‘Axis & Allies’ is a Strategy War-Game With History
If you sit at the intersection of “history nerd” and “boardgame nerd,” Axis & Allies is the strategy war game you’re probably already playing.
There’s a boardgame out there for everything and everybody. Including World War Two nerds. I feel like we all know somebody who knows a little too much, who has a few too many books, who used to watch a bit too much History Channel before they went entirely off of the deep end. And of course there’s a board game for that person, as well, in Axis & Allies.
Axis & Allies
Axis & Allies is a series of WWII based strategy board games. Initially published in 1981, it has seen a few publishers over the years. The game started with Milton Bradley in the 80s before switching over to Avalon Hill in 1999, but it is currently distributed by Renegade Game Studios as of 2023. If you’re not familiar with the studio name, you’re probably familiar with at least a few of Renegade’s many game titles spanning from Vampire: The Masquerade to Kids on Bikes, to big-name pop-culture titles like My Little Pony, Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, and Scott Pilgrim card, board, and miniature games.
The game is played on a map of Earth circa spring 1942, and players take on the roles of the countries who were involved in WWII. Gameplay mostly consists of taking turns attempting to capture and keep control of various territories.
Since its creation, more than ten spinoffs of Axis & Allies have been made, and the game has sold many, many copies over the years.
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Game Development
In the late 90’s Larry Harris- who also helped create game-shelf staples Trivial Pursuit and Risk– began designing Axis & Allies under the name “1942”. At first he partnered with a local Connecticut hobby shop, Citadel Game Store, to publish his game under the company name “Nova Game Designs” but by 1981 Axis & Allies was being republished by Milton Bradley. In 1996 Axis & Allies: Classic was inducted into the Adventure Gaming Hall of Game by both the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design as well as Games Magazine. Suffice to say, this was one of the most well respected games out there in the 90s.
Hasbro acquired Milton Bradley in 1984 and Avalon Hill in 1998, and almost immediately transferred Axis & Allies over to their Avalon Hill division. Then in 2022 Hasbro entered into a partnership with Renegade Game Studios, which included publishing and distribution of Axis & Allies as well as organizing the game’s world championship.
And throughout all of this, Axis & Allies remained steadfast and popular. In 2023, Renegade Games released reprints of many of the Axis & Allies spinoffs and announced a new game in Axis & Allies: North Africa as well as a G.I. Joe board game that would use the Axis & Allies game engine.
Gameplay
This is one of those games that will probably look intimidating, but getting into gameplay is surprisingly easy. Every player or country has objectives to work towards, usually based in controlling enough land to have the upper hand in the war.
Each round players must declare how they are using their ‘industrial production certificate” IPCs. These are in-game currency representing a million hours of labor. IPCs can be used to buy or improve units, do research, and sometimes repair damaged structures. Next players declare any moves that would result in combat and move their pieces accordingly. Then combat is resolved, and non-combat movements are made. At the end of their turn, players put the units purchased at the beginning of their turn on the board in any territories that they control and end their turn.
Combat is determined with dice rolls. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the defense rating, they score a hit a unit of the opponent’s choosing. Combat is resolved when one side loses all of their units or retreats.
Spinoffs
Aside from Axis & Allies (1981) and Axis & Allies: Classic (1984) there are many spinoffs of the game:
Try Axis & Allies:
- Europe (1999)
- Pacific (20011)
- D-Day (2004)
- Revised (2004)
- Battle of the Bulge (2006)
- Guadalcanal (2007)
- 50th Anniversary Edition (2008)
- Spring 1942 (2009)
- Pacific 1940 (2009), and Second Edition (2012)
- Europe 1940 (2010) and Second Edition (2012)
- 1942, Second Edition (2012)
- World War I 1914 (2013)
- North Africa (2024)
- Axis & Allies & Zombies (2018)
There also a number of video games, some published by Hasbro, some by Wizards of the Coast, others by Beamdog. There is also “TripleA,” an open source adaptation of Axis & Allies. And, in 2005, a miniature game was released with follow-ups, War at Sea, and Angles Twenty as well as several boosters.
How Long Does An Average Game of Axis & Allies Take?
Games can take somewhere in the area of three to four hours. It’s a strategy marathon, not a sprint.
Are They Still Making Axis & Allies?
Yes. Currently publishing rights are with Renegade Games Studio, and a new version game out just a few months ago.
Is Axis & Allies a Good Game?
This is a subjective question. If you like war games, yes. If those aren’t your cup of tea, this will probably be slow, boring torture. Many consider this to be a better war game than Risk, but that too is subjective.
If you’d like to check it out for yourself, you can find more information on the Renegade Games Studios website.
