When 48 units aren't enough, the Set II Booster Pack adds new units and strategies.
Written: Jan 23 '06 (Updated Jan 29 '06)
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Pros: More variety among units, some lesser known types and styles of units, new nationalities added.
Cons: None really, this booster pack expands the game quite a bit!
The Bottom Line: If you're looking to expand your A&A: Miniatures collection the Set II booster packs are a great way to do it. More units and better games, it's a win-win situation!
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| openroad's Full Review: Axis and Allies Miniatures Set II Booster Pack |
Axis and Allies: Miniatures Set II Booster Pack
Publisher: Avalon Hill
Release date: 2006
Street Price: $10 - $15
Game Details: 2 players
Ages: 12 and older
9 pieces
NOTE: This item requires Axis & Allies: Miniatures to play, it's not a standalone game. If you don't have the A&A: Miniatures Starter Set yet you should probably read this review first and pick up the starter set before buying a booster pack. Again, booster packs do not contain rules, maps, or dice.
----- What's new in Set II? ---
The original Starter Set for Axis & Allies: Miniatures included 12 units from the standard 48-unit base set of playing pieces. With the launch of the Base Set Booster Pack players could add units as often as they liked, but they would only get 9 random units from those 48 base set units. Once these players had several skirmishes under their belt they began to wish for more unit variety and types.
In 2006 Avalon Hill answered the requests of many gamers with the release of Set II units. This new set includes 45 all-new units from the WWII theater of operations. While you'll find many familiar unit types in Set II there are also three completely new types this time around. You'll now find Snipers, Paratroopers, and Calvary included in Set II booster packs which will greatly change strategies for your games. You'll also see units from China, Poland, and Romania as new countries are added to the battle set.
Sniper units represent a single sniper, not a squad or team. While not as powerful as an infantry team snipers are hard to find, pack a punch against Soldiers, and each has a specialized ability.
Paratroopers are another new Soldier type to surprise your opponent with. Paratroopers may drop-in anywhere on the battlefield at any point during a battle which allows you to reinforce your lines when needed. They may not drop into "illegal" hexes such as ponds. Even though you don't place your paratroopers during the unit placement phase you must show your opponent how many paratroopers you have.
I haven't found a Calvary unit yet, but I'm curious to see how they'll be implemented into the game. Most likely they'll have a bonus against Infantry teams in close combat.
As with the Base Set Booster Pack each Set II pack includes 9 random units, 9 matching unit stat cards, and one Set II checklist sheet. Avalon Hill has continued the unit classifications from the Base Set of Common, Uncommon, and Rare. Like any set of collectables you're never sure quite what you'll get, although I've been quite happy with the amount of Uncommon and Rare units I've found in each set.
The inclusion of extra countries allows players to mix up battles and create specific scenarios or national limitations. For instance, instead of "Axis" vs "Allies" you could require units for each player to be of one nation only. This way you could have a Russia vs Italy or UK vs Japan battle. This would have been nearly impossible with the original unit set since there were only a few units for the smaller countries. Thankfully the 'supporting' countries have been boosted quite a bit in both effectiveness and power with Set II.
----- Bottom Line -----
Even though the first 48 units give players a large assortment of units to choose from, the extra types and nationalities included in Set II are a welcome addition. Your troop deployments and strategies will both benefit from these new units. While you can play just fine with the original set of units, the specialty tanks and infantry will make your games more interesting for all involved. I highly recommend at least picking up one or two Set II Boosters for your Miniatures game, you'll have more fun and maybe pull off a stunning victory or two against your friends. At the very least you'll have more cool miniatures to play with, after all I say you're never too old to play army men. :)
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Thanks for reading and feel free to comment!
openroad
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 12.00
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
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