Larry Harris, creator of Axis & Allies, has created a new wargame called War Room, which will be available for crowdfunding on Kickstarter on October 30, 2017. Larry recently wrote to us to provide some insights and background about the game.

Update (Oct. 30, 2017): War Room Kickstarter is live.

Larry Harris writes:

I believe that a game should take you on an adventure. It should tell you a story. War Room does exactly that. The time is World War II. You have just been appointed to the position of Supreme Commander of all your nation’s military forces. With this honor and responsibility your task is now to direct these forces as they wage war on a global scale. It is from within the corridors of your nation’s highest Headquarters where your War Room is situated. You know that the map, at the very center of this operation – with its polar view perspective, along with the interactive charts – which track strategic resources (oil, iron and other strategic resources), homeland morale, and military production, are all only as effective as the commander who interprets their meanings. You also know that the Battle Status Board system, on which battles are tracked and resolved, will permit you to direct and have a meaningful impact on the major air, land, and sea battles that are taking place in the many far-flung battlefields around the globe. The unspoken question posed here is… Are you up to this monumental task? Failure to be could lead to civil unrest, decreased war related production, and even the total collapse of your nation’s ability to wage war.

What makes this game truly unique and special are the depths to which it goes and yet the simplicity of its rules. It provides all the elements that such a simulation requires and then some.

Since the beginning of time military commanders have had to deal with limited military intelligence about the enemy’s operational plans and movements. I felt that any game with the title of War Room absolutely required that its players experience this challenge. War Room’s Secret and Simultaneous Movement system is both intuitive and even thrilling to conduct. This system was one of the central pillars that the rest of the game was built around.

Another key element of the game is that it is based on command structures. The units stacked under each numbered command is what gives each command its distinct personality and power. There are three types of commands: Land, sea, and air. When a player moves his forces, he moves them as commands. Only stackable units could address this design requirement.

Having been in the works for over 4 years at this point, the evolution and development of this jewel has been a labor of love. We have lost count of the many iterations it has gone through over that period. My vision, and this of course goes beyond the “game” itself, is for players to construct their own War Rooms. You know… recreate their own War Room with all the trappings. My War Room is in my basement – I love it! It’s a blast! My large (42” dia.) round map has been placed firmly on a “Lazy-Suzan”. A couple of overhead lights strategically shine down on it. When you bring in some friends, and place the game’s “Command Tokens” on it, it seems to come alive!

How are you under pressure? This experience will test your critical and strategic thinking skills, your ability to multi-task, and your boldness. In other words, can you command? At this point all that is missing for us to find out is you, some friends, and your collective imaginations.