Axis & Allies Board Game Rules

Players

• As many as five can play Axis &Allies. Each chooses one of the major powers of the era--the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan or the Soviet Union. The first three are the Allies, the latter two the Axis. A player chooses more than one country if fewer than five are playing.

Armies

• Armies consist of ground, air and naval forces. Ground forces are made up of infantry units, which are easy to add but have the least power; anti-aircraft weapons, which can attack only flying enemies; and armored divisions, which are powerful but expensive. Naval units include battleships, powerful but extremely costly; submarines, useful only for sneak attacks; aircraft carriers, most useful for carrying fighters; and transport ships that move your soldiers. Air attacks can be carried out by fighters and bombers. Fighters are weaker offensively but better defensively, while bombers are much more powerful on offense but low on defense. They can destroy an enemy's industry but can't withstand attacks. All units are placed based on the National Reference Chart packaged with the game.

Waging War

• Roll two dice for battles. The outcome is influenced by the offensive rating of the attacker and the defensive rating of the defender. Higher-rated defenders such as infantry have better odds against attack than lower-rated ones such as bombers. Conversely, higher-rated attackers such as battleships have better chances than lower-rated ones such as fighters. Attackers roll a die to begin. The number represents the possibility of successful attacks, depending on the offensive unit involved. The number must be the same or lower than the attacker's rating to be successful. For example, a battleship has a 4 attack rating, and if the attacker rolls a 4 or less, the attack succeeds. The defender follows, hoping to defend by rolling a number equal to or higher than his defense rating. If his infantry is under attack, the only way to save it is to roll a 1, the infantry's defense rating.

Winning

• For the Allies to win, they must capture the capitals of Germany and Japan. The Axis powers must capture two of the three capitals belonging to the Allies. Capturing the capitals requires defeating all of the armies defending them.