by Author Name Withheld 125

Created on: June 15, 2010

Mediterranean Theatre Expansion Pack is an add-on for Memoir 44, an easy-to-play war game based on the Second World War.  First published by Days of Wonder in 2004, Memoir 44 is a light war game set on a hex-based board, upon which tiles are laid to signify terrain features, army units, objectives etc.  The release date is no coincidence as the games aim is to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 1944.  Mediterranean Theatre is an add-on pack to the base game and introduces new terrain pieces, counters, rules and a whole British Army, all based around the North African desert campaign of World War 2.

The standard of the components are in keeping with the rest of the Memoir 44 range (indeed the whole Days of Wonder portfolio) and are excellent.   The only gripe here is the plastic inserts designed to keep everything in place, struggle to maintain order.  It's easier just to throw the inserts away and place everything in the box in a big scrum.

The game mechanism employed by Memoir 44 is cunningly versatile and allows add-on packs such as this Mediterranean Theatre to be slotted in with comparative ease.  Included are rules for new terrain pieces, special weapon units, individual army rules for the British and Italian armies, a whole British Army group containing 42 infantry, 24 armoured units, 6 heavy artillery and 3 special weapons plastic figures.  A comprehensive rules book describing all the new features and 8 totally new scenarios complete the package.

New Terrain Tiles

These new tiles are designed to be used with the Days of Wonder desert board.  They can be used with the original countryside board but the aesthetic effect is lost slightly.

* Enscarpments are totally impassable by all ground units.
* Roads provide an extra movement as long as the unit starts and ends the turn on the road.
* Wadis restrict movement in one direction.
* Airfields don't have any effect unless the optional Air Pack (purchased separately) is being used.
* Ergs and Ridges same rules as hills.
* An Oasis provide a means for units to recover lost members.
* Beach and ocean tiles
* HQ and Supply tents, while not providing any kind of cover, if captured by the enemy allows them to remove one command card from your hand until such time you can capture the HQ tile back.

New Gameplay Elements

Minefields are represented by a series of face-down counters.  When an enemy unit moves onto a hex containing a minefield counter,

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