Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
The World at War 1939-1945 was the first unofficial Axis & Allies expansion, published by Xeno Games.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Area Movement
Move pieces between connected regions rather than along individual spaces.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Area-Impulse
Players alternate short actions within contested areas until everyone passes.
Minimap Resolution
Resolve broader movement or conflict on a smaller linked representation of the map.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Read the full game description
The World at War 1939-1945 was the first unofficial Axis & Allies expansion, published by Xeno Games. Many of the rule changes found in the later Axis & Allies Revised & Anniversary editions (such as the 2-hit battleships, "1/2 battleship" destroyers, artillery guns) were original innovations in The World at War, first published in 1990 with 238 playing pieces and a new 24"x36" map that added more territories. As an expansion, much of the 1984 edition of Axis & Allies was needed to play this expansion. The World at War 1939-1945 2nd Edition, published in 1993, balanced some of the gameplay and added some new ideas but retained the same glossy 24"x36" color map and pieces. The 3rd Edition, published in 1996, continued to improve gameplay balance and added Atomic Bombs to the technology development. After developing A-bomb technology, players spend 6 IPCs to buy one, which must be delivered via a Heavy Bomber (also a required technology). Damage to a land or sea zone by an A-bomb eliminates 20 IPCs worth of enemy units and renders the territory desolate (-5 IPC value, with +1 restoration each turn for two turns), causing devastation to the economy as well as military of an opposing player. Now in its 4th edition, The World at War includes a hardback map (replacing the poster-paper map of earlier editions), with some minor rule revisions over the 3rd ed, and this is a mature game in it's own right with differences significant enough for any A&A fan to appreciate, beyond all of the "official" editions published in recent years. There are new unit types, such as Destoyers, Paratroopers, SS Panzers and SS Panzergrenadiers, Russian Guards, Partisans. US Marines, Rangers and Armored Infantry, U-Boat Pens (complete with the plastic figurines and/or special rules). The rules introduce a variety of simulation fidelity enhancements, such as Banzai and Kamikaze attacks for the Japanese player, a Fall of France rule, Peacetime Production rules for the US and USSR, etc. Expands: Axis & Allies Expanded by: World At War Expansion World at War Update 2005 Pack