Axis & Allies: D-Day

Axis & Allies: D-Day

Axis & Allies: D-Day is the fifth version of the strategy board-game Axis & Allies, released on June 11, 2004 as a celebration of the 60th anniversary of D-Day during World War II. It lets 2-3 players recreate Operation Overlord or D-Day scenarios during June-July 1944. It was designed by Larry Harris and developed by Mike Selinker. The game won the Origins Award Gamers’ Choice Award 2004.

USA and UK land troops at Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches while Germany tries to push them back and keep control of the cities Cherbourg, Saint-Lô, and Caen. If the allies haven't captured all three cities within ten turns, Germany wins. The allies start with no victory cities in their possession.

Mike Selinker, the developer of the A&A games, said: "The original Axis & Allies board game was strategic. D-Day is tactical. D-Day is shorter and 'tighter' than the original game, and is also a bit less complicated."

Instead of purchasing units, players get them by placing units on "Reinforcement Charts" and then moving them to the play board. The play board also has unit silhouettes which shows how you should set up the game, instead of charts with lots of numbers. It makes the game a lot easier, less complicated, and less time consuming. With the help of paratrooper planes and amphibious assaults, the allies send over troops to breach the Atlantic wall. A new unit is the Pillbox, a little fortress with artillery inside that fires at troops about to land on the beach. Otherwise, it is all the original pieces without chips for indication of multiple units. In order to deal with the possibilities of excess amounts of units, an 8-unit limit has been enacted so that territories do not become overcrowded.