Moderator's Game Review: Axis & Allies Miniatures

[Whiterook]

Well, this one is going to be long. I’m telling you right up front. Unlike most games I will review, this is a massive game system, and there’s just no way to do it justice without a fair bit of wind. So sit back and take it like a good soldier, Soldier!

The Axis & Allies Miniatures game was launched in the Fall of 2005. It is produced by Avalon Hill (yes, their still alive!), who are now actually a division of the game company Wizards of the Coast (an already major player in the miniatures/figures market, such as D&D, Star Wars, and Heroscape), which is itself a subsidiary of Hasbro…how’s that for a convoluted chain? Axis & Allies Miniatures (a.k.a., AAM by most, in the gaming community) was Avalon Hill’s response to the miniatures market, and a new pot-o-gold they hoped to dig into. It was a far departure from their typical board games: both Grognard fare, as in their venerable counter-laden standards, such as Squad Leader; and their more recent beer & pretzel-geared re-imagined exploits, such as RISK: 2210. It has been widely commented that they, ummmm, didn’t quite think through this venture into mini-me land. Scale issues dogged them like a jackal after a mouse.



“WARNING, WILL ROBINSON” -- Robot, Lost in Space

Whereas in any game review, I prefer to start with the positives…in the case of this game, and anyone thinking of buying it, the following negative point should be clearly understood. The aforementioned scale issues weren’t comprehended by Avalon Hill/Wizards of the Coast (WotC) initially. The scale of the miniatures were conceived (and touted in the rules book) to be: Infantry, 15mm (though it’s more like 1:100); Artillery are about the same; and Vehicles, 1/120 (though it’s more like 1:150-1:100). To be blunt, it’s the latter, vehicle scale, that has been WotC’s bane….it’s all over the place! Some vehicles are just not sized properly, in relation to the infantry and artillery. WotC realized, way too late in my opinion, that there is already a very established WWII miniatures market out there…the largest competitor of which being admirably led by a group from New Zealand, with an unpainted metal miniatures line called Flames of War…which rightly figured out to make ALL their vehicles in 15mm. Thankfully for WotC, Flames of War is difficult to procure in most areas, so that probably played in their favor in a big way. AAM most likely will cost you less than FOW in the end, as well, but that’s only my guess; plus AAM’s are pre-painted! Well, back on target here…WotC’s rather late response to this issue of scale ambiguity is their 2007 release of the Axis & Allies: 1939-1945 starter set and boosters expansion, in which vehicles issued in the earlier sets were re-designed/re-scaled in 15mm! What this means is that, for those who already purchased these earlier units/sets, the new vehicles that are up-scaled to 15mm puts you in the odd conundrum of owning duplicate units in different scales. I was (and am) not happy with this at all; not because I don’t like the new 15mm vehicles (I do, and some have superior paint schemes!), but because I invested a butt-load of money in a vast OOB where I now need to supplant with re-issues, if I want to have 15mm across the board. So, the question becomes, do you buy the older sets, and include the 1935-1945 set with re-scales, or just stay with the older sets? I haven’t answered that question yet, so I wouldn’t presume to advise all of you.



BUY IT!
OK, now do I recommend you buy this game? Ohhhhhh yeah!!!!! No doubt about it! It’s just you need to answer that pesky problem above in order to plan your purchase strategy. I honestly HATE the concept of a Collectable Miniatures Game, because unlike kids in a schoolyard that trade their cast off whatever’s, adults are stuck with duplicates; or have to resort to selling them and/or trading with whatever group of collectors they can manage to leech onto. That translates to the necessity to have a Purchasing Strategy. That strategy is a whole other can of worms, but if you’d like to see how I tackled it, see the Base Set details at the end of this review. I’ll post a separate review on the Axis & Allies: 1939-1945 set.

Back to the game! It’s all World War II…a subject dear to all our hearts. For people seeing Axis & Allies prominently displayed in the title, the first visions conjured up will generally be of that board game of old, with huge nation-battles and grand continental/sea campaigns. Avalon Hill was probably banking on that appeal factor. In truth, it bears no resemblance to this old standard, or any of Avalon Hill’s latest Axis & Allies board game manifestations. I liken the miniatures game more along the lines of Squad Leader meets miniature figures. Rather than large-scale combat, this is tactical level combat, with units representing individual vehicles and artillery, or squads of infantry….rarely greater than Company strength groupings. Each unit in your Order of Battle (OOB) collection is assigned a Cost (point value), in which the basic game goal is to build your 100-Point Army (or less) with whatever units you choose out of your OOB. Each unit has a Stat Card, which denotes: its movement capabilities, number of dice rolled on attack vs. both vehicles and infantry, defensive strength, special abilities, point cost, and flavor text with snippet factoids. The stat cards can be considered the “advanced rules” of the game system, as the Special Abilities drastically change the basic way a unit may operate or battle. The stat cards are the easiest way to consider which OOB units to build your army from, though many (including myself) devise their own data sheet with Nation Units/Cost to assist in this. The game is scenario-based, and new scenarios are constantly added to the WotC website (Wizards of the Coast). The game plays out on geomorphic mapboards (actually, laminated sheets folded in four…ahhh, the days of old Avalon Hill boards are long gone!), with a hexagonal grid superimposed for movement, range determination, facing, and Line of Sight.

You start a game by building your army, setting up the battle maps, flipping a coin to go first in deploying your army, and then beginning a scenario. Play is conducted in Phases, which starts with an Initiative Phase to determine who starts first; each player rolling two 6-sided dice, adding in Commander Bonuses, with the highest score choosing whether to go first or second. The Movement Phase is next, in which each side may move any, all, or none of their units…and we all know that maneuver is often more important than the actual combat; the player that commands the battlefield generally wins the day! Next is the Assault Phase, where combat erupts; but a great design element of this game system is that killed units aren’t immediately removed from the battlefield, but rather are only removed after all battle concludes, in the final phase, the Casualty Phase. This gives all units a fighting chance!



WHO WINS?
At the end of Turn 7, the player who controls the objective (the only player with a unit adjacent to it) wins the game!


MORE, DADDY, MORE!!!

The system utilizes various command controls, to bring the experience alive. Many of these gaming maxims are familiar to the experienced wargamer, though this is a game accessible to the novice, as well. These command controls include: Stacking, Line of Sight, Terrain Restrictions, Vehicle Facing, Fire Range, Cover Rolls, Defensive Fire, Damage/Disruption/KIA, and more. These, and other maxims, lend realism to the game.

Believe it or not, Axis & Allies Miniatures is a simplified version of a tabletop miniatures wargame, but this isn’t to say it’s a slouch. Far from it! You’ll need to spend some quality time with the system to gain proficiency and comfort with the mechanics. But still, it’s extremely fun, engaging, and a great learning tool for exploring the heroic (and not so heroic) feats of the Greatest Generation. It plays for two, but is extremely suitable for solitaire play, as well. The figures are handsomely done, and again, the fact that they are pre-painted is a huge plus to those novice miniatures gamers just breaking into the genre; and even veteran miniatures gamers who’ve painted one too many a figure, that don’t necessarily have the time, patience, or desire to paint miniatures anymore (or to begin with themselves). There is a strong community base, and it is featured in many tournaments, including DCI Tournament play at major conventions. The hype has certainly died down quite a bit over years past, and I’m not sure the new rebuild is doing much to attract a new fervor; in fact, many hobby and game shops have abandoned selling the game and boosters; and further yet, interest in WotC’s “Combat Zone” store events (see their website) has also dried up. But, this has a good side…the secondary market on sites such as E-Bay, has new opportunities for buyers, for cheaper OOB building; and the online stores have drastically cut their prices….not what WotC wants to hear, but hey, a sawbuck is a sawbuck, my friend! This is probably the best time to invest in this game!



SO, WHAT DO YOU GET?
The Base Set (2005) started it all off, with 28 miniatures, released in a Starter Pack with the rules, maps, and a few starter units (randomly packaged); and Booster Packs. Buying individual Boosters are how WotC naturally wants you to build your OOB, owing to the “Collectible” nature of their beastie, with 9 miniatures per booster, randomly packed at their warehouse. You don’t know what you’re going to get. I hate that! The other way to build your OOB is to buy individual units, sold on a few online game shops, and of course on E-Bay. I’ll tell you now, after I picked up the Starter and 4 Boosters, I saw I was going to drop major amounts of coin this way. That would not do! I’m a smart cookie (or at, I try to convince my wife of that…and occasionally, my boss at work). The method I used from that realization on, was to order my Boosters by the case (on-line shops), which will give you almost a complete set. The units come in three designations, and hence some are more plentiful per booster than others: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. Guess which ones you get more of? (Yes, I spite!) You’ll be short a few Rare vehicles, but you’ll generally get all the infantry and artillery, with many duplicates. I supplement my missing units later. This to me is the only way to go. Nations represented are: Germany, Italy, Minor Axis Nations, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France.

Set II (2005) was the first expansion, of 45 miniatures, in Boosters only. It added Nationalist China, Romania, and Poland, as well as new units of nations previously featured. Also of note were the addition of Snipers and Paratroops.

Contested Skies (2006) was the second expansion set of 45 miniatures, which added aircraft to the mix. The planes are gorgeous! The set also added an Australian unit, as well as new units of nations previously featured.

D-Day (2006) was the third expansion of 45 miniatures, adding obstacles and Canadian troops, as well as new units of nations previously featured.

Reserves (2006) was the fourth expansion, and where WotC lost me. I just couldn’t justify spending more hard earned cash on this bad boy!!! Especially where I wasn’t much impressed with the offerings of this particular set. Coincidently, this is when I started seeing the hobby and game shops give up the fight as well. Hmmmm, coinkydink? Well anyway, another 45 miniatures and the addition of Hungary.

War at Sea (2007) saw WotC steering down a new road (or rather, ocean), with naval war! It is a standalone, and not an expansion, per se. It brought a bit of a resurgence into the game system, but I’m not a naval gamer, so it hasn’t entered my OOB. It has 64 miniatures.

Expanded Rules (2007) is an expanded rule book. I own it, but have not read it yet.

1935-1945 (2007) is the ubiquitous expansion that I mentioned of bringing certain vehicles up to 15mm standard. There are no new units. It contains 60 miniatures (see why I’m PO’d?). I bought a couple boosters to see for myself, and I have to admit…for the most part, the darned things DO look better. Arrrrrrgh!

North Africa 1940-1943 (Future Release, supposedly March of 2008) will see 60 miniatures. This one may start me buying again (I’m hopeless!).




RATING:
Thumbs Up!

[Hagen]

Thank You Whiterook. I just bought the 1939-1945 starter set and the one booster pack the book store had. The manager said they weren't going to get anymore, so was wondering if I should pursue the system.

[Whiterook]

Originally Posted by Hagen

Thank You Whiterook. I just bought the 1939-1945 starter set and the one booster pack the book store had. The manager said they weren't going to get anymore, so was wondering if I should pursue the system.

YES YES YES YES YESSSSSSSS YES YES!!!!!
This is such an awesome system, and one that I see in my possession for life. I can't imagine a time when I will not play this game. Plus, it also is expandable to diorama works, use with other systems like the Flames of War crowd and system, and something you may want to design (system wise) yourself. Its a valuable addition to a wargamers collection.

Put another spin on this...I'm not sure how much legs Avalon Hill has on this system. They may be here to stay, or they may dry up and blow away. The fact that they put all this resource into the new set, and the one around the corner, tell me they're here for awhile. I just don't think the hobby shops and gamestores have any faith in it, and are willing to put them on their shelves, as is evident from what you've just experienced with your Store Manager. But that being said, there is ample distribution online still. And a vast community of players. I think this game is a winner. BUT, once they're gone at some point, I think the secondary market could make these even more expensive to put in your collection. The older sets have already come way down in price (cheaper than I paid), but once stocks dwindle, prices invariably go up.

I highly recommend that you do buy this puppy. Check out the following as far as ordering you up some of this good stuff (as the B-52's would say...my fav musical group!):

ICONUSA is where I ordered all my stuff, and my first choice to order from.
You can get a case of the 1939-1945 Set for $79.99, or boosters for $6.99!
Axis & Allies Miniatures 1939-1945

The others earlier sets can be had for $107.88/case or $10.99/Booster Pack.
Axis & Allies Miniatures Game - IconUSA.com

Other good bets are:

Game Outfitter
Axis & Allies Miniatures

Battleworks!
Axis & Allies Miniatures ON SALE!

Wargamers Headquarters
Axis & Allies Mini's 15mm::WWII::Table Top Miniature Games::War Gamers Headquarters

A Google search of Axis & Allies Miniatures will gain you even more. Some will be more expensive...maybe some cheaper?....but I've done my homework on AMM pricing over a few years now, and the above should be decent deals.

[Hagen]

OK, I'm traveling tomorrow and will check out a store or two during my travel. Will go mail order if I get skunked.

[TRDG]

For me, I just did'nt like the models, plain and simple, so I did'nt get into the rules, as to reading any of them!!

Cheers, honest!!

Tom

[Whiterook]

Originally Posted by TRDG

For me, I just did'nt like the models, plain and simple, so I did'nt get into the rules, as to reading any of them!!

Cheers, honest!!

Tom

: yikes:

Well, I can totally respect where you're coming from...as you're into Flames of War, I have to admit that their vehicles are amazing, so I can see how you may not like AA Minis to the same degree....but you gotta give them some props for at least putting something out there. On the flip side, though I think AA Minis' Infantry can be way to small for old eyeballs, I like the detailing considerably better than FoW, which I think look rather cartoonish. I think it's the Infantry that have kept me away from jumping in the FoW pool, but you never know.

The problem with AA minis (as with FoW), is if it isn't a definite pleaser to you, it cost far too much to invest in an expansive OOB.