Which Axis & Allies Editions and Rules Does IAAPA Support?

Updated

IAAPA (the International Axis and Allies Players Association, at axisandallies.net) currently supports two editions for organized play: Axis & Allies Classic (the Original, aka 1984) and Axis & Allies Revised (AAR, aka 4th edition, aka A&A 2004). If you own either of those, you can find matching rules and matching tournaments on the site. Other editions are not listed as supported.

The two supported editions

Edition Also known as What it means for you
Axis & Allies Classic Original, 1984 You can play and enter Classic-based events
Axis & Allies Revised AAR, 4th edition, A&A 2004 You can play and enter AAR-based events

The distinction matters because IAAPA separates both its rules and its tournaments by edition, so you need to know which one you own before you look anything up.

Rules are split by edition and by purpose

The rules section is not a single document. It is divided into:

  • IAAPA Rules — the general rules set
  • IAAPA Administrative Rules — how the association itself runs
  • IAAPA 2nd Edition Rules — rules for Classic (2nd edition) play
  • IAAPA 4th Edition (AAR) Rules — rules for Revised play

If you are about to start a game, read the edition-specific rules for your version first, then check the administrative rules if you plan to join tournaments or need to know how disputes and procedures are handled.

Tournaments follow the same split

The tournament area mirrors the rules structure. You will find separate sections such as 2nd Edition Tournaments and AAR Tournaments, alongside an overall tournament overview, a 2026 tournament schedule, tournament leaders, a Hall of Champions, and tournament archives.

This means the practical path is:

  1. Identify your edition (Classic/2nd edition or Revised/AAR).
  2. Open the rules page for that edition.
  3. Open the matching tournament section to see what is running.
  4. Check the tournament schedule for dates.

How to decide where to start

  • You own the 1984 original game → use the 2nd Edition rules and the 2nd Edition tournament listings.
  • You own the 2004 Revised game → use the 4th Edition (AAR) rules and the AAR tournament listings.
  • You are new and haven't chosen an edition → the New Player Information and mentorship pages are the better entry point before committing to one rules set.

Play itself runs by email (PBEM), with a dice server that rolls battles, produces a verification log, and emails results to both players, plus downloadable map programs and odds calculators. That setup is edition-agnostic — it works the same way whichever of the two supported editions you play.