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Axis & Allies Miniatures

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Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures Official Title/Logo
ManufacturersHasbro
GenresWorld War II
Systemsminiature 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.

Ground Sets

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Starter Sets

  • Base Starter Set: Released in the fall of 2005, contained 12 randomly selected units, four double-sided battle mats, 10 six-sided dice, a rulebook, and a set checklist.
  • Two-Player Starter Set: Contained 18 randomized units, 6 double-sided battle maps, and rulebook. Dice not included.
  • 1939–1945 Two-Player Starter Set: Includes basic and advanced rule book, 10 pre-selected units (from 1939–1945 set), two double-sided maps, a rulebook, and eight dice.

Boosters

  • Base Set: Basic set of 48 models, released in the fall of 2005
  • Set II: Set of 45 models, released near the end of 2005. Introduces Nationalist China, Poland, and Romania units, as well as new elements such as snipers and paratroops
  • Contested Skies: Set of 45 models (Set III), released on March 24, 2006. Features aircraft and air defenses as well as a single Australian unit
  • D-Day: Set of 45 models (Set IV), released on June 6, 2006. Introduces obstacles as well as Canadian units
  • Reserves: Set of 45 models (Set V), released on November 10, 2006. Introduces support and Hungarian units
  • 1939–1945: Set of 60 models (Set VI), released on October 26, 2007. Mainly an "errata" expansion: recosted some units and changed others slightly. New scale for vehicles (15mm instead of 10mm).
  • North Africa 1940–1943: Set of 60 models (Set VII), released on March 28, 2008. Added commander vehicles, trucks and added Greek units
  • Eastern Front 1941–1945: Set of 60 models (Set VIII), released on December 16, 2008. Added Finnish units
  • Early War 1939–1941: Set of 50 models (Set IX), released on December 15, 2009. Introduces units from Belgium, Slovakia and South Africa
  • Counter Offensive 1941–1943: Set of 50 models (Set X), released on October 26, 2010. Introduces units from the Independent State of Croatia, New Zealand, and Yugoslav Partisans

Unreleased Sets

  • Set XI-Late War 1944-1945: This set of 50 models, although never technically cancelled, has been postponed indefinitely.
  • Italy and the Balkans 1943–1945: Canceled set of 60 models.

Ground Rules

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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.

Ground Errata

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The latest rules revisions, now available on the internet archive:[1]

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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.

Air Sets

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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.

Scale sizes of miniatures

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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

Maps and Scenarios

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Ground Set

  • Base Starter Set: Four maps included: Able, Baker, Charlie, and Dog
  • Two-Player Starter Set: Includes six double-sided maps
  • Expanded Rules: Includes 8 new battle scenarios and two double-sided maps (5/6 and 7/8). Released on July 18, 2007
  • 1939–1945 Starter: Includes two double-sided maps (1/2 and 3/4)
  • North Africa 1940–1943 Map Guide: Set of three desert maps (D1, D2 and D3) and two scenarios. The overleaf of these maps is jungle terrain (F1, F2, and F3).
  • Gazala 1942: Two desert maps (produced under license by Historic Battlefronts)
  • Solomon Islands 1942: Two jungle maps. (Produced under licence by Historic Battlefronts)
  • Eastern Front 1941–1945 Map Guide: Includes three Eastern Front maps and two scenarios. Released on December 16, 2008.
  • Stalingrad 1942: Was to be released as 2 separate scale maps. One at 10mm the other at 100mm per hex. Release was supposed to have been January 2009 for the 10mm and April 2009 for the 100mm.

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.

Reception

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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]

Awards

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At the 2006 Origins Awards, Axis and Allies Collectible Miniatures Game won in the category "Gamer's Choice Best Historical Game of 2005."[2]

List of Units

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RAAF 1942-1945 Australia

    • Australian Officer (North Africa; Commander; Uncommon)
    • Carro Armato M11/39 (Early War 1939–41; Tank; Uncommon)
    • Lend Lease Stuart (Counter Offensive; Tank; Uncommon)
    • Owen SMG (North Africa; Infantry; Uncommon)
    • Veteran SMLE Riflemen (Contested Skies; Infantry; Common)

Belgium

    • Belgium Bicycle Troop (Early War 1939–41; Infantry; Uncommon)
    • Belgium Infantry (Early War 1939–41; Infantry; Common)
    • Belgium Officer (Early War 1939–41; Commander; Uncommon)
    • T-13B3 (Early War 1939–41; Tank Destroyer; Rare)

RCAF -1946 Canada

    • Canadian infantrymen (D-Day and 1939–1945; Infantry; Common)
    • Churchill III (Counter Offensive; Tank; Rare)
    • Eagle-Eyed NCO (D-Day and 1939–1945; Commander; Uncommon)
    • Entrenched Antitank gun (Reserves; Artillery; Common)
    • Intrepid Hero (Reserves; Hero; Uncommon)
    • Ram Kangaroo (Eastern Front; Armored Personnel Carrier; Rare)
    • Sherman DD (D-Day; Tank; Rare)
    • Sherman VC 17-Pounder (1939–1945; Tank; Rare)

Nationalist China

Independent State of Croatia

    • Croat Infantry (Counter Offensive; Infantry; Common)

1943-1945 Finland

    • Finnish Infantry (Eastern Front; Infantry; Common)
    • Finnish Machine-Gun Team (Eastern Front; Machine-Gun Team; Uncommon)
    • Finnish Officer (Eastern Front; Commander; Uncommon)
    • Finnish Ski Troop (Early War 1939–41; Infantry; Common)
    • StuG III Ausf. G (Eastern Front; Tank Destroyer; Rare)
    • T-26E (Early War 1939–41; Tank; Rare)

1909-present France

Luftwaffe 1935-1945 Germany

Greece

    • Greek Cavalry (Early War 1939–41; Cavalry; Uncommon)
    • Greek Mountain Infantry (Counter Offensive; Infantry; Common)
    • Greek Officer (North Africa; Commander; Uncommon)
    • Greek Soldier (North Africa; Infantry; Common)

1942-1945 Hungary

Italy

IJNAS/IJAAF/JASDF 1931-present Japan

1943-1945 New Zealand

1918-1993 Poland

Romania

    • Antitank Grenadier (Set II and Eastern Front; Infantry; Common)
    • Bohler 47 mm Antitank Gun (Contested Skies; Artillery; Uncommon)
    • R-2 LT-35 (Set II; Tank; Rare)
    • T4 Medium Tank (Eastern Front; Tank; Rare)
    • R35 (Eastern Front; Tank; Uncommon)
    • Romanian Cavalry (Counter Offensive; Cavalry; Uncommon)
    • Romanian Infantry (Eastern Front; Infantry; Common)
    • Romanian Mortar (Counter Offensive; Mortar; Uncommon)
    • Romanian Sd.Kfz. 251 (Counter Offensive; Half-Track; Uncommon)
    • Vigilant Lieutenant (Contested Skies and Eastern Front; Commander; Uncommon)

1927-1947 South Africa

1939-1944 Slovak Republic (1939–1945)

    • Motorcycle Recon (Early War 1939–41; Motorcycle; Uncommon)
    • PzKpfw 35(t) (Counter Offensive; Tank; Uncommon)
    • Panzer 38(t) (Early War 1939–41; Tank; Rare)
    • Slovakian Infantry (Counter Offensive; Infantry; Common)
    • Slovakian Marder III (Counter Offensive; Tank Destroyer; Uncommon)

1930-1991 Soviet Union

RAF Type A.1 1937-1942 United Kingdom

USAAF 1943-1947 United States

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Obstacles and Support Units

References

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  1. ^ McCormley, Tim (2006-06-28). "A Short Review of Axis and Allies Miniatures". Armchair General. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  2. ^ "Origins Awards winners (2005)". Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
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  • AAM revised card database. A complete database of searchable/printable Axis and Allies Miniatures cards. Includes cards for Forumini Generals, Bandits High and A20 planes with AAM stats. Owned by the Axis and Allies Underground.
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