"We were invited! Punch was served!" Let's Play Axis and Allies (board game)

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Hey, everybody! Thank you for your potential interest in following or engaging in an Axis and Allies game over the forum! Please read below for more details or follow the links in the ToC to catch up on the latest action. I also will spare you the red for the following walls of text in this thread! WOOOO! Now let's play this great board game!


CURRENT DEADLINE: GERMANY PURCHASE AND COMBAT -- INCOMING SHORTLY, I assure you. Been discussing with Germany.

Allies
USSR -- Mr. Bookworm
UK -- Hawk
USA -- The Wandering God

Axis
Germany -- Red Mage Black
Japan -- The Kneumatic Pnight


CURRENT WORLD VIEW - Click For Map


THREAD CONTENTS

• Opening Post/introduction and World War II Prior to Game Start (you are reading this!)
• Axis and Allies Introduction and Game Overview
• Units and Special Rules
• NPF Axis and Allies Rule Alterations / Nuances, Reader Partipcation
• Turn Format, Initial World Map -- Russia Begins Round One
• Russia Invades West Russia

Welcome, NPF, to the global World War II strategy game, Axis and Allies. Axis and Allies is a board game that throws five players (or teams) into a simulation of World War II. It has had several iterations over the years, each with some adjustments and variations to the rules and units of the game. In this thread, we will be playing the "Spring, 1942" edition.

WHAT WE'LL NEED:
- Five players OR five teams
- folks interested in acting out parts or writing entries as the war unfolds
- alcohol (not required!)
- patience, as this IS a board game being played over an Internet forum
- ???

The Story Thus Far
Following economic troubles and public unrest in the years after the First World War, political climates shifted and attitudes changed in many countries. In Germany, Adolf Hitler rose to power, spurring the populace with speeches and propoganda as well as building military support and strength. In the autumn of 1939, Germany finally pushed outward from its own borders, its war machine beginning to enact Hitler's vision of a German-controlled Europe. The first to fall was Poland; while France and Britain declared war on Germany in response, relatievely little resistance met the German Blitzkrieg. By early 1940, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium had also been conquered. Italy was ny now fully in support of Germany.

Through the summer of 1940, Germany launched several air assaults into Britain. However, the Royal Air Force proved stalwart defenders and, overall, sent the Luftwaffe home consistently. While mainlaind Europe mostly belonged to Germany, for now the waters of the Atlantic kept the British safe as long as their RAF and anti-airforce guns continued to defeat the German planes. Meanwhile, across the world in Asia, Japan had been gobbling up territories. Motivated by losses at the turn of the century and a desire to assert dominance over their region, Japan was engaged in war with China for some time, claiming Manchuria and other large sections of the Asian mainland while also extending out into the Pacific. Proudly aligning with the Germans and Italians, the Japanese rounded out the Axis powers.

1941 perhaps brought about some of the largest issues for the Axis powers. It was during this year that Italy's failed campaigns in Greece and, partially, in Africa forced Germany's involvement in these theatres. Additionally, Germany had decided to push into the USSR on their eastern front, a decision that would, historically, come to be seen as a terrible idea thanks to the resolve of the Soviet forces and the harsh winters of their land. Initially, however, the push was swift and effective. It was also 1941 that saw Japan's concerns about the US entering the war come to a head -- after establishing many strongholds on islands throughout the Pacific and constantly trying engaging in intelligence warfare, the US and Japanese forces met in December, 1941, when the latter launched their surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Europe is currently under German control, with the Russians and Germans staring intently at one another across a hotly contested border. The UK has called upon all of its territories to confront the Axis powers; while spread out, she is in a good position to render assistance to her Soviet allies and hold the Axis forces in check. Japan, emboldened by their victories in the Pacific, are poised to solidify their control over Asia and meet any American response. The latter, the latecomer to this war, have now fully committed their vast industry to the war effort and, though far from the principal theatres, are ready to let loose their war machine to help liberate Europe and force the Japanese out of the Pacific.

If any of you is a history buff, professionally or otherwise, and wishes to post about battles, sorties, campaigns, etc. relevant to events in the game or the like, please do so! I will make a note of cool contributions here.

Contributions


Current World Status
image coming

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I have the "Axis and Allies 1942" version of the board game. Over the years, the board game has seen the introduction of new units, the addition (and in some cases removal) of game mechanics such as researching technologies, and cool little detail changes to the miniatures.

I will run over the general rules of the game in this post, but please feel free to read through the full game manual. That copy is from my version, and I will defer to these rules to settle game mechanics disputes. You can also bookmark or save this HTML page that contains this edition's rules. The text should be the same, save for maybe a few minor differences.


GAME SETUP
The game is played on a world map split into countries based on the state of the world during World War II in 1942, more or less. There are various countries owned by the five factions, nuetral territories that serve as impassable barriers, and many zones splitting up the oceans.

Click for a large view of this map.

You can download the ~90 MB .pdf of this map over Mediafire; all credit goes to Imperious Leader over at the AxisandAllies.org forum.

Each territory on the map has a set IPC value. The starting, or base, IPCs of each player is the sum of their initial territories; they will earn more or less depending on how ownership shifts. Each player starts with some units, Industrial Complexes to produce more units, and anti-aircraft guns to help defend their factories.


I will probably incorrectly shorten this to just Russia all the time. In any case, the Soviets are the first to go each round and also probably the most straightforward faction to play. Spread across the top of Asia, the USSR is facing pressure from the Germans that is keeping them almost wholly occupied with the European theatre. Unfortunately, Japan is right at their back door, itching to expand their influence beyond Chinese soil and still sore from Russo-Japanese conflicts at the turn of the century. The starting resources, units, and IC placement of the Soviet forces in many ways guides players into certain moves without a lot of room for creativity -- unless you're adventurous.

Don't let that fool you into thinking Russia is weak or terrible to play. In fact, the Russian player will often dictate an Allies victory or loss through his or her choices. Holding Moscow is key, but it will be no walk in the park keeping the Panzertruppen at bay.

Click here to see the starting units and territories of the USSR

This player will go first.
This player will start with the least amount of IPCs: 24.
This player is part of the Allies.



The Germans, our Godwin-triggering villains, are certainly at the center of attention in this game. Surrounded on all sides by enemies, Germany is a powerhouse of production that gives players many options. Notably, the Russians will be (or already are by the time it is your turn) knocking on your front door, retaking Western Europe and pushing your troops back. If that wasn't enough of an issue, the United Kingdom sits across the Channel with her air and naval forces around the globe ready to come to her aid. You haven't heard much from the Americans, but you know it is only a matter of time. Germany also has control of Italy directly in this game.

Germany is arguably the most challenging faction to play, as there are so many things you could do and so many you probably must do to maintain Axis superiority. You are the big brother in this alliance, after all, but don't let that lead you to think that Japan's only there to serve you -- you need to help Japan just as much. Germany is in a great position to blitz through Allied territory if they can best Russia, but you mustn't forget the threat of air and naval assaults from the UK and the US -- which can easily be backed by more land troops! In any case, Germany is a tough nut to crack, its two ICs supporting each other with plenty of room for defense, even in a Kill Germany First situation.

Click here to see the starting units and territories of Germany

This player will go second.
This player will start fairly rich in IPCs: 40.
This player is part of the Axis.



The United Kingdom, a vast empire spread across the globe (arguably less so at this point in history but still quite powerful) and defender of democracy and freedom despite Nazi-held Europe, is actually quite a balanced force to play. True, players may complain that their forces are spread all over the place, but the UK is in a terrific position to create opportunities in nearly any theatre of the War. The UK begins with fairly strong footholds in India and Africa and, of course, is certainly capable of pushing for supremacy in the seas.

The UK can be tricky to play and is probably the most difficult of the Alliance forces for a new player. It is easy to lose focus on all the theatres available to the Brits or to not focus on one deeply enough. It may be best to pick a strategy and follow through with it in force, but you certainly shouldn't do it at the expense of your teammates. Fortunately, your home territory is this map's best natural aircraft carrier! But will you push air through Europe, serve as the foundation for amphibious assaults, generate units in India or Africa, or sail the seas to pave the way for the Americans (or, le-gasp, a Russian navy?)?

Click here to see the starting units and territories of the UK

This player will go third.
This player will start with a decent amount of IPCs: 30.
This player is part of the Allies.



SUGOI! WE WILL CRUSH THE GAIJIN!!! BANZAI!!
Japan entered the war seeking to gain more territory in Asia and recoup some reputation after arguably shaky aggression at the turn of the century and setbacks during the First World War. As this version of the game is basically coming in during the spring of 1942, Pearl Harbor has already been bombed, drawing the United States into war and, more pointedly, the Pacific theatre.

Japan is an interesting side to play. As Japan, you are presented with the need to maintain supremacy in the Pacific, but unlike real history your troops dug in on the various islands likely won't slow the US forces down as much as you'd hope. However, it's also vital to note how exposed Russia is to you -- their nearest reinforcements are either tied up against Germany or at least a turn's worth of travel away. Likewise, the US-occupied Chinese territories and the UK's forces in India might prove to be nothing in the face of your invasion(s). Be careful for a Kill Japan First scenario -- you will have a lot coming to bear on you, especially with the economic powerhouse that is the USA always answering your turn with their own. Be mindful of your key cities.

Click here to see the starting units and territories of Japan

This player will go fourth / second to last.
This player will start with a decent amount of IPCs: 30.
This player is part of the Axis.



Well, shucks, those Japanese think they can just come on in here and bomb our navy?! It's time we shove a little democracy up their emperor's behind! Here we come, Europe, ready to save your ass from Hitler!

The United States in this game is arguably retarded-fun to play. Sure, you will go last every round, but you have SO much economy that is more or less untouchable at first that you can play around with your strategy almost however you want. No doubt you will want to push the Japanese back in the Pacific, and you can certainly give that a go. Be mindful of the fact that you have access to both Europe and Russia more quickly than it may seem -- sure, you have to wait patiently to get into the action, but when you do you can come hard and heavy.

While Russia is "easy" due to often being forced into its choices, the USA is a great faction for new players as it provides you the economy to afford even outlandish ideas and the time to observe the other players and pounce on opportunities. It's usually safe to assume that Japan will always be afraid of what you are going to do (but note that a Japanese player is quite capable of shutting you down, so it's by no means a walk in the park!), and your allies and you can become strong when working together -- they will surely welcome your presence.

Click here to see the starting units and territories of America

This player will go fifth / last.
This player will start with the most of IPCs: 42.
This player is part of the Allies.


Order of Play
The game consists of rounds of play with each player getting one turn per round. Rounds are always played in the same order, regardless of the events of the previous round, which is as follows:
1. USSR
2. Germany
3. The United Kingdom
4. Japan
5. The United States
Victory is checked for at the end of the United State's turn before proceeding to the next round. Essentially, these rounds are meant to be the years in the war, but whatever. I want to see some historically inaccurate rounds! It can be quite amusing.

Victory Conditions
Both the Axis and the Allies seek to quell their opponents by capturing their capitals and key cities around the world. These vital metropolitan areas are denoted on the map by red squares and lettering. Each side begins the game in possession of six of the twelve cities. In a full game, complete victory is achieved by controlling all twelve; in a more typical game a side wins by holding and controlling at least nine of these cities.


Let's See What Makes This Clock Tick: The Anatomy of a Turn
Each player turn must progress through the same steps. Subsequent steps cannot occur until the previous steps have been completed.
Basically, a turn cycles through Purchase, Combat, Noncombat, and Reinforcements.

Purchase New Units
Players first begin their turn by using the IPCs they currently have to purchase new units. Units cost the same to everyone; there are no discounts or unique conditions with respect to purchases. Purchase and movement information is printed on the game board. I've uploaded a quick reference card for anyone interested as well. The file has a card for each country as you are meant to print it out and attach it to the back of the starting placement cards shown above, but the actual values are the same on each.


The purchase and movement information for each unit is also on the game board

Players can purchase any combination of units as long as they have the IPCs available to meet the total cost. It is important to note, however, the rules of placement [see below] -- if a player purchases the units but cannot place them it's more or less a waste. Purchased units are set aside for now, as they do not come onto the map until the end of a player's turn.

Declare Combat Movements, Handle Combat
All combat is declared before it is resolved. This means you cannot wait on the outcome of one battle before deciding on how to handle another potential attack. Combat is declared by moving units you control from friendly territories into enemy territories within their movement range.

Once combat moves are declared, each battle is handled in turn. The game board comes with a handy attacker/defender strip and a "casualty zone" for lining up the units on either side (picture to come?). Once the units are placed, the attacker has first roll. For any successful hits, the defender chooses which units to take the hits and places them in the casualty zone. These units have been destroyed, but in fairness to the defender they have a chance to fire "parting shots" before being removed from the board completely (NOTE: submarine first strikes can remove units without granting this). The defender then rolls for the defending units, and the attacker similarly chooses which units to remove from the board for successful hits. It is vital for the attacker to keep in mind that land territory cannot be taken by air units. After both sides have fired and hits are dealt with, the attacker can choose to press on or retreat. Retreat movements do not take into account the unit's movement spent -- this is so that land units that have spent their movement costs to get into battle can actually retreat -- but force all involved units to move to the closest friendly territory. If the attacker presses on, combat resumes as described.

Submarine first strikes [see the units section] occur before normal combat and are resolved first.

As you will see in the units section below, each unit has an attack and defend value. A roll must be less than or equal to the given number to be counted as a hit, so the higher the number the better. For example, a battleship attacks and defends at 4, making it one of the best units in the game due to 1, 2, 3, and 4 all counting as hits, whereas, say, the carrier only lands a hit on attack with a roll of 1.

Please do read on in the next section about units and special cases, as there are times when the normal combat is adjusted or altered. Also, as air units cannot claim new territory, any fighters or bombers involved in combat MUST land in valid friendly territory within their movement range regardless of a win or loss in the contested territory. It may seem awkward at first, but combat is easy to learn.

Update the Board and Handle Non-Combat Movements
Once each combat is resolved, the attacker has either gained new territory and/or the defender(s) have held their ground. For any enemy territory gained, the attacker places a nation token on that space to signify the new ownership. For any friendly territory liberated, the defender pushed out removes his or her token.

The current player can then move any units that did NOT participate in combat around the board, keeping within owned/friendly territories. Basically this means units behind your front lines can be moved to reinforce your positions or fill in holes they leave behind. But once you tap your lands, you can't reuse them to keep casting Your combat forces are considered exhausted.

Reinforcements Have Arrived
Remember those units purchased at the beginning of the turn? Now finally they can be placed onto the game board. As mentioned, you can spend all of your IPCs every turn to purchase whatever combination of units you desire. Placing them, however, must be valid, else they were a wasted purchase. Russia (the territory, not nation, in this case), for example, has no real means to place naval units with its IC (though that player can deploy into the Mediterranean from the Caucasus). Additionally, the total number of units you can place in a territory is based on the number printed in a circle in that territory. To reuse Russia, it has a value of (8), and Caucasus has (4). This means that player can buy and place 12 units total, but must split them up accordingly. If a player purchases less units than their max production capabilities, they can split them up however they want as long as the units are deployed in a territory containing an IC (or a sea zone adjacent to that territory).

If you purchase fighters and have a carrier with free space in an adjacent sea zone, you can immediately deploy them onto the carrier. This includes newly produced carriers as well as ones that ended their movement in that space. Likewise, fighters can end their movement phase in a sea zone if a new carrier is going to be deployed there for them to land on before the end of the turn.

Unit placement concludes a player's turn. The IC value (numbers in the circles) of all territories currently held by the player are added, and that player's IPC value is adjusted accordingly. The next player then begins with his or her purchase orders.

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The Units of the Game and Special Cases
Be sure to give care to this section, as several units have special rules or introduce additional nuances to the typical combat and movement described above. In general, the rules are actually straightforward. However, some units have special abilities that often are a point of confusion or overlooked. Here, I will attempt to explain them so that we all are on the same page. This information is all in the rulebook, as well, if my wording is not helpful or confusing -- I am invoking no special house rules (though we are using one optional rule).


Factories
Cost: 15

Industrial Complexes are what churn out your units. These are technically neutral units, as they are tied to territories and can be captured. They have no movement or combat values. New ICs can be purchased and put into any territory a player owns, but they will NOT be valid for unit placement until the next turn. So if you buy a factory and three units, you can't deploy any of those units into the same territory as the new factory.

If a territory that contains an IC is taken in combat, it cannot be used until the next turn by the new owner.

ICs damaged by bombing runs produce one less unit per point of damage. ICs "health" is twice their production value, meaning it is possible for them to be so damaged that they cannot produce any units. A player may repair a factory by paying one IPC per unit of damage during the Purchase phase.


AA Gun
Cost: 6
Movement: 1 (special)

AA guns fire once per aircraft attacking its territory. A roll of 1 denotes as successful hit, and the aircraft affected are removed immediately. After the AA gun fires, it is ignored for the rest of the combat. If the attacker has both bombers and fighters, the AA gunner must note which [type of] aircraft each roll is for individually.

AA guns can be moved in non-combat phases. These are also neutral, as any AA guns in a territory that is captured become the property of the invading force. Captured AA guns can be used right away, though they cannot be moved in the non-combat movement phase of that turn.


Infantry
Cost: 3
Movement: 1
Attack: 1 (2 when paired with artillery)
Defense: 2

Capable of taking and holding territory, infantry are your cheapest unit and the bread-and-butter of your land forces. They are also very simple. Note that for each artillery unit moved in an attack, one infantry unit can attack at the higher value of 2.


Artillery
Cost: 4
Movement: 1
Attack: 2
Defense: 2

Artillery were useful for long-range shelling of enemy lines and troops and served as great defensive positions when fortified. In this game, these units are basically stronger infantry. Note that combining infantry and artillery is a little more cost-effective for the same result. Also can capture territory.


Artillery Boosting Infantry
When you commit artillery AND infantry to an attack, each piece of artillery can boost ONE infantry unit to an attack of 2 instead of 1. For example, if Japan assaults Russia with three infantry, a tank, and two artillery, two of their infantry units can attack at 2. If an artillery piece is destroyed, any surviving infantry that was paired with it in this manner loses its boost.


Tanks
Cost: 5
Movement: 2
Attack: 3
Defense: 3

Tanks are one of the first things that come to mind when talking about World War II. Boasting fast movement speeds, thick armor, and powerful guns, tank battalions far surpass the capabilities of troops. Stronger both offensively and defensively, any land campaign that aims to succeed will require tanks. Tanks can capture territory.

Special: Tanks can blitz in an attack move. If there are empty hostile territories within reach, the blitz allows tanks to move through these spaces and capture them along the way. This MUST be done as a combat move and is not available in the non-com phase.


Fighters
Cost: 10
Movement: 4
Attack: 3
Defense: 4

One of the best units for defense, fighters are also versatile attack forces. While not capable of capturing territory, fighters will prove invaluable in the defense of your territories and in pressing attacks.

Special: Fighters can be committed to bomber escort or factory defense in bombing runs. Any fighters committed to these sorties cannot enter other combat or movement that turn.


Bombers
Cost: 12
Movement: 6
Attack: 4
Defense: 1

With the largest range in the game, bombers are excellent assault units, but keep in mind they are definitely glass cannons (i.e. never leave them undefended).

Special: Bombers can go on strategic bombing runs against enemy factories. Any bombers committed to these sorties cannot participate in regular combat or movement that turn.


Moving Between Land and Sea
It's easy to overlook this rule, and it applies to air units. Air units taking off from a land territory MUST count the transition from land to a sea zone as one movement, even if the land is an island in the sea zone. Likewise, going from sea to land counts as a space. Keep this in mind when calculating valid movement, combat or otherwise, for your fighters and bombers. I will be watching for this.

Strategic Bombing
In earlier versions, bombers could be used to run strategic bombing runs on territories with Industrial Complexes. The damage done would immediately be taken out of the target nation's economy, reducing their IPCs by the number rolled. Currently, strategic bombing runs serve to damage ICs by the number rolled. However, before this happens, bombers must make it to the target!

Bombers must make it past AA guns and defensive fighter screens. Yes, we are playing with the optional fighter escort rules in bombing runs, as follows:
- the attacking player can pull escort fighters from any zone provided the fighters have the range [and can then land as per the rules]
- first, any defending AA gun rolls once per plane; a 1 on any roll destroys the target aircraft
- the defending player can choose to commit some or all of the fighters in the target territory to repel this threat at this point
- surviving attacking fighters and the defense fighters engage in ONE ROUND of combat; attacker rolls at 1, defender at 2; bombers have no attack or defense in this round
- if any bombers survive, they each roll as normal for bombing -- one die each, with the total damage going to the IC
- surviving attacking fighters and bombers must land as per normal movement rules; surviving defenders remain in their territory or one space away if it is taken during the attacking player's regular combat
Note that any fighters committed to escort or defense in this action cannot participate in other battles that turn.

When an IC is damaged, each point of damage reduces its production capability by one. ICs can suffer at most twice the IPC value of their territory.



Battleships
Cost: 20
Movement: 2
Attack: 4
Defense: 4

So awesome. The battleship is the most feared sea unit -- at least until the world realized just how amazing air craft carriers were. But in the context of this game they are definitely the biggest thing around. Not only do they both attack and defend at the highest value, battleships can take multiple hits. Yes, that's right -- a player can choose to soak a point of damage with the battleship before suffering any actual casualties. This damage is repaired if the unit survives combat.

Battleships can support amphibious assaults with bombardment.



Cruisers
Cost: 12
Movement: 2
Attack: 3
Defense: 3

The poor man's battleship, the sea tank. That's basically what cruisers are, more or less. They benefit from costing less than the battleship but do not gain the ability to soak a hit.

Cruisers can also support amphibious assaults with bombardment.


Destroyers
Cost: 8
Movement: 2
Attack: 2
Defense: 2

Destroyers may seem weak at first, but their special abilities make up for their lack of firepower as compared to the bigger capital ships. Any navy wishing to deal with submarines will need destroyers.

Destroyers Are Submarine Wranglers
As you'll see below, submarines have a few different special abilities. Destroyers, however, negate them all.

In addition, ONLY with a destroyer present can the air forces of a side target submarines and target aircraft with its submarines. Without a destroyer, that player cannot target subs with aircraft or shoot down planes with subs.


Submarines
Cost: 6
Movement: 2
Attack: 2
Defense: 1

Submarines really took a center stage during this war, disrupting supply lines and causing military strategists all kinds of worry (random Delaware state interjection: Many towers were built along Cape Henlopen, now a popular state park and destination spot for field trips, camps, and Boy Scout outings, to keep watch on the bay for encroaching U-boats).

While their stats may make them look weak, submarines enjoy many special perks due to their underwater travel. However they do have armor like paper.

Submarine Special Abilities
Submarines are given the ability to Surprise Strike in combat as a tribute to their usefulness in the real War.

NOTE: Destroyers present in any contested waters -- whenever fleets of opposing sides occupy the same sea zone -- negate these submarine abilities.

Movement: Submarines can pass through sea zones with enemy ships uncontested if they wish (unless an enemy destroyer is present).

Combat: Before the normal phases of combat, submarines can surprise attack or "first strike". If there are no defending destroyers, the attacking player's submarines can roll their attack before the combat round. Hits occur as normal, and any casualties are removed from the battle with no chance to return fire. If there are no attacking destroyers, defending submarines may also attack before the normal rolls. After casualties from both sides, if applicable, are removed, normal combat begins -- attacker fires/rolls, then defender. At the start of the each round of combat, the submarines can again surprise attack. Submarines that fired prior to normal combat cannot also fire during normal combat.

If no destroyer is present on the opposing side, submarines can also use the beginning of a combat round to submerge and exit the battle, returning to the sea zone on the board, immune from harm but also prohibited from firing. Once this choice has been made by the submarine's owner, the unit cannot return to the battle.

Once you think through this one it makes sense, if it doesn't at first. I can help by prompting for it.


Aircraft Carriers
Cost: 14
Movement: 2
Attack: 1
Defense: 2

Obviously, the benefit of this unit is its ability to carry up to two air units, vastly extending the range of fighters and facilitating the use of fighters in naval engagements as well as land combat. Don't ignore their attack and defense, however! Many a units have fallen to carrier fire.

Aircraft Carriers and Fighters
Fighters on carriers actually always move independently of their carriers even if they are both entering the same combat. The actual landing of aircraft on the carrier ends the movement for both units.

Carriers can carry allied planes. When attacked, allied planes participate in the defense of the fleet. When attacking, allied planes cannot participate. Basically, allied planes behave on carriers the same they do in allied territory. You cannot have more than two fighters on any carrier, regardless of whose they are.

If a carrier is defeated in battle, all fighters in the air from that carrier can still participate in the battle if possible. At the end of the battle, surviving fighters orphaned due to carrier destruction must land on a friendly carrier or territory. For attacking players, fighters whose carrier has been destroyed can use their remaining movement (fighters are forced to take off and travel with the fleet in an attack move) to do so. For defending players, the fighters must try to land on a friendly carrier in the same zone or a territory at most one space away.

It may be useful to note that valid landing areas include zones where a carrier will be at the end of a player's turn -- since you end your noncombat moves with unit placement, it is possible to move a carrier with space on it to accept the fighter(s) or have them move to a zone where a new carrier will be deployed.

If you keep this in mind, you can make excellent use of carriers and fighters.


Transports
Cost: 14
Movement: 2

Transports are used to cart land forces around. Note that they have no attack or defense -- if transports are left alone they automatically lose any combat. Additionally, if you have transports as part of your navy you CANNOT use them to take hits instead of your combat units (e.g. you have a destroyer and two transports and receive a hit: you can't eliminate a transport to keep the destroyer alive). If no combat capable units are present, the transports are destroyed.

Special: Carrying Units
Any one transport can carry a maximum of two units in any combination that includes at least one infantry.
Loading a unit onto a transport counts as that land unit's movement. Unloading ends the transport's turn.
If a player is in the NON-combat phase, a transport can load units, move, and unload them into friendly territories. You can make use of this to make a bridge between two pieces of land separated by one sea space.
If a player is in the combat phase, a transport may move and unload units ONLY if those units were already on the transport.
A player can load units into an ally's transport on their turn, it can then move on the controlling ally's turn, and then they can be unloaded on your next turn. Allies cannot load or unload units that aren't theirs.

Special: Amphibious Assault
Transports can be used to drop land units off on enemy territories during combat phases. These units are immediately sent into combat. When paired with crusiers and/or battleships, the enemy forces are bombarded before combat begins. The attacker rolls one die per bombarding ship and scores hits based on the ships' attack values. Any hit units are removed from the board immediately before regular combat begins.

Transports that move into a sea zone with enemy forces and survive combat there can still perform an amphibious assault on adjacent hostile land territories.

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RULES ALTERATIONS
Anything that deviates from the rules will be noted here.

Retreating From Combat
Normally, an attacker can choose to break off an attack between rounds of combat and retreat one space away (more for aircraft that have enough movement). Since this is being conducted mostly asynchronously on a forum, it would be helpful for players to enumerate "retreat conditions" when sending combat movement orders. For example, if Russia sends three tanks and four infantry into a German territory as a combat move, they might request that their forces withdraw when only one tank remains or after 50% losses, etc. Feel free to also provide valid retreat paths; by default I will select the originating territory.

FOR A VOTE: Either players indicate "retreat conditions" or we just go with a "all in" approach and remove retreating from the game.


Just a Reminder
Note that we're playing with escorts and defense screens for bombing runs.

"What would you have your Arbiter do?"
As you have seen in other threads like this, as the thread author and maintainer I will NOT be playing the game. Rather, I will be serving as the means with which movement, combat, purchases, and troop placement is enacted and resolved. I will be doing ALL of the dice rolling, so if I roll terribly I should be equally likely to roll terribly for all of you. I will also be checking orders to make sure the rules are followed and point out oversights. I will NOT be advising anyone specifically. While I have no problem offering general advice, I preemptively prohibit myself from being a resource to any of the NPF readers who control one of the factions. I do not have a problem with anyone serving as a mentor or advisor to anyone else if you want; while the three allies and two axis powers certainly should talk strategy amongst their respective teams, if other viewers want to offer ideas and suggestions go for it!

As the one running the game, I'll be doing my best to keep everyone, players and readers alike, updated whenever the board changes. To that end, I will provide a board overview after each player's combat and movement/deployment phases in each turn. That means that, as far as game-specific updates go, there should be two per player for a total of ten per single Axis and Allies round of play (I believe they are meant to be considered years in the war, but meh).

In order to keep this moving, I will set deadlines for the next set of commands or whatever. I'll note this in the latest update and in the original post. I'm shooting for a decent pace, but I won't be trying to push things too quickly -- I'll need time to take photographs, grab images, and write up where units are and all that. We can settle on an "optimal" time between turns/phases as we progress, agreed upon primarily by the players.

If there is any reader participation, I promise to try to take a little bit of time in an update to incorporate it, when possible, in the actual updates. Perhaps there will be separate updates!

Lastly, as a side note: I do play this game with friends semi-regularly. As a result, I may have to clear the board for a new game and then return it to the last known state afterward. My goal is for the pictures I take and notes I keep to be detailed enough to make it easy to set the board back up, and the last update I post should always have a "here's what the world looks like" kind of summary as well. If you notice any errors, please point them out so that I can correct them ASAP. Thanks!


NUANCES OF FORUM-BASED PLAY
Turns will go slowly. They do in person, as well, and this is only exacerbated by forum-based play. As a result, you have some advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, you have plenty of time to ruminate over your strategy and contact your allies to scheme. On the other hand, you might forget a plan you had while you wait, lose some momentum, or second guess yourself! Don't worry -- I just want to see some fun global throw-downs.

Remember that you kind of take two turns for every one actual turn -- two phases of player commands.
In typical board game play, everyone is around the table to see the declaration of attacks, purchases, and movements. This makes it easy to fluidly go from one phase to another in gameplay. However, due to playing over a forum and my service as an arbiter of world events each player's turn will be split up as follows:
- Player submits purchase decisions; Player also submits valid combat moves (and retreat conditions if they desire)
- I request corrections if necessary; IPCs are adjusted accordingly; combat is rolled and resolved, territory changes handled
- the game board is summarized and presented
- same player then submits movement orders and new unit placements
- movement and placement occur; IPCs calculated and adjusted; turn ended
- world is presented and summarized, ready for the next faction's turn
So basically your turns are split into two parts, as your movement and placement can easily be affected by your success or failure in combat.

I leave it entirely up to you if you want to post your turn orders directly in this thread or PM me. I see no harm in posting them publicly, as turns are always in the same order and follow one another pretty straightforwardly. However, if you want to just send them to me and post about your turn [to give the thread an indication that you have made your move(s)], that is fine.


READER PARTICIPATION
Obviously, there will (hopefully) be five of you changing the course of world history via my kitchen table. However, it does not have to end there! I encourage, nay I demand that interested readers come up with their own ways to participate in the battles. Perhaps you've enlisted in one of the armies and are keeping a journal of your company's exploits? Maybe you are staging rallies in support of your glorious leader or working with insurgents to take him/her down! Or perhaps you're a history buff and can drop all kinds of knowledge down on us about various battles, regions, conflicts, vehicles, technologies, and so forth relevant to World War II.

Leaders wishing to earn their people's trust would do well to enlist their support and aid -- have them praise you in the streets or create propaganda for your war machine while disparaging others.

Basically, be creative in between actual game updates. Have some fun with it. It will help make this more entertaining (at least I think so) and memorable and, to be completely honest, keep the thread moving while I manage, carry out, and assemble updates.



Most importantly, have fun!




OH MY GOG WORDS WORDS WORDS Let's fucking get started already!

[Mr.Bookworm]

Hell yes. Sign me up.

Do we get to pick countries? I'd like to play the USSR, if we do.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Well, I signed up for the last 2 forum board games, so I will make my interest known here too. I have never played Axis and Allies though, so I'll have to do some serious rule reading first.

[Ecks]

I am interested. But save me as a reserve player, a fall-back option if you can't get the other four players you need, as I'm a rather busy guy and I'd have to juggle work, this, and finishing Assassin's Creed 2/any number of other games I keep forgetting to go back and finish.

[Geminex]

*raises hand*
I can't put much time into this, but, if possible, I'd like to be involved on the german side. Either to give a bit of historical background or to meddle with advise whoever's actually playing the faction.

[The Kneumatic Pnight]

I am interested. Preferably as Glorious Nippon Japan. I am committed to a couple of projects right now, but I'll be available after Friday or Saturday of this week. I hope this wouldn't be too much of a delay, but if it is I guess I can't really complain.

[synkr0nized]

Since not every player goes at once, I don't think availability is going to be a major problem for participating. This thread won't be bumping fast with respect to gameplay updates, though I have no problem with other stuff being posted.