War on Terror was originally conceived in 2003 by Andy Tompkins and Andrew Sheerin, two friends based in Cambridge, England.

The initial inspiration for the game came from the imminent Invasion of Iraq but, as a whole, was intended as a commentary of the wider War on Terror.

In 2005, Sheerin and Tompkins founded TerrorBull Games and gathered enough financial support from a mixture of friends and acquaintances to put War on Terror into production.

More recently, however, opinion has turned around and War on Terror is now praised by various highly respected institutions and individuals, among them Amnesty International and John Pilger.

In terms of board game style, it is a mixture of both European and American approaches – utilising elements of chance and chaos as well as strategy and player interactions.

Starting with a tiny presence on the map, each player takes on the role of a budding empire, intent on "liberating" (dominating) countries and continents, controlling oil production and building cities to win the game.

There are two primary ways to interfere with other empires: fighting wars against them or funding terrorist units in the hope of making them attack your opponent.

In August 2008, a copy of the game was seized by the British Kent Police because the balaclava included in the box "could be used to conceal someone's identity or could be used in the course of a criminal act".

The Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, Andrew Lansley, commented, "this board game is in very bad taste and it appears as though somebody has gone too far".

Amnesty International has stocked War on Terror in their catalogue under the banner of 'educational' for two years, while publications like the New Internationalist and The Guardian[6] have emphasised the game's educational potential.

Journalist and documentary maker John Pilger has also shown his support and enthusiasm for the game, labeling it "extraordinary".