italy and simply use your Italian pieces in place of Germans where it calls for them or use some house rules.

You can get the Aniversary rules too but I’m not sure where.

While I might dodge some stones being thrown here AA50, was not a favorite of mine. For what it costs to get a copy it’s not worth it. There are a ton of threads on here as to how to make your own version of AA50.

Personally the attraction of this game for me was to have the game in my AA collection. I have all the board based AA games except for Guadal Canal and AAE40.

Japan can easily counter, every island touches the FIC seazone. Thanks for playing.

@bryanbr:

@Hobbes:

I sent the Russian fighter to Egypt and did an SZ37 attack with the UK. Germany got a carrier for the Med. Japan killed the Russian stack on Buryatia and did a botched attack on Hawaii. US went Pacific.

It sounds like the Japanese player was just incompetent.

Under no scenario do I see Japan attacking Hawaii if the US is putting the right amount into the Pacific.  If in KGF, the US needs to support the pacific with enough to prevent the loss of Hawaii.

He decided to attack SZ52 on J1 with 1 FTR, 1 BMR, 1 cruiser and 1 submarine. That’s 73% odds with LL, enough to make the US lose the carrier but my sub got lucky and hit with a 1.

@Cromwell_Dude:

@Hobbes:

So why would anyone want to attack Finland with Germany Russia on G1?

;)

Not to be a complete nerd, but this just reminds me of the old Death Star problem:  the engineers probably told the defense coordinators they were placing a venting shaft directly out of the reactor, and when the defense coordinators complained to the general contractor, the general contractor blew them off citing cost overruns that would occur if they put a simple angel in the shaft line so proton torpedoes couldn’t dive straight down. Really?

Avalon Hill can’t spare one person looking fresh at all the game components before they go out to make sure they, like, add up?  Really?

The map is indeed bigger - I think a good size, in fact. There is still along the top of the map a place to track IPCs which I think could have been done without.

OOB - no tech, no NOs.

MM