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Should the United States invade Germany by land from Gibraltar? Can Japan actually gain a foothold in Africa? Does it ever make sense for England to fortify India? If any of these questions mean anything to you, chances are that, at some point or another, you engaged in a friendly game of Axis & Allies. The quintessential World War II board game, Axis & Allies is a strategic battle of wills that can be just as exhilarating today as it was ten years ago. The level of detail involved with the game is incalculable, and the options available are seemingly endless. Of course, the game itself is also endless, but that is part of the fun of playing this incredibly stimulating diversion.
For those readers not so familiar with the aforementioned board game, Axis & Allies is a tension-filled thriller pitting the Axis Powers - Germany and Japan - against the Allies - England, Russia, and the United States. Each country - usually manned by a individual game player - is given an allotment of pre-assigned game pieces, including tanks, infantry, submarines, and the like, meant to simulate the world as it stood near the onset of World War II. Play proceeds sequentially through these countries, alternating between the Allies and the Axis Powers. Once one side has captured two of the capitals from the opposing factions, the game ends.
It sounds like an interesting concept, but what makes it so "stimulating?" In my teenage years, I played Axis & Allies countless times with my three younger brothers, and, in the course of those battles, won and lost while in control of each country. There are certainly some basic plans that we tend to take for granted with each country, but, in general, each player has his own schemes to employ. No two players think alike, and one's own moves are always altered by the actions of one's opponents. If Germany is attacking Russia, then Russia must defend its borders. Without that threat of German invasion, however, Russia is free to attack the Japanese on its eastern front. Game situations always change, and these changes drive the gamesmanship of Axis & Allies.
Having not trotted out this particular board game in what seems like at least five years, I was genuinely surprised to learn that I still retain a basic comprehension of the rules and the overriding strategies. It was strange to watch the action unfold, remembering at each step one or two moves that I could have made differently. Should I have attacked the Japanese navy with my American fleet? Should I have dropped a factory on Anglo-Egypt Sudan? Could Russia have helped fortify allied land in China? Then again, that is why we play the game. Decisions like this can have far-reaching effects, and they can always be second-guessed. This allows the game to live on long after the winner has been declared, and this alone permits Axis & Allies to linger in my memories.
Submitted 8/23/00.