Avalon Hill Turns 50; Demands Cash

Happy Birthday Avalon Hill! The old girl has seen a lot of changes since 1958, but from Tactics to RuneQuest, the name of the game has always been putting out the best (and often most complexly nuanced) board games on the market. Likely responsible for the greatest conquests of more armchair generals the world over than any other gaming company, AH's march of releases reads like the titles of a Time Life series on WW2: Midway, Achtung Spitfire!, Afrika Korps, The Battle of the Bulge, Blitzkrieg, and, of course, Axis and Allies. To celebrate, aside re-releasing the time honored "lie to your friends and take their stuff" classics Diplomacy and Acquire, Avalon Hill has announced its most expensive version of Axis and Allies ever!

The AXIS & ALLIES ANNIVERSARY EDITION will feature the debut of Italy as the third Axis nation, the introduction of the cruiser unit to the naval lineup, and the largest Axis & Allies board to-date measuring 24x46 inches. With over 600 pieces, players will be able to recreate and decide the outcome of WWII like never before. The Axis & Allies Anniversary Edition is designed and developed by Larry Harris, the original designer of Axis & Allies, and will release on October 23, 2008 with an MSRP of $100.

That's right, just seven months left to practice your Musolinni nod and save every nickel and dime. While the week-long history-lesson board game has never been my bag, I can't wait to hear the fantastic noise this box is gonna make when you knock it off the table. Aside from that, though, wake me when they add Nazi UFOs, Tesla Troopers, and Zombie Hitler to the game.

Hit the jump to read the complete details of the quintessential A&A, Acquire, Diplomacy, and a half dozen other not-so-birthday-themed Axis & Allies Miniatures releases slated for later this year.