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The Ares Project
- 2–4 players
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The Fog of War
2016
Rules assistance for The Fog of War
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 90–120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Fog of War
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Fog of War is a board game released in 2016 for 2 players, 90–120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Geoff Engelstein and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Movement, and Secret Unit Deployment.
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About the game
For months you've been planning and gathering forces for the largest invasion of the war. Your opponent knows that you are preparing a major strike, but do they know where? Suddenly you receive reports that a spy has gained information about your operation, and the enemy shifts their defensive forces. But do they know the full extent of your plans? Should you call off the invasion and plan for a new attack? Or risk disaster against a prepared enemy? This is the fog of war... The Fog of War is a two-player grand strategic game covering the European theater of World War II from 1940 to 1944. One player plays the Axis forces, and the other the Allies. The game does not have units that move around a map; instead the game focuses on the planning and intelligence aspects of the war. Each player has a deck of cards that represent the army, navy, and other assets of their nations. A map shows the 28 land and sea provinces over which the players are battling. You defend a province by placing cards face down on the map. If you wish to attack a province, you must plan an "operation" to do so by creating one on your operation wheel. The wheel is a unique way of forcing players to commit to operations in advance, while giving opportunities for intelligence gathering and bluffing. An operation consists of a province card that shows the target of the operation, plus one or more cards to conduct the attack. All of these cards are placed face down, so your opponent does not know the target of the operation or the strength of the cards that are taking part. Each turn, the dial on the operation wheel is rotated by one position. This controls when an operation can be launched and any attack or defense bonuses that apply. In addition to combat forces for attack or defense, you may also spend Intel tokens to investigate your opponent’s operations and defenses.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Stronghold Games
Questions and answers
The Fog of War 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 Fog of War is 90–120 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 Fog of War for ages 10 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 Fog of War has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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 Fog of War belongs to these categories: Wargame, Bluffing, and World War II. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Movement, and Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Fog of War are: Geoff Engelstein. 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 Fog of War 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.