War (card game)

War (called Battle in the UK) is a straightforward card game for two players, using a standard deck, and is especially popular with children. Numerous variations exist, along with related games like the German 32-card *Tod und Leben* ("Death and Life").

The goal is to collect every card. Players split the deck evenly into face-down stacks. Each player flips their top card simultaneously—this is a "battle"—and the higher card wins both, which go to the winner's stack. Aces are high, and suits don't matter.

If the flipped cards match, a "war" begins. Both players place their next card face-down, then another card face-up. The player with the higher face-up card takes all the cards on the table. If those face-up cards match again, the war repeats with another set of face-down and face-up cards, continuing until one player's face-up card beats the other's.

Rules often don't specify what happens if a player runs out of cards during a war. Some variants say that player loses immediately. Others let the player use their last card as the face-up card for the rest of the war, or restart the game. Another variant requires the player with more cards to supply the cards for the war.

War can also be played with more than two people. In a three-player game, each gets 17 cards; in a four-player game, each gets 13. Everyone reveals a card at once. If the highest cards tie, those players go to war. All players—even those not tied—then play one face-down card followed by a face-up card. The player with the highest face-up card wins all cards played. When a player runs out of cards, they're eliminated. The game continues until one player has all the cards.

Game designer Greg Costikyan noted that because War involves no player choices and all outcomes are random, some definitions don't consider it a game. However, the rules often don't specify the order cards are returned to the deck. If they're returned in a non-random order, deciding which card goes on top after a win can affect the overall result. This effect is more noticeable with smaller decks, where card counting is easier, but it can still influence gameplay with standard decks.

As a widely known game, War has many recorded variations, including:

- **Casino War**: A simple version played for money in casinos. - **Three cards**: Many play with three face-down cards during a war. - **Prisoners of War**: Usually for more than two players. After winning a battle, a player may take one of the opponent's cards as a "prisoner" (not their own), placing it face-up aside. In a later battle, that player may choose to play the prisoner instead of drawing from their deck (without first seeing the card they would have drawn). If they win, it's normal; if they lose, they give the winner both the prisoner and the card they would have drawn. Wars work the same way, and a war winner may also "capture" a face-down card. - **Bettelmann ("Beggar Man") and Tod und Leben ("Life and Death")**: German variants mentioned as early as 1833. They use a 32-card Skat pack for two players, with cards ranking naturally and suits irrelevant—except in *Tod und Leben*, where one player uses red suits and the other black. Each player gets 16 face-down cards. They flip their top card simultaneously; the higher card wins. If equal, they flip the next card, and the winner takes all four. The player with the most cards at the end wins. - **Automatic War**: Laying down a two of any suit triggers a war. - **Peace**: The opposite of War—the lowest card always wins. - **Underdog**: The losing player of a war steals the victory if one of their three discard cards is a Jack.