Best posts made by djensen

Welcome to the Axis & Allies .org Forums! Please feel free to use this topic to introduce yourself to the community. Or if you’re a long time member, feel free to re-introduce yourself.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, for instance:

• Where are you from?
• What Axis & Allies games do you like to play?
• How often do you play?
• Do you use any customizations (tables, painted pieces) or house rules?

Finally, when you read something posted here, please give it a heart/upvote :heart: and please be sure to look at the past introductions and give those hearts too! In general, be generous giving out those hearts, that goes for you lurkers as well; even if you don’t post it lets everybody know that you’re still here. :sunglasses:

Whether you’re a lurker or active poster, it’s great to read past introductions to see where people are from and to meet this community.

Every so often we will move the posts in this topic to a monthly topic, please see past intros below.

• February 2019
• January 2019
• December 2018
• November 2018

Welcome to the Axis & Allies .org Forums! Please feel free to use this topic to introduce yourself to the community. Or if you’re a long time member, feel free to re-introduce yourself.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, for instance:

• Where are you from?
• What Axis & Allies games do you like to play?
• How often do you play?
• Do you use any customizations (tables, painted pieces) or house rules?

Finally, when you read something posted here, please give it a heart/upvote!

I’m Dave Jensen and I created this site in January 2000 and added forums about a year later. The origins of the site actually started as early as 1996 when I created a page on the web server of the college I was attending, Pomona College. The site was called David Jensen’s Axis & Allies archive and had a few articles and house rules.

I payed my first game of Axis & Allies 2nd Edition Classic in middle school when my good friend @rmorel introduced me and another friend, Ross, to the game. In high school the three of us go together nearly every Friday to play A&A or D&D (I was a terrible Dungeon Master).

Now, I live in San Francisco with my wife and two cats. I’m a software developer and entrepreneur, I run a tech startup that provides software for breweries, called Brewd.

My favorite version of Axis & Allies is Anniversary Edition but I mostly play 1942 Second Edition. I’ve been in the finals for 42SE at Gen Con but was narrowly defeated after getting the worst rolls of my life on USSR turn 1! I also enjoy a fun, casual game of A&A Zombies here and there.

January 2020 marks the 20th year that this website has been in operation. I would like to say thank you to everybody who has made this possible.

We’re using Cloudflare (CF) now to help with the bots and caching the site. After installation, CF was quite aggressive against anything automated including TripleA clients. I set up a rule to allow TripleA traffic.

So it’s all fixed now and the site should feel faster.

Since migrating the forums, I’ve spent some time away from work, gave up free time, and sacrificed sleep to get everything just right. While I was visiting family the day before Thanksgiving, I actually had to stop in the middle of a conversation to fix a server that was crashing.

Yet, there is still more work to do.

There are changes coming to the software that I’ve directly suggested to the NodeBB team, there are changes I’ll be contributing myself, and there are still numerous items on the to-do list, including improvements to the theme. This is not something that was even possible with the old forums.

If I were consulting on a project like this I would charge upwards of $175/hour for all of the customizations, bug fixing, and code changes I’ve made. Even though I try to run this site as a business, the “pay” is peanuts. I do this because it can be fun but when it stops being fun, why should I bother having this site at all? And if patron support stays at it’s current level, shutting down will have to be a consideration.

Suggestions are welcome and I will take the appropriate action based on the type of feedback. Direct and higher quality feedback is easier to act on. Subjectice negativity, is not only impossible to act on, it’s also frustrating. I want everyone to like the site but I also cannot please everyone. If you don’t like something, please try to understand why you don’t like it and then provide feedback in detail. You also need to understand that your feedback may be easy, difficult, or impossible to address or I might disagree.

Also, when I first started this site, it was a bit of a technical playground for me. In the early 2000s, it wasn’t easy to host a site and the challenge was fun. I even built a static site generator in 2000 before it was a thing (I used XML and XSLT). It was even more difficult to get a database going to set up a forum. The act of doing this project and seeing that a community coalesced around it was awesome.

With GenAI and code “co-pilots” I’m getting back to those roots of experimentation and technical exploration to create something for the A&A community. I’ve literally wanted to build a real odds calculator for A&A since 1996. Now, it shouldn’t be too difficult. I created this linktree-style site in a few minutes, instead of hours: https://axisandallies.link

And weeks of work to create a new site and migrate off of Wordpress will turns a weeks-long project into days.

Now when I do a little work here and a little work there, real progress is made.

Anyway, keep an eye out for some fun stuff this year.

I would like to organize an Axis & Allies (World) Cup.

Here’s what I have so far regarding how it works:

• Teams of 4-6 players (preferably geolocated but not necessary)
• Each “Round” of the Cup features a different Axis & Allies game
• A team would field 2 squads of 2-3 per round to play other teams’ squads
• Game play would be mostly online
• Playing in person would be encouraged. For each game played in person (win or lose) a team would get points towards “home field advantage.”
• The cup would take 10-12 months to complete, I think.

I’m still working out home field advantage but I think there might need to be a playoff or championship game after the final round to determine the champion.

• Home field advantage allows the choice for the game for a playoff or championship
• Given the point is crowning the best all around A&A players; it’s not that much of an advantage but it makes it a bit more fun.

I’m working on a print & play preview of Axis & Allies North Africa. I’ll keep you posted. Since I’ll need to run it by Renegade, mid-to-late next week before I publish.

Just in the nick of time, the SSL certificate is installed and renewed for another 2 years and 3 months. Happy secure browsing!

Maybe one of these days I’ll figure out how to get Let’s Encrypt free certs going.

@KnowMad IIRC the next major Anniversary is next year in 2024 so maybe it will be released then.

IMO, 1942SE should be deprecated in favor of 1942 Third Edition which should be Anniversary Ed with some of the updated rules for AAA guns, etc. But that’s just my opinion; only Renegade knows what is in store for A&A.

I wonder if I could enable something on the forums that would just do this for everybody who has set their location in their profile.

Renegade released the North Africa rules today! I’ve started a rules cheat sheet which I’ll try to get done tonight.

https://renegadegamestudios.com/content/File Storage for site/Rulebooks/Axis Allies/A%26A_NorthAfrica_Rulebook_v8_WEB_090324.pdf

I know it’s been a long time coming. But the dicebot is here. Just type out your dice like this …

[dice 1d6 3d4 7d10]

And dicebot will respond, very quickly, with results.

In the future I hope to add some new commands like

3d6<=2 or 3d6>=2 to indicate a "successful result either less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 2.

Lastly, try not to get too angry with @dicebot as it does not use a fancy PRNG (pseudo random number generator), just the one built into nodejs. Plus it’s avatar is soo cute, how can you get mad at that?

@Imperious-Leader Hey, I get upset by bugs too but can you tone it down a bit? Report your bugs professionally first, then rant about dice. Plus we already have another thread about dice rolls; there’s no need to pile on in a separate thread.

One thing to keep in mind is that software development is not easy. TripleA has been around for many more years than this game and it has slowly worked out rules kinks. Sometimes the turn around on TripleA would be fast but other times it took much longer. I think the Beamdog team does do a good job of listening to feedback and fixing issues. Also keep in mind that sometimes issues that we see as easy might be hard to fix and some issues that are hard might have easier fixes.

The one thing that would be nice is the ability to communicate with your opponent to say, “hey, I found a bug, I would like to pause the game until it is fixed.” Or even just a “vacation hold” on games. @JuliusBorisovBeamdog and I have 2 games like that but we chat here about it.

As of January 1, 2020, this website has been around for 20 years! Even though we were not able to celebrate in person, we’re still going to do something special. A huge A&A .org Giveaway!

Starting October 2, 2020 and continuing weekly until all the prizes are gone, I’ll choose 4-5 winners. Each winner will have 7 days to respond or give up their slot for the week. Non-responses in the first 7 days will be given another 7 days to respond but will be bumped to the bottom of that week’s list. We’re just trying to make sure winners get something but keep the contest moving along.

Each winner will be able to select what they want from the list of remaining prizes. If you choose not receive a prize, your name will be listed as a winner who donated their prize back to the community. I’ll do my best to include Europe and the rest of the world but shipping can get expensive.

To participate all you have to do it participate on the forums. Just do one or more of these:

• Post something anywhere on the forums since June 6
• Or be a 2020 patron
  • To be clear, this is not a requirement, you can just post to be entered
  • Most patrons fall into the first category anyway

If you don’t know what to post, here are some suggestions:

• Introduce or Re-introduce Yourself - only if you have not already posted here
• Yup, I’m Still Around - post here if you’ve been quiet on the forums for a while or haven’t posted within the 21 day time period. You don’t have to say much, a simple “I’m still here” is just fine.
• Find an opponent to play a TripleA game
• Post your username and player id for Axis & Allies Online games

Prizes

Provided by Avalon Hill / Wizards of the Coast US & Canada

• Axis & Allies & Zombies @cyanight
• Axis & Allies & Zombies

Provided by Beamdog Worldwide

• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @Lydian
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @Emiel-Lieffering
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @Bjergmose
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @JorisvdHeide
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @LebaneseWarlord
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @scottyp65
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @AAGamer
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @captainwalker
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @Gargantua
• Axis & Allies 1942 Online license @baron-Münchhausen

Provided by Historical Board Gaming US & Canada

• Amerika board game @Stuka80
• Global War 1936v2 map @Black_Elk
• Prize Pack One @Toberwhompus
  • Includes: Italian units from FMG, American units from HBG, paper IPCs
• Prize Pack One @DesertFox_96
• Prize Pack One @seancb
• Prize Pack One @captainwalker
  • Includes: Italian units from FMG, American units from HBG, paper IPCs
• Prize Pack One @Snigg
  • Includes: Italian units from FMG, American units from HBG, paper IPCs
• Prize Pack Two @Cornwallis
  • 5 different packs of roundels from HBG
  • IPCs, paper
  • Roundel coasters

Provided by I Will Never Grow Up Worldwide

• Prize Package 1 (Retail value $70) @PlainDu
  • FMG Ammo Pouch (Black)
  • FMG Combat Turret
  • FMG Combat Chips
  • FMG Combat Dice (UK, US, Germany, Japan, USSR)
• Prize Package 2 (Retail value $80): @Jofes
  • FMG Ammo Pouch (Black)
  • Industrial Production Chips Base Set (50 chips)
  • Industrial Production Chips Deluxe Expansion (10 chips)
• Prize Package 3 (Retail value $90): @JDOW
  • Into the Black: Boarding Party (Board Game)
    • Play as a fierce band of space pirates who have boarded an unknown enemy vessel, set on accomplishing their primary mission while each pirate has their own secret goal to fulfill.
      Explore the ship one section at a time, loot the vessel of its bounty, fend off a seemingly unending wave of enemy defenders and encounter a potentially lethal series of events around every corner;
      All while keeping morale high as the clock ticks down to your potential capture. Be wary of the the traitor among you, out for personal glory at the expense of the rest of the crew!
      Will you make it off the ship with all of your goals accomplished and your crew intact? Find out in Into the Black: Boarding Party!
    • 1-4 players, ages 14+, 90-120 minutes
  • Into the Black: Increased Crew (Expansion)
    • Increase player count to 5-6 players
  • Into the Black: Epic Encounters (Expansion)
    • Bigger, badder enemies and rare, epic loot!

Provided by Combat Miniatures

• Axis & Allies themed Roundel Coffee Mug @majikforce

Provided by Axis & Allies .org Mixed

• Axis & Allies 1942 Second Edition @666
• Planes and Pilots Volume 1: The Messerschmitt Me109 book @StuckTojo US & Canada
• Planes and Pilots Volume 5: The P-51 Mustang book @Midnight_Reaper
• T-Shirt @redrum
• T-Shirt @Laurits-Pedersen
• T-Shirt @Maxiheimer
• T-Shirt @regularkid
• T-Shirt @Gary-Board-Game-Nation

More prize to come

Discussion

I’ve created a new topic to discuss the give away. This topic will just be for announcements.

Thank You

A special thank you to our sponsors and forum member patron because you help make this site possible.

Another thank you to all of you who have provided prizes, because of you this giveaway is possible.

Finally, a thank you to all of you, the members of the Axis & Allies community for 20 great years on the internet.

Fine Print

This contest is void where prohibited. You must be of legal age, according to your locality, to participate. If your prize is lost in the mail, we will unfortunately not be able to replace it. Items will ship within 1-8 weeks.

more details to come

I’m in the process of revamping the webiste/blog. As part of that, I have realized that I’m missing some important pieces: high resolution images of the box covers and maps.

If I do this myself, I will take months so I need your help. If one person takes on one games, we can finish in days instead of months.

Who can volunteer?

Also, I know that some of theses already exist in the world so lets use this thread to consolidate the links.

BTW, everybody should have their badges now.

@Valladares Welcome to the A&A community!

I’ve been running this site for 25 years and have been enjoying doing it. Even when I’m not very active, I see the metrics and know that people are still enjoying themselves.

I didn’t really think about how to celebrate until mid-January and I had this idea for a league-style, play all the versions of A&A type thing. I decided there are better ways to celebrate. Maybe we’ll do that one day but not this year.

The main way I’m going to celebrate is:

• Have fun playing the game, in person
• Have fun updating the site and creating content
• Have fun talking with folks here, on the socials, and definitely in person about the game
• Maybe give some stuff away, if our sponsors are up for it
• Create a special badge for 25 years

You might see a patten. 😉

And I’ve already started. I went to OrcCon in LA with @rmorel and met up with @The_Good_Captain. Typically, I’ll only play 1 game of A&A at that conference. I play 2x D-Day, 1x Anniversary, and Fortress America (that counts, right?)

I’m probably going to attend a BBR event (the one in St. Louis might be too soon).

I’m considering the Spring Gathering.

I’ll definitely be at Gen Con and I’ll be running an Axis & Allies Campaign Tournament. Again, at Gen Con, I’ll usually play other games, but this year, my focus is A&A.

If there are some other must attend A&A events that you’d like to see me at, please let me know!

As for the website and content. I’m working on the blog part of the site and I’ve started creating YouTube shorts. Since they’re “short” it’s less time to put them together and it’s fun.

@the-captain said in More Announcements from Renegade:

Since most Axis & Allies Veteran Players already use Modifications, House Rules and Expansions for Axis & Allies, we expect to see a set of rules that is compatible with various Axis & Allies games - especially G40.

Introduction of new units is most likely also part of Renegades plan.

We’ll see what happens after 3rd February.

Anyway, it will take time before any new Axis & Allies game is available to players.
Game developement and play testing are crucial and time consuming factors.

I hope that only the spirit A&A is captured in the battles. I like that Bulge, D-Day, and Guadalcanal had different mechanics. I like that these are shorter (dare I say “modern”) games that don’t take 20 days to finish.