Axis & Allies Anniversary upgraded version

v10: G40 Lite including France, aligned Neutrals, Canada, ANZAC, Communist China, and all the recent additions up to 11/18/2025

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mBgt6KSM7oIE3uNmuESPSU2F1AhicYMG/view?usp=sharing

G40_Lite_v10_prev.jpg

The various versions of Axis & Allies optionally require some sets of cards that more practically represent some features of the game mentioned in the rulebooks. They cover the regular versions but also some improvised adaptations.
The sets presented here consist of separate photos for each card, and some of them are from edits of single decks posted by other members. Also featured are some new back covers.
The following cards can be printed on any website that prints and sends cards such as e.g. the MPC (makeplayingcards.com).

A) National Objectives and Bonus Income
They are normally available in versions: Anniversary, and 1940 SE (Europe etc).
i) Anniversary 50th - National Objectives and Bonus Income Cards
The following set of cards is printable in Poker size 2.5"×3.5" (63.5×89mm):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/efgi7nl2075zxq9/AA50 National Objectives Cards (Poker size).rar?dl=0
AA50 NO Cards.jpg
Derived from an edit of the deck designed and posted in 2019 by member Corporal Glegg at the link:
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/33849/national-objective-cards-for-anniversary

ii) Global, Europe, Pacific, 1940 SE - National Objectives and Bonus Income Cards
The following card set is printable in Bridge card size 2.25"×3.5" (57×89mm):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0hzs3bnm9li290s/AA1940 SE National Objectives Cards (Bridge size).rar?dl=0
AA1940 NO Cards.jpg
With the addition of a few extra cards to the Global set this can be used for both the separate AA Europe 1940 SE as well as the Pacific 1940 SE versions. These have the corresponding symbol “E” for Europe and “P” for the Pacific at the top right and replace the corresponding card from the Global set.
Derived from an edit of the deck originally designed and posted by member Young Grasshopper in 2015 at the link:
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/25587/a-a-1940-global-national-objective-card-deck
However, this set has been improved by the designer in 2020
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/35289/grasshopper-s-dice-cards-a-a-gaming-accessories/4
and is available along with other sets on the website:
https://www.makeplayingcards.com/sell/young-grasshopper

B) National Advantages and Technologies:
i) The National Advantages feature is normally only present in the Revised (2004) version but they were also introduced in the customized Anniversary Upgraded Version designed and posted in 2018 by member Dagon81 at the link:
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/post/352353
I supplemented this presentation in 2022 with sets of similar cards for the Revised (2004) and adapted it for the Spring 1942 and 1942 SE, omitting the 1940 SE versions.

ii) The Technologies feature is normally available in: Revised (2004), Anniversary and Global 1940 SE. I created card sets for these and adapted them for the Spring 1942 and 1942 SE versions as well.
They are printable in Poker card size 2.5"×3.5" (63.5×89mm), presented in the links:
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/post/1618116
and
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/post/1618056
AA NA & TECH Cards.jpg
It should be noted that in some sets a slight deviation from the border of the red dashed line was preferred in order to keep the original size and quality of the subject unchanged but also not to have too large margins around the main subject of the cards, which would look something like this:
AA Smaller Cards.jpg

Re: Global 1942 Scenario by Larry Harris

We’ve played this version four times now, and it definitely is tilted towards the Allies. The US is simply too powerful, and Japan has no chance with the US getting 65-70+ income every turn. While it’s still our favorite, there are some challenges. Our thoughts:

I agree with the assessment that the USSR can knock out 1-2 territories right off the bat. This is similar to the traditional A&A, but Germany doesn’t have the forces to respond in any forceful way to retake anything. USSR is starting with 21+ infantry across the 3-territory front, and Germany can’t get its forces there fast enough. The USSR creates strongholds in Kaliningrad and Ukraine and churns out 10-12 infantry or 6 tanks that immediately come into play. The possible solution for this is for Germany to put a minor IC closer to the front for balance.

Germany has no chance to get transports out of the North Sea due to Britain’s fighter advantage. With France’s help, you would need to get 4+ destroyers/cruisers to protect the transports if you’re trying to go to Iceland and then to Canada/US. The key is to have sub packs hunting any transports that cross, and quick. Once the US takes Gibraltar (which it should do in R1), it becomes a fighter landing factory where they can spawn across the Atlantic and then pound Italy.

The US is just too powerful. The winning path we’ve seen is for the US to make 5-6 fighters per turn and fly them to the Hawaiian islands, then eventually take Wake and Midway. From there, it’s only a matter of time. Japan simply can’t put enough forces to fight through the fighters to get Hawaii, Midway and the islands to the south. The 15 bonus just for having the US each turn is too much. If Germany/Italy can put pressure on the US (which we have seen and done), it can help, but it’s really hard. Italy needs to get income fast, which means going hard and fast after Egypt and the consolidated forces there.

Our Allied player did a very interesting thing by putting a factory in Egypt along with an air base, which made it almost impregnable. Getting Africa quickly is perhaps the least understood key to the war - it allows Italy to prevent ships from coming through the canal and lets them pressure the US. Italy HAS to hold TransJordan to prevent UK ships from crossing the canal. I can’t emphasize enough how important a role plays in helping take pressure off of the UK, which can…

Build up an infantry fortress in India which is impossible to take - UNLESS you build a minor IC on R1 in Malaya. Why Malaya (which is much harder to defend)? Because, under the rules, it can be upgraded to a MAJOR IC - producing 10 units per turn - so India can be overwhelmed. The challenge is that Malaya can be hit (and taken) with the British naval forces attached to India. However, if Japan can do it, they can then turn its attention to…

ANZAC - becomes an income suck very quickly for Japan by grabbing the East Indies. Getting Japan to take out India is probably the most important thing the Axis can do. It frees Japan to focus on island defense and ANZAC. If ANZAC starts getting fighters, they become a transport-hunting force which simply can’t be countered. Otherwise, ANAC spawns a transport and 1-2 infantry per turn that can grab IPC-rich islands. The way I’ve countered this is to flood the Pacific with subs everywhere, which will pick off any unattended transport immediately.

Germany - Has to focus on numbers to overwhelm Russia while hoping that the UK doesn’t undertake strategic bombing raids, which Germany should do anyway to minimize the UK’s strength. The USSR has been able to assemble 25-30 tanks in the last three games, and only an error by the Allied player which allowed me to grab Russia for a turn helped even the balance. I have found that blasting the UK’s IC into dust slows things down a lot.

All in all, a very solid game, but it needs some tweaks so the Axis have a chance.

@AlphaKappa:

That is so helpful!  Thank you for the analysis!

It was my pleasure. A chance to pull out my games and admire them? If I must…  :-D

@AlphaKappa:

It’s too bad Avalon Hill didn’t print the new Anniversary Edition in the same colors as Europe '40 Second Edition.  I really like the lighter shade of those Italian pieces because they’re easier to distinguish from Soviet red-brown.

To be fair to Hasbro/WotC/Avalon Hill, all they promised was a re-print. And to a large degree, that is what the New A&A Anniversary edition was: a straight up re-print of the original go at things. Were there differences between the two prints? Of course there were. Were all of those changes for the better? I don’t think so, no. I especially wish they had kept the US F6F Hellcat fighters but instead we got more P-38 Lightnings. But overall, it was probably as faithful as they could do and a long shot better than either 1) not doing it at all (what a pity that would have been) or 2) just phoning it in and wholesale dumping all of the right pieces from A&A 42 and A&A Europe 40.1 Italy.

Instead, we got the original Anniversary Edition Italian tank, the M14/41. We got the Italian brown Japanese Betty bombers and Type 92 Howitzers (artillery). And they put them into a shade about as close as to the shade of the original Anniversary Edition Italians as they were going to get from two print runs separated by 9 years. And that meant that we got a bunch of Italian brown German ships and fighters. But we got a re-print of a game I didn’t think was ever coming back.

And for that, I don’t mind dark brown Italians. Even if I would have rather gotten the F6Fs and the Maroon UK Country class cruisers, I’m happy with what we did get.

-Midnight_Reaper

I can’t understand German, but I know what your doing, and that is cool, and will make it easier to keep track of. :-)

Super job on this spreadsheet.

Cheers!

John

@Gargantua:

Has anyone thought making the board from Acrylic??

Or is it too prone to breakage?

I had considered etching the country and seazone borders into the bottom of the acrylic topper on our topograhical board.  Would have been very cool, but too difficult at the time (skill level required was beyond me at the time).

I don’t think it would have been particularly prone to breakage.  Acrylic sheets are pretty resiliant.  SCRATCHING on the other hand would be a major issue to deal with.

Oops. We’re playing a game tonight. My son noticed there’s no number 50.  :-o
LOL -I know what I’m fixing when this game is done. Guess I just didn’t want my age on the score chart.  :roll:

Your collection and set up is truly awesome.