Take to the air and bring the battle to your opponent with Contested Skies.
Written: Aug 22 '06
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Pros: New units including aircraft, anit-air, and more heavy-hitting infantry and armor.
Cons: Not many basic units for new players, quality seems somewhat cheaper than Set-II boosters.
The Bottom Line: As the miniatures gaming scene expands there's many contenders for your dollar. Players interested in WWII battles should definitely give A&A:-Miniatures a look.
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| openroad's Full Review: Axis and Allies Miniatures Contested Skies Booster... |
Axis and Allies: Miniatures Contested Skies Booster Pack
Publisher: Avalon Hill
Release date: March 24th, 2006
Street Price: $10 - $15
Game Details: 2 players
Ages: 12 and older
9 pieces
NOTE: This item requires Axis & Allies: Miniatures to play, it's not a standalone game. If you don't have the A&A: Miniatures Starter Set yet you should probably read this review first and pick up the starter set before buying a booster pack. Again, booster packs do not contain rules, maps, or dice.
----- Expanding your arsenal -----
After the release of the 2nd booster pack for Axis & Allies Miniatures there was a bit of a lull until Avalon Hill gave us Contested Skies to start collecting. Instead of just infantry, armor, and vehicles, this third booster set introduces aircraft and anti-air units to the battlefield. Aircraft add a whole new aspect to the game as they can fly on and off anywhere on the battlefield in one turn. Several rules updates are included which integrate planes into the game quite smoothly and allow for both air strikes and anti-air defensive fire.
Included with all Contested Skies boosters is the now-familiar set checklist for keeping track of which units you have so far and what units you haven't found yet.
Continuing the pattern of expanding the national field, Australian reinforcements now show up to bolster the Allied ranks.
Several new units included in Contested Skies help to even out weaknesses found in both the Axis and Allied forces. The inclusion of the M36-MGC tank destroyer gives a reasonable defense to Allied players facing the formidable Axis Tiger. Communist Partisans allow a guerilla-style attack from behind enemy lines as they can be placed anywhere around the edge of the map. Motorcycles and fast scout cars give you an edge in fast response and reaction. And the biggest change to the game dynamics is of course the inclusion of aircraft. Some aircraft are more effective at ground assaults (Stuka) while others are more effective at air-to-air attacks (Zero).
Aside from standard attack and defense stats for each unit, some units will have special abilities which give them an edge over comparable armor and infantry. More special abilities appear in Contested Skies, several of the better ones are listed below.
Ruthless: (SS Stormtroopers) Unit gets +1 to each attack die rolled vs disrupted or damaged units.
Seasoned Crew: Units attacked by this unit get ם to all cover rolls when attacked by this unit.
Gun Crew Hunter: (USA Hunting Sniper) This unit rolls two extra attack dice when attacking artillery.
Defensive Preparation: (Vigilant Lieutenant) Friendly artillery adjacent to this unit get +1/+1 defense.
Battlefield Awareness: (Comet A-34) This unit can make defensive fire attacks against vehicles that move out of hexes adjacent to this unit.
Elan: (Bold Captain) Friendly soldiers adjacent to this unit receive +1 defense against defensive fire attacks.
Steely Resolve: (Vet. SMLE Rifle) An attack must beat this units defense by 2 to score 2 hits against it.
----- What does this booster add to the game? -----
Since more maps are now available from Avalon Hill (via their website), the addition of aircraft and more transports allow players to enact historical scenarios instead of just random games. The addition of more veteran and experienced units creates games with more suspense and fiercer battles as units hit harder and more often.
In a collectable wargame such as A&A Miniatures variety is what keeps the game fresh and interesting long after its release. The addition of 48 new units is good news for gamers and collectors alike. If you’re a newcomer to the game I’d recommend buying a few boxes of Booster Packs 1 and 2 before moving on to Contested Skies. You’ll need basic units such as infantry and armor that are more common in the first two sets. Any way you look at it this new expansion is a good thing for gamers.
Other game reviews that might interest you:
Family Games
•Hare & Tortoise
•Candamir: The First Settlers
•Scotland Yard
•Evo: The Last Gasp of the Dinosaurs
Strategy Games
•Axis & Allies: Miniatures Starter Set
•Axis & Allies: Miniatures Base Set Booster Pack
•Axis & Allies: Miniatures Set II Booster Pack
•Axis & Allies Pacific
•Axis & Allies Europe
•Axis & Allies Classic
•Axis & Allies Revised Edition
•History of the World
•The American Civil War Board Game
•Settlers of Catan
•Cities and Knights of Catan
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment!
© Openroad 2006
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 12.00
Type of Toy: Board Game
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
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