While I recognize the concept of a war game can be a great many things and such a list can probably vary dramatically, when I say war game I mean soldiers on a map, fighting over territory in the classic sense. So while games like Through The Ages have abstracted war concepts and something like Cosmic Encounter may technically be seen as a galactic war, to me this sort of game would not really qualify as the focus game is something other then war. For example Through The Ages is an empire building game and while war is an inevitable part of that, at the core of its game-play is the concept of building up your empire. I also excluded miniature games because I feel though certainly these games would qualify as war games, its kind of its own category deserving of its own list. Finally I excluded short (filler) games, again, not that I dislike or don’t play such games, but filler gamers are really their own category and though many can be about war even in the more serious sense, I believe most people who would look up “war games” are looking for something a bit more robust.

Ok lets get into this.

10. IKUSA, formally Shogun, Formally Samurai Swords

This 1980’s Milton Bradly big box classic has been on my shelf since I was a teenager and with only brief interruption I have always played with pretty much every gaming group I have had. Certainly at this stage in gaming history its a bit of a dated game, but I do believe it has aged a lot better then all of the other Milton Bradly classics and still holds up in particular as an alternative to the traditional dice chuckers like RISK.

Its a nostalgia thing to some degree for sure, though I do believe out of all the old 80’s classics which includes Axis and Allies, Fortress America, Stratego, RISK and Supremacy, this is the only one I still long to play today.

Its a classic take on the dice chucker, but it takes it up a notch or two by having unique armies that can be permanently removed from the game, strategic resource management to give the game a measure of planning beyond just where you attack and unique individual units for interesting ways to affect battle outcomes.

Of course the fact that its medieval japan (one of my favorite time periods and historical cultures) as well as looking absolutely amazing on the table helps it a great deal not to mention the childhood memories I have of the long summer days playing it with my friends. I love this game and this list would be incomplete without it, warts and all.

Recommendations: If you love medieval Japan in using western presumptions about the era (think samurai’s and ninja’s), in particular if your a fan of RISK, this game is for you.

9. Tide of Iron

I love war games and I love tactical miniature games, but when it comes to tactical board games I find I don’t have the same affinity for them. In fact, Tide of Iron is, out of my considerable collection of games, the only tactical board game I actually own. I don’t know why that is exactly, but I suspect it has to do with the fact that so many tactical board games are based on World War II and since I have Tide of Iron and adore it, I find it difficult to seek out other games that cover the same subject on the same scale. I mean there are a metric ton of them out their from Conflict of Heroes to Advanced Squad Leader which all seem interesting, but I always fall back to the question, why do I need another one when I already have one I love?

My love for Tide of Iron comes from a childhood memory of playing war with little green men, which is essentially what Tides of Iron is. Scenario driven, Tide of Iron zooms in on the battlefield to the squad level where players control squads of soldiers, tanks, various artillery in a wide range of situations in a green vs. grey army men World War II battle.

It abstracts many high level concepts like bombing runs, long range artillery and various “tactics” on the battlefield with cards that give the game a sort of zoomed in and zoomed out level of play which makes the battles feel more authentic, while also having a very clever system for managing terrain that is easy to understand and teach, a common complexity in other games of this type that often focus too much on realism in my opinion.

Its an engaging game that I love to pull out and I have even on occasion made it my choice of solo plays. I can’t recall a time I introduced the game to someone who didn’t love it, in fact, its been a birthday present to a couple of friends over the years which says a lot, especially since they were not “gamer” buddies.

Great tactical experience, bit of a pain to setup but tons of scenarios available and can be scaled for different lengths, ranging from everything between a short 1 hour mini battle to a 4 hour major engagement. Great fun, simple mechanics, perfect for inducting new players into war gaming.

Recommendations: If you like World War II tactical games, but find many of them overcooked, Tide of Iron gets it just right here with a perfect balance between realism and ease of play.

8. Empire of the Sun

Easily one of the most complex games I have ever played and certainly the most complex one on this list by a wide margin, Empire of the Sun approaches the war in the Pacific in such detail, such focus and such an unusual scale that it is truly a unique gem in the genre, in fact I would say the game is a genre onto itself. I actually don’t recommend this game to all but the most dedicated war game fan, but in terms of scale and subject matter, it is the unquestionable king of high level strategic war games.

Card driven similar to Paths of Glory and as likely to have a-historical outcomes as Paths of Glory, Empire of the sun simultaneously zooms out and plays on the high level strategic map, while zooming in to cover the history of the Pacific War in great detail.

Its a fantastic game, one I have Reviewed, worth a look but be sure you are ready, it can be quite overwhelming.

Recommendation: This is for the ambitious war gamer looking for the ultimate challenge. It takes time and dedication to learn to play it and ten times that to learn to play it well. Its a life style game, make sure you have a dedicated partner.

7. Paths of Glory

World War I is probably one of the less known or sought after topics, and though this is a relatively new addition to my collection I’m warming up to it very quickly thanks to its strategic depth. Paths of Glory falls into the card driven point to point high level strategy games which is almost a genre in on to itself but this classic is a classic for good reason as I have discovered.

Really intricate and detailed it does what I love most about historical war games of this type, it infuses the game with rich thematic history, but does not become scripted walking you through the war as it actually happened. In Paths of Glory you are going to change history in some of the most unpredictable and interesting ways and because its a card driven game with literally billions of possible outcomes its physically impossible for you to play enough games to have even a similar outcomes from game to game. Every game of Paths of Glory is going to be wildly different. Some history buffs might find the a-historical outcomes to be distracting but for me personally there is nothing I hate more then playing a war game where I’m just going through the motions to ensure my war turns out exactly as it did in history. I find games like that incredibly boring and they never make my shelf.

Paths of Glory is more than just a war game however because while you are certainly focused on winning the war on the battlefield, you must carefully manage your resources and supply lines and like in real history, wars are rarely won or lost becomes of the outcome of battles, but rather everything that happens before and after. The influx of key historical moments represented on cards can also create some incredibly complex puzzles to solve increasing the challenge on a wide range of scales. What happens if Italy fails to enter the war in a timely fashion, or the Russian Czars never fall or the US never enters the war? All of these things are possible and more in a wide range of combinations and timings, all driving you to play the game again and again.

Absolutely love this game and though the complexity level ranges somewhere between the mid to high range, I find that the rules are very well laid out and it really doesn’t take more than one play to really get it. People say the game takes about 8 hours to play and I would agree that is the case until you play with an opponent that already knows the rules. Then the game goes from an 8 hour game to a 3 hour game fairly easily as the flow of the game is very quick once you get the hang of things.

Recommendations: This is definitely a game for someone looking for a higher level of complexity and meeting to the game, if you like games like Twilight Struggle or Washington’s War, this game uses many of the same concepts. If you are a world war I history buff, this one should not be missed.

6. Washington’s Wars

A Mark Herman card driven game, however unlike Empire of the Sun, Washington’s War is a relatively light game that is closer to the likes of Twilight Struggle in weight and scope. This is a game about card management, strategic positioning and timing but unlike Twilight Struggle there is no requirement of card memorization which makes it a lot more newbie friendly.

In fact it’s almost questionable whether this is an actual war game, just like Twilight Struggle it is technically a game about war and you have armies and battles, but really this is a strategy game that covers the revolutionary war from a very high level overview.

I put it on this list mainly because I believe very strongly that if you are going to play games like Twilight Struggle, Paths of Glory, or even Empire of the Sun, this is your starting point. Learn this game and the rest will be a lot easier for you to absorb and understand as its incredibly rules light for such a deep strategic experience yet it uses many of the same concepts and mechanics as the various more complex cousins.

One thing I love about Washington’s War is that the game is relatively quick, yet gives you that full, heavy war game feel. Its a rare treat to find an opponent as the Revolutionary war, much like World War I in Paths of Glory is something not everyone is really going to know, though unlike Paths of Glory, knowing the history of the Revolutionary War is really not going to be much help here, its a lot more abstracted and general in terms of card play.

In any case I adore Washington’s War, while many would claim that Empire of the Sun is Mark Hermans masterpiece (and it very well may be) I think of all his games, this is the most likely to make the table if for no other reason than that it takes all of 10 minutes to explain how to play and even a first timer will pick up the game and put up some serious competition which is really what puts this one over the top for me.

Recommendation: Great entry level war game and introduction to card driven war games. If you have interest in playing games like Twilight Struggle, Paths of Glory and Empire of the Sun (universally accepted classics in the historical war gaming genre), this is where you start.

5. Battle of Rokugan

Easily one of the most underrated strategy war games to come out of fantasy flight in the last decade, Battle of Rokugan is a gem that fills that “I want a war game, but I don’t have 4 hours to play one” feel to it. This is my go to game whenever I have people over who see all my board games on the shelf and want to play one because “they love risk”.

I have never introduced this game to anyone who didn’t instantly love it and I have on a number of occassions pulled it out at partys with non-gamers who not only end up playing it and loving it, but wanting to instantly play it a second time.

Its fast and furious yet deeply strategic, somewhat asymmetrical and though very abstract, still fairly thematic war game straight to the point war game. Its just a great mechanism for presenting that full fledged war game feel with a very light touch.

I think what I like about it the most is how close the games always are, its rare that a winner can be determined before the final move of the final round and often the game ends with several people within 2-3 points of each other.

Great, deeply strategic game, yet simple to teach and learn. Perfect for that spur of the moment game night.

Recommendation: While it may not scratch that deep historical war game bug floating around in your system, this is a game that will hit the table with just about anyone with even a passing interesting in war games. Its a perfect replacement for RISK.

4. War of The Ring

My favorite game I never play, this dust collector however still deserves notice for two core reasons. First, it is the single most thematic game I have ever played, it is without reservation The Lord of the Rings in a box. Secondly, its a game that tells an alternative version of history, written through gameplay of what I believe to be one of the greatest fantasy stories in existence unless you count Star Wars.

Why don’t I play it. Its hard to say, its not a lack of desire, but more circumstance. Its a two player game that takes a good 4-5 hours to play for starters which is not that easy of a thing to pull of for a guy like me who has a dozen gaming friends who always want in on board game night. Though this isn’t really the only problem. The second kind of difficult thing with War of the Rings is that its a terrible game to teach. It requires intricate knowledge of the cards/events, board and an understanding of some of the strategy which can be quite high level and though the game is not really complex per say, it does have an element of randomness that doesn’t really mesh well with the length of the game. Its something that I find is a problem in a lot of games, randomness and long games are a really bad combo. Still when played by experienced players, War of the Rings luck can and is completely circumvented. Beneath its ulterior is a very deep strategy game.

I love this game, it tells a great story, it makes for a fun evening and with the right opponent it will make for a great game two man game night.

Recommendation: If you have a dedicated gaming partner, this is one worth learning and playing repeatedly as it gets better with time. Its a must have for Lord of the Rings fans.

3. Shogun (Dirk Henn version)

Shogun has been on my top 10 best games of all time list as long as I have kept one. There is so much to love about this game. It combines deep strategic thinking and planning with the wacky and chaotic gameplay reminiscent of Galaxy Trucker. I will submit that this combination will not be for everyone, but to me, board gaming is about having fun and this game brings it in a way no other game I have ever played does.

Ok so its not a serious war game, that cube tower is just down right silly but I have never played this game at any table where when cubes go into the tower people aren’t shouting, cheering and standing up. Its a game that goes from silent contemplation to people laughing out-loud in a single round of play. Some games I love because they are deep and strategic, others I love because they have interesting and thoughtful mechanics, others still I love because they are silly or funny, but Shogun I love just because it combines all of it into a single game.

Its a game that is very easy to grasp, it will capture that casual “RISK” crowd, it has plenty to offer for more seasoned war gamers, yet its play time is relatively quick so it never overstays its welcome.

I would never dare to make a best of list without Shogun on it, it checks so many boxes it can be justified on just about any list but certainly on one with my favorite war games list. Love, love it.

Recommendations: Really and honestly I believe this game has universal appeal if you have an open mind, but my experience has been that some people love it, some people hate it.

2. Game of Thrones The Board Game

While I have much love for the 2nd edition card game as well, to me the board game is a representation of everything I love about war gaming. It is not only a high level strategic war game with asymmetrical factions in an awesome fantasy setting, but throws into it that classic “diplomacy” style betrayal of move and counter move politics. There are so many ways to screw opponents and get screwed by opponents that every turn of the game is a nail biting assessment of what if scenarios and I have rarely ever played this game with anyone where all the passion and raw human emotion a gaming group can muster doesn’t spill onto the table.

This is a very controversial game that may not work with some groups if for no other reason then its a requirement to lie and betray to win, which can create a lot of hostility at the table and create a huge disadvantage for the more casual gamer. Its a cruel game where the only way to win is to completely screw people over and much like the classic Diplomacy it can rub people the wrong way.

My gaming group loves it and every year we do a big game of Game of Thrones at our big board gaming weekend, its always the main event, but be weary, its a long, painful and very hostile game that will end less mature friendships. Adult Advisory on this one.

Recommendations: I would say if you can handle games like Diplomacy, you are going to love this one, but I always put a friendship advisory on this one, its a rough ride and a fairly complex game to boot.

1. Twilight Imperium

Easily one of my favorite science-fiction war games, while Twilight Imperium is a fairly complex game and in depth game, I’ve never had much trouble inducting new players. There is a lot of “common sense” rules in the game and even a casual observer can pick up the core concept of the game with ease. There are a lot of moving parts and a fairly multi plateau of strategy that can stump new players, so experience certainly makes a difference but I find a reasonably seasoned gamer doesn’t require more then a couple of turns for the light to come on and understand how to win.

In either case, while the focus of the game is a grand scale intergalactic war the game also features trading, politics, diplomacy and various types of resource management and careful strategic positioning. There is a lot more to it then simply fighting, yet most games are ultimately resolved through direct conflict and the winner is typically the person who created the best setup for himself going into that war.

Amazing game, but it is one of those 6 to 8 hour games that is always at its best with 6 players which can be a fairly difficult game to put together. Though I only play it roughly once a year or so, It’s always one of my favorite gaming get together’s. Its been on my shelf since 3rd edition, over a decade and now with the new streamlined 4th edition there is even more justification to get into this one.

I put it as number one on this list because to me, there is gaming, there is war gaming and then there is Twilight Imperium. It stands out as a unique experience that I have never seen any other game come even close to. Anything can and will happen in this game, no two games will ever resemble each other and you really can spend countless hours contemplating the endless possibilities in the depths of its strategy. This is without question in my mind THE best war game ever made.