Origins of World War II (1971)

Origins of World War II is an Avalon Hill bookcase game. A game in which the players take the roles of the major powers of World War II in the 1930s. Each attempts to achieve it's diplomatic objectives while preventing the other players from gaining theirs. If Germany or the USSR win World War II starts, if one of the allied powers wins the war would have been prevented.

The game is played in a series of six turns (the final one being December 1939), actions are resolved via the diplomatic conflict table by comparing the diplomatic points of the attacker vs. those of the defender in each given area (Poland, Romania, etc).

Several different "What if" policies are available such as Strong Franco-British alliance, Aggressive French policy and the Anti-Bolshevik Crusade.

Includes a good chronology of the actual diplomatic moves made by each of the major powers leading up to the second world war.

Avalon Hill Complexity rating - 1

Expanded by:
Pacific Origins

Re-implements
Origins of World War I

From "The Avalon Hill General Index and Company History, 1952-1980"

Origins of World War II (1971)
Designed by Jim Dunnigan

ORIGINS was the second game Jim Dunnigan designed under contract for Avalon Hill with royalties paid directly to SPI. It attempted to combine the chance elements of wargames with the multi-player aspects of DIPLOMACY. A good, simple little game which never really caught on with hard core gamers; it remains in the line primarily for its value in the school supply market where it remains an excellent classroom game.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.3
  • Origins of World War II – “COVER STORY: WHO REALLY STARTED WORLD WAR II?” (Commentary)
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.5
  • Origins of World War II – “Solitary Origins” (Variant Discussion) Lawrence R. Valencourt
• The GENERAL Vol.8,No.6
  • The Question Box - Origins of World War II, Jutland, PanzerBlitz, Luftwaffe, Blitzkrieg
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.1
  • Origins of World War II – “General Diplomacy: Postal Origins - I” (Variant Discussion) Edi Birsan
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.2
  • The Avalon Hill Philosophy - Part 34: Origins of World War II GOOD GAME, BAD HISTORY??? by J.E. Pournelle (with editorial reply by Jim Dunnigan)
  • Origins of World War II – “General Diplomacy - SPRING 1935: Season of Decisions” (Variant Discussion) Edi Birsan
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.5
  • The Question Box - France, 1940, PanzerBlitz, Midway, Blitzkrieg, Luftwaffe, Origins of World War II, Stalingrad
• The GENERAL Vol.9,No.6
  • Origins of World War II – “Tiger by the Tail Tactics” (Strategy) Marc Sheinberg
  • The Question Box - Afrika Korps, Waterloo, France, 1940, Origins of World War II, PanzerBlitz
• The GENERAL Vol.10,No.3
  • Origins of World War II – “An Origins Trilogy” (Variant Discussion) Lewis Pulsipher, Mark Saha, and Lawrence Valencourt
• The GENERAL Vol.11,No.4
  • Series Replay - Origins of World War II Herb Barents, Bill Drakert, John Hendry, Edi Birsan, John Caton, Lewis Pulsipher
• The GENERAL Vol.12,No.4
  • Origins of World War II – “Reader Buyer's Guide Submission Form” (Insert)
• The GENERAL Vol.13,No.5
  • “COVER STORY: Origins of World War II”
  • Origins of World War II – “Europe and the Pacific” (Historical) Mark Saha
  • Origins of World War II – “Pacific Origins” (Variant Discussion) Dan Zedek
  • Origins of World War II – “Pacific Origins map” (Insert) Dan Zedek
  • Origins of World War II – “Pacific Origins counters” (Insert) Dan Zedek

• The GENERAL Vol.15,No.5
  • Origins of World War II – Origins of Third Reich (Variant) Robert Ott

• The GENERAL Vol.21,No.5
  • Origins of World War II – Tournement Origins (Analysis) Dave Slick

Panzerfaust Article Index:

• Number 61
  • Origins of World War II - "Russian Victory in Origins" (Strategy), Anthony O'Brien

Online Play

• http://origins.fanwoodpress.com/community/ (Play by Web)