#1: Memoir '44 (Mark's 100 - 2012)

Memoir '44

Mark's Ranking

• 2012: 1st
• 2010: 2nd
• 2005: 3rd
• chosen on all three lists

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 78
• rating: 7.54

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• The best (and best supported!) of the Command & Colors games... it combines a wonderous toy factor (plastic army men & tanks!) along with remarkably evocative recreations of WW2 battles. This is the perfect collision of all the eras of my gaming life: it's got enough warfare & tactics for the chit-pusher in me, the gorgeous plastic bits remind me of the day we cracked open Axis & Allies for the first time, and the speedy gameplay fits my current lifestyle. The plethora (si, Jeffe) of scenarios is a definite point in favor of Memoir '44, as well as one of the cleverest 'fog of war' mechanisms ever - the command deck.

Tips & Tricks:

• Memoir '44 is splendid right out of the box... though the first couple of scenarios are probably the weakest and don't show off the game as well as they could. (They do a good job of getting players used to how the game works.) Don't give up on it until you've played some of the later scenarios.
• There are a LOT of expansions... and I personally own at least one or two of each of them. (Point of fact: my Memoir '44 collection weighs over 30 pounds now.) There are no duds in the set... though probably the least valuable to a casual player is the Terrain Pack.
• There's a desktop program for playing Memoir '44 online that is very good... I just don't get to play it as much as I'd like.
• My favorite way to play is 2 player Breakthrough (using the Breakthrough deck included in the Winter Wars expansion). Close behind that is playing in Overlord (multi-player team) mode or playing a campaign (using one of the Campaign Books).

Extras

• I've written a number of reviews (review copies provided) of Memoir '44 expansions over the years:
• Breakthrough
• Winter Wars
• Campaign Book Volume 2
• Equipment Pack
• Here's what I wrote about it for The One Hundred - both personally & for the group.
• The picture is from table de joc... an Eastern Front battle, btw.

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If you feel a need to catch up on my admittedly-aging Top 100 as of February 2012 list, you can check out:

• my Pinterest board about the Top 100 
• a BoardGameGeek Geeklist (in order of BGG ranking)
• the rest of the posts here on aka pastor guy