Axis & Allies Revised: Rules Summary

I haven’t played Axis & Allies Revised in a very long time (once we switched to A&A Global 1940 that was pretty much it.) That said, I have an upcoming game to play. I just perused the A&A Revised Rule Book quickly and noted the following items. Consider it a very quick summary of some of the key rules.

• Decide: minor (control 8 victory cities), major (control 10 victory cities) or total victory (control all 12 victory cities) — Check for victory after US turn
• Axis should attack swiftly
• Antiaircraft and industrial complexes can change hands
• White chips = 1 unit; Red chips = 5 units
• Numbers on spaces equals IPCs received for controlling it
• Neutral territories: Can’t go through/over
• Canals:
  • The Panama Canal is controlled by the side that controls Panama.
  • The Suez Canal is controlled by the side that controls both Anglo-Egypt and Trans-Jordan.
• Turns consist of:
  • Develop weapons — each attempt at research development costs 5 IPCs
  • Purchase units – not deployed until later stage
  • Combat move
    • Sea units (other than subs) can move through a sub-occupied space provided sub is submerged – exception is destroyers
    • Submarines may move through hostile sea zones – provided no destroyers in space
    • Submarines that end move in hostile zones must fight
    • Air units can fly over enemy territories but antiaircraft guns get chance to shoot at them first (the defender rolls one die for each attacking air unit — For every roll of 1, an attacking air unit is immediately destroyed)
    • Fighters on aircraft carriers must launch before aircraft carrier movement (if attacking); else are considered cargo
    • Tanks can blitz two hostile spaces deep if first space is unoccupied (blitzing)
    • Tank movement stopped by industrial complexes and antiaircraft guns
    • Transports stop: when hostile zone; when offload units
    • Transports: land units considered cargo
    • Transports: can’t offload in enemy zones (unless submerged subs)
    • Transports: Capacity is any one land unit, plus one additional infantry
  • Conduct combat
    • Opening fire:
      • Antiaircraft: The defender rolls one die for each attacking air unit — For every roll of 1, an attacking air unit is immediately destroyed
      • Battleships/destroyers accompanying amphibious assault get 1 shot at land territory (if not involved in sea battle)
      • Submarines (attacking and defending) both fire during opening fire
    • If attacking submarine accompanied by destroyer, “opening fire” submarine casualty can fire back at normal time in combat sequence
    • Battleships take 2 hits to sink (if 1 hit after end of combat, returns to full strength)
    • If infantry attacks along with an artillery, the infantry’s attack increases to 2
    • Retreating air units are subject to fire from enemy antiaircraft guns in any territories they move over
    • Submarines on both sides may retreat during combat by submerging
    • Air units can never capture territory (must land at friendly zone)
    • Air units can’t land at newly captured territory
    • Fighters can land on aircraft carrier – must declare if carrier will move during non-combat in order to be there for landing
    • Amphibious assault: Attacker may call off the landing but cannot redirect the attack to a different territory
    • Amphibious assault: No land units can retreat – even those coming from other land territories
    • Sharing friendly territory: Each attacking power moves and fires its own units on its own turn
    • If liberate formerly friendly territory, IPCs go back to friendly power (and they own territory) unless friendly capital city is in enemy hands
    • Capturing a capital: Get all unspent IPCs of that power
    • If capital captured, cannot collect any IPCs until liberated
    • Rocket strikes (development): antiaircraft guns can act as rocket launchers against an enemy industrial complex to “destroy” IPCs (there is no defense against this attack) — one antiaircraft gun may attack an industrial complex within 3 spaces, though each industrial complex may be attacked by only one rocket launcher in a turn with the maximum loss each rocket can inflict is the target territory’s income value.
    • Strategic bombing raids: An economic attack against an enemy industrial complex to “destroy” IPCs; Antiaircraft guns fire first; each bomber can inflict no more IPC loss than the territory’s income value; (vs. only defending antiaircraft guns)
  • Noncombat move
  • Mobilize new units
    • … on to territories containing industrial complexes you have controlled since the start of your turn
    • only place a number of units up to the income value of the territory containing the industrial complex
    • Cannot mobilize units at newly captured industrial complexes
    • Fighters can enter play on newly built aircraft carriers
    • Sea units mobilize only in sea zones adjacent to territories containing eligible industrial complexes
    • Newly built carriers can enter play with fighters aboard, whether those fighters were built this turn or were already in the territory containing the industrial complex.
    • Place new industrial complexes in any territory that you have controlled since the start of your turn and that has an income value of at least 1
  • Collect income
    • If your capital is under an enemy power’s control, you cannot collect income

Need more? Read the full A&A Revised rule book.