War board games are one of, if not the, oldest genres of board games, with some of the earliest examples dating back to the days of the ancient Greeks. Fast forward a few thousand years, and you will find Axis & Allies, one of the modern era’s most prolific and well-regarded war games. Now, under the care of Renegade Studios, comes a re-release of the much sought-after Anniversary Edition of Axis & Allies with the Axis & Allies 40th Anniversary Edition, and at long last, fans and new players alike can once again find this elusive prize.
For those unfamiliar with the Axis & Allies franchise, the game places anywhere from two to six players in the roles of either the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) or the Allies (United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union) during various conflicts of World War II in the 1940s (with a few exceptions, such as A&A 1914, set in World War I, and G.I. Joe: Battle in the Arctic Circle).
While many modern games of its type may rely on intricate tech trees, special abilities, and other systems, Axis & Allies is one of the purest forms of war board games out there. It’s a game where you move your pieces around a large board, roll dice to win fights, and conquer cities to achieve victory—a game where solid strategy and planning matter most. This experience has helped the series survive for so long. Among the plethora of versions and multiple editions, this Anniversary Edition release is widely regarded by fans as the de facto version. It’s even featured as the game played in Renegade’s Axis & Allies World Championship Tournament at this year’s GenCon, thanks in part to a few unique aspects that make it stand out from its fellow A&A siblings, like A&A 1942, A&A Pacific 1940, or A&A Europe 1940.
Spread across three large boards, Axis & Allies includes both 1941 and 1942 scenarios to choose from, which dictate where players will place their starting units and the order in which each country takes its turn. From there, play alternates between countries placing new units, moving units, rolling dice to resolve attacks, and buying new units, with the end goal being to hold a certain number of special victory cities. Mix in some special rules for land, air, and sea units, and you have everything you need to enjoy one of the longest-running board game franchises of modern times – simple in concept, rich in depth.
For those fortunate enough to have snagged a copy of the 2009 Anniversary Edition release, aside from a few visual adjustments for historical accuracy on the map (Honolulu now points to the correct island, for example), a bigger board, and a new FAQ section in the rulebook, Renegade’s new version is the same. All 672 miniatures retain the same detailed designs and can be easily stored in the returning nation-specific storage boxes, which are adorned with artwork that creates a collage when stored securely in the game’s box. All of the cardboard tokens are thick and sturdy, and the IPCs (the currency used to purchase new units) are still that same Monopoly-style paper. Though I’m not much of a fan of that myself, I opt for just a trusty notepad to keep track.
What’s in the Box
1 Game Board (24” x 46”) 1 Rulebook 1 Battle Board 6 National Setup Charts 1 National Production / Research & Development Chart 120 National Control Markers 22 Damaged Factory Markers 18 Victory City Tokens 18 Researcher Tokens 6 Nationality Boxes 2 Storage Boxes 1 Paper Money Pack 8 Divider/Inserts 14 Dice 80 Poker-Style Chips 672 Plastic Miniatures
The components all feel sturdy and honor the previous releases, but there are slight stumbles, and I wish Renegade had gone a bit further with their tweaks beyond just fixing grammatical hiccups. Of particular note, it is far too difficult to distinguish the various naval ships, especially the Destroyers, Transports, and Battleships. A subtle tweak to the sculpts or something similar would have been welcome (as a quick Google search shows, this complaint isn’t new).
Some issues, such as units feeling cramped on their respective spaces on the map, can be alleviated somewhat by the deluxe neoprene map that is 20% larger, though it comes at an additional cost. All in all, though, for its $100+ price tag, the base Anniversary Edition is still a wonderfully produced board game.
Playing through a game of the Anniversary Edition is an event unto itself that will easily take a day or more to complete, especially if you are a newcomer to the series. To put it into perspective, the games during the world tournament, featuring teams of some of the best players out there, were limited to six hours. While this may sound daunting, there is something truly magical about having a game that turns into a weekend-long event with your friends.
In terms of length, the 40th Anniversary Edition finds itself in the middle range of the pack, with options like 1941 offering much of the same mechanics in a game that will only last a couple of hours. Alternatively, you can combine Europe and Pacific to create the utterly epic Axis & Allies Global, which will take even the most experienced players months of weekends to complete (a dream of mine to do one day). Thanks to Renegade’s efforts in reprinting the series, it’s fairly easy to snag a copy of whichever version you prefer.
