Undaunted: Board Game & Expansion Purchase Tips

When Undaunted: Normandy hit the shelves in 2019, it quickly became a smash hit. This innovative game masterfully blends the mechanics of a deck-building game with a squad-level tactical war board game. In this genre, players start with a basic deck of cards that they can enhance and refine during gameplay, building a more powerful and efficient engine. Undaunted: Normandy elevates this concept by integrating it with a strategic board game where soldier cards control unit movements and attacks on a modular board, while officer cards refine your deck, focusing on specific squads. This fusion creates a compelling experience, offering strategic depth in deck construction, tactical excitement on the board, and a realistic simulation of combat where officers boost squad morale and composition.

The success of Undaunted: Normandy has spurred a series of games that utilize the same core system but expand into diverse settings and complexity levels, even venturing into outer space with a sci-fi variant. The Undaunted franchise has grown substantially, and this buying guide is designed to help you choose the right title from the series.

Undaunted: Normandy

### Undaunted: Normandy

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Best for: Individuals seeking the simplest and fastest version, comfortable with the military theme.

The inaugural game in the series is set in the aftermath of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. It's the most accessible entry in the series, focusing solely on infantry units and featuring quick-playing maps. Ideal for casual players, it might become repetitive for those aiming to play through all the scenarios. Its strong historical focus, akin to Undaunted: Stalingrad, appeals to history enthusiasts but might not suit everyone.

Undaunted: North Africa

### Undaunted: North Africa

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Best for: Players eager to include vehicles in their wargames or who enjoy cinematic action.

Responding to fan demand, Undaunted: North Africa introduces vehicles like armored cars and small tanks. These elements require additional rules to distinguish between anti-armor and small arms fire. The setting shifts to the North African theater, with a smaller scale focusing on individual combatants rather than squads, creating a more dynamic, action-packed experience. Featuring the Long Range Desert Group, this adds a thrilling, cinematic flavor to the gameplay.

Undaunted: Reinforcements

### Undaunted: Reinforcements

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Best for: Hardcore fans and gamers looking to play Normandy or North Africa solo.

This expansion introduces AI routines for solo play, tailored to each scenario and unit in the original games, making solo play challenging and engaging. It also adds new units and scenarios for both Normandy and North Africa, along with a larger box for storage. However, this expansion is best suited for dedicated fans who own the earlier games and are interested in solo gameplay.

Undaunted: Stalingrad

### Undaunted: Stalingrad

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Best for: Players committed to multiple plays for the ultimate Undaunted experience.

Undaunted: Stalingrad offers a branching campaign with narrative elements where the outcomes of scenarios impact future games. Soldiers can gain experience or suffer injuries, and the battlefield evolves, allowing for cover and fortifications. This game earned a perfect 10/10 in our Undaunted: Stalingrad review for enhancing the series' core strengths with added strategic depth and a compelling story. However, it requires a commitment to repeated play to fully appreciate.

Undaunted: Battle of Britain

### Undaunted: Battle of Britain

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Best for: Veterans of the Undaunted series seeking a fresh take on familiar mechanics.

Undaunted: Battle of Britain shifts the action to aerial combat, with units representing airplanes that must move each turn and have a facing, adding complexity and strategic planning to the gameplay. While the deck-building remains intact, its thematic fit with officer cards feels less seamless. Nonetheless, the game offers a thrilling and unique experience within the franchise.

Undaunted 2200: Callisto

### Undaunted 2200: Callisto

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Best for: Players who want the strategic depth without the historical military theme.

Responding to requests for a non-military-themed game, Undaunted 2200: Callisto transports the action to outer space. As noted in our Undaunted 2200 review, it retains the series' best elements while introducing improvements, such as vehicles, greater faction asymmetry, and varied scenarios. It's an excellent choice for those deterred by the military focus of earlier titles, and it stands as one of the best in the series, second only to Stalingrad.

Undaunted Promo Scenarios

Fans of the series can explore additional scenarios released in magazines and at conventions. Most of these are now available for free download on the publisher's website, providing more content to enrich your Undaunted experience.