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Memoir ‘44 is one of the more accessible, easy to learn, entertaining miniatures war games around. For quite a while now, publisher Days of Wonder have not been reprinting their “Air Pack” expansion. Recently we found out why.
The Memoir ‘44 New Flight Plan expansion pack is arriving in May 2019 and it looks fantastic. It’s going to be an instant buy for me that’s for sure. The pack comes with 16 models of legendary fighters, fighter-bombers and bombers. The models include the B-17 flying fortress and the Lancaster Bomber, the Stuka, the Spitfire, and the Messerschmitt. Also 21 new scenarios, combat cards, and the ability to add air support to all previous scenarios. This is really going to shake up the Memoir ‘44 landscape.
Memoir ‘44 uses simple hand management and dice rolling mechanics that means you can quickly get on with having fun without getting bogged down in complex rules. If you don’t have the base game yet, you will need it to get started.
I’ve read through the rulebook and, of course, adding aeroplanes and their combat to the game does add more rules. However they are all easy to understand. To be honest, with a game as easy to play at Memoir ‘44, a little extra complexity is quite nice. The idea of planning bombing runs, getting into dog fights and dealing with ground to air fire is pretty darn cool.
Bombs Away
The New Flight Plan pack will hit shelves in May. Days of Wonder likes to cram as much as they can into their expansion boxes and this one is no exception. Inside you will find:
- 16 Aeroplanes Figures,
- Three Aeroplane Stands.
- 30 Air Combat Cards.
- Eight Summary Cards.
- 15 Nation Markers.
- 18 Machine Gun and 12 Bomb Markers.
- Rules Booklet.
- Scenario Booklet with 21 new battles.
Designer Richard Borg says that the new air support rules in this expansion are more streamlined than the ones that went before. The aim of the new rules is to complement the existing game and add a new layer of fun and interest, rather than overshadow the existing game.
Mission Complete
For me though, the biggest aspect of this expansion is that the new rules allow you to add planes to any and all official Memoir ‘44 scenarios. This means you can go right back to the base game and re-play every scenario with added air support. It also means that New Flight Plan is free of needing any other expansions to function. As yet, we haven't been able to look at the scenarios that come in the box, but it seems feasible to just have the base game and the New Flight Plan without needing anything else right away.
The 30 air combat cards are packed full of exciting new directions to take your tactics, with cards such as “Tank & Bunker busting”, and “Saturation bombing” aka carpet bombing. This one expansion, more than the others that have gone before, could revolutionise how Memoir ‘44 is played. I can’t wait.
Pre-Order New Flight Plan Today
New Flight Plan is on the Zatu store right now so make sure you get your pre-order in ready for launch day!
