Great video as always Tom. The thing I love most about Memoir 44 dovetails with your comment on its simplicity: its accessibility for younger players. The base game says ages 8 and up! That's almost unheard of in "major" board games. Being able to play this with my 8-year-old son (we started when he was 7) is such a gift. Keep up the good work!
My games club in Spain is mainly focused on heavy war games Pericles (GMT) / The U.S. Civil War etc and they all really look down on Memoir '44 but I don't care I have another group outside the club that does play Memor '44 frequently.
I find heavy war games scare off most of my game playing friends. Memoir is simple but it does have a tactical element which is created via the cards and the dice. Part of the joy of the game is tactics. Things like slowly building up cards on one flank so that you can then hit that side of the battlefield 3 or 4 times but in order to do this, you have had to do almost nothing for the 3 previous turns and have been playing a defensive game. Your opponent is left wondering if you just have really bad cards OR if you are saving up some really nice ones, which builds up the tension. Dice also create massive tension. You send in a weak unit in a last ditch attempt to take out a bunker, you roll the dice and either your unit is left exposed and weak, or they succeed. Also, many say the randomness of the dice weakens Memoir, but there is still strategy because artillery are harder to kill, as are tanks, whilst infantry are easier to kill, but have more places to hide, which increases their toughness if positioned correctly.
The videos you and Sam have done reviewing the Memoir 44 stuff have been really helpful in us deciding which expansions we wanted first. Would love to see your review of Kalkhin-Gol!
Awesome videos I love this series. Thanks Tom! I sadly have not yet picked up Memoir '44 but darn it I am getting this game one way or another soon. ;) I have seen Sam's views on this also, and I can't wait to play it.
In general I don't care for war games, but this game is pretty good. It isn't on my top 100, but is on my top ten 2 player games. I am willing to play this 2-3 times a year.
I have played it solo numerous times, without the variant. You still get the strategy and thinking needed to "win" a scenario, and you get a certain feel for war. (The miniatures and board with an endless possibility of scenarios are excellent). (To me, it can be like playing "Saving Private Ryan": the board game.) It contains actual battles and campaigns from the war. Some of the "not knowing what the other player is doing" is lost, but you still get a strategic, thoughtful, and thematically rich experience.
There are numerous solo variants. I like Felbrigg's version, which is nice and simple. You draw cards as you usually would, whilst the enemy draws cards like so: If enemy has 3-4 cards , draw 2 cards, choose 1 and discard the other EVERY turn. If the enemy draws 5-6 cards, draw 3 cards, choose 1 and discard 2 EVERY turn, etc. Weirdly, this just seems to work and makes the game very fair. Everything else is done as you would usually do it rules-wise. I play more solo than player vs player and as long as you play each faction to the best of their ability, you find each move challenging when playing solo because the dice randomise the outcome and constantly change what you plan to do.
I want to love Memoir. I like it. It's a good game. I just can't get past the luck elements. The tactics required to play Memoir are very basic. It often feels like both players know exactly what we want to happen, but one player ends up getting _significantly_ luckier than the other in about half the games, and it makes things feel really more like a coin flip. One idea I read was to eliminate section requirements from the green cards. Makes bad cards decent and good cards stay good.
Play fanmade scenarios, better than the official ones ! (If luck was the only criteria to winning in this game, we wouldn't see the same players as the top of tournaments rankings..)
I agree its good but I really hate the storage system and the expansions they sold seperatly while they could really just have fitted in one big box just like axis and allies. They did that for cash grabbing obviously but it really ruin the setup time and makes me wonder if I want to keep that game. Also, the American in Europe is not my favorite scenario either like someone else stated before : the Russian frontline was much more important and the Pacific is a good one too and the Mediterrean theater. I hope they would have emphasized on those.
A bit late to this, but lots of scenarios in the base game involve british troops. You also have the Pacific and Eastern Front expansions. Half the map packs focus on those conflicts, too.
"Why I love" is my favourite series so far. Keep up the great work Tom!
Great video as always Tom. The thing I love most about Memoir 44 dovetails with your comment on its simplicity: its accessibility for younger players. The base game says ages 8 and up! That's almost unheard of in "major" board games. Being able to play this with my 8-year-old son (we started when he was 7) is such a gift.
Keep up the good work!
My games club in Spain is mainly focused on heavy war games Pericles (GMT) / The U.S. Civil War etc and they all really look down on Memoir '44 but I don't care I have another group outside the club that does play Memor '44 frequently.
I find heavy war games scare off most of my game playing friends. Memoir is simple but it does have a tactical element which is created via the cards and the dice. Part of the joy of the game is tactics. Things like slowly building up cards on one flank so that you can then hit that side of the battlefield 3 or 4 times but in order to do this, you have had to do almost nothing for the 3 previous turns and have been playing a defensive game. Your opponent is left wondering if you just have really bad cards OR if you are saving up some really nice ones, which builds up the tension.
Dice also create massive tension. You send in a weak unit in a last ditch attempt to take out a bunker, you roll the dice and either your unit is left exposed and weak, or they succeed. Also, many say the randomness of the dice weakens Memoir, but there is still strategy because artillery are harder to kill, as are tanks, whilst infantry are easier to kill, but have more places to hide, which increases their toughness if positioned correctly.
The videos you and Sam have done reviewing the Memoir 44 stuff have been really helpful in us deciding which expansions we wanted first. Would love to see your review of Kalkhin-Gol!
Awesome videos I love this series. Thanks Tom! I sadly have not yet picked up Memoir '44 but darn it I am getting this game one way or another soon. ;) I have seen Sam's views on this also, and I can't wait to play it.
Totally agree. Just got Memoir and because of it's simple rules it is great to play solo
Love all the photos on this one.
This video convinced me to buy it. I'm really excited to test it with someone.
How did it go? I recently tried it as well and its super fun.
In general I don't care for war games, but this game is pretty good. It isn't on my top 100, but is on my top ten 2 player games. I am willing to play this 2-3 times a year.
I see there is a solo variant on Board Game Geek. Anyone have experience playing solo, and if so is it any good? Thanks
I have played it solo numerous times, without the variant. You still get the strategy and thinking needed to "win" a scenario, and you get a certain feel for war. (The miniatures and board with an endless possibility of scenarios are excellent). (To me, it can be like playing "Saving Private Ryan": the board game.) It contains actual battles and campaigns from the war. Some of the "not knowing what the other player is doing" is lost, but you still get a strategic, thoughtful, and thematically rich experience.
There are numerous solo variants. I like Felbrigg's version, which is nice and simple. You draw cards as you usually would, whilst the enemy draws cards like so: If enemy has 3-4 cards , draw 2 cards, choose 1 and discard the other EVERY turn. If the enemy draws 5-6 cards, draw 3 cards, choose 1 and discard 2 EVERY turn, etc. Weirdly, this just seems to work and makes the game very fair. Everything else is done as you would usually do it rules-wise. I play more solo than player vs player and as long as you play each faction to the best of their ability, you find each move challenging when playing solo because the dice randomise the outcome and constantly change what you plan to do.
so sad to have to play this game solo
Fuck that movie
This game is so damn cool. My favorite. Overlord sounds so fun.
Little Green Army Men the Game, love it
Nice video Tom!
You meant Battlecry?
Pesky blowfish you mean Battlelore?
Army Men + Structured Rules + Depression = awesome Army Men game for adults
Awesome game for me
I want to love Memoir. I like it. It's a good game. I just can't get past the luck elements. The tactics required to play Memoir are very basic. It often feels like both players know exactly what we want to happen, but one player ends up getting _significantly_ luckier than the other in about half the games, and it makes things feel really more like a coin flip.
One idea I read was to eliminate section requirements from the green cards. Makes bad cards decent and good cards stay good.
Play fanmade scenarios, better than the official ones ! (If luck was the only criteria to winning in this game, we wouldn't see the same players as the top of tournaments rankings..)
I agree its good but I really hate the storage system and the expansions they sold seperatly while they could really just have fitted in one big box just like axis and allies. They did that for cash grabbing obviously but it really ruin the setup time and makes me wonder if I want to keep that game. Also, the American in Europe is not my favorite scenario either like someone else stated before : the Russian frontline was much more important and the Pacific is a good one too and the Mediterrean theater. I hope they would have emphasized on those.
A bit late to this, but lots of scenarios in the base game involve british troops. You also have the Pacific and Eastern Front expansions. Half the map packs focus on those conflicts, too.
There's an R in memoir....
ok very short
REPRINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And then you find yourself painting those little green men.
You shouldn't use map hacks! Oh...map packs :)
Makes me sad fot Battlelore :(
I remember the armyman looking for mines. I didn't like him.
Tom Vassal is a warmonger confirmed.
😂😂😂😂😂😂