
- BGG rating
- 7.3
War of the Worlds: The New Wave – The Irish Sea
- 2 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2019

2019
Rules assistance for War of the Worlds: The New Wave
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.
War of the Worlds: The New Wave is a board game released in 2019 for 2 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Denis Plastinin and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Movement, and Open Drafting.
War of the Worlds: The New Wave is an asymmetrical deck-building game with a playing board for two players. The game events unfold several years after the original "War of the Worlds" story by H.G. Wells. The extraterrestrial invasion is occurring once again, but this time the Martians have arrived on a giant spaceship that lands in one of the backwater districts in Scotland. During the game, one player commands the alien forces, and the other one leads the UK self-defense units. The main objective of the invaders is to completely annihilate the population of Great Britain, while the opposite side needs to deal enough damage to the Martian army. The game is played with two asymmetrical decks of cards, a playing board, tokens, and miniatures.
War of the Worlds: The New Wave 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 War of the Worlds: The New Wave is 45 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 War of the Worlds: The New Wave 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.
War of the Worlds: The New Wave has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
War of the Worlds: The New Wave belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Movement, and Open Drafting. 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 War of the Worlds: The New Wave are: Denis Plastinin. 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 War of the Worlds: The New Wave 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.