wwii

the card game

U Official
N Rulebook
 WWI I : Th e Card Game
Introduction
September 1, 1939 - For the second time in the 20th century, the
world is at war. With the invasion of Poland by Germany, Europe
plunges into war a mere 20 years after the end of The Great War, now
to be known as World War I. Just over two years later, in December of
1941, the other half of the globe joins the war as Japan declares war on
the United States and the British Commonwealth and tears through
Western Pacific territories with astonishing speed.
In WWII: The Card Game, two players take on the roles of the Axis
powers of Germany, Italy and Japan, and the Allied powers of Great
Britain, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics to decide the fate of the war and the world. Each player
chooses a side - both must be represented - and builds a deck of 60
cards to compete with their opponent for global domination. Players
use troops, vehicles, airplanes and navies to vie for control over
strategically important land and sea locations around the world. Each
players resources are tied to their deck, and controlling locations
allows the player to deplete their opponents deck. When a players cards from their deck for every Location where the active player has
deck runs out, the game is over and their opponent is the victor.
Component Overview
Below is a list of the types of components included in WWII: The
Card Game, and the purpose of each:
Cards: Each card belongs to one of the two allegiances. Cards with the 3. Battle Phase - The active player battles their opponent at Locations
light grey back are Allied cards. Cards with the black back are Axis
cards. These cards may only be included in decks of the same
allegiance, and not every card will be included in every deck (see
Building a Deck, p. 27). There are 5 types of cards, each with its own
rules and uses. For an in-depth description of each type of card, see
the section on Card Types on page 6.
Control Tokens: These double-sided tokens are used to indicate
which player, the Axis or the Allies, controls each location. When a
player takes control of a location, place a control token on that
location with that player's side face up. If a player takes control of a they can be used on the next turn.
location previously controlled by their opponent, flip the control
token on that location to the new controller's side.
Hit Tokens: These tokens are used to indicate that a Unit has been hit
by enemy fire during a battle. When a Unit is hit, place a hit token on
that Unit card. A Unit may have multiple hit tokens placed on it.
Allies Control Token
Axis Control Token
Hit Token
2
Winning The Game
In WWII: The Card Game, each player's 60 card deck represents the
resources and materiel at that player's disposal for use in the war. The
winner of the game is the player who completely depletes their
opponent's deck. To win the game, a player must empty their
opponent's Reserve Stack and Used Stack of cards. Cards in the
opponent's hand or under their Homeland are ignored for purposes of
determining victory.
Gameplay Summary
To give you an overview of how a turn works, we have summarized
the phases of a turn here. These phases are described in full detail
later in this rulebook. During the game, the players trade off taking
turns until one player has achieved victory. During a players turn,
that player (the active player) performs the following phases in order:
1. Deplete Phase - The active player causes their opponent to lose
Units and their opponent does not.
2. Deploy Phase - The active player plays cards to the table. The
active player creates factories and industries in order to generate
resources to pay to deploy cards. Locations are deployed to expand
the map, Units are deployed to Locations to control them and battle
opposing Units, and Strategies and Characters are deployed to provide
the player with special abilities.
where both players have Units. The winner of the battle causes the
loser to lose cards from their deck. During the battle, both players will
shoot at their opponents Units in an attempt to hit those Units,
causing them to be lost after the battle.
4. Move Phase - The active player moves Units around the map in
order to maximize their depletions, block the opponents depletions,
and prepare for future battles.
5. Draw Phase - The active player draws cards from their deck to
replenish their hand.
6. Ready Phase - Both players make all of their cards ready so that
art not final
Card backs for Axis (left) and Allied (right) cards.
Key Concepts Cards that are attached to each other via game text exhaust and
ready separately. Exhausting or readying one of the cards will not
These are some important terms and concepts that must be exhaust or ready the other card.
understood in order to play WWII: The Card Game:
Cards become exhausted through a variety of card effects. Many cards
The Golden Rule - While the rules in this rulebook describe how the have exhaust ( ) abilities and/or abilities that exhaust other cards. In
game is played, many cards in WWII: The Card Game contradict or order for a card to use an ability or perform an action that requires it
allow players to break the rules. Whenever a card contradicts any part to exhaust as a cost, that card must be ready. If the card is exhausted,
of this rulebook, the card text takes precedence. its exhaust effect may not be used. For example, if a card states
Exhaust a Unit to, then an exhausted Unit may not be used to pay
Losing Cards - Whenever a player is instructed to lose any number of this cost. However, if a card states Exhaust all Units at a Location
cards, those cards must be lost from the top of that player's Reserve and is not followed by the word to, then that card may still be played,
Stack or Used Stack, unless otherwise specified. The player losing the even if some or all Units at the Location are already exhausted. If a
cards chooses which stack from which to lose. When losing multiple game effect occurs that would exhaust an already exhausted card, the
cards, the cards are lost one at a time and the player may see what exhausted card remains exhausted.
card is lost from a stack before deciding from which stack the next
card will be lost.
Retrieving Cards - When a player retrieves cards, those cards are
taken from the player's Lost Stack and placed face down on top of the
player's Used Stack. When a card allows a player to retrieve one or
more cards, those cards retrieved must come from the top of their
Lost Stack unless otherwise specified. Art Not
Uniqueness - Many cards have a "" icon that indicates that the card is
unique, meaning that only one card with that card title may be in play
final
at a time. For cards such as Homelands, Locations, and Units, the
reason for this is clear: only one of each such named card existed. For
cards such as Strategies and Tactics, the reason for uniqueness is often
because the card is themed after a specific event during the War, or
simply that the card would be too powerful if it was usable multiple
times in a turn or more than one could be in play at a time.
Unique Characters, Units, and Strategies are only unique while on the
table. When those cards are lost or otherwise leave play, another copy
Ready
may be deployed (following normal deployment rules). Some unique vs.
Units' names will exist for multiple nationalities and even for both the
Axis and Allies. Note that the uniqueness applies specifically to the
Exhausted
Unit of the given nationality. Thus, the Axis may play the German
1st Army even if the British 1st Army is already on table.
Unique Tactics are unique for the turn. Once a unique Tactic card of a
Art Not
given name has been played, even if canceled, neither player may play
a Tactic with the same title on that turn.
final
Ready/Exhaust - Cards in play have two states: ready and exhausted.
A ready card is a card that is oriented so that it faces the player that
played it. An exhausted card is a card that has been rotated 90 degrees
counter-clockwise from the ready position. The only difference
between a ready card and an exhausted one is that an exhausted card
may not be exhausted again. The two states are the same in all other
regards.
Unit cards enter play exhausted, while all other types of cards enter
play ready. All exhausted cards are readied during the Ready Phase,
and some card effects may allow cards to be readied. When a card is
readied, it is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to be in an upright position.
3
Game Areas III. Lost Stack (face-up) - The Lost Stack is a player's primary
discard pile. As the game progresses, players will lose
The table is divided up into five game areas. Below is a description of cards to their opponent's (and sometimes their own)
each area and its purpose. Each area is designated as "in play" or "not actions. Losses may be Units lost in battle, or cards lost to
in play." All card effects target only cards that are in play unless battle damage, card depletions, or various card effects.
specified otherwise. See the diagram on page 5 for an illustration of Whenever a player must lose a card, the card is placed in
the layout of the game areas. that player's Lost Stack. When a player must lose cards,
1. Map (in play) - In the center of the table is the "Map", where those cards must come from the players Reserve Stack or
most of the action takes place. The Map is formed by Location Used Stack (unless otherwise specified). Either player may
cards, which are placed in a horizontal line across the table look through any Lost Stack at any time, though the order
between the two players. Cards that are deployed at Locations of the cards must be maintained.
are also considered on the Map. IV. Out Of Play Stack (face-up) - A less commonly utilized
2. On Table Area (in play) - Each player has an "On Table Area" stack, some card effects will cause a card to be placed out
where that player places any of their cards that are deployed "on of play. These out of play cards will be kept in a separate
table". Within each player's On Table Area is that player's stack and may be referenced later. Cards in the Out Of
Industry Area, where that player can play industries (see Play Stack may not be brought back into the game
Industries, p. 12). Only industries are considered to be in the through retrieval effects unless that effect specifically
Industry Area, and each player is limited to a number of cards targets the Out Of Play Stack. Either player may look
in their Industry Area equal to their "industry limit". By default, through any Out Of Play Stack at any time, though the
the industry limit for both players is equal to the number of order of the cards must be maintained.
Location cards both players have in play, though it may be
modified by card ffects.
3. Homeland Area (not in play) - Homeland cards are played to
a player's On Table Area, and create an area of their own
beneath them. Each Homeland specifies a number of cards that
can be placed beneath it. These cards are considered out of play
and are not themselves considered to be in the On Table Area. A
player may look at the cards beneath their Homeland at any
time, and may arrange those cards in any order. Certain card
effects, primarily those on the Homeland card itself, allow
players to gain access to the cards under their Homelands.
4. Hand (not in play) - Each player has a hand of cards that they
will use to play the game. There is no limit to the number of
cards a player may have in hand.
5. Stacks (not in play) - Each player has a number of "stacks" of
cards. Each stack is described below, and the facing of the cards
in each stack is listed in parentheses:
I. Reserve Stack (face-down) - The Reserve Stack is the
player's main deck. At the start of the game, all 60 of the
players cards comprise their Reserve Stack. From here,
the player chooses a starting Location and Homeland.
Over the course of the game, the player will draw cards
from this stack to their hand. When a player must lose
cards, those cards come from the top of the Reserve Stack
or the Used Stack. If a player ever has no cards left in both
their Reserve Stack and Used Stack, the game ends
immediately.
II. Used Stack (face-down) - The Used Stack is where cards
go when they have been "used up", but not lost. When a
player plays Used Tactics or reveals a card for fortune,
those cards are placed in the player's Used Stack. At the
end of every turn, both players recycle their Used Stack by
placing it beneath their Reserve Stack. When a player
must lose cards, those cards come from the top of the
Reserve Stack or the Used Stack. If a player ever has no
cards left in both their Reserve Stack and Used Stack, the
game ends immediately.
4
5
Card Types
Cards have one of six types: Location, Homeland, Unit, Character,
Strategy, or Tactic. For all types except Locations, a cards type is
indicated by the cards type icon in the upper left corner, the color of
the cards border, and by the card type box located beneath the card
image. Location cards have no borders or type icon, and are
distinguished by card orientation (Land Locations are horizontal and
Sea Locations are vertical). Each card type has its own rules of play,
described below.
1 accurate flag has been chosen for the nation. In instances where none
F
Art Not
final
3 4
2 places that card on top of their Used Stack. Cards revealed for fortune
Locations - Locations are the battlefields on which the War takes
place. There are two types of Location in the game: Sea and Land. Sea
Locations (oriented vertically) represent key bodies of water where
naval battles either occurred or were highly likely during the War.
Land Locations (oriented horizontally) represent key sites on land
where battles occurred or where key bases or industries were located.
Each player begins the game with one Location, and additional
Locations will likely be deployed throughout the game. By deploying a
Location, a player is opening that Location up to conflict in the War.
2 2
F Art Not
final
3 4
1 their decks, and the choice of Homeland will likely greatly impact the
Locations have text boxes for both the Axis player (1) and the Allies
player (2). The text in these boxes applies only to the player on the
side the text is facing and only at the Location on which it is printed,
unless otherwise specified. Every Location belongs to one or more
theaters and regions (3). The theater is either Atlantic or Pacific (or, in
rare cases, both), and the region is a geographic region found in that
theater. Regions and theaters matter for Unit movement (see Move
Phase on p. 16 for details). Locations may also have traits like Coast,
6
Capital, or Island (3). On their own, these traits have no gameplay
effect, but may be referenced by other cards. Most Locations also have
one or more flag icons (4). These flags do not necessarily indicate the
nation that controlled the Location - many of the Locations,
particularly in Africa and the Pacific, were controlled by a small
number of the major powers, and territories changed hands frequently
- but to show which Locations are within geographic proximity of
each other. Locations that share the one or more flag icons are
considered "related" and should be kept next to each other on the table
for easy reference. Related Locations do not have special rules, but
may be referenced by card effects. Historical note: Some nations did
not have their own flag during the War. When possible, an historically
existed, a flag from as close to the War as possible - often afterwards -
has been used.
Fortune - The "Fortunes of War" are the unpredictable outcomes of
war, represented in WWII: The Card Game by fortune numbers. All
cards in the game have a fortune number in the upper right-hand corner
of the card (F). This number does not have an effect on its own, but will
be utilized by other cards and is a key component of battles. Various
game effects call for a fortune to be revealed, representing a degree of
chance in war. When a player is prompted to reveal a fortune, the player
reveals the top card of their Reserve Stack to both players, uses that
cards fortune value to resolve the action that required the fortune, then
are not considered in play at any point during the fortune reveal.
F
1
art not
final
Homelands - Homelands represent the economic, social, and material
resources of a nation. Players must have exactly one Homeland in
makeup of a deck. Each Homeland is geared toward assisting a
particular nation, as denoted by the Homelands flag (1). Homelands
provide a number of abilities in their game text (2), including one or
more triggered abilities (see sidebar on page 7) that can be used to
gain access to cards beneath the Homeland. Homelands are placed in
the On Table Area, and though they can be used to provide a resource,
they are not included in a players Industry Area, nor are they
considered industries. Important: Homelands are NOT Locations;
Units may never move or deploy to them, and cards that target
Locations may not target Homelands.
Triggered Abilities - Many cards have one or more triggered abilities
in their game text. A triggered ability is indicated by the use of a colon
(:). Triggered abilities are always optional and may be triggered any
number of times, unless otherwise specified. The words preceding the
colon indicate the timing of the ability, as well as any requirements that
must be met to use the ability. Abilities without Phase or Segment
restrictions may be used at any time, during either players turn.
Triggered abilities will use terms such as:
Exhaust (): This indicates the card with this ability must
exhaust to trigger this ability (see Ready/Exhaust on p. 3).
X Phase/Segment: This indicates the phase or segment the
Below the card type box is the keywords box (7). This box may
contain one or more keywords that provide the Unit with special
abilities. These keywords are described in detail below. Below the
keywords box is a game text box (8) that contains any additional
abilities or effects provided by the card. Finally, every Unit has a
Deploy cost (9).
Unit Subtypes - The four Unit subtypes operate under slightly
different rules, which are described here.
Land Units - Land Units (Regiments and Vehicles) may deploy and

active player must be in for the ability to be triggered.

Your/Opponents: This indicates that the ability can only be
move to any Location, whether Land or Sea. However, Land Units at
triggered on your or your opponents turn, respectively.
Sea Locations are turned face-down because they are considered to be
Battle: These abilities can only be triggered during a battle, and
aboard transports and thus they cannot use their normal abilities and
can only be triggered if the card is present at the battle Location.
attributes. (See Move Phase for details on Land Units at Sea.)
Used/Lost/Out of Play: This indicates that, after executing the
triggered ability, the card that provided the ability should be 1
placed in the players Used Stack/Lost Stack/Out of Play Stack.
2
Responses - Abilities prefaced with Response: may be triggered when 3
Art Not
certain conditions are met. These conditions are listed in the text
following the colon. A response on a particular card may only be
triggered once for each triggering condition. Responses interrupt the
4
5
final
action that was the triggering condition and may cause the triggering
condition to be canceled. For example, if a Unit moves as a response to a
6
Location where the opponent is attempting to deplete, that depletion is 7
canceled because the opponent no longer controls the Location
unopposed.
8

Units - Units are the direct combatants in WWII: The Card Game. 9 H
Units are deployed to and move between Locations, where they are
used to control those Locations and battle opposing Units. There are
four types of Units, denoted by an icon (1): Regiment, Vehicle, Air, Sea Units - Sea Units may only deploy and move to Sea Locations.
and Sea. Regiments and Vehicles are collectively referred to as Land
Units. Land and Air Units typically represent large numbers of 1
personnel, soldiers, pilots, etc., rather than specific individuals. Sea
Units typically represent a single ship and all personnel and support 2
craft that accompany it.
3 Art Not
4
Units have a nationality as indicated by one or more flags (2).
Nationality has no effect on its own, but may be referenced by certain 5 final
cards. Some Units have the "Homeland" nationality, meaning that 6
the Unit is considered to match the nationality of its owner's
Homeland. 7
Historical Context - All cards except for Locations have a box (H) that
8
describes the meaning of the card and its historical context in relation to
the War. Any terms bolded in this box may be referenced by other cards;
9 H
otherwise, this information is for thematic purposes only and does not
have a direct impact on gameplay.

Each Unit has three attributes: Power (3), Defense (4), and
Forfeit (5). The card type box (6) lists the type of the Unit, whether
Land, Air, or Sea, as well as one or more subtypes. All Unit types
contain subtypes such as Army, Tank, Destroyer or Bomber. Subtypes
have no inherent game effects, but may be referenced by other cards.
7
Bases - Many Land Locations contain the keyword Base in their game
text. World War II was the first war where air superiority played a vital
role. Bases represent airfields and are common in the game because
1
these Locations tended to hold the greatest strategic importance in the
War. Air Units must be based at a Base Location (see Air Units below).
2 Art Not
final
Some Sea Units also have the Base keyword and allow Air Units to be
based at the same Location, even if the player does not control the 3
Location. When a Sea Unit with Base leaves a Location, any Air Units
based at that Location must move with it unless there is another Base
4
available to that player at that Location.

Air Units - Air Units function rather differently than Land or Sea 5
Units. Air Units can be very powerful, but come with some
restrictions. An Air Unit may only be deployed or moved to a
Location that has a Base controlled by the Air Units owner. During a 6
battle, the attacker may bring Air Units into the battle by calling in air
support, regardless of whether the player has a Base at the battle
Location (see Battling: In Depth on p. 18). If a player loses control of Characters - While Unit cards represent large groups of soldiers,
all Bases at a Location where that player has Air Units, those Air Units naval officers, pilots, and other military personnel, some individuals
must be immediately withdrawn. When withdrawing, the player may were of such great import to the outcome of the War that they deserve
first choose to move (for free) each Air Unit to another Base the their own representation in the game. These people are Characters,
player controls in the same theater; if the player controls no Bases in and Character cards are powerful supplements to the combat Units in
the theater, those Air Units are sent to their owners Used Stack. a deck.
Like Units, Characters have a Nationality (1), Forfeit value (4), and
1 Deploy cost (6). Unlike Units, Characters do not typically
participate directly in combat, but rather lead a military unit or the
2
3 Art Not wider war effort. Consequently, Characters have their own unique
attributes and abilities to reflect this difference. Characters all have
Leadership (2) and Intellect (3) rather than Power and Defense.
4
5 final Leadership and Intellect do not have a built-in use in battle or
otherwise, but may be referenced by other cards. Characters also have
6 game text (5) that describes where the Character is deployed and what
abilities it provides.
7
8
9 H

8
 1 Art Not
final
2
3 4
Strategies - Strategy cards represent ongoing effects on the game.
Once a Strategy is deployed, it remains in play indefinitely. Strategy
cards may have a Nationality (1), though the nationality does not limit
which decks may use the card or have any inherent impact on
gameplay. Strategies have game text (2), which remains active for as
long as the Strategy card is in play. Unless otherwise noted, these
cards must be played during their owners Deploy Phase and must
have their Deploy cost (3) paid when deployed. These cards can be
crucial to a decks strategy, and should be chosen carefully.
Industry Strategies - Industry Strategies are a subtype of Strategy
card that deploy to their owners Industry Area. Unlike other cards
played to that area, Industry Strategies are deployed face-up and their
text may be used like any other Strategy card on table. See Industries
on page XX for more information.
Asset Strategies - Asset Strategies are a subtype of Strategy card that
1 Unlike other Strategies, Asset Strategies are
deploy on a Location.
controlled by whichever player controls the Location. This makes
Asset Strategies a somewhat risky proposition as they may
occasionally help the opponent as much as or more than they help the
player who played them, but they can be powerful when used wisely.
An Asset Strategy cannot be deployed on an uncontrolled Location.
Art Not
final
2
3
Tactics - Tactic cards are used to interrupt gameplay and create new
game conditions that will affect both players plans. Tactics are the
only type of card that are not deployed and thus can normally be
played outside of the Deploy Phase. Many Tactics have triggered
abilities and so are played according to the rules for triggered abilities
(see Triggered Abilities on p. 7). If a Tactic does not have a triggered
ability, it can be played at any time, on either players turn. Some
Tactics have a Nationality (1), but most do not. Those that do are not
restricted by this nationality, but it may be referenced by other cards.
Tactics come in two types, as noted in the Tactics card type box (2):
Used and Lost. Used Tactics are placed on top of their owners Used
Stack after the actions of the Tactic have been completed. Lost Tactics
are placed on top of their owners Lost Stack after the actions of the
Tactic have been completed. Some Tactics may be Used or Lost. These
cards list two separate abilities in their game text, preceded by USED
and LOST. The player playing the card has the option of using either
the Used text or the Lost text, and places the card in the
corresponding stack after the card is played.
Some Tactic cards have a resource cost (4). This does not mean the
card must be played during the Deploy Phase. It simply means that the
cost must be paid for the Tactic to be played. If a Tactic is canceled, the
resources spent to play the card remain spent and the Tactic card is
lost (placed in its owners Lost Stack).
Some Tactics are unique, and some unique Tactics exist with the same
title for both allegiances (Axis and Allies). A unique Tactic can only be
played once per turn by either player, even if it is canceled the first
time it is played.
9
Game Setup
Each player begins with a 60 card deck matching that player's
allegiance for the game (Axis or Allies). For your first game, we
recommend using the starter decks listed on page 26. For complete
rules on deck building, see Building a Deck on p. 27. From their own
deck, each player selects a starting Location. Players reveal their
starting Locations simultaneously. If both players reveal the same
unique starting Location (see Uniqueness on p. 3), the players return
those Locations to their decks and must then select a different
Location from their decks.
Once the players have selected different Locations with which to start,
each player must choose and deploy a Homeland from their deck and
follow the deploy instructions on that card, which may allow cards to
be placed beneath the Homeland. Once placed beneath the
Homeland, these cards are no longer considered a part of the players
deck or hand and may only be removed from under the Homeland by
card effects, including those on the Homeland card itself. Only the
Homelands owner may look at cards under the Homeland; that player
may look at the cards under their Homeland at any time. The order of
the cards beneath a Homeland does not matter.
Players then shuffle their remaining cards and draw their starting
hands (8 cards for the Axis, 9 for the Allies). The Axis player takes the
first turn (described below).
Controlling Locations
Locations enter play uncontrolled. When either player has a Unit at a
Location without an opposing Unit there, that player immediately
takes control of the Location by placing their control token on the
Location (or flipping the opponent's control token to the opposite side
if the Location had one). Land and Sea Units may deploy to any
Location regardless of control. Air Units may not deploy to a Location
that is uncontrolled or that the opponent controls unless the Air Unit's
owner has a Base there (such as an Aircraft Carrier). Air Units may,
however, maintain control of a Location even with no other Units
there, so long as the Units owner controls a Base at the Location.
Typically, controlling a Location does not have any automatic effect,
but may be referenced by card effects. A Location may be controlled
by a player with no Units there if the opponent also has no Units
there, but that Location is not considered controlled unopposed
because the controller must have at least one Unit at the Location to
do so.

Gameplay
WWII: The Card Game is a turn-based game. Each turn, one player
(the active player) performs all of the six phases described below, and
when that player has completed all six phases, play passes to the
opponent, who becomes the active player. During each phase, players
take turns taking actions, starting with the active player and trading
off after each action. The active player will be taking the majority of
the actions on their own turn. In most cases, the non-active player will
only take actions if a specific card allows it, such as a Tactic card.
In addition to the actions described below, players may also play
Tactic cards or use triggered abilities as actions, or may pass. Passing
does not prevent the player from taking actions later in the phase. A
phase ends when both players pass consecutively.
1 . Deplete Phase
The active player may deplete their opponent of cards at Locations the
active player controls unopposed. A player controls a Location
unopposed if they have at least one Unit at the Location and their
opponent has no Units there. Each depletion is a separate action and
causes the opponent to lose one card, plus or minus any modifiers.
The player being depleted (the non-active player) must lose cards
equal to the amount of the depletion from their Reserve Stack or Used
Stack (non-active players choice). Depleting is free if the active player
occupies (has at least one Unit at) both a Land Location and a Sea
Location; otherwise, the player must spend one resource for each
depletion. A player may only deplete at each Location once per turn.
10
Deplete example: This is the table as it appears during the Axis player Johns turn. John has units at Narvik, Norway (1), and Warsaw, Poland
(2), while his Allied opponent, Brandy, does not. John also has a unit at English Channel - Dunkirk Crossing (3), but so does Brandy, so he
cannot deplete her there. Because John occupies both Land (Narvik and Warsaw) and Sea (Dunkirk Crossing) locations, he is not required to
pay any resources to deplete. John depletes Brandy for one card at Warsaw and then two more at Narvik, which has the game text Depletion +1
here. Brandy loses three cards from the top of her Reserve Stack. Brandy has a unit at Scapa Flow where John does not (4), but since it is Johns
turn, only he may deplete. Finally, John has Aggressive Conquest in play (5), so he exhausts it to use its effect, which causes Brandy to lose one
more card for each land John controls unopposed (in this case, two).

3 4 2 1

11
2. Deploy Phase
The active player may perform the following actions during this phase
any number of times and in any order:
1. Place a card from hand face-down in their Industry Area as a
"factory" (see Industries below).
2. Deploy a card to the table. To deploy a card, the player pays the
cards Deploy cost (if any) and places the card in play. Tactic
cards are not deployed, and so are not limited to the Deploy
Phase. Below are details about the deployment ofeach card type:
- Locations: Locations never have a deploy cost, and so
deploy for free. When deploying a Location, the Location
is placed in an open spot in the Map (see Game Areas on
p. 4). Locations must be placed on the table such that the
Axis game text (black box) faces the Axis player, and the
Allies game text (grey box) faces the Allies player. Most
Locations are unique and some Locations exist for both
the Axis side and the Allies side. In this case, only one side
may have the Location in play at a time. A player may
convert an opponents Location during their own Deploy
Phase by placing their copy of the Location on top of the
opponents copy, but only if the opponent does not control
the Location (see Controlling Locations on p. 12). When a
Location has been converted, only the game text on the
Location card on top may be used.
- Units: Units have a Deploy cost in the lower left corner.
The Deploy cost is the number of resources that must be
spent to put the Unit into play at a Location. When a Unit
is deployed, it enters play exhausted. Land Units may be
deployed to any Location, whether Land or Sea, but while
at Sea, the Unit is placed face down and treated as a
damaged Sea Unit. Sea Units may only be deployed to Sea
Locations. Air Units may be deployed to any Location
where the owner controls a Base. This can be a Land
Location the player controls that has the Base keyword, or
a Sea Location where the player has a Sea Unit with the
Base keyword (i.e. an Aircraft Carrier), regardless of who
controls the Sea.
- Characters: Characters say in their game text to where
they are deployed. Most Characters are attached to
another card. When a Character is attached to a card, part
of the Character card should be placed beneath the card
to which it is attached to indicate the attachment. A
Character that attaches to a Unit, once attached, may be
attached to a different applicable Unit at the same
Location by paying the Characters deploy cost again
during its owners Deploy Phase. Characters do not enter
play exhausted, and thus their exhaust abilities may be
used immediately.
- Strategies: Strategies are deployed according to their
game text. Some Strategies deploy on specific Locations
and may only affect that Location or related Locations.
Others deploy on table and have ongoing or triggered
abilities, or both. Strategies must have their resource cost
paid when they are deployed. Industry Strategies are
deployed to the players Industry Area and count against
the players industry limit. Asset Strategies may only be
deployed to a Location the player controls.
12
Resources
Resources are the currency used to bring cards into play and pay for
effects in WWII: The Card Game. Resources are generated by
industries (see below). Any time a player plays a card or uses an effect
with a resource cost, that cost must be paid first by exhausting
industries to produce the required number of resources. If an industry
is used that produces more resources than are needed to pay the cost
of the card, any excess resources are lost.
Industries
Industries are cards played to a players Industry Area. A player
cannot have more cards in their Industry Area than their industry
limit, which is by default equal to the number of different Locations
in play, though it may be modified by other cards.
Industries come in two forms. The most common type of industry is a
card of any type placed face-down from a players hand in their
Industry Area (see example on page 13). This kind of industry is
called a factory. Factories can be created using any card of any type.
Cards used for factories are considered in play, are considered to be
of type factory and gain the text : Gain 1 resource. All aspects of
the front side of the card are ignored, including uniqueness. Only the
player that played the factory may look at the face-down card, and
that player may do so at any time. Once a card has been used to create
a factory, it will remain a factory for the remainder of the game, with
the exception of Tactic cards (see Tactics As Factories on the next
page).
Art Not
final
Example of an Industry Strategy that does not provide a resource.
The second type of industry is a subtype of the Strategy card type:
Industry Strategies. An example can be seen above. These cards are
played on the table in the Industry Area but are face-up and act like
improved versions of a face-down factory card. Note: Only face-down
cards have the built-in ability to provide a resource; any face up
industries (such as Industry Strategies) must say in their text "gain X
resource(s)", or else they cannot be exhausted to gain resources.
Industry cards without such text, like the card pictured above, usually
provide abilities other than resources when played face up in the
Industry Area.
Tactics As Factories - Players may use Tactic cards that they have placed face-down in their Industry Area as factories as if they had the Tactic
in hand. To play a Tactic from the Industry Area, the player flips the Tactic card over at the chosen time (the Tactic must be played at the
appropriate time according to the cards text), pays any costs for the Tactic, then carries out the Tactics effect. The Tactic is then placed in the
appropriate stack (Used or Lost), thereby removing it from the Industry Area and reducing the number of industries that the player has in play.
A Tactic may be played even if it had been exhausted as a factory. As soon as the Tactic is revealed, it ceases to be a factory and thus cannot be
used to pay its own cost.
Deploy example: Cindy is playing as the Allies and is the active player. The first card she deploys is Wendy the Welder. Because Wendy the
Welder is an Industry Strategy (1), the card is played to Cindys Industry Area (2). Cindy also chooses to play Running On Fumes as a factory to
her Industry Area (3). This card is played face down, but because it is a Tactic card, she will be able to play it later as if it was in her hand. For
now, however, she needs to use it as a factory to generate resources.

2 3

13
Deploy example (cont.): Next, Cindy decides to deploy the USS Santee. This card has a resource cost of 2 (4), so Cindy would have to exhaust
two factories to pay for it. However, Wendy the Welder allows Cindy to place a card from hand on her Used Stack to reduce the cost of an
American sea or air unit by 3, so she does so (5). This reduces the cost of the USS Santee to 0 (costs cannot go below 0), so Cindy places the
Santee exhausted at Scapa Flow (6). Because the USS Santee is the only Unit at Scapa Flow, Cindy immediately takes control of the location,
which triggers the text on her Homeland that says "When your unit takes control of a location, you may draw the top card of your Reserve
Stack," so she draws a card (7).

14
Deploy example (cont.): Finally, she wants to give the Santee some fighter support, so she will deploy a Brewster Buffalo. The Buffalo has a cost
of 1 (8), so Cindy exhausts her factory (9) to pay the cards cost, then places the Buffalo exhausted at Scapa Flow, with the Santee providing a
Base for the Air Unit.

15
3. Battle Phase
The active player may initiate battle at any Locations where both
players have at least one Unit. Battles are initiated as an action and
resolved one at a time (see Battling: In Depth on p. 18). A player may
only battle once per Location per turn.
Battling serves two main purposes in WWII: The Card Game. First,
winning battles is a means of causing direct damage to your
opponents deck. This is accomplished by having more Power in the
battle than your opponent. Second, battles are a means of removing
your opponents Units from the Map. This is accomplished by
shooting the opposing Units with your own Units, or by forcing your
opponent to forfeit Units to reduce battle damage.
There are three attributes common to all Units: Power, Defense,
and Forfeit. Power is an abstract concept that represents more than
the simple strength of the Units armament. It also incorporates the
Units strategic importance to the War, as well as its accomplishments.
Thus, a large army may have a lower power than a single division, but
as any great general knows, numbers are not always the determining
factor in battle. Power is used to determine the winner of battles, and
the difference between the total Power of the winner and the loser of a
battle is known as battle damage. Defense represents how hard the
Unit is to damage or destroy. Defense is used primarily during battle
when the Unit is shot at by opposing Units. Forfeit is used during
battles to reduce the battle damage a player takes for losing a battle.
See Battling: In Depth on page 18 for details on how battles work.
Raising a Converted Location - Converted Locations come into effect
when control of a Location changes hands. In such a situation, the
player who lost control of the Locations copy of the Location will be
section, p. 27). When a Land Unit is moved to a Sea Location,
the Unit card is flipped face down, maintaining its ready or
exhausted state. Land Units at Sea are considered to be damaged
Sea Units and follow all rules for damaged Sea Units (see
Damaged Units, p. 27), with two exceptions: 1) they cannot be
repaired, and 2) they can move to Land locations in the same
region, after which they are flipped face up and no longer follow
the rules for damaged Sea Units.
- Sea Units may move to any Sea Location in the same theater.
- Air Units may move to any Base the player controls.
- List ofRegions: Europe, Africa, USSR, North Sea,
Mediterranean Sea.
5. Draw Phase
At the start of this phase, the active player must draw into hand the
top card of their Reserve Stack, unless the player has no cards in their
Reserve Stack. The active player may then draw additional cards from
the top of their Reserve Stack at the cost of one resource per card.
Cards are drawn one at a time and the player may see what card was
drawn before deciding whether to draw more cards. The active player
may not draw cards if their Reserve Stack is empty (this may occur
without ending the game if the player still has cards in their Used
Stack).
6. Ready Phase
During this phase, both players recycle their Used Stacks by placing
their Used Stack on the bottom of their Reserve Stack. Next, all
exhausted cards for both players are readied. Players may not take
non-Ready Phase actions in this phase.

Game End
covered up by the opponents copy. In order to convert the location back
to the players own copy, the player must retake control of the Location.
Any time a player takes control of a Location, that player has the option
to immediately raise their converted Location to the top by taking their The game ends as soon as one player has no cards left in their Used
copy of the Location from below their opponents copy and placing their Stack and Reserve Stack. The player who has cards remaining is the
copy on top; if the player elects not to raise their Location to the top at winner! Optional: If players want to keep track of the margin of
the time the player takes control of the Location, that player may not do victory, the winning player should count the number of cards
so at a later time unless control of the Location changes hands again. remaining in their Reserve and Used Stacks when the game ends.
Cards in hand and under Homelands are ignored.
4. Move Phase
The active player may move any number of Units they control. To do
so, the active player uses an action to choose a Location where that
player has Units and spends one resource to allow the Units at that
Location to move. All units at the Location may then be moved, and
they are not required to be moved to the same Location. The active
player may move Units from any number of Locations at a cost of one
resource per Location. The active player may not move a Unit more
than once during this phase. Moving a Unit does not cause that Unit
to exhaust or ready, and exhausted Units may be moved just like ready
Units. The different types of Units have their own movement
restrictions:
- Land Units - Land Units may move to any Location in same
region, whether Land or Sea. However, damaged Land Units
cannot move to Sea Locations (see Repair in the Keywords
16
Move example: Allied player Katie has several units at Scapa Flow that she wants to move during her Move Phase. She spends one resource to
allow her to move any or all of those units. She first moves the USS Ranger to the Gulf of Finland (1), where she hopes to deplete her opponent
of resources next turn. She immediately takes control of the Gulf of Finland. Because her Base has moved away from Scapa Flow, she must move
the Douglas SBD Dauntless fighter with it or to another Base she controls, so she moves it to Dunkirk Crossing as well (2). Next, she moves her
Battleship to the English Channel - Dunkirk Crossing (3) to block the opposing Convoy Hunter from depleting her. Even though she now has
more total Power at the location, the Axis player maintains control until Katie wins a battle or there are no Axis units at that location. Finally,
she decides to leave the USS Augusta where it is at Scapa Flow in order to further deplete her opponent on her next turn (4).

1 2

17
 B a t t li n g : I n D e p t h
Players may initiate any number of battles during their Battle Phase. A that shot continues but with a modifier of 0.
battle can be initiated for free at any Location where both players have
one or more Units. Each battle consists of six segments. The player 3. Exhaust the Firing Unit: A Unit must exhaust to fire, so an
that initiated the battle (called the attacker) may take the first action exhausted Unit may not fire.
in each segment, followed by the defender (the player who did not
initiate battle) and passing back and forth until both players pass 4. Reveal Fortune: The player whose Unit is firing reveals one
consecutively. Fortune and adds the modifier. If the total > targets Defense, the
target is hit. Place one hit token on the target (two tokens if the firing
1 . Response Segment Unit has the Critical keyword). If a player does not have any cards in
their Reserve Stack with which to reveal the Fortune, that player may
Any responses to an initiated battle take place first. This includes any not fire.
Response effects on cards in play or in a player's hand that trigger
when a battle is initiated. 4. Power Segment
2. Air Support Segment Total Power is calculated on each side. All Units at the battle Location,
regardless of whether they are ready or exhausted, add their Power to
The attacker may spend one resource to move any of their ready Air their side's total. Each player has the option to reveal one Fortune and
Units in the same Region as the battle Location to that Location to add it to their total Power. In most cases, both players will want to do
allow those units to join the battle. These Units are moved one at a this. An example of a time when a player may not want to is if they
time. Those Air Units may be present at the battle Location even have only one card left in their Reserve Stack and need to use it for
without a Base for the duration of the battle. Only the attacker may some other purpose. The attacker declares whether they will add a
call in air support. Fortune, followed by the defender, then any player who so chose
reveals a Fortune. If a player has no cards in their Reserve Stack, that
3. Action Segment player may not add a Fortune reveal. The player with the highest total
Power wins the battle.
Starting with the attacker, players can take actions, including but not
limited to: playing a Tactic, using a card effect in play, or having a Unit Seize Control - The winner of the battle, if any, gains control of the
fire. Battle: abilities on Units may only be used if the Unit is at the Location (if they did not control it already). Flip the control token on
battle Location. the location to the winners side. In the case of a tie, the control token
remains on its current side.
Unit Firing
Most Units have the ability to fire at enemy Units. When a Unit fires
at another Unit, follow these steps:
1. Choose a Target: When choosing a Unit to fire at, the firing Unit
must have a Target: [Subtype] keyword that matches one or more of
the targets subtypes. A Unit may be targeted and hit multiple times. A
Unit with the Repair keyword that is hit more than once cannot be
damaged and must be forfeited. A damaged (face down) Unit can be
targeted at Defense of 1. If hit, the Unit must be lost at the end of the
battle.
2. Determine Modifier: The number following the Target:
[Subtype] keyword is the modifier used when targeting a Unit of
[Subtype]. If a firing Unit has more than one Target keyword that
matches a subtype of the target Unit, the modifiers of all matching
Target keywords are added together to determine the total modifier.
Example: If a Unit has Target: Sea unit (+1), Destroyer (+1) and the
Unit targets a Destroyer, the modifier is +2.
Some card abilities may cause the target of a shot to change. When
this happens, determine the modifier based on the new target. If a
shot is redirected to a Unit that cannot be targeted by the firing Unit,

18
5. Outcome Segment keyword there, such as an Aircraft Carrier.
During this segment, the effects of the battle are carried out. Units
that were hit during the course of the battle must be damaged or
lost, and the loser of the battle must suffer battle damage equal to
the difference between the two players total Power in the battle by
forfeiting Units at the Location and/or losing cards from their deck.
During this segment, players alternate taking actions until both
players pass consecutively. Actions the players may take include:
1. Forfeit a Unit/Character - Only the player who lost the battle
may forfeit a Unit or Character, and may only do so if the player
has battle damage remaining. The forfeited card is lost from the
battle Location and the battle damage against the player is
reduced by the forfeit value of the forfeited card. A card that is
damaged (turned face down) may be forfeited at a forfeit value
of 1. A player may forfeit a Unit with any number of hit tokens
on it for that Units full forfeit value. Forfeiting a Character does
not require the player to forfeit any Unit to which the Character
was attached. If a forfeited card had any cards attached, those
cards are lost.
2. Lose a Hit Unit - The player selects one Unit with one or
more hit tokens on it and places the Unit in their Lost Stack,
returning all hit tokens to the supply. If the Unit had any cards
attached, those cards are also lost.
3. Damage a Hit Unit - The player may choose one of their
Units with the Repair keyword and exactly one hit token on it to
be damaged. The chosen unit is turned face-down at the battle
Location, maintaining its ready or exhausted state, and the hit
token is removed and returned to the supply. A Unit that has
been hit more than once cannot be damaged and must be
forfeited or lost. Cards attached to a damaged Unit are
unaffected by the Unit being damaged. While a Unit is
damaged, it does not count its forfeit value towards reducing
battle damage.
4. Play a Tactic - The player may play a Tactic card as normal.
5. Pass - A player may only pass if they have no Units with hit
tokens remaining at the battle Location.
Once both players have passed consecutively, if the loser of the battle
still has battle damage remaining, that player must lose cards from
their Reserve Stack and/or Used Stack equal to the remaining battle
damage. Then, all Units that participated in the battle are exhausted.
Those Units that were already exhausted remain exhausted.
6. Aerial Withdrawal Segment
Any player with Air Units remaining at the battle Location who does
not control a Base at that Location must withdraw those Air Units, for
free, by moving those Air Units to a Base the player controls in the
same theater. If the player does not control a Base in the same theater,
that players Air Units are placed in the players Used Stack, in an
order of that players choosing. If both players have Air Units to be
withdrawn, the active player withdraws all their Air Units first. A
player may not elect to withdraw their Air Units if they control a Base
at the battle Location. Note that a player is considered to control a
Base at the Location if they have an undamaged Unit with the Base
19
Battle example: Ben is playing as the Axis, and Kendra as the Allies. During Bens Battle Phase, he initiates a battle at Copenhagen, Denmark,
where both he and Kendra have units present. During the Air Support Segment, Ben exhausts a factory to call in air support, bringing his
Junkers Ju-87 Stuka at Warsaw, Poland, into the battle. His Dornier Do-17 cannot join the battle because it is exhausted. As the defender,
Kendra does not have the option of bringing in her own air support.

20
Battle example (cont.): Next, Ben gets the first action during the Action Segment. He chooses to have his German Infantry shoot at Kendras
American Infantry, so he exhausts the German Infantry. Kendra chooses to use the "Guard (Land unit)" keyword on her Armored Escort. The
Guard keyword is defined as: " Response: If your other land unit here was just targeted, this unit is targeted instead." She exhausts the
Armored Escort to trigger this response and to make the Armored Escort the target of the German Infantrys attack. Although the German
Infantry has no ability to target Vehicles, its shot continues, but at a modifier of 0. Ben reveals the top card of his Reserve Stack, which has a
Fortune of War value of 2, which does not exceed the Armored Escorts Defense of 5, so the shot misses. Ben puts the Fortune card on top of his
Used Stack.

21
Battle example (cont.): Next is Kendras action. She chooses to shoot
at the German Expeditionary Force with her American Infantry, and
so exhausts her American Infantry. Because the German
Expeditionary Force is a Regiment, the American Infantrys Target:
Regiment (+1) keyword will give the unit a +1 bonus to its shot.
Kendra reveals the top card of her Reserve Stack, which has a
Fortune value of 4. With the Regiment (+1) bonus from the
American Infantry, her total is 5, which exceeds the Expeditionary
Forces Defense of 4, so its a hit! Ben places a hit token on the
Expeditionary Force.
22
Ben gets to perform another action now, and so decides to shoot at
the American Infantry with his Stuka. Because the Armored Escort is
exhausted, Kendra cannot use its Guard keyword again to make it
the target of the attack. Because the American Infantry is a land unit,
the Stuka uses its Target: Land unit (+2) keyword to gain a +2
bonus to the shot. Ben reveals a fortune number, which is a 4. With
the +2 bonus, the total of 6 easily exceeds the American Infantrys
Defense of 3, so Kendra places a hit token on the Infantry.
Battle example (cont.): Its now Kendras action, so she flips over one of her factories, which was the Used Tactic card The Old Country, and
plays it. Its text reads: "Battle: If all of your units here are the same country, your total Power is +1 for each of your units here." Because all of her
units are the same country (the Armored Escorts Homeland nationality means it matches Kendras Homeland, which is American), her total
Power will be +1 for each of her units (in this case 2). After resolving the Tactic cards effect, Kendra places it on top of her Used Stack because it
was a Used Tactic. She now has one fewer factory to use until she deploys another during her Deploy Phase.

Next it is Bens action. He still has the German Expeditionary Force ready to use. He could use it to shoot at the Armored Escort, but he doesnt
like his chances of hitting the Escort with a bonus of 0, so he decides to use the Expeditionary Forces other keyword, Command. The Command
keyword is defined as " Battle: Add one fortune to your total Power." He exhausts the Expeditionary Force and reveals a Fortune from his
deck. The Fortune is a 3, so he will add 3 to his total Power during the Power Segment. Both players have now run out of actions, and so both
pass and move on to the Power Segment.

23
Battle example (cont.): Both players now calculate their total Power at the battle location. Kendra has 1 Power for the American Infantry, 2 for
the Armored Escort, and 2 from The Old Country, for a total of 5. Ben has 2 Power from his Stuka, 3 from the Expeditionary Force, and 3 more
from the fortune drawn using the Expeditionary Forces Command keyword. He also has the German Infantry, which has a base power of 1 but
gains +1 from its game text, which says it is Power +1 for each other German Regiment at the same location (the Expeditionary Force is a
German Regiment). Finally, his Homeland, Germany, gives him +3 to his total Power while he is the attacker if he has a German unit. His total
then is 2 (Stuka) + 3 (Expeditionary Force) + 3 (Command fortune) + 2 (German Infantry) + 3 (Homeland bonus) = 13. Each player also may
add one fortune to their total Power. In most cases this is a good idea, so both players choose to do so. Kendra is unlucky and reveals a 2, while
Ben reveals a 4. The total Power is Ben 17 and Kendra 7. Ben wins the battle, and so takes control of the location, flipping the control token to
the Axis side.

24
Battle example (cont.): Next comes the Outcome Segment. Kendra lost the battle by 10 Power, so she will have to lose 10 cards from her deck.
Fortunately, she can forfeit her hit American Infantry unit to reduce the number of cards she must lose by the Infantrys forfeit value, which is 6.
She still has 4 cards left to lose and a choice to make. She could forfeit her Armored Escort as well to reduce the number of cards by another 3,
but she wants to keep the Escort in play for a counter attack, so she will lose 4 cards. She remembers that the last fortune she drew was only a 2,
so she decides to lose the top card of her Used Stack as well as the second card, The Old Country, which she thinks she can survive without this
game, and then two additional cards from the top of her Reserve Stack. Ben won the battle, so he wont have to lose any cards from his deck.
However, his Expeditionary Force was hit, so it has to be lost from the Location, so Ben places it in his Lost Stack.

Finally, if either player had units in the battle that were not exhausted during the battle, they would be exhausted at this time. Because Ben won
the battle and took control of Copenhagen, which is a Base, his Stuka must remain at that location. Ben could send the Stuka back to its
previous Base during his Move Phase. The battle has now ended, and Ben may continue with his turn. He cannot, however, battle at
Copenhagen again this turn, so Kendra will have an opportunity to reinforce her Armored Escort.

25
Starter Decks
For your first game, we recommend using the starter decks listed below. Once you get a feel for the game, you will have the freedom to design
your own decks using the rules listed in Building a Deck. Cards with "x2" or "x3" after the title mean that multiple copies of those cards are
included in the deck (either 2 copies or 3 copies).
Allies (60 cards): Axis (60 cards):
Homeland: United States of America Homeland: Germany
Starting Location: Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands Starting location: Warsaw, Poland
Cards under the Homeland (10 cards): Cards under the Homeland (10 cards):
English Channel - Dunkirk Crossing River Bzura, Poland
Gulf Of Finland Norwegian Sea
Dunkirk, France Copenhagen, Denmark
Paris, France Oslo, Norway
Wendy The Welder Narvik, Norway
Henry Stimson Blitzkrieg
Frank Knox Fight Another Day
Fight Another Day Assassination
Silent Night War Weary
The Old Country Failed Tactics
Reserve Stack (48 cards): Reserve Stack (48 cards):
Grumman TBF Avenger x2 Hermann Gring
Douglas SBD Dauntless x2 Erwin Rommel
Grumman Wildcat x2 Dornier Do-17 x2
Brewster Buffaloes x2 Messerschmitt Me-109 x2
Marine Regiment x2 Junkers Ju-87 Stuka x2
3rd Infantry Division Heinkel He-111 x2
French-American Africa Corps x3 German Expeditionary Force x3
American Infantry x3 Fallschirmjager Regiment x2
Armored Escort x2 Norwegian Invasion Group V
Submarine Hunter x2 Norwegian Invasion Group III
Battleship x2 Norwegian Invasion Group II
Destroyer Escort x2 German Infantry x3
Anti-Aircraft Cruiser x2 Troop Escort Division x2
USS Ranger German Tiger Division
USS Augusta Convoy Hunter x2
USS Santee Pocket Battleship x2
Fletcher-class Destroyer x2 Elbing-class Torpedo Boat x2
Conscription Act Battleship
Bunker Network Destroyer Escort
Double-Cross System Anti-Aircraft Cruiser
'Infantry Attacks' The Last War
Dominion Over The Seas Aggressive Conquest
Allied Reinforcements x2 Serve For Citizenship
Fleet Mobilization x2 Axis Reinforcements x2
Sinking Of The Altmark Combined Fleet Action
The Old Country Ministry of Propaganda
A Date Which Will Live In Infamy Leadership in Denial
Running On Fumes War Weary
War Weary Fight Another Day
Fight Another Day Leader In The Field
Broken Down Assassination
Failed Tactics
Broken Down
Tread Lightly

26
Building a Deck this Unit to deplete an additional X resources. Only one Unit may raid
each Location each turn, and the player must control the Location
In WWII: The Card Game, players have the opportunity to design unopposed as normal.
their own decks around a variety of strategies and play styles. There
are a few restrictions that must be followed when building a deck, but Repair (X) : Units with this keyword may be damaged (flipped face
beyond these, players have the freedom to construct a deck however down) when hit (see Damaged Units in Battle below). A player may
they please. repair a damaged Unit (flip it face up and exhaust it) by spending X
resources during that players Deploy Phase.
The deck construction restrictions are:
A deck must contain exactly 60 cards. Swift: The Unit may move from a Location without spending any
All cards must belong to the same allegiance (Axis or Allies). resources.
A deck must include exactly one Homeland card.
A deck must include at least one Location card. The following keywords are limited to Sea Units:
A deck can contain no more than three copies of any card by title and Base: This Unit provides a Base at which Air Units may be based.
nationality. When this Unit moves, any Air Units at the same Location must
move with it unless another Unit at the Location also has Base.
Keywords Bombard (X) : This Unit may exhaust to fire at a Land Unit in a
battle at a related coast Land Location. The Units modifier to hit is
Units may have one or more keywords in their keyword box. These X.
keywords have built-in functionality, as defined in this section.
Whenever possible, Units with these keywords have the definition of Damaged Units - Units with the Repair keyword may be damaged
the keyword included in the Unit's game text box. during a battle. When a Unit is damaged, it is turned face down,
maintaining its exhausted or ready state. Damaging a Unit does not
Target [Type/Subtype] (X) : Units with this keyword may exhaust affect any cards attached to that Unit. Damaged Units, while face-down,
during battle to fire at Units matching [Type/Subtype] (see Unit Firing have Power=0, Defense=1, Forfeit=1, and may not use game text or
in Battling: In Depth on p. 18). In the process of firing, the target Unit keywords (other than Repair). Damaged Units retain uniqueness and
is being shot at, and if the shot succeeds, the target is hit. card/Unit type information and may still deplete, move, battle and be
battled. Damaged Land Units may not move to a Sea Location.
Amphibious: While at a Sea Location, a Land Unit with this
keyword is treated in all regards as a Sea Unit, is not turned face down
like other Land Units, and retains all keywords and game text, as well
as its Power and Defense values. (This supersedes the rule that Land
Units lose keywords when at Sea.)
Casualty (X) : When this Unit hits an enemy Unit, the opponent
must immediately lose X cards.
Command: Exhaust this Unit during battle to immediately add one
fortune reveal to your total Power.
Critical: When this Unit hits an enemy Unit, place two hit tokens on
the target Unit instead of one.
Demolish: During a battle, this Unit may exhaust to cause a Strategy
card at the battle Location to be lost.
Dominate: Exhaust this Unit during battle to exhaust an opposing
Unit. This keyword may be followed by a Unit type or subtype in
parentheses, specifying the type of Unit this Unit may exhaust.
Guard (X) : Exhaust this unit to redirect a shot taken during a battle
targeting a Unit of type X at the same location.
Prepared: This Unit enters play ready.
Raid (X) : When depleting at this Unit's Location, you may exhaust
27
Glossary be related, there must simply be one match. Locations of different
types (Land and Sea) may be related to each other.
Active player - The player whose turn it is. The other player is the
non-active player. Theater - All Locations belong to one of two theaters: Atlantic and
Pacific. Sea Units may only move within the same theater. Air Units
Aerial withdrawal - If a player has Air Units at a Location where that may only withdraw to a Base in the same theater.
player does not control a Base, the player must withdraw those Air
Units to a Base they control in the same theater. If the player controls
no Base in the same theater, the Air Units are placed in the players
Used Stack in an order of the players choosing. This rule is suspended
while the Air Units are involved in a battle.
Allegiance - The side of the War to which the card belongs, as
denoted by the card back. The two allegiances are Axis and Allies.
Battle damage - The number of cards the loser of a battle must lose,
equal to the difference between the total Power of the winner and the
loser. Battle damage may be reduced by forfeiting Units from the
battle.
Control Unopposed - A player is said to control a Location
unopposed if that player has at least one Unit at the Location and
their opponent has no Units there. Players may only deplete at
Locations they control unopposed.
Factory - A face-down card in a players Industry Area.
Homeland Unit - A Unit with the Homeland icon on its nationality
flag. Homeland Units are treated as if their nationality matches their
owners Homeland for all purposes.
Industry - Any card in a players Industry Area. This includes
factories and Industry Strategies.
Nationality - The country from which the card originates, as denoted
by one or more flags on the card. Cards may have no nationality or
multiple nationalities. A cards nationality has no built-in function
and does not restrict what decks may include or use a card. Unique
Units are unique by nationality. Homeland Units are considered to
match the Homeland card of the player who controls them.
Non-active player - The player who is not the active player (i.e. the
player who is not taking their turn).
Owner - The owner of a card is the player who played the card.
Region - A subdivision of a theater. Land Units may only move within
the same region. Air Units may only join a battle in the same region.
- List ofRegions: Europe, Africa, USSR, North Sea,
Mediterranean Sea.
Related - Two Locations are related if the Locations have at least one
flag in common. Not all flags on the Locations must match in order to

WWII: The Card Game

2013 Fanfare Games
28