Memoir ’44 brings history to life on your tabletop. Players take the reins of either the Allied or the Axis forces and fight scenarios based on actual battles of World War II. This concept, while not new, has never been presented in a way that is so fun and so accessible to any level of gamer. Why? Because it’s not a wargame; it’s a board game about war…
Yep, I can’t two player a game without it being my wife and this isn’t our kind of game.
I really like this game. The only drawback is that most of it is only playable by two players. I have played it a lot with friends, but these days we rather play games that allow more people at the table. Still, we probably get back to Memoir ’44 in the future!
This is a great system. Richard has used this for many themes the newest of which is Abaddon.
This does sound intriguing; excellent review. BattleLore sounds like it might be more my style/flavour, though.
This is one of my favorite games, partly because I’ve been fascinated with WWII, and this doesn’t take hours upon hours to play one battle. Besides, plastic army were begging for a game to be made for them.
@Milhouse,
careful, just because it’s been around a long time doesn’t mean its decent. I’ve gotten burned a few times on that logic. 😉
Heh, I look at my Heroscape bins or my SW:CCG, DBZ:CCG, B5:CCG, VS:TCG boxes and know that spending that kind of money on games isn’t outside of my realm of possibility. It’s just that now I have to be much more selective about where I spend that kind of money and spending it on a “try me out” game doesn’t seem too appealing. I do wonder if the game store I hit every couple of months has a copy to try out. hmmm, time to send some emails.
Sadly, I have thrown down a hundred bucks on a single board game. But it was worth it! (Space Hulk 3rd Edition)
@Jim
That sounds great, but Battlelore looks like it runs about $100 on Amazon and just as much if not more on ebay. That’s crazy! I hope FFG decides to reprint this game, I can’t throw down $100 on a board game. 🙁
As well as BattleLore, Battles of Westeros is another game with a fantasy theme and gameplay based on the Memoir’44 and BattleLore mechanic. I’d highly recommend it to any fantasy/AGoT fans!
If this game seems appealing, but you’re more into fantasy than WWII, BattleLore is your answer!
I’m not a war history buff, but I’m a big fantasy fan. BattleLore came after Memoir ’44 and has the same designer Richard Borg, so it uses similar mechanics but also builds on them. It’s also a great way to go if you want to introduce someone to the very basics of table top play.
Great review, it’s got me intrigued. Need to look into getting this one soon. Might be a game I can play with my dad too.
Granny: Maybe “classic” was a little much; I’ve played it since it was released and always came back to.
Millhouse & dylanreid: Definitely try it! I have played dozens of games of this with my wife and haven’t gotten tired yet.
I do a lot of gaming through the week only with my gf. Ive looked at this game a few times for us because I know it has been around so long, it must be decent. But its hard for me to pull the trigger on a two player game. Thanks for the review, it should help me understand it more.
Memoir ’44 is one of those games that just sort of hangs around. I wouldn’t say it’s a “classic,” but it is a solid game with staying power. It can get you started into war-gaming without all those scary chits…
I grew up playing a lot of Axis & Allies and after awhile I decided war games weren’t for me – this “board game about war” sounds like it would totally be worth a try though..