Rules of Play

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
2.0 COMPONENTS
MpaTyron:Layout 1 2002-01-01 00:12 Page 1

3.0 SET UP & AREA CONTROL

4.0 HOW TO WIN
5.0 TURN SEQUENCE
6.0 STACKING
7.0 THE German UnitsITALIAN
Available Holding Box EMPIRE Battle Board
Japanese Units Available Holding Box
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

8.0 PRODUCTION
9.0 ARMY & FLEET MOVEMENT
10.0 CONVENTIONAL COMBAT & AIRPOWER
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

11.0 ATOMIC ATTACKS

Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

12.0 UNITED NATIONS REBELLIONS

13.0 ALTERNATE HISTORY NOTES
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

Triumph of the Will:

14.0 DESIGNER’S
Game Design: Ty Bomba NOTES
Nazi Germany vs. Imperial Japan

Map Graphics: Rafał Zalewski

15.0 CREDITS
© 2017 by Compass Games
NORTH MAP
CA
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SEA
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MED
IT
E R
A
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EA

Triumph of the Will:

Phase Now Table Nazi Germany vs. Imperial Japan
Production Phase Game Design: Ty Bomba
Map Graphics: Rafał Zalewski
Air Superiority Phase
© 2017 by Compass Games
Alternating Action Phase
Atomic Attack Table SOUTH MAP

2 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.

Nuclear Winter Phase Die Roll Result

Rebellion Phase
German Production Points Track 1-4 The targeted unit is eliminated.
5 The targeted unit is disrupted.
Recovery Phase If the targeted unit was already disrupted there’s no
 Triumph of the Will
1.0 INTRODUCTION The land and sea areas delineated on the map regulate the placement
and movement of units across it. A unit is considered to be in only
one area at any one time. Each area on the map has a unique name
1.1 In General printed within it. They’re provided to help you find referenced places
Triumph of the Will: Nazi Germany vs. Imperial more quickly. They also allow you to record unit positions if a match
Japan (TotW) is a two-player, strategic wargame of has to be interrupted and taken down before it can be completed.
low-intermediate complexity that covers the Third
World War that likely would’ve occurred – fought 2.3 Unit Counters
for final global domination – if Nazi Germany and Most of the counters (also referred to as “units” and “unit counters”)
Imperial Japan had won World War II. The game’s systems are represent combat formations – armies, fleets and air forces – which
crafted to present a supreme-commander’s eye-view of such a war. would be on hand for the war modeled here. Additional counters are
It’s therefore fully strategic in its perspective, with only the most provided as informational markers and memory aids. After reading
pastel of operational and tactical undertones added to enhance its through these rules, punch out the counters. Trimming the “dog
tone and texture in those regards. ears” from their corners with a fingernail clipper will facilitate easier
The overarching theme of the situation is resource scarcity. That handling and stacking during play.
is, by 1945, when the Axis powers are presumed to have won
WW2, the world had been in crisis for a little over 30 years. 2.4 Sample Tank/Panzer Army
Their victory in that war pushed the Germans and Japanese to The unit shown below is the German 1st Panzer (a.k.a. Tank) Army. Its
the limit of their powers. The new war, therefore, sees them and nationality is shown by its background color. The unit is printed much
the rest of the war-weary globe in a state of near exhaustion in the same on both sides; however, the stripe on its reverse side is meant
terms of demography, natural resource availability and industrial to indicate “disruption.”That’s the state armies and fleets generally fall
production. In operative terms, that means you will always feel, into immediately after completing one move and/or attack each turn.
no matter which side you’re commanding, your military is at full- See sections 5.0 and 9.0 for more details.
stretch. You will always be hard-pressed to come up with the units
you need to carry out your plans.

1.2 Game Scales

The assembled global map offers what cartographers call a
“modified azimuthal” view of the planet. The North Pole is
effectively its center, and the distances represented by each unit
of measure vary based on their distance from there. Given the 2.5 Sample Infantry Army
time-scale in use here, those varying distances don’t matter. That There are two types of armies in the game, “panzer/tank” as shown
is, each full turn of play represents a calendar year; so, under above, and “infantry armies” as shown below. The two types generally
peacetime conditions, the armies and fleets of both sides could operate the same way; however, panzer/tank armies have enhanced
circumnavigate the world in that time. Of course, these aren’t combat power on the offense.
peacetime conditions; so you’ll seldom see moves of that length
take place during play.

2.0 COMPONENTS
2.1 In General 2.6 Nationality & Sides
The components to a complete game of TotW include: The German player commands all the units of that nation plus
those of the Italian Empire. The Japanese player commands all
One rulebook
the units of that nation. The Italian Empire starts the game as a
Two mapsheets
German ally, but it may defect to the Japanese side during play
Two die-cut countersheets
(see section 7.0 for details on that). The units’ nationalities are
Twelve six-sided dice
shown by their background colors.
One box and Lid set.

2.2 The Game Map German Units Gray Background

Join together the two mapsheets along their ‘equator’ to form one
contiguous global playing area. You may want to use removable tape
(available at any art supply store) or small pieces of masking tape, Italian Units Green Background
along the mapsheet seams to give the fully assembled playing area
more stability. Japanese Units Red Background

© 2017 Compass Games, LLC. 3

 Triumph of the Will
2.7 Specific Unit Identifications • Atomic Bomb / Atomic Blast Markers (see section 11.0)
Most units are identified simply by numbers. For
example, the Japanese infantry army with a “1” in
the corner of its counter is the “First (Infantry)
Army.” The following abbreviations further
identify specific special units.

• HQ – Air Force Headquarters (see 5.5)

• Atomic Blasts Totals Markers (see section 11.0)
• 6SS – Sixth SS Panzer Army (see 10.7)
• KB – Kido Butai (1st Carrier Strike Fleet, see 10.7)

2.8 Air Force Exceptionalism

The rules governing the deployment and use of airpower in the
game are different from that of those governing the armies and
fleets. See section 7.0 for details on that.
• United Nations Rebellion Markers (see section 12.0)

2.9 Markers
The counter-mix also includes the following types of informational
and memory aid markers. Their uses are explained in appropriate 3.0 SET UP & AREA CONTROL
sections of the rules.
3.1 Preparing to Play
• Variable Area Control Determination Markers (see 3.6) After deciding who will command which side, both players
should sort and set up the units of their own side according to
the following instructions. Normal stacking limits apply for both
players during set up (see section 8.0).

3.2 Italian Set Up

As soon as the command situation has been determined, the
German player should place three Italian armies in each of
• Land Area Control Markers (see 3.4) the three areas of that nation’s empire: Europa del Sud, Africa
Orientale and Media Oriente. See section 6.0 for more details.

3.3 Initial Japanese & German Orders of Battle

The two players next secretly (out of sight of each other) select
their own nation’s armed forces’ initial order of battle. They both
have 21 production points to spend to do that. In general, they
may spend those points on any combination of fleets, armies and
air force headquarters. Within the overall 21-point allotment, the
only restriction is neither player may build more than one atomic
• Phase Now Marker (see section 5.0)
bomb. (That restriction will be lifted in subsequent turns.) It’s not
required either player spend all his available points building his
armed forces; however, there’s no advantage to be had in not doing
so. The units that aren’t built into the initial on-map force mix
• Production Points Markers (see 5.3 & section 8.0) should be set aside by both players in their respective “Available
Units Holding Boxes” on the mapsheet. Units not included in the
initial set up may still enter play later in the game. See section 7.0
for more details.

3.4 Initial Land Area Control

At the start of each game, both players are said to “control” (own)
all the land areas (a.k.a. “provinces”) within their respective
countries. Those land areas are identified by the presence of their
respective side’s flag inside their boundaries. The control status

4 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.

 Triumph of the Will
of a land area changes from one side to the other each time a 3.8 Marker Placement
ground unit of the opposing side moves into it (and, if the place As the last step of the set up process, both players should cooperate
is defended, defeats those defending armies). Use the flag markers to place the markers pictured in 2.9 on the charts and tables
provided to designate areas that have changed their control status printed on the mapsheet as follows.
from what it was at the start of play. Any given area’s control status
may potentially switch back and forth any number of times during Put the “Phase Now Marker” in the box on the “Phase Now Table”
play. that’s directly opposite the “Air Superiority Phase” box on the
right.
Note there are no functional differences between island areas and
mainland land areas in regard to set up. That is, for example, all Both players should take his own side’s “Production Points
the individual islands within Indonesia altogether make up the Markers” and place them on their own “Production Points Track”
one island-land area with that name. For more details, see section to designate a total of 21 points, by putting the “x10” marker in the
9.0 for more details. “2” box and the “x1” marker in the “1” box.

3.5 Ocean Area Control & Dead Water Place the “Atomic Blasts Totals Markers” in the “0” box of the
Don’t place any flag-control markers in any ocean area. Control of “Total Atomic Detonations Track.
ocean areas is based entirely on the undisputed presence of one of
Place the “Atomic Blast Markers” (which are back-printed with
more of your fleets in them, and that control disappears if those
images of unexploded bombs) in a loose pile conveniently in reach
fleets depart.
of both players, and then do the same in another pile with the
The Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Great Lakes and the Caspian “United Nations Rebellion Markers.”
Sea are shown on the map but they are termed “dead water”
That completes the entire set up process.
for play purposes. That is, during play they are simply and fully
ignored as if they were part of a regular all-dry land border. Fleets
never enter them.
4.0 HOW TO WIN
3.6 Variable Control Areas
There are four land areas – Mexico, Panama, the Northern Andes 4.1 Conventional Victory
and the Southern Andes – the control of which is indeterminate The first player to gain control of his opponent’s capital area wins
at the start of set up. To resolve that, those four markers (see 2.9) the game at that instant. The capital area of the German Empire
should be placed all together in any large-mouth opaque container (“Reich”) is “Greater Germany.” The capital area of Imperial
such as a coffee mug or cereal bowl. Both players then openly roll a Japan are the Japanese home islands (shown on the map simply
die to see who (blindly) picks the first marker from the cup (reroll as the island area “Japan”). Both home areas are marked by unique
ties). Then the other player (again, blindly) picks the second chit, symbols on the map in order to serve as a constant reminder of
etc., until all four chits are out of the cup, with two of the provinces their crucial status. Capital areas may never be changed or moved
having gone into each Axis empire. Mark their ownership using in any way.
appropriate flag markers.
4.2 Nuclear Winter
Design Note. The rationale behind the rule above is, though If “nuclear winter” descends across the planet (see 5.11), the player
we can’t know exactly how WW2 would’ve ended, we can be whose most recent successful atomic attack was the last one to be
fairly certain – given the macro geo-strategic realities of that detonated, and in that way was the proximate cause of the onset
struggle within our own timeline – the western edge of South of the climatological disaster, has lost the game at that instant. His
America would’ve been the last area where the two Axis empires’ opponent is declared the winner.
forces came together as they squeezed out the last of the Allied
opposition. So their initial ownership is always uncertain. 4.3 United Nations Victory
In the highly unlikely event every land area (mainland and island)
3.7 Completing Set Up falls into unsuppressed UN rebellion at the same time (see 5.12
With all the steps above completed, if one or both players built and section 12.0), that game ends and both players are considered
an atomic bomb and/or one or two air force headquarters, those to have lost.
counters should be temporarily set aside within easy reach (see
section 11.0 and 7.0 for more details on them). Next, both players
openly roll a die (reroll ties) and the high roller places any one
of the armies he built in any land area he controls. Alternatively,
he may place any one of the fleets he may have built into any
ocean area that borders on one or more land areas he controls.
Then the other player does the same in regard to his land and
ocean areas. That back-and-forth, one-unit-at-a-time placement
continues until one player first runs out of units to place. When
that happens, the other player then completes his side’s set up
with all his remaining units.

© 2017 Compass Games, LLC. 5

 Triumph of the Will
5.0 TURN SEQUENCE 5.4 Placing Units on the Map
All newly entering (and reentering) armies are immediately placed
in your capital area. You may not violate stacking limits there
5.1 In General
when placing your arriving and re-arriving armies; so don’t build
Every turn of TotW is divided into “phases,” which are then further
any more than the area can accept at that time (see section 6.0).
subdivided into individual “actions” conducted by both players.
Once a player has finished a particular action within a phase, or All newly entering (and reentering) fleets are immediately placed
an entire phase within a turn has been completed, neither player in the ocean area adjacent to your capital area: the North Atlantic
may go back to perform some forgotten action or redo a poorly for the Germans, and the Western Pacific for the Japanese. You
executed one unless his opponent graciously agrees to permit it. may not violate stacking limits there when placing your arriving
(This is all-out war: don’t feel compelled to be gracious.) and re-arriving fleets; so don’t build any more than the place can
accept at that time. Also not that, in regard to fleet placement, if
5.2 Turn Sequence Outline your opponent controls your fleet-entry ocean area, you’re thereby
The sequence of play is shown below in outline. Note the sequence prohibited from placing any new fleets onto the map.
is always the same in every turn, except the Production Phase is
skipped during Turn 1 and that turn begins instead with the Air Once on the map, newly placed units immediately have all
Superiority Phase. A turn is completed when its Recovery Phase their own type’s of capabilities available to them for normal use
(VI) is finished. throughout that and subsequent phases and turns. Any given unit
may potentially go through the build/rebuild process any number
Sequence of Play Outline of times during a game.
I. Production Phase Any newly produced air force headquarters and atomic bombs are
II. Air Superiority Phase for the time being held off the map within easy reach (see 5.5 and
III. Alternating Actions Phase section 11.0).
IV. Nuclear Winter Phase
Design Note. The placement limits above are meant to represent
V. Rebellion Phase the idea only so much large-scale production and unit organization
VI. Recovery Phase can take place in any given year.

5.3 Production Phases

There’s no Production Phase as such on Turn 1. During that turn, 5.5 Air Superiority Phases
step 3.3 of the set up serves as that phase’s analog. During every At the start of each turn’s Air Superiority Phase, both players
other turn’s Production Phase, players should use their available openly roll one die if they have included within their overall force
production points to secretly build new units (and/or rebuild mix one air force HQ. If a player has included two such HQ in
previously eliminated units) into play according to the following his force mix, he openly rolls two dice. If a player has neglected to
list. Just as during the initial set up, you’re not required to spend build any air force HQ, he doesn’t roll any dice. The player who
all your available production points; however, there’s no advantage rolls the higher total has gained air superiority for that turn (reroll
in not doing so because points may not be saved from turn to turn ties). To determine the exact degree of that superiority, subtract
in any amount. the losing player’s total from the winning players total. That
number (one through 12) is the total of actual aircraft units he
has available for use in combat throughout that turn’s Alternating
Type of Unit Production Point Cost Action Phase. Once an air force HQ has been rolled for, place it
in your “Units Available Holding Box.” Each HQ must be bought
Infantry Army 1 anew during each turn’s Production Phase (unless you want to
relinquish all chance of getting air superiority that turn). See 10.5
and 10.7 for details on the use of the individual aircraft units in
Atomic Bomb 1
combat.

Tank/Panzer Army 2 5.6 First & Subsequent Actions.

At the start of each turn’s Alternating Action Phase (AAP),
Fleet 2 players determine which of them will perform that phase’s first
action. Roll a die and the high roller carries out the first action of
Air Force HQ 2 that phase (reroll ties). With that order established for the phase,
both players alternate choosing and conducting one action one at
a time. The only way one player may conduct more than one action
sequentially is if the other player has passed his own opportunity
for action-taking declaring he’s “passing.”

6 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.

 Triumph of the Will
5.7 Types of AAP Actions 5.11 Nuclear Winter Phases
Both players have three actions from which to choose during During every turn’s Nuclear Winter Phase, once the total number
each AAP. Those are: 1) move a friendly force of fleets or within/ of atomic detonations has gone above 12, the player who, during
among already friendly controlled areas; 2) move a force into an that turn’s just ended AAP set off the last one of those detonations,
enemy controlled area and conduct an attack there; 3) conduct an openly rolls a die. Then both players reference that result to jointly
atomic attack against any one enemy unit. Note the order they’re consult the Nuclear Winter Table printed below and on the
listed there has no significance: actions may be taken in any order. mapsheet.
Except as given in the strictures above and below, there are no
limits on the number of times an action, or any one type of action,
Total Detonations Die Roll to Start Winter
may be conducted during each turn’s AAP or over the course of
an entire game.
1 through 12 No Chance of Winter
5.8 Fleet & Army Disruption
At the end of every action, all the fleets or armies that took part 13 through 18 1
in that activation (and that survived their action if it involved
combat) are flipped over so their disrupted (striped) sides are 19 through 24 1 or 2
showing. Further, if that activated (and now disrupted) force
attacked during its activation, and that attack caused one or
more losses in an enemy defending force, the survivors of which 25 through 30 1 through 3
retreated away from the battle after its first round, all the survivors
in that retreated force are now also disrupted. All disrupted units 31 through 36 1 through 4
are barred from further attack or movement during that turn. Note,
though, disrupted units continue to defend normally throughout 37 or More 1 through 5
the phase.
If the roll indicates nuclear winter has begun, the game ends and
5.9 Production Point & Atomic Blast Tracking the player whose last atomic attack was the most recent one has
During the AAP, as the control of the various land areas is
lost the game. If nuclear winter hasn’t begun, play continues. The
traded back and forth between the players as the result of
total number of detonations noted on the track on the mapsheet
their campaigning, keep track of the effects of those territorial
is never wiped clean or reduced in any amount; its total stays in
acquisitions and losses using the Japanese and German Production
place until (if ) it’s increase again during the next AAP. Also note
Points Tracks printed on the mapsheet. That is, each land area
that dud non-detonations (see section 11.0) don’t raise the total,
(including both capital areas) is worth one production point; so,
only successful blasts.
each time a player loses control of a land area to his opponent,
give the gaining player one point and deduct one from the losing 5.12 Rebellion Phases
player’s total. Those additions and subtractions are always the During every turn’s Rebellion Phases, both players should
same, no matter how many times a given area changes status. Of cooperate to identify every land area on the map (mainland and
course, if a lost/gained area is a capital, don’t bother deducting island) that doesn’t have at least one German, Japanese or Italian
points; the game is over as explained in 4.1. army in it (but excluding both sides’ capital areas). As each area
Similarly, both players should cooperate to keep track of the total like that is identified, the player who doesn’t own it rolls a die.
number of atomic detonations that have gone off throughout the On a result of six or more, a rebellion (under the auspices of the
game (that’s one combined number tallying both sides’ detonations renegade “United Nations” resistance organization) has broken
across every AAP). That number starts at zero, and once it starts to out in that area. Add one to the rolled result for every area adjacent
go up it never comes down. to the area being rolled for that already has one or more rebellion
markers in it. (For example, if you were rolling for Brasil, and there
5.10 Ending Alternating Activation Phases was already a rebellion underway in Patagonia and the Northern
If you decide to pass on taking an action, and your opponent then Andes, you’d add two to whatever result you rolled.) The same
conducts an action, you then have the choice again of acting or player then immediately rolls a second die and places that many
passing (and vice versa). If both players pass sequentially, though – revolt markers in the newly revolted area (one through six). See
in either order – the AAP phase ends for that turn at that instant. section 12.0 for more details.

5.13 Recovery Phases

During Recovery Phases, both players should cooperate to flip
back into undisrupted condition all the fleets and armies of both
sides that were disrupted. That ends one complete turn. Start the
next turn with a Production Phase. Within the strictures given
in this section and section 4.0, there is no arbitrary limit on the
number of turns that make up a complete game of TotW.

© 2017 Compass Games, LLC. 7

 Triumph of the Will
6.0 STACKING 7.0 THE ITALIAN EMPIRE
6.1 In G
Air Support Aireneral
Support 7.1 On Germany’s Side
Stacking is the word used to describe the piling At the start of the game the Italian Empire is on the German
of more than one army or fleet in the same area side. While on that side its armies never attack or move, they
at the same time. Stacking limits don’t in any way merely stay in place as determined during set up (see 3.2) and
pertain to units on the Turn Tracks or in off-map defend normally against any Japanese encroachment into those
piles or holding boxes. areas. The German player may consider the Italian Empire areas
“friendly controlled” for all purposes up to the time (if ever) of its
6.2 Stacking & Movement defection to the Japanese side. That is, German armies may move
These stacking rules are in effect only at the beginning and the into and through the Italian areas and may even stack in them to
end of each action conducted during the AAP of every turn. That contribute to their defense along with the Italian armies that may
is, within the other rules of accessibility (see section 9.0) units be there. (Italian armies do count for stacking.) Similarly, German
may move into areas where, according to the rules below, they’ll fleets may freely transit the Suez Canal while the Italians control
temporarily be over-stacked. Africa Orientale (see 9.9).

6.3 Stacking Limits 7.2 Defection to Japan’s Side

For both sides the general rule is there may be no more than six Whenever the Japanese player takes control of any one Italian
armies in any one land area (mainland or island), and there may Empire area, he should immediately roll a die. On a result of one
not be more than six fleets in any one ocean area. Stacking rules or two, the Italians defect to his side, where they will remain until
don’t pertain to any of the marker units pictured in rule 2.9. Each the end of the game. If the Italians fail to defect on the basis of
army and fleet counts as “one unit” for stacking purposes. During their first area loss, check again if/when the Japanese player has a
combat, the stacking limits of both sides are figured exclusively total of two areas under control. Under those circumstances the
from each other. That is, both sides may simultaneously have up to Italians go over on a roll of one through four. If the Italians fail to
six units in an area. defect at that time, they never defect at all.
6.4 Over-Stacking 7.3 Defection Combat
If any areas are found to be over-stacked at the start or end of If the Italians defect to the Japanese side, both players should
any action, the violating player must select the minimum number examine the situation in the areas then still containing one or
of units necessary from that area necessary to bring it back into more Italian armies. If there are any German armies co-located
compliance with the stacking rule. The chosen units are eliminated with Italian armies in one or both those areas, those German
but are eligible for recycling during all following Production Phases. armies immediately attack them, taking as many combat rounds
as necessary to fully eliminate one side or the other. Such battles
Seven units in area at start/end of action are conducted “off book,” meaning they don’t count as actions for
phase. Owning player selects one unit either player.
and eliminates it.
7.4 On Japan’s Side
If the Italians defect to the Japanese side, that player is thereafter
free to maneuver any surviving Italian armies (under regular
movement/combat rules) anywhere within their three original
areas and any land areas immediately adjacent to them. Similarly,
the Japanese player then henceforth (within normal rules of
control) treats those armies as friendly, controls any areas they
control, and may use the Suez Canal if it’s under “friendly
control,” etc.

7.5 No Italian Replacements

Any Italian unit that’s eliminated in combat, no matter the side
it’s on at the time of that elimination, may ever be returned to play
CA
SP

in any way.
ANI

SEA
SEA

CK
BLA

6.5 No Fog of War

A
Due to the time, space and unit scales involved here, combined
R

NE
A N with
SEA
the human and electronic intelligence assets available to both
sides, there’s no “fog of war” in the game. That is, both players are
free to look over and through all the stacks of both sides deployed
on the map, as well as those on the various tracks and holding
boxes and off-map piles.

8 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.

r Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

Triumph of the Will

8.0 PRODUCTION 9.0 ARMY & FLEET MOVEMENT
8.1 In General 9.1 Movement In General
Refer back to rules 5.3 and 5.4. That same process is gone through Moving one, some or all of your units (a “force”) from one area
during the Production Phase of every turn. Other than for Italian into another is one of the choices available for each of your actions
armies, there’s no limit on the number of times eliminated fleets throughout every AAP. It’s the method by which armies and fleets
and armies my be rebuilt and placed into play using the production move from an area to an adjacent area across the map. Moves may
process. Similarly, if a unit wasn’t put into play during the initial potentially be of any length (within the strictures given below).
set up, that in no way means it can’t be brought in for the first time
during later turns. 9.2 Procedure
An army or fleet unit or stack move consists of you openly
8.2 Army & Fleet Permanence selecting one of your side’s forces in any one area on the map
Armies and fleets, once put into play on and then moving it into and through potentially any number of
the map remain there until such time as adjacent friendly controlled areas to your desired final location for
they’re eliminated in combat. They needn’t it. There’s no arbitrary limit on the number of move actions you
in anyway be ‘paid for’ with new production may decide to conduct over the course of every turn’s AAP.
points while they’re on the map, that occurs
only if/when they’re to be brought out of 9.3 Fleet or Armies
the holding boxes and brought into play In general, fleets and armies never move together as part of
again. the same force. (For the exception, see below, 9.7). Armies may
generally only move into land areas, and fleets may generally only
8.3 Air Force HQ move into ocean areas (see 9.7 for the exception there).
Unlike armies and fleets, air forces are, in effect,
only ‘rented’ on a turn by turn basis. That is, after 9.4 Army Moves
the procedure described above in 5.5 is gone A moving force made up of one or more armies must stop its
through every turn, the air force HQ (in any) that move action when it first enters an enemy controlled land area
were involved in that process are immediately that contains one or more enemy armies in it. That stopped force
returned to their respective side’s holding box (from where they must then attack the enemy defending force in that area. Enemy
may be potentially ‘rented’ again the next turn). controlled areas that contain only control (flag) markers and/or
atomic blast markers don’t cause a moving force to have to stop
8.4 Atomic Bomb Production Limits its action there. In such case, immediately flip the control marker
During the initial set up neither play is allowed over to show the flag of the side acquiring control and press on (or
to put more than one atomic bomb into his order not, as you choose) with that force’s move action.
of battle. Each turn thereafter that maximum
number doubles. So, for example, on Turn 2 both
players could build one or two bombs; on Turn 3
that would double to a maximum of four bombs each, etc. Neither
player is ever required to build any atomic bombs, and built bombs
need not be used during any given turn; they may be “stockpiled”
for any number of turns until used in an atomic attack. See section
11.0 for more details.
CA

8.5 Elite Armies & Fleets

SP
ANI

The Germans have one panzer army (6th SS) that’s considered elite, SEA
SEA

CK
and the Japanese have one fleet (Kido Butai) that’s considered BLA

elite. For build and rebuild purposes, both

MEthose units are available
DI
at regular army/fleet production point costs. ForT E their advantages
R
in combat, see 10.7. A
R

N EA
N SEA

The two German tank units can move from Medio Oriente,
thru Iran and Azad Hind (flipping the area control markers
enroute), before stopping in India for combat.

© 2017 Compass Games, LLC. 9

 Battle Board Triumph of the Will
Japanese Units Available Holding Box
Frontline Frontline
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

9.5 Land Bridges 9.7 Fleets Convoying & Amphibious Invasions

There is considered to be a “land bridge between southern Undisrupted armies may make transoceanic moves with the
England and northwest France in the Western Europe area.Air That
Support helpAir
ofSupport
undisrupted fleets. ThatAiris,
Air Support one fleetAircan
Support “convoy”Airone
Support Support
is, armies may exist in the area without having to designate they’re friendly army across one ocean area, taking it from one friendly-
in any sub-area of it. Similarly, within the other normal movement controlled land (mainland or island) area bordering on the ocean
strictures, armies may move from Europa del Sud to Medio area wherein the fleet is located to any other friendly controlled
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

Oriente in either direction across the land bridge presumed to land area bordering on that same ocean. The convoying disrupts
exist at Constantinople. The same is true between Denmark and both the involved army and fleet. If there is a chain of fleets lying
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline
Air Support southern Sweden.
Air Support across several ocean areas, the convoyed army may be moved to
any friendly controlled land area along that chain; however, all the
fleets that took part are disrupted at the end of the move. All such
convoy moves, no matter what their overall lengths, are considered
unitary “move actions.”

Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support
Similarly, such convoys – in this case termed “amphibious invasions”
– may be used to move an army from a friendly controlled coastal
mainland or island area to go ashore in any enemy controlled area,
even if it’s also enemy occupied (again, multiple fleets may be used
to make for lengthy invasions).

Design Note. Once initial set up is completed, the procedures given

CA

in 9.7 are the only ways to get armies on and off of island areas.
SP
IAN

CK SEA
SEA

BLA

MED
IT
ER
A
R

NE
AN S
EA

= Land Bridge

9.6 Blocked Land Area Boundaries The two Japanese units in

The boundaries between Tibet and India, as well as the one
Polynesia can conduct an
between Brasil and the Northern Andes are blocked by the
Amphibious Invasion in
extreme geography of those places. No movement may ever take
Japanese Antarctica using the
place across them.
Fleets in the Western Pacific
and East Indian Oceans.
The four fleet units and two
CA

CA
land units are flipped to their
SP

S
ANI

SEA
disrupted sides before Combat.
SEA

CK
BLA
CK SEA
MED
IT
BLA
ER
A MED
R

NE
AN S
EA IT
E R
A
R

NE
AN S
EA
CA
SP
I AN

SEA
SEA

CK
BLA
N
A
NE
AN S
EA

Impassable
Atomic Attack Table
Trium
10 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC. Die Roll Re
Nazi German
 German Units Available Holding Box

Triumph of the Will

Japanese Units Available Holding Box
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support
Battle Board
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline
l: 9.8 Fleet Moves 9.10 Northwest & Northeast Passages Transit
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

A moving force made up of one or more fleets must stop its move As with regular oceanic movement, fleets may attempt to move
al Japan
action when it first enters an enemy controlled ocean area that through the Arctic using the Northwest or Northeast Passage in
contains one or more enemy fleets in it. That stopped force must
MpaTyron:Layout 1 2002-01-01 00:12 Page 1
either direction. To do so, state the projected route, roll one die for
mba then attack the enemy defending force in that area. Remember:
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

the entire moving force and cross-index that roll on the passage
an ocean area is only said to be controlled by one side or the other table printed on the mapsheet. If the move succeeds finish it like
ewskiwhile there is one or more fleets of a given side in it. For that
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

any other regular fleet move (or convoy or invasion). If the move
ames control status to switch to your side, you need to enter with a force
of fleets, stop there and win the resultant battle (after which other
fails the involved fleet force is disrupted in the area from which it
entered the passage (while any transported armies
Triumph of the Will:are returned to
of your
Air Support undisrupted
Air Support fleets
Air could
SupportfreelyAir
Air Support enter and/or Air
Support
Air Support transit that
Support
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Airtheir jump off land area and areNazi
Support disrupted
Germany there).
vs. Imperial Japan
Game Design: Ty Bomba
newly friendly ocean area). Fleets never enter or move through Map Graphics: Rafał Zalewski
island or mainland land areas; they only operate in seas. 9.11 O -M ff ap leet F
ove M
© 2017 by Compass Games
The only off-map move allowed in theNORTH
game MAP
is as follows:
within
9.9 Canals & Gibraltar the other movement strictures, fleets may move directly from the
There are two canals on the map: the Suez Canal in Africa Western Pacific Ocean to the South Pacific Ocean (and vice versa).
Orientale, and the Panama Canal in the area of that same name.
They allow fleets of the side that controls those land areas to move
freely through the canals from the Mediterranean Sea to the West
Indian Ocean (and vice versa) in the first case, and from the South
Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean SeaAvailable
German Units (and vice versa)
Holding Boxin the latter
case. Your fleets may not transit a canal in an area that’s controlled Battl

by your opponent. Both canals may be made the target of atomic

Air Support Air Support ir Support

attacks, whether or not you own them at the time. See section 11.0
and the Atomic Attack Table on the mapsheet for details.
CA
SP
I AN

CA
SP
ANI

CK SEA
SEA

SEA
SEA

CK

BLA
BLA Frontline Frontline Frontline
MED
IT
E R
A
R

NE
AN S
EA

TE
R
A Frontline Frontline Frontline
R

NE
AN S
EA

9.12 Prohibited Point-On-Point Moves

Areas that touch other areas only at points, rather than along
Phase Now Table

some length of linear boundary line, aren’tPhase

Production considered
Air Support adjacent
Air Support Air Support
Triumph of the Will:
for any purpose. The following list comprises
Air Superiority all
Nazi Germany vs. Imperial Japan
Phasethose prohibited
Triumph of the Will: moves (equally prohibited in Ty
Game Design: both
Bombadirections).
Alternating Action Phase

Map Graphics: Rafał Zalewski

Nazi Germany vs. Imperial Japan © 2017 by Compass Games
Nuclear Winter Phase

The Strait of Gibraltar –Game the narrow body of Northwest Passage – Western PacificRebellion
Ocean
Design: Tywater
Bombaconnecting the SOUTH MAP Phase

Northeast Passage – Eastern Pacific Recovery OceanPhase

Atomic Attack Table

Mediterranean Sea between Western Europe and North Africa

Mapby Graphics: Rafał Zalewski
Die Roll Result
MED
1-4 Patagonia
The targeted unit–isThe Northern Andes
– may
German only
Production be transited
Points Track fleets if their own empire controls eliminated. IT
ER

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 © 2017 by Compass Games Brasil – The Southern Andes

5 The targeted unit is disrupted. Unit Costs Table
both those land areas at the time a crossing is made. The Strait of

R
If the targeted unit was already disrupted there’s no Type of Unit Production Point Cost

Gibraltar is immune from atomic NORTH

attack. MAP Eastern America
further effect, – The
but this counts Yukon Infantry Army
as a detonation 1

6
Canada – Western
and a blast marker is placed.
America Atomic Bomb
The bomb failed to detonate. No blast marker is placed.
1
Tank/Panzer Army 2
Japanese Production Points Track Eastern America – Mexico Fleet 2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kamchatka – Russia
Nuclear Winter Table

Total Detonations Die Roll to Start Winter

Meng
1 through 12 Chang – India
No Chance of Winter
Air Force HQ 2

Northwest Northeast Passages Table

&

Tibet – Azad Hind

13 through 18 1 Route Taken
Northwest Passage
Die Roll to Succeed
1 through 4
CA

Manchukuo –1 Iran
19 through 24 1 or 2
SP

25 through 30 through 3 Northeast Passage 1 through 3

Total Atomic Detonations Track
I

Iran –A India 1 through 4

AN

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
31 through 36 Notes

Not
Triumph o
Failed moves go back to the area from which they entered the passage and disrupt there.
CK SE
SEA

37 or More 1 through 5 No fleet may ever end a move in either passage area.
B LA
Adjacent
A player must
Nazi Germany vs
MED
IT
control both land ER

areas for friendly

Game Design
A
R

NE
AN S
fleets to transit. EA

Map Graphics:
© 2017 Compass Games, LLC.
© 2017 by 11
Com
 Triumph of the Will
9.13 No Antarctic Transit 10.6 Combat Resolution
Though the areas of the Japanese Antarctic and German Antarctic Starting at either end of the manned frontline, both players
are part of the same large land mass, no overland movement is simultaneously (or as nearly so as is convenient for them) roll
allowed between them because the climatic conditions are too one die for every opposing army or fleet in that particular cross-
harsh to allow for it at army-level. frontline-box match up. High rolls win; the defender wins ties.
One losing army or fleet is eliminated for each winning “hit.”

10.0 CONVENTIONAL In cases in which there’s a mismatch between the number of armies
or fleets directly involved against each other across the frontline,

COMBAT & AIRPOWER resolve those one match up at a time. For example, say three
attacking armies or fleets are matched up against a lone defending
army or fleet. The defending unit would be pitted against all
10.1 In General three attacking armies/fleets, but it’s resolved one at a time. If
Combat is mandatory whenever a moving army force enters a land the defender survived the first exchange of rolls, that defeated
area that’s occupied by one or more enemy armies at that time. attacking unit would be eliminated, after which a new roll would
Combat is also mandatory whenever a moving fleet force enters an be made by both players to resolve the second army’s or fleet’s
ocean area that’s occupied by one or more enemy fleets at that time. attack. If air support is available to one side, it’s modifier is used
by that side throughout its supported multi-round engagement.
10.2 Undefended Enemy-Controlled Land Areas
Entering an enemy-controlled land area that only contains an
10.7 Combat Die Roll Modifiers
enemy control (flag) marker doesn’t require your moving force to
Whenever a tank/panzer army is part of any attacking force, add
stop (though you may certainly choose to end its move there).
one to its die roll result before comparing it to the result of the
In such cases, control status switches from one side to the other
opposing defender. Further, if the attacking panzer army is the
instantaneously.
6th SS, instead of adding one add two to its die roll. Panzer/tank
10.3 Defended Land & Water Areas armies on the defense generate no die roll modifiers, not even 6th
Entering an enemy-controlled land or ocean area that contains SS Panzer
one or more enemy armies or fleets, respectively, causes you to end Whenever the Kido Butai fleet is part of any attacking or defending
your move and immediately fight a battle there. Neither player Japanese force, add one to its die roll result before comparing it to
may hold back any portion of his involved force; all units of both the result of the opposing unit.
sides present in the area must take part in that fight.
If the units in a frontline box have an aircraft unit supporting
10.4 Combat Set Up them, every one of those armies adds one to its rolled result. An
Whichever player has fewer involved units should take all of them air support modifier is cumulative with the two other types of
and put them in a row, one unit per box, in neighboring frontline modifiers described above.
boxes along one side of the Battle Board (whichever side is easiest
for him to reach; it doesn’t matter which). The other player should 10.8 Ending a Battle
then do the same with his involved units, matching his opponent’s Combat in a battle continues as described above, through as
placement box for box but on the other side of the frontline. That many rounds as necessary, until all of one side’s involved force
second player will have units left over, which he should then stack, is eliminated. Between rounds, rearrange the units on both sides
in any way he chooses, in any one or more of his already manned of the Battle Board’s frontline as necessary, as given in 10.4, in
frontline boxes. If both players have the same number of armies or order to fight your way through to the total elimination of the
fleets, the defender places first, followed by the attacker. entire force of one side or the other. Airpower remains available
throughout the overall battle, but there may never be more than
10.5 Air Force Participation one such die roll modifier added onto any one die roll. That is,
The player who has air superiority (see 5.5), provided he still has
in any one round of combat, it’s not allowed to add more than
one or more unexpended aircraft units, may now commit them
one airpower modifier onto any one ground unit’s combat die roll.
(he’s not required to do so), at the rate of one aircraft counter
(Also keep in mind aircraft units aren’t eliminated; they’re just
per Air Support box located behind one or more frontline boxes
used up for the phase at the end of the battle, even if their side
that contain one or more of his armies. Once an aircraft unit is
won).
committed in this way, it’s out of play for the rest of the turn as
soon as its portion of that overall battle is resolved. Air units Once all that’s been resolved the side with one or more surviving
committed to support a given ground battle do so in every round armies or fleets places it back into the area where the battle has
of it, until such time as it’s ended according to rule 10.8. just taken place and disrupts it/them there. If it was a land area,
switch the control marker to show the flag of the new owner.

Design Note. There’s no “retreating” out of a battle.

12 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.

 Triumph of the Will

COMBAT EXAMPLE
The Holding
German 1st Combat Round
n Units Available Boxplayer is attacking, but the defending Japanese player Ja
has air superiority. After both sides have set up their involved units Air Support Air Support
Battle Board
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support
on the Battle Board (defending Japanese player first as he has the
fewest units, per 10.4), the situation is as pictured here.

The two players simultaneously roll dice, one for each of their units
in the frontline boxes of the Battle Board. The German player’s
6th SS Panzer Army will add two to its die roll result because it’s
both a panzer unit and an elite unit on the attack. The other three Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

German units are all regular panzer on the attack, so they will add
one to their die rolls (If the Germans were defending, they wouldn’t
get any of those die roll modifiers), and the German Infantry unit Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

gets no DRM. Only the three Japanese units with Air Support will
add one to their die rolls (and that would be true no matter if they
were attacking or defending, since air superiority works in both
those ways.)

2 Page 1
All firing of both sides is considered to be taking place at the same
time. The table below shows the rolls, DRMS, and results, with the Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

white hex marking the winner:

iumph of the Will:
rmany vs. Imperial Japan
The German loses the two tied results, because the defender
me Design:Roll
Ty BombaDRM Total Total DRM Roll
always wins ties, and those two units are eliminated. The
raphics: Rafał Zalewski German wins the remaining three battles, and the opposing
2 0 2 2 1 Tank Attack 1
17 by Compass Games Japanese units are eliminated. At the conclusion of the first
NORTH MAP 3 1 Air 4 5 1 Tank Attack 4 round two German and three Japanese ground units have
3 1 Air 4 5 1 Tank Attack + 6SS 3 been eliminated (Airpower is never eliminated but only two
carry over into the next round of combat - one for each
2 1 Air 3 6 1 Tank Attack 5 remaining Japanese unit).
6 0 6 6 0 6

In the second round of battle, the German player’s luck abandons him
while the Japanese 2nd Combat Round
German Units Available Holding Boxplayer rolls well. See the table below for the rolls,
DRMS, and results, with white hexes marking the winner. Air Support Air Support
Battle Board
Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

Roll DRM Total Total DRM Roll

4 1 Air 5 3 1 Tank Attack 2

5 1 Air 6 4 1 Tank Attack 3
4 1 Air 5 5 1 Tank Attack + 6SS 3
Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

All three German units are eliminated and the Japanese have retained Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline Frontline

control of the area in which the battle was fought. The Japanese airpower,
CA

though not eliminated, isn’t available for any more support operations
SP
ANI

SEA
during that turn. Both side’s eliminated armies are eligible to be reentered
SEA

CK
BLA

into play according to the “Production” rules given in section 8.0. MED
IT
ER
A
R

NE
AN S
Finally, the remaining Japanese units are flipped to their Disrupted sides
EA

and placed back in the area where the battle was initiated. If the German Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support Air Support

player had won the battle and had surviving Panzers, he would not have
Triumph of the
been able Will:
to use Tank/Panzer Army Momentum Combat, per rule 10.9,
azi Germany vs. not
as he did Imperial
have airJapan
superiority this turn.
Game Design: Ty Bomba
Map Graphics: Rafał Zalewski
© 2017 by Compass Games
NORTH MAP © 2017 Compass Games, LLC. 13
 Triumph of the Will
10.9 Tank/Panzer Army Momentum Combat
If you’re the attacker and a battle ends with you victorious (meaning
12.0 UNITED NATION
the defending force has been entirely wiped out), and one or more
of your surviving armies is a panzer/tank army, and you also have
REBELLIONS
air superiority that turn, and you also have one or more aircraft
12.1 Procedure - Identical to rule 5.12
units still unused that phase, you may (you’re not required to
During every turn’s Rebellion Phases, both
do so) declare “tank/panzer army momentum combat.” In that
players should cooperate to identify every land
case, instead of immediately disrupting them for the remainder
area on the map (mainland and island) that
of the phase as would normally be done, take one, some, or all
doesn’t have at least one German, Japanese
your victorious tank/panzer armies and move them into any one
or Italian army in it (but excluding both sides’
immediately adjacent enemy-controlled mainland land area
capital areas). As each area like that is identified, the player who
(provided at least one such is available at that location; this can’t
doesn’t own it rolls a die. On a result of six or more, a rebellion
be done using convoying or island areas in any way). If that area
(under the auspices of the renegade “United Nations” resistance
is undefended, those victorious panzer/tank armies then take
organization) has broken out in that area. Add one to the rolled
immediate control of that area and end their action by disrupting
result for every area adjacent to the area being rolled for that
in it. If that area is defended, fight a battle as described above.
already has one or more rebellion markers in it. (For example,
Either way, there may never be multiple momentum combats by
if you were rolling for Brasil, and there was already a rebellion
the same force during the same AAP; one is the limit. Similarly,
underway in Patagonia and the Northern Andes, you’d add two
if you have more than one eligible panzer/tank army present,
to whatever result you rolled.) The same player then immediately
they may not be split up to go into different areas (though one
rolls a second die and places that many revolt markers in the newly
or more might be left behind in the original area to disrupt there
revolted area (one through six). See section 12.0 for more details.
for the phase). Also note that, though you need to have overall air
superiority and at least one potentially available aircraft unit in 12.2 UN Forces in Combat
order to qualify for this type of combat, with those preconditions UN rebellion units never move or attack from their area of
in place you’re not actually required to give your momentum force placement; they merely ‘metastasize’ as described in 5.12. Each
air support in their new locale. one defends as if it were an infantry army in combat, whether
attacked by the Japanese or the Germans or Italians. They always
10.10 Multiple Attacks into the Same Area fight to the finish; they never retreat. At the same time, though,
It is permitted for the same unit(s) in the same area to be attacked
a rebelling UN area never receives reinforcement; it’s unit-count
more than once per AAP; it’s just that it will be impossible to
can only potentially go down after its rebellion has begun. Even
do so using the same attacking force more than once during any
further, however, any eligible area may potentially go into rebellion
given AAP. In subsequent actions, fresh enemy forces might be
any number of times during a game; just because one rebellion was
moved in to give it another try.
crushed there doesn’t mean another can’t restart there.

12.3 Effects on Control & Production & Movement

11.0 ATOMIC ATTACKS While a UN rebellion is taking place in an area, it isn’t under
the control of either Axis empire and its production point is
11.1 Targeting unavailable for use. Both players must consider UN territories to
To launch an atomic attack against any one enemy army or fleet be enemy controlled for the purposes of movement.
you designate anywhere on the map, simply announce that as your
chosen action when it’s your turn during any AAP (and provided, 12.4 Atomic Invulnerability & General Immortality
of course, you have a bomb available.) You may also target the UN rebellion units may not be targeted for atomic attack by either
Panama and Suez Canals (see 9.9). player. Once a rebellion is up and running in an area, it remains
there until such time, as ever, that it’s rooted out by conventional
11.2 Attack Resolution. Japanese or German attack (airpower may be used normally to
Immediately roll one die, cross index that result support such attacks).
on the table printed on the mapsheet, and apply
the results given there. On results of one through 12.5 Rebellion Without Limit
five, place a mushroom cloud blast marker in the Except as given in rules. 4.3, 5.12 and above, there are no limits
area where the attack took place. on the number of rebellions that may be in place across the map at
any one time. If you somehow run out of markers before the game
11.3 Blast Marker Effect is brought to an end (unlikely) use coins as additional markers as
Blast markers, once placed on the map, remain there until the needed.
game ends (one way or another). Blast markers have no effect on
army or fleet movement or stacking, or on the production point
generated in their region.

11.4 For more on this topic, see rules 2.9, 3.3, 3.7, 3.8, 4.2, 5.3,
5.4, 5.7, 5.11, 8.4, 9.9 and 12.4.

14 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.

 Triumph of the Will
13.0 ALTERNATE HISTORY Nazism occupies a central place in Western popular and public memory,
as the embodiment of evil, the most extreme example of so many things
NOTES civilization deplores, from racism and genocide to international
aggression, warmongering and dictatorships….the popularity of
It’s difficult to imagine a plausible scenario by which Nazi fictional alternate histories focusing on a world where the Nazis won
Germany and Imperial Japan could’ve survived World War II as the war…may be ascribed to an aesthetic fascination with apocalyptic
political regimes in their own countries, let alone one in which landscapes, with consistent realistic depictions of a horrendous
they won the war by conquering the world. To do so, several alternative universe, like a Bosch painting.…What novelists, film
changes to the historic timeline have to be imagined. directors and television producers [and wargame designers] are
overwhelmingly interested in is the use of a Nazi-dominated postwar
First, Hitler and the Nazis would’ve probably have had to come era as a backdrop for character and plot, setting fictional individuals
to power in a successful putsch in 1923. Had Hitler and the Nazis in a nightmarish scenario that confronts them with stark moral choices
come to power in 1923-24 instead of 1933-34, that would’ve and tangible, easily imagined dangers.
potentially given them another decade to prepare Germany for
a new world war. If we extrapolate from what they accomplished
historically, during approximately only five years of pre-war
rearmament before 1939, we can see Germany would then likely
14.0 DESIGNER’S NOTES
have been much further along in its rearmament at the war’s start One of the first wargames I played when I was a child was
than was the case historically. Parker Brothers’ Risk. That was significant because it meant I
was introduced to the concept of strategy at the global level. That,
On the part of the Japanese, they could’ve done better for in turn, is significant because, ever since the start of the Age of
themselves had they managed to rein in their ambitions in China Exploration at the end of the 15th century, real-world strategy has
after securing Manchuria. All they really needed to accomplish in been worked out on a fully global stage. So, if you really want to
the rest of China was see that no central government managed to understand strategy, you’ve got to approach it at that level at least
pacify and consolidate that huge country. While not easy, such a some of the time.
goal likely could’ve been accomplished, at least during the 1930s,
without recourse to all-out war and invasion. That, in turn would’ve Despite the inescapably global setting for strategy, though, there
given them far greater resources to pit against the Westerners to are relatively few wargames published at that level. Those that
the south and east or the Soviets to the north. exist mostly tend to be multi-map “mega-monster” designs that
can take days to play and require a lot of living space being tied
Even more critically, in what would eventually become the Allied up for that long.
camp in the war, we need to imagine some major dislocation in the
evolution of the United States toward the status of global power. In my first foray into this realm – Tomorrow the World, back in
Such a turning point can most easily be posited as occurring in the 1989 – I got it all on only two maps, but it was still a days-long
interregnum between Roosevelt’s first presidential electoral win game to play. One of the standard fixes to that length problem
in November 1932 and his inauguration in March the following has been to include mini-scenarios that use only a portion of the
year. total map and counters. I don’t see that as really being a solution,
though, because you’re once again not getting the essential global
Historically, on 15 February, FDR was almost assassinated after experience, which was the reason you wanted to play the game in
giving a short speech in Miami. He was narrowly missed by five the first place.
shots from a .32 caliber revolver aimed at him (poorly) from only
a few feet away by an immigrant anarchist. Had FDR been killed, Similarly, using rules systems approaches to try to solve the play-
or had he himself succumbed to the lure of fascism – it’s not hard length problem also doesn’t work. In a global game there are
to imagine a US that descended into civil war and chaos or mass bound to always be so many units, with so much data on them,
repression during the 1930s. That would’ve potentially seen the all of it needing to be crunched anew for each battle, you again
country much less prepared than it was historically to assume the can’t help be get an over-long game. (Defining that generally as
economic leadership of the Allied camp in the war. any game taking longer than four-to-six hours to set up and play.)
As the discourse above shows, then, we have to go through a lot Back in 2014, however, I came across a book titled Eurogames:
of historiographic gymnastics and trailblazing to get the Germans The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games
and Japanese to win World War II. Which then brings up the by Stewart Woods. There’s a lot of useful information in that
question: why bother? book even for those of us who don’t design or play Euros. He
made major a point early on – in a compare-and-contrast section
In answer, eminent historian Richard J. Evans, in his recent book in which he described the differences between Eurogames and
Altered Pasts: Counterfactuals in History, in which he analyzes wargames – as follows.
the growing popularity of the whole alternative history genre,
spends fully a quarter of its pages on the topic of victorious Axis That is, wargame designers tend to first pick the topic on which
scenarios. He sums up as follows (and who am I to second guess they will work, and on that basis they then pick the most
one of our era’s best historians?): historically appropriate mechanical systems and subsystems to
use in the project. Eurogame designers, on the other hand, strain

© 2017 Compass Games, LLC. 15

 Triumph of the Will
to first of all come up with interesting system mechanics then, As to what the game teaches about global strategy in this particular
with that accomplished, they find some game topic to fasten to situation, look at the map accompanying this essay. Depending on
them. Since their primary audience isn’t worried about historical how you want to view it, you can describe the opening German
or other real-world situational veracity, incongruities of that kind, position as having the classic advantage of “central position,” or
which you often see in such designs, is no big deal. What matters else the Japanese have got them surrounded.
is that a game be fun to play.
My feeling is the best overall German strategy at the start of play
The more I thought about that, the more it seemed to me to be is to try to punch through to the North American west coast,
a false dichotomy. That is, why shouldn’t it be possible to devise while also driving east across Central Asia, with the ultimate goal
game mechanics that are both fun and also historically suitable being to put the Japanese home islands into an irresistibly strong
to their particular topics? Of course, I also recognize Triumph of operational vice. On the other side, I believe the best strategy for
the Will isn’t a “historical game”; however, I feel the overarching the Japanese at the start of play is to try to punch through to the
idea still applies: there should be a set of system mechanics that North American east coast, while also driving west across Central
accurately – if broadly – model army-level operations on a global Asia, with the ultimate goal being to put the capital province of
scale but that are also still fun to play. So I set myself that challenge. Greater Germany into an irresistibly strong operational vice. So
victory will go to the player who best plans his operations and
I began to come to a solution when I got to the place in Woods’s then operates best according to his plan.
book where he explained what Eurogame players dislike most
about wargames (as well as the other types of games that share As to atomic weapons – another feature that always quickly draws
this same feature). That is, they dislike turn structures that leave attention – the crucial thing to keep in mind is this: if you develop
them sitting idly for long periods while their opponent conducts an approach in regard to them whereby you seek to use them to
his turn. solve all your operational problems that will cause you to lose
the game. Instead, use them as the solution only when nothing
In multi-player games they also dislike mechanics and ways of else will work. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve explained that
reckoning victory that end participation by some of the players principle to players starting on some game I’ve designed with
before the overall game is ended. The ideal is, everyone who atomic weapons in it, and they say something like: “Oh, yeah, sure,
started playing a game should still be sitting at the table and fully I get that. That makes good sense.”
involved at the end of it. Since this is a two-player game, though,
that’s not a problem here – though I thought I’d share it with you A while later, though, they’re chucking a-bombs back and forth
because it really hit me as an important revelation when I came at one another like they’re popcorn kernels. When that loses the
across it. game for one of them, the reaction is: “These atomic bomb rules
are too powerful!”
The system you see used here, then, is my offered solution to the
first problem described above. By switching to a Go-like back- I’m not happy about that, but I can live with it.
and-forth interactive turn sequence, both players are kept fully
involved on a move-by-move and moment-by-moment basis. Ty Bomba
Similarly, by abandoning a hexagon-based map and going to area
movement, I also avoided what serves as a tipoff to many otherwise 15.0 CREDITS
potential players that they really want to stay away from a design.
If you’ve ever spent time at a wargame sales booth at a convention, Design & Development by: Ty Bomba
you’ve no doubt heard some browsing shopper say something, in a
Playtesters: Ty Bomba, Grant Cardwell & Sherman
derisive tone, like: “I can’t stand these hex-based games!”
Tutweiler
More generally, hexes or not, another inescapable problem with Special Thanks to: Ryan Heilman and Enzo De Lanni
global maps is the distortion that results from having to portray
the three-dimensional sphere of the Earth on a two-dimensional Game Graphics: Wojciech and Rafal Zalewski
flat surface. I came across the projection I’ve used here – called
Produced by: Ken Dingley and Bill Thomas for Compass
“modified azimuthal” – in a French historical atlas I found by
Games, LLC.
accident. It allows for smooth play all around the map, and the
projection is such that even grade schoolers (mostly) seem to get
it.

All that is why I didn’t do this game as a third edition of Tomorrow

the World. New understandings have come to me, and from
them I believe I’ve crafted a game that will give its players all the
strategic tension and variability of that older design, but that will
also do it in a much shorter time and in a much more enjoyably
interactive way. Guaranteed: you will be able to get people to play
this game who wouldn’t touch TTW.

16 © 2017 Compass Games, LLC.