D-Day (game)

A two-player operational/strategic simulation of the Western Front between June and September, 1944, the game simulates the invasion by the Allies of France while it was occupied by the Axis Powers. The title references the Normandy Landings in France on 6 June 1944, but the game covers the entire campaign to liberate France in World War II from Normandy to the Rhine River.

One unique aspect of the game offers the Allied player the choice of where to invade. Players may (and often do) choose the Normandy beach where the actual invasion took place, but are free to invade at several other alternate locations, including the southern coast of France. The German player has considerable freedom as to where to place his starting pieces, but they do so without knowledge of where the Allied player will invade.

The game lasts for 50 turns, but as several reviewers noted, the game is generally decided after the first few turns — if the Germans cannot contain and destroy the Allies on the beaches, the result is a rapid and inexorable Allied advance across France.[1][2]

D-Day was designed by Avalon Hill's founder, Charles S. Roberts. Published in 1961, it was the first wargame that featured both a hex grid map and cardboard counters.[3] Due to some issues with the rules, a second edition (known as 1961b) was published almost immediately.[4] In 1965, Larry Pinsky revised the game again. Another revision by James Stahler appeared in 1977. All of these revisions used the same map and counter mix as the original game.

In 1991, Avalon Hill published a new revision as part of a partnership program with the Smithsonian Museum. This "Smithsonian Edition", designed by S. Craig Taylor, featured a new map, a new counter mix, new rules, and the use of two ten-sided dice, as well as a new "what-if" scenario in addition to the historical game.[5]

In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer noted that "This AH 'classic' has quite a few devotees, and it often appeals to beginners. [...] The accent is on a fast, easy game rather than on historical accuracy." He believed "the historical 'feel' and the choice of strategies are conveyed rather well." Palmer did admit that the game was "widely thought to be vastly biased to the Allies, but a conservative German defence can work well." His final suggestion was "to have the initial German units face down, my personal variant for enlivening the early turns."[1]

Writing for Washingtonian in 1980, R. B. McArthur noted that "Avalon Hill's Afrika Korps, Stalingrad, D-Day, and Battle of the Bulge cover World War II in Europe pretty thoroughly. They are mostly popular with teenagers; those who actually fought in the war tend to find them jarringly inaccurate."[6]

In Issue 2 of Berg's Review of Games, Richard Berg reviewed the 1991 "Smithsonian edition" and questioned the new, smaller map, which covered the entire European theatre from Normandy all the way to Vienna, although the Allies only have to cross the Rhine. In Berg's estimation, 40% of the map would never be used. Berg reviewed the major rules changes, but thought that "despite the game's new, spiffy set of togs, this is a pretty mundane affair." He also could not see who the audience was supposed to be be, arguing that "This is not a game that will appeal very greatly to regular gamers, for whom it will not be enough, or to the 'classicists', for whom the changes will be too much." He concluded, "As 'simple', but not as accessible or as interesting as the old D-Day [...] While this may be a good game to get for your young nephew/niece, and it does have some interesting logistical overlay, this will not be a 'classic'."[2]

• Panzerfaust #52, #56, #62 and #63
• Fire & Movement #65
• Panzerschreck #1
• Strategy & Tactics #17
• Spartan Simulation Gaming Journal #3
• The Complete Book of Wargames

• D-Day at BoardGameGeek