Overlord (1973)

About this game

"Overlord" is an operational wargame of the Allied invasion and breakout from the Normandy peninsula. Overlord is a historical game/simulation of the fighting in Northwestern France through the months of June, July, and August, 1944, including the periods of the Cobra Breakout, the German Mortain Counteroffensive, and the cataclysmic Battle of the Falaise Pocket, which broke the back of German armor in the West. For the Allies, it is a desperate race against time - a struggle to clear the Germans from Normandy in preparation for the drive across France to the Rhine. For the Germans, it is a game of careful defense, of tenacious holding actions followed by hammer counterattacks. Overlord provides victory conditions and initial set up locations for each of these three periods, allowing players to recreate, in a series of one month games, the distinct phases of the campaign. Of course, a complete campaign game is also possible.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 2.4/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.