It is Memorial Day as I write this post. As a tribute to all who have fought and died as a sacrifice to protect freedom in the United States and around the world, I played one of my favorite games with my kids: Axis and Allies 1914. No, the title doesn’t fit as the Axis powers did not come around until World War 2, but the game is a very well crafted simulation of World War 1, where millions of soldiers from around the world sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. On to the review:
The soldiers sit in muddy, wet trenches as artillery shells explode overhead. They receive the order: they are commanded to go over the top of the trench and to attack the enemy line. The problem is that every time this order comes down, soldiers charge through no man’s land, being wiped out by artillery, mines, and machine guns. The line does not move. The soldiers prepare to make their move...As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Short Explanation of How to Play
My favorite Axis and Allies game isn’t a World War II game, but instead it simulates World War 1. The game starts in the aftermath of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The countries represented in the game are Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire for the Central Powers, and Russia, Great Britain, France, and Italy for the Allied powers, while the United States starts the war as a neutral country and can join the war late. A&A1914 takes the concept of Axis and Allies production of armies and fighting for territory of the board, and it turns the game into an infantry infested meat grinder. It is very difficult to make progress throughout Europe, and each side needs to be creative in their strategies to try to gain an advantage. Should the Allies focus on the Eastern Front, the Western Front, or try to knock out the Ottoman Empire? Should the Central Powers try to take out France, or cause the Russian Revolution? There are a variety of strategies that can be employed in this game. When you fight, you roll dice to see how many troops each side loses.
Why it Works/Doesn't Work For Our Family
What Worked: We had already played Axis and Allies 1941 before pulling out 1914, so the general mechanics of the game were familiar to my kids when we played the game, because the core game is the same as the World War 2 version. Major differences: Different factions, different setup, US is neutral to start, Russian Revolution can be triggered, and planes work differently. Also, combat is much slower as troops from opposing sides can stay in the same territory after a round of combat (simulating trench warfare).
What Was Challenging: The original printing which I have only had the exact required amount of German troops to fill the starting territories. I had to pull some World War 2 German troops onto the board whenever I captured territory. Fortunately, the 2023 second edition comes with extra troops, so that will be better for people who buy this in the future. Additionally, this version is more setup intensive than the Axis and Allies 1941 and 1942 games. While each country has fewer troops to put in each territory, there are many territories throughout the board for 8 factions to place their troops, which takes time. Additionally, since there are many territories, it is a slow slog across the board for either side (especially since you only do one combat phase per round and leave troops together on the same territory. Progress is slow going). Finally: While I think we will get further in the game in the future, the kids were more interested in doing something else before we got too deep into the game.
Why it Works/Doesn't Work With Friends
I’ve played many variants of Axis and Allies and have many great memories with the game over the years. This is my favorite one because the gameplay and strategies are unique in the series, and all of the games that I have played with friends have been a lot of fun.
Teacher's Corner
World War 1 completely and utterly changed the world, and set history on a different Arc. Yes, World War 2 was also very significant, but World War 2 only came into fruition because the events of World War 1 set up World War 2. This game is faithful to the narrative and realities present in World War 1. In fact, I used the game as a springboard for this video that goes over the many aspects of World War 1:
Overall opinion, rating, and recommendation
7 year old son - He wanted to be on my team, but was not fully invested in playing the game the whole time. As is typical, he was interested in playing with the miniatures on the side of the board while we waited for our turn. He was stacking Austrian transports on top of battleships, so I’ll give him props for his engineering prowess.
9 year old daughter - She was invested in the game for the time that we played it. She loves playing the Allies in Axis and Allies games, which is convenient because the Allies are represented with essentially the same countries in both World Wars. We were making progress through the game, but we were interrupted for lunch. We could have continued afterward, but other options of activities were presented, and she chose to do something else. So she enjoyed it, but this game requires a long session, which she may not quite be ready for yet. I will update this post if we are able to play a more comprehensive playthrough.
Mine - I will rate this game Heavy Adult. While the rules are fairly complex, the battle mechanics and production choices in this game are simpler than the traditional World War 2 version of Axis and Allies. This game is very strategic and methodical, so people who like that aspect of this game will enjoy it. The meat grinder of troops dying on the front line over, and over, and over again might cause frustration for some who might otherwise enjoy other versions of Axis and Allies, and anyone who dislikes Axis and Allies in the first place probably won’t enjoy this one either. That being said, I’ll repeat that this is my favorite entry into the Axis and Allies series, and I find it to be a very enjoyable experience. One last things to note: This game has been out of print the last few years, but will be re-released in summer of 2023.
Games with similarities with this one at each rating level:
Casual Family: - Risk
Heavy Family: - Risk Legacy
Casual Adult: - Stratego
Heavy Adult: - Axis and Allies 1942 / Axis and Allies 1940 (Pacific or Europe, or combine for a global game) / Axis and Allies 1941 / Star Wars: Rebellion / War of the Ring
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