Rorschach

I got the opportunity to play this game several times over and had a blast. The mechanics of the dice rolling is surprisingly well thought out, the tutorial scenarios in the rulebook are quick and easy to follow and the game flows quickly and easily.

Components

The components provided with DDay Dice are very well made. Sturdy double sided boards, cards and custom dice. There are not so many pieces that it will make your head spin but there are more than enough to provide variety to each game and allow a number of people to play comfortably.

Gameplay

One of the greatest aspects of this game is that it can be played just as easily SOLO as it can COOPERATIVELY in a group. You are not playing against one another, you are playing against the game itself. You either all win, or you all lose.

The game itself flows quite easily and with a vast number of “game boards” to choose from with increasing difficulty (from introductory all the way up to insanely difficult) the game will continue to be a challenge as you get better at it. And even then, when it comes to dice rolling games you can only get so good before you have to rely entirely on the dice.

The game comes with a very easy to follow series of tutorials that introduce you to all aspects of the game one at a time. This makes figuring out what everything does and how to use it so simple anyone can learn. It also shows you that you do not need to use every rule in the book to play. You can make the game as simple, or as difficult, as you wish by adding more rules and components to suit your needs.

Overall

D-Day Dice is a well thought out, well executed dice game playable by as little as ONE person or as many as 4. The rules, components and everything in between are well made and look fantastic.

This game is a must have for those looking for a good solo or cooperative game to play that does not take up a huge chunk of time. It makes a great filler game or one that you can play when you have a free 30 minutes to have some fun.

Rules of Engagement, despite being relatively lesser known in the world war 2 miniature gaming realm, is a fantastic way to get into Miniatures.

The rulebook itself is incredibly well designed and laid out. Full color pictures, easy to read charts and an excellent flow.

There are a LOT of rules (as with any complex miniatures game) but to be honest many of them can be completely ignored; and you’ll quickly discover which ones those are! The rules are pretty straight forward though and unlike many other minis games each army is quite similar in stats (some variation, of course) and incredibly well balanced. It includes a full color painting guide for many of the standard armies and a terrain building section to help you get your table looking just right. This is a huge bonus if you ask me.

Included are all of the rules (and then some) required to play the game in a fairly straightforward layout complete with examples, painting guide, terrain tutorials and all of the Army Lists you will need to get up and playing. They also include handy reference charts so you don’t need to flip through the book endlessly.

The army lists can be a bit confusing at first but once you’ve got them figured out they all make sense.

And if you need to buy miniatures, Great Escape Games even sells those. You can get your entire army purchased as a bundle.

Expansions are available to add to the game but aren’t entirely necessary. These bring in more vehicles and armies and additional scenarios to your game.

AA50 has to be the best version of Axis and Allies out there.

Approximately a 6 hour play time, technology options, national objectives, UNIQUE Italy sculpts (infantry and tank), 2-6 players and a great sized game board that might actually fit on your dining room table!

More complex than the 1942/revised/classic editions but smaller and shorter than the newer 1940 edition this one is somewhere in between. Not to mention, it’s probably the most balanced, right out of the box, of all the Axis and Allies games!

Sadly, it was a limited production run and has not been available in stores for nearly 2 years now. If you are lucky enough to find a copy for sale, unopened you’re likely to be paying $300+ for it!

There are, however, many ways to replicate this version of the game. Unofficial maps to be printed out are available, and the rules are posted in pdf format right on Avalon Hills website! All you need to do is get ahold of pieces, and you’re set!