World War II

Memoir '44

Memoir '44 is a historical boardgame where players face-off in stylized battles of some of the most famous historic battles of World War II including Omaha Beach, Pegasus Bridge, Operation Cobra and the Ardennes.

Memoir '44 includes over 15 different battle scenarios and features a double-sided hex game board for both beach landings and countryside combat. Each scenario mimics the historical terrain, troop placements and objectives of each army. Commanders deploy troops through Command and Tactic cards, applying the unique skills of his units -- infantry, paratrooper, tank, artillery, and even resistance fighters -- to their greatest strength.

"By design, the game is not overly complex", says Memoir '44 designer, Richard Borg. "The game mechanics, although simple, still require strategic card play, timely dice rolling and an aggressive yet flexible battle plan to achieve victory." In addition to the large, double-sided gameboard, Memoir '44 includes 144 amazingly detailed army miniatures - including historically accurate infantry, tanks and artillery; 36 Obstacle pieces, 60 illustrated Command cards, 44 Special Terrain tiles, and 8 Custom Wooden dice.

Memoir '44 is designed for 2 players but easily accommodates team play. And with Memoir '44 Overlord scenarios, players can use multiple boards and up to 8 players to conduct large scale operations, experiencing the challenges of troop coordination and military chain of command on a large scale battlefield. Average game length is between 30 and 60 minutes, encouraging match play where players can command first one side and then the other.

The Memoir '44 series consists of the base game and a number of expansions.

This game is based upon Richard Borg's Command and Colors system.

Duel in the Dark

From the publisher's website:

World War 2 air combat game depicting the nighttime air raids of British bombers hitting German cities.

As the head of the British Bomber Command, you plan the attacks on Germany in order to undermine the morale of the civilian population. Or as a General of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), you defend using your ace squadrons and organizing an effective civil defense.

The gameboard enables you to set up countless variations of these historic events. You play as many nights as you wish - each night takes 30-45 minutes to resolve.

Immerse yourself in the strategic and tactical thinking needed to survive in those dark times.

Gameplay allows for easy entry into the action with some advanced rules for the hearty wargamer. The game rules include weather conditions, full moon/new moon bonuses and penalties, clouds and thunderclouds, fog, flak, searchlights, balloon barriers, target markers, and much more.

The British player secretly plots the course of the bomber while the Mosquito acts as escort or decoy. The German player tries to figure out where the bomber is going, making sure to efficiently use the fuel to get as many hits on the bomber as possible.

Expanded by:

Duel in the Dark: Ju88 Night Fighter
Duel in the Dark: Railroad Flak
Duel in the Dark: Acoustic Mirror
Duel in the Dark: Quad Flak
Duel in the Dark: Skilled Gun Crew
Duel in the Dark: The Walls Have Ears
Duel in the Dark: 3-5 Player Variant
Duel in the Dark: British 3.7in QF Anti-Aircraft Gun
Duel in the Dark: British Searchlight
Duel in the Dark: Early Nights
Duel in the Dark: Baby Blitz
Duel in the Dark: V1-Bunker

Home Page: http://www.duelinthedark.com/

Dust Tactics

The year is 1947. Throughout the world, three major superpowers fight to claim exclusive control over a revolutionary source of power: Vk. Elite troops and massive combat robots wage violent battles to control these energy reservoirs...

Dust Tactics is a tactical miniatures board game for 2-4 players. In an alternate 1940s reality, alien technology fuels gigantic machines of war as the forces of the Axis and Allies clash over rare mineral deposits that could inevitably decide the outcome of the war. With over 30 highly detailed miniatures, nine double-sided terrain boards, 12 custom dice, unit cards, terrain, and plastic scenery, Dust Tactics delivers everything you need to wage battles in the immersive world of Dust.

A deep and engaging game setting, featuring stunning artwork by Paolo Parente, will draw players into a world desperately at war... and the highly detailed miniatures only add to this immersion. Eight included scenarios and nearly limitless customization ensures hundreds of hours of replayability, while scalable rules offer a satisfying experience for players of all levels.

• Over 30 highly detailed miniatures
• Nine double-sided boards to customize your own battle
• A deep and engaging setting
• A battle book including eight unique scenarios
• Quick-start rules to get into the action quickly

Axis & Allies: 1942

Game description from the publisher:

It's Spring 1942, and the world is at war. Five major powers struggle for supremacy: Germany and Japan are aligned against the great alliance of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States.

Designed for 2-5 players, Axis & Allies: 1942 takes place at the historical high-water mark of Axis expansion. Controlling one of the Axis or Allied powers, players command both their country's military forces and its war-time economy, with the chance to plan attacks, marshal forces into embattled territories, and resolve conflicts. Victory will go to the side that conquers its opponents on the field of battle and liberates or occupies the greatest cities of the world. Change the course of history in a few short hours!

•••

The second edition of Axis & Allies: 1942 features an expanded game board (40"x26"), a change to the unit set-up, five new sculpts (UK artillery, submarine & destroyer units; German artillery; a Russian submarine; and antiaircraft artillery), and a few rules changes, e.g., AA-Guns have been replaced by AAA Guns, ICs have integrated air defense against strategic bombing raids, and Honolulu is now a victory city.

FAB: Sicily

From GMT's web site:

The Fast Action Battle (FAB) games, designed by Rick Young (Europe Engulfed, Asia Engulfed, and FAB: The Bulge), takes you to the Allied invasion of Sicily for volume II of the series.

As the Allied player, you will choose your invasion beaches after seeing where the Axis player has deployed his units. Do you choose Montgomery’s historical ‘Husky’ plan, Patton’s alternate plan, or a hybrid plan of your own?

In this game you will find a few new unit and asset types, and also new challenges for both sides. For the attacker, the challenge is the tough Sicilian terrain; and for the defenders, it’s the worsening Italian morale.

Each victory area and functioning port that the Allies secure adds a ‘Fading Italian Morale’ Event Chit into the selection cup, and as each of those are drawn, worsening effects on Italian units are felt along the entire front.

If one side has not secured an automatic victory by the end of turn 9, the Axis player receives bonuses, both for German units that have exited off the island through Messina and also for areas on Sicily that are still Axis-controlled, so there is pressure on both sides to fight for every area.

Event Chits include:

Replacements
Fading Italian Morale,
the Patton Soldier Slap, and
flanking battalion-sized invasions.