World At War, A - Second World War in Europe and the Pacific (4th Printing)

First published by GMT in 2003, A World at War is a grand strategy game based on the award-winning Advanced Third Reich/Empire of the Rising Sun gaming system. A World at War continued the evolution of the Advanced Third Reich/Empire of the Rising Sun game system, refining and clarifying the rules in every area of the game. Five years of design and relentless playtesting resulted in a polished, proven game, which includes the following innovations:

• named ships, allowing players to sink (or lose!) the Bismarck, Yamato, New Jersey and other famous ships.
  
• naval construction rules which allow major powers to build the navy they think will suit their strategic requirements.
  
• mobilization rules which allow major powers to tailor their army and air force pools to meet their needs – provided they anticipate them accurately.
  
• oil rules which force the Axis to worry about their inadequate oil reserves even when
  
• victory is within their grasp – although Britain and Russia can have cause for concern

as well!

• simplified diplomatic rules which allow minor countries to align themselves with
  
• various major powers.
  
• more intuitive Combat Results and Attrition Tables.
  
• additional terrain on both the European and Pacific mapboards.

Other changes include:

• new counters for beach defenses, partial supply and island group control.
  
• revised counters based on feedback from A World at War players.
  
• rules changes to mitigate the effects of bad luck, especially early in the game, leaving it to the players themselves to ruin their positions.
  
• improved submarine warfare and strategic bombing rules.
  
• more realistic raider and naval combat rules.
  
• more realistic implementation of the “big three” high technology research projects:
  
• jets, advanced submarines and rockets.
  
• increased balance between the western, Mediterranean and eastern fronts.
  
• refined strategic balance in Russia, so that Russian survival is a challenge in most games – unless Germany doesn’t invade Russia at all...
  
• graduated economic growth rates and a link between Germany’s conquests and its construction rate, so that an Axis “Fortress Europe” strategy is as risky as any other.
  
• modified atomic research rules which preclude ahistorically early atomic bombs, while still leaving open the possibility of a German bomb.
  
• an enhanced Japanese Resistance Table, with Japan getting credit for expansion beyond

its historical achievements.

A World at War contains a dozen scenarios, ranging from the introductory Battle of the Atlantic and Barbarossa scenarios up to European and Pacific Campaign Games. But dedicated gamers will be hard-pressed to resist testing their luck, skill and especially their nerves by taking on the entire war in the full-fledged Campaign Game.

Contents:

• 2,800 full-color die-cut counters.
  
• Four 22"x30" full-color mapsheets
  
• 12 Player Aid Cards
  
• 196-page Rulebook
  
• 72-page Status Sheet booklet
  
• 24-page Research and Diplomacy booklet
  
• 24-page Scenario booklet
  
• 8 six-sided dice

Time Scale - 3 months per turn
Map Scale - 60 miles per hex (Europe); 100 miles per hex (Pacific)
Unit Scale - Corps or Divisions, air wings and squadrons, individual ships and naval squadrons
Number Of Players -One or more