
- BGG rank
- BGG #18,550
- BGG rating
- 7.0
2WW: The War in Europe
- 2–3 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2012

1995
Rules assistance for The Big One
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Big One is a board game released in 1995 for 2 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by William L. Banks and Paul Cooper and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
This game is on a single 11x17" map (yet stretches from Portugal to the Persian Gulf) and has 120 counters. It originally appeared in the first issue of GameFix magazine. Billed as the smallest-ever game on the whole of the Second World War in Europe, a pitch that overlooked the 1991 3W release 2WW which also featured an 11x17" map but only 80 counters. It is now published by One Small Step. A new version is available as print n' play (with included VASSAL module) at wargamevault.
The Big One supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for The Big One is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Big One for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Big One has a complexity rating of 1.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Big One belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War II. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Big One are: William L. Banks and Paul Cooper. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Big One as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.