D-Day Dice, “of the dice” is in command of the troops …

The Second World War has landed on your gaming table. But in dice version! With this novelty of the moment, one to five players will be able to relive epic and strategic battles …

In D-Day Dice, each player takes on the role of Allied soldiers trying to organize their units to attack a machine gun nest sheltered in a bunker. Each player starts the game with a unit of a few soldiers and nothing else. During the game, you will collect resources and progress on the beach, sector by sector, while your unit becomes more powerful and more lethal. You will succeed … or die trying, to the rhythm of your rolls of the dice.

The title is a cooperative opus where players must help each other against a common enemy. Note in passing that D-Day Dice is played wonderfully well solo and that this game mode has really fascinated us. A first version of the title already existed, only in English, and this new edition presents a re-theming of the game signed Emmanuel Aquin. And of course, when it comes to an armed conflict transposed on a gaming table, it is quite naturally that we find the Nuts Publishing team in charge of French-speaking localization. A localization which, moreover, almost did not arrive in French, given the catastrophic management of the publisher Word Forge Games which piloted the project and which is in charge of the license. We will not epilogue more …

But let’s see in more detail what it is about in D-Day Dice …

A Wall … facing the Atlantic

The game plays wonderfully solo and we’ll briefly go over this 1 player version. Even if the multi-player involves very few modifications and primarily includes possible exchanges of cards between the players.

Each game of D-Day Dice begins with the selection of a specific scenario and playing field. The goal is to storm a machine gun nest sheltered in a bunker, far north of the plateau. And to survive the attacks of the German army!

D-Day Dice is played in a succession of different turns. A turn consists of six phases. We start by rolling the Blue, White, Red dice until a final count is obtained. Each result allows you to win soldiers to make your unit grow, but also medal points, tools or stars. Bonuses can also be recovered according to the combinations of dice obtained. The stars allow you to recruit specialist cards and the medals of courage allow you to advance towards the bunker. Tool Points are used to purchase Equipment Cards, which offers various perks for use in the game. Once these steps have been completed, it is advisable to move (or not) because each sector allows you to stay in place for a limited number of turns. Finally, the combat phase reduces the number of soldiers in your units. And different terrain effects will also make these losses worse.

The turns follow each other in this way until the unit reaches the enemy bunker. It will then be necessary to survive a turn to a large-scale attack that will hurt your fighters. And if unfortunately all the soldiers in your unit are killed before this ultimate objective, the game is definitely over.

A conflict settled with dice …

So yes, D-Day Dice traces the great armed conflicts of the Second World War. And the theme has been used rather well. But in this dice game, the universe does not completely supplant the whole. If the Second World War is not your cup of tea, you will also find it. Because D-Day Dice does not position itself as a historical simulation. No. We are mainly on a dice game, secondarily using the theme of this armed conflict between Axis and the Allies. The subtlety deserved to be noted because it has all its importance.

Especially since, not being a simulation in the strict sense of the term, the game is handled quite easily. And includes rules that we could qualify as “general public”. Many pictograms also facilitate the handling of scenarios and D-Day Dice surprises with a pleasant fluidity.

On each turn, we throw our dice and we try to compose the best possible combinations to obtain bonuses that will make us progress faster in the game. The many cards in the game allow you to vary your strategies and try out different ways to progress. With all these additional elements, we also note a small management of resources and cards which is not to displease us. The whole is undoubtedly rich and varied and this is felt very quickly. To our greatest delight!

Of course, with a game that relies exclusively on dice, luck is everywhere. But the equipment, the specialists, the medals and other advantages make it possible to deal with this imponderable. And it is rather pleasant because we do not have the impression to undergo our fate.

Even if it is not that easy to win, D-Day Dice gives us a chance to do well. Thus, we alternate successes and losses. The complexity increases depending on the scenarios. But the whole remains pleasant and the replayability is not left out! Especially since many extensions are available and in the end, it’s almost a dozen different boxes that make up the D-Day Dice series. Enough to gorge themselves behind the ears and ensure a phenomenal replayability!

Whether you are an experienced player, a history buff or a fan of board games, you will inevitably find your account there. Rather affordable accessibility and an elastic game system, will offer perfect adaptability to all types of players. It’s quite surprising! And for some 45 €, the price of the basic box, you will have a worked game, pleasant and which leaves a very good aroma, that of powder and sand between the teeth.