Axis & Allies

Axis & Allies is a 1998 turn-based strategy video game closely based on the Axis and Allies: Classic board game.

Players take control of one of five world powers at the start of 1942 in WW2, grouped into the opposing factions of the Allies (USA, UK, and USSR) and the Axis (Germany and Japan). Victory conditions are set at the start of the game: Complete world domination, the capture of enemy capitals, or reaching a set level of economic power by the Axis.

The game is turn-based, with the USSR turn first, and the USA turn last. Each power's turn of the game is broken into several phases. First is the research phase, where IPCs (a representation of industrial power) can be gambled in an attempt to develop advanced technology, such as jet engines or rockets. The remaining IPCs are then used to buy troops in the purchase phase. Troops are then moved in the combat move phase, and battles resolved in the combat phase. Non-combative moves are then performed in the non-combat move phase, new units are then placed at the powers' factories & IPCs for all territories the power now controls are collected in the place units/collect income phase and the powers' turn ends.

A second edition of the game was released in 1999 titled Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz. It added a function to allow the third edition rules of the game as well as new features such as allowing a submarine to submerge instead of withdrawal and having multiple AA guns occupy the same territory. In addition, it included many alternate scenarios, providing for events that ranged from a Western Allied-Soviet war after WWII (Allies: UK/US vs Axis: Soviet Union/(Communist) Germany), to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact being made into a formal alliance, which turns Japan into the Allies (Allies: UK/US/Japan vs Soviet-German Axis.) And, of course, there is the default scenario from the board game (Allies: UK/US/Soviet vs Germany/Japan.)

An online club, Axis & Allies World Club has created a game lobby and has made the game available for download. Patches have been created and are available for download to make the video game playable once again.

Rules
A&A 3rd Edition Rules are included in this video game. There is an option to use A&A 3rd Edition rules or the standard A&A 2nd Edition rules.

Submerging Submarines: Submarines can now submerge from battle during after any round of firing if it doesn't get hit.

Amphibious Aerial Retreat: All fighters and bombers(that have not been hit) can retreat from an amphibious assault.

Multiple AA guns in one area: You can now place more than one AA gun in a territory

Purchased Naval units can be put in an enemy occupied ocean or sea zone: All players can put any of their naval units in an enemy occupied ocean or sea zone. If they do this, combat will occur on your enemy's turn immediately following yours unless the enemy player moves its naval unit out of the ocean/sea zone.

Western Canada no longer borders the Atlantic Ocean: This prevents players from being able to move land units from transports from the Atlantic Ocean directly to Western Canada.

Surviving Aircraft: When a Carrier sinks, the surviving planes have 1 movement to land on a friendly carrier or friendly island.

Turn Phases
Each power has a turn of 5 steps during each round of play. Each of the 5 powers will have a turn in a complete round of play.

Round of Play
A full round of play consists of: USSR, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, and United States. If one power's armed forces are completely destroyed, that nation is removed from play and game play skips that power's turn. Example: United Kingdom destroys all of Germany's armed forces. The play now follows: USSR, United Kingdom, Japan and USA. However, if Germany's ally Japan, liberates Germany's capital and later Germany can produce new units, then Germany's turn is now restored as it was at the start of the game.

IPCs
IPCs otherwise known as International Production Certificates, is the only currency in the game. IPCs are used to buy land units, sea units or air units. Each power collect IPCs at the end of their turn. You collect IPCs for every territory that you control that has an IPC value at the end of your turn.

Victory
Allies: Historical victory of capturing both Axis capitals. Total victory meaning that both Japan and Germany are captured and none of the Allied capitals are captured by the Axis.

Axis: One of 2 conditions are met.

Total Victory: Axis capturing 2 of the 3 Allied capitals and none of the Axis capitals are captured by the Allies.

IPC Victory: When the combined IPCs controlled by both Japan and Germany reach 84 at the end of a complete round of play.

Infantry
Cost: 3 IPCs --- Movement: 1 --- Attack: 1 --- Defense: 2 --- Ability: None

Tank/Armor
Cost: 5 IPCs --- Movement: 1/2 --- Attack: 3 --- Defense: 2 --- Ability: Blitz

Blitzing Ability: When a tank/armor passes through an enemy controlled territory for combat, the player immediately gains the territory. The tank can then move on to the 2nd enemy occupied territory to resolve combat with the enemy units. However, tanks cannot blitz through the 1st enemy territory if there are enemy units occupying that territory.

Transport
Cost: 8 IPCs --- Movement: 2 --- Attack: 0 --- Defense: 1 --- Ability: Amphibious Assault

Amphibious Assault Ability: Transports can carry 2 infantry or 1 tank or 1 AA gun. Example: A transport picks up 1 tank, then moves 2 sea zones to another friendly territory and drops the tank off to reinforce during the non-combat move. Example: A transport loads one infantry, moves one sea zone, loads another infantry, moves one more sea zone and then both infantry are unloaded into an enemy territory during the combat move.

Submarine
Cost: 8 IPCs --- Movement: 2 --- Attack: 2 --- Defense: 2 --- Ability: Sneak Attack

First Shot Sneak Attack Ability: During a naval battle, any attacking subs roll first, for every hit, the defending player removes a naval unit from play before the defender fires. Then all other attacking units fire. Then the defender fires all remaining units. The same sequence repeats every round until the battle is resolved. Attacking subs have a sneak attack every round of the battle.

NOTE: Subs cannot shoot at planes!

Aircraft Carrier
Cost: 18 IPCs --- Movement: 2 --- Attack 1 --- Defense: 3 --- Ability: Landing Fighters

Landing Fighters Ability: The Aircraft Carrier can hold up to 2 fighters. When a carrier moves, the planes have to move with it. When defending, the Aircraft Carrier deploys all of its fighters. If the carrier sinks, the fighters have 1 movement to land on a friendly carrier or friendly island. Bombers cannot land on Aircraft Carriers.

Battleship
Cost: 24 IPCs --- Movement: 2 --- Attack: 4 --- Defense: 4 --- Ability: Shore Bombardment, Capital Ship (Optional Rule)

Shore Bombardment Ability: When a transport unloads infantry or tanks for an amphibious assault into enemy territory, battleships have a one shot shore bombardment at the defending units. Any enemy units hit by shore bombardment are immediately destroyed and do not return defending fire! Any defending naval unit in the sea zone where transports unload prevent shore bombardment from that sea zone.

Capital Ship Ability: Optional rule in this game. Battleships are capital ships that take 2 hits to sink. One hit will damage a battleship.

Fighter
Cost: 13 IPCs --- Movement: 4 --- Attack: 3 --- Defense: 4 --- Ability: Fighters can land on Aircraft Carriers.

Landing On Carrier Ability: Fighters can take off from and land on aircraft carriers. Any fighters on the deck of aircraft carriers will defend against all enemies.

Bomber
Cost: 15 IPCs --- Movement: 6 --- Attack: 4 --- Defense: 1 --- Ability: Strategic Bombing

Strategic Bombing Ability: When bombing a territory with an Industrial Complex, you can target the complex instead of military units. Your roll for each bomber will determine how many IPCs the enemy player loses from stragegic bombing.

Industrial Complex
Cost: 15 IPCs --- Movement: 0 --- Attack: 0 --- Defense: 0 --- Ability: Produce New Units

All new units are produced at an industrial complex. Original complexes controlled by the original owner can produce unlimited amounts of units. Newly built complexes or captured complexes have limited capacity equal to the IPC value of the territory where the complex is located. Example: A player builds a complex on Brazil, the complex there can only manufacture 3 units per turn.

Anti-Aircraft Gun
Cost: 5 IPCs --- Movement: 1 --- Attack: 0 --- Defense: 1 --- Ability: Shoot Down Planes

AA guns only fire at air units. During strategic bombing, if any bombers fly over an AA gun, the AA gun rolls one die for every bomber. For every 1 rolled, a bomber is removed from play before the bombing. During combat where enemy units attack a territory, the defending AA gun fires first, 1 shot for each attacking aircraft. For every hit of 1 the attacker looses 1 plane of his choice before the attacking planes fire in combat. AA guns fire only once at each plane.