The first board game that I called my own was a war game…well, to be accurate, a war themed game (Escape from Colditz, if you must know). That’s my board game origins story. I’ve played many war games since so perhaps I can offer a valid perspective on Memoir ‘44. It’s a relatively simple game that I enjoy playing with friends and family when we are inclined to play a shortish, light, learn as you go, two-player banterfest.
Memoir ‘44 does ‘simple’ with some style. It’s an ‘Ameritrashy’ dice chucker which looks great on the table, summoning wistful memories of Toy Story soldiers lying scattered over the bedroom floor after yet another chaotic childhood battle. And it can be fun. It generates a certain sweaty excitement because no outcome is certain. There will be cheering and cursing in equal measure as dice are thrown from clammy hands onto the table. Someone is going to be smug and the other someone will want to punch that smirking git in the face.
Memoir ‘44 is an evolution of Richard Borg’s 1999 design Battle Cry. The combination of theme, card management and dice rolling that won Battle Cry plaudits and awards has been refined and adjusted to fit the world of WWII and is Memoir’s super-power, allowing players to run amok across the beaches and fields of Northern France without having to consult voluminous rules folders, navigate labyrinthine sequence of plays or complex Combat Results Tables (yeah, I’m looking at you, Advanced Squad Leader).
However, the combination of single deck card draws and dice rolling is also its greatest weakness. It may increase adrenaline production but Lady Luck might have more of a say in the outcome than you bargained for. In the last game we played, every card Rick drew was a tactic card and he had an 80% hit rate on the dice. My attack was blighted by both his cosmic luck and my dire hand of section cards that allowed only limited activations, mostly on the left flank of the board. Of course this is not how Rick saw the scenario unfold. He attributed his 6-0 medals victory to a combination of his military genius and my rank ineptitude. The only faint pleasure I derived from the whole experience was when he accidentally smeared garlic dip with harissa oil on his ridiculous Christmas jumper. And yes, we are both childish, argumentative, middle class twats.
To be fair, the above is an extreme case. And it’s important to note that Memoir ‘44 does not set out to provide players an in depth simulation of WWII small arms combat a la the aforementioned ASL. In fact, Memoir is one of the most commercially successful games on the market because it allows us to enjoy the thrill of the battlefield from the comfort of our threadbare armchairs while simplifying or dispensing with clunky old war game mechanisms, and any need to employ arithmetic, that would otherwise weigh it down.
Memoir ‘44 is an attractive proposition for newbies and casual gamers who want to romp through late war Normandy, re-telling history Ridley Scott style with like minded friends or older children. And the story telling isn’t limited to France, 1944. Should you so desire there are expansions that will transport you to the baking hot conflicts of North Africa, the cauldron of steel that was Stalingrad, or the very British debacle that was Arnhem.
In summary, if you want to have a fun hour or so, chucking some dice and screaming ‘Die Fritz’, ‘Gott in Himmel’ or some other Commando Book trope, you’re going to like this. If you derive your pleasure from crushing your opponent’s metaphorical nuts then look elsewhere.
Coda: should you be crying out for a similar experience but with a bit more beef on the bones then have a look at Undaunted: Normandy, Combat Commander or the WWII squad level GOAT, Advanced Squad Leader. If you like the sound of the game but WWII is not your era, try Battle Cry or Borg’s Command and Colors (US spelling) series of games.
What you may like:
- Production is very good and imparts a sense of place and time.
- The rule set is well organised and effectively supports the ‘teach’
- The look of irritation on your opponents face as you snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
What you may not like:
- Some scenarios appear to be unbalanced.
- The card draw can limit your options.
- Your opponents smug face as you snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Artwork and components 4/5
Complexity 2/5
Replayability 4/5
Player interaction 5/5
Fun 3.5/5
Thematic 3/5
Overall score 70%
