Origins of World War II is a light game of diplomacy enjoyed by WBC players looking for a fun, quick-playing game with plenty of interaction. As one participant remarked, "The WBC wouldn't be the same without Origins of World War II." The WBC tournament uses Bruce Reiff's variant rules presented in The General #31-4, in which German, Russian, British, and French players vie for diplomatic control of the USA in addition to making decisions for their own countries. This four-player variant, which includes bidding for sides, produces a tightly contested match that's not decided until the very end.

Twelve players competed to advance to the final game. Greg Berry won as the French in the first game he had ever played. Other first-round winners were Rob Kircher (playing Russia), and Mark Booth (playing Germany). Jim McCarthy, another first-time contestant, also qualified for the championship game as the highest-ranked player among the runner-ups.

In the final game, Rob bid 3.5 points to play Germany, while Greg and Jim bid 1.5 points each to play Russia and Britain, respectively. Mark was left to play France with no bid penalty. Germany and Russia started by taking control of Romania and the Baltic States in the first two turns, despite defense of the latter by the other players. In Turns 3 and 4, Germany gained control of Czechoslovakia and moved into Alsace-Lorraine. France could not force Germany out, so the two nations decided to share control. This agreement, which gave Germany one victory point, proved crucial later on. No conflict occurred in Turn 5, as players built up their diplomatic forces in preparation for final maneuvers. As the last turn began with several areas already under their control and Austria and Poland too crowded, Germany and Russia turned their attention westward. It was apparent that Britain had enough points to win, so Rob and Greg agreed that British influence must be curtailed. Greg sent a large diplomatic force to Germany and threw out the Brits. Then Rob proceeded to eliminate British influence in France and the USA, but followed by kicking Russia out of the UK.

Rob's successful expansion and attacks in the final turn won him victory for the Germans. Although Rob and Greg both finished with a bid-adjusted score of 14.5 points, the tiebreaker went to Rob due to his higher bid. Congratulations to Rob Kircher on his second Origins of World War II championship.