Memoir '44 central game mechanism is Richard Borg's now famous Command & Colors game system:

The players select from the list of available Scenarios a battle over which they'd like to test their individual command skills and savvy.

Each player then starts the game with a number of Command cards which they will use, in successive alternating turns, to activate a varying number of Units (1, 2, 3, or more depending on the card played) in different sections of the Battlefield.

A unit is composed of multiple (4 for Infantry, 3 for Armor & Tanks, 2 for Artillery & Guns) Miniature figures.

Activating a unit allows it to move and possibly battle. Simple rules taking into account various Terrain & Obstacles' effects dictates the units' moves.

Battles are rapidly resolved, using special Battle dice. When hit, a unit loses a figure. Once a unit has lost all its figures, it is eliminated from the game, giving the opposing commander a Victory medal.

Standard Units

The game includes a summary card making it easy to reference the individual movement and combat capabilities of each unit type.

In addition to moving and battling, some units can employ special WWII tactics, such as taking ground or attempting an armor overrun.

Special Units

In addition to regular troops, a number of Special Forces and other Elite units will appear in some scenarios, permitting greater historical accuracy and ever renewed gaming challenges. These elite troops have their own summary card as well.

Here is a quick look at the Special Forces, French Resistance and Elite Armor units featured in Memoir '44. Additional units (such as the paratroopers jumping on Sainte-Mère-Eglise) are sometimes detailed in the scenarios.

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Click to zoom-in

Terrains

In Memoir '44, battles are fought over a 9 by 13 hexes battlefield featuring country-side or beach landing terrain, depending on the face of the board map in play.

An additional 44 double-sided terrain hexes are available to further customize the battlefield, ensuring greater geographical accuracy and a variety of tactical challenges.

Each terrain has its own summary card for in-play reference;

And, to simplify set-up, each scenario comes with its own set-up bar, indicating the number and type of terrain hexes needed for this battle, and the order in which to lay them down on the board map. This way you don't have to search much for the right piece, despite the double-sided nature of the terrain hexes.

Click on images to zoom in

Obstacles

The life of a soldier would be too simple (or dangerous, depending on which side you sit on!) without a variety of obstacles to attack, run from or take cover under!

Some of them - sandbags, rolls of barbed wires, hedgehogs - have their own 3D miniatures, while other constructions - bunkers, bridges - come on illustrated tiles, but all contribute greatly to the variety and historical accuracy of scenarios.