Battleground World War II

About this board game

Battleground World War II is a two-player World War II skirmish game with an approximate playing time of 60 minutes, released in 1997. It presents comprehensive rules for resolving combat at the level of individual soldiers and vehicle crew members.

Designed to capture the spirit of ground combat while keeping play fast, the game uses cards to determine the random order in which units move and act. Each person can perform two Actions per turn, creating a focused system for infantry and vehicle crews.

Morale is a central part of play. Characters may be fanatics, cowards, or heroes, while Gut Checks are required before they can attempt highly risky actions. The rules cover infantry combat, armored combat, artillery, and engineers.

• Card-determined random activation order
• Two Actions for each person during a turn
• Morale rules for fanatics, cowards, and heroes
• Gut Checks for highly risky acts
• Rules for artillery, engineers, infantry, and armored combat
• Generic squad organization and hit locations for tanks and halftracks

Seven scenarios are included to help players gradually learn the rules. Later supplements added new unit types, nationalities, and scenarios, expanding the available battles beyond the core set.

The rules were written for Easy Eight’s 28mm miniature line, with conversion charts provided for players using 20mm or 15mm figures. This gives Battleground World War II a flexible skirmish framework for different miniature collections while retaining its emphasis on individual battlefield decisions.