Recently I had the opportunity to examine and play a session with a starter set for the new Axis & Allies Miniatures game. I did not take notes at the time, so this review is from memory.
The A&A Minis box is about the same size as most other collectible miniature starters, made of the same flimsy material that makes it unsuitable for long term usage. Inside were 12 prepainted plastic miniatures in individual baggies: 3 tanks (German, American, and Russian), 2 antitank cannons (German and British), 2 machine gunner units (German and British), and 5 infantry units (3 Americans and 2 Germans). Also in the box were stat cards for each figure, 4 small double-sided color maps, a baggie containing 10d6 (white with black pips, the same kind as you find in most family boardgames), a quickstart rulebook, a full rulebook, a figure checklist, a small sheet of punch-out condition counters, and an Avalon Hill catalog.
My friend and I found the rules easy to digest and fast playing. By turn two we pretty much knew what we were doing. The standard (tournament competitive) method for setting up is to roll a d6 to select of six possible map arrangements. Then the players flip a coin to determine which of them deploys first. Deployment is within the first five hexes of one of the short map edges. Since each mapsheet is only eight hexes long, this allows for units to start very close to the center of the board. Once both sides have deployed, play begins.
Each turn begins by rolling initiative on 2d6, adding the bonus for a command unit if any. The player with the higher initiative score determines who moves first and who moves second for the turn, using two I-go-You-go phases. The first such phase is movement only, except that units moving through or adjacent to enemies can draw defensive fire. Infantry have a movement speed of one hex and tanks go four hexes. After both players have moved their troops, each player gets an assault phase wherein they may either fire at the enemy or move again. The antitank guns move at speed 2 on the assault phase only, so they must choose to either fire or move.
Each unit is rated for attack power against vehicles and troops in three range bands, 0 to 1 hex, 2 to 4 hexes, and 5 to 8 hexes. Some units are not able to fire at targets in the further range bands. Rifleman, for example, can only target vehicles at 0 or 1 hexes. Attack power is rated in number of dice rolled, each 4 or better normally indicating a success. The total number of successes is compared against the defense rating of the target, which is split between a front and rear rating. If you score successes exactly equal to the defense rating of your foe, they receive one hit. If you exceed the defense rating, the target takes 2 hits. And if you score a number of successes equal or greater than double the targets defense rating, they receive 3 hits. One hit puts a face down 'disrupted' marker next to your unit. Two puts a 'disrupted' and 'damaged' next to the defender. With three hits you also put down a 'destroyed' marker. Hits from multiple attackers accumulate, so three puny 1-hit attacks will kill you just as easily as a single 3-hit barrage.
Terrain on the map can provide you cover, which allows a saving throw to avoid being damaged or destroyed. Roll a single die, infantry save on a 4+ and vehicles on a 5+. If you make your cover roll, then all damage is reduced to a 'disrupted' counter. (Unless you are under defensive fire, which can only disrupt you at its worst. Against defensive fire cover eliminates all damage.) Terrain can also block line of sight, which is traced from center point to center point. All hexes on the maps have their center points clearly marked. Terrain can also effect movement rates (e.g. tanks pay double to move through hills), stop movement (crossing a stream requires a die roll, otherwise your movement is stopped for the turn), or completely block movement (ponds are not crossable).
The final phase of the turn is a casualties phase. All 'disrupted' markers that are face up from the previous turn are discarded. All new markers acquired this turn are flipped over to active status. If a unit finds itself disrupted it will not be allowed to move next turn. Furthermore, its defense rating is temporarily lowered by one and it needs to roll a 5+ to succeed when shooting the next round. A 'damaged' marker eliminates infantry, but vehicles stay in play with minus 1 defense and worsened attacks as per disruption. Note that damaged and disrupted effects do not stack. Units with 2 damage markers or one destroyed marker are removed from play.
Assuming both sides have troops on the field, play continues until at least turn 7. On or after turn 7 the game may be won by being the only side to occupy the objective hex and all adjacent hexes at the end of a turn. Each of the six map configurations has its objective clearly marked in the rulebook. A marker is provided for you to place on the map. If by the end of turn 10 no one has held the objective, the victor can then be decided on points. Whoever has the most points worth of figures still in play wins. If the players have the same number of points on the board, then play continues until one side takes the objective or until the players are no longer tied on points. In our game we ended turn 7 with my last unit, a Vickers machine gun crew, on the objective hex but my friend's last unit, a Panzer tank, was in an adjacent hex. Since my Vickers was completely incapable of piercing the Panzer's armor, I conceded to the other player. Opening the box to flipping through the book to playing the game took us under 2 hours, no more than half of which was the actual game.
It should be remarked that the figures themselves are fabulous. The tank turrets swivel and the guns move up and down. The detailing of the infantry figures are sufficient that I could tell that that my machine gunners were British by helmet design alone. The paint jobs were impressive, including plenty of grit-and-grime effects on the tanks. I guess I should mention that the scale of the game is 15mm, with one hex equalling 100 meters, and a turn representing a minute of time. Each tank represents an individual vehicle, while the soldier figures generally stand in for squads of grunts. The stat cards for each unit are nicely designed as well. In addition to the hard game information they also list the year the unit was first deployed and a small bit of relevant trivia.
Overall, I found the game to be engaging, the figures fun and attractive, and the system easy to learn. A&A Minis play is just a tad simpler than light wargames like Starmada or BattleTech. I can only list four minor nit-picks with the new Axis & Allies Miniatures game. The condition markers a small, relatively flimsy and badly colored. The disrupted marker can be nearly invisible on a hex containing a hill. I was annoyed that the rulebook specified using 100-point armies, when the starter set does not contain sufficient troops to run a battle of that size. Calling for completeness in a collectible game is a waste of time, but it still bugs me. The ten dice supplied are not enough, as many tanks can attack with 11 or more dice. None of these are dealbreakers by any means. My friend plans on getting some boosters soon and I intend to buy some figures of my own the next time I am in my Friendly Local Game Store.
Review Summary