TLD-THE LONGEST DAY

Updated 150624

  1. TITLE: The Longest Day
  2. PUBLISHER: The Avalon Hill Game Company (TAHGC)
  3. SCOPE: (World War II) The Battle of Normandy, June-August 1944.
  4. TAHGC CATALOG VERBAGE: The ultimate game of D-Day invation of Hitler's Festung Europa - day-by-day, yard-by-yard, June 4, 1944
  5. GAME BOX VERBAGE:
  6. YEAR PUBLISHED (EDITIONS): September 1980. WGA created an unofficial rulebook revision which includes errata, alternate scenario victory conditions and other optional rules.
  7. CREDITS
  8. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
  9. WGA COMPLEXITY SCALE (1-10): 6
  10. TYPICAL PLAYING TIME (HOURS): 3-12 hours for scenarios, 30+ for campaign.
  11. MAP SCALE: 2 kilometers per hex.
  12. UNIT SCALE: Regimental
  13. TIME SCALE PER TURN: 1 day
  14. NUMBER OF GAME TURNS: Several small ones (about 3-5 hours); large Cobra Scenario (allow 12 hours) and a campaign game (plan on about 30-50 hours). Playing the campaign is a social event over several gaming sessions. Personality conflicts should be considered before embarking to increase chances for a completed game.
  15. PARTIAL ARTICLE LISTING: Click here
  16. GAME INVENTORY: Seven mounted mapboards (six 14 by 22 inches, one 8x 22 inches) ca, 1600 counters. Allied and German reinforcement and unit entry tracks. Various charts for air, naval, remnants etc. Approximate NINE pounds.
  17. WBC & AVALONCON HISTORY: Never played as a tournament game due to size. Was used as a one week demonstration game in one Avaloncon.
  18. PBEM TOOLS:
    1. Java application VASSAL funtional module for The Longest Day is on the Vassal Module page. It remains on my to do list to upgrade before I begin play
  19. PBEM OPPORTUNITES: Contact Wargame Academy if interested. A Boardgamer Player Association PBEM tournament can be organized by WGA pending suitable interest using Vassal.
  20. WARGAME ACADEMY COMMENTS: TLD is Avalon Hill's WWII Monster game reminiscent of the old SPI monsters. Best suited for team play; Four is a good number (two per side) providing a wealth of units to ontrol for each player but further subdivison is easily accomodated to employ a entire club.. One of my favorites ( I bought three mint shrink wrapped games when it was rumored to go out of print) but have only had the chance to play about 4 campaign games over the years. Allied success is not assured, about 50% based on weather and player ability/decisions. True to the actual campaign, combat is attritional in nature. Supply limits continuous action. Allied Tactical and Strategic air must allocated in a variety of roles dictated by the overall plan selected. Uses Germans rather than NATO counter symbols which although initially a learning process provides much more information once familiarized. A large nuber of counters to be sorted by division. A few missing counters (ie.e 82nd Airborne artillery units) was included in a GENERAL issue volume 28 #6. about six maboard are used for the campaign which requries a large non-rectangular area not assumed to be accomodated by the sypical dining room table.
  21. SYSTEM: Alternating player turns; play sequence: movement, enemy reaction movement, enemy defensive fire, combat; special rules for artillery, naval and air support, supply, weather.
  22. WARGAME ACADEMY GAME TOOLS: One partial play copy (most counters missing), one unpunched copy. Maps as color scans. Color scan of all unpunched counter sheets. Scans and actual counter from General volume 28 Number 6 missing from the game (82nd airborne artillery). Revised rulebook with integrated errata and optional alternate victory conditions.

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