World at War simulates, on a platoon-level, the war which began May 12, 1985 when Junior Lieutenant Yuri Andromnivitch's T-72 sent a 125mm HE round screaming into the guard tower on the ridge at Dankmarshausen, ripping mortar from rebar and sending head-sized chunks of concrete tumbling into the red-roofed houses below. Units activate by chit draw and formation, fire in a flurry of dice, and look good doing it. The rules cover self-propelled mortars, thin-skinned vehicles, support weapons, ranged combat, opportunity fire, ATGM depletion, assault and overrun combat. Better still, World at War is not just a game, but also a game system. Learn Eisenbach Gap, and you can play any of the follow-on modules.

Units represent platoons of vehicles, such as T-55, T-62, T-72, BTR, BMP, M-113, M-1, Chaparral, Shilka, helicopters –Cobra and Hind, and infantry armed with support weapons such as Saggers, SA-7, Dragons, etc. The system throws typical turn-based gaming out the window. The platoons are grouped into formations (companies for the American or battalions for the Soviet) and lead by a headquarters. Each unit of the formation must be within range (generous for the Yanks, less so for the Soviets) of the HQ to activate with its formation. Oh yeah, individual units might activate, and recon units can double their range from the HQ, but you’ll want to keep those formations together. The formations are activated by chit draw, and better-trained, better-led units can activate more than once in a turn, moving, shooting, and fighting in each activation. On the flip side of a coin, there is no guarantee that a formation will activate even once. The opaque container (we like to call it a cup in the rural south) into which the formation chits are placed is seeded with end turn chits. When the second end turn chit is drawn the turn ends. Doesn’t matter if a single formations has activated; the turn is over. It keeps you on your toes.

Combat. We love this combat system. When attacking each platoon rolls a number of dice equal to its firepower. Every die that equals or exceeds the “to hit” number (right superscript) hits the target. The target then rolls the number of die equal to its armor factor plus terrain advantages. Each die that equals or exceeds its armor factor negates a hit. The first hit disrupts a unit, second reduces it, the third eliminates it.

Units may also close assault, entering the opponent’s hex to either deal a death blow or force him (or her) out of valuable terrain. Same procedure, but both units use their close assault value. The side that takes the most hits must retreat from the hex. Infantry is VERY good at this, especially against armor without its own infantry support.

Game includes rules for thin-skinned vehicles, support weapons (actual counters that add to an infantry platoon’s capabilities), helicopters, chemical attacks, dual purpose conventional munitions, smoke, HE, overruns (great fun) opportunity fire, simple line of sight (bit more complex for helicopters), transporting infantry, all in ten pages of rules.

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