History of War (HoW) presents the Second World War from the tactical point of view of units. Retaliatory weapons, atomic bombs or personal names like those of generals are deliberately excluded from the game.

The goal of the game is a conquest of land cards until 15 win points are accumulated. This is accomplished by bringing together units from all three arenas of the war: land, sea, and air.

The Axis starter deck contains 55 cards and a rulesheet. The deck is fully playable. Each player needs their own deck to play.