After playing a few games with our FLGS library copy, I finally got our own copy for my 7 yo WW2 buff. He loves it and we’ve spent lots of great quality time playing head to head. He even saved up to get his first expansion: Eastern Front!
Nice review. And Memoir '44 is a wargame. I'm an experienced wargamer, and I got your back, so don't take grief from folks. All the different systems scratch different itches: Advanced Squad Leader, Conflict of Heroes, Up Front, Combat Commander, Band of Brothers, Band of Heroes, Advanced Tobruk System, Tide of Iron, etc.
Totally 100% agree with your review. This is my favorite war game, period. One of the few I can actually play with my wife. lol. This is my #1 choice for beginner wargames that I recommend to other people.
Got this game 5 years ago. 5 years later on the 75th anniversary of the Dday landings, my dad and I battled on Omaha with me trying to achieve a breakthrough as the Americans and him trying to stop the invasion as the Germans. Best battle I've had in a long time.
I'm sure people might have commented this already at some point, but you have a really relaxing voice (has warmth and bass) that would also fit nicely in stuff like ASMR or narrating audiobooks. And I'm saying that as a compliment. Some reviewers might be good at presenting stuff but their voices can sometimes be very off-putting. The reviews are also good content so cheers for them!
If there's any room for improvement, I'd say the jumps in volume levels (during when the music volume gets louder for a few seconds) had me put my hand on the volume rocker all the time since it was a bit loud compared to the speech volume. Don't take this in a bad way, but just thought I'd also give some criticism as I'm also giving praise :)
I think we’ve fixed that issue now. We run the audio through a mixer and not direct into the camera and we don’t use music anymore. Thanks for the kind words 👍🏻
Thank you, have you tried the New Flight Plan expansion? The one that balances these types of games more for me is The Hold the Line series which doesnt rely on cards but on Action Points that you get every turn (and you can get extra ones). With those you can attack or move wherever you want. Its a nice twist.
Hey dude. Got Memoir 44 for Christmas. Hoping to get it to the table this weekend. Love your cupboard. Looks like I have a way to go to catch up to your collection with my meagre 50 something games 🤣
Great game. My collection dates back to 1978 so you have a few years to catch up. Tbh it’s insane...you can only play one at a time. Saving the legacy game for my retirement if it ever happens.
Its funny he talks about the random nature, I have played this game heaps and yes there is randomness, but 4 times out of 5 the scenarios play out in pretty much the way they historically played out. I also dont get the argument that this might not be a wargame (of course that is not a critique on this guy, he knows) this won best wargame for its realism on teh 60th anniversary of D-Day, it may not be a HEAVY wargame, but it has tactics, and it simulates war, it's 100% a wargame
You failed to mention the variety in win conditions. M44 is not about player elimination. It is getting that last final VP after which it is immediate game over.
Oh, I love Memoir '44 but there are a few issues with it that need to be revamped. First is setup time. Some scenarios are just kind of a pain to set up. Battlelore 2.0 helped this a lot by scenario cards, essentially splitting setup between the players. Minor gripe but it's there. Components are my biggest gripe. The miniatures are fine, nothing great but get the job done. But in the base game, the color of the armies are way too similar. Dark green vs dark blue is not a good choice. Why the Germans weren't just grey is beyond comprehension. The painted wooden dice are abysmal! Come on! Give us some decent dice! A deluxe version of the game would be more than appreciated. A recessed game board would be wonderful to keep the terrain tiles and units from sliding around. And how about a reprint of the two scenario books? They are nearly impossible to find and when you do, they are ridiculously expensive. It's a great game! I enjoy Battlelore 2.0, not because of theme, but rather it adds a little more complexity with the lore mechanic.
Yes, components and general aesthetics are tired. Feels like a grandad game from 1950s like L’attaque or similar. Needs a fully compatible refresh. DoW are famed for their lack of interest in reprints. They seem to come in short waves and then disappear for years. A real tragedy.
Well, yeah i agree about the not that distnictive colors of the figurines.. No other option than painting them.. there are not that many to paint... About Battlelore, i can t tell, never played this one nor the Command & colors series... because, and i guess, as a lot of people, i pick memoir 44 because of the WWII theme and tactical scale.
@@yannber : I love the WWII theme but Battlelore is actually a more enjoyable and interesting game with the lore mechanic....kind of a currency that allows you to gain perks, via cards, for your troops. I wish they added that to Memoir '44.
We tried that but we prefer the expansive and more realistic theming of Memoir. The system is what makes the game though and it’s a case of what you prefer. Yet to try command and colours though.
@@tempestfury8324 IMO all the C&C, M44 and Battlelore are pretty similar, yet not identical. About which one is the more realistic, i would say the discussion is endless because they are not wargames, but "wargame-like" boardgames. What make them interesting is to get a experience close to warmae, without having to check billions of charts each round (my tanks never run out of fuel? really? all the moutains and hills have the same height? comon..). I ve played and enjoyed such games as squad leader, world in flames. (Maybe if i swear ill do the laundry for the next 50 years and if i tie my wife to her chair really tight i could get her to stay at the tale for hours playing these games..? nah..). To sum up, these games intend to have a good ratio simplicity/realism, but you can 't get a race horse out of a donkey. These games are entertaining and immersive. M44 is probably the less complex of the range because its forst goal was educational; it has to draw non gamers to history through playing. now, there are a bunch of extensions that add levels of complexity (for example by differentiating infatnery units, with special troups : mortar, engineers and such.). Since these extensins are a bit pricey, it s up to you (and your wallet), to decide if you want to make your game a bit more complex, or to buy an entirely new game for about the same price. If realism is an issue, the better option is to buy a moderately complex wargame... and get ready for some serious laundry
New subscriber here. Funny, I have played several of Commands and Colors systems. BattleLore, Ancients, and the Great War but never Memoir 44. Thank you for video
you've missed out for too long, but don't fret, it's the 75th anniversary of the D-DAY LANDINGS that inspired the creation of the game 15 years ago... get on it and start digging, and while you're at it, join the conversation on MEMOIR '44 MARKET web.facebook.com/groups/333436747188663/
I went and picked this up yesterday. So far so good. Not quite as 'epic' as a lot of reviewers seem to be making out. But maybe I will see its greatness once Ive got a few expansions, or if I ever play teh Overlord game? But as the core box goes not bad.
Fun game, just use houseruled for passing (pass get two draws pick one). As in the other games with this system. GMT Games have the best rulebooks though. Despite being very long. The main issue with "real wargemes" are us "real wargamers".... The boards look great!
Most of them are currently OOP, but are due to be reprinted soon. You can always print them off yourself. If you send me an email I’ll tell you how to do it.
The basic Overlord concept is to take two copies of the game and play massive scenarios with double the units and board. It offers really cool rules for playing with 2-4 players and different card play. The Overlord expansion is basically a deck of cards that help facilitate this card play aspect. It also has card board counters in case you don't have enough units (but you still need a 2nd board). The way I solved it was that I had the Winter/Desert board and made that my 2nd board. I used my Pacific and Eastern Front expansions and when I ran out of American pieces, I used Soviet pieces to finish filling out that side. When I ran out of German pieces, I filled the rest out with Japanese pieces. Eventually, I traded for a second copy of the game. Later, for whatever reason, they made Overlord maps. It was a double long paper map with the terrain printed on it, double-sided I believe, with two scenarios. I steered clear, because I saw it as a cheap money-grab. I had the terrain tiles, so why do I want a cheap paper map when I don't have plexiglass that long? The base game has an Overlord scenario. The expansions have Overlord scenarios in them. The fans have created plenty of them. There is plenty to keep you busy. If you can find the Overlord deck of cards and a second copy of the game, it's worth it. Hope that helps.
The worst thing about memoir 44 is that it is such a fantastic game if you have come to it late people charge scandalous amounts of pounds for the expansions on eBay and the like. Still want the equipment pack but I'm not paying £300+ for it
You’re right...I said in the video we have everything but I realised we don’t have the D-Day map pack as it’s oop and ridiculous price 2nd hand. Memoir has always suffered from sporadic print runs though. A real shame.
You can proxy the miniatures individually from different manufacturers. Just get 1/72 scale for everything INFANTRY from say Caesar Miniatures, Zvezda and get 1/144 scale for ARMOUR and big ARTILLERY.
@@BoardGameBollocks Command and Colours has been on my radar for a long time. Surprising you didn't like battlelore. Even if the sword and sorcery theme isn't your thing, the ability to purchase your army is pretty cool option. Great channel btw. Keep up the good work
Nice job on this. Memoir is great, and a perfect entry point into war gaming in general and the Commands and Colors system in particular. It certainly was for me. Battle Cry, the other “entry level” C&C game, might be even easier to get into (fewer unit types, exceptions, etc.), although the theme (US Civil War) isn’t as universally appealing as WW2.
Well then I’ll just say if you like Memoir, here’s a link to the C&C system overview on BGG: www.boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Command_and_Colors_system# Lots of options there; truly something there for every thematic taste. The most recent release (Medieval) is my favorite, along with BattleLore 2nd Edition, which is fantasy based.
@@richyasi7424 C&C ar egreat games but, i guess one aspect for picking one or the other is the interest you have ni the historical period, and how rich were the military doctrines simulated. Medieval and Napoleonic wars are based on movements, the sole drawback of the C&C serie is that the "stratego like" squares arent that immersive...
Decent review. Already ordered it, but alas it's out of stock so it's a waiting game for me. I nearly bought the Eastern Front and Terrain Pack last night based on one of your other review vids. I figured I should wait until the core game arrives though.
@@BoardGameBollocks Nah, Cornwall UK. Zatu games were the cheapest I could find (38 quid), but I only realised it was out of stock after I ordered. Don't drink and buy!
@@BoardGameBollocks "This title is available for Pre Order. We have an expected restock date, but this is liable to change without notice. If you order this game, along with other instock titles, your order will ship when the Pre order games come into stock. Available to Pre-Order; Estimated Restock Date: February 2021;" ... Lol. Nearly! I'm guessing everyone will have stock soon then. Cheers anyway.
My son and I cannot get enough of this game. Just sad when I got mine and it did not have the nice wooden dice. Seems like the versions that were printed later are not of the same quality as the original versions. My rule book has a big stain from printing on one page. Its not a train smash, but not something I expected from a game with this price tag and stature. Days of Wonder should not go cheap like this.
Excellent video, valuable in being thorough, though it fails to bring the title across. I have to say the look of hexes and plastic tanks felt a bit like Old times of Yore nice for geeky kids to me. Even the name itself references to dark things from dark ages past, best forgotten. Until, one day - on a game convention a guy came over with (all long time adults then) a BAG of memoir stuff. I sat down with him, he set up scenario 3 or something from the base book, and immediately I felt like an 8 year old. Fantastic! Then the gameplay. The guy was terrible at shuffling, next time he shuffled better, and the game really shone. Would have bought the game right there and then, however the game requires 2 persons to play it. You can pretend to switch sides and stuff, but let's face it, you tried that already with chess and it was lame. The game needs an AI system. Nobody has unfortunately created one successfully.. My first approach would be to have the AI do 1 random action at all 3 zones (vs your intelligent play on 1 zone, and AI doesn't have your cards and doesn't care for getting VP per se). A bunch of cards that write down the order of "first applicable" (shuffle, ideally a few dozen cards) different order on each: Each card has 2 parts, * top part indicates the type of unit -> tank | infantry | artillery -> (that's n! combinations, i.e. 6) * bottom part = the following actions in random order: | reach VP (tank, infantry) | eliminate * | attack nearest | attack strongest | advance (tank, infantry) | retreat (tank, infantry) | move to cover (tank, infantry) | toward nearest VP (tank, infantry, artillery) and so on. no () means all (tank, infantry, artillery) can do this * eliminate = target army that has least amount of units on hex. If it can't theoretically the next eligible action is chosen. advance = move farthest from where you came from, i.e. press on. Ideally the AI should never be ambiguous and require minimal actions. The above naive approach has the drawback of ambiguity - sometimes there are 2 or 3 hexes equally eligible, and the AI must choose mechanically and tell me what to execute, if I had to choose then it would break the immersion.
A hard Nope from me. Very simplistic game with randomness overshadowing strategy all the time. Cards you get are random, three "lanes" mechanic is restrictive in very unrealistic way - with wrong cards half your army might feel useless sometimes. Dice throwing is crucial to game's outcome and leaving player with too little influence over the gameplay. Few and generic types of units that don't reflect any historical units and get boring really quickly with lack of options. Perhaps a good gateway game due to having simple and short rules, but a weak design with unnecessary amount of randomness that doesn't serve any useful purpose.
Mateusz Kotowicz any recommendations on something more in depth but still easy enough for someone new to these games? I wanted to play something like this with my roommates kid. He's about to be 9. I was thinking this or the Steve Jackson game Ogre
@@NerdyDude186 Memoir '44 might actually be perfect for a 9 yo. It's a good entry-level game and most of my criticism is from an experienced player's perspective. Cards and lanes narrow tactical choices, but it is mostly a good thing in your case - there is just enough strategy to be interesting, but not confusing to a kid. Lack of historical units won't matter unless any of you are WW2 fans. Dice throwing is fun and plastic units feel great. Ogre is definitely a lot more demanding. Mostly because it's an old game with quirky rules. It's more of an enthusiast collectible than a modern game to be honest. I would definitely go with Memoir 44 between these two.
Mateusz Kotowicz Hmmm we're definitely not ww2 buffs. Idk what it is about the Ogre Designers edition that makes me want it but i want that damn game and the plastic minis too that they sell. He's a pretty bright kid (when he wants to be as most kids are 😂) if he was older I'd get twilight struggle but that's more of a game I'd rather play with someone like my cousin who's 18 and I trust not to cheat and who can actually appreciate what we're simulating. I actually think i will get memoir '44 and play with him. The thing is if he takes to the rules and we play ad nauseam I'll want to buy something else a little above that any suggestions? Memoir '44 looks to me like I'll be the one that gets bored after playing it so much. I want something that's semi complicated but has been streamlined enough to pick up in a night lol I like how ogre plays out and I was planning on basically building my own maps and scenarios with the pieces that it comes with. I was actually googling about Advanced Squad Leader and tides of iron. Which are far above him those games would be with my brother cousin and uncle. Assuming I even try to get them to play. Honestly my roommates kid is smarter than the average kid and something like Memoir 44 might just focus his attention but i think something that's a bit more complicated might be better. Thoughts? Either way I'll be buying Memoir '44 with him in mind.
@@NerdyDude186 I've never heard of Advanced Squad Leader, but I personally dislike Tides of Iron for being too much like these old wargames with lots of charts and hexagon maps. Definitely not a gateway game. I really like *Neuroshima Hex 3.0* as my quick tactical game of choice. It has easy streamlined rules, but more decision-making depth than Memoir 44 imo. There are four asymmetric factions in the core box and plenty of single army expansions if you like it. It says 2-4 players on the box, but it's definitely a 1v1 game by design. Science-fiction theme is usually a plus with kids.
Disagree strongly... this is not ASL or a deep simulation of WW2 by any means, but it does give a huge dose of fog of war, and the limited options a commander may face. How you plan out your cards in a series of play makes a huge difference in winning or losing the battle. The dice may be perceived as pure luck, but they have the numbers built into them statistically by the faces on each die.. 50% chance of hitting infantry, 33% chance on tanks, about 16% for artillery on each die you roll.... the more one plays the game, the more they will understand this is critical to how you use each type of unit. Infantry in the open are easy pickings for tanks.. hiding in towns or forests, they become much more survivable and harder to kill.... tanks ability for armor overrun shows where they shine in the world of combined arms, creating breakthroughs and causing immense destruction. I've played many amazing players online, and the difference between playing a newbie and an 1600 to 1800 ranked skill player is quite large. I liken it to playing poker... any player could be lucky in the short run... but the best players will win much more on average because they understand the subtleties of the game.
After playing a few games with our FLGS library copy, I finally got our own copy for my 7 yo WW2 buff. He loves it and we’ve spent lots of great quality time playing head to head. He even saved up to get his first expansion: Eastern Front!
Getting this for Christmas and getting ready to head down the Memoir rabbit hole - good review, buddy!
Great choice. Still a firm favourite of mine after so many years. Never get tired of this one.
Nice review. And Memoir '44 is a wargame. I'm an experienced wargamer, and I got your back, so don't take grief from folks. All the different systems scratch different itches: Advanced Squad Leader, Conflict of Heroes, Up Front, Combat Commander, Band of Brothers, Band of Heroes, Advanced Tobruk System, Tide of Iron, etc.
Totally 100% agree with your review. This is my favorite war game, period. One of the few I can actually play with my wife. lol. This is my #1 choice for beginner wargames that I recommend to other people.
Got this game 5 years ago.
5 years later on the 75th anniversary of the Dday landings, my dad and I battled on Omaha with me trying to achieve a breakthrough as the Americans and him trying to stop the invasion as the Germans.
Best battle I've had in a long time.
Love it...a real shame the D Day pack wasn’t reprinted.
I would argue that the Undaunted series and the Quartermaster general series are strong contenders for THE entry level wargame.
Merry Christmas 🎄
Loved your top 100 series.
Good to see a few new games I can check out.
Thanks
I just picked up in 2023 as a WW2 gane system for battle level. I say that Undaunted has now joined in the fray, for platoon level.
I’m sold! Just wish I could find a copy of the base game somewhere!
It’s still in print so shouldn’t be too hard to find.
@@BoardGameBollocks you’d be surprised. All the expansions are easy to find. But the base game is scarce.
I'm sure people might have commented this already at some point, but you have a really relaxing voice (has warmth and bass) that would also fit nicely in stuff like ASMR or narrating audiobooks.
And I'm saying that as a compliment. Some reviewers might be good at presenting stuff but their voices can sometimes be very off-putting.
The reviews are also good content so cheers for them!
If there's any room for improvement, I'd say the jumps in volume levels (during when the music volume gets louder for a few seconds) had me put my hand on the volume rocker all the time since it was a bit loud compared to the speech volume. Don't take this in a bad way, but just thought I'd also give some criticism as I'm also giving praise :)
I think we’ve fixed that issue now. We run the audio through a mixer and not direct into the camera and we don’t use music anymore. Thanks for the kind words 👍🏻
Excellent and straightforward review!!! 👏💪🍻
US is getting reprints now and I’m thrilled to finally be getting the Breakthrough boards and Sword of Stalingrad! Great video!
Playing Sword of Stalingrad live on Wednesday 👍🏻
Great review of a great game, thank you.
Thank you, have you tried the New Flight Plan expansion? The one that balances these types of games more for me is The Hold the Line series which doesnt rely on cards but on Action Points that you get every turn (and you can get extra ones). With those you can attack or move wherever you want. Its a nice twist.
Will be picking that up next month 👍
@@BoardGameBollocks New Flight Plan was a HUGE improvement over the original air pack. I just wish the pieces were painted, but such is life.
Hey dude. Got Memoir 44 for Christmas. Hoping to get it to the table this weekend. Love your cupboard. Looks like I have a way to go to catch up to your collection with my meagre 50 something games 🤣
Great game. My collection dates back to 1978 so you have a few years to catch up. Tbh it’s insane...you can only play one at a time. Saving the legacy game for my retirement if it ever happens.
Really concise and clear review.
Cheers mate 👍🏻
Just picked it up today and can't wait to play it with my boys!
Equipment pack and battle maps are being reprinted this week so great timing
Its funny he talks about the random nature, I have played this game heaps and yes there is randomness, but 4 times out of 5 the scenarios play out in pretty much the way they historically played out. I also dont get the argument that this might not be a wargame (of course that is not a critique on this guy, he knows) this won best wargame for its realism on teh 60th anniversary of D-Day, it may not be a HEAVY wargame, but it has tactics, and it simulates war, it's 100% a wargame
Had a chance to play this a couple months ago. I want more of it.
Fantastic game, but be careful...you’ll have to get it all once you start.
You failed to mention the variety in win conditions. M44 is not about player elimination. It is getting that last final VP after which it is immediate game over.
It’s a brief overview of the rules not an exhaustive tutorial. Cheers for watching 👍🏻
But you have left out that important rule!
@@UnimatrixOne not really important unless you are playing M44 atm.
Oh, I love Memoir '44 but there are a few issues with it that need to be revamped. First is setup time. Some scenarios are just kind of a pain to set up. Battlelore 2.0 helped this a lot by scenario cards, essentially splitting setup between the players. Minor gripe but it's there.
Components are my biggest gripe. The miniatures are fine, nothing great but get the job done. But in the base game, the color of the armies are way too similar. Dark green vs dark blue is not a good choice. Why the Germans weren't just grey is beyond comprehension. The painted wooden dice are abysmal! Come on! Give us some decent dice! A deluxe version of the game would be more than appreciated. A recessed game board would be wonderful to keep the terrain tiles and units from sliding around.
And how about a reprint of the two scenario books? They are nearly impossible to find and when you do, they are ridiculously expensive.
It's a great game! I enjoy Battlelore 2.0, not because of theme, but rather it adds a little more complexity with the lore mechanic.
Yes, components and general aesthetics are tired. Feels like a grandad game from 1950s like L’attaque or similar.
Needs a fully compatible refresh.
DoW are famed for their lack of interest in reprints. They seem to come in short waves and then disappear for years. A real tragedy.
Well, yeah i agree about the not that distnictive colors of the figurines.. No other option than painting them.. there are not that many to paint... About Battlelore, i can t tell, never played this one nor the Command & colors series... because, and i guess, as a lot of people, i pick memoir 44 because of the WWII theme and tactical scale.
@@yannber : I love the WWII theme but Battlelore is actually a more enjoyable and interesting game with the lore mechanic....kind of a currency that allows you to gain perks, via cards, for your troops. I wish they added that to Memoir '44.
We tried that but we prefer the expansive and more realistic theming of Memoir. The system is what makes the game though and it’s a case of what you prefer. Yet to try command and colours though.
@@tempestfury8324 IMO all the C&C, M44 and Battlelore are pretty similar, yet not identical. About which one is the more realistic, i would say the discussion is endless because they are not wargames, but "wargame-like" boardgames. What make them interesting is to get a experience close to warmae, without having to check billions of charts each round (my tanks never run out of fuel? really? all the moutains and hills have the same height? comon..). I ve played and enjoyed such games as squad leader, world in flames. (Maybe if i swear ill do the laundry for the next 50 years and if i tie my wife to her chair really tight i could get her to stay at the tale for hours playing these games..? nah..). To sum up, these games intend to have a good ratio simplicity/realism, but you can 't get a race horse out of a donkey. These games are entertaining and immersive. M44 is probably the less complex of the range because its forst goal was educational; it has to draw non gamers to history through playing. now, there are a bunch of extensions that add levels of complexity (for example by differentiating infatnery units, with special troups : mortar, engineers and such.). Since these extensins are a bit pricey, it s up to you (and your wallet), to decide if you want to make your game a bit more complex, or to buy an entirely new game for about the same price. If realism is an issue, the better option is to buy a moderately complex wargame... and get ready for some serious laundry
New subscriber here. Funny, I have played several of Commands and Colors systems. BattleLore, Ancients, and the Great War but never Memoir 44. Thank you for video
Say whaaaaaa!!!! Get on it...
you've missed out for too long, but don't fret, it's the 75th anniversary of the D-DAY LANDINGS that inspired the creation of the game 15 years ago... get on it and start digging, and while you're at it, join the conversation on MEMOIR '44 MARKET
web.facebook.com/groups/333436747188663/
I went and picked this up yesterday. So far so good. Not quite as 'epic' as a lot of reviewers seem to be making out. But maybe I will see its greatness once Ive got a few expansions, or if I ever play teh Overlord game? But as the core box goes not bad.
Overlord is where it shines for me, but you need 6 player minimum
If I ever got this I think I'd immediately add a muligan house rule.
Fun game, just use houseruled for passing (pass get two draws pick one). As in the other games with this system.
GMT Games have the best rulebooks though. Despite being very long. The main issue with "real wargemes" are us "real wargamers"....
The boards look great!
Where do you get the overlord maps cause its very confusing comming in
Most of them are currently OOP, but are due to be reprinted soon.
You can always print them off yourself. If you send me an email I’ll tell you how to do it.
The basic Overlord concept is to take two copies of the game and play massive scenarios with double the units and board. It offers really cool rules for playing with 2-4 players and different card play.
The Overlord expansion is basically a deck of cards that help facilitate this card play aspect. It also has card board counters in case you don't have enough units (but you still need a 2nd board).
The way I solved it was that I had the Winter/Desert board and made that my 2nd board. I used my Pacific and Eastern Front expansions and when I ran out of American pieces, I used Soviet pieces to finish filling out that side. When I ran out of German pieces, I filled the rest out with Japanese pieces.
Eventually, I traded for a second copy of the game.
Later, for whatever reason, they made Overlord maps. It was a double long paper map with the terrain printed on it, double-sided I believe, with two scenarios. I steered clear, because I saw it as a cheap money-grab. I had the terrain tiles, so why do I want a cheap paper map when I don't have plexiglass that long? The base game has an Overlord scenario. The expansions have Overlord scenarios in them. The fans have created plenty of them. There is plenty to keep you busy.
If you can find the Overlord deck of cards and a second copy of the game, it's worth it.
Hope that helps.
I think the main allure of preprinted maps is that it removes the drudgery of tile placement. Very welcome.
The worst thing about memoir 44 is that it is such a fantastic game if you have come to it late people charge scandalous amounts of pounds for the expansions on eBay and the like. Still want the equipment pack but I'm not paying £300+ for it
You’re right...I said in the video we have everything but I realised we don’t have the D-Day map pack as it’s oop and ridiculous price 2nd hand.
Memoir has always suffered from sporadic print runs though. A real shame.
@@BoardGameBollocks There is a copy of the D-DAY MAPS advertised for sale on the MEMOIR '44 MARKET group. You might want to get it there.
You can proxy the miniatures individually from different manufacturers. Just get 1/72 scale for everything INFANTRY from say Caesar Miniatures, Zvezda and get 1/144 scale for ARMOUR and big ARTILLERY.
Ian, do you still need an equipment pack?
I made my own hexes that are larger. I still have more to do, but a 21/2 inch hex is so much nicer!
I would highly recommend battle lore 2nd edition. Same designer. Think memoir 44 but with wizards
Traded that one away. Theme was a bit weird. Prefer this one. Command and Colors is the same game too.
@@BoardGameBollocks Command and Colours has been on my radar for a long time. Surprising you didn't like battlelore. Even if the sword and sorcery theme isn't your thing, the ability to purchase your army is pretty cool option. Great channel btw. Keep up the good work
great voice, perfect background music, content no.1 .. you know what I'd love to see(or my eyes actually:)? 60fps :) sub!
👍
Nice job on this. Memoir is great, and a perfect entry point into war gaming in general and the Commands and Colors system in particular. It certainly was for me. Battle Cry, the other “entry level” C&C game, might be even easier to get into (fewer unit types, exceptions, etc.), although the theme (US Civil War) isn’t as universally appealing as WW2.
Not played command and colours, but obviously memoir is one of our faves.
Well then I’ll just say if you like Memoir, here’s a link to the C&C system overview on BGG: www.boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Command_and_Colors_system# Lots of options there; truly something there for every thematic taste. The most recent release (Medieval) is my favorite, along with BattleLore 2nd Edition, which is fantasy based.
@@richyasi7424 C&C ar egreat games but, i guess one aspect for picking one or the other is the interest you have ni the historical period, and how rich were the military doctrines simulated. Medieval and Napoleonic wars are based on movements, the sole drawback of the C&C serie is that the "stratego like" squares arent that immersive...
Decent review. Already ordered it, but alas it's out of stock so it's a waiting game for me. I nearly bought the Eastern Front and Terrain Pack last night based on one of your other review vids. I figured I should wait until the core game arrives though.
Are you in the US?
@@BoardGameBollocks Nah, Cornwall UK. Zatu games were the cheapest I could find (38 quid), but I only realised it was out of stock after I ordered. Don't drink and buy!
It’s here for a couple of quid more
www.boardgameguru.co.uk/memoir-44-112-p.asp
@@BoardGameBollocks "This title is available for Pre Order. We have an expected restock date, but this is liable to change without notice. If you order this game, along with other instock titles, your order will ship when the Pre order games come into stock.
Available to Pre-Order; Estimated Restock Date: February 2021;" ... Lol. Nearly! I'm guessing everyone will have stock soon then. Cheers anyway.
Always read the small print...crafty bastard innit
@10:23 Brilliant!
thanks for your video :-)
You’re welcome 👍
What I hate is there is not just ONE set of rules in a Nice book, Nicely put together….
True…a compendium would be welcome
My son and I cannot get enough of this game. Just sad when I got mine and it did not have the nice wooden dice. Seems like the versions that were printed later are not of the same quality as the original versions. My rule book has a big stain from printing on one page. Its not a train smash, but not something I expected from a game with this price tag and stature. Days of Wonder should not go cheap like this.
Prob an Asmodee thing when they bought DOW
What he said…! 👍
It's rude to point, geezer. Bosh! Sorted!
Lol 🤣😂
Excellent video, valuable in being thorough, though it fails to bring the title across.
I have to say the look of hexes and plastic tanks felt a bit like Old times of Yore nice for geeky kids to me. Even the name itself references to dark things from dark ages past, best forgotten.
Until, one day -
on a game convention a guy came over with (all long time adults then) a BAG of memoir stuff. I sat down with him, he set up scenario 3 or something from the base book, and immediately I felt like an 8 year old. Fantastic!
Then the gameplay.
The guy was terrible at shuffling, next time he shuffled better, and the game really shone. Would have bought the game right there and then, however the game requires 2 persons to play it. You can pretend to switch sides and stuff, but let's face it, you tried that already with chess and it was lame.
The game needs an AI system.
Nobody has unfortunately created one successfully..
My first approach would be to have the AI do 1 random action at all 3 zones (vs your intelligent play on 1 zone, and AI doesn't have your cards and doesn't care for getting VP per se).
A bunch of cards that write down the order of "first applicable" (shuffle, ideally a few dozen cards) different order on each:
Each card has 2 parts,
* top part indicates the type of unit -> tank | infantry | artillery -> (that's n! combinations, i.e. 6)
* bottom part = the following actions in random order:
| reach VP (tank, infantry)
| eliminate *
| attack nearest
| attack strongest
| advance (tank, infantry)
| retreat (tank, infantry)
| move to cover (tank, infantry)
| toward nearest VP (tank, infantry, artillery)
and so on.
no () means all (tank, infantry, artillery) can do this
* eliminate = target army that has least amount of units on hex. If it can't theoretically the next eligible action is chosen.
advance = move farthest from where you came from, i.e. press on.
Ideally the AI should never be ambiguous and require minimal actions. The above naive approach has the drawback of ambiguity - sometimes there are 2 or 3 hexes equally eligible, and the AI must choose mechanically and tell me what to execute, if I had to choose then it would break the immersion.
nice video, but the background music distracts alot.
Thanks for telling me 4 years later 😂
A hard Nope from me. Very simplistic game with randomness overshadowing strategy all the time. Cards you get are random, three "lanes" mechanic is restrictive in very unrealistic way - with wrong cards half your army might feel useless sometimes. Dice throwing is crucial to game's outcome and leaving player with too little influence over the gameplay. Few and generic types of units that don't reflect any historical units and get boring really quickly with lack of options. Perhaps a good gateway game due to having simple and short rules, but a weak design with unnecessary amount of randomness that doesn't serve any useful purpose.
Mateusz Kotowicz any recommendations on something more in depth but still easy enough for someone new to these games? I wanted to play something like this with my roommates kid. He's about to be 9. I was thinking this or the Steve Jackson game Ogre
@@NerdyDude186 Memoir '44 might actually be perfect for a 9 yo. It's a good entry-level game and most of my criticism is from an experienced player's perspective.
Cards and lanes narrow tactical choices, but it is mostly a good thing in your case - there is just enough strategy to be interesting, but not confusing to a kid. Lack of historical units won't matter unless any of you are WW2 fans. Dice throwing is fun and plastic units feel great.
Ogre is definitely a lot more demanding. Mostly because it's an old game with quirky rules. It's more of an enthusiast collectible than a modern game to be honest. I would definitely go with Memoir 44 between these two.
Mateusz Kotowicz Hmmm we're definitely not ww2 buffs. Idk what it is about the Ogre Designers edition that makes me want it but i want that damn game and the plastic minis too that they sell. He's a pretty bright kid (when he wants to be as most kids are 😂) if he was older I'd get twilight struggle but that's more of a game I'd rather play with someone like my cousin who's 18 and I trust not to cheat and who can actually appreciate what we're simulating.
I actually think i will get memoir '44 and play with him. The thing is if he takes to the rules and we play ad nauseam I'll want to buy something else a little above that any suggestions?
Memoir '44 looks to me like I'll be the one that gets bored after playing it so much. I want something that's semi complicated but has been streamlined enough to pick up in a night lol I like how ogre plays out and I was planning on basically building my own maps and scenarios with the pieces that it comes with. I was actually googling about Advanced Squad Leader and tides of iron. Which are far above him those games would be with my brother cousin and uncle. Assuming I even try to get them to play.
Honestly my roommates kid is smarter than the average kid and something like Memoir 44 might just focus his attention but i think something that's a bit more complicated might be better. Thoughts? Either way I'll be buying Memoir '44 with him in mind.
@@NerdyDude186 I've never heard of Advanced Squad Leader, but I personally dislike Tides of Iron for being too much like these old wargames with lots of charts and hexagon maps. Definitely not a gateway game.
I really like *Neuroshima Hex 3.0* as my quick tactical game of choice. It has easy streamlined rules, but more decision-making depth than Memoir 44 imo. There are four asymmetric factions in the core box and plenty of single army expansions if you like it. It says 2-4 players on the box, but it's definitely a 1v1 game by design. Science-fiction theme is usually a plus with kids.
Disagree strongly... this is not ASL or a deep simulation of WW2 by any means, but it does give a huge dose of fog of war, and the limited options a commander may face. How you plan out your cards in a series of play makes a huge difference in winning or losing the battle. The dice may be perceived as pure luck, but they have the numbers built into them statistically by the faces on each die.. 50% chance of hitting infantry, 33% chance on tanks, about 16% for artillery on each die you roll.... the more one plays the game, the more they will understand this is critical to how you use each type of unit. Infantry in the open are easy pickings for tanks.. hiding in towns or forests, they become much more survivable and harder to kill.... tanks ability for armor overrun shows where they shine in the world of combined arms, creating breakthroughs and causing immense destruction. I've played many amazing players online, and the difference between playing a newbie and an 1600 to 1800 ranked skill player is quite large. I liken it to playing poker... any player could be lucky in the short run... but the best players will win much more on average because they understand the subtleties of the game.
Fix your audio mate!
Sounds alright to me mate...might want to fix your speakers mate!
Can you stop the music while speaking, please?!
This video is 4 years old mate 😂
Should show more board and components, less talking heads
This video is over 3 years old…I think you need to keep up mate.
@@BoardGameBollocks What dies the age of the video have to do with anything?
Maybe we’ve improved in 3 years…you being a dick for the sake of it?