Capsule profiles of this issue’s capsule profiles:
The Longest Day -- Avalon Hill’s D-Day monster game;
L.A. Lawless -- A riotous game from Moves 75;
Last Frontier -- Solitaire sci-fi in the style of Aliens;
Laser Tank -- A Simulacrum caveat for the curious game buyer;
Lesnaja -- Expansion gamette for 3W’s Peter the Great;
Legend of Robin Hood -- OSG’s game based upon English folk-lore;
Lords of the Middle Sea -- Battle for North America, 2041; and,
Luftschiff -- Fly a zeppelin in the First World War.

Pricing information is now cited from two sources: Boone 3rd (Internet Wargames Catalog, 3rd ed., 1999) and Boone 4th (Internet Wargames Catalog, 4th ed., 2002). Note that Boone 4th lists values only for auctions. In addition, Mark Boone states that the 4th edition values are all new, reflecting prices from 1999 to 2002.

L is for ... Longest Day

The Longest Day: Mammoth Game of the Assault, Build-Up, and Breakout from Normandy, June-August 1944
Avalon Hill (1980, $65.00)
Designed by Randall Reed
Players 2 or more
Playing Time 12 hours and up
Period World War II
Scale Operational Turn 1 day
Map 2 km Unit company/battalion

Components
1 2 1/2" deep flatbox
7 14"x22" mounted mapboards
1 8" x 22" mounted mapboard
1 48-page rulebook
2863 die-cut counters on seven counter sheets
2 identical Terrain Effects Chart cards
2 identical Sequence of Play & CRT cards
3 folding scenario cards
1 scenario card without fold

Countersheet Manifest
5 folded counter sheets (German #1, German #2, American, British and Utility)
2 half-sheets (Utility and unnamed

Capsule Counter Manifest
2600 1/2"
16 5/8"
247 round

Countersheet Manifest

AH says:

“[R]epresents the results of over 24 months of research, design, and testing. Reaching a new level of intensity of historical research and design, this monumental work has uncovered vast new data and quantitative information that puts a whole new perspective on the campaign ... Could Hitler have won the Battle for the Beachhead? The answer will surprise you.”

The reviewers say:

“[O]ffers five scenarios plus the ever-popular campaign game (June-August 1944 ... If you tire of the historical situations, six variants for the campaign scenario provide some fascinating possibilities.” Jeff Petraska in Fire & Movement 65.

“The most striking feature of TLD must be the atypical unit designation system: Avalon Hill chose to employ a modified German identification system on the counters.” Mel Willoughby in Campaign 102.

“While this is certainly not the biggest game I have played, I do believe that seven pounds gives it the record as the heaviest ... It has all the earmarks of a labor of love on the part of [the] designer ... The bibliography contains 224 entries, most with comments on research value and specific areas of concentration ... Reed includes eight pages of commentary and notes on the actual fighting and the game system ... [M]ovement and combat are quite simple ... The Longest Day controls logistics and supply basically at the divisional level ... The strategic logistics system which brings troops (and supply units) onto the board in the campaign game is a nice little piece of abstraction ... My eventual approval of the game is based on my conviction that it is, as a whole, an accurate model of combat in Normandy.” Jay C. Selover in Fire & Movement 30.

“The game system covers the campaign well: although the combat system allows the possibility of breakouts and mobility, the terrain of the region turns the fighting into a grinding battle of attrition ... [O]ffers much for the experienced gamer and student of the Normandy campaign. However, I believe that players will find this an ‘interesting’ game rather than an ‘Avalon Hill Classic.’” Short Arms column in The Grenadier 13.

“TLD has fulfilled the need for a large, well-designed, accurate wargame which, at the bottom line, is enjoyable ... Seldom, if ever, has there been a game whose pieces combine artistic merit, clarity and informational value to the extent of those in TLD ...

This article reflects some six months and 150 to 200 hours of attention to The Longest Day. Even at this point, the game constantly challenges the player to accurately interpret rules, ingeniously solve new problems, and find more time to play the next turn ... Neither The Longest Day nor a fine bottle of Chablis will appeal to every taste. It is long, it is definitely time-consuming.

Some will complain of the expense ... [T]he game does meet my standard for an entertaining diversion with clear historical and educational value.” Gerard Lannigan in Campaign 103.

Eric Goldberg says:

“The crux of the flaw in The Longest Day is that the game system cannot handle the research. The research is complex and exacting in detail, while the game, for all its pretentions, is a throwback to the AH beer-and-pretzels standards. This is, for lack of a better term, a schizoid product ... Is The Longest Day worth $65? ...

The component value does not justify the price, nor should it be worth the money to the typical Avalon Hill gamer. However, the quality of work is such that serious students of the campaign and, interestingly enough, professional designer/developers should consider picking it up ... The Longest Day is a game which wants to be a simulation, but cannot be.” Eric Goldberg in Moves 53.

“The amount of work invested in the finished product is quite impressive, as is the research. The game system is highly erratic, varying from buffoonery to elegant, insightful sub-systems. Despite the time obviously spent to ensure the smooth flow of play, the game clanks along at an ungainly pace. The Longest Day has the burden of living up to its exhorbitant price, which is why I view it as an investment on the order of a dated objet d’art.” Eric Goldberg in Moves 55.

Collector’s Notes

Though the game can be found for sale, don’t hold your breath for a bargain price. Boone 4th lists low/high/average prices of $47/$142/$81 at auction. In Boone 3rd, auction prices were $18/$86/ $46 and sale listings were $30/$125/$59.

Other AH games from this designer

1776; Chancellorsville [2nd]; PanzerLeader; Richthoffen’s War; Starship Troopers.

Capsule Profiles:

Longest Day
LA Lawless
Last Frontier
Laser Tank
Lesnaja 1708
Legend of Robin Hood
Lords of the Middle Sea
Luftschiff