In the face of war and humiliation, you have chosen humiliation! But even after the humiliation, you still have to face the war—— Churchill

What comes to mind when it comes to war chess or war board games? A epic battle lasting several hours, a real but tedious settlement, or thick manuals and a stack of operators?

Actually, many of my friends around me want to try war chess, but either they are deterred by the complex instructions and rules of war chess, or some easy to learn war chess games are just small local battles that are not enjoyable to play.

In fact, these issues also trouble me. If the difficulty of learning is too high, it will not only increase the threshold for entertaining friends, but also easily affect the gaming experience due to village regulations.

Recently, I found a highly acclaimed card driven war chess game that not only has almost no text content, but also has complete elements such as layout, chess pieces, military operations, and research and development technology. The entire game scope is global, and the background of the war chess game is also the war that every military fan cannot miss - the Second World War of Humanity.

This board game (or war chess) is published by a war chess magazine in Taiwan, and its name is "Mini World War II".

Number of people: 2-4

Time: 90 minutes

Difficulty: Medium to Simple

Text volume: Very small

Version: Chinese

 

Although it is called "Mini World War II", unlike Taiwanese works such as Moe's "Mini Railway King" and Soso's "Mini Park", although it is mini, it can still be considered a very weighty medium box game.

The accessories of "Mini World War II" have been much simplified compared to war chess, but they still have everything they should have. Firstly, there is a global map, which is very magical. It is viewed from the Arctic and then extremely abstracted into various grids. Although it may seem so abstract, the location of the country, whether it is a land or an island country, as well as the military strength and branches, are all presented in their original form. This is amazing!

The main countries in the game are the United Kingdom, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Japan. Neutral countries such as China and the United States also play a significant role in the game. The military branches are abstracted as only the army and navy, as these small and beautiful figures are more approachable to many players who have not been exposed to chess.

As a card driven game similar to "Cold War", "Warring States", and "M44 WWII Memoirs", the essence of "Mini WWII" lies in its cards. All of its cards have three functions: military operations, technology development, and special events, and almost no text volume.

Here's an explanation: there are several elements on a card that can be selected for each round of playing:

1. Using operational points: 3 operational points can create an army or navy in a country that can produce troops, 3 operational points can also eliminate an adjacent enemy army or navy, 2 operational points can be moved, which involves a supply line rule and is easy to understand. If the operational points are not used up, 1 point can be kept until the next round;

2. Research and development technology: Each card has technology points, which are also hidden technology trees. If a nuclear weapon is developed through accumulation, it will be the true weapon that can turn the tide of the war!

3. Special events: This is very simple. Special events are basically buffed using card effects for the first two.

The above things that can be done and the technology tree have all been drawn on an auxiliary table, with zero text volume, which is really thoughtful.

In Mini World War II, players will grab different cards in different countries during different rounds. As the war intensifies in the later stages, two neutral countries, China and the United States, will also participate in the war. The Axis powers (Germany and Japan) and the Allied powers (the Soviet Union and Britain) will win if they meet the victory conditions first. Therefore, it is a setting of two side confrontation, allowing players to create epic game stories that will be remembered for many years to come.

Mini World War II, as a rare improved chess game, simplifies many judgment calculations while retaining the characteristics of card drive chess, and it can also be a game of mouth fire!

From every detail, it can be felt that the designer is committed to showcasing the unique game category of Chess in a more approachable yet enjoyable way, making more people willing to experience and touch it. Both players who enjoy the World War II theme and those who are unfamiliar with the theme can experience it as a joyful brawl game.

A Taiwanese player named Chen Yuanren has experienced many games and has some small insights. I am here to share with everyone:

1. In terms of technology, the game technology is very important and has a significant impact. There is a big gap in technology, and countries with 1-2 technologies have a great advantage over countries without technology.

1.1 Army Technology: There are the most armies in the game and the most land areas on the map, so it is necessary to develop them, especially for mechanized infantry (spend a little to move one domestic army) and heavy tanks (spend two points to remove one opponent army). It is highly recommended to develop them.

1.2 Naval technology: The Soviet Union and Germany only needed to develop warship technology (spending 2 points to remove 1 opponent navy) because they sometimes had to face the Japanese, British, and American navies separately.

1.3 Rocket based technology: Rocket based technology (abandoning one's own card and then abandoning the opponent's card) needs to be paired with a decoding machine (looking at the opponent's 3 cards) and at least develop V2 rockets (Level 2 technology, abandoning one's own card and then abandoning the opponent's 2 cards) in order to be more effective.

1.4 Logistics Technology: The arsenal (producing one army at two points) requires research and development (there are many armies in the game), while the shipyard (producing one navy at two points) is more needed by Japan, the United States, and Britain.

1.5. Electronic technology: It is best to develop a password machine (discard 2 cards and draw 2 more cards) to accelerate the probability of filtering out the required cards. If the decoding machine (looking at the opponent's 3 cards) is not equipped with rocket technology, there is no need to develop it, because only knowing the content of the cards is useless in the game.

2. Battle Points and Events: Battle points also have a significant impact on the game, and it's a bit of a matter of luck. If you draw 3 battle points and none of them are your own events, you'll be left with a helpless sigh on your face. Another reason why technology is important as mentioned earlier is to reduce point spending and minimize the problem of insufficient points.

3. Map section: At most, when entering coastal land, attention should be paid to the terrain. According to the strategic plan, hit wherever you want, and be careful to prevent local attacks. It is best for British players to have the United States participate in the war. On the one hand, there are not many British soldiers, and on the other hand, they can earn 6 points (if the American region is not controlled by the enemy), which is not a small bonus; As for China, it is a double-edged sword. If it participates in the war, it earns 3 points and can continuously disrupt Japan's rear, making it difficult for Japan to move. Because it is a 3-star area control that requires 2 units, it can reduce Japan's mobile troops and make Japan distressed. However, on the other hand, because it belongs to the Soviet Union's 3-star area, if it is controlled by the other side, it will lose 1 card. Moreover, China is located in a corner, and the Soviet Union is not convenient to support it. Therefore, it depends on the situation and the timing to decide whether to let China participate in the war.