Undaunted: Normandy

Board Game Geek Reviews

1. 8 out of 10

   awjoel

   I had mixed feelings about getting this game. On the one hand, it wasn't clear to me that I would enjoy the strong card component of this game. On the other hand, it had gotten rave reviews, particularly as a game to try out with non-wargamers. I've now played it three times, twice solo and once with my 13-year old nephew- an admittedly limited sample. I like it! It's easy to learn and fun to play (these simple criteria get more and more important with the more games I acquire and try to learn!). I'm not a huge fan of the card-driven aspect, but I like how it combines here with tactical savvy in terms of positioning and moving counters on the board, trying to control the victory objectives while remaining mindful of terrain cover and the remaining strength of your units (as represented by the number of remaining cards for each). It's not my first choice for a tactical wargame, and obviously doesn't try for that niche. It gives you a vague sense for tactical combat, but only at a very abstracted level. While it remains recognizably a tactical wargame, at it's heart it's a fun card-based game that requires good decisionmaking and poses players with a range of challenges. Update: Played this a few more times- additional scenarios - and am upgrading my rating! Really enjoy this game, and appreciate the elegance of the design. The simplicity lets you focus on the game itself, and I found myself immersed in the scenarios depicted. While it is still oversimplified when compared to "true" tactical wargames like Squad Leader or CoH, its abstractions remain, in my view, well within the realm of what other games do. You still need to lay down suppressive fire, maneuver carefully through terrain, and time your actions to seize opportunities without overly exposing your troops. I'm now motivated to get the North Africa version.

2. 7 out of 10

   AhabXXX

   Quite funny, probably too light. Good to introduce new people in the wargame world, but this is not a real wargame!

3. 7 out of 10

   benni_jolink

   A fun, light wargame with great visual design but also a few thematic inconsistencies. This game does add a lot of fiddly rules compared to that other light wargame (Memoir 44) but it doesn’t offer that much more tactical or strategic choices.