This article needs additional citations for
verification. (March 2020) |
Manufacturers | Hasbro |
---|---|
Genres | World War II |
Systems | miniature wargaming |
Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor (15 mm figure scale) collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry. The system was first released in 2005 and was produced by Avalon Hill, a division of the game company Wizards of the Coast, which itself is a subsidiary of Hasbro.
Aimed at the collectible miniatures game market, the title Axis & Allies drew on that game's historic strength and notoriety. However, the miniature game bears little resemblance to the widely sold board games and other Axis & Allies items. Instead of a game of grand strategy, the miniatures game focuses on the tactical battle, with units fielded on either side of the battle being rarely greater than a company. Each piece is assigned a point value so that balanced matches can be constructed. Tournament play is typically done with 100 points per side, with infantry units usually having values of fewer than 10 points each and vehicles range from less than 10 to 50 or more based on relative strengths. Scenarios may alter these numbers or otherwise determine the constitution of each side. The map board consists of 2" (5 cm) or 3" hexes, with different terrain types represented within. Most set-ups are fewer than 20 hexes in either dimension. Combat resolution is done by rolling pools of standard six-sided dice.
Rule books are included in every starter set. For the Ground Sets, Expanded Rules were published separately. For the Naval Sets, Advanced Rules are available online.
The initial release included a broad range of units for Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with a more limited set for Japan and the Soviet Union. Two units each were included of French and Italian forces. The second set added Nationalist China, Poland, and Romania to the mix, while the third set adds a single Australian unit. The fourth set debuted Canadian units, the fifth Hungarian units, the seventh Greek units, and the eighth Finnish units. The ninth introduced Slovak, Belgian and South African troops. The tenth introduced Croatian, Yugoslavian and New Zealand units.
Starter Sets
Boosters
Unreleased Sets
Axis & Allies uses fairly simple rules.
The players can get quickly familiarized with the
Quick Start guide, and the complete
Rulebook is available also.
The official website has an
interactive demo.
The latest rules revisions, now available on the internet archive: [1]
A sister series, Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures: War at Sea, was released around the time of the fifth series of miniatures. This game follows the same basic concept of collectible miniatures played on a paper map, using Six-sided dice to determine battle results. Like its predecessors, it features many historical figures that include aircraft, battleships, destroyers, and aircraft carriers to name a few. Each figure came with a stat card that tells you what each unit can do. They are though completely incompatible, a battleship being as long as two infantry.
A second sister series, Axis & Allies Air Force Miniatures, was released on February 21, 2012 (its original release date was in October 2011). It focus on air combat, with scale models of fighter squadrons and bombers. The scale is 1/100 and the instruction manual has the unit statistics to make them compatible with ground forces games.
Two sets came out for this series: Angels Twenty and Bandits High, with each set containing 31 models.
Originally, the Figure Scale for vehicles in the Ground Sets was variable (10-15mm). Because of players' and fans' complaints (and possibly for commercial reasons as well), Avalon Hill has been re-scaling vehicles to 15mm since the introduction of Set VI (1939–1945). However, there are still some slight variations between models (probably for technical reasons).
Infantry and Aircraft have always kept the same scale (15mm and 1/240 respectively), so those units from older sets (I to V) are "compatible" with newer sets (VI and on).
Ground Sets Scales | ||
---|---|---|
Item | Rulebook | Actual |
Soldier | 15mm (1/120) |
~1:100 |
Vehicle | 1:120 and 1:100 | |
Aircraft | 1/240 | ?? |
2" hex | 100m (1:2000) | |
3" hex | 100m (1:1800) |
Naval Sets Scales | |
---|---|
Item | Rulebook / Actual |
Ships and Submarines | 1/1850 |
Aircraft | 1/900 |
Ground Set
Hex Tiles
These were released in the now defunct Combat Zone-A store support to help foster the game with special maps, tiles and different colored minis.
Writing for Armchair General, Tim McCormley admitted that "many people will be turned off on this game because it’s a 'collectible.'" However, he pointed out that "As collectible games go, this one doesn’t require a large investment." McCormley thought the quality of the miniatures was average, commenting, "The figures themselves are reasonable, basic plastic minis from China or wherever. The modeling is quite acceptable (for an amateur like me), but the paint job varies quite a bit." Although he enjoyed the mechanics of the game play, he warned "Make no mistake, this is a dicefest. You can minimize the odds, but you can’t control the odds. If you’re one of those people (like myself) that seem to have angered the 'Gods of Dice' for some arcane reason, you can end up getting creamed no matter how good your tactics are. But I often have fun even when I get slaughtered." [1]
At the 2006 Origins Awards, Axis and Allies Collectible Miniatures Game won in the category "Gamer's Choice Best Historical Game of 2005." [2]
Obstacles and Support Units
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (March 2020) |
Manufacturers | Hasbro |
---|---|
Genres | World War II |
Systems | miniature wargaming |
Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor (15 mm figure scale) collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry. The system was first released in 2005 and was produced by Avalon Hill, a division of the game company Wizards of the Coast, which itself is a subsidiary of Hasbro.
Aimed at the collectible miniatures game market, the title Axis & Allies drew on that game's historic strength and notoriety. However, the miniature game bears little resemblance to the widely sold board games and other Axis & Allies items. Instead of a game of grand strategy, the miniatures game focuses on the tactical battle, with units fielded on either side of the battle being rarely greater than a company. Each piece is assigned a point value so that balanced matches can be constructed. Tournament play is typically done with 100 points per side, with infantry units usually having values of fewer than 10 points each and vehicles range from less than 10 to 50 or more based on relative strengths. Scenarios may alter these numbers or otherwise determine the constitution of each side. The map board consists of 2" (5 cm) or 3" hexes, with different terrain types represented within. Most set-ups are fewer than 20 hexes in either dimension. Combat resolution is done by rolling pools of standard six-sided dice.
Rule books are included in every starter set. For the Ground Sets, Expanded Rules were published separately. For the Naval Sets, Advanced Rules are available online.
The initial release included a broad range of units for Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with a more limited set for Japan and the Soviet Union. Two units each were included of French and Italian forces. The second set added Nationalist China, Poland, and Romania to the mix, while the third set adds a single Australian unit. The fourth set debuted Canadian units, the fifth Hungarian units, the seventh Greek units, and the eighth Finnish units. The ninth introduced Slovak, Belgian and South African troops. The tenth introduced Croatian, Yugoslavian and New Zealand units.
Starter Sets
Boosters
Unreleased Sets
Axis & Allies uses fairly simple rules.
The players can get quickly familiarized with the
Quick Start guide, and the complete
Rulebook is available also.
The official website has an
interactive demo.
The latest rules revisions, now available on the internet archive: [1]
A sister series, Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures: War at Sea, was released around the time of the fifth series of miniatures. This game follows the same basic concept of collectible miniatures played on a paper map, using Six-sided dice to determine battle results. Like its predecessors, it features many historical figures that include aircraft, battleships, destroyers, and aircraft carriers to name a few. Each figure came with a stat card that tells you what each unit can do. They are though completely incompatible, a battleship being as long as two infantry.
A second sister series, Axis & Allies Air Force Miniatures, was released on February 21, 2012 (its original release date was in October 2011). It focus on air combat, with scale models of fighter squadrons and bombers. The scale is 1/100 and the instruction manual has the unit statistics to make them compatible with ground forces games.
Two sets came out for this series: Angels Twenty and Bandits High, with each set containing 31 models.
Originally, the Figure Scale for vehicles in the Ground Sets was variable (10-15mm). Because of players' and fans' complaints (and possibly for commercial reasons as well), Avalon Hill has been re-scaling vehicles to 15mm since the introduction of Set VI (1939–1945). However, there are still some slight variations between models (probably for technical reasons).
Infantry and Aircraft have always kept the same scale (15mm and 1/240 respectively), so those units from older sets (I to V) are "compatible" with newer sets (VI and on).
Ground Sets Scales | ||
---|---|---|
Item | Rulebook | Actual |
Soldier | 15mm (1/120) |
~1:100 |
Vehicle | 1:120 and 1:100 | |
Aircraft | 1/240 | ?? |
2" hex | 100m (1:2000) | |
3" hex | 100m (1:1800) |
Naval Sets Scales | |
---|---|
Item | Rulebook / Actual |
Ships and Submarines | 1/1850 |
Aircraft | 1/900 |
Ground Set
Hex Tiles
These were released in the now defunct Combat Zone-A store support to help foster the game with special maps, tiles and different colored minis.
Writing for Armchair General, Tim McCormley admitted that "many people will be turned off on this game because it’s a 'collectible.'" However, he pointed out that "As collectible games go, this one doesn’t require a large investment." McCormley thought the quality of the miniatures was average, commenting, "The figures themselves are reasonable, basic plastic minis from China or wherever. The modeling is quite acceptable (for an amateur like me), but the paint job varies quite a bit." Although he enjoyed the mechanics of the game play, he warned "Make no mistake, this is a dicefest. You can minimize the odds, but you can’t control the odds. If you’re one of those people (like myself) that seem to have angered the 'Gods of Dice' for some arcane reason, you can end up getting creamed no matter how good your tactics are. But I often have fun even when I get slaughtered." [1]
At the 2006 Origins Awards, Axis and Allies Collectible Miniatures Game won in the category "Gamer's Choice Best Historical Game of 2005." [2]
Obstacles and Support Units