World At War 85 Core Rules

Learn It Once, Fight the War Anywhere

Every volume in the series runs on this book. Once you have it, a new box is a new war rather than a new rulebook.

Core Rules v2.2 defines the whole platoon-level system. A unit in an impulse can move, fire, move and fire, call on board indirect fire, or assault, and almost everything you decide in a game comes down to choosing between those five with the ground and the clock against you.

The Formation Deck

Formation cards wake a group of units sharing a nationality and a colour band, and that formation runs a full impulse. The deck also holds End Operations cards that can finish the phase before you were ready, close air support, electronic warfare that shuts down enemy command, and event and friction cards that simply happen to you.

The Whole Battlefield

Minefields, laid and random. Improved positions and fortified ground. Bridges built, bridges destroyed, and fords. Rubble, fires and clearing. Weather, squalls and mud. Night fighting with limited sight and targeting checks. Parachute drops. Thermal imaging.

Build Your Own

An optional Battle Generator lets you set the map size, the objectives, the victory conditions, the turn length, the forces, and even who holds the electronic warfare advantage. Build a fair fight, or build a deliberately unfair one and see whether you can hold it.

World At War 85 Core Rules v2.2 is the system behind every game in the World At War 85 series. The downloadable Living Rules PDF and this printed edition are identical, so the printed book is for players who would rather hold it.