axisandallies.net

IAAPA (the International Axis and Allies Players Association) runs its games primarily through Play by Email, or PBEM. Instead of sitting down for one long session, you and your opponent exchange turns by email, and a dice server handles all combat rolls automatically. This suits players who love Axis & Allies but can't block out hours at a stretch. IAAPA currently supports two editions: Axis and Allies Classic (the original 1984 game) and Axis and Allies Revised (AAR, also called 4th edition or A&A 2004).

What PBEM actually changes

PBEM keeps the full game intact — same map, same units, same combat rules — but decouples it from a single sitting. You take your turn when you have time, send it, and your opponent responds when they have time. The main pieces that make this work:

• A dice server. IAAPA's dice server rolls battles for you automatically. It produces a verification log and emails the results to both players, so neither side can dispute what was rolled.
• Map programs. Downloadable tools for tracking the board state as the game progresses.
• Odds calculators. Downloadable tools for judging the probability of a given battle before you commit to it.

How a turn typically flows

1. You and your opponent agree on an edition (Classic or Revised) and start a game.
2. On your turn, you plan moves and declare attacks.
3. Battles are resolved through the dice server rather than physical dice. The server rolls, logs the result, and sends it to both players.
4. You update the board using the map program, then email the position to your opponent.
5. Your opponent repeats the process on their turn.

The exact file formats and submission steps depend on the tools you download, so check the site's downloads and new player information before your first game.

Why the dice server matters

In face-to-face play, both players watch the dice. In PBEM, they don't. The verification log is what replaces that shared observation — it records the rolls and distributes them to both players, so a battle outcome is something you can both check rather than something one player reports. This is the core reason PBEM works at all for a game as dice-heavy as Axis & Allies.

Who this is for

PBEM fits you if:

• You want regular Axis & Allies games but can't schedule long face-to-face sessions.
• You're comfortable with email and downloading small utilities.
• You play Classic or Revised specifically — those are the two editions IAAPA supports.

It fits you less well if you want real-time back-and-forth or play a newer edition outside those two.

Getting started

IAAPA describes itself as the oldest Axis & Allies gaming organization in the world, with an active core of players so you can find an opponent. The site points new players to a "New Player Information" section and a mentorship program, and joining runs through what it calls "The Final Hurdle." The organization states membership is 100% free. Beyond regular games, it also runs tournaments throughout the year.

If you're new, the practical order is: read the new player information, join, then look for the map program and odds calculator downloads and the dice server instructions before your first match.

IAAPA stands for the International Axis and Allies Players Association, and axisandallies.net is its club site. It describes itself as the oldest Axis & Allies gaming organization in the world and as "the world's biggest and best axis & allies club." The site is for players who want regular games, tournaments, and a community rather than only occasional face-to-face sessions. According to the site, membership and participation are 100% free.

What the organization offers

The IAAPA site is organized around a few main areas:

• Play by Email (PBEM) — the club's primary way to play. It is presented as a way to fit games into a normal schedule without setting aside long blocks of time.
• Tournaments — a year-round tournament program, with sections for schedules, results, tournament leaders, a Hall of Champions, and archives.
• Rules — IAAPA administrative rules plus rules for specific editions, including IAAPA 2nd Edition Rules and IAAPA 4th Edition (AAR) Rules.
• Player resources — a dice server, map programs, and odds calculators available for download.
• New player support — a New Player Information page, "The Final Hurdle," and a mentorship program.
• Community and history — news, a BBS archive, Havocs, Armchair General, revues, battlefield reviews, snapshots, and old websites.

How games are played

The core mechanism is PBEM with a shared dice server. The site says the dice server automatically rolls battles, provides a verification log, and emails the results to both players. That matters because it removes the main trust problem in email play: both players get the same recorded result instead of relying on one person's word.

The site also provides map programs and odds calculators, which are the practical tools you would need to set up and resolve a game remotely.

Which editions are supported

The site states that it currently supports:

If you play a different edition, the site does not claim support for it in the material shown.

Who it is for

IAAPA fits you if you already enjoy Axis & Allies and want opponents outside your local group, or if you want structured tournaments and a rules framework for remote play. It is less useful if you are looking for a quick single game with no account or community involvement, or if you only play editions other than Classic and Revised.

The site also notes that face-to-face gaming has returned to IAAPA, with a member report of a live A&A Europe game between two 20-year friends. So the club is not exclusively online.

How to get started

1. Browse the site sections that match your interest — Tournaments, High Command, or Supply Depot.
2. Read the New Player Information page and "The Final Hurdle."
3. Check the IAAPA rules for the edition you play.
4. Join the association, then look for an opponent or a tournament.

The site says it has an active core of players, so finding an opponent is presented as a normal part of joining rather than a hurdle.

The IAAPA (International Axis and Allies Players Association) is a free, Play-by-Email (PBEM) club for Axis & Allies players. To join, go to axisandallies.net and work through the membership path the site lays out: read the New Player Information, complete the step called "The Final Hurdle," and enlist. Before you do, decide which supported edition you want to play — the club currently supports Axis & Allies Classic (Original, 1984) and Axis & Allies Revised (AAR, 4th edition, 2004).

What you are joining

IAAPA describes itself as the oldest Axis & Allies gaming organization in the world and the biggest and best A&A club. It is built around PBEM play, so you do not need to block out long sessions to finish a game.

What the club provides, per its own site:

• A dice server that rolls battles automatically, produces a verification log, and emails results to both players.
• Map programs and odds calculators available for download.
• An active core of players, so finding an opponent is generally not the hard part.
• Tournaments running through the year, plus a mentorship program for newer members.

Before you enlist

Two things are worth settling first.

Pick your edition. The club supports Classic and Revised. If you own only one of these, that choice is already made. If you own both, check which one has more activity in the tournament listings before committing.

Understand what PBEM asks of you. Play happens over email rather than in real time. That removes scheduling pressure but means a game unfolds across many exchanges, and you are responsible for keeping your side moving. The dice server handles the randomness and the record-keeping; you handle the orders.

The joining path

The site organizes the process under a few named sections. Follow them in this order:

1. New Player Information — start here for the orientation material aimed at people who have not played in the club before.
2. The Final Hurdle — the site's own name for the last step before membership. Treat this as the actual gate: read it fully before you act on it.
3. How do I Join the Association? — the membership instructions page.
4. Enlist in IAAPA — the enlistment entry point.

The site also lists IAAPA Rules, IAAPA Administrative Rules, and separate rules pages for 2nd Edition and 4th Edition (AAR). Read the rules set that matches your edition, since tournament play follows them.

What you can do once you are in

• Play PBEM games against other members using the club's dice server.
• Enter tournaments. The site maintains a tournament overview, a 2026 tournament schedule, 2nd Edition tournaments, AAR tournaments, tournament leaders for 2025 and 2026, a Hall of Champions, and tournament archives.
• Join the mentorship program if you want guidance from experienced members.
• Use the Supply Depot and BBS archives for club resources and past discussion.

Common sticking points

Assuming you need to be an expert. The club runs a mentorship program and a dedicated new-player section, which suggests beginners are expected and accommodated.

Skipping the rules pages. Tournament play is governed by the posted IAAPA rules and administrative rules. Reading them after you have already started a tournament game is the wrong order.

Confusing the two supported editions. Classic and Revised have separate rules pages and separate tournament tracks. Know which one you are signing up to play.

Expecting real-time games. PBEM is the club's default format. The site does note face-to-face gaming returning to IAAPA, but that is a side development, not the core mode.

Cost

The site states membership is "100% FREE." No pricing signals, payment platforms, or paid tiers appear on the page, so there is nothing to suggest a paid option exists.

IAAPA (the International Axis and Allies Players Association, at axisandallies.net) runs year-round tournaments and a set of community programs built around Play by Email (PBEM) play. If you already play Axis & Allies and want regular opponents, structured competition, and a record of past results, the site organizes all of that in one place. The club states it supports Axis and Allies Classic (Original, 1984) and Axis and Allies Revised (AAR, 4th edition, 2004), and describes membership as 100% free.

Tournaments

The site's Tournaments section is the main entry point, and it is split into several pages rather than a single schedule:

• Tournaments Overview — the general landing page for competition.
• 2026 Tournament Schedule — the forward-looking calendar of events.
• 2nd Edition Tournaments — events for the Classic/2nd Edition ruleset.
• AAR Tournaments — events for Axis and Allies Revised (4th edition).

Because the schedule is published as its own page, the practical move is to open the 2026 Tournament Schedule first to see what is currently running or upcoming, then check the edition-specific pages to confirm which ruleset an event uses. IAAPA's own rules pages (IAAPA Rules, IAAPA Administrative Rules, IAAPA 2nd Edition Rules, IAAPA 4th Edition (AAR) Rules) sit alongside the tournament pages, so rules questions for a given event are answered there rather than in the schedule itself.

Results, Rankings, and History

IAAPA keeps a running record of who has played and won, which is useful if you want to gauge how active or competitive the club is before joining:

The presence of both a 2025 and a 2026 leaders page, plus an archive, indicates the club tracks results across seasons rather than running one-off events.

Community Activities

Beyond tournaments, the site lists several ongoing community features:

• News — club announcements, including new-member welcomes and event notes.
• Mentorship Program — IAAPA's program for bringing newer players up to speed; the site pairs it with a "New Player Information" page and a step called "The Final Hurdle" for joining.
• Battlefield Reviews and Revues — written game and product reviews.
• Snapshots in Time — historical/retrospective content.
• BBS Archives — archived forum discussions.
• History of IAAPA — the club's own account of its past, consistent with its claim to be the oldest Axis & Allies gaming organization.
• Supply Depot — a resource/download area; the homepage also mentions map programs and odds calculators available for download.

The homepage also notes that face-to-face gaming has returned to IAAPA, with a member report of an in-person A&A Europe game — so the club is not PBEM-only in practice, even though PBEM is its core format.

How This Fits Together

The club's operating model explains why these sections exist side by side: games run by email, with an automated dice server that rolls battles, produces a verification log, and emails results to both players. That structure is what makes a persistent tournament schedule, standings pages, and an archive meaningful — results can be recorded and verified over long periods without players needing to sit down together.

If you are deciding whether to participate, the useful sequence is: check the 2026 Tournament Schedule for timing, check the edition-specific tournament pages to confirm your ruleset is covered, look at Tournament Leaders or the Hall of Champions to see how active the field is, and use the Mentorship Program and New Player Information pages if you are new to PBEM.

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

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.