How many players can play Undaunted: Normandy?

Undaunted: Normandy is designed for 2 players.

How long does a game of Undaunted: Normandy take?

A typical game of Undaunted: Normandy takes approximately 60 minutes.

What are the best video reviews of Undaunted: Normandy?

MindForge has curated 39 video reviews of Undaunted: Normandy from top board game content creators.

What type of game is Undaunted: Normandy?

Undaunted: Normandy features mechanics including Combat: Dice, Deck Building, Hand Management, Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game.

Undaunted: Normandy - Board Game

Video xKUNKmgdB6I Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 51:59 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94844 · mention_pk 259562

Click to watch at 51:59 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Very Positive

Pros

Tactical depth
Historical theme
Deck building mechanics
Initiative system
Strong theme integration

Cons

Dice combat may not appeal to all players

Thematic elements

World War II combat
World War II Western Front

Comparison games

War Chest

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

action selection — Cards have multiple functions, and players choose which action to perform when playing a card.
Area Control — Taking over control points is an objective in the game.
Bolster Action — Used to add cards to the deck and get units back on the board.
Deck Building — Players build their decks at the start of the game and use cards to perform actions.
Dice combat — Combat is resolved by rolling dice, with outcomes determined by exceeding armor and distance.
Scenario Book — Each game is based on a scenario from a book, which includes a map and setup instructions.
Squad Leaders — Different squad leaders (A and B) manage different types of cards that can be added to the deck.
tile laying — Terrain tiles are laid out according to the scenario.
Unit Removal — When a unit takes damage, its corresponding card is removed from the game; if the deck has no more of that card, the unit is removed from the board.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is gonna be one of my games of 2019
The resources expire over time so the body parts go bad they decay
China refused to release this because they said Taiwan's never been a free country we've owned this country and they said it's just fiction it's not real it's not historical
If you like Twilight Struggle this has that feel in less than an hour
I don't consider just flipping pages in a rule book I expect them to be there
Leviathans is a game that they originally came out with...
The mechanics of the combat and everything was one of the best things I've ever seen done with like a 12-sided die.
This is a war war two themed game where one person places Germans one person places Americans and you have a scenario book that each game is gonna be based on one of the scenarios with the netbook that scenario book contains a map that shows how to lay out the tiles that are included in the game that ladies are basically terrain each of you are gonna put tokens on the board as described by the scenario and that's the units that you use during the game this is basically a deck builder which Tony and I really like as the scenario at the beginning of game says you're going to build your deck by putting in two scouts or maybe two riflemen or maybe two machine gunners and the squad leader stuff you build your deck like that and then all those guys are available in supply at that point each of you draw four cards each card has an initiative number on the top you're gonna bid to see who gets to go first guess what the best card has the highest number but once you bid on that using that card you can't use it for the rest of the term at that point you're gonna play all three cars like a regular deck builder in each of the cards have multiple functions like there's the Scout card which allows you to move into an area and Scout to an area that you haven't been before but when you do you have to take fog of war which is a card that clogs up your hand or you can have the rifleman who's maybe good at attacking or maybe taking over control points which is the ultimate goal each side has a certain number of control points that you're trying to take over when you do combat you roll dice and you resolve based on the dice roll and if you can exceed their armor and the distance they are from you you take damage and this is one of the really cool parts when you take damage the token doesn't come off the board first what you do is you go through your hand or your discard pile of your deck trying to find a copy of that card and it comes out of the game if your deck contains nothing of that card then that chip comes off the board and the only way to get it back is by using a bolster action which you actually also use to add cards to your deck so you're building the deck over time you're playing a regular deck builder head-to-head matchup World War two theme loved it and I would re-emphasize that love it part that's right in my wheelhouse on theme I love the world war two I enjoyed the aspect of a deck builder I enjoy the strategy of it positioning of it various tiles provided various defense is very important for you to keep them play as you're building this game out and trying to achieve your ultimate objective based on the scenario the fog of war adding the crud to your hand and how you have to get rid of that all that's an important aspect it's got that deck builder mentality for me Marty the initiative was a huge Pro I like that part of any of those types of games of use it's been in other games I've played where the better cards have the higher number so you really need to know do I want to get rid of that hey wait I'm not going to do anything with this guy yeah I can do it initiative was a key Proform and so what's really cool is each of the cards have like I said different units have different actions they can do so when you play a card you got to decide which one of the actions you want to do and then there's two different squads which is cool - it's for like say for example there's a scout and there's a a squad and a B Squad there's a squad leader for each one of those so when you play a squad leader like a and he does a bolster he can only add the a type cards to your deck the squad leader B can only add B type cards to your deck but there's a token for each on the board it is very tactical I think Tony way more tactical than war chest is because you have you these different scenarios that you're trying to achieve the terrain matters like you said some of them have heals if you can get positioned on a hill where you're firing down on somebody you actually have an advantage and every scenario is different and based on actual historical things that happen because come to find out David Thompson's grandfather was in Normandy and he actually has a card of his grandfather in this deck he's one of the platoon sergeants oh very interesting now one thing I'm going to say about the negative of the dice some people say I don't want to roll the dice get over it did you know that that bullet may get struck or lodged in the gun or get deflected you don't know quite that with just normal you know just firing a gun you weren't that gray it was the war it was the rush the adrenaline for me this is gonna be one of my games of 2019 we loved war chest and I didn't think I can find thing else like it debated cuz I love the tokens and everything but man this this actually might be it because the theme is is so on point of what it's trying to do and yeah some people may not like the dice combat you're you're right but see here's the thing there are some units that are better at shooting than others there are some that you can roll multiple dice the scouts you canola or one died positioning matters the closer you can get the better chance you have to hit a hit someone and here's the thing Tony David said hey if this system takes off we have plans for other maybe the Eastern Front who knows maybe bringing in other items and units and machinery the system itself is solid it could be expanded to a lot of different things Tony could they actually win another squirrely for a two-player game of the year I don't know you have to let me play it some more
This is gonna be one of my games of 2019.
If you liked war chest you owe it to yourself to check this out
Southern Fried Gaming Expo is going to be July 12 through 14
If you go out to their website Southern Fried gaming expo com they have a list of all the pinball machines and arcade machines
I am excited to be a special guest at one of the best name gaming conventions in the United States the southern-fried Gaming Expo

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video xKUNKmgdB6I Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 53:15 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94844 · mention_pk 259623

Click to watch at 53:15 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Tactical depth
Engaging World War II theme
Strong deck building mechanics
Interesting initiative bidding system
Fog of war adds strategic challenge
Scenario-based gameplay
Potentially expandable system

Cons

Some players may dislike dice combat.

Thematic elements

World War II combat
World War II

Comparison games

War Chest
Twilight Struggle

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Players build their decks at the start and during the game by adding cards.
Dice Rolling (combat) — Combat is resolved with dice rolls, influenced by unit stats, positioning, and distance.
Hand Management — Players must manage cards in hand, including 'fog of war' cards that clog up their hand.
initiative bidding — Players bid cards to determine turn order, with better cards having higher initiative numbers.
Modular Board — Terrain tiles are used to create the map based on the scenario.
scenario-based play — Each game is based on a scenario from a scenario book, dictating setup and objectives.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is gonna be one of my games of 2019
The resources expire over time so the body parts go bad they decay
China refused to release this because they said Taiwan's never been a free country we've owned this country and they said it's just fiction it's not real it's not historical
If you like Twilight Struggle this has that feel in less than an hour
I don't consider just flipping pages in a rule book I expect them to be there
Leviathans is a game that they originally came out with...
The mechanics of the combat and everything was one of the best things I've ever seen done with like a 12-sided die.
This is a war war two themed game where one person places Germans one person places Americans and you have a scenario book that each game is gonna be based on one of the scenarios with the netbook that scenario book contains a map that shows how to lay out the tiles that are included in the game that ladies are basically terrain each of you are gonna put tokens on the board as described by the scenario and that's the units that you use during the game this is basically a deck builder which Tony and I really like as the scenario at the beginning of game says you're going to build your deck by putting in two scouts or maybe two riflemen or maybe two machine gunners and the squad leader stuff you build your deck like that and then all those guys are available in supply at that point each of you draw four cards each card has an initiative number on the top you're gonna bid to see who gets to go first guess what the best card has the highest number but once you bid on that using that card you can't use it for the rest of the term at that point you're gonna play all three cars like a regular deck builder in each of the cards have multiple functions like there's the Scout card which allows you to move into an area and Scout to an area that you haven't been before but when you do you have to take fog of war which is a card that clogs up your hand or you can have the rifleman who's maybe good at attacking or maybe taking over control points which is the ultimate goal each side has a certain number of control points that you're trying to take over when you do combat you roll dice and you resolve based on the dice roll and if you can exceed their armor and the distance they are from you you take damage and this is one of the really cool parts when you take damage the token doesn't come off the board first what you do is you go through your hand or your discard pile of your deck trying to find a copy of that card and it comes out of the game if your deck contains nothing of that card then that chip comes off the board and the only way to get it back is by using a bolster action which you actually also use to add cards to your deck so you're building the deck over time you're playing a regular deck builder head-to-head matchup World War two theme loved it and I would re-emphasize that love it part that's right in my wheelhouse on theme I love the world war two I enjoyed the aspect of a deck builder I enjoy the strategy of it positioning of it various tiles provided various defense is very important for you to keep them play as you're building this game out and trying to achieve your ultimate objective based on the scenario the fog of war adding the crud to your hand and how you have to get rid of that all that's an important aspect it's got that deck builder mentality for me Marty the initiative was a huge Pro I like that part of any of those types of games of use it's been in other games I've played where the better cards have the higher number so you really need to know do I want to get rid of that hey wait I'm not going to do anything with this guy yeah I can do it initiative was a key Proform and so what's really cool is each of the cards have like I said different units have different actions they can do so when you play a card you got to decide which one of the actions you want to do and then there's two different squads which is cool - it's for like say for example there's a scout and there's a a squad and a B Squad there's a squad leader for each one of those so when you play a squad leader like a and he does a bolster he can only add the a type cards to your deck the squad leader B can only add B type cards to your deck but there's a token for each on the board it is very tactical I think Tony way more tactical than war chest is because you have you these different scenarios that you're trying to achieve the terrain matters like you said some of them have heals if you can get positioned on a hill where you're firing down on somebody you actually have an advantage and every scenario is different and based on actual historical things that happen because come to find out David Thompson's grandfather was in Normandy and he actually has a card of his grandfather in this deck he's one of the platoon sergeants oh very interesting now one thing I'm going to say about the negative of the dice some people say I don't want to roll the dice get over it did you know that that bullet may get struck or lodged in the gun or get deflected you don't know quite that with just normal you know just firing a gun you weren't that gray it was the war it was the rush the adrenaline for me this is gonna be one of my games of 2019 we loved war chest and I didn't think I can find thing else like it debated cuz I love the tokens and everything but man this this actually might be it because the theme is is so on point of what it's trying to do and yeah some people may not like the dice combat you're you're right but see here's the thing there are some units that are better at shooting than others there are some that you can roll multiple dice the scouts you canola or one died positioning matters the closer you can get the better chance you have to hit a hit someone and here's the thing Tony David said hey if this system takes off we have plans for other maybe the Eastern Front who knows maybe bringing in other items and units and machinery the system itself is solid it could be expanded to a lot of different things Tony could they actually win another squirrely for a two-player game of the year I don't know you have to let me play it some more
This is gonna be one of my games of 2019.
If you liked war chest you owe it to yourself to check this out
Southern Fried Gaming Expo is going to be July 12 through 14
If you go out to their website Southern Fried gaming expo com they have a list of all the pinball machines and arcade machines
I am excited to be a special guest at one of the best name gaming conventions in the United States the southern-fried Gaming Expo

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Olu7G3tfu7g Rolling Dice & Taking Names Analysis at 16:43 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94663 · mention_pk 258629

Click to watch at 16:43 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Easy to learn mechanics
Familiar deck-building mechanic
Good introduction to war games
Scenario-based for replayability

Cons

none

Thematic elements

World War II battles
World War II

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — A core mechanic of the game, making it familiar to many board gamers.
Dice Rolling — Used to determine outcomes in combat.
scenario-based — Games are played through specific scenarios with a dynamically built map.
unit movement — Players move unit markers around the board.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

to me that was a very simple game easy to learn but kind of recreated what really happened during that time
if y'all ever seen a GMT rule book They're they're not pretty books with glossy pages and big images and very few words per page they're double column they're they're numbered almost like a contract a legal document that's just how they're formatted
it's basically the conflict between uh uh basically the US and and that region of the world between China and us trying to influence and control that area
this is coming from somebody who complained I did a 45 minute history lesson on Cuba Libra when I taught it to you
I knew nothing about how Castro took over CU I I knew he did it how he did it and why I don't know but playing that game three or four times now I have a I'm not a master by any means but I have a much better understanding of what really happened during that time
I am learning about stuff that happened during the Vietnam war knew nothing about super excited as I play through this game learning about that
you do learn as you're playing the game how the forces had to build towards that final battle of waterl you learn the players that took place
yes I have that one I've never play amazing historical game from Marton Wallace yes I had some Muro stuff in it but I actually learned a lot about that from Lincoln
we got access and allies coming up talking about jumping to the deep end we'll jump straight into that

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video NjWQk6ZQ0Rk Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 1:00:30 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94427 · mention_pk 257249

Click to watch at 1:00:30 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Excellent merger of deck building and historical wargaming
Thematic setting enhances the gameplay
Strategic depth in deck construction and tactical play

Cons

May require familiarity with the historical period for full appreciation

Thematic elements

Deck-building wargame
World War II, Normandy

Comparison games

Undaunted: North Africa
Undaunted: Reinforcements
Battle of Britain
Undaunted: The Pacific

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Players aim to control areas of the board with their units.
Card activation — Cards are used to activate units and perform actions.
Deck Building — Players start with a basic deck and acquire new cards to improve their capabilities and strategies.
Wargame — Focuses on military conflict with tactical unit movement and combat.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

and I tried Thunderstone Quest and I'm going to put that as my number three because that has the very classic feel of a straight forward deck building game but I like the idea of building out adventure ERS and going into a a dungeon or a cave and facing off against Monsters And if you beat the monsters you get some loot I like building out my characters and adding weapons to them and stuff and going to the shop and buying things I just like really the theme of that game
my second one is you know I enjoy my war games so anytime that you can get me a deck building war game I am going to put that back on the shelf and we have done nothing but gush over this series of games and I am going to put undaunted Normandy on my shelf I just the that's the period of World War II that I visited Normandy so I understand you know what was going on then so that builds theme for me so I enjoy the undaunted series I like how you are doing your deck build there but you also have the tokens that you moving but the core mechanic is the deck building
and that is Dominion Now I really haven't played Dominion in forever I didn't get all the expansions I remember you know hey this game there's so many other good ones that are coming out but guess what I'm revamping the shelves I'm 10 years older so Dominion should show back up on my shelves just so that it's easy for me to teach people
so instead I'm going to go back to a game that I thought was a great mixture between area control and deck building and that's tyrants of the under dark first time I played that game I thought wow this is a really br brilliantly well done of being able to play cards and trying to take over different areas of the board I love the coling system where you want to get cards out of your deck because they're worth points at the end of the game if they're in your if they've been scored and removed
this is a fantastic intro to a trading card Style game now if you're not into tcgs or ccgs at all this will not change your mind if you're not into the idea of buying booster boxes and having blind packs that you're having to open and build decks before you go in and play a game if that has zero appeal I don't think this is going to change your mind because there are other simple games out there tcgs like Pokemon Etc that you could have gotten into before using this same format but let's say that the TCG idea intrigues you or you've played tcgs before this is a very very easy to learn game game that plays in about 15 to 20 minutes
the graphic design of the cards and the art itself is gorgeous it's beautiful it's classic Disney Art of characters from movies and TV shows from decades and Decades of uh stories of and and old movies a lot of people are just going to get in it for the art alone so the the car design is absolutely stunning
every game that I played had a runaway leader issue H so if somebody got ahead and then they started like saying what I always doing you start popping out these characters with lore all over the place and you don't exert them I can't touch them and on one big turn you could tap them all and go okay seven lore I had 13 game over I win shake hands okay no game that I play do we actually finish the game because if it was on my turn and I was saw what they had in front of them and I knew I couldn't do it I just shook their hand and that was it there was no need to even play my turn cuz I knew on their turn they could just Quest and the game was over
the goal is to try to collect 20 lore lore that's the whole goal of the game so it's not like you're trying to beat down somebody else and knock their health down to zero
it's it's the fact that you're having to build up that the Mana in order to get down there and in the other games we played you could always play a card there but here it was if you didn't have enough ink well or the ink symbol you couldn't play the card so it took you longer to build that Mana up or that ink up so I've never ran into a situation to where I couldn't play a card
I mean that's fine I mean when we think about Pokemon and we played that Y and and it was you know how did you get to play it it's been forever and I I will definitely say I do not remember how you know the resources worked in Pokemon or anything I just remember that it too was a very easy game for me to teach to my very young daughter
the energy was just through the roof it was it was packed out Ravensburger said afterwards look we we want to help you guys out we want to make this so it's e even better support you guys with however we can so that's a year away but Tony you did tell Old Spaghetti factories like hey go ahead and reserve us for next uh year on Thursday night right that's it it's it's well it's soft booked I can air quote it

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video NjWQk6ZQ0Rk Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 1:00:36 sentiment: positive

video_pk 94427 · mention_pk 257255

Click to watch at 1:00:36 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Positive

Pros

Enjoyable deck-building war game
Thematic setting of Normandy in WWII
Effective integration of deck building with token movement

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Warfare
World War II

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Moving tokens around the board.
Deck Building — The core mechanic is deck building.
Unit Activation — Using deck building to activate units.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

and I tried Thunderstone Quest and I'm going to put that as my number three because that has the very classic feel of a straight forward deck building game but I like the idea of building out adventure ERS and going into a a dungeon or a cave and facing off against Monsters And if you beat the monsters you get some loot I like building out my characters and adding weapons to them and stuff and going to the shop and buying things I just like really the theme of that game
my second one is you know I enjoy my war games so anytime that you can get me a deck building war game I am going to put that back on the shelf and we have done nothing but gush over this series of games and I am going to put undaunted Normandy on my shelf I just the that's the period of World War II that I visited Normandy so I understand you know what was going on then so that builds theme for me so I enjoy the undaunted series I like how you are doing your deck build there but you also have the tokens that you moving but the core mechanic is the deck building
and that is Dominion Now I really haven't played Dominion in forever I didn't get all the expansions I remember you know hey this game there's so many other good ones that are coming out but guess what I'm revamping the shelves I'm 10 years older so Dominion should show back up on my shelves just so that it's easy for me to teach people
so instead I'm going to go back to a game that I thought was a great mixture between area control and deck building and that's tyrants of the under dark first time I played that game I thought wow this is a really br brilliantly well done of being able to play cards and trying to take over different areas of the board I love the coling system where you want to get cards out of your deck because they're worth points at the end of the game if they're in your if they've been scored and removed
this is a fantastic intro to a trading card Style game now if you're not into tcgs or ccgs at all this will not change your mind if you're not into the idea of buying booster boxes and having blind packs that you're having to open and build decks before you go in and play a game if that has zero appeal I don't think this is going to change your mind because there are other simple games out there tcgs like Pokemon Etc that you could have gotten into before using this same format but let's say that the TCG idea intrigues you or you've played tcgs before this is a very very easy to learn game game that plays in about 15 to 20 minutes
the graphic design of the cards and the art itself is gorgeous it's beautiful it's classic Disney Art of characters from movies and TV shows from decades and Decades of uh stories of and and old movies a lot of people are just going to get in it for the art alone so the the car design is absolutely stunning
every game that I played had a runaway leader issue H so if somebody got ahead and then they started like saying what I always doing you start popping out these characters with lore all over the place and you don't exert them I can't touch them and on one big turn you could tap them all and go okay seven lore I had 13 game over I win shake hands okay no game that I play do we actually finish the game because if it was on my turn and I was saw what they had in front of them and I knew I couldn't do it I just shook their hand and that was it there was no need to even play my turn cuz I knew on their turn they could just Quest and the game was over
the goal is to try to collect 20 lore lore that's the whole goal of the game so it's not like you're trying to beat down somebody else and knock their health down to zero
it's it's the fact that you're having to build up that the Mana in order to get down there and in the other games we played you could always play a card there but here it was if you didn't have enough ink well or the ink symbol you couldn't play the card so it took you longer to build that Mana up or that ink up so I've never ran into a situation to where I couldn't play a card
I mean that's fine I mean when we think about Pokemon and we played that Y and and it was you know how did you get to play it it's been forever and I I will definitely say I do not remember how you know the resources worked in Pokemon or anything I just remember that it too was a very easy game for me to teach to my very young daughter
the energy was just through the roof it was it was packed out Ravensburger said afterwards look we we want to help you guys out we want to make this so it's e even better support you guys with however we can so that's a year away but Tony you did tell Old Spaghetti factories like hey go ahead and reserve us for next uh year on Thursday night right that's it it's it's well it's soft booked I can air quote it

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video HIPCHnWSEu4 Rolling Dice & Taking Names Review at 1:28 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93467 · mention_pk 253703

Click to watch at 1:28 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Deck building mechanic is well-integrated with spatial board design.
The game has high production value (mentioned in relation to War Chest, but implied for Undaunted as well).
The game is available for pre-order and a reprint is expected in June.
Won a Golden Geek Award for Best Wargame.

Cons

The game is currently hard to get due to being sold out.
The American side in this specific scenario can feel tough due to the objective of pinning riflemen.

Thematic elements

After the Normandy invasion, leading elements of the 30th Infantry Division trying to advance across fields into a small hamlet.
World War II

Comparison games

A Few Acres of Snow
War Chest
Tyrants of the Underdark
Arctic Scavengers
Twilight Struggle

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Combat — Players attack tokens on the board, requiring successful attacks equal to the number of cards in the opponent's deck plus one to remove a token. This is achieved by rolling dice, with a target number influenced by distance and unit defense.
Deck Building — Players use cards from their deck to perform actions, with a focus on trimming the deck of undesirable cards like 'fog of war'.
fog of war — These are dead cards that are added to a player's deck, often acquired through scouting. They can be removed from the game via specific actions like 'recon'.
Hunker down — An action that removes a card from the deck and places it back into the player's supply until they want to use it again.
inspire — Allows a player to replay a card to activate another unit, effectively using the card's action again.
scouting — Moving scouts into unscouted spaces places a scout marker and adds a 'fog of war' card to the player's deck.
Suppression — An action that pins down an opponent's unit, requiring them to spend a card to flip the suppressed token back over, affecting their action economy.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this is undaunted normally if you have not played this game this is a world war two themed game it is a deck builder and and what's really cool about this it's a deck building game but it has a war game theme because you're moving tokens around the board and everything like that
the Germans goal in this scenario is different they're trying to actually pin my rifleman and so let me fix my scout there so you have to pin both of my rifleman counters meaning you have to get both riflemen counters off the board and how did all the board yep
the big help you have in this scenario is this is our introduction to the machine gunner
with attacking you're attacking a token removing a card suppression you don't actually remove a card so it's not hitting the guy you're just pinning him down so you flip this counter over to show that he suppressed and once a guy is suppressed I have to take an action with the guys to play a card to flip them back over
this came first this is it had a I think I first pitched the Osprey in 2014 so we it was designed it was actually signed by different publisher who didn't publish it for a couple of years so it was on contract and didn't come out and so during that time the co designer Trevor Benjamin and I were like hey what if we took undaunted and distilled it down to its you know absolute your chorused form and made sort of an abstract game out of it and that's what that's what turned into war chest
the production is just top-notch on war chest the poker chip right everything and even the insert in the box is so well done because you got those plastic trays they'll hold all your poker chips and everything is it's an amazing box set in itself aside from the game which is really good
North Africa will be here in July
Mac says is North Africa standalone and it is you do not need Normandy to play it that's right yep
then you know Sniper Elite which was it originally had had been scheduled to be on Kickstarter a couple of months ago like many things has been delayed so that'll be probably on Kickstarter this summer at some point so that's the the board game based on the video game Sniper Elite and it's a it's a hidden movement game so one player takes the role of the sniper and everybody else is the defenders
The problem with that game is it came out right as distributors for not shipping games so there's not any copies in distribution yet in America geesh
The post Cold War you know period like I you I told you I work for the Department of Defense so I'm what we call a cold war warrior right that's the what I grew up in so that's that's something that is really interesting to me so hopefully people dig it

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video ZK3frNExnoA Rolling Dice & Taking Names Rules Teach at 3:51 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93469 · mention_pk 252932

Click to watch at 3:51 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

The designer is present to ensure correct play.
The Tabletop Simulator mod streamlines setup.
The game has a "cool" deck-building mechanic.
The initiative system feels like a war game.
The Fog of War mechanic adds an interesting layer of deck disruption and management.
The Recon ability is useful for removing Fog of War and drawing cards.
The Inspire mechanic allows for reusing powerful cards.
The game has a great mechanic for thinning your deck.
The designer is committed to appearing on the Rolling Dice and Taking Names podcast.
A reprint of the game is coming in June.
The game is inexpensive.

Cons

Technical difficulties with the live stream setup.
Misinterpreting rules led to longer play time.
The initial scenario was a bit slow.
The host made several mistakes during gameplay.
A player received a dislike on the YouTube video.

Thematic elements

World War II battles, specifically the landing on Normandy Beach
Normandy, France

Comparison games

Dominion
Clank
Ascension
Tyrants of the Underdark
Pavlov's House

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Players aim to capture objective points on the map tiles to win the game.
Bolster — Allows players to add units from the supply to their discard pile.
Combat — Players can attack opponent units on tiles, potentially forcing them to discard cards or remove units.
Conceal — Causes the opponent to take a Fog of War card and add it to their deck.
Control — Flipping a token on a tile to gain control and objective points.
Deck Building — Players construct decks as they play, similar to CCGs but within the game itself.
fog of war — Cards that clog up the deck but can be removed through abilities like Recon.
Hunker down — Allows a player to remove a card from their hand and place it back into their supply, thinning the deck.
initiative bidding — Players play a card face down to determine who goes first each turn, adding a layer of strategy.
inspire — Allows a player to take a card already played and put it back into their hand to play again.
Recon — Allows removal of a Fog of War card from the hand and drawing a new card.
scouting — Scouting tiles is necessary for units to move through them later and adds Fog of War to the deck.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The purpose of these cards are to activate those unit tokens that are already sitting on the board
ties go to who has initiative last
Fog of war is just basically an initiative one has nothing else on him so it's actually dead weight in your hand it's it clogs up your deck you need to get rid of those
shifting control is one step not two so if your opponent has control

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 24UzM8qdeAU Rolling Dice & Taking Names Rules Teach at 5:53 sentiment: positive

video_pk 93466 · mention_pk 252923

Click to watch at 5:53 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Unique deck-building mechanic with 'fog of war' removal.
Detailed historical background provided in the scenario book.
Stylistic and colorful card art.
Engaging two-player experience.

Cons

Can be difficult to remember certain rules like drawing a card after a 'Recon' action.
Some players may accidentally move the wrong unit type (e.g., Riflemen A vs. B).

Thematic elements

Following the 30th Infantry Division's actions around a canal, involving skirmishes and reconnaissance.
Approximately one and a half weeks after the Normandy invasion, on the bank of a key canal.

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play for Initiative — Players play cards from their hand to determine who gets the initiative for the turn, with initiative numbers on the cards.
Combat — Combat involves rolling dice to deal damage, with defense values on tiles and units influencing the outcome. Suppression is also mentioned as a combat effect.
Deck Building — Players build and modify their decks throughout the game, using cards for actions and initiative. Specific mechanics include 'bolster' to add cards to the discard pile and 'command' to draw cards.
Hunker down — A mechanic where a player can take a card from their hand and place it back into their supply, used to modify the deck by removing unwanted cards.
inspire — Allows a player to play a card they just played again from their hand, typically for a specific squad.
Objective control — Players aim to control objective points on the map to win the game. The rules for controlling spaces, especially when occupied by opposing units, are discussed and clarified.
scouting and fog of war — Scouting actions reveal tiles and add 'fog of war' cards to a player's deck, which can be removed through the 'Recon' action. 'Fog of war' cards are described as 'junk' that players try to get rid of.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The scenario book actually gives you all these historical details that you're playing through.
This is the card that my grandfather's name is on.
I love the art on the cards I think it is so stylistic and done so it's it's simplistic but still it's very colorful.
The tile configuration creates a hex grid but they're squares, giving benefits of both.
Undaunted: Normandy did win Best War Game for golden geek it's been a lot of demand for it.
It was the most popular solitaire game that's not a solitaire game.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video DeK5gqpMcq8 Board Game Spotlight Top List at 12:30 sentiment: positive

video_pk 91225 · mention_pk 244565

Click to watch at 12:30 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Brilliant deck-building and tactical skirmish mechanics
Talented art

Cons

Host has not played it enough

Thematic elements

Tactical skirmish combat
World War II

Comparison games

War Chest

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Board presence — Troops on the board come out of your deck.
Deck Building — It is a deck building game where you can add new squads to your deck.
Tactical skirmish — A tactical skirmish game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Dual Powers is my number one it was dual powers like we live stream that back in 2008 we were in South Carolina and it released in February of 2019 to retail it delivered in 2018 to backers at the back end of 2018 but I checked with Keith and it's a 2019 release and Lizzie has never she's not stopped talking about this game like since we live straight dick
School Kahlo is my number one for the year and it's I love the meatballs in school Kahlo and like the different guardians
Blitzkrieg from PSC games Blitzkrieg is a two-player tug of war world war two in 20 minutes really great game honestly
Cloud spire there's another one that I just we didn't get to the table and I really think it would have been potentially on the list had we been able to get at the table because it's a gorgeous game
Oh eternal which is a deck building game from renegade and direwolf which is an app but that's a good building game technically plays for but it's perfect a to wouldn't play it with anymore personally
Dual Powers is just the area of history I love areas in history that don't get enough attention that's for sure good enough love and the Bolshevik Revolution is one of those
I love history more than Derek I'm gonna go on and say it's true

References (from this video)

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Video T7rta6VyM1E Watch It Played Discussion at 4:04 sentiment: positive

video_pk 90235 · mention_pk 240805

Click to watch at 4:04 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Wargaming

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Mentioned as one of her favorite deck building games and a solid intro to wargaming.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

if you want to buy a game and you really like the look of it and you think oh that game looks really good that looks right up my street I like the theme I like those mechanics I like that designer that publisher never lets me down whatever your reasons are maybe all of those reasons are there and then you find out the games ranked 5 out of 10 on board game geek as a general ranking of the game or it's really far down in general of the all the games in rank order so it's like at number 20 000 on boardgamegeek should you really pay attention to that
ultimately the only person that needs to like that game is you
don't let other people tell you what games you can and cannot like but do your due diligence look hard and research if you're gonna spend your money on something make sure you're spending on something that you like
blasting top 40 hits while i'm trying to think about my next tile placement absolutely not
what is the game that you're most happy you own not necessarily the most expensive game not necessarily the most rare game but what is the pride possession of your board game collection

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video nnjcLOtzOrU Watch It Played Discussion at 11:17 sentiment: positive

video_pk 89435 · mention_pk 237452

Click to watch at 11:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Captures troop maneuvering feel
Massive campaign
Expandable content
Budget-friendly

Cons

none

Thematic elements

World War II combat
Europe
campaign-driven

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Campaign — There's a massive campaign to play through.
Deck Building — It's a deck building game.
Dice Rolling — A dice rolling war game.
Wargame — A dice rolling war game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

i feel like i am slightly embarrassed sometimes of my hobby of the board game hobby that's not something i'm proud of but it is something that's i think is true because ball games i feel have still a bad rap they have a bad connotation a lot of the time in the public zeitgeist
board games can be such a wonderful effective hobbies especially if you're willing to go different places to buy board games the secondhand market we've spoke about this on matthew answers the internet many times ebay facebook groups thrift stores
i do not believe ball games are a luxury hobby i think collecting games is a luxury hobby i think kickstarter is a luxury hobby i think backing 150 dungeon crawlers deluxe euros yes board games can be a luxury hobby but i think it's also probably the best value for money activity a family can possibly get into
given the option between playing chess and playing nightmare chess i'm playing nightmare chess i mean just a hundred percent of the time every single time it's one of my favorite abstract games of all time
sometimes the unbalanced part is the fun part the challenge the wackiness of it

References (from this video)

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Video KreiZXGvgmo Watch It Played Discussion at 10:20 sentiment: positive

video_pk 88770 · mention_pk 234796

Click to watch at 10:20 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

unit-by-unit combat — Tactical decisions at the level of individual counters.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I love it but what are the weirdest games that you own let me know because I'll probably buy them the next question
Fields of Green I I absolutely love the game and I think that for people who love stardew get the stardew valley soundtrack going in the background while you're playing Fields of Green
board games offer an antidote to that step away from technology

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video ytKB4FWkIdc Shelfside Review at 1:08 sentiment: positive

video_pk 88703 · mention_pk 234521

Click to watch at 1:08 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Well-produced components and a quality presentation
Gritty, thematic card art with named soldiers
Concise, well-illustrated rulebook and clear example rounds
Excellent scenario booklet and setup aids
Satisfying initiative/deck-building interplay
High replayability from 12 scenarios and deck-building variance
Compact, accessible two-player game with strong WWII feel
Solo variant exists and is approachable on BGG

Cons

Dice resolution can feel swingy and overly punishing
Some rule clarity gaps and occasional interactions (suppressed units, Platoon Guide) can be confusing
Lack of official FAQ; learning curve for new players
Some scenarios can run over an hour; balance may feel uneven
Sniper unit can feel over-tuned in some cases
Hand depletion can be dramatic when units are lost

Thematic elements

squad-level card-driven warfare with deck-building
Normandy, 1944 (World War II)
historical flavor with scenario-based storytelling

Comparison games

Band of Brothers
Saving Private Ryan

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card-driven activation — Units on the board are activated by playing their corresponding card from your hand.
Combat with d10 dice — Attacks use dice with modifiers from unit stats, distance, and terrain; hits can force discards from hand/discard/deck.
Combat: Dice — Attacks use dice with modifiers from unit stats, distance, and terrain; hits can force discards from hand/discard/deck.
Deck Building — Bolster actions allow you to add cards from the supply into your deck, shaping future rounds.
deck-building elements — Bolster actions allow you to add cards from the supply into your deck, shaping future rounds.
fog of war and recon — Scouting reveals areas; fog of war affects what can be activated and what cards you draw.
Hand Management — Each round, players discard a card to determine initiative; initiative decides who goes first and ties are broken by the current holder.
Hidden Victory Points — Scenarios are won by achieving objective points and controlling key locations.
Initiative and hand management — Each round, players discard a card to determine initiative; initiative decides who goes first and ties are broken by the current holder.
Movement, terrain, and range — Movement is restricted to scouted areas; terrain provides defensive modifiers and range affects hit probabilities.
objective-based victory — Scenarios are won by achieving objective points and controlling key locations.
Platoon guide and advanced actions — Some cards unlock special moves guided by a platoon guide; mechanics are streamlined by simple hands but with depth.
Unit activation and asymmetry — Five unit types with unique abilities; asymmetry arises from unit types and starting dispositions despite shared cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

World War II Yankee Americans versus Germans we'll just call them Germans for this video anyways this is a really popular matchup that's super accessible with just this one box in undaunted Normandy
Undaunted Normandy is a very well put together box
it's a two player game that runs about 45 to 60 Minutes
the card play makes a lot of sense for This World War II theme
it's deck building with still a lot of focus on the actual Battlefield
it's so easy to learn with No Nonsense components that you can buy it and pretty much start the World War II feelings right away
on Undaunted Normandy's replayability is amazing
I highly recommend it
my personal score for undone to Normandy is going to be a 7 out of 10

References (from this video)

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Video kq8gD0SnWkc Beyond Solitaire Interview at 9:36 sentiment: positive

video_pk 87832 · mention_pk 230213

Click to watch at 9:36 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Good approach to introduce to students.

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the journey is as educational as the outcome
every game I I try to explain to students is making a statement about something
The games games give the opportunity to put students into the decision space of historical problems
I do more work on this than I did on my senior engineering Capstone and I'm going to be a civil engineer and I'm like okay um like this was more fun this was more engaging
they do more research than if I set them papers
I guess what playing games is partly about

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video FWDmRnan85A Zilla Blitz Top List at 18:42 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86520 · mention_pk 224061

Click to watch at 18:42 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Holds a special place in his heart due to personal attachment
Way better than expected
Engaging gameplay with subtle thinking
High replayability due to many scenarios

Cons

none

Thematic elements

World War II, specifically the Normandy landings
World War II (Normandy landings)

Comparison games

Undaunted: Stalingrad

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Uses a deck-building system with different hands and pulling from supply.
scenario-based — Features numerous scenarios.
Solo Play — Has a solitaire version.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Do you know what just happened? I have no idea what the game was. I couldn't get it. Like, not.
Maria usually takes about three plus hours to play but it doesn't feel like it time flies by and it is a magical game.
it is a in my opinion the absolute perfect Fusion of like war game Euro mechanism hybrid historical game.
Halls of heger is my favorite soliter game.
it's probably the first deck builder I played.
it is the single most influential game in terms of game design.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video d9d3sxFZc0U Zilla Blitz Discussion at 4:11 sentiment: positive

video_pk 86315 · mention_pk 222921

Click to watch at 4:11 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Successful with new players
Fun to play with friends

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Tactical combat
World War II

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

The Battle Before The Muse River scenario
one of the most historically infused games that I've ever run across
just a training scenario to see if I can get used to movement and defensive fire and first fire and all those things maybe some close combat
I've got Raiders of the deep and Phantom Fury I've got these in boxes right now
my goal really for this year is to play a lot of games play five new games a month what I'm trying to do with this now is to get some breath to the tea to experience a lot of different games uh and play them but not necessarily go that deep yet
do you have a gaming te um what and if so what are those things that you feel like you've played a ton of that have gotten you to a lot of depth
The winner is Kevin a212 congratulations Kevin
hope to see you at SD histon or maybe perhaps watching the professional wargaming live discussion on Saturday

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video cH-UxTUcl_4 Neon Gorilla Interview at 50:47

video_pk 82063 · mention_pk 205925

Click to watch at 50:47 · YouTube ↗

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

You gotta keep throwing spaghetti at the wall, man.
I would love to make content, but it's that where does it fall on the gaming? I'd rather game personally.
That is what I wish I would have done from the get-go.
Clip that.

References (from this video)

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Video 9hgw4bgyg6s Zilla Blitz Other at 28:53:20 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81619 · mention_pk 203570

Click to watch at 28:53:20 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

unique deck-building approach to wargaming
engaging scenarios

Cons

none

Thematic elements

tactical combat scenarios during World War II
World War II

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Players build their decks representing squads and command.
scenario-based — Played through a series of linked scenarios.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

There's a lot of designers and company representatives that are there, like GMT Games is there, uh Uwe from Sound of Drums was there coming in from Europe.
So, if you're looking at a chance to play up-and-coming games with some of the designers that are designing on them, it's quite an experience.
You really get some insight into the design process, into how historical board games are created as you're playing them and giving feedback to the designers.
In this game, you take on the role of companies that are trying to win military contracts uh from the US

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video KvjxrKZCRJs Meeple University Playthrough

video_pk 70002 · mention_pk 166899

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the game is ultimately a deck builder
this is a quick little two-player game
the theme comes through really well in this game
it's a scenario based game between the US and the Germans
the reinforcement box adds vehicles into Normandy
fog of war which have no effect they are the deck chokers essentially

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video KvjxrKZCRJs Meeple University Playthrough at 1:47 sentiment: positive

video_pk 70002 · mention_pk 237682

Click to watch at 1:47 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Strong thematic integration and strong map/art that reinforce WWII setting.
Asymmetrical scenarios offering varied strategies.
Relatively quick two-player playtime (~36 minutes).
Deep but accessible deck-building system with many scenarios and cards.
Clear, tense tactical decisions via initiative bidding, scouting, and fog of war.

Cons

Some players may find the theme intense; not for everyone.
Rule updates changed base game mechanics (e.g., control rules) impacting play, which could be confusing for some players.

Thematic elements

Infantry unit deployment, control points, fog of war, deck-building mechanics integrated with battlefield actions
Normandy, World War II infantry warfare between US and German forces; scenario-based
Asymmetric tactical scenario-driven play with initiative bidding and card-driven actions

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

combat_resolution — Attacking requires dice rolls to exceed defender's defense; zero on a die auto-wins; armor and range influence defense.
Deck Building — Cards represent units and actions; players build a personal deck that shrinks as units are defeated.
deck_destruction_and_wind — The deck gets diminished as the game progresses, leading to eventual end when a point is controlled.
deck-building — Cards represent units and actions; players build a personal deck that shrinks as units are defeated.
fog_of_war — Fog of War cards have no effect or hinder deck, helping to decrease card quality; drawing them can weaken your deck.
initiative_bid — Each round, players draw four cards and bid to play a high-initiative card to act first.
movement_and_scouting — Movements are allowed as scouts 'unlock' movement; units move with scouting; distance affects defense.
Player Elimination — When you win a combat, the opposing unit card is removed from the game if the attacked unit is defeated.
reinforcements_and_vehicles — Reinforcement box adds vehicles to teams; later expansions add more unit types and vehicles.
terrain_and_cover — Terrain tiles provide variable defense values (forest, open field, etc.).
token_removal_on_defeat — When you win a combat, the opposing unit card is removed from the game if the attacked unit is defeated.
Variable Map — Terrain tiles provide variable defense values (forest, open field, etc.).

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the game is ultimately a deck builder
this is a quick little two-player game
the theme comes through really well in this game
it's a scenario based game between the US and the Germans
the reinforcement box adds vehicles into Normandy
fog of war which have no effect they are the deck chokers essentially

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video xxnWi8SVRfI watch it played Rules Teach at 0:13 sentiment: positive

video_pk 64770 · mention_pk 158268

Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Includes 12 scenarios for varied play
Double-sided tiles and a clear setup diagram per scenario
Objective markers and a defined win condition via control of points
Color-coded components for the two sides (US and German)
Fog of War cards add uncertainty and strategic depth
Card-driven actions with multiple strategic options
Rulebook summarizes actions at the back, aiding learning
Campaign option available for ongoing play

Cons

none

Thematic elements

squad-level tactical combat with objective points
Allies land on the beaches of Normandy; WWII battlefield
card-driven actions and combat counters with fog of war

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card-driven actions — Playing cards from hand triggers actions like Scout, Move, Control, Conceal, Inspire, etc.
combat resolution — Attack, Suppress, and Blast are resolved with target defense computations, cover, range, and dice; casualties remove opposing counters from hand/discard/deck.
deck-building/draw — Each player creates a deck from unit cards, draws four cards per turn, and shuffles discard back into a new deck when empty.
fog of war — Fog of War cards are drawn and used; can be drawn or discarded and reshuffled; impact on strategy.
initiative phase — Players select and reveal one card to determine initiative, with the higher value taking the initiative token.
objective points and victory — Victory is achieved by controlling tiles that grant objective points; first to reach a threshold wins.
scouting and control tokens — Scouts move tokens and place control tokens; entering tiles with tokens enables actions and visibility.
spawn and casualty rules — Casualties remove counters from the game; replacement tokens spawn on board using prescribed spawn rules.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

you'll be the first player to control five objective points
now it's time for the players to create their decks
you roll a number of attack dice equal to the value printed by the combat action
this is why scouting is so important

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video sqUVZmEgMjg Board Stupid Top List at 4:50 sentiment: positive

video_pk 59344 · mention_pk 151934

Click to watch at 4:50 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

tight two-player interaction
historical flavor and tactical depth
pacing suits short sessions

Cons

learning curve for new players

Thematic elements

historical tactical warfare with a two-player focus
World War II Europe, Normandy 1944

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Each player builds a small deck representing unit capabilities and actions
deck-building — Each player builds a small deck representing unit capabilities and actions
dice/combat resolution — Combat outcomes are resolved with dice influenced by cards and situational modifiers
Hand Management — Players choose and manage cards to perform actions and resolve combats
hand-management — Players choose and manage cards to perform actions and resolve combats

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's a war game for all intents
Love Letter is the game I think I've probably played the most
Cascadia is a fantastic game
Heat is amazing
Undaunted is fabulous
It's pure fun

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 1l0jEs3sKY8 Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Top 60 List at 7:28 sentiment: positive

video_pk 39292 · mention_pk 118324

Click to watch at 7:28 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Tightly integrated deck-building with thematic WWII missions.
Good depth for a two-player skirmish system.

Cons

Asymmetric warfare perspective may not appeal to all players.

Thematic elements

Small-unit tactics and historical engagement
World War II campaign scenarios
Deck-building skirmish with mission flow

Comparison games

NousFaites Commander (thematic counterpart)
Descent: Legends of the Dark

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Build and optimize your command cards to execute missions.
deck-building — Build and optimize your command cards to execute missions.
Mission-based play — Multiple scenarios drive differing objectives and replayability.
Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — Multiple scenarios drive differing objectives and replayability.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

this is four games in one complete with 125 plastic teeth in five different colors
the only problem that I have with this game is that I always miss here its title as Rock Raider
there's always room in my collection for another fun fast-paced family game which has enough strategy in it to keep my wife and I engaged
what's mine is mine and what's yours is also potentially mine
I'm torn on the undo series I'm very curious about what its gonna present but I'm also quite skeptical

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Ko23MOMpZl0 The Board Game Garden Discussion at 42:09 sentiment: positive

video_pk 37951 · mention_pk 114044

Click to watch at 42:09 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

great solo experience with adaptive tactics

Cons

older publication variations may affect availability

Thematic elements

combat simulation with deck-building driven actions
WWII infantry combat skirmishes
historic reenactment, tactical scope

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

deck-building with combat actions — cards drive actions; timing matters for efficiency
solo AI adversary — predetermined enemy behavior via deck

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

huge shout out to all my patrons
the patreon link down below
this video is sponsored by wsbg
it's so comforting to me

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video c1Ubrl3ddgM Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Top 10 List at 15:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 36291 · mention_pk 212934

Click to watch at 15:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

none

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This episode that you're watching right now is the one where we're going to list our 30 top nominees.
This is definitive.
Just click it.
You won't bias us.
See you soon.

References (from this video)

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Video cJXWL10DVvs Board Stupid Top List at 35:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 36261 · mention_pk 150781

Click to watch at 35:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

tight, tense firefights
great balance of luck and strategy
compact footprint for a war game

Cons

theme may be edgy for some players
can be unforgiving in early plays

Thematic elements

Deck-building tactical skirmishes
World War II small-unit engagements
Scenario-driven, mission-based

Comparison games

Undaunted Normandy

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

deck_building — build a deck that determines actions and initiative
Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — campaign-style missions with varying goals
scenario_based_play — campaign-style missions with varying goals
tile_movement_and_combat — move and fight in tactical skirmishes with unit cards

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

It's a Space Opera you go in with your race
the production is fantastic
the best two-player game to win the YIS
Cascadia is fantastic game, I love it
Western Legends is the best Western game you can buy
Undaunted Normandy or North Africa if you've played those a lot

References (from this video)

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Video y7AWmX9N-GY Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Playthrough at 11:09 sentiment: positive

video_pk 35841 · mention_pk 220724

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

accessible WWII wargame

Cons

deck-building nuance may be surprising to newcomers

Thematic elements

combat, tactics, historical warfare
Normandy, World War II micro-skirmish
campaign-like, scenario-driven

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

deck-building with tactical choices — deploy units and actions via a managed card deck
tile/board-based skirmish — map-based engagements with terrain advantages

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

the first clue very confusing very bad second clue slightly better
Twilight Imperium second edition it's fourth edition any edition of TI
you could replace your entire personality
Blood on the clock tower goodbye points
Watergate the answer is of course Watergate
Space Base to this
the single purchase of this game you can also replace your entire personality
look my brain just works in a very logical and special way that means that what I just said actually makes perfect sense

References (from this video)

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Video mWBnRbjnvOU Game Night Picks - Pair Of Dice Paradise Top 10 List at 10:37 sentiment: positive

video_pk 33184 · mention_pk 244500

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Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Solid WWII flavor with tactical depth
Twin-narrative/replayability through missions

Cons

Deck-building weight may deter casual players

Thematic elements

Mission-driven deck-building combat
World War II Normandy campaign
Historical tactical realism

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck-building / card-driven actions — Use cards to drive missions and combat outcomes
Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — A sequence of missions affecting deck state and strategy
scenario-based missions — A sequence of missions affecting deck state and strategy

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

pandemic the modern classic in which several virulent diseases have broken out simultaneously all over the world and the players who portrayed disease fighting specialists must treat disease hotspots while researching cures for each of those four plagues before they get completely out of hand
this month's next biggest climber is seven wonders dual which gained 69 spots
undAunted Normandy recently entered the ranks of the top 1,000 highest-rated games on BoardGameGeek

References (from this video)

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Video HXPfjQbqiO4 Board Of It Discussion at 18:30 sentiment: positive

video_pk 32435 · mention_pk 95970

Click to watch at 18:30 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

brutal, tense head-to-head combat
core system is simple to learn yet deeply strategic
great entry point to the series

Cons

none

Thematic elements

two-player head-to-head deck-building combat in a WWII setting
World War II, Normandy, Western Front
historical yet approachable

Comparison games

Undaunted North Africa
Undaunted Stalingrad

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Combat: Dice — attacks are resolved with dice, with hits determined by range, cover, and modifiers
Deck Building — each round you draw cards and build your deck, influencing which actions you can take
deck-building — each round you draw cards and build your deck, influencing which actions you can take
Dice-based combat — attacks are resolved with dice, with hits determined by range, cover, and modifiers
Hidden Deployment — scout actions reveal terrain; fog cards clog hands and increase tension
Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — each scenario provides unique goals and setup, guiding play
Scenario-driven objectives — each scenario provides unique goals and setup, guiding play
scout and fog of war — scout actions reveal terrain; fog cards clog hands and increase tension

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's extremely approachable and engaging
the core gameplay is very simplistic yet brutal and tense
we've top 10 games of all time
the scenarios offer varied and interesting objectives

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video iJNxPRfs2kM Rolling Dice & Taking Names Interview at 37:38 sentiment: positive

video_pk 13770 · mention_pk 40235

Click to watch at 37:38 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Tightly designed with accessible rules
Solid two-player head-to-head experience

Cons

Learning curve for deck-building mechanics
Scenario balance can require careful tuning

Thematic elements

deck-building, scenario-based tactical engagements
World War II Normandy; infantry and operations
campaign-like scenarios with evolving decks

Comparison games

Undaunted: North Africa

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

deck-building — Players build and optimize a hand of unit/action cards.
scenario-based play — Each scenario defines objectives and victory conditions.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

bam that's a quote, baby, quotable
it's one of those things that you should always feel like there's no chance for you to win on both sides simultaneously
easy like sunday morning

References (from this video)

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Video pW2gmCJDImM Paula Deming Top List at 4:21 sentiment: positive

video_pk 12996 · mention_pk 105868

Click to watch at 4:21 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

approachable WWII wargame for newcomers
flexible scenarios that scale with players

Cons

luck can influence outcomes
can become lengthy with extended campaigns

Thematic elements

campaign-like scenarios with deck-building elements
World War II tactical warfare
historical and cinematic

Comparison games

Memoir 44

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Combat: Dice — combat resolution via dice with probability trade-offs
Deck Building — build a deck of units and actions to execute orders
deck-building — build a deck of units and actions to execute orders
Dice combat — combat resolution via dice with probability trade-offs

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's a really good two-player game
the production value of this game is so good
it's a tight game that feels tense especially with the drafting
this game can be quite mean because you're going to be blocking each other a lot
it's the kind of game that stresses me out like in a good way
it's got a lot of luck it's not too heavy
it's another game of historical World War II simulations
sometimes the dice just aren't on your side
it's a brain burner
it's that time you killed me

References (from this video)

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Video 9_NcqaHe2hA Adam in Wales - Board Game Design Analysis at 10:33:20 sentiment: positive

video_pk 12785 · mention_pk 37303

Click to watch at 10:33:20 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Fresh approach to unit control
Deck building provides meaningful decision-making for unit actions
Integrates combat mechanics seamlessly

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Military combat and strategy
World War II - Normandy landing
Thematic simulation

Comparison games

Undaunted: North Africa

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — Deck building mechanics control movement and actions of military units on a board without traditional card play or dice
Deck building driving action — Deck building mechanics control movement and actions of military units on a board without traditional card play or dice

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

that sense of destruction sheer destruction of the playing space and you don't get that much in board games
i think that's a really nice level of interaction in games because it's not mean spirited it's not vindictive but it still means you've got to constantly keep thinking
i've got my own deck that alone is exciting and different to the vast majority of games that i had played in the past
the deck is created as we play we're buying cards from a central pool
everybody's got a bit of the same information a bit of different information and it makes the game really really intriguing
everybody's running around a table shouting over each other trying to find the people with the same card
i've played it with my german family and my english family who can't speak to each other because i don't speak the same language but they could all play happy salmon together
everyone's got their own set of poker dice and they're rolling them all at the same time you're not having to wait for somebody else
these are just the most fantastic little components that i've i've found in games i absolutely love them
it takes six minutes to play which is three rounds of drawing one minutes each and three rounds of guessing one minute each
it's so frustrating it just gets in the way it's not fun

References (from this video)

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Video XuPWRQopS-U The Cardboard Herald Review at 0:06 sentiment: positive

video_pk 11581 · mention_pk 34030

Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

extremely_positive

Pros

Excellent balance between approachability and depth
Accessible compared to other historical war games
Simple but powerful attack system with meaningful decisions
Small hand size creates high-stakes card selection
Brilliant initiative mechanic that creates tactical depth
Thematic integration of deck building with casualty system
Asymmetric scenarios with viable strategic alternatives
12 progressively complex scenarios for learning curve
No sequential campaign requirement - play any scenario
Rich, authentic experience without feeling dumbed down

Cons

Heavy conflict theme with World War II violence may not appeal to all players
Two-player only gameplay limitation

Thematic elements

World War II
Historical Skirmish
Allied vs Nazis
Military Strategy

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play Action Resolution
Combat System
Combat: Damage Based
Deck Building
Initiative system
scenario-based play
Tile-based movement
Tile/Map Shifting
two-player head-to-head
Unit Management

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

No quotes stored for this video.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 4d4YyI4miY8 Adam in Wales - Board Game Design Top List at 1:43 sentiment: positive

video_pk 10119 · mention_pk 102969

Click to watch at 1:43 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

art style from Osprey
clever combination of deck-building with tactical movement and attacks
well-realized design

Cons

war theme may be less appealing to non-war-game players

Thematic elements

deck-building with tactical movement and attacks
World War II, Normandy operations
clever, tightly realized military tactics

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — players build and optimize a deck to perform actions
deck-building — players build and optimize a deck to perform actions
tactical_movement_and_attacks — maneuver and engage enemies using efficient card play

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

it's my favorite Legacy experience so far
the product design is immaculate with great presentation and it's an exemplar of diversity and inclusion to boot
this is not a game which you're going to play to show off your economic Wilds
I don't play many war games but this one really connected with me
the rules are super simple and clear, the artwork was always of a high standard, but this fresh coat of paint is much more modern and appealing

References (from this video)

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Video ret2atPVYv8 Rolling Dice & Taking Names Discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 5289 · mention_pk 118449

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

highly_positive

Pros

merges deck building with wargame mechanics
deck building drives unit activation
strong thematic implementation
personal connection to historical location
tactical depth
part of larger series with multiple theaters

Cons

none

Thematic elements

World War II
Normandy invasion
military operations
historical warfare

Comparison games

Undaunted North Africa
Other wargames

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building
Measurement Movement
tactical positioning
token movement
wargame mechanics

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Gen Con is back baby
y'all we recorded an entire episode 301... and then we go into the process of sending the files to each other and it's only happened what maybe one other time Tony in 300 episodes where we didn't have the recorded file
please do not wear a backpack that's juts out about 16 to 24 inches from your back
when you land on one of those letters your opponents will draw a card
nobody feels out of the game or you don't have a chance
this game a seller game for me is that it's no fun if there's no way to win the game
so I'm wondering if the convention center if they would move it to the field
we went by there every day there was one or two gentlemen there that we just almost became friends with
games of the con I loved this game
I've played over three four thousand games on the iPad
go back to the roots that maybe started this whole deck building system
as tyrants of the underdark first time I played that game I thought wow this is a really brilliantly well done

References (from this video)

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Video PSzTR09lch8 Beyond Solitaire Top List at 23:01 sentiment: positive

video_pk 5169 · mention_pk 15300

Click to watch at 23:01 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

strong solo implementation with reinforcements expansion

Cons

system split between Normandy and North Africa may confuse new players

Thematic elements

tactics and campaign-level decisions
World War II Normandy landings
skirmish wargame with campaign flavor

Comparison games

Pavlov's House
Pavlov's House expansion series

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Campaign progression — scenario-to-scenario development with reinforcement rules
deck-building/command — cards drive actions and reinforcements

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

we together are the horsemen of the apocalypse
the solo mode is the same rules you're just using one bot
Concordia solitaire is so good you can play it with any map and any expansion
the expansion for Star Wars Outer Rim tweaked the solo mode nicely
Baseball Highlights 2045 I freaking love baseball
Final Girl is ultimately going to be the more palatable one
I love root solo; it's a bear but worth it

References (from this video)

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Video XJfXjv7SBFA Adam in Wales - Board Game Design Top List at 0:55 sentiment: positive

video_pk 4019 · mention_pk 81495

Click to watch at 0:55 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

art style from Osprey
clever combination of deck-building with tactical movement and attacks
well realized

Cons

none

Thematic elements

deck-building with tactical movement and attacks
WWII Normandy

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Deck Building — build a deck to perform actions; tactical movement and attacks
deck-building — build a deck to perform actions; tactical movement and attacks

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I did a deep dive into this one a couple of weeks ago
please let me know your thoughts on this list and which games would make your own top 10 of the year
I'm Adam Porter I design games and I review them on this channel

References (from this video)

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Video dyw2fzTLkSo Beyond Solitaire Discussion at 0:31 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 2928 · mention_pk 83303

Click to watch at 0:31 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Excellent, adaptive solo AI that works across many scenarios
Fast, snappy decision-making at the core of the deck-building loop
Reinforcements expansion adds vehicles and new mechanics that expand solo play
Clear structure for running solo through flow-chart style guidance

Cons

High upfront cost and deep investment to play solo well (need multiple boxes)
Solo mode relies on multiple rulebooks and flowcharts, increasing setup complexity
AI consistency varies by scenario; some missions feel more favorable to one side

Thematic elements

deck-building war game with asymmetric forces
World War II Normandy campaign, squad-level skirmishes
scenario-driven missions that evolve as you progress

Comparison games

Hoplomachus Victorum

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

asymmetric AI / solo mode — solo play uses a flow-chart driven AI that simulates the German force; initiative and card interactions guide enemy behavior.
Deck Building — players assemble a fleet of unit and action cards, drawing from a personal deck to perform actions.
deck-building — players assemble a fleet of unit and action cards, drawing from a personal deck to perform actions.
Hand Management — players must choose and time actions from a limited hand, balancing initiative and casualties.
hand-management — players must choose and time actions from a limited hand, balancing initiative and casualties.
Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game — each box includes multiple scenarios with unique objectives, enemies, and setups.
scenario-based play — each box includes multiple scenarios with unique objectives, enemies, and setups.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I am so impressed that David Digby went through all these scenarios and distilled that into the card flow charts.
There is a lot of love and attention that goes into a solo mode like that.
The amount of investment that it takes to get multiple boxes and all the stuff—the solo system is not cheap.

References (from this video)

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Video VFTbtFi9S1M TableTop Wolf Review at 0:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 382 · mention_pk 86314

Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Extremely compact footprint that fits in a tiny box
Effective hybridization of board game and wargame mechanics
Robust solo play option with a competent bot
Expansion (reinforcements) adds tanks and enhances replayability
Strong deck-building mechanics integrated with tactical decisions

Cons

Dice-based combat introduces randomness that may affect outcome perception
Component count is still fairly modest, which could limit expansion depth for some players

Thematic elements

Squad-based tactical combat with deck-building elements, small-footprint war gaming
World War II Normandy, platoon-level skirmishes between Allied and Axis forces
Historical scenario-driven engagements emphasizing tactical decisions and resource management

Comparison games

Bolt Action (genre)

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

deck-building for squads — Players manage a deck that represents squad capabilities, drawing and playing cards to activate actions and resolve encounters
Dice-based combat — Combat resolution relies on dice to determine hit outcomes and damage, introducing probabilistic variability into engagements
small-scale, platoon-level engagement in a compact box — Game uses a modular, box-size footprint while simulating platoon-scale actions, allowing for quick setup and portability
solo play with AI bot — Rules and components support solo play against a competent bot, enabling asymmetric or head-to-head scenarios without a human opponent

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Undaunted Normandy is the best game I've played in months.
This is the small-scale bolt action game I've been looking for since 2017.
It's terrific.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Undaunted: Normandy

Undaunted: Normandy is a Modern Masterpiece - TCbH Review

Undaunted: Normandy - How To Play

Undaunted: Normandy - LIVE Playthrough Board Game & Worldwide Giveway

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Undaunted: Normandy

Undaunted: Normandy is a Modern Masterpiece - TCbH Review

Undaunted: Normandy - How To Play

Undaunted: Normandy - LIVE Playthrough Board Game & Worldwide Giveway

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