In the past, I've talked about how I was born a bit too late for the wargame fad of the 60's and 70's but my interest in World War II drove a life-long obsession to find the best game in that category. Axis & Allies (and its various permutations) whet my appetite but, in the intervening years, I've also test-driven titles as varied as Blitzkrieg!, Combat Commander: Europe, Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear, Memoir '44 and Tide of Iron.
The latest contender for this prestigious title is the Undaunted series of games. Full disclosure: I actually picked up North Africa first because the sequel boasted more varied game play than Normandy...aaaand I'm also sick and tired of game designers and film-makers trying to convince everyone on the planet that 'Murica single-handedly won World War II all by themselves.
So, what does this one bring to the table? Well, here's the mission briefing straight from the General's bullhorn:
June, 1944. Through the D-Day landings, the Allies have seized a foothold on the beaches of Normandy. Now you must lead your troops forward as you push deeper into France and drive the German forces back. You will face intense resistance, machine gun fire, and mortar bombardment, but a great commander can turn the situation to their advantage!
Undaunted: Normandy is the best-selling World War II deck-building game, placing you and your opponent in command of American or German forces fighting through a series of missions critical to the outcome of the war. Use your cards to seize the initiative, bolster your forces, or control your troops on the battlefield. Strong leadership can turn the tide of battle in your favour, but reckless decisions could prove catastrophic, as every casualty you take removes a card from your deck. Take charge amidst the chaos of battle, hold fast in the face of opposition, and remain undaunted.
Looking for the full campaign battle plan? Then click on the following link to hit the landing beach full-force!
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Undaunted: Normandy Play-Thorough
Scenario 1: La Raye
Round 1
Initiative: The American's start with Initiative. In the first face-off, the U.S. reveals a 5-point Rifleman and the Germans reveal a 1-point Fog of War. Since the Americans played the higher value, they retain the Initiative token. Both cards are then discarded.
The American Platoon Sergeant does a Bolster Action and, since it doesn’t specify a certain unit, he adds a Company-A Rifleman as well as both A and B Scouts from Supply to his discard pile. He then plays the A Scout to...um, Scout, moving the matching token to tile 16B. He adds a Control Marker, binoculars side up, to that tile and also takes a Fog of War card from Supply and adds it to his discard pile. Finally, in an effort to cover the Scout, Rifleman B uses Suppressive fire on his German rival on tile 5B. He needs to roll a Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 2 = 7 and gets a “0” - I.E. a “10” - and the German token is flipped to its “Suppressed” side.
The German player counters with his own Platoon Sergeant, this time using his Command Action to draw 2 more cards! After playing a Rifleman B to shake off that unit's Suppression, he tables a Squad Leader B for his Inspire Action, which let's him pick up and re-play the newly-rallied unit for an Attack on the American A-Scout lurking on 16B. He needs a "10" to hit (Base Defense 5 + Cover Bonus 2 + Range Bonus 3) and, by some miracle, he actually rolls a “10”. As a result, the U.S. player is forced to remove one of his A-Scout cards from his deck and discard it from the game. The German player then drops a Scout B to do a Conceal Action, which lets him take a Fog of War Card from the U.S. supply and add it to their discard pile!
Round 2
Initiative: It’s a 1-value American Fog of War versus a 5-point German Rifleman, so the Germans seize the Initiative.
German Squad Leader A does a Bolster Action, letting him add a Company-A Rifleman and Scout to his discard pile. Next up, he plays a Scout A and B card to Move both of their matching Combat Tokens to tile 8A.
The Americans play their own Scout Leader A, taking a Bolster Action to add a replacement A-Scout and a Rifleman A card to their discard pile. Scout B then does a Recon Action to throw the Fog of War in his hand out of the game. (NOTE: After doing this, you're supposed to draw a replacement card from your deck, which can be played as normal on that same turn!)
Round 3
Initiative: The revealed cards are a 7-point US Squad Leader B versus a 1-point German Fog. The Americans take the Initiative back!
The first U.S. Rifleman A card tabled gets him to tile 2B and a second matching card helps him Control that site! The Americans now hold their first Objective Point! Meanwhile, Scout A considers firing at his rival approaching from the east, but since the odds of rolling a "9" are a bit too remote, he just does a Conceal action, adding a Fog of War card to the German discard pile!
The German Platoon Sergeant Commands for a Rifleman-B card and another Fog of War! Via a Bolster Action, Squad Leader B adds a B-company Scout and Rifleman to the discard pile. Rifleman B then uses a Move Action to join the two Scouts on 8A.
Round 4
Initiative: Both factions reveal a Fog of War. With this tie, the Americans retain the token!
The American Platoon Sergeant Commands for 2 more cards, picking up a Squad Leader-A and a B-Company Scout. Scout B then reaches 13B with a Scout Action, adding a (stage one) Control Token to that space and a Fog of War Card to their discard pile. Rifleman A then uses a Move Action and re-positions to 16B. Squad Leader A then uses an Inspire Action to replay the same Rifleman for a Control Action, securing that tile and their second Objective Point! Finally, Rifleman B uses a Move Action to join the Scout on 13B.
German Rifleman A Moves from 8A and then plays another matching card to fire at Rifleman B, hoping for a kill. He needs to roll Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 1 = 6. He dials up a "4", which is a miss! Scout B also fires at the same target, attempting Suppression this time. He gets a "7", which successfully flips the matching Combat Counter to the "Suppressed" side.
Round 5
Initiative: The Americans reveal a Fog of War while the Germans flip over a B-Scout to take the first turn of the round!
The Germans lead with a Bolster Action from their A-Company Squad Leader. This lets them take two A-Riflemen from their Supply and add them to their discard pile. Scout A fires at Scout B, who's hunkered down on 13B. They need a 7 to hit (Base Defense 5 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 1 = 7) and get a 2. They fire again and get another 2! Both misses!
American Scout A sneaks onto 6A, placing a binocular-side Scout marker down on the tile while adding a pesky Fog of War Card to their discard pile. They then use a Recon action to turf the Fog of War card that's currently in their hand.
Round 6
Initiative: Both factions play a Fog of War so the Germans retain the lead!
Squad Leader B takes the Bolster Action and adds a B-Company Scout and a Rifleman to his discard pile. Rifleman A then fires at Scout B positioned on tile 13B rolls a “10”...a hit! The U.S. player doesn’t have a Scout B card in hand or the discard pile, so he’s forced to remove it from his deck!
The American Platoon Sergeant uses a Command Action to draw 2 more cards, picking up Rifleman A and B cards. He then uses a Rifleman A card to Move onto 6A then plays a Squad Leader A to Inspire, replaying the Rifleman to Control that tile! The Americans now have 4 Objective Points! He then plays a Rifleman B card to rally from Suppression and follows this up with a Rifleman A card, which lets him Move from 6A to 16B.
Round 7
Initiative: Again, 2 Fog of War cards are revealed, leaving the Germans with the first moves of the round!
The Germans play their own Platoon Sergeant for his Command Ability, drawing a B-Company Rifleman and Scout. They play the Scout to enter 13B, also placing a Control Marker (on the stage one / binoculars side up!) and then adding a Fog of War card to their discard pile. Rifleman A then takes a pot-shot at enemy Rifleman B and, with a Base Defense of 4 plus a combined Cover and Range Bonus of 2, the number to hit is "6." He gets a “4”...a miss! The first Rifleman B tabled then Moves his Combat Counter onto 13B and a second matching card lets him fire at his rival. He needs a 5 to hit (+1 Cover , 0 Range and +4 Base Defense) and gets a “3”...another miss!
U.S. Scout A does a Recon Action, eliminating one of the Fog of War cards in his hand from the game.
Round 8
Initiative: Again, 2 Fog of War cards are played, leaving the Germans with the jump on their rivals!
German Scout B attacks American Scout B. He needs a “6” or more and get a “5”...a miss! German Rifleman B shoots at American Scout B and gets a “1”...another miss! Dafuq? Squad Leader B then does an Inspire Action, letting Rifleman B fire again. This time he finally hits with a “10”! Since there isn’t a Scout B card in the American player’s hand or discard pile, he's forced to remove it from his deck!
For the U.S. forces, Squad Leader B adds both a B-Company Rifleman Scout to his discard pile with a Bolster Action. He then uses Rifleman A to fire at German Rifleman B on 13B. He needs a 6 or more to hit (Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range Bonus 1) but scores a “4”... a miss!
Round 9
Initiative: With a face-off between a U.S. Fog of War versus a 7-point German Squad Leader, the Axis retain the Initiative!
German Rifleman B fires at US Scout B. He needs a 6+ to hit (Base Defense 5 + Cover Bonus +1 Range Bonus 0) and rolls an "8"...success! A Scout B card is removed from the American’s draw deck! Sensing a coup de grace, Scout B fires at the same target and gets a “10.” With no other Scout B card to excise from his deck, the American player is forced to remove the Scout B Combat Counter from the board! Finally, the Scout A Rifleman spends his card to Move onto 13B.
After performing a Scout Action to re-enforce 13B, American Scout A then uses a matching card to Attack German Rifleman A. He needs a "5+" to hit (Base Defense 4 + Cover Bonus +1 Range 0) and gets a "3"...a miss! Rifleman A fires from 16B at the same target, adding +1 for Range. He needs a "6+" but gets a "5"...another miss!
Round 10
Initiative: The Germans reveal a Fog of War and the Americans flip a 7-point Squad Leader, so the Yanks take the lead!
The U.S. player leads off with his Platoon Sergeant, drawing another B-Company Rifleman and a Fog of War. Rifleman B targets the German Rifleman A and fires, looking to meet or exceed a Base Defense of 4 + Cover Bonus 1 + Range 0 = 5. They score a "5"...a hit!!! The German player is forced to throw the matching card in hand out of the game! The American player then drops another B-Company Rifleman and targets the same foe, rolling a “6”...another hit! This time the matching card is located in the German discard pile and thrown out of the game! Rifleman A on 16B piles on, shooting at the same target, but he needs a “6” to hit due to his Range of 1. Nevertheless, he gets an “8” for another hit! Yet another matching card is thrown out of the game, this time from the German draw deck!
With that, the Germans are suddenly thrown back on their heels! Only a B-Company Rifleman can return fire, aiming for his American twin. He gets a “7”...a hit, and a matching card is retrieved from the U.S. discard pile and thrown out of the game!
Round 11
Initiative: Both the Americans and the Germans reveal Fog of War cards...so the Americans will kick things off again.
First up, Squad Leader B uses a Bolster Action to add two B-Company Rifleman to his discard pile! Rifleman A then fires at German Rifleman A on 13B and rolls an “8”...a hit! The German player is forced to discard that matching card from his and out of the game!
The German Platoon Sergeant uses a Command action to pull 2 new cards, getting two Scout from A-Company. He then plays an A-Scout card to move onto 13B then plays another card to Attack the American B-Rifleman. He rolls a “2”...a miss! Scout “B” fires at the same target, needing a “5” and rolling a “5.” The U.S. player turfs a matching card out of the game from his discard pile.
Round 12
Initiative: Yet again, the Americans and the Germans both reveal Fog of War cards...so the Americans continue their momentum!
The U.S. plays their Platoon Sergeant to draw two new cards, getting both Squad Leader A and B. The Rifleman-A card Moves his Combat Counter onto 13B and Squad Leader A’s Inspire Action lets him pick-up and replay that same card to Attack German Rifleman A. He gets a “7”...a hit! The German player has no Rifleman A cards left...so the matching Combat Counter is removed from the board! Squad Leader B then Inspires the matching Rifleman to fire on the German B Rifleman...hitting again with a “9.” The German player is forced to select the Rifleman B card in his hand and throw it out of the game! That's another neutered turn!
German Scouts A and B both target U.S. Rifleman B, rolling a “9” and an “8”...both solid hits! Taken aback, the American player is forced to remove 2 of these matching cards from the game!
Round 13
Initiative: With both factions revealing Fog of War cards the Americans go first again.
Given their mediocre draw, the American player uses his Scout to do a Recon Action and discard one of the two (!) Fog of War cards in his hand out of the game!
Meanwhile, German Rifleman B targets the U.S. Rifleman B and hits with an “8.” Since there are no more Rifleman B cards in his deck, that Combat Counter is removed from the board! Scout A then Attacks U.S. Rifleman A, scoring a hit with a “10”, requiring a matching card to be eliminated. Squad Leader A Inspires him to fire again, but this time he misses with a “2.”
Round 14
Initiative: With a 1-point American Fog of War facing off against a 6-point Scout, the Germans take the lead!
German Rifleman B fires at American Rifleman A, scoring a hit with an “8.” This forces the U.S. player to select a matching card from their hand and eliminate it from the game! Squad Leader B lets him replay that same card for another Attack, rolling a “5”,which is just enough to hit. Boom...another matching card is turfed! Scout B piles on, rolling a “6” for a third coordinated strike! Unfortunately, the American player has no more matching cards in their deck, prompting the removal of the Rifleman A Command Counter from the board.
With the loss of his last Rifleman, the American player can no longer Control tiles and is considered to be "Pinned."
The Germans win!
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REVIEW
PROS
- It's pretty! The game's components are all top-notch, particularly the terrain tiles and the cards. The artwork by Roland MacDonald is both striking, evocative and very effective.
- It's fast! Skirmishes can be played out as quickly as 45 minutes. I love how Attacks boil down to the target's Defense, the Cover provided by the tile itself and the Range. Easy-peasy.
- It's tense! As attrition thins your deck out and time begins to run out, things can get pretty desperate. The maps are quite small so every move and die roll feels super- impactful.
- It's varied! The introductory play-through introduces the basics: I.E. Move, Attack, Scout, Bolster, Inspire, Command, Conceal and Recon Actions. Additional cards like the Platoon Guide, Machine Gunners, Snipers and Mortar crews really open the game up by layering on Guide, Stalk and Target Actions. There's also a lot of variety in the twelve different scenarios included in the game. NOTE: North Africa has even more options and the recent Reinforcements release really shakes things up.
- It's strategic! Do you want to race for the Objectives by Suppressing the enemy and Concealing your movements? Or do you want to muscle your way to victory by Bolstering your forces and Controlling every tile as you go?
- It's clever! Even though I can't even remember what I had for lunch, I do like the light card-counting aspects of the game. If you deal damage to your opponent and they neglect to address those losses, you start to sense opportunities to disrupt or even destroy units.
- It's thematic! The deck-building aspects of the game really make you feel like you're rallying your troops. Conversely, it's super-tense to go for a win with a unit that's stretched to the breaking point. I also like how the Fog of War cards make turns less efficient as you spread your forces out or your opponent starts being super-sneaky. You might be tempted to ignore this, but eventually it will bite you in the ass. It's a great example of how a modern game mechanic does a pretty decent job simulating what older games would spend a big chunk of rules trying to do.
- Undaunted is definitely more abstract than a lot of other wargames I've played. Yes, the central conceit of the deck-building mechanic does a pretty decent job replicating battlefield chaos, but it feels very impressionistic compared to Combat Commander's Fate Deck and moving your individual counters around on a hex map.
- As slick as the deck-building mechanic is in simulating the growing effectiveness of a unit, it's also a tad clunky when you experience losses since you have to take a pause the game and root around for the matching card. New players also need to be super careful not to put casualties in your discard pile versus eliminating them from the game.
- Since literally only Riflemen can secure an area, you can still lose the game with a ton of material left on the board.
- Sometimes the win feels like a bit of a random dice-fest.
For its thematic nods, artfully-designed components, entry-point ease and tense, quick game-play, Undaunted: Normandy rates five pips out of six with a mild tilt up.
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