Please join the World at War ELO Ranking System
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2026 12:27 pm
ELO players are part of a community who are committed to playing the game through to a conclusion, typically playing at least a turn a day, in a spirit of good sportsmanship.
Any game in the 1939 scenario of World at War can be included so long as both players agree. Everyone is welcome to play - you don't have to think you're the best player around to take part! Challenges can be posted in the Multiplayer Sessions thread and hopefully someone will pick it up.
The game should be unmodded.
Games in the 1939 Race to Victory scenario can be included. However for the Race to Victory scenario, an Axis Tactical Victory outcome will count as an Allied win for tournament purposes - this is for parity between the scenarios, an Axis Tactical Victory outcome in 1945 would very likely turn into a loss by 1947.
The following standard ELO rules have been developed over several years to give better game balance:
No diplo on Majors
No Barbarossa before 1941
No diplo on Bulgaria
No Allied DoW on Japan before USA Mobilisation
No Italian navy ships or subs outside Med before DoW
No using garrison transports as scouts
No using neutral ships / transports as scouts
No XP farming
No German navy blocking of the Russian navy spawn points
Amphibious research cap of 4
Any other optional rules, eg Soft Build Limits, may be agreed by both players before the game begins.
When you are ready to play, just announce the match in this thread: https://forums.matrixgames.com/viewtopi ... start=2080
Please use the format "New ELO Game, Player 1(Axis) vs Player 2(Allies)". Once the match is complete, just post the result in this thread, e.g. "Game completed, Player 1(Axis) vs Player 2(Allies), Allied victory, July 1945". You're welcome to post a brief note about how the game went, but don't have to. That's all there is to it!
Your ranking and stats will be tracked monthly and posted on the forum.
There is no "schedule", you can play whomever you like from whatever side you like. However, the ELO system works best if players take matches against a wide variety of people at different skill levels and on either side - so you are encouraged to do this.
All victories and defeats count equally - no account is taken of decisive vs non-decisive victories vs resignations. If your position is impossible, you are encouraged to offer to resign so both players can take on new games. However, there is a very small ELO bonus for a losing player who survives past 1945. This was introduced to encourage longer games, but players can still agree to resign at any point.
Please honour your commitments to play through games that you start. Please communicate with other players about how fast you are likely to be able to play, and about any periods you expect to be unavailable.
Ghosting
If a player appears to have 'ghosted' then the game will be awarded to their opponent. If your opponent does not appear to be responding and has not let you know of an expected absence, please attempt to contact them via forum PM and/or message. If they continue not to respond for >1 week you may post accordingly and ask for the game to be awarded to you.
Long-term absences
If you're unable to play for a period because of work/family commitments, or simply burnout from too much gaming then please let your current opponent(s) know how long you expect to be away for. If you leave a match without communication it will be awarded to your opponent as above, but usually committed players find their opponents are happy to pause matches if they understand your situation.
Rules may be adjusted as time goes on, especially if people find loopholes in them.
How the ELO system works:
The short answer is: Every time a game finishes, the winner gains points from the loser based on how strong the two players are. If you beat a higher-rated player, you gain more points - as you were expected to have less chance of winning. In the event of a draw, a small number of points may go from the stronger to the weaker player (if two equal players draw there is no change.)
So over time a strong player will gain a high score and a weak(er) player will have a lower score. If a player becomes stronger with practice then they will eventually win more matches and climb in the ratings!
Good luck & have fun!
Any game in the 1939 scenario of World at War can be included so long as both players agree. Everyone is welcome to play - you don't have to think you're the best player around to take part! Challenges can be posted in the Multiplayer Sessions thread and hopefully someone will pick it up.
The game should be unmodded.
Games in the 1939 Race to Victory scenario can be included. However for the Race to Victory scenario, an Axis Tactical Victory outcome will count as an Allied win for tournament purposes - this is for parity between the scenarios, an Axis Tactical Victory outcome in 1945 would very likely turn into a loss by 1947.
The following standard ELO rules have been developed over several years to give better game balance:
No diplo on Majors
No Barbarossa before 1941
No diplo on Bulgaria
No Allied DoW on Japan before USA Mobilisation
No Italian navy ships or subs outside Med before DoW
No using garrison transports as scouts
No using neutral ships / transports as scouts
No XP farming
No German navy blocking of the Russian navy spawn points
Amphibious research cap of 4
Any other optional rules, eg Soft Build Limits, may be agreed by both players before the game begins.
When you are ready to play, just announce the match in this thread: https://forums.matrixgames.com/viewtopi ... start=2080
Please use the format "New ELO Game, Player 1(Axis) vs Player 2(Allies)". Once the match is complete, just post the result in this thread, e.g. "Game completed, Player 1(Axis) vs Player 2(Allies), Allied victory, July 1945". You're welcome to post a brief note about how the game went, but don't have to. That's all there is to it!
Your ranking and stats will be tracked monthly and posted on the forum.
There is no "schedule", you can play whomever you like from whatever side you like. However, the ELO system works best if players take matches against a wide variety of people at different skill levels and on either side - so you are encouraged to do this.
All victories and defeats count equally - no account is taken of decisive vs non-decisive victories vs resignations. If your position is impossible, you are encouraged to offer to resign so both players can take on new games. However, there is a very small ELO bonus for a losing player who survives past 1945. This was introduced to encourage longer games, but players can still agree to resign at any point.
Please honour your commitments to play through games that you start. Please communicate with other players about how fast you are likely to be able to play, and about any periods you expect to be unavailable.
Ghosting
If a player appears to have 'ghosted' then the game will be awarded to their opponent. If your opponent does not appear to be responding and has not let you know of an expected absence, please attempt to contact them via forum PM and/or message. If they continue not to respond for >1 week you may post accordingly and ask for the game to be awarded to you.
Long-term absences
If you're unable to play for a period because of work/family commitments, or simply burnout from too much gaming then please let your current opponent(s) know how long you expect to be away for. If you leave a match without communication it will be awarded to your opponent as above, but usually committed players find their opponents are happy to pause matches if they understand your situation.
Rules may be adjusted as time goes on, especially if people find loopholes in them.
How the ELO system works:
The short answer is: Every time a game finishes, the winner gains points from the loser based on how strong the two players are. If you beat a higher-rated player, you gain more points - as you were expected to have less chance of winning. In the event of a draw, a small number of points may go from the stronger to the weaker player (if two equal players draw there is no change.)
So over time a strong player will gain a high score and a weak(er) player will have a lower score. If a player becomes stronger with practice then they will eventually win more matches and climb in the ratings!
Good luck & have fun!