Axis & Allies: Risk for Grown-Ups
Written: Jun 12 '04 (Updated Jul 06 '04)
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Pros: Great strategy game, tactical fun
Cons: long play time, lots of pieces to keep track of.
The Bottom Line: If you like war strategy games like Risk, you'll love the step up to this one.
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| martytdx's Full Review: Avalon Hill Axis and Allies Game by Avalon Hill |
I discovered Axis & Allies in college - and found this game blew my old friend Risk out of the water. Whereas Risk is set during the Napoleonic Wars, and uses simple armies (no differentiation between cavalry or infantry) and very simple attacks, A & A is based in World War II and the options are so much more advanced it's incredible.
First of all, to play, you need at least 1 - 4 other players with a long attention span and a modicum of strategic thinking. The games can be as short as 1.5 hours (our record is 45 minutes, but that was a anomaly) and as long as 7 hours. You will need to have it somewhere where the kids and/or pets will not get to it (all too many incidents with this). And lastly, unless you have a spouse who is very understanding (or who likes to play), you will need permission to take over the biggest table in the house with your buddies.
Once you have all of that, you are ready to play. A & A is to Risk what the current PC was to the Commodore 64. Depending on how many people are involved (I am going to explain the five-person game, for simplicity), you determine which of the major world powers you are going to be: Germany or Japan (The Axis Powers) or Russia, Great Britain or the United States (The Allies). Once everyone has their countries, you set it up as is predetermined by the game board (certain things, such as Germany having a LOT of tanks, are included in the initial set-up), and then begin to play. The order of play is always the same – Russia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan and the United States.
[• order of PLAY •]
• Arming for War
Your first move is to determine whether you want to buy new units or try for special weapons. Each has their place and strategy. If you choose to try for Special Weapons, it costs 5 Industrial Production Certificates (IPCs) - basically your money – to roll a die. You can risk up to 30 IPCs per round, although this is highly inadvisable. When you roll, any die that comes up with a 6 earns you a Special Weapon, to be determined randomly for a second roll. Among the Special Weapons: Rockets that you can fire at other countries; increasing your planes' ranges by 2 countries; or lowering the cost of all of your units by 1 IPC (this is one of the best, giving you a chance to by more each round and really stock up).
If you skip the chance to get Special Weapons, you have to decide what units you wish to buy (keeping in mind that you don’t get these units until the END of your turn). A & A has a whole scope of pieces to choose from. There are infantry & armor (tank) units for land battles, as well as jets & bombers for aerial battles and ground support. The naval side of thing goes from the simple troop transports to subs, aircraft carriers & battleships. You can also buy production units such as anti-aircraft batteries or factories. Each unit has its advantages and disadvantages, so choosing wisely can have a big impact on the game. But more on that later.
• General, move the men into position
Once you have ordered these units, you will move on to combat movement with the units already on the board. Combat movement involves moving some of your units into an enemy territory and trying to win the battle to take over that territory. You can ONLY move units that are going to enter enemy territory during this phase. You move all of your units before you begin combat – once you have completed this phase, there is no turning back to make changes.
• Fire in the hole!
The combat phase is where things get interesting. You have attacked the opponent – now you duel to see who will take the day. Combat is the key to A & A combat and one of the features of this game that makes this so much superior to Risk. Unlike Risk where you are battling simply with numbers (whoever has more will usually win), here you have to use both tactical and strategic knowledge.
This is because every unit on the board has a different attacking and defending value. These values are the die rolls that you need to match or beat (lower than) to make 'a kill'. This makes some units a lot better for attacking & others better at stocking up to defend a territory. For example, infantry attack at only a 1, while a tank (armor) attack at a 3; however, both DEFEND at a 2 - so if you are looking to attack, you would want tanks. However, tanks also cost 5 IPCs as opposed to 3 IPCs for infantry, so you could load up on 5 infantry for the same cost as 3 tanks.
The combat phase begins with anti-aircraft (if there is a gun and there are planes involved in the attack). Then the attacker rolls for each of their units, while the defender records hits by selecting whichever units he wants to lose first (a critical element, as you have to weigh defensive attack vs. cost). Once the attack is complete, the defender rolls for ALL of his units for defensive kills (unlike Risk, where the defender gets no chance to defend before removing pieces). The attacker selects his ‘dead’, and he and the defender both remove the killed units from the game. Then they continue until the defenders are gone or the attacker retreats.
Weighing your needs for attack and defense is one of the keys of the game, and can mean the difference in outcome for any battle. For example, in a naval battle, having submarines and their first kill ability (if they hit another ship, the ship doesn’t get to retaliate) can quickly overcome a formidable enemy. Likewise, bombers are great attacking units (having a kill roll of 4), but if you get caught with them on the ground by an opponent, they are good as dead (with a defense of 1) – and expensive to lose. Adding to the whole tactical element is the detail that each unit has its own movement value, too - making that a key decision if you have to reinforce your borders or plan an attack.
• Fortify the positions, Captain
Then, it’s time for non-combat moves. These are any move that doesn’t involve crossing or entering enemy territory. You can move reinforcements to protect a border, move units to prepare a next move, or simply land any aircraft that you had flown into battle (aircraft must be able to land back in a friendly country to be involved in combat). Units involved in combat can’t be moved back, nor can you move reinforcements into a newly conquered territory, so plan your attacks wisely to avoid too many or too few units in the taken country or the territory behind you.
• Sir, the new men have arrived
After your attacks are finished and moved your current forces, you collect your money and then put in your reinforcements. You get new IPCs based on the total value of the territories you hold at the END of the turn. Then you place the units you bought at the beginning of the turn. This is key because it gives you a chance to reinforce areas that you depleted for attacks, especially if you got beaten badly. This is a key to see if you picked the right pieces, because if you selected wrong, you can often open yourself up to attacks.
[• it’s all about STRATEGY •]
The game starts with Germany with an obvious advantage in units, particularly in tanks, which is somewhat accurate to the real WWII. Japan starts with a decent navy and average army. The Russians have a decent amount of land forces concentrated on the Western Front, but little armor or air (again, accurate to history). The U.S. starts with the biggest capacity to create a war machine but suffers because of its distance from either front – and because Japan goes first, their navy is often decimated in the first turn before the U.S. gets to move.
The turns alternate between Allies and Axis powers (Russia, Germany, UK, Japan, US), making alliances sometimes have to change their views due to opponents' actions. However, some things are usually always constant at the beginning of the game: Germany attacks and takes significant Russian territory, the Japan hits and destroys a large chunk of the U.S. naval power. From there, it is anyone’s game.
I’ve had a great history with this game – after the first few times that I played it, I rarely lose and even then only if I play the Axis. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun – every game offers its own intrigue, its own challenges – particularly if you have a cunning opponent. Though the combat is based on chance rolls of a die, the strategy of units, placement, movement and attack all make this a great game to test your military prowess. This game requires much more thought power and process to play than Risk - but this is what makes it so great. It is a more dynamic game that keeps your interest up to a much higher level and is much more interesting and intriguing. If you liked Risk, you will find yourself addicted to Axis and Allies.
[• learning CURVE •]
This game is a little complext to get the hang of - there are a lot of rules that one has to learn, but once you start playing a lot of it falls into place (in context, the rules make more sense). The guide with the game is pretty good, and easy to find information you might need.
There are A&A clubs out there who have created new rules to make the game more even or to create more challenges for the players, but for the most part, I stick with the original rules.
[• playing ONLINE •] There is an out-of-print PC version of the game which while fun, doesn’t compare to the original. The AI is pretty basic and often does simply puzzling things. They released a sequel Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz which added some new features, but it still doesn’t measure up. However, it offers one option that the board game doesn’t – the ability to play alone when you can’t get a crowd. Other than that … well, ask the wife if you can use the dining room table for the night.
[• related REVIEWS •]
• Axis and Allies (PC) - It Came, It Saw, I Yawned.
• Risk (PC) - Wish I still had the 1989 MAC version over this.
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39.99
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
Trusted by: 179 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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