Review: Undaunted: Normandy

 

 

 

Deck-building is one of the greatest innovations in family games in the last twenty years. Dominion is a staple for the wife and me, as well as the broader family.* Other games have gone with this model with varying degrees of success. I’m not here to talk about those.

I’ve had some experience in conflict simulation games using a deck-building mechanic with Time of Crisis (GMT Games, When I first heard about Undaunted: Normandy (Osprey Games, 2019), I was conflicted. I’m a big fan of Osprey – both their books (not cheap but, in my experience, good value every time), and more recently, their games (both board games and RPGs – but I’m not here to talk about those). Osprey have consistently produced thoughtful, well-designed, and very well produced games, since Osprey Games became a thing. So, when I heard the company was bringing out a deck-building wargame, I didn’t know what to think. I leant into, “It might be interesting, but do I really need another D-Day game?”**

Try as I might, I couldn’t see how a deck-building game could bring to the table the visceral tension of squad-level combat, like Band of Brothers: Screaming Eagles (Worthington Publishing, 2011), Conflict of Heroes (Academy Games, 2008), or The Last Hundred Yards (GMT Games, 2019). Even learning it was a David Thompson / Trevor Benjamin co-design wasn’t enough to shift me on it. Even the ridiculously good price of the game (under $50 in Australia if you shopped around), wasn’t quite enough to make me budge (nearly, though).

What did it was two things. Firstly, the release of Undaunted: North Africa (Osprey, 2020). I’d just read Gavin Mortimer’s The Men Who Made the SAS: the history of the Long Range Desert Group (Constable, 2015), and the chance to game-out some of the incidents described in that book proved too great to resist. Still, I would have been happy to stick to just the North Africa game, were it not for the promise of Undaunted: Reinforcements (Osprey Games, 2021), the third release in the series. While not a game in itself, Reinforcements brings new scenarios and a solitaire gaming option for both Normandy and North Africa, as well as vehicles for Normandy (absent from the original game).

One of the selling points of Undaunted: Reinforcements was that the slightly deeper box was designed to house not only the new materials for the two games, but also all the components from the two previous titles. I have more than a little of the completist instinct, so this made the purchase of Undaunted: Normandy unavoidable and inevitable.

In this review. I’ll be sticking to Undaunted: Normandy; I’ll probably get to the other games in the series in due course, but Normandy is the one that started it all, so it makes sense to begin here.

Neat and tidy.

 

Appearance

The first thing you notice when you open the box is how well everything fits. Actually, the first thing I noticed was that the box was smaller than what is generally considered “standard” in wargames (the Compass/GMT-sized box designed to accommodate letter-sized print, or the closer to foolscap-accommodating boxes of European publishers like Hexasim and Nuts!). Osprey put a lot of thought into both the physical design and the packaging of all their games, and this is evident in the details. The box has been designed to fit the game*, rather than the other way around. A plastic blister insert accommodates the map tiles, counters, cards, and dice, with a recess at the top for the two booklets (rules and scenarios). Because there are two sets of cards in the one recess, a cardboard card the same weight as the map tiles is provided as a divider to separate the decks.

Sample scenario.

The components are all quality stuff. The cards are on good card stock, the map tiles are nice and thick, double sided, and well-produced, even the black ten-sided dice feel nice to use (although from my rolls, I must check periodically that they still have faces above a 6). Undaunted: Normandy is rules-light. That’s not to say it’s an easy game. I think someone coming to it without a wargaming background might have an easier time of it in some ways, but more on that later. The rulebook is easy to navigate, with clear examples and helpful illustrations. They are an exercise in economy of words, and for the most part they work well. The scenario book, too, is clear and well-presented; each scenario has a list of the tiles needed (in numerical order) and a map-illustration of how to configure them. Each scenario also has a complete list of the component cards for each side, with circles indicating which unit cards and how many of them will be required for that set-up; one or more of these circles will be filled in – these indicate the cards that make up that side’s starting deck.

Scenario map sample (note the tile list at the bottom).

Each scenario also includes a map of how to lay out the files, and a list of the tiles running along the bottom of the page with the ones you’ll need for that scenario highlighted in bold type (a nod to obsessives like me who sort the tiles into ascending order before putting them away).

Set-up for solo playthrough of Scenario 8: Battle for Tessy-sur-Vire

I should also note the illustrative work in the game. All the art in Undaunted: Normandy was created by Roland MacDonald, map tiles, card and counter graphics, cover illustration, the lot. It’s interesting work; simple without looking cartoony (like, say, Heroes of Normandie). The characters represented capture types we’re all familiar with, the hard-bitten sergeant, the G.I.s there to do a job and try to make it home again, the truculent German soldiers and their urbane officers. Even within the sets of unit cards, every character is different, with a different name, and each bears an expression of grim determination. When a unit suffers attrition, it feels like you’re losing a soldier, not just a strength factor. In short, the art really helps the story of the scenarios come to life, and it has informed the whole series. The tiles are where the story unfolds, and these are gorgeous as well. The forests, fields, towns, farmhouses, and bocage all have an element of realism while still maintaining the quality of artistry. The greens are lush, the rivers are convincing, the buildings look like French farmers may be hiding their families in the cellars. And casting back to the quality of the components, the tiles all match up together beautifully; there is no jarring sense of shifting from one terrain-type to the next – everything it seamless. And while no roads appear on the tiles, the river segments match up perfectly. That speaks to the eye for detail that’s been applied to the production of Undaunted: Normandy.

 

Play

The basic format of Undaunted: Normandy should be familiar to anyone who has played a tactical simulation game, from original Squad Leader (Avalon Hill, 1977) on up. It has a geomorphic play area, units in play represented by cardboard tokens, and a set or parameters for victory, usually the seizure and holding of one location or a few separate locations. The first variation from this theme is the fact that instead of placing a few map-sections together, you will create the whole play area from the map tiles. Each map tile is a location, and most units can only move one tile per activation. The map tiles are staggered, so they behave like hexes; from a tile in the centre, it’s possible to move in six different directions to another tile.

The unit tiles are forgivingly large, with clearly readable information. Each tile is double-sided, so each side is discretely marked in the bottom right-hand corner with the tile number and an A or B, and a shield bottom-centre with a number. This number details the cover value of the tile (more on this in a minute). Each unit is represented by a round token with some details on it about the type of unit (Rifleman, Scout, Sniper), the section to which it’s attached (A, B, or C), and its base defence number (4 for Riflemen and Machine Gun crews, 7 for Snipers). These units are also represented by cards. Initially, you’ll have starting deck one card for each of your units starting on the board. The unit cards tell you what orders you can give that unit by using that card, and these, along with some support cards (officers who allow you to draw or activate cards from your draw decks) and a couple of Fog of War cards that represent the confusion of a dynamic combat situation, limiting your tactical options even further.

The cards are the engine of the game; they offer the player limited tactical options and, consequently, difficult decision-points with each hand. With every round, each player draws four cards, then immediately chooses one of the cards in their hand to bid for initiative that turn (using the value marked in the top-left hand corner of the card). If both players bid the same value, Initiative remains with whoever held it the previous round. The bidding card is sacrificed; you don’t get to use that until it comes up again in the next deck cycle. That’s your first difficult choice, and you must make that choice on every draw. Whoever wins or retains the Initiative goes first for the round, using each of their cards to their best advantage. When they have used all their cards, the other player uses their three remaining cards. The unit cards allow you to perform one of a selection of actions printed on the card. This will usually include moving, shooting at an enemy unit, or some specialised task associated with the unit in question. The goal in a scenario may be to capture (control) selected positions (such as the two bridges crossing the Vere River in Scenario 6), or some of a selection of positions adding up to a points-total (such as a controlling a selection of 1- and 2-point positions on the play area adding to a value 6 points total in the introductory scenario). Riflemen are the only units on the board who can Control (secure) a position (game tile), but they cannot go just anywhere; the area must be scouted first, and the only unit that can pave the way for the Riflemen and other units are Scouts. Scouts can also remove a Fog of War card from the player’s hand (Recon), or add a new Fog of War card to the opponent’s discards (Evade). Other units have various specialised skills; e.g., Machine Gunners can lay suppression fire on a unit (Suppress), which, if successful, flips that enemy unit’s counter over to its suppressed side. Your opponent will now need to spend the next card he draws for that unit to flip it back to active before it can undertake any more orders, buying you time to get one of your units into place for the next stage of the operation.

The fact that each unit has a discrete set of functions forces the player to consider all the units at their disposal as parts of a cohesive, organic structure. You can’t neglect any part or your force development; some units are more crucial than others, but every part plays a role in the mission.

Other cards will allow you to draw cards from the selection of cards not yet incorporated into your deck (Bolster), activate a single card to use immediately (Inspire), or draw two more cards from your draw-deck to play this turn (Command).

There are two ways of winning a scenario in Undaunted: Normandy (although in some scenarios the second way to win is actually the first way); achieve the victory conditions as detailed in the scenario (usually gaining control of a location or locations on the board) or making it impossible for your opponent to complete their objective by destroying their Rifleman units. Nearly all units have the ability to attack other units, sometimes (Snipers, Mortars) with more than one dice.

To try to hit an enemy unit, you check the number in the shield at the bottom at the bottom of the unit’s token. That’s their base protection. To this number you add the number of tiles distance, and the ambient protection offered by the terrain they’re located in (e.g., your Scout is taking a shot at an enemy Rifleman unit, who are located in a field hedged with bocage two tiles distant; the Rifleman’s native protection is 4, plus 2 for the distance, and an extra 1 for the cover of the bocage – 7 in total, so the Scout will need to roll an 8 or higher to hit). A successful hit will remove one of the unit’s cards from the play-deck; the owning player will first check their hand, then their discards, then the draw deck. That card is removed from play. When all the cards are discarded, the unit comes off the board.

This sounds like a lot of fuss, and I’m not sure I’ve explained it all that clearly (there are lots of Undaunted playthroughs and tutorials on YouTube, some better than others), but once you understand how the moving parts of the game interact, it runs quite quickly. Even the most involved scenarios I’ve played could be played through in eighty minutes. I did struggle with the terminology when I first started playing the Undaunted system (wiping out a unit – making your opponent discard all of that unit’s order cards – is called pinning, which seems counterintuitive to an old grognard; how can someone be pinned if they’re already dead?). For the people I’ve introduced the game to, it seems to have clicked for all of them part-way through the second game. I suppose it was the same for me when I learned it playing two-handed.

I found the card play became second nature after a few games, though the tough decisions haven’t got easier. Play is usually tense, but the fact of only having a maximum of three actions to a turn keeps the game moving forward at a good clip and maintains a high level of engagement. Who holds the upper hand in a game can literally change on the turn of a card, And the fate of the game can rely on a couple of dice rolls.

 

Appraisal

Before I’d played Undaunted: North Africa, the card-drafting and deck building elements of the system seemed to me a bit of a gimmick, something to lure regular family- or euro-gamers into the wargaming fold; a laudable ambition, to be sure, but not something I needed to engage with. Since playing North Africa and Normandy, I’ve come around to the thinking that this is Not only a valid way to approach wargaming (at least at a tactical level), but one that well captures the contingencies and sporadic nature of warfighting at the most rudimentary level; the limited orders for units approximates the on-the-ground command difficulties, with its incomplete intelligence and the to-and-thro of initiative. It’s not a perfect reflection of squad-level combat, but neither is ASL. It does accomplish what it sets out to do; it’s a fun, relatively fast-playing game that reflects some of the aspects of infantry fighting during the invasion of France by the allies in June and July 1944, and does so in an engaging and diverting way that is accessible to people who haven’t necessarily spent years or decades playing wargames.

Some may no doubt complain about the coarseness of the detail in the make-up of the two combatant sides. The parameters, strengths and weaknesses of the German Riflemen, Scouts, Snipers, Machine Gunners, and other units are all duplicated in their American counterparts. There is no granularity to capture the variances between types of troops (such as battle-hardened Eastern front veterans and Polish conscripts), or the vicissitudes of close combat in an unfamiliar environment. I’d argue that this is a game, not a simulation, and shouldn’t be judged as such. As an approximation of combat, I believe it’s a good one. And at the same time, it manages to be fun, and potentially educational for some. Each scenario is based on a reported action recorded in the annals of the 30^th Infantry Division – they are not just made up – and a brief note is included in the scenario explaining what the American forces aimed to accomplish with the action.

The scenarios are designed to be played sequentially, each introducing new units and elements to the game, much like most multi-scenario games these days. I would recommend starting at the first scenario if coming to the game with no previous experience (I say this as someone who began with the second scenario of Undaunted: North Africa and struggled a little; there’s a reason why the scenarios are in the order they appear). The first game I’m aware of to do this was Avalon Hill’s Squad Leader. Unlike that and other games, where the experienced player finds the opening couple of scenarios a little pedestrian, I’ve played the Le Reye scenario of Undaunted: Normandy maybe six times now, and each time I’ve found it both engaging and challenging.

In my experience, Undaunted: Normandy is best as a two-player game. I’ve played several scenarios by myself, two-handed, mostly to get to know the game, but the experience is much more satisfying playing against another player. I haven’t tried the solitaire mechanism introduced in Reinforcements yet, so I can’t speak to that (although the consensus on the Internet seems generally positive), but I wouldn’t get any of the Undaunted system with the intention of playing solo. Having said that, I think Undaunted: Normandy has enough game elements to it to make it a less daunting (sorry) to a gamer new to wargaming.

In short, Undaunted: Normandy is a lot of fun. It takes a little time to set up, but no more than most games and decidedly less time than some. And it does have a lot of moving parts, but, as I said, these become somewhat intuitive, the rules are straight forward and easy to assimilate, and all the information you need to play is either on the cards, the tokens, or the map tiles. I’m glad I finally gave in and bought it.

 

* Actually, anything that allows me to say, “Well, sure – I suppose we could play Monopoly… or we could play THIS!” is a winner in my book.

** I currently own (at last count) seven games covering either the Normandy landings or the broader Western Front campaign, and I have Carl Paradis’s No Retreat!: the Western Front (GMT Games, 2023?) on P500 order.