Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation
A board game of nuclear war released by Games Workshop in 1980.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation is a board game about nuclear war, first released by Games Workshop in 1980. It was adapted from *The Warlord*, a game created and self-published by Mike Hayes in 1974.
The game is a conquest game for two to four players, similar to *Risk* but with nuclear weapons. The board is a map of Western Europe. Players compete to take over the entire map, and the last player remaining wins.
At the start, all city areas are randomly given to players. A player is chosen to go first; the rules suggest picking the least experienced player, as going first is an advantage. One reviewer thought the first-player advantage was so strong that players should roll dice each turn to decide who goes.
The box contains a two-part mounted map of Western Europe, 140 blank counters in four colors, 140 radiation counters, plastic multipart nuclear missiles, and a rules sheet.
Each turn follows this sequence: fire missiles, build armies, move, and attack. During the build phase, each city produces one new army unit, but two linked suburban areas are needed to produce an army. Unpopulated areas produce nothing. Built armies can be placed in any area that can be linked back to where they were built.
Movement works like *Risk*: a stack of armies can only move from one area into an empty area, leaving one unit behind in the starting area.
In combat, the attacker picks a number between 1 and the total number of attacking units (up to six), sets a die to that number, and hides it under a cup. The defender tries to guess the number. If correct, the attacker loses that many units. If wrong, the defender loses one army from the attacked area. If that empties the area, the attacker must move the number of units shown on the die into it. Terrain matters: attacking a mountain area limits the attacker to numbers 1, 2, or 3. Defending a sea area gives the defender two guesses.
After a successful attack, the attacker gains a missile, placed in any area linked to the attack’s origin. If a missile is already there, the new one can be added to make a two-stage rocket. There is no limit to how large a rocket can be. Range depends on stages: a one-stage rocket hits all adjacent areas, a two-stage rocket hits areas two away, and so on. When a rocket hits an area, it destroys all armies there and makes it radioactive, impassable to all armies. Armies in all a
- Publisher
- Games Workshop
- Release Year
- 1980
- Based On
- The Warlord (1974) by Mike Hayes
- Number of Players
- 2–4
- Genre
- Board game of nuclear war
- Cover Artist
- Tony Roberts
Lore & Background
Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation was released by Games Workshop in 1980, based on Mike Hayes' self-published game The Warlord from 1974. Hayes, a student at the University of Sheffield, originally packaged The Warlord in a plain red box, then republished it in 1978 in a blue box. Games Workshop acquired the rights in 1980 and revised the game, simplifying rules, reducing the maximum number of players to 4, removing hydrogen bombs, allowing irradiated areas to be cleaned up, and cutting the board map in half by eliminating Eastern Europe. The cover art by Tony Roberts had previously been used on the cover of the Orbit/Futura paperback edition of Jerry Pournelle's science fiction novel The Mercenary.
The game's components include a two-part mounted map of Western Europe, 140 blank counters in four colors, 140 radiation counters, plastic multipart nuclear missiles, and a rules sheet. Gameplay follows a turn sequence: fire missiles, build armies, move, attack. Combat is resolved by the attacker choosing a number between 1 and the total possible attacking units (up to six), concealing it under a cup, and the defender guessing the number. Terrain affects combat: attacking a mountain area limits the attacker to numbers 1, 2, or 3; defending a sea area gives the defender two guesses. Successful attacks grant the attacker a missile, which can be placed in any linked area. Missiles can be combined into multi-stage rockets with increasing range. When a rocket hits an area, it destroys all armies there, renders the area radioactive and impassable, and removes armies in adjacent areas, potentially causing chain reactions.
After Apocalypse went out of print, Mike Hayes reacquired the rights and republished his full original game, retitled Classic Warlord, in 2012. A computer game version was published by Red Shift under license from Games Workshop in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro.
Reader's Guide
Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation represents a notable entry in the board game market of the early 1980s, adapting the Cold War theme of nuclear conflict into a commercial product. Its significance lies in its derivation from Mike Hayes' self-published The Warlord, illustrating how independent game designs could be acquired and revised by larger publishers like Games Workshop. The game's mechanics, including the concealed-die combat system and the chain-reaction missile rules, offered a distinctive twist on the conquest genre popularized by Risk. The inclusion of nuclear weapons and radiation effects directly engaged with contemporary anxieties about nuclear war. The game's legacy includes its computer adaptation for the ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro, and the eventual return of the original design to Hayes, who republished it as Classic Warlord in 2012. Reviews at the time were generally positive, with John Olsen giving it a 9 out of 10 in White Dwarf #26, though noting that many games took a long time to finish. John Lambshead in Phoenix praised the rules as simple but comprehensive, and recommended the game for four players. David Ladyman in The Space Gamer noted the similarity to Risk but at a higher price. The game's cover art by Tony Roberts, reused from a science fiction novel, also contributed to its visual identity.
Did You Know?
- The cover art for Apocalypse was previously used on the cover of the Orbit/Futura paperback edition of Jerry Pournelle's science fiction novel The Mercenary.
- The game's combat system uses a concealed die under a cup, where the defender guesses the number to determine losses.
- A successful attack grants the attacker a missile that can be combined with others to create multi-stage rockets with greater range.
- If all armies are eliminated by a nuclear chain reaction, the game ends in a stalemate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation and when?
Games Workshop released the title in 1980. It was not an original design from their studio, however; it was adapted from Mike Hayes' self-published 1974 game called The Warlord.
How many players can sit down to play Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation?
The game supports two to four players competing against one another. Each player starts with a random allocation of city areas on the Western European map before the conquest phase begins.
What is the win condition in Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation?
You win by being the last player still holding territory on the board. The objective is to conquer every city area in Western Europe while all opponents are eliminated.
How does Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation differ from Risk?
While it shares a territory-conquest structure, the defining twist is that nuclear weapons are part of the available arsenal. The map is also restricted to Western Europe rather than the entire world, making the conflict feel more contained and intense.
Who is the cover artist for Apocalypse: The Game of Nuclear Devastation?
Tony Roberts is credited with painting the box art for the 1980 Games Workshop release. His artwork is the visual identity fans associate with the game's packaging.
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