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| Chat Excerpts: Larry Harris, Game Designer, 10/26/99 | |
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On October 26, 1999, Game Designer Larry Harris, the creator of Axis & Allies, stopped by the MSN Gaming Zone to chat with members. All of the A&A fans were in full force, and we want to thank both the gamers and Larry for making this event a success. We have edited the transcript below to present some of the interesting questions and responses in case you missed the chat.
+Game_General> OK folks...Welcome to the Zone Theater Chat Room, the Creator of Axis and Allies, Larry Harris.. aka SIRRRAH
SIRRRAH> Good evening, Nice to be here. I would like to field questions in general about A&A and also talk about Iron Blitz. We could talk about what's coming and what has already been out there. thomasma> I would like to say thank you for all the hours of enjoyment u have given me thank you keep up the great work noq SIRRRAH> My pleasure...how long have you been playing the game? thomasma> 15 yrs; CD since march SIRRRAH> Right...It first came out with Milton Bradley back in 1985. Seems so long ago now. . . .I invented the game while living in France..( I lived there for a bunch of years). When I came back I sold it a small company called Nova Games. IRON__CROSS> Why don't Subs have AA guns to fire? You've seen those guns on 'em in all the WW2 pics, I assume? I would assume they should have at least an AA attack of 1, or defence, I mean. SIRRRAH> Each weapon was a general icon and as such subs are not really know as AA type weapons...I know they have this ability but not in a strategic way. Take Infantry, for example. They can shoot down bombers, but what exactly is an Infantry? In my mind [it] is a Division or Army Corps and as such certainly can defend itself to some degree. Russell33> Hi. I love the game. I find that with the CD games, most play is one vs one. Axis & Allies seems to favor the Allies for winning. With Iron Blitz, the new units seem to favor the Allies as well. Any thought to special Axis units to even things out. SIRRRAH> When you take a look a history, the Axis had a small window of opportunity to win the war. I'm not saying that A&A is a historical document, but I certainly want it to reflect WWII as much as possible. I am bothered by the perceived imbalance or (real imbalance) if you will. I am open to such ideas, no Russian first turn attack and thoughts along this line. Russell33> I think a German sub pen would allow the Germans to put out a Navy that is a threat to GB. SIRRRAH> But to come up with a perfectly balanced game puts A&A in risk of simply being a chess game. Let me talk for a moment about A&A Europe. German subs play a big role in that game. They can actually destroy the British economy. Aircraft cannot attack them unless an allied destroyer is present. Russell33> Yes, that is how it should be. SIRRRAH> By the way... It was only a few years ago that I learned about bidding. I thought that was a great idea for balancing the game. +Game_General> Bids are very high, average is about 16 Russell33> Yes I love the bid. SIRRRAH> This is an interesting optional rule. [Anyway], I am compiling a list of areas that could be addressed in the 3rd edition rules. Protecting the German subs may be a key solution. schutzstaff_1> I am extremely pleased that a game of such magnitude. I am a great historian of WWII and was extremely pleased to see that a PC version was created offering more chances to play a wider variety of people versus board game play. Anyway, I am curious to know if atomic bombs were ever a consideration? SIRRRAH> The heavy bombers represent A-bombs. We did not want to call them that back in 1984. schutzstaff_1> Also did u ever consider adding one or two more submarines to the German fleet to represent German trade raiding? SIRRRAH> Yes, more subs were considered. They are well represented in A&A Europe. Splaticus> How do you see the two new units affecting game mechanics, game balance, and why? I just want to know how YOU see these units affecting game balance. SIRRRAH> The marines permit strong amphibious assaults and the destroyers are cheap naval units that turn the ocean into more of a battlefield. Splaticus> Can the Marines be used to invade Western Europe or Germany? If they can, then Germany is at an even greater disadvantage. SIRRRAH> Yes, but at the same time the Germans and Japanese can use them in Africa and S. America. Splaticus> Well, it's a matter of scale. The Germans will be able to use a couple for a few rounds, the Allies will use lots for the game. SIRRRAH> This has not been absolutely true with our play testing. The Japanese posed a great threat to Alaska, Canada and even the US. The Germans could transport powerful units to Africa which was right next door. Fried_egg> I've heard rumors of A&A 4th edition rules. Any info you can share with us? SIRRRAH> On the CD ROM, reference was made to the 3rd edition rules. They were rules that were in development for the 3rd edition rules. We are coming out with what I call Definitive 3rd edition rules. These are probably the 4th edition you are talking about. Fried_egg> Do you know the ruling for trn dropping off in multiple countries? Was that your intention? SIRRRAH> No, this should not happen...was not my intent. Fried_egg> Rules are kind of fuzzy on this issue. +Game_General> Let me be clear here.. trannys cannot drop off to more than one country? SIRRRAH> When a trn drops off in one country, it's turn is over even if it shares the same c zone with another territory. Third edition will correct this. That was my intent but.... +Game_General> OK, thank you, we have been allowing that in Spring but will now change it. SIRRRAH> The problem is......for the moment, we have to play the way the rules are written, until the definitive third edition rules come out. I don't want 1942 to end up being the only club to play by the intended rules. I want 1942 to play by the written rules until I get the definitive 3rd edition rules out there. I am trying to do that as soon as possible. Pnzr_General> Are there any major rule changes to Iron Blitz besides the 2 new units? Is tech going to be the same, etc? What are the cost, Attack and Defence values for the new units? SIRRRAH> This issue, and others like it, are all being addressed in the definitive 3rd edition rules. There are no major rule changes in Iron Blitz however. There are 8 selectable pre-set scenarios...for example: 1939; cold war, and others. Pnzr_General> ok next question . . .I love tech and what it adds to the Game but think that Heavy Bombers are just too much of a game tripper. Any plans to lower the attack to perhaps 2 dice? SIRRRAH> I am not sure if tech will be the same. In 3rd ed. rules, that is one of them...you can also fire more than one rocket per turn. derTodesengel> Hi Larry, 1) What are the advantages of the marine (i.e., how many load on a tranny and what do they attack with)? and 2) Do you need to have a destroyer to attack a sub in IB? SIRRRAH> 1) They attack at 3 for the first round of an amphibious assault, otherwise they are infantry. 2) You don't need a destroyer to attack a sub. You will, in A&A Europe, need a destroyer to attack a sub. Ris_Dnalor> In the original Nova Games release of A&A, there were many more and smaller zones, especially sea zones. This made it take 2 turns for a transport to make the round trip from the North Sea to Canada and back to the North Sea instead of 1. I think this would help the Germans out immensely as the US would have to purchase twice as many transports to get the same job done, and the expanded Pacific Zone would also aid Japan. Will we see a return to this or any other features from the Nova Games release, such as fighter escorts/defense for strategic bombing raids, in Axis & Allies II? SIRRRAH> Hi Ris I changed the NOVA version, making it more mass marketable. Yes, there will be escorts. MTNDEW1> 1st I would like to say great game u came up with and I like what u have on the cd-rom about it. Now, is there a board version of IB in the works? I would love that, also love Fortress America. SIRRRAH> Thank you, MTNDEW1. There will be no board game of IB. There will be a board game of Europe, Pacific and a CD-Rom of A&AII, followed with CD-Rom for Europe and Pacific. +Game_General> Well folks :) We are out of time. Let me say thank you to all who attended. Thank you very much for coming tonight Larry :) Great talking with you as always. OK Springers and AA fanatics, back to the war! |
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