Germany/Poland/East Poland geography improvement - border connections remain the same but territories and cities are much closer to actual locations.

Germany/Poland/East Poland geography improvement - border connections remain the same but territories and cities are much closer to actual locations.

@Pvt_Griff you bet- looks awesome!!
@FranceNeedsMorePower
I should sculpt up the Bearn-class carrier for my etsy store
@FranceNeedsMorePower I thought of you and your username :)
…and one more, a deck that matches the Italian Aquila sculpt from 2nd Ed.
Full file with humorless French + 3x Aquila decals in place of the Italian Graf Zepplins: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ef5gpczrxgkpmlb/carrier_decals_HumorlessFrench_Aquila.pdf/file
Preview:

Just the Aquila (print at 600 DPI):

Here’s a couple tweaks, since I can hear the imagined rebuke of Charles de Gaulle ringing in my ears, “On ne plaisante pas avec la France!” This artwork practically begs for an equally humorous House Rule:
Glorieuse France
If France ever has 3 Aircraft Carriers in play, the game is over immediately and France (not the Allies) shall be declared the sole winner.
Full file with humorless French Carriers:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/uw04vq6x0te4trs/carrier_decals_FranceIsNoJoke.pdf/file

Just the “Humorless French” Carrier Decal (600 DPI Print):

Hi @Pvt_Griff, welcome to the forums! Awesome Battle Board!
Some unasked-for notes:
Here are the modules from the “G40 Lite” release that can be used with any AA50 map. They have also been posted to the first post in this thread.



For getting started with setups and units, I’m considering two separate ideas;
Thoughts for the Axis:
On the Allied side, the game starts grimly indeed.
In any case, the aim of the setup is to achieve the dramatic scenario below:
The Allies begin in control of the vast majority of Territories and with far-superior income, but the Axis have the initiative, multiple viable attack vectors, and vastly superior starting unit counts. Assuming they apply all three advantages well, they will quickly take significant territory and sometime around turn 4 will reach parity with Allied income and/or position.
At this point the game reaches the critical point: will the Allies, through a judicious allocation of combined resources and energies leading up to and especially at this moment, begin inexorably pushing the Axis back? Will the two sides trade advantages to remain poised in perfect balance? Or will the Axis gradually or suddenly push the Allies beyond the point of no return?
Now for some Very Simple Rules™ for “G40 Lite” …or whatever this is called. Note that sections 1-3 below have nothing to do with this 1940 setup and simply catch up to a couple of the new (an totally optional) features on this and my other AA50 map overlays: Recruitment Centers, the Burma Road, and the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
0.0 Starting Assumptions
0.1 Unless directly contradicted by the following, all rules for Axis and Allies: Anniversary Edition (with errata) shall apply with precedence.
1.0 Recruitment Centers
1.1 Recruitment Centers count as eligible Territories for the placement of newly-purchased Infantry units (only), as long as the RC was in controlled at the start of the turn (not newly-liberated/captured).
1.2 The Production Capacity for Infantry units at a Recruitment Center is the IPC value of the territory.
1.3 Recruitment Centers may be “upgraded” into Industrial Complexes. The cost to build an Industrial Complex in any territory with a Recruitments Center is reduced by 5 IPCs. Recruitment Centers that are upgraded in this way cease to have any function.
1.4 Captured Recruitment Centers in non-neutral territories cannot be used by the capturing power. Captured Neutral Recruitment Centers may be used (and/or upgraded) by whoever controls them.
2.0 The Burma Road
2.1 The Burma Road shall be considered “Open” if the Allies control every Territory through which it passes.
2.2 If the Burma Road is “Open” up to one new Chinese Infantry unit may be placed as an Artillery unit instead.
3.0 The Trans-Siberian Railroad
3.1 During the NON-COMBAT MOVE phase, USSR Infantry units that begin and end their movement on the Railroad may move two spaces instead of one.
4.0 Neutral Territories
4.1 Neutral Territories (unless marked “Impassible”) are now legal playing spaces on the map, subject to the following rules.
4.2 Neutral Territories have a Standing Army equal to a number of Infantry twice the IPC value of that Territory (e.g. a Territory worth 2 IPCs has a Standing Army of 4 Infantry). This Standing Army is placed on the map immediately the first time the Territory is invaded, and is never placed again.
4.3 Neutral Territories may have one of three Alignments which appear immediately below the Territory name on the map: Pro-Axis, Pro-Allies, or Unaligned (if there is no alignment text below the Territory name).
4.4 Neutral Territories of any alignment may be invaded by any Power during that Power’s COMBAT MOVEMENT phase.
4.5 If the invading Power’s Alliance matches the Alignment of a Neutral Territory (e.g. an Allied Power invading a Pro-Allied Neutral), that Territory immediately joins that Power. Place a Roundel belonging to that Power in that Neutral Territory and adjust that Power’s IPC income accordingly, and place that Neutral’s Standing Army in the Territory as Infantry units belonging to the invading Power.
4.6 If the invading Power’s Alliance does not match the Alignment of a Neutral Territory (e.g. an Allied Power invading an Unaligned or Pro-Axis Neutral), that Territory’s Standing Army is placed in the Territory in the form of Infantry belonging to a Power of the opposing Alliance’s choice, and a Battle will occur here in the CONDUCT COMBAT phase of the Turn.
— 4.6.1 If the invading Power is victorious, place a roundel belonging to that Power in the Territory and adjust the IPC Income of that Power accordingly. If the invading player retreats or is otherwise defeated, leave any remaining Standing Army units in the Territory. They may not leave the Territory until it is invaded and controlled by a Power matching their Alliance.
4.7 Each time an Unaligned Neutral Territory is invaded, other Unaligned Neutral Territories may align against the invading Power.
— 4.7.1 For each other remaining Unaligned Neutral Territory, the invading Power may pay 1 IPC. If they do not, roll one d6. On a roll of 3 or less, that Territory remains Unaligned. On a roll of 4 or more, that Territory aligns against the invading Power (it is now considered “Pro” that Power’s opposing Alliance) for the rest of the game.
5.0 United States
5.1 The United States begins the game with 0 IPCs.
5.2 Until the start of the 3rd US Turn, the US income is halved (round down)
5.3 Until the start of the 3rd US turn, US units are restricted in the following ways:
— 5.3.1 US land units may not enter any non-US Territory.
— 5.3.2 US naval units may not move.
— 5.3.3 US air units (except the fighter in China) are restricted to only Territories and Sea Zones that contain US land or naval units.
5.4 If any US units or Territories are attacked before its 3rd Turn, the above rules shall immediately cease to apply.
6.0 Soviet Union
6.1 The USSR’s starting IPCs are halved (round down).
6.2 Until the start of it’s 3rd Turn, the USSR’s income is halved (round down).
6.3 If original USSR Territories are attacked before its 3rd Turn, it’s income immediately reverts to normal.
7.0 France and Vichy/Free France
7.1 When Paris is French-controlled, France is a Major Allied Power, moving last each Round.
7.2 When Paris is captured by the Axis, any IPCs France currently has in its treasury go to the conquering Power and IPC incomes are adjusted as usual.
7.3 The first time that Paris falls to the Axis, France will split into:
The following special procedure is carried out to split Free France off from [now Vichy] France. Reminder: this is only done the first time Paris falls to the Axis.
Creation of Vichy France:
Creation of Free France:
Fracture of the French Empire:
Fate of the French Navy:
7.4 While Paris remains Axis-Controlled, Free France remains a Minor Allied Power controlled by and moving together with the UK, and Vichy France remains a Minor Pro-Axis Neutral Power controlled by and moving together with Germany.
Vichy France is subject to the below rules and restrictions:
Free France is subject to the below rules and restrictions:
7.5 When Paris is liberated by the Allies, France immediately becomes whole again and the Vichy and Free French Powers are dissolved back into one France, which reverts to being a Major Allied Power moving last after the US.
Here are some Free French roundels, if you need them:

Hi all, my first draft map for an AA50/Anniversary-based 1940 Setup (including France and Aligned Neutrals) is ready to rock. G40 Lite, anybody?
This idea was born and first discused two years ago in my “[AA50/Anniversary] Modular Map Overlays” thread. Because this is a whole new kettle of fish, I am splitting this idea off into it’s own thread here for further discussion, new rules, setup charts (oof), and of course playtesting/refinement.
Backstory:
My indomitable son, lover of the color blue and of Axis and Allies— and therefore of France, bless his mistaken 8yo heart— has worked his way up to playing Anniversary with me. With a few house rules and handicaps he makes for a ferocious opponent indeed, and has yet to be defeated by his father. He grieves, however, for the neglected G40 French soldiers sitting in their box. And so in his honor I’ve attempted to tackle the creation of a plausible Middle-weight 1940 setup based on an enhanced AA50 map; one that includes the glorious French Empire and his precious blue troops.
Objectives:
To pull this off I need both map changes and rules changes for France and Neutrals in particular. Let’s get going!
The initial release contains:
The French Empire c. ~spring 1940:
Lots of other changes to create viable 1940 setup:
Addition of Albania (Italy, 1)
Addition of British Guinana (Suriname) (UK, 0)
Addition of **Nigeria Good Coast (UK, 1)
Splitting Iraq (2, pro-Axis) off from Trans-Jordan (0, UK)
IPC-ifying of many “True” (or game-functionally true) Neutrals:
– Sweden
– Turkey
– Saudi Arabia
– Spain
– Argentina Chile
– Afganistan
– South American amalgamations
– Angola
– Mozambique
De-possessification of various “Aligned” Neutrals:
– Finland (pro-axis)
– Romania Bulgaria (pro-axis)
– Iraq (pro-axis)
– Brazil (pro-allies)
– Yugoslavia (pro-allies)
– Greece (pro-allies)
– Persia (pro-allies)
– Eire (pro-allies)
Many new features carried over from my latest enhanced AA50 map, including:
– Upgradeable Recruitment Centers (scattered across the globe in strategic, historical locations
– 4 additional VCs (Singapore, Cairo, Cape Town, and Rio de Janiero) in far-flung, southern locations to encourage nontraditional lines of play and a more truly global war.
– The Trans-Siberian Railroad and Burma Road
– A more ganular China designed to protract the Sino-Chinese War
– A subdivided, richer Australia and Dutch East Indies, designed to make this part of the world as dynamic and enticing as it was to the actual historical powers.
– An empowered Italy with more economy and Territory, and an thus an actual role to play in the struggle over the Mediterranean
Finally, a couple of changes unrelated to 1940 but nice to have:
– In China, split off “Jehol” (1, Japan-occupied, China Roundel) from Manchuria (3)
– The addition of missing “Impassible” text to a few important regions: Sahara, Himalaya, Mongolia (functionally), and Switzerland (functionally).
Below are a couple preview images as well as the link to the full file.
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Full Size Downloads:
(v7): https://www.mediafire.com/view/h2ctcn5ahox4r7q/AA50_1940ed_v0.7.png/file
Version 8: ANZAC, Canada + updates as of 9/13/2025

https://www.mediafire.com/view/wha2r078q7nugx6/G40_Lite_vodot_v8.png/file
Version 10: Communist China, Malta, the Azores, and the Maldives. (11/19/2025)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mBgt6KSM7oIE3uNmuESPSU2F1AhicYMG/view?usp=sharing

Changelog:
Alright, my first draft map for an AA50 1940 + France Setup (v0.6) is ready to rock. G40 Lite, anybody?
Becuase this is a whole new kettle of fish I will split this one off into it’s own thread for further discussion, new rules, setup charts (oof), and of course playtesting/refinement. The idea was born and first discussed here, however, so I’ll leave the inital release preview and the link to v0.6 below.
Details for v0.6:
The French Empire, c. ~spring 1940:
Lots of other changes to create viable 1940 setup:
And finally, some unrelated changes that potentially improve any AA50 setup (and therefore actually belong in this thread):
Below are a couple preview images as well as the link to the full file.


Full Size Download (v0.6):
https://www.mediafire.com/view/l61zki2myh8b1cw/AA50_1940ed_v0.6.png/file
Discussion thread here! https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/41968
For fun, here’s a look at all of the changes that have gone into this version of the map!

@crockett36 …yeah, I think we’re off-topic.
@Imperious-Leader 39 start would be great for the “this version is newer and better” story. Could add a new set of sculpts/colors or two- “Allied Minor Powers” to occupy Poland & Greece in Europe / Dutch holdings in the Pacific, and perhaps also (although less needed) some “Axis Minor Powers” to occupy Finland & the Balkans in Europe / Thailand in the Pacific.
RE: Dice, they seem more likely to go D10 given North Africa. Either is fine.
What about spinning off the Soviet Union into a third side/Power to simplify Mongolia rules and give the Chinese KMT (as well as Turkey, Persia, Eastern Europe, and the Allies in general) some ornery Communists to worry about?
Hi @Lilkovski, welcome to the forum!
Thanks for posting these, your carriers look great! I will give them a try and post some results (EDIT: Results below!). Posting a blank template is always helpful for others who want to remix or continue the work.
There have been many carrier flight deck decal discussions here over the years, some of them containing artwork that is free for personal use and most of which is probably able to be relatively quickly reworked in GIMP etc. to arrive at blank templates, although the dimensions of these is always a topic for conversation and disagreement as the sculpts vary sometimes significantly from the actual historical ships.
Here’s a popular flight deck thread from @dedo from years ago with discussion, artwork, templates, and resources that you or others might find useful; additionally here’s @cyanight’s well-known carrier decal thread with some of his decals about halfway down the first page.
I actually used a still a third(!) image file/source for my own flight deck decals, but I am not going to post that source until I find where it came from so that I can confirm public use and give proper attribution.
Happy decaling!
@Lilkovski said
…the french one is a joke lol
Hey, you never know :)
Now that my indomitable son-- lover of the color blue and therefore of France, bless his mistaken heart-- has worked his way up to playing Anniversary with me, I’m finally going to tackle the addition of France and the creation of a plausible 1940 setup. I’m reviewing our years-old now discussion about France on a middle-weight map and hope to land somewhere constructive in the end.
Objectives:
Project has three areas of focus:
Map updates:
Rules updates:
Neutrals updates: So many.
Finally, TT unit setup details and balance.
For historical references I’ll use some close to hand websites:
WW2 Day by Day:
https://www.openculture.com/2022/11/watch-world-war-ii-unfold-day-by-day-an-animated-map.html
French Empire in 1945 (and 1939):
https://mapoftheday.quickworld.com/posts/the-french-colonial-empire-in-1945
French Empire Year by Year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6CV6K0qNX8
UPDATE: Added an overlay that redraws the border between sea zone 37 and 38, uniting the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Strait and causing SZ 37 to border Sumatra for the first time.

@Meles I’ve had good luck monitoring Facebook Marketplace and eBay and waiting until the $15 mark or so. I think AA41 is a great source of ‘variant’ pieces you can dot with a paint marker for Early/Late, Heavy/Light, or just mix-in variety versions of the standard units. Others are game-readable and useful right out of the box e.g. Japanese carriers & TBD/DDLs, Russian IS-2s, German Tigers, and US P-40s (finally get that P-38 out of China!). In my experience, the color match over the years is no worse than any other edition-to-edition variation.