I’ve done a little digging since I posed the question…
It turns out that “rule” was in a PDF at HGD; but it doesn’t seem to have ever made it into an official AH document:
http://www.axisandallies.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Axis-Allies-50th-Anniversary-Errata-FAQ.pdf
The Avalon Hill website no longer supports AA50, so it’s very unlikely this will ever become official.
Thanks. I wonder if the rulebook specifies the adjacency?
I have been know to experiment with Operation Hollywood against an unprepared America players - so BC could make a difference. Did LH ever express his motivation for the change?
Another question - how many AAAs does anyone think I’d need to run the game? I want to get enough that I won’t run out - but not a lot of extras.
My buddy wants to0build a shelf in his garage for an ongoing A&A game, so I want to get things rolling!
That’s awesome! I have the Nova Games edition. I arranged a play through once, but it fell through.
There are a couple notable rules changes:
Factories have unlimited production - including factories you build or capture.
There are no chips. Each player is limited to the components - eg, 20 infantry max!
Combat was a little different, but I forget how exactly. I’d really like to play it sometime - if only just the once.
To make it very simple, a Bomber hits 2/3 times. So with 20 Bombers (or 10 AA50 HBs), 2/3 of those 20 dice will hit (on average).
20 dice @4 will hit 13.333 times, on average.
Incidentally, if you think 10 HBs average 11 hits, thats only 1.1 hits each - less than the average I calculated at 1.33 hit each.
@SS:
Based off half a 6 is ave is 3.0 but its a bit higher than that.
If there were a ‘0’ on the die (7 sides) it would average 3 - the midpoint between 0 and 6
There is no zero (which is why it’s a bit higher), and the midpoint between 1 and 6 is 3.5
@SS:
If you roll 2D6’s 10 times on dice tester comes out to ave 20 die = 11 hits.
20 die rolls is statistically insignificant. My math on the other hand is air tight.
Thanks!
The sea zone connections sound like they could be relevant.
I enjoyed the Canadian roundels (Canadian boy here) but was disappointed that they had no special rules.
Edit - haven’t played for years, but was there a rule that West Canada was part of the European economy?
@SS:
Sorry thought you meant ave die roll. Ave hit still higher for me.
Average die roll is 3.5
(1+2+3+4+5+6) / 6 = 3.5
How are you calculated averages?
@SS:
I get on a bomber attacking D6 at 4 aves 3.35 per roll.
It hits 4 times and misses twice. Average hits = (1+1+1+1+0+0) / 6 = .67 hits.
How can you average more than 1 hit on a single die?
@SS:
Just saying what I saw. Whether they made 20 H bomber costs we will know soon from other members.
In my 40 game using D12 and 50 rules H. Bombers A8 D2 M7 C12 SBR 1 D6 +2 damage DF 2And yes do have Radar where AA gets +1 NA.
I’m sorry, but I haven’t cracked this code yet!
@SS:
Thats why they housed rule for this SBR plus In one of my 39 games the 2 D6 die roll per H Bomber is way to strong even for up to double the territory value. Ain’t right just having 1 H Bomber cripple a capital IC.
R&D is a big investment - the prize needs to reflect that.
eg, if you spend 36 IPCs on 6 research tokens, that could have been three extra bombers instead. And 6 tokens is a long shot for HBs!
Regular Bomber:
Average hits in combat - .67
Average damage vs IC (ignoring AA) - 3.5
“Nerfed” HBs:
Average hits in combat - .89
Average damage to IC (ignoring AA) - 4.47
Would you spend good money on R&D for that kind of increase? I know I wouldn’t! This is a garbage upgrade IMO.
I can only assume whoever came up with this house rule didn’t want R&D to actually be good.
2 Die HBs:
Average hits in combat - 1.33
Average damage to IC (ignoring AA) - 7
If you factor in AAs, the increase is even less significant (Bombers are all equal when they’re hit by flak)!
If you think the HB SBRs are too much, AA50 includes an optional rule for Fighter defense here. Should solve any issues.
And of course you can also develop Radar! :evil:
Looks like 2-choose-1 was an official rule for tech in Global, but not in AA50.
I think I remembered there not being R&D in Global because it was so weak as to never be a good move. :-(
@SS:
Axis roll will chime in here and give you the best option. He plays all the time AA50.
I’ve found a lot of A&A players don’t like Weapons Development. Not because it’s OP or unbalanced, but simply because it’s swingier than most other game mechanics.
It was my suspicion that technology was nerfed because of a lobby by noisy tech-haters. Some people want R&D to be so weak that it rarely or never is a part of optimal play. So I’m pretty skeptical about anyone who says R&D needs to be powered down.
I don’t really like house rules anyway, so it’s going to be virtually impossible to convince me on this!
Congratulations on the 4-5 year old! Only a few more years and maybe you can have a new gaming partner. Mine’s 16 and still not smart enough to play :-(
My older daughter is 18. She is very smart and used to play Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit with me at age 3 or 4.
Sadly she isn’t really into war games anymore, but she still loves QG!
There are 2 scenarios! I assume you’re talking 1941.
Duh - I just remembered there were two set up options (I wasn’t quite following you). Yes, I mean 1941 and have yet to play the 1942 set up. :oops:
Heavy bombers choose best of two dice, yes.
My rulebook and official FAQ do not seem to conform to this. What am I missing?
Definitely talking about the Anniversary edition - never played 1941.
I remember being under the impression that roll-two-choose-one was the official rule.
Could I be confusing this with Global. But IIRC, Global didn’t have R&D (unless I’m confusing Global with 1942). :?
Sorry for all the confusion. I haven’t played A&A since my child was born in 2012!
Hi everyone!
It’s been a few years since I played any sort of A&A. This version in particular saw limited play because I starting playing 1940 as soon as it came out. I’m feeling the itch to play again, but I’m a little rusty so please bear with me…
Heavy Bombers:
I seem to recall these being nerfed so as to roll two dice but only choose one. These were not worth researching - I was kind of pissed! Digging out my rules & FAQ, I’m not seeing this. Did I dream it?
Closed Dardanelles:
I vaguely recall Germany and Italy could put a lot of pressure on Russia here. Was this option for balance? Did this edition favour the Axis? Is this rule recommended? I remember having an opinion about this, but no recollection of what it was!
Thanks!
I have Europe & Pacific 1940 1st editions only - and I want to upgrade.
If I understand, (unlike 1942) the 2nd edition uses the same board as the 1st edition? So I would only need:
2nd edition rule books (available through HBG)
Country specific AA units (also available through HBG)
I realise some of the artillery in my 1st edition box are flak guns while others are howitzers, so for some countries I might need to buy artillery pieces instead.
Anything else I might need? Shelling out for two new $100.00+ games is (sadly) not feasible for me these days. :-(
Thanks for any tips! :-)
Edit - just found this:
http://www.axisandallies.org/p/whats-new-in-axis-allies-pacific-1940-and-europe-1940-second-editions/
Sorry for the noise!
Looking at the help section:
Forum Profile Information enables you to enter optional personal details such as gender, birthdate, location, website and instant messenger contact information. It’s also where you go to enter your own personal text and signature and select an avatar (personal picture) from a list (if provided by the forum administrators) or link to one of your own on the web.
But I can’t seem to find the part of the screen that lets me adjust my signature. :(
Is this feature no longer available, or am I just blind?
Thanks!
Anybody play this game? They’ve taken the classic 1980s cold war game and modernized it - cleaning up the rules, smoothing out the bugs, and rebooting it for the 21st century!
I’m keeping up a blog with reviews, articles, and links to other content:
https://fieldmarshalshandbook.wordpress.com/
Hello. I’m a long time A&A player and I own most versions of the game. I do not own 1941 yet.
I recall a couple years ago seeing threads and comments declaring that the allies have virtually no chance of winning against a competent Axis player. Is this more or less a consensus? Are there official options available to offset this disparity (like the Restricted Russia and free technology in the GM edition)?
Thanks!
I have the first edition 1942 board, and am trying to run with 2nd edition rules.
The set-up chart calls for a unit in Burma, but I don’t have Burma on my 1st edition map. What gives?