Game

War

Matching and Shedding Card Games

War is a simple card game for two players, played with a standard deck split evenly between them face down, in which each player turns over their top card simultaneously and the higher card wins both, with a tie triggering a special war round of additional face-down and face-up cards to break it, continuing until one player holds every card. The game requires no decision-making by either player once dealt, since the outcome of every round is fixed by the cards drawn, and while its exact origin is not well documented, it has long been one of the most commonly taught first card games for young children because of its purely luck-based rules.

Facts
Origin Year
1972 2
Game Type
Catching-type card game 1
Playing Time
30 2
Skill or Luck
Mixed 1
Age Suitability
Family 1
Designer
(Uncredited) 2
Publisher
(Public Domain) 2
Publisher
(Unknown) 2
Publisher
Anker Play Products 2
Publisher
Autogrill 2
Publisher
Cardinal 2
Publisher
Cartamundi 2
Publisher
Children's Television Workshop 2
Publisher
Chronicle Books 2
Publisher
Fundex 2
Publisher
Golden 2
Publisher
Grimaud 2
Publisher
Hallmark Games 2
Publisher
Hasbro 2
Publisher
Hoyle Products 2
Publisher
International Games 2
Publisher
La Poste 2
Publisher
Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB 2
Publisher
Milton Bradley 2
Publisher
Peaceable Kingdom 2
Publisher
School Specialty Publishing 2
Game Category
Card Game 2
Game Category
Children's Game 2
Game Mechanic
Algorithmic Resolution 2
Minimum Players
2 2
Maximum Players
2 2
Classification
Player Count
Two-Player 1
Sport
Game Type (category)
Card Game 1
Connections

Associated With

Go Fish, Games

Go Fish and War are both counted among the simplest card games commonly taught to young children in English-speaking countries, requiring no strategic decision-making by either player, in contrast to skill-based card games.

Source The Oxford Guide to Card Games
Sources
1. War (card game) - Wikipedia
  • Infobox: type
    Catching type
  • Infobox: random_chance
    High
  • Infobox: ages
    any
  • Infobox, players field
    2
  • entity record, description lead (player-count)
    War is a simple card game for two players, played with a standard deck split evenly between them face down, in which each player turns over their top card simultaneously and the higher card wins both, with a tie triggering a special war round of additional face-down and face-up cards to break it, continuing until one player holds every card. The game requires no decision-making by either
View the Source
2. War (BoardGameGeek)
  • Origin Year: 1972
  • Playing Time: 30
  • Designer: (Uncredited)
  • Publisher: (Public Domain)
  • Publisher: (Unknown)
  • Publisher: Anker Play Products
  • Publisher: Autogrill
  • Publisher: Cardinal
  • Publisher: Cartamundi
  • Publisher: Children's Television Workshop
  • Publisher: Chronicle Books
  • Publisher: Fundex
  • Publisher: Golden
  • Publisher: Grimaud
  • Publisher: Hallmark Games
  • Publisher: Hasbro
  • Publisher: Hoyle Products
  • Publisher: International Games
  • Publisher: La Poste
  • Publisher: Max Hamburgerrestauranger AB
  • Publisher: Milton Bradley
  • Publisher: Peaceable Kingdom
  • Publisher: School Specialty Publishing
  • Game Category: Card Game
  • Game Category: Children's Game
  • Game Mechanic: Algorithmic Resolution
  • Minimum Players: 2
  • Maximum Players: 2
View the Source
Wikidata: War
Wikidata Q640673, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
The Oxford Guide to Card Games
Oxford University Press, 1990Associated With: Go Fish

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