Editing Axis & Allies (section)

=50th Anniversary Edition=
Yet another edition of the game, but as it combines a lot of the minor changes of the past editions while throwing in a few big new features, the end result is an actually well-designed game rather than a hodgepodge of patches like the other expansions.  Highlights include:
* '''"2" new playable countries'''
**Play as '''Italy''', the unloved junior member of the Axis and recreate history by being completely ineffectual in North Africa and just serving as a mass of poorly-trained infantry that the Allies target first because you're a pushover compared to Germany.  Despite this, a clever player can do a lot with them as having an extra player in the turn order can shake things up a lot, especially by launching well-placed amphibious assaults and taking weakly-defended provinces for the sole purpose of allowing Germany to blitz through with Tanks next turn.
**'''China''', although technically they are controlled by the US player.  Doesn't have an economy or build units but simply spawns free infantry every turn depending on how many provinces they control (though these can't leave the country). Also, they have a single plane that they start the game with. Basically they exist to be a bump in the road for Japan and to give the American player something to alleviate their boredom in the opening.
*'''Redesigned map that actually makes sense'''.  Eastern Europe is no longer a huge vertical column from Poland through Greece.  China is no longer just 2 provinces that can be crossed in a single turn.  And deserts and huge mountain ranges are impassable so no more tank excursions from the Congo into Algeria.
*'''Units stats and prices have been balanced''', meaning there is actually a reason to get more than one type of naval unit and that Russia will actually produce more than literally just Infantry every turn.
*'''Better game dynamics'''.  Changes in the units and map means a good Russian player with a mixed army can actually counterattack Germany if well-supported by the UK rather than just delaying the inevitable.  Japan's initial territory being smaller means the UK has a lot more flexibility in Southeast Asia and can totally turn the game around if Japan is lagging.  And the inclusion of Italy and the change to how Industrial Complexes work means North Africa is now a valid front rather than either completely useless or gamebreaking if you can set-up a factory there as in previous expansions.

All in all, probably the best edition as it balances giving players more decisions on how to play rather than the exact same moves while avoiding the absolutely insane cheese possible with some of the other versions.  Hell, the Allies may even win for once!

Other editions of the game include the Australians and French, which tend to lose France almost every first turn of Germany and stay in the game on obscure parts of the map. Play the French if the USSR wasn't hard enough for you, and you're happy to have your troops from France sit in the U.K., brooding, waiting for the Americans to show up for D-Day. The French Resistance is not included, which, if this game had a secret service side to it, would make France and Britain exponentially more powerful. Essentially Britain as the player is split into three, though the one with the U.K. still controls the economy of all it's colonies and commonwealth nations (the player in South East Asia commands the troops there) except Australia and New Zealand. Australia actually has a nice Navy for it's size, and is so far away and unimportant for Japan that it will become a problem later in the game if not dealt with in a manner miniature to how Japan would go about invading the USA (historically, the Japanese military never even planned such a thing, and assumed that if the conflict with the U.S. took more than 12 months they would lose). The neutral countries actually have armies, such as Switzerland and Mongolia. There is also a WWI version and a miniatures battlefield focused version that is no longer in production, that actually had Greek forces and others.
In this game, one side or the other winning is incrementally more difficult and can take as long as the original version of Risk.
There is a downloadable version, which, unless you want to chase down two different board games no longer in production to make the full version of the map (they are separated between European and Pacific Theatres) and spend over $120, can be downloaded here, with over a hundred different other maps, like LOTR and so on.
http://triplea.sourceforge.net/mywiki

{{Board Games}}
[[Category:Board Games]]