Best 3 Games with…Beer and Pretzels!

You may have heard the phrase “Beer and Pretzel Wargames” in our hobby. And this means different things to different people but in our opinion, Beer and Pretzel Wargames refers to a style of wargaming that is casual, relatively simple and rules lite, and quick to play. The games also often involve a more social atmosphere where players can relax and enjoy the game without having to intensely focus or worry so much about strategy. Typically, this term implies that the game is lighthearted and doesn’t require players to spend hours learning complex rules or strategizing. The conveyed message behind the saying is that you might be able to play these type of games when you have had a beer or two and are maybe feeling a bit tipsy. But, no matter what you think what the term means, in this entry in the Best 3 Games with Series, I want to take a look at some games that I consider to be Beer and Pretzels Wargames!

3. Axis & Allies from Hasbro

One of the first war games that I ever owned was the original version of Axis & Allies from the Gamemaster Series by Milton Bradley. I loved that game and my brother and I played so much that we basically broke a majority of the miniature’s guns, bayonets, etc. When the Revised Edition was released in 2004, I purchased it and immediately began playing with a small group almost weekly. Axis & Allies is a great example of a game about World War II encompassing both the European and Pacific Theaters of the war in one game that is rules lite, fast playing and just plain fun….a classic Beer & Pretzels style of wargame. The game allows for up to 5 players, so really gets that social aspect going, with each player representing a distinct nation. The game is an area movement and area control economic game where victory conditions can be different for each game.

I love the Revised Edition of the game as they added several new pieces including Artillery (which gives a +1 to the attack value of infantry when present) and the Destroyers. The map has also been rearranged (I love the addition of West Russia) which has created the need for new strategies for the Axis powers to launch Operation Barbarossa to invade Russia. One of the reasons that I love this game is that there are always interesting choices about what to do with your units. Should I direct attack? Should I hold reserve units to perform a counterattack? How can I protect my more expensive armor units and use them effectively? How can I bring enough air power to bear on his flotilla off the coast of England to hold off invasion another few rounds? I also love the ability of each nation to gamble with their IPC’s (Industrial Production Credits) and invest into the roll of 6 sided dice to develop game changing technologies like long range aircraft or heavy bombers. Some will say this is a waste of time and resources, but if you succeed, they open up new and interesting ways to defeat your opponents. 

I know there are much heavier, more involved operational level World War II games out there with better strategy and that are more true to the genre than A&A, but A&A provides me the all important FUN factor, in a relatively simple and easily played format with strategic thinking. It also is a very nostalgic game for me and that is why it made this list.

2. Battle of Britain from PSC Games

Battle of Britain is a remastered release of the TSR classic from 1990. This upgraded version takes mechanics and features of the original game and adds new features to create a new gaming experience, including new streamlined dogfighting and fuel rules, ace fighter squadrons and the ability to play shorter scenarios. As a 2-player game, one player will command RAF Fighter Command while the other takes the role of the German Luftwaffe.

The RAF player will have to skillfully manage their few number of fighter squadrons to protect the English homeland by stopping the bombing of key cities, industrial resources, airfields and vital radar stations located along the coast. The Luftwaffe player will command Luftflotte 2 and 3 located in Northern France and Luftlotte 5 in Norway and use their numerous bomber squadrons, protected by fighter squadrons consisting of mainly Messerschmidt 109’s, to complete a number of specific bombing missions to win the game.

The game board is divided up into areas through which your flights must maneuver, either towards their targets as the Germans or in an intercept vector as the RAF. The German player has a large hand of cards that show all the possible targets and they are placed face down and assigned to each flight. So they know their intended target, and must try to do so whilst avoiding as much radar as possible. The RAF player is in a reactionary role and will need to intercept bomber groups as they cross radar nets or try to position themselves to dogfight them where they cannot intercept.

Intercept combat is, in theory, better for the RAF, whereas normal dog-fighting combat can be a crap shoot. The problem here is that the RAF player is limited to how many intercepts they can launch, based on a number of available intercept tokens. If the Luftwaffe ‘pings’ the radar net they have to stop in place and the RAF player has the option to intercept. If they do then a local squadron scrambles and pins the Luftwaffe in place and they will fight. If the RAF does not, or cannot scramble, then the Luftwaffe player can just fly on by to their target. Obviously you’ll want to intercept as much as possible, but again, there are limits.

If bombers make their targets they get to drop their payloads and accrue victory points for destroying targets, and therefore completing their assigned mission card. There’s also a tally of destroyed RAF aircraft that are worth VP’s as well. The RAF player scores VP’s equal to the number of Luftwaffe planes shot down. That might not seem like much, but a few bad raids and that number can sky rocket quickly.

One of the major reasons that I consider this a Beer and Pretzels style game is that it is a dice chucker. There’s no combat odds, and no real modifiers. Each aircraft card in a combat has a printed number on it. You roll that many dice. The custom dice have either Roundels or Crosses printed on them. If more Roundels are shown after both sides roll, the RAF loses. Conversely if there are more Crosses then the Luftwaffe loses. Each faction has their own set of dice. RAF dice show a lot of crosses, and the opposite is true for the German dice. The dice look and feel great, until you miraculously, and spectacularly roll all of your own symbols and aid the enemy in shooting yourself down. But hey, it’s a dice chucker! It’s supposed to be random and chaotic, and it is. Sometimes the dice gods swing your way, and sometimes they do not.

The important part to note is that the strategy comes prior to rolling the dice. And there is strategy here. First off, the RAF player has some very important decisions to make about when to employ their intercept combats. The German forces are divided into three Luftflottes. Each Luftflotte has a number of sub-groups, or flights. Each flight has a corresponding plane standee on the map. That Standee corresponds to a holding box on the German player’s mat and has a number (up to six) of squadron cards. So when you move a single standee on the board, really you’re moving six squadrons of bombers and fighters in a formation. When they are intercepted by the RAF those six cards (or however many are left) are shuffled and three are randomly attacked by the given RAF flight. This is important because it’s possible that the RAF can get a favorable mix of enemy bombers and easily shoot them down. Easy VP’s for them and the German player is in a bind trying to bomb London with Me 109’s.

I love the air war, and seeing the little plane miniatures was awesome, so I was very happy to get to play this one. It’s not complex, and was easy to learn. It looks good on the table. For me this is a game that sits in the same category as 1754: Conquest – The French and Indian War from Academy Games or something like that. Easy to learn, fun to play, and remains a game instead of an overly involved consim. The dice keep it swingy and light, which means the game sits on the fun and relaxing end of the scale rather than the mind-melting zones of influence end. 

I have written a series of Action Points on the various aspects of the game and you can read those at the following links:

Action Point 1 – Types of Attack options for the RAF in Interception and Dogfighting.

Action Point 2 – German Mission Assignment and an example of a Bomb Run.

Action Point 3 – British Production & Repairs Phase as well as the finer points of squadron management.

Here also is a look at our video review of the game:

1. Undaunted Series from Osprey Games

I love a good historically themed game….that also is a bit of a wargame with combat, tactics and the need for planning. I also love it when a designer takes an uncommon mechanic, such as deckbuilding, and builds a war themed game around it that ends up working really well and mimicking some of the difficulties and confusion of the battlefield.

David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin have accomplished just that with this masterpiece Undaunted: Normandy which is a tactical card based game that uses very interesting mechanics to simulate small squads of soldiers from the 30th Infantry Division and their enemies the defending Germans in and around Normandy, France as you battle over Control of various Objectives on a modular board of the French countryside.

The game play is very smart and really strategic as you have to assess the overall situation, determine what units under your control you need, add them to your deck to increase your chances of drawing them out when you need them and then figure out how to foil your opponent as you chase control of objectives for victory points. But the game is not difficult and can be played by anyone in a social environment. This game is the perfect filler type wargame as it is a more casual play experience with most scenarios playing in 30-45 minutes and can be a great introduction into historical themed games for children or your friends that aren’t huge gamers.

I don’t want this game’s inclusion on this list to offend the designers but this game is really the epitome of the Beer and Pretzels genre…easy rules, familiar mechanics, a bit of fun and excitement but not too dense of difficult of a game. I just love it and feel that it is the perfect Beer and Pretzel Wargame!

I have written a series of Action Points on the various aspects of the game and you can read those at the following links:

Action Point 1 – Deck Makeup and Deckbuilding.

Action Point 2 – Unit Types.

Action Point 3 – Modular Board.

Action Point 4 – Strategy Tips.

Here also is a look at our video review of the game:

We also did an interview with designer David Thompson that you can read at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2019/09/16/interview-with-david-thompson-co-designer-of-undaunted-normandy-from-osprey-games/

Well there you have it….my list of the Best 3 Games with…Beer and Pretzels! Please let me know what your favorite games are.

-Grant