Axis & Allies Miniatures

Axis & Allies Miniatures

Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor (15 mm figure scale) collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry. The system was first released in 2005 and is currently produced by Avalon Hill, a division of the game company Wizards of the Coast, which itself is a subsidiary of Hasbro.

Aimed at the collectible miniatures game market, the title Axis & Allies drew on that game's historic strength and notoriety. However, the miniature game bears little resemblance to the widely sold board games and other Axis & Allies items. Instead of a game of grand strategy, the miniatures game focuses on the tactical battle, with units fielded on either side of the battle being rarely greater than a company. Each piece is assigned a point value so that balanced matches can be constructed. Tournament play is typically done with 100 points per side, with infantry units usually having values of fewer than 10 points each and vehicles range from less than 10 to 50 or more based on relative strengths. Scenarios may alter these numbers or otherwise determine the constitution of each side. The map board consists of 2" (5 cm) hexes, with different terrain types represented within. Most set-ups are fewer than 20 hexes in either dimension. Combat resolution is done by rolling pools of standard six-sided dice.

Rule books are included in every starter set. For the Ground Sets, Expanded Rules were published separately. For the Naval Sets, Advanced Rules are available online.

The initial release included a broad range of units for Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with a more limited set for Japan and the Soviet Union. Two units each were included of French and Italian forces. The second set added Nationalist China, Poland, and Romania to the mix, while the third set adds a single Australian unit. The fourth set debuted Canadian units, the fifth Hungarian units, the seventh Greek units, and the eighth Finnish units. The ninth introduced Slovakian, Belgian and South African troops.