Memoir 44 Scenario Review: Breakout at Lisyanka

MEMOIR 44 SCENARIO 101: BREAKOUT AT LISYANKA (February 16, 1944 – February 17, 1944)

Memoir 44 is a tactical WWII game from Days of Wonder that successfully combines elements of both miniatures and board games. The game was designed by Richard Borg and uses his card-driven system of issuing orders to units on the board Featured in other games like Command and Colours, Battlecry and Battlelore). In 2010, DOW also launched an on-line version of Memoir 44 that mimics the board game perfectly.

Over the next few weeks I will provide you with my experience in playing Memoir 44 scenarios both at the tabletop and on-line, with my rating of the scenario and a few tips for play for both Axis and Allied forces. This week’s feature is the “Breakout at Lisyanka” scenario.

Breakout at Lisyanka
Front: Eastern
Victory Conditions: 7 medals
(Special Rules: engineers, frozen rivers, ravines)

In January, 1944 a large pocket of 6 German divisions with over 56,000 troops had been cut-off by the Soviet Army’s 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Front troops. For days the Russians continued the attack in an attempt to split up the pocket and destroy the German forces. Finally, on February 16th, the German forces made a bid for freedom and this scenario simulates an attempt by elements of the 72d Division and 5th Panzer Division to break through the Russian lines and escape across the frozen Gniloy Tickich River.

Soviet Strategy
You have two strong points; – the line of hills across the middle of the board and a group of massed armour positioned behind the village of Dzhurzhentsy. You need to hold that central line where your infantry is entrenched. Failure to do so will allow the German player to exit units across the river. Tanks, exited in this way score 1 medal but infantry scores 2 medals. If your opponent is able to punch a hole in the centre and is lucky enough to draw a few infantry assault cards, you will be looking at a quick defeat; the Germans will take out a few units to force the hole and then finish the game by scoring medals as their units cross the frozen river.

As soon as you are able, move the armoured units based at Dzhurzhentsy to the centre, taking up positions to support your infantry in the hills from the inevitable armour attack that will take place there. You may want to base one on the far left forest in the centre in case the lone German armour unit on your left flank tries to break out through the clear terrain between Dzhurzhentsy and the hills. The armoured and infantry units in the village on your right flank are also useful.

You have two artillery units on the board so use them effectively to harry German units that advance in the centre to try and punch a hole through the hills. Where possible target their infantry as they are worth two medals if the cross the river. Also, if the German player does not move his units on your left flank early in the game, your artillery in Dzhurzhentsy can play havoc with them. You will be rolling 2 dice and retreat flags will score a hit.

In addition, you have some men on the frontline holed up in a ravine (centre left) and a forest (centre right). Engage the enemy with these put be prepared to pull them back as soon as they take damage; they are far more effective as reinforcements for your defenders on the hills.

If you can organise the defence of the centre quickly enough you should be able to break up the German Armour that threatens your centre with your infantry and if they start taking too much damage, you can send in your tanks to mop up and score the required seven medals.

German Strategy
Although getting your troops to cross the river can be a strategy, you are reliant on drawing cards that will allow you to continue to push your centre infantry forward (with the support of your armour). If you manage to score cards like “Infantry Assault” and “Move Out” early enough then definitely try and punch a hole in the Russian line that is defending the central line of hills. A big threat to this is the mass of Russian armour on your right flank, hiding behind Dzhurzhentsy.

If you opt to make a push for the river you need to make sure you don’t sacrifice your tanks taking the hills as they will be needed to match the Russian tanks when they decide to commit to the battle. You only have one standard tank unit on the right, so consider pulling one of your elite tank from the centre to the right to help out.

I have won this scenario several times by sending the German Infantry in Kormarovka forward to seize the nearby woods and the infantry in Khilki to take the ravine. From there, I have fought a long range war with infantry and tanks, chipping away at the units on the central hills. This usually ends with the Russians sufficiently weakened so that they are susceptible to an assault that will overrun their defensive position. If this occurs, and the Russian tanks have not already been committed, you will most likely force the Russian player’s hand, so make sure you have cards that will allow you to send your tanks in (an “Armour Assault” card is your best friend). Even when using this more defensive style of play, always be mindful of any easy medals you can obtain by crossing the river.

So, if you do take the hills and then mange to draw an “Infantry Assault” or “Behind Enemy Lines” card, use them to move infantry off the board. Alternatively try and use the forest behind the hills to give cover to your infantry from any prowling Russian armour before making a dash to the river (which is only two hexes from the forests).

Your biggest battle will probably be fought in the centre both on the hills and in the plain in front of the river. As stated, if you have taken the hills and your armour relatively intact at this stage you will have a good chance of winning the day. Don’t commit your infantry to the plains if the Russian has a strong armour presence – you may get a few god hits in but the tanks can carve you up quickly in the open. Use the defensive bonuses of the hills and forests instead and take the Russian tanks on with your own armour, until such a time that its safe for infantry to venture forward.

Scenario Rating: Three out of five stars

See other scenario reviews

Quest of the Claw, part 8 of 11

Back to part 7

On to part 9

Planeswalkers in Grand Melee, part 29: Tibalt the Fiend-Blooded

He has a long name and some incredible artwork from Peter Mohrbacher. Tibalt is a planeswalker native to Innistrad, where he experiemnted with himself and some fiends, and well you can probably guess the rest.

More interestingly Tibalt is an inexpensive red planeswalker. He has the mana cost that Chandra Ablaze should have had. Tibalt costs tow mana to cast, both of which must be red. They got that bit right, lets see about the abilities.

Tibalt has three abilities. The first adds a loyalty counter, for which you may draw a card, then discard a card at random. Okay, and works nicely if you have cards with the Madness ability, or cards that want to be in the graveyard anyway.

The second ability costs four loyalty counters. Tibalt enters the battlefield with two counters, so it will be a few turns before you can use this ability. The ability is Sudden Impact; that is it deals damage to target player equal to the number of cards in that player’s hand. Being able to choose the most vulnerable player to target makes this ability useful, although perhaps you’d rather save up for the third ability…

Tibalt’s last ability is another red spell popular in multiplayer – Insurrection. For the cost of eight loyalty, you gain control of all creatures on the battlefield until the end of the turn. This ability should spell the end of one of your opponents.

Verdict: Marginal. Tibalt is hardly the worst red planeswalker you could use in your deck. However a deck built around Tibalt is unlikely to do well at the table, though you should be able to sneak in a kill or two. Tibalt can also be used to strengthen certain red decks.

Connections: Like Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded? You may also like [Chandra Nalaar] [Jace, the Mindsculptor] [Garruk, Primal Hunter]
Don’t like Tibalt? You may prefer [Elspeth Tirel] [Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas] [Sorin, Lord of Innistrad]

See all articles in the series.

Review: Quarriors Quarmageddon

Quarriors was released in 2011 and has quickly become a heavily played game at LXG. The games library has copies and so do several members. This website has previously featured a review and a playthrough of Quarriors.

Quarriors: Quarmageddon is the first substantial expansion of the game. A smaller expansion that added a new creature and ‘tainted’ Quiddity came out, but Quarmageddon adds two new spells, and six new creatures, and is something else entirely. This expansion is aimed at moderate to heavy players of the game, and adds new effects through the spells and creatures that can seriously shake up your gameplay. This package is not stand alone, and does require a copy of the original game to use.

The Package
Quarriors: Quarmageddon comes in a nice big box. The original Quarriors tin looks really nice, but leaves the question of where to store playmats open. The box solves this very nicely. In fact the new A4 rulebook not only lays out the game cleaner and clearer than before, but features playmats at the back that you can freely copy for your use (done!).

In addition the box has an interior that holds all your gaming dice* in sunken rows, making it easy to get them in and out, and an interior lid that stops them moving in transit.

*There aren’t enough rows for all the dice, you will have at least one bag left over, more if you already own the first expansion. There’s room in the box for them, but not on the rows, which is a shame.

The Spells
Two new spells are Oblation and Discriminating. Neither of these spells has a burst on the die, and they have three faces with the spell symbol, three without. The Discriminating die additionally has a portal 2 on one face. Both spells add some interesting new effects to the game, both allowing you to mess around with your dice pool to your advantage.

The Creatures
Six new creatures come at a variety of costs. The Gnome Barbarian and Lord of the Quarry have four creature faces on their dice giving you a better chance of summoning them. These cards also have a burst effect at a lower rather than higher creature level, and interesting change. The Troll Behemoth tends to mess with your opponents when you summon it, while the Voodoo Doll and Heavenly Seraph have abilities to make the whole table groan. My own favourite is the Mischevous Imp, a cheap creature with three levels, burst and other effects in a very neat little package.

The Game
The real question with any expansion is does it extend the game experience and the answer here is yes. If you have been playing Quarriors for a few months now, this will add some interesting twists to your game, and it replaces the original storage so you won’t have to cart an additional box around with you. The larger sized rule book makes it easier to bring new players into the game, as do the new playmats.

This expansion offers good value and is recommended to all fans of Quarrors with a copy of the original game.

If you enjoyed this review, you may also enjoy our reviews of:

Cyclades
Dominion
Quarriors

Victoria Point Games Demo Report

ANGUS and ROBERTSON GAMES DEMO

In July 2012, LXG was contacted by David Peard, of Even Toys and Games, a local distributor of board games in Australia. Even Toys and Games main product range is educational games and recently they introduced their product lines into Angus and Roberson Book stores. LXG has an existing relationship with David Peard after Keith Done worked was asked to demo “Viewpoint “ at the Even Toys and Games stand at the Melbourne Toy and Hobby Expo, held earlier in 2012. David expressed interest in LXG running demonstrations of some of the games that A&R were stocking at their Victoria Point Store. Of course, LXG was happy to oblige.

David provided LXG with copies of Sherlock, Yikerz, Catch the Match, Sitting Ducks Gallery, Army v Aliens and its companion game, Pirates v Ninjas. The LXG volunteer group for the weekend made themselves familiar with the games in the week that preceded the demo, which was being held at the Victoria Point Shopping Centre on August 11th. Helping out on the day was Vanessa Tierney, Andrew Betts, Nigel Bell, Alex Done and Keith Done.

The team assembled at 9.30am and met the manager of the A&R. Three tables had been set up outside the store in the centre of the mall as part of an Ekka themed day being run at the centre. The expectation from A&R was that we may get one or two interested people; the other attractions of the day included acrobats and free fairy floss, which were hard acts to compete with! However, within half an hour of setting up a few games, family groups started drifting in and the LXG volunteers had our hands full all day. The agreed time that we would be there was from 10.00am to 1.00pm., however interest in games was so great that the group didn’t finish up until 2.30pm.

Yikerz (the magnetic stone game) was a constant hit and Nigel Bell had great fun showing it to kids and adults alike. Sitting Ducks was also held the attention of families who were happy to play through an entire game (which is surprising, considering it was the longest of the games to run – usually people are too busy for anything over 10 minutes at a demo). All the other games got a run too and passers-by took the time to learn about them and A&R did a brisk trade selling games to many of those people who talked to the LXG volunteers. In addition, we took some time to ‘sell‘ the club to interested people and this has translated to one new member already.

A&R are interested in more demos at Victoria Point and at their Ipswich store and Even Toys and Games will be in touch in the next few months regarding dates. The games played have been kindly donated to the LXG library. Here’s a mini-review of each of them;

Sherlock
This is a memory game where you arrange a circle of eight cards with bright images. You get to look at them and then turn them face down. The game system determines which card is selected on your turn to guess. Collect six cards and you win. Good game for kids aged 6-10. If you like Chicken Cha-Cha-Cha, you’ll like this.

Yikerz
This game was a big hit at the Melbourne Toy and Hobby Expo. Each player has ten highly magnetic stones that they must place (one by one) onto a small playing area. If you get all your stones down you win. If any stones fly together or are repulsed off the board by the magnetic fields, they go into your hand. It’s a very simple game but highly addictive and a lot of fun for all ages.

Catch the Match
A game that features cards with heaps of symbols, all detailed with bright base colours. Each card has the same symbols but only two of the symbols are ever coloured the same. Each turn, two cards are flipped and players examine them to be the first to call out the symbol with matching colours. If you like “Pictureka”, you’ll like this one.

Army vs Aliens
A dice based game for two players – one has a set of Army Dice and the other a set of Alien dice. Each has its own shaker with the basic rules and scoring system printed on the shaker. You dice sets have four sides with units of increasing ranks and each set features two unique powers in the form of a leader and a special ability. On your turn you eliminate the opponent’s dice according to matching ranks and try to gain an advantage by dice combos and using your special ability. The expansion set, “Pirates v Ninjas” adds more factions to the mix and you can use any of the dice sets against any others in the range.

Sitting Ducks
Already an old favourite of LXG. You own five ducks of a specific colour that are shuffled together with all the other players’ ducks and five cards featuring an empty pond. This is the Duck Deck. Six ‘Sky’ cards are placed in a line representing the spaces of the pond. You start by dealing six cards from the Duck Deck in a row under the ‘Sky’ cards. Each player is dealt a hand of cards that allows them to move the line of ducks, target ducks and shoot ducks. Lose all your ducks and you are out of the game. Note, the set LXG has inherited from Even Toys and Games is a new edition and features a few new cards (e.g. Resurrection – which allows someone who gets eliminated early to get one duck back in the pond).

Memoir 44 Scenario Review: Meatgrinder

MEMOIR 44 SCENARIO 101: THE MEATGRINDER

Memoir 44 is a tactical WWII game from Days of Wonder that successfully combines elements of both miniatures and board games. The game was designed by Richard Borg and uses his card-driven system of issuing orders to units on the board Featured in other games like Command and Colours, Battlecry and Battlelore). In 2010, DOW also launched an on-line version of Memoir 44 that mimics the board game perfectly.

Over the next few weeks I will provide you with my experience in playing Memoir 44 scenarios both at the tabletop and on-line, with my rating of the scenario and a few tips for play for both Axis and Allied forces. This week’s feature is the “Meatgrinder” scenario.

The Meatgrinder
Front: Pacific
Victory Conditions: 7 medals
(Special Rules: engineers, flame tanks, jungle, minefields, cave movement, US Marine Nation rules,
Japanese Nation rules).

The Meatgrinder is a scenario simulating the assault on a series of well fortified hills and the village of Minami on Iwo Jima between February 26, 1945 – March 06, 1945. Marines of the US 4th Division fought a bloody series of engagements and suffered significant casualties that gave the battle the nick-name of the “Meatgrinder”.

Japanese Strategy
Most of your troops are entrenched largely in a cave complex in the hills, which offers you a great defensive bonus. The US player’s artillery and armour will be shooting at you with 1 dice for most of the time. However, the great strength of the Japanese Infantry is their ability to move 2 spaces and attack with 4 dice in close assault (as long as the unit remains undamaged). The cautious US player will hang back and chip away at the Japanese defences, so that the Japanese Infantry get their ‘teeth’ pulled before the US Infantry go in to attach the caves.

I find the strategy that has worked for me is to hit ‘em and hit ‘em hard! You need 7 medals to win so don’t be afraid to advance from your fortified defences if you have cards that will maximise your ability to attack with 4 dice every time. In particular, your position on your right flank allows you to hit the US positions early in the game. You can take out 2 or 3 units completely. The US forces on that flank are bottled up early in the game and there is a minefield that slows down any response. If you are lucky, you can retreat back to your cave complex relatively intact and even swap any damaged units with full strength Infantry from your centre, by utilising cave movement rules.

Another hint is to try and target Engineers and Flame Tanks, as the US player will rely on these to take out some of you fortified positions. You have 3 artillery units (1 in each section) that are hard to dislodge. Use them to maximum effect by targeting those units who will cause problems for your hill defenders later in the game. So, rule of thumb, fire artillery at engineers or Flame Tanks, unless there is some damaged unit with only one figure left trying to make it back to the edge of the board.

I have always found that the Japanese centre suffers the least attacks (mainly because there is not a lot of cover for the US player to hide behind if assaulting the centre). This will allow you to move troops to your right flank using cave movement and, as you have two artillery units in the centre (one being in the centre and the left flank) you can give support to any US assault on your left.

You have three units in the village of Minami sitting in sandbags. They are hard to dislodge but easier for the US player than attacking the caves. I’ve always found the US will launch an attack on your left flank, hitting the artillery there first. Again, if the US pushes close enough, don’t hesitate to do a charge and close assault with 4 dice, providing you have cards to allow you to organise a quick retreat.

US Strategy
If you get cards to move your left flank troops early enough – do so. The infantry and tanks are jammed into a small space in front of an extensive minefield and are in danger of large assault by Japanese infantry who will hit you with 4 dice each time, as long as they are intact units. Protect your engineer units on that flank and push your armour into the breach to fire at the Japanese cave defensive positions (and hopefully damage his units so they are unable to mount an effective banzai charge.

You have a lot of armour but it’s largely useless against the entrenched positions of the enemy, as tanks roll only one die. Position your tanks in the centre, where the terrain is more favourable, but out of reach of any sudden advances by Japanese infantry. Use your tanks as artillery and slowly chip way at your opponent, reducing the effectiveness of their infantry. If you weaken your opponent significantly you may force their hand at making an assault against you. If your armour is well-positioned, you can do a lot of damage to his troops out in the open.

Move your infantry on the right flank up into the protective jungles and position your armour nearby to either respond to any surprise attack by the Japanese or to make a concerted attack on the village of Minami and the bunker nearby. Remember, the Japanese have two armoured units on this flank. They shouldn’t cause you much trouble but make sure you have tanks ready to respond when your enemy makes a move.

The Japanese cave movement is a real pain and will make it difficult for you to take the caves on your left flank. So engage the left at long range and concentrate on moving forward in the centre and the left, especially if your opponent sends troops from the centre to reinforce the caves on your left flank. The three Japanese artillery units can be a real pain, but they are far back from the front and only score real damage when you make an attack inland. Try to remove them by bombarding them with your own artillery – remember, marines can order an extra unit each turn, so continually order your artillery to weaken the enemy artillery. Also, if you are able to draw a “Behind Enemy Lines” or “Barrage” card, try and use it to effect on the Japanese artillery units.

Overall, be slow and cautious. The medals score you need is quite big (7) and there are no objectives to capture. You can afford to take your time wearing down the Japanese defences instead of charging into a close assault situation. When you are ready to hit a weakened line, use you engineers and flame tanks, as these units give you better firepower against the cave defences.

Rating of this scenario: 4 out of 5 stars.

See other scenario reviews

Winter Legends 2012 results

LEGENDS 2012: THE AFTERMATH

This year’s Legends weekend was a great success, with all events running except for Robo-Rally. The Warhammer Fantasy Battles competition, run by Eddie Compton ran over 2 days. Two larger board game competitions that were hosted were Twilight Imperium (which ran all day Saturday) and Memoir 44 (which ran all day Sunday).

MM44 was our first of our sanctioned Days Of Wonder (DOW) events and, as such it was a State Championship. LXG has been approved by DOW to run sanctioned MM44 events throughout Australia and we will be assisting state representatives in NSW/ACT and Tasmania.

The other tournament games that were hotly contested were Puerto Rico, Magic: the Gathering Pack Wars, Dominion, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Ra. On Sunday, anything played could be scored as Game of Game points and the player with the most points won the grand champion certificate and prize.

The winners of the Legends tournaments for 2012 were;

Twilight Imperium
2012 Legend: David Morton
(David won the trophy and a copy of the Forgotten Planet board game)

Memoir 44
2012 Legend: Ross Van Someren
Ross took out the overall champion trophy, the best Axis player award and prizes donated by Days of
Wonder and the RSL. David Rogers was the best Allied player and won the Allied trophy and a carry
bag from Days of Wonder.

Puerto Rico
2012 Legend: Liam Polkinghorne
Liam won enough coffee to give him the jitters until next month’s meeting!

Settlers of Catan
2012 Legend: Mark Thompson
(Mark took home the trophy and a complete set of Settlers of Catan plush toys)

Ticket to Ride
2012 Legend: Mark Thompson
(Again, Mark scored and received a trophy , a TransEuropa board game and a pass to the 2013
Brisbane Model Train Expo).

Magic: the Gathering Pack Wars
2012 Legend: Courtney Jones
(Courtney received the trophy, a selection of PC games and a swag of MtG goodies)

Ra
2012 Legend: Leanne Jones
(Not to be outdone by her daughter, Leanne picked up the Ra trophy, a book on Egypt and a copy of
the board game, Sky Traders).

Dominion
2012 Legend: Anna Sheldermine
(Anna denied mark Thompson his trifecta and won the trophy, a copy of MS Flight Simulator and a
pass to the Abbey Museum).

Game of Games
2012 Legend: Ross Van Someren
(Ross scored a heap of points from the Memoir 44 tournament, in which he won all of his games).

Thank you to everyone who competed and our sponsors for 2012:

Military Simulations
The Abbey Museum
The Committee of the Brisbane Model Train Exhibition
Days of Wonder
Retired Services League
Mayfair Games
Microsoft

See you all at Legend of Summer in February 2013

Additional: Here’s video Jeremy N made of day 2

Quest of Claw part 7 of 11

Back to part 6

On to part 8

A Games of Games, August 2012 Update

With two full days of gaming over Winter Retreat, lots of points were gained in A Game of Games. This month, eleven club members gained a rank, and yet another rank fell to the ladder leader Eddie C! All hail Prince Eddie!

In addition to Eddie gaining the rank of Prince, other members gained ranks as shown:

David K is now a Duke
Keith D and Alex D are now at Marquis rank
David M and Megan B are now a Count and Countess
Ross vS is now a Viscount
Anna S is now a Baroness
Tom B is a Knight
Mark W is an Esquire, at his first LXG meeting! Anthony R is also an Esquire

Well done everyone!

Grand Melee League, Round 8

Round 8 of the 2012 Grand Melee league was held on the second day of Winter Legends. Only five eligible players turned up for the Cube Draft, which was disappointing. The round went ahead as normal, with 14 players divided into two tables.

Table 1 saw Anthony H run out the winner with his indestructible white army. Megan B and Keith D each picked up a point on this table too. Anthony managed to get two achievements in one day, one for reaching 6 rounds attended, the second for attacking with 20 creatures to win the melee round!

Table 2 had three new players, but the win went to Courtney J, with Nigel B, Peter G and league newcomer Liam P each getting a point.

The next round will be a normal melee round, held at the September LXG meeting.

View the new standings here. Eddie C remains at the top of the rankings. Anthony H’s win sees him move to fourth. Adrian R drops out of the top 8, while Courtney J moves from equal 20th place to 10th!

August Meeting Preview – Winter Legends 2012

This Saturday sees our next club meeting day. Why Saturday? Because it’s Winter Legends, out two-day gaming event! Winter Legends runs from 9.00am to 5.00pm on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August.

Click to see the full Winter Legends 2012 program

Otherwise here’s the summary version:

Saturday: Individual board and card game events, each with their own prizes

Sunday: Get the highest individual Game of Games score on Sunday to win… something!

Saturday & Sunday: Our Warhammer Fantasy Battles tournament

Also: Viewpoint and Thunderstone leagues, Grand Melee league top 8 cube draft, see the new library equipment, drop off cards for the magic card library.

See you there!

Memoir 44 Scenario Review: Juno Beach

MEMOIR 44 SCENARIO 101: JUNO BEACH

Memoir 44 is a tactical WWII game from Days of Wonder that successfully combines elements of both miniatures and board games. The game was designed by Richard Borg and uses his card-driven system of issuing orders to units on the board Featured in other games like Command and Colours, Battlecry and Battlelore). In 2010, DOW also launched an on-line version of Memoir 44 that mimics the board game perfectly.

Over the next few weeks I will provide you with my experience in playing Memoir 44 scenarios both at the tabletop and on-line, with my rating of the scenario and a few tips for play for both Axis and Allied forces. This week’s feature is the “Juno Beach” scenario.

Juno Beach
Front: Western
Victory Conditions: 10 medals (4 medals can be achieved from temporary medal objectives)
Special Rules: fortified positions/beach movement/obstacles

Juno Beach is one of the main assaults that took place during the Normandy Beach invasion on the 6th June 1944. Canadian infantry, supported by special DD (amphibious) tank units mount an attack against a heavily fortified beachhead. There are 5 temporary victory markers that only the Allied player can score from; these are positioned in towns behind the beaches and on 2 strategic bridges. Barbed wire and tank trap obstacles are designed to tie down Allied forces on the beach, allowing Axis forces positioned in bunkers to pick them off.

German Strategy
This isn’t an easy one for the Germans. You really don’t have a lot of troops to deal with the invasion
force. You do have a single artillery unit on the back-line but its distance from the beaches makes it
ineffective and its position behind the rivers makes it hard to easily move it forward.

There are 3 objective markers on your left flank which makes that area a prime target for the Allies. Most of your defence is based on your right, so try and divert some of those units to the left flank early in the game to protect the bridges and to support the town of Vaux. One problem in doing this is having your infantry caught out in the open if the Allied armour is able to land and advance inland from the beach.

Use your infantry in the bunkers on the beach (next to the River Seulles) to target any armour that lands, if the opportunity arises. Also, if you draw a “Dig In!” card, use it to fortify infantry relocated to your left flank – the two hexes running between the river and Vaux have worked for me, creating a successful defensive line that harried Allied movement on the beaches.

Try to hang onto the town and bunkers that cover the beaches on your right flank. If you decide to reinforce the left, don’t strip everyone from there; use the infantry unit on the central hill and the one in the town (beside the bunker). If reduced in strength on centre/right flank, pull back to objective marker town hex of Courseulles-sur-Mer and attempt to draw the Allies toward your artillery.

Canadian Strategy

Hit your right flank. The bulk of your objective medals are there, so it makes sense. The configuration
of the barbed wire and obstacles makes it difficult to move armour quickly off the beach and reduces your infantry’s effectiveness in attacking the bunker and the town of Vaux. So it pays to devote some of your infantry attacks to the removal of wire or, alternately, run your tank unit up the beach through the wire.

Use your infantry on the right to take Vaux as soon as possible. The bunker on the beach can wait. They are an annoyance and have no real ability to withdraw, due to their position with regards to the River Seulles. Once Vaux is secured you can direct fire on the bunker. Also, try to move the armoured unit that is in the centre (on the back line) to support the right flank. The left flank beach inhibits tank movement far greater than the left. The defence of the left by the German player can usually cope with one tank unit but not two.

Use your infantry on the left flak to fire at long range from the protection of the tank traps. The armoured unit that start there may not get much opportunity to engage as they are trapped behind the obstacles but they are a good deterrent for any assault that the Gemans may consider against the beaches. If the Germans are reduced significantly or move troops to defend against your attacks on the right, you may chance a direct assault on the towns and bunkers that defend the centre/left.

Rating of this scenario: 3 out of 5 stars.

See other scenario reviews

Planeswalkers in Grand Melee, part 28: Tamiyo the Moon Sage

Tamiyo, the Moon Sage is a planeswalker tailor-made to fit into blue control decks. Her abilities all work well in such a deck, strengthening its core functions. Tamiyo also strengthens such decks at the multiplayer table, and her ultimate ability should give you control of the table for as long as the game lasts.

Tamiyo, the Moon Sage costs five man to cast, two of which must be blue. This cost gives you the option of playing her in a mono-blue or multicolour deck that can generate blue reliably. She enters the battlefield with four loyalty counters and has three abilities.

The first ability adds a loyalty counter and allows you to tap a permanent, which doesn’t untap in its controller’s next untap phase. The fact that this ability allows you to target any card on the table is very powerful. You can keep an opponent’s key attacker or defender out of combat, or tap a land to deny an opponent some much-needed mana. You can also target a permanent that is already tapped with this ability.

Tamiyo’s second ability lets you draw a card for each tapped creature target opponent controls. In a multiplayer game you are more likely to target the player with the mass creature token deck, and draw a new handful of cards. Casting Tamiyo and then using this ability to draw a new hand of cards can set you up for the rest of the game.

The third ability makes any player sit up and take notice, whether playing duel or multiplayer magic. For the cost of removing eight loyalty counters, you get an emblem that gives you two advantages for the rest of the game. The first is that you have no maximum hand size. Great if you have 8 or more cards in hand. The second is that whenever a card is put into your graveyard from anywhere, you may return that card to your hand.

Any instant or sorcery spell you cast and be returned to your hand ready to cast again, even in that same turn. Any creature, land or artifact destroyed you can bring back ready to cast once more. With the no maximum hand size clause, you can even survive mass board wipes with everything back in your hand while your opponents are reduced to hoping the next card they draw will be worthwhile. It is also a ‘may’ ability meaning you can let the card go to your graveyard if you wish. An extremely powerful ability to use at any table.

Verdict: Strong. Tamiyo the Moon Sage will strengthen existing decks that can cast her, and a deck built around her will do very well.

Connections: Like Tamiyo, the Moon Sage? You may also like [Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker] [Karn Liberated] [Chandra, the Firebrand]
Don’t like Tamiyo, the Moon Sage? You may prefer [Sarkhan Vol] [Koth of the Hammer] [Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded]

See all articles in the series

Quest of the Claw part 6 of 11

Back to part 5

On to part 7

Magic Card Library Re-Sortening

You’ll know about it if you’ve ever scrolled to the end of our games list, or seen all the card boxes in the library at a club meeting. The Magic: The Gathering card library is a place where club members can drop off whatever spare cards they like, and also pick up as many cards as they wish.

The card library has had a lot of use since it was first set up, mainly from the hard work of Leanne J. This means that the several thousand cards are a bit mixed up now, making the library harder to use. At the august meeting, the library will be taken away and sorted out again by Eddie C, David K, and Adrian R. It takes three guys to do Leanne’s job!

So, if you have any cards you keep meaning to drop off for the library then August 18 or 19 are the days to bring them in. The card library will still be available at the meeting, but the boxes will all have been removed by the end of Sunday.

The card library will be sorted and back in action in time for the September meeting.