Customer Reviews

Axis & Allies D-Day

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My friends and I are big fans of the original 5 armies Axis & Allies game. However, the game needs at least 4 people to be truely interesting, and takes us more than 6 hr.s to play! That's why we found A&A D-Day as a great substitute. Not only is this 2-3 players, (three preferred) but it can also be done in under 3 hrs.
The game's arguements between the partnered British and Americans are hillarious for the Germans to watch, as they debate over strategies and how to allocate their fighters on straffing runs. Allies use their 8 fighters, 2 bombers, 6 bombarding destroyers, 1'st round 9 paratroopers, and 5 landing zones (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword to try and secure the 3 key cities of Normandy by turn 10.
The Germans, must delay the beach landings with their 11 block houses firing at sea, quickly rally to hold the cities, bring re-inforcements to the front while avoiding allied air power, and defend down to the last man if neccessary until time runs out.
It of course still takes strategy and good die rolls to win as either side. But with the allied edge on having fighters and bombers; and the Germans having supperior ground forces, like the Panzer tanks superior deffense compared to the wimpy Shermans, it promises to be fun for both sides.
But most importantly time! The game is turn based by the use of 16 "order cards" each round. The objective? to hold the 3 key cities by turn 10... if not, the world might be speaking german!
For added fun I say add both decks of optional "tactical" and "fortune" cards (included). It'll take a little longer to play, but the 16 tactical cards add a strategic/stronger edge. And my favorite the fortune cards: roll 2-5, nothing. 1 a blast of superior fire power. 6, well don't roll 6's unless you wanna help out your enemy. Regarless, everytime the die spins for fortune cards you can't help but move to the edge of your seat in anticipation, like rolling for technology in the original. game.

The old Avalon Hill company produced serious war college type recreations of famous battles. The problem was that they were sold only in limited hobby store outlets and featured 60 page rulebooks in some cases. This update by Hasbro is simplistic, entertaining, is somewhat luck dependent and has flashy plastic pieces of Panther tanks, "88's", Sherman tanks and P-38's but after many plays has been found to be favoring the Germans due to the victory conditions. The Allies are required to occupy 3 essential areas in a time limit game and generally take 2 of the three but the third is always contested due to the closeness of reinforcement areas for the Germans. The Allies have a hard time at Omaha and in several games one whole army was completely defeated (British or American) leaving the other to travel across France to fight out the remaining days. Competent play for the German is to remain calm and not rush in to fight the Allies where they are strongest (the beacheads) but to hold reserves until later and then contest the victory areas and those immediately around them. The Allies can only win by cutting off the German reinforcements with lucky air power and bombing hits and using troops to isolate the victory areas from a German counterattack, which is very hard to do. Still, this game is based on the very popular Axis & Allies system and it has a following but truthfully the world lost a beacon of hope when Avalon Hill was bought out and plundered by the Giant game company, who really does not understand what a wargame is or what it is about and thinks that any game that lasts more than 20 minutes is not a game at all. If you like plastic pieces of WW 2 weapons and don't mind a game that resembles "RISK" in luck method, you will enjoy this game despite the circumstances. If you are a serious wargamer, you will find better Hasbro titles under "History of the World","Diplomacy" and "Acquire".

Excellent for solitaire or two people. This means you can still have fun recreating an important part of WWII without needing several people and days to play. Extra care seems to have been taken in historical accuracy. The only drawback is the exactness of the number of pieces that were provided. If you lose a German blockhouse piece you do not have any spares. Also the card-based turns can make for a slightly different feel than normal A&A.

When I first saw the turn cards, I was skeptical, but after using them in a few games, I now appreciate their use to guide a complex turn sequence. They mark out a 16-step turn that accurately reflects the Allied air and sea supremacy while keeping play moving quickly. After a while you don't even need the cards as you have gotten familiar with the sequence.

I also think the German advantage is a bit overstated. Yes, the Germans only need to hold 1 city & have more Tanks, Infantry & Artillery. However, the Allies have Air & Naval support which balance out the game. In fact, in the few games I've played, the Germans are considerably outnumbered in troops near the end of the game. That's probably necessary for the Allies to actually take control of the cities. A cohesive strategy is necessary for an Allied victory. But, nothing but a total victory is good enough for the Allies. It's a challenge.

Here are some of the strategies I've picked up on so far:

Allies:
1) Hold back your US tanks at the beginning of the game until you've cleared the German Blockhouses. Defeat them first with your Naval bombardment, then move the US tanks in.

2) Attack the Blockhouses on the UK Beaches first because some of the UK tanks start out deployed. They are vulnerable to targeted attacks from the blockhouses. Saving your Armored tanks is key for the Allies.

3) Fighters - In the beginning of the game, deploy your fighters in the German reinforcement entry points. Then, after you've lost a few fighters and your invasion forces are surrounding the cities, move them into the victory cities or try to create a wall around the victory cities.
You can Strafe a lot of Germans this way.

3) Bombers - If you can pick off an unprotected tank, that is better than moving into one with 4 artillery in which you can get shot down.

4) Don't over commit your US forces at Cherbourgh. It's too far away from the Germans reinforcement points for them to properly defend. You have to judge the least amount of troops that will capture the City and route the rest to St Lo; which will be heavily fortified.

Axis:
1) Deploy 2 or 3 Artillery in each reinforcement point you plan on making entry. This will keep the fighters from straffing (for free). At least you might take some of the fighters with you. You must neutralize the Allied Air Power advantage. Your Artillery are very important and they should be placed in each zone connected to your route to the victory cities.

2) Protect your tanks. When deploying tanks, give them cover with Artillery. A good group of 8 is 2 Tanks, 3 Artillery & 3 Infantry. Infantry are best used for defense and cannon fodder. Since you get to choose which units are casualties, never have 5 Tanks or Artillery in a zone without some Infantry (to take the damage).

It takes 3 hours to play. A definite plus over some of the other versions.

I really enjoyed this game...I didn't think it was heavily favored for the Germans at all. I have only played it once so far but the Americans won (on the last turn) and the gentleman I was playing against was a more experienced gamer than I am.
The system is great and obviously anything is possible when you are rolling die. We decided to play without the fate cards for the first time so we would not have to worry about one side getting unlucky somewhere but we will definitely use them in the future.

Overall I thought this game was awsome and didn't take forever either.

This isn't your typical Axis and Allies game. It uses similar component's regarding the board and pieces and the combat system is familiar but diffrent in many ways, but the production phase is skipped altogether and you receive random reinforcements in its place.

Historic detail is nice. Most places of importance of the Normandy Campaign are on the map and the military units are named on the reinforcement boards so you get to know what you play with.

The problem is with the game itself. There is very little room for tactical play and basically it is a meatgrinder of dice throwing. This maybe fun a couple of times but after that you will not be playing the game that much.

I have the feeling that this game was rushed in the 60 year anniversary of D-Day and could have done with a little more playtesting.

It's like chess but with army men and tanks. I play with my son and he loves it. It does take 2 to 4 hours to play; so make sure you have time.

This game is a very good game. It is very fun AFTER you learn how to play it. Im a boy and a kid. Everybody who knows me says im extremly smart (im not that sure about it...) but i couldnt rapp my brain around those directions! who ever made it was a good game maker but terrible instructure. so seek parentle gidence. its very durible and keep in mind dont let small kids around they could very easily be lost when playing with them.It also takes a Long time to se up like 15 minuts! And the game itself is like 2 to 3 hours long! it is very fun (and thoe being myself an allie) i personly like being the germans. Im a huge fan of WWII so i like it and i LOVE LOVE LOVE the normale computer game. so personly i sugest getting this game.

This game leaves little to the imagination. Unlike the other versions of A&A I've played, this one gives no room for any kind of strategy to the players. Bottom line, this game is not worth forty dollars. If you are going to spend money on an Axis and Allies game, buy either the World Version or Pacific.

Any Wargame tha depends on the roll of the dice more then your tactics and strategies is not a real wargame. it's fun but, if your looking for strategic reality this isn't it. It's a strict reenactment of the real landing. It provides no room for imporvisation by either side.