World at War System (LNL)

[Whiterook]

This is one of my favorite platoon-level systems, and it’s a large collection of expansions! I first saw this system at Origins Game Expo, in 2007, at the Lock ‘N Load Publshing booth, shown to me by the designer himself, Mark H. Walker. I was very impressed with the “World at War: Eisenbach Gap” core game, but I ended up buying “Band of Heroes” (the start of the squad-level game system). I later bought into the World at War system with the “Eisenbach Gap Deluxe” game, which was a pre-order. I missed out on future expansions and gear, but much later, hunted down the entire system on the secondary market!

In as close to sequential order as possible, here is the complete system:

Eisenbach Gap (2007), the first, core game in the series

It's the summer of 1985 and Soviet tanks stream into West Germany. Thinly spread NATO forces strive to delay the red hordes until reinforcements arrive, and the world watches anxiously, dreading the nuclear weapons held in each super power's arsenal. Welcome to the dark world of Mark H. Walker's Award Winning World at War series.

A platoon level simulation that stresses command, control, and war's unpredictable nature, World At War is an engaging, tactical action game.

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.

Reimplemented by Eisenbach Gap Deluxe which also includes Death of the 1st Panzer.

The first expansion was Death of the First Panzer (2008), a ziplock expansion

Expand your World at War battles! The initial Soviet forces have taken heavy losses, but NATO has discovered that the Soviets can give as good as they get. The smoking remnants of an American armored brigade dot the hills of the Eisenbach Gap, and still the Soviet attack continues. Now it is the hastily assembled 1st Panzer Division’s turn to stop the red horde. Will the West German’s mix of Leopard I tanks, Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and tank destroyers, coupled with a handful of lethal Leopard II tanks, be enough to stop the Soviet onslaught? It’s up to you to find out.

Later, Eisenbach Gap Deluxe (2013) was released, which combine both games above

World at War is a platoon-level wargame set in the 1985 time frame simulating World War Three. Eisenbach Gap Deluxe (EGD) contains a complete set of rules, 176 counters, one 17” x 22” map, one 11” x 17” map, and twelve scenarios depicting the Soviet’s thrust into West Germany. EGD is a compilation and improvement on the original World at War: Eisenbach Gap and its expansion, World at War: Death of the First Panzer.

According to Mark H. Walker, he retained the original core rules of the original game, only changing them to enhance clarity.

Death of the 1st Panzer includes six more scenarios pitting the West German forces against the Soviet horde with a mix of Leopard 1 & Leopard 2 tanks, Marders, Luchs, Jaguars, Gepards, Rolands, and other support weapons. Meanwhile the Soviets introduce the ASU-85s and T-12 ATGs.

[Whiterook]

Blood and Bridges (2008) was the next expansion

Blood and Bridges is a complete stand-alone World at War module that depicts the struggle for control of the bridges in the Rhine River Valley. Fresh Guards units are spearheading the assault into Western Europe, bending defending NATO forces to their breaking point. It is up to forces of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), to stop the Soviet advance which, if successful could ultimately threaten Britain itself.
This stand-alone expansion to the Award Winning World at War: Eisenbach Gap System, contains everything you need to play right out of the box. A new, fully updated and expanded rulebook covers the entire original World at War rules and adds new rules to expand the on-map action. Included are regulations for bridging units like Soviet MTU-55, improved positions and air power, which was a special scenario rule in Death of the First Panzer (An earlier add-on covering West German forces with an 11x17 map, 40 new scuff-resistant counters, and 6 new scenarios). Now the NATO forces will have improved positions to help them cope with the Soviet onslaught. Air power becomes an official game element, with rules and counters representing American A-10's, Soviet SU-25's, and British Tornado's. Birds that can deal out a massive amount of destruction on the battlefield, and look sexy doing it. At least as sexy as a cardboard chit can look. Also, expanded artillery rules, introduce Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and electronic warfare.
In addition a new table brings battlefield chaos effects to the game. War never goes as planned and great leaders must deal with adversity when it happens. So we thought, 'Let's shake things up a bit". In games with this option, if you draw the "battlefield chaos" counter, a roll is made to see what the gods of war have hefted upon you, your enemy, or both of you. Anything from bad weather, extra support missions, shell-shocked troops, or skillful battle plans, can come your way.

The war is raging on and now it is up to the British and their formidable array of weapons systems to blunt the Soviet spearhead. Chieftain and Challenger tanks, Striker ATGM vehicles, FV-432 APCs, Lynx attack helicopters, Tornado fighter-bombers and others clash headlong with top-of-the-line Soviet Guards units outfitted with T-80 and T-64 tanks, BMP-2 APCs, MTU-55 Bridge layers, SA-13s, Hind E attack helicopters, Su-25 ground attack aircraft and many more. There is only one mission here. Hold the bridges or see Soviet armor on Channel coast. Are you up to the task?

World at War: Blood and Bridges is the latest complete game in the World at War series. It features 352 counters (we just added an extra half sheet of admin counter goodness), a mounted 22” x 34” map, 12 scenarios, two player-aid cards, dice, and a complete rules set.

That same year saw the release of The Gamer’s Guide (2008)

You asked for it (didn't you?), and now it's here (well, almost). Packing with forty professionally printed, and glaringly-glossy pages (including cover) and filled with World at War wisdom, the World at War: Gamer's Guide is on pre-order. You'll find a preview of the upcoming World at War boxed game, World at War: Blood and Bridges. Two new scenarios, Clearing Hell's Highway, and Poor Bloody Infantry. Two battle reports with semi-fictionalized accounts recounts of WaW scenarios (Some of you call these after action reports). A ten page article examining strategy in the World at War series and the specific tactics needed to win all six Eisenbach Gap scenarios. Even variants for night fighting, and a design your own scenarios "how to" article. And much more... including a unit-by-unit analysis of the platoons of Eisenbach Gap...

World at War has been a pleasant, if mild, surprise for Lock ‘n Load Publishing. I designed the game because I wanted to play it. Yes, in the back of my mind, I felt that there might be a market for something depicting the war that never happened, but primarily I created the game because it interests me.

In ten years of writing and designing, that’s the only thing I’ve found that works. I’ve designed and written on spec, and gave those pieces my best shot, but it seems that the games, the writing, that gets my juices flowing are the things other people also enjoy.

I absolutely love playing World at War. I like the combat system, am intrigued by the era, and fascinated by the idea of a series of games that link together to tell a story. So, I’m happy that other people enjoy it too.

I also hope that this guide enhances your enjoyment. We have strived to make a guide that is visually appealing, interesting, and diversified. Inside you’ll find articles on strategy, the percentages of rolling dice in World at War, battle reports (or after action reports as some of you prefer), and unit analysis. What you won’t find are dry as dust articles on the actual forces that lined the West German border or mind-numbing diatribes on Soviet Doctrine. Why? Because that stuff just doesn’t interest me.

There are lots of tables comparing the strength and weakness of an M1 Abrams platoon and a T-72 platoon in the World at War system. And we go through the platoons of Eisenbach Gap, unit-by-unit, and even provide a walk through for winning Blind Sided (a Death of the 1st Panzer scenario.)

All this in a beautifully laid out, two-color 40-page glossy magazine. Yeah, this one's printed. You can hold it in your hands.

Not a stand-alone game.

[Whiterook]

In 2009, the first Compendium 1 (2009) was released

World at War Compendium Vol. 1 is over 100 pages jam-packed with World at War scenarios, analysis and articles, new maps and 88 die-cut counters.

The World At War Compendium Vol. 1 includes every World at War scenario and most World at War articles published in the first seven issues of Line of Fire. Additionally the Compendium includes over 30 pages of new material including two new scenarios, a guide to Soviet player tactics, and the long-awaited World at War timeline. Additionally, there are five 8.5” x 11” 14pt card stocks maps, which include all the World at War maps published in Line of Fire and two new maps. There are also 88 counters, which include counters from Line of Fire issues 1-7 and new Syrian and Israeli counters.

WORLD AT WAR COMPENDIUM VOL 1. ARTICLES

The Game
World at War Timeline
A View from the River: On the Making of Blood and Bridges
The Ever-expanding World at War
A Small World at War: Using Miniatures in World at War
Clash at Dattenberg: An Extended Example of Play

Tactics
Achtung Panzer: West German Forces in World at War
Tactical Notebook
Pact Guide: Improving the play of the Warsaw Pact in World at War

Battle Reports
Wittmanʼs Ghost
Race for the Bridge
Death of the First Panzer
Keep ʻEm Separated
Who Spilled My Tea?
Wrecked Outside Rieden
An Appetite for Destruction

SCENARIOS
Munich’s Highway Modulette
Munichʼs Highway: The Southern Sideshow in World at War
Rough Wake-up
The Bridge at Passau
Crossing the Danube
Bridgehead
Operational Maneuver Group
Armored Acorn

Other Scenarios
The Crimson Tide
99 Red Balloons
In the Beginning
Death from the Sky
Yankee Hammer
See You in Paris
A Good Old-fashioned Ambush
Clearing the Way
Cruel Spring
Hide & Seek
Down by the River
The Death of the First Panzer Division
And We Danced
Break on Through to the Other Side
Counterpunch
A View to a Kill
Going Home
Barring the Door
The Road to Armageddon
Golan in the Mirror
The Relief of Tanenhause

The Compendium includes:

Components:

Five 8.5" x 11" Card Stock Maps
88 Counters
100-Page Magazine
All in a Zip-lock Bag

The World At War Compendium Vol. 1 is a magazine, with maps, scenarios, and die-cut counters for the World at War game system. It is not a separate game.

…and the downloadable expansion, Battles within Battle (2009)

The first downloadable expansion in the World at War system.

For those new to World at War, the game simulates, on a platoon-level. The expansion contains 14 scenarios, an 8.5” x 11” map, a few new rules, a handful of new counters, and also utilizes the counters and maps from Eisenbach Gap and Blood and Bridges.
Scenarios size is generally small/medium and there is also a 5-scenario linked campaign.

A scenario pack [downloadable] for the World at War series by Lock 'N Load.

Components:
A new 8.5" x 11" map.
14 new scenarios.
The Bitterfeld Campaign, a 5-scenario persistent campaign [5 of the 14 scenarios].
A handful of easy to mount, one-sided administrative counters used in the Bitterfeld Campaign.

[Whiterook]

Operation Garbo (2010) expanded Eisenbach Gap and Blood and Bridges.

World at War: Operation Garbo takes the popular World at War game system into the hills and valleys of Sweden as their long-kept neutrality is violated by the Soviet Army. Swedish forces include its upgraded Mark 4 variant of the British Centurion tank, the famous Swedish S-tank—which has no turret!—and the PBV 302, a combat-proven APC. Other units include AT helicopters, tracked TOW and SAM launchers, and the hard-hitting, but fragile, IKV 91 tank destroyer. Home Guard units made up of old men with old rifles and fast, jeep-driving recon units support the heavier tank units.

World at War: Operation Garbo is the latest expansion (You'll need to own either World at War: Eisenbach Gap or World at War: Blood and Bridges to play Operation Garbo.) in the World at War series. It features 176 counters, two mounted 11” x 17” maps, and 6 scenarios.

Untold Stories (2010) brought in my beloved Canadians!!!

World at War: The Untold Stories recounts the struggle of Warsaw Pact and NATO allies previously not covered in World at War modules. Included are the battles of the Canadians, East Germans, Poles, Dutch and Belgians as each fought desperately to survive in the opening days of the war that ended all wars.

Command new forces and equipment, such as the Belgian and Canadian Leopard I tanks, Lynx armored personnel carriers, East German BTR-152s, Polish T-72s, and Dutch Centurions.

Battle over a plethora of new terrain. The Untold Stories contains three 11" x 17" geomorphic, mounted maps that not only give variety to the game’s scenarios, but can be used by gamers everywhere to create their own World at War stories.

Twelve, spanking new scenarios. Canadians versus Poles, East Germans versus Danes, Belgians versus Russians. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of war. Fight with the Canadian 31 Brigade Group as they valiantly battle Soviet T-80s with their Leopard I tanks, or command East German T-72s as they fight their West German brethren.

It’s a complete, boxed game. Rules, players aids, box, everything you need to play. Here what you get.

This was one of the harder once for me to get my paws on! The rulebook to this one is now considered the preferred rulebook for the entire system, where it was the one that ironed out all the bugs.

[Whiterook]

Paris is Burning (2011) expanded The Untold Stories

"The Soviets have broken through the NATO line in West Germany, and the West German, British, and Americans are in full retreat. They approach the French border, hoping for aid, praying for sanctuary, but the AMX-30 tanks on the far side of the border fire, their shells ripping into the approaching NATO troops. Thus starts another chapter in the World at War series.

Paris is Burning brings the French into the flaming battlefields of Europe. Zealots, patriots, and determined to defend their homeland, the French battle any army that crosses into France. Paris is Burning ships with two 11" x 17" geomorphic maps, 176 eye-popping counters, player’s aids, and module rules, all tucked neatly into an attractive box. Paris is Burning is an expansion for World at War: The Untold Stories.

This expansion includes:
Two 11" x 17" geomorphic mounted maps.
176 counters depicting French, British, Americans, and the evil Soviets.
Player aid card.
Module rules.
Vividly illustrated box.

Into the Breach (2012) also expanded The Untold Stories

"World at War seems to have everything. There are Cubans with SU-100s, South Africans with Oliphants, French AMX B-2s, T-80s with different armor factors, and a designer who seemingly ignores logic, but there is one thing that World at War is missing. That one thing is LOTS of American tanks. Into the Breach cures that. This expansion to The Untold Stories explores the Yank’s battle on the front line in the first days of the war. Now you get to fight with lots of Abrams, Bradleys, infantry, and even Sheridans. On the flip side of the tank, you’ll fight a mass of Soviets and Polish armor.

It’s great big fun, with some great big scenarios. There are 12 of them to be exact (unless you order the upgraded version with an additional eight scenario campaign), including an East German counterattack, West Germans on defense, and Amercans defending in depth, screening main forces, attacking, and counterattacking."

In other words, this expansion for World at War: The Untold Stories adds a lot of new scenarios while adding a lot of American and Soviet units

Counter Attack (2012) expanded Eisenbach Gap, Blood and Bridges and Into the Breach.

World at War: Counterattack recreates the American and West German counterattack into the southern flank of the Soviet thrust into West Germany. The battles occurred just after the events chronicled in Blood and Bridges, and prior to the final battles for Paris.

Nine scenarios comprise the module. Four are stand alone, another three make up one campaign, and four more build the second campaign (two of the campaign scenarios can also be played as stand-alone battles). See below for additional details on the scenarios.

The module uses a similar campaign system as the one that we employed in Battles within Battles. Winning scenarios awards the player with refit points, these points can be used to repair damaged units, buy new units, or buy unique skills for your units and leaders The system rewards the gamer who conserves his forces. Win the scenario, but decimate your forces, and you’ll lose the war…. Or at least this small piece of it.

[Whiterook]

America Conquered (2013) brings the war to American soil!

The nukes have flown, and darkness has spread across the globe. Yet the missiles didn’t bring the apocalypse many had predicted. Rather than total, the exchange of nuclear-tipped missiles was limited. Rather than complete, the destruction was merely crippling. Now the war continues, fought with a strange mixture of equipment—some of it more suited to a museum, some of it fresh off the assembly line.

And the war continues on America’s own soil. Devastated by the nuclear exchange, the remnants of America’s once mighty military, aided by a smattering of their NATO allies, fight against a horde of ravenous predators including Cuba, Nicaragua, and their Central/Southern American allies, hoping against hope to hold their country until the last vestiges of their mighty European army returns home.

Command formations of Nicaraguan T-72s against American M-48s, fight Cuban T-62s with Canadian Centurions, and battle against Soviet Spetsnaz with the indomitable French Foreign Legion. America Conquered introduces airboats that fly over river and swamp alike, Texan cavalry that ride disrupted infantry into the ground, mixed-equipment platoons that allow gamers to split their units to take advantage of their unique equipment, and American fanatics that will kill themselves rather than lose their country. New terrain includes swamps, sparse/destroyed city, and much more.

Baltic Fury (2013) expands Blood & Bridges

Baltic Fury is an Expansion Module to World at War: Blood & Bridges. It is included in issue #14 of Line of Fire Magazine.

It Includes:
- 11 Scenarios
- 140 New Counters with Forces from Denmark, Poland and the Soviet Union
- A new 11"x17" Map

[Whiterook]

Compendium II (2013) expands Blood & Bridges

The World At War Compendium Vol. 2 is packed with over 85 full-color pages of World at War content!

Based on the Line of Fire material from issues #8 through #13, this iteration of the Compendium includes a tankful of scenarios—over 30! It also contains the continued history of World War III as it happened, battle reports, articles, Jeff Schulte’s clever HQ variant, a new 11”x17” geomorphic map, and 130 counters—featuring 21 new counters for Luxembourg forces that battle it out with Poles and Soviets in a brand-new five-scenario modulette, Ardennes Again. An Order of Battle for all counters in the Compendium rounds out the content.

Counters include formations of US Marines, an expanded Team Charlie, the Soviet 3rd Tank, two new Luxembourg formations, and Chinese and Vietnamese forces that fight it out in a six-scenario modulette, Jungle Blood & Sweat.

The World At War Compendium Vol. 2 is a must-have feast for all World at War enthusiasts!

The World At War Compendium Vol. 2 does NOT include SADF/FAPLA scenarios and components that have been published in issues #8 through #13 of Line of Fire. These will be republished later in a complete module.

WORLD AT WAR COMPENDIUM VOL. 2 ARTICLES

Articles and Battle Reports
Editor’s Page
World at War Timeline
Go Big
The Swedish Army in Operation Garbo
Red, White and Orange
Diesel and Dust
The Über Bout
The Battle of Bendorf

Variants
A New Cue for the HQ
Theme and Variation: Six Ways to Play an Old Scenario

Scenarios
Lancers to the Front
Brothers in Arms
Tank Battle
Nynäshamn
Taxis of War
The Other Guys
The Mainz Event
The Sting
Solidarność and the Fifth Partition
Spring Cleaning
Tanks, Mr. Rico! Zillions of ‘Em
New Moon on Monday
Hill 252
Modulettes
It’s the Oil, Stupid!
To the Shores of
Speed Bumps
Meeting in the Sands
A Place Called Fulda
Fateful Dawn
Escalation
The Main Event
Jungle Blood & Sweat
Black Flags
Foot Blitzkrieg
Into the Fire
Blunted Spear
Meatgrinder
To the Paddy Fields Beyond
Ardennes Again
Bottom of the Barrel
Sitting Ducks
Crossroads
Counting Trees
Incisions

Order of Battle

Components:

85-Page Magazine
30 Total Scenarios + 6 Variants for “First Moves” from Eisenbach Gap
Battle Reports and Articles
HQ Variant
Four Modulettes:
Ardennes Again (NEW!)
A Place Called Fulda
It’s the Oil, Stupid!
Jungle Blood & Sweat
One 11" x 17" Geomorphic Card Stock Map
130 Counters
All in a Zip-lock Bag

The World At War Compendium Vol. 2 is a magazine, with maps, scenarios, and die-cut counters for the World at War game system. It is not a separate game.

The Texan War of Independence (2015) was the last title to come out in the series, expanding America Conquered

In late July of 1985, two months before the dramatic events depicted in America Conquered, a brief but bloody and consequential war was fought: The Texan War of Independence. It marked the first time in 120 years, since the Civil War, that Americans took up arms against each other.

The circumstances were desperate. The United States had been struck by nuclear weapons. Many cities—Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and others—had been annihilated, but none in Texas. Texas stood strong. Initially, Governor White of Texas sent convoys of relief supplies to the imperiled areas of the country, but soon learned that the convoys had been intercepted by a skilled and tactful, but unknown, enemy. President Saunders, upset that Texas would withhold aid to the rest of the country, sent military forces to Texas to intimidate its single-minded Governor in to resuming the flow of aid. Governor White responded by sending the Texas National Guard to the border, to meet and stop them.

As these unnatural enemies fought against one another, like brother against brother, a new threat loomed. Both Texas and the United States itself needed to confront the post-nuclear world. They could do it independently or together.

The Texan War of Independence contains four gripping scenarios. Forty new counters bring four formations of Texans to the front lines. The fearless Texans ride toward all enemies in Abrams and M60-A3 tanks, and their well-armed infantry are highly mobile, with plenty of M-113s and Dragon support weapons at hand. Texas had once been its own republic. In the Texan War of Independence you’ll find out if it happens again.

The Texan War of Independence is a World at War series expansion module; to play it, you will need to own America Conquered.

[mikeh]

Dang! That's a lot of gaming!!

[Whiterook]

Jan 5, 2024 13:55:46 GMT -5 mikeh said:

Dang! That's a lot of gaming!!

Especially nice that it’s all tied to one set of rules, too!!! Players of this system generally use The Untold Stories rulebook, which came out over halfway through the whole series…it got it all *right* by that point, ironing out all the bugs; it’s the rulebook I use.

An interesting side point on the series is, Lock ‘N Load Publishing (LNLP) came out with World at War ‘85: Storming the Gap in 2019, which reimplements the original World at War: Eisenbach Gap. The Storming the Gap game also had the expansions, Storm and Steel Second Wave, Defense of Frankfurt, and The Drive on Giessen (also produced in 2019, all three in one big expansion pack boxed set). Again, if you haven’t noticed the elephant in the room, that was in 2019, being near five years now since a new product…why do I point that out, you ask? Nearly five years later, we’re still waiting…

In 2022, LNLP started a pledge campaign once again on Gamefound, this time for World at War ‘85: Blood and Fury. This new expansion reimplements the original World at War: Blood and Bridges, which brought in the Brits into the gaming environment. Blood and Fury also has the expansion game Operation Red Gauntlet as a second addition. So it would be fair to say, LNLP is retooling most or all of the original series, or at least a probable intent. The problem is, this second round of development is still in development and not on our tables yet, and it’s now 2024. Again, that’s 5 years and counting!

Now compare that to the fact:

• Eisenbach Gap came out in 2007.
• It took 1 year later, 2008 was the next run, which was Death of the First Panzer and Blood and Bridges (a zippie and boxed game)…oh, and a Gamers Guide, too!
• A year after that, in 2009, we got us to the next addition to the series, the Compendium I book and the Battles within Battles PDF scenarios juggernaut.
  
• A year after that, in 2010, we got Operation Garbo and The Untold Stories boxed games.
  
• A year after that, in 2011, we got Paris is Burning.
  
• A year after that, in 2012, we got Counterattack and Into the Breach.
  
• A year after that, in 2013, we got Baltic Fury and America Conquered.
  
• A year after that, in 2014, we got Compendium II.
  
• A year after that, in 2015, we got The Texan War of Independence, which was the last game in the series.
  

 And looking at this from a time perspective, it took 9 years for the whole original series to play out. Now compare that to the above and you have to ask, how long will it take for ‘85 to cover that amount of territory? being Devil’s Advocate, with the listed expansion for both main games (Stormimng the Gap and Blood and Fury), it technically makes 6 games, but only four have been delivered in the past six years… in that time with the original series, we got 12 products. Maybe they shouldn’t have fix what wasn’t broke and just made a new “Modern” game in 1990 or so?