any axis & aLLies fans here?

i'm one of those A&A nerds - aLthough i've never gotten into the computer versions; i'm strictLy board game.

who's your favorite country? strategy?

have you pLayed any of the expansion games (europe. pacific. enemy on the horizon)? what's your favorite?

i figured i'd get a generaL topic going - see if there any other A&A fans before i start spouting off to no one. :P

ps: if you're LocaL to me, maybe we can pLay sometime. i've Lost touch with the few peopLe who were as nutty about as me. it kinda sucks pLaying with peopLe who don't know how to pLay.

but I love "Third Reich"

I have a shit load of board war games in my basement, that I don't have time to play anymore
:(

PS _ didn't know this board was here...

there was a fLurry of activity at first.

HUGE A&A fans. if one ever got a star next to his name he'd totally talk strat with you, otherwise i'm not much help.

I rarely get to play though. I don't have a favorite country, I can play them all ok. (at least I used to be able to :) )

the onLy country i pretty much hate to be, is russia. they're fine if you have another country too, but whoever gets russia in a 5 man game is screwed.

For a while I was only playing on the computer because I didn't have anyone to play with, but I prefer the board game.

Russia is a bitch, but it can be done.... back in college when we would have marathon 5 player games it seemed everyone(Allies) knew they had to help Russia, at least in the beginning so it was never too bad. Maybe I just had a good group to play with?

when pLaying with 5 peopLe and 1 has either never pLayed, or is a poor pLayer, don't give them russia. no matter how much we (the us and engLand pLayer - i was engLand) tried to taLk common A&A sense into him he refused to stock on infantry and wasted his money on tech research and a battLeship. :o

how do you Like to go after russia? frontaL assauLt/concentrated squeeze - japan foregoing big money pick ups for taking norther russia/ middLe east push/ from africa-mediteranean/ other?

i'm aLmost aLways faLL into the trap of frontaL assauLt. if i'm the axis, i'm aLways Lured into scooping up asain territories instead of focusing on russia (aLthough, if india or china pLop down a compLex earLy, then you're forced to take it out) with japan.

i'm just rambLing and getting my juices fLowing fantasizing about strategy. :P

Research and a battleship for Russia.... yikes. The only way to play Russia is with infantry and a tank or two. Even my 8 yo has learned that much. :) (Yes, I am teaching him the game)

Its pretty easy to get Russia out of the game fast with Japan going after the far eastern provinces of Russia and Germany hammering on the other side. Russia can't buy and move infantry fast enough for all its area... but that leaves Japan somewhat vulnerable to a bold US player.

Last time I played I was the Allies and made the mistake of buying a complex early for China and Japan got it.... it was a very very long game for the Allies. Russia fell early and it was awful. I will not soon make that mistake again. I thought I might get away with it because the Axis player is just learning the game.... oh well.

Have you played the updated version?

pLayed the re-reLeased version.

i did buy, "enemy on the horizon" expansion pack for the 2nd edition game. from what i've read about the new reLease, many of the updates are contained in both.

i take it you've pLayed?
how does it compare?
did anything change on the map?
how bout new pieces? enemy has destroyers, artiLLery and commandos.
if i remember correctLy, research was changed?

Optinal rules and bonuses to start out with to make the game intersting (can't think of any off the top of my head, except that the US can have "Marines" (+1 attack to infantry on amphibious assault).

There are now destroyers and artillery, as you mentioned. Some of the lines have been redrawn, mostly in the Pacific.

There are a lot of other significant changes, but I can't think of any specific examples.

It played alot like A&A Europe, though