Intro

Thanks to everyone who has helped link to this thread. My hope is that it provides a lot of hard facts about the new game without getting bogged down by opinions and discussion of individual features. I have used a number of sources to gather this information and I always strive to ensure that it is fully accurate.

PLEASE only post in this thread if you have new confirmed information or if you have corrections or clarifications for information already posted.

NOTE: Some of this information is new from GenCon and a lot of it is still somewhat unclear. I want to include as much recent information as possible so I will include facts learned at GenCon in the databank and try to specify when the full details are still unknown.

Basics

- D6 combat system similar to that used in Revised Ed., though Larry has left open the possibility of minor tweaks including the use of "special dice"

- The new turn sequence is: Germany, Soviet Union, Japan, UK, Italy, USA.

- Two setup scenario options: Spring 1941 and Spring 1942. The board graphics show 1941 ownership of territories. The 1942 setup designates that certain territories will start as occupied by enemy nations, with accompanying occupying markers starting on the board.

- The Victory City concept has been maintained from Revised Ed. and will play an even larger role. Victory cities have been added, particularly in the Pacific, to make it more difficult for the Allies to ignore Japan. New victory cities include Warsaw, Ottowa, Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Sydney. There are now 7 victory cities in the Pacific Theater, 7 victory cities in the European Theater, and 3 victory cities in North America (these numbers may be revised in the future).

National Objectives

- New national objectives which award each nation an amount of bonus IPC at the end of their player turn for controlling certain sets of territories or sea zones. These national objectives are essentially missions that will encourage historical actions by nations, such as Italy trying to conquer Egypt or Japan attacking into the South Pacific rather than into Russia.

- National objectives may be optional (it is uncertain at this time whether or not they are technically required by the rules or optional, or what effect removing them or keeping them will have on game balance).

- There are no convoy zones in the game but some national objectives involve the control of sea zones.

- Each nation will have from 3-5 national objectives typically rewarding 5-10 IPC each.

- German national objectives will include an objective to hold 3 territories in Eastern Europe (worth 5 IPC) and another objective to capture and hold a set of 3-4 territories in Western Russia (worth 10 IPC?).

- Italian national objectives will include an objective that requires there be no enemy ships in the Mediteranean sea zones (worth 5 IPC) and another objective to hold Libya, Egypt, and East Africa (worth 10 IPC).

- Japanese national objectives will include an objective that requires Japan to control a set of island territories historically conquered by the Japanese (Phillipines, Borneo, Dutch East Indies). This objective also requires they maintain their starting territories and is thought to be worth 5 IPC.

- The Soviet Union national objectives will include an objective that requires that there be no non-Soviet allied troops in the Soviet Union starting territories and that Archangelsk be in Sovie control (5 IPC) and another objective that the Soviet Union control a set of 4-5 provinces in West Russia (10 IPC?).

- The American national objectives include an objective to liberate France (capture Western Europe, 5 IPC). It is thought that there are 5 total American national objectives.

The Pacific

- The Pacific theatre has been significantly re-balanced with the addition of China as a more active entity (controlled by the US player) and additional land and sea zones.

- China as a minor power controlled by the USA player with its own Infantry sculpt. China has been broken up into 7 territories, each worth 1 IPC. China itself does not earn any IPC but gets one free infantry per turn per every two Chinese territories that it controls (this appears to be rounded down). These new infantry can be placed in any Chinese territory controlled by China that does not already contain 3 or more Chinese infantry.

- Other allied units may enter China but Chinese units cannot attack with US units, they must attack separately. The US Player may choose each turn whether to conduct Chinese combat movement/resolution before or after regular US combat movement/resolution.

- Indochina has been effectively split into 3 zones, with a Burma zone (2 IPC) between French Indochina and India, and a Hong Kong zone (1 IPC and victory city) between French Indochina and Kwantung. Both of these zones start UK controlled.

Europe

- Europe has been extensively redrawn. There is now a new Northwestern Europe zone (2 IPC) between France and Germany bordering the North Sea giving the Western Allies a new zone to invade and providing for maneuver warfare on the Western Front.

- Eastern Europe and the Western area of the Soviet Union have a completely new layout to better represent the situation in the 1941 scenario and give more depth to the 1942 scenario, with a number of new and redrawn zones.

- The Scandinavian territory has been split into a Finland territory (2 IPC) and a Norway territory (3 IPC).

- Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad now all have industrial complexes. Moscow and Leningrad are victory cities.

- Italy as a new Major Power with its own unique tank and infantry sculpts (most other Italian units use either German or Japanese sculpts). Italy begins with Southern Europe (6 IPC), the Balkans (3 IPC), and Libya (1 IPC) worth a total of 10 IPC.

- Italian pieces will a brownish color, very similar to the Soviet pieces color.

- German pieces will be a dark shade of gray

- German and Italian fighters will use the ME-109 sculpt from "Axis and Allies:Battle of the Bulge"

- The Black Sea will continue to be a freely accesible sea zone, with no restrictions on passage through the Dardanelles

Air and Naval Changes

- Bombers now cost 12 IPC.

- Fighters still cost 10 IPC, as in Revised.

- AA guns now cost 6 IPC.

- Strategic boming now functions drastically differently. Every strategic bombing "hit" reduces the unit production capacity of that industrial complex by 1. Hits are scored in the traditional manner, i.e. each bomber that survives AA fire rolls 1 D6 and applies that many hits. Once the damage to an industrial complex equals the value of the territory it is in, that industrial complex can no longer produce units. For example, if an industrial complex in Germany (a 10 IPC territory) is bombed for 6 damage, it can only produce 4 units a turn until repaired. Damage to industrial complexes can be repaired for 1 IPC per damage point. Each industrial complex can receive damage up to double the value of the territory it is in, i.e. up to 20(!) damage for Germany.

- The naval units have been heavily rebalanced with the addition of the cruiser unit.

- The Battleship now costs 20 IPC, otherwise it is unchanged (4/4 combat stats, shore bombard, absorb damage).

- Aircraft Carriers now cost 14 and have 1/2 combat stats.

- New Cruiser Unit, which will have 3/3 combat stats and cost 12 IC. Cruisers have the shore bombard ability.

- The rules for shore bombardment has been revised. The number of ships engaging in a shore bombardment cannot exceed the number of ground units conducting the invasion, i.e. if 2 ground units are conducting an invasion a maximum of 2 ships could conduct shore bombardment.

- The Destroyer now costs 8 IPC and has 2/2 combat stats in addition to its ASW powers

- The submarine now costs 6 IPC and has 2/1 combat stats. Submarines can no longer be attacked by aircraft unless there is also an attacking destroyer from the same nation in that sea zone.

- Transports now cost 7 IPC and have no combat ability. They are automatically destroyed if ever present in combat alone with enemy naval or air units. This does count as combat for the attacking units, i.e. a fighter cannot fly through a zone with transports, destroy them, and then fly on to another combat location. That fighter would stop and engage in combat with the transports (but destroy them automatically).

Technology

- Technology has been revisited. Nations can now purchase research tokens for 5 IPC each. Each token allows them to make a roll each turn for a technology, succeeding on a 6. Once research is successful, the player selects one of two sheets with 6 technologies on them, rolls a D6, and receives the corresponding technology. That player then loses all research tokens and must purchase new ones to begin attempting to acquire another technology. Thus purchasing a token will guarantee you an eventual technology, while purchasing additional tokens will obtain your technology more quickly at greater cost. The rewarding technology is partly dependent on player choice and partly dependent on luck.

- Technologies include "Heavy Bombers" which allows your bombers to roll 2 dice when attacking or strategic bombing, "Radar", which allows your AA guns to hit on a 1 or 2, "Mechanized Infantry" which allows your armor to 'carry' and infantry with them during a 2 space move, "Improved Artillery Support" which allows each artillery unit to support 2 infantry in an attack, "War Bonds" allowing that player to roll 1D6 every turn and recieve that many extra IPC, "Increased Production", increasing the capacity of each factory by two, "Shipyards" which reduces the cost of your naval units. There may also be a technology which allows damage to industrial complexes to be more cheaply repaired.

Components

- 24"x46" game board with over 65% more area than Revised Ed. and a substantial number of new zones

- The board will come in three pieces that will be joined to create the playing surface

- The land surfaces are now topographically rendered, with starting control for the 1941 scenario designated using light shading and national icons. Thus the 1942 scenario is set up with some territories already being occupied.

- The oceans are a lighter shade of blue than the dark shade used in the Revised Edition, but still slightly darker than the original Axis and Allies

- Over 600 plastic pieces, 60% more than Revised Ed. (though note this reportedly also includes the plastic chips used to designate multiples of the same unit, as well as the AA guns and industrial complexes.

- Paper money similar to the previous editions

- 48 page Rulebook

- Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price of $100.00 (though note online stores are selling it much cheaper, in the $70 range)

- Larry confirmed on April 25 that the game is finished and locked, no further changes will be made.

Query 1: Shall "Moscow" now BE anywheres NEAR to where it actually is physically and historically "at"?

Query 2: Will the stupid & totally irrelevant "Exclusion Zones" be done away with? Since at the Epic SCALE for everything of this ALL, then those TERRAIN obstructions shouldn't figure "in" for that. WHOM the "dumbass" is that figured these would, is SO 'one' of this! Where are the OTHERS then huh? What, the SEAS don't "ice over" at ANY 'time'? Yeah right, "dumbass".

Query 3: Would there BE anymore asinine ahistorical 'concepts', such as NO "Neutrals" being violated or invaded? Boy, I just BET that they wished that this WERE "true" at the 'time' huh?

Who wants to wager any amount of GGs to "dognuts" that they'll screw UP plenty? and they have ONLY their "track record" to RELY on for such considerations!

I'm somewhat disappointed to here that there are not going to be convoy boxes. I thought that was a good way to simulate the U-boat/sub economic warfare situation. I hope that in its place, the rules do somehow encourage realistic use of subs to disrupt economies, since I always saw that as one of the weakest aspects of the original game and even "revised".

I'm with you. I thought the "convoy zones" were the best improvement to the system I've seen. In A&A: Europe it actually made a Battle of the Atlantic critical.

I was rather looking forward to the new "big one" 'til I read this. Now all the air's out of my tires, or sails, or whatever.

Groggy, I wouldn't be surprised now to see artillery pieces that can fire halfway across the Atlantic. A&A Guad already made carrier operations subject to field artillery, so just imagine what's next.

At least there will be "real" Chinese.

I still can't understand why a 1939 scenario is impossible.

Sigh.

I hope at least that every nation will gets its own destroyer and cruiser instead of giving the British and Soviets Fletchers again.

The convoy boxes are gone, but i really think the issue of submarine warfare will be looked at much like the SBR is handled, only by sea with dedicated ASW units ( destroyers and cruisers) that are only able to find and sink the enemy subs. Have faith. Convoy boxes are an old concept and anything new must evolve beyond what was done before.

Yeah remember the naval units are being completely rebalanced with the addition of cruisers, so I think we need to withhold judgement on the naval war until we at least see what Larry has done. Then you can feel free to complain all you like!

I'll say it again and again, 1939 and politics/neutral nations being part of the game is a bad idea! It's just not what Axis and Allies is about, though there are plenty of other games that cover that subject in great detail. There are too many ways for history to diverge and ruin the careful game balance. As it is, the introduction of a spring 1941 scenario will provide a whole new way of looking at the game, I'm sure, so that should satisfy a lot of the folks who want something other than the typical 1942 setup.

I wouldn't hold my breath on this one, if I were you.

Craig

Hi there,

I believe that submarines in atlantic ocean will have a few special rules, for example:
- Strategic raid on adjecent IC
- Or a die per area involving subs in atlantic ocean (4-6 = minus 1 ipc for Brittain)

You can do all sort of things to reward broad actions in atlantic.

Yes, you could do things like that, but I highly doubt it will actually happen.

Larry has show a propensity to operate under the KISS method and specialty rules like this aren't usually used in his games.

Another example of this is the idea of a rule excluding WA units in the Soviet Union. It would be a nice thing to have, but he hasn't gone for it since the game has been too basic.

Maybe as the game evolves towards more complexity, it will then have some of the specialty rules that we are talking about.

Craig

I agree with Yoper.

However, how about we honor the OP's intent that this thread be about confirmed details, and post our speculations in other threads?

Yeah preferably only post in this thread if you have confirmed details to add to the list, and include a link of where you located them. Otherwise lets move the discussion elsewhere.

EDIT: I just added some more information I picked up from Larry's comments on his website forum. He cleared up several questions I had, such as the continued use of victory cities and whether or not the Black Sea would be restricted (I had hoped it would be but oh well, not a big deal). He also mentioned new rules regarding US/UK units on Soviet territory and an enlarged role for the Pacific.

Since the game playing field will be so big. Will it be a real board or some big fold out paper mat?

Real Board. This is Hasbro, after all.

Yeah I think we can safely assume a full mounted board similar in style to the previous ones from the series. Remember, the MSRP is $100...

I am 100% positive thats its a normal AA map ( cardboard)

The preorder price is down to $69.00

I note on the cover a Zeke, a Betty, a B-17, a Wildcat, a Corsair and a Bf-109. The first three have appeared already in A&A, the last in A&A Bulge.

I also note a Portland-class CA, the Yamato, and a Sherman, all of which have had pieces to represent them (in A&A Guad, A&A Pacific/new A&A/Guad and A&A Europe forward, respectively).

Also an "88" in travel mode is pictured; this piece also already exists.

However, prominently pictured on the cover is a Tiger I. Which leads to a question . . . will heavy armor be represented in the game, or will the now-in-use Panther be replaced in Anniversary Edition?

Conspicuously absent is any artistic representation of the Italian Navy and Air Force and the Royal Navy CA. The lower right corner of the cover, which has in recent published A&A titles been used to illustrate new-piece types, has no previews this time.

Can anyone shed further light on any of these details?

And could the Sherman piece possibly be revamped so its front end doesn't look like it was inspired by Dolly Parton?

I wouldn't put too much stock in the cover art as a representation of the actual game pieces. I suspect that all the current pieces from Revised will be in the game, with certain pieces replaced by those from later games (cruisers and US fighters from Guadalcanal, German fighters and tanks from Bulge, etc.), with new pieces only representing new units (Italians, cruisers).

I would think that the UK would get its own armor and artillery and that the USSR would get its own artillery. If they are going to have Italian-specific units for their artillery, then give me a UK and USSR-specific artillery unit!

It would be nice for the UK and USSR to get their own specific naval units for the ones that right now aren't their's, but that isn't as important as the land units.

Don't get me wrong, I want them all to be country-specific, but I think that I can live with the naval units being a bit off- especially USSR naval units.

Craig

I don't like the 88. Its too skinny and fragile. Id prefer if it looked bulky even if it meant an exaggerated pose. The bulge German tanks are great however, but they are getting too black. I don't need an army of SS troops winning the game when Grey would be fine and allow you to see the sculpt better

Larry confirmed on his webside today 3 juni that Italians is brown

Thanks, updated the list with that info. For discussion on unit colors head over to the "Colorblind gamers" thread:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/298909

Larry also confirmed on his webside 12 juni that Germans will be gray.

Keep attention, Ryan

Could you type like a normal person please? It is terribly difficult to take anything you say seriously when I have to wade through the needlessly different colors.

Larry confirmed today on his webside, on thread "Any news about Anniversary ed ?", that the oceans will be blue and not black as in Revised ed.

Larry also confirmed that this game will use a "special dice".

Updated with the new info.

EDIT: Updated with yet more info. At this point we should be getting the final details on the game. We are just waiting...