Mammoth Monday looks at classic Wargames

What’s happening: EuroGames tonight @ 7:00pm
Beer Tasting (California Beers) Tuesday @ 6:00pm
Netrunner League Wednesday @ 7:00pm

Here it is, Mammoth Monday again. Since this week we decided to talk about war games, today we’ll take a look at some of the classics that we have here at Round the Table.

Tactics (we have the revision, Tactics II) is often considered the first wargame. It was designed by Charles S. Roberts and was the first game published by The Avalon Hill Game Company, way back in 1954.

Avalon Hill went on to make dozens (if not hundreds!) of other games, mostly concentrating on World War II, but still get in some ancients, some American Civil War, WWI, fantasy and science fiction. They are probably best known for their monster WWII tactical game, Advanced Squad Leader, which has been licensed out to Multi-Man Publishing. Other AH games that are still in print include Merchants of Venus, Acquire (remember last week?), and Diplomacy.

Other early wargame publishers include Yaquinto, who were known for packaging their games in album sleeves (you know, the protective cardboard envelope that a vinyl record went in). Games like Swashbuckler and its sci-fi cousin Adventurer still get great reviews. Simulations Publications, Inc. (or SPI) was the other giant in early wargaming, known for their large counter trays and box-less packaging. They did many fantasy titles, including Sorcerer and War of the Ring.

Back in the early days of game publishing, many companies that we think of now as specializing in RPGs, did wargames too. Steve Jackson (and Steve Jackson Games) designed Ogre, GEV and Battlesuit. Chaosium (who now does exclusively Call of Cthulhu and BRP) produced Panzer Pranks. Game Designers Workshop did a bunch of wargames including the still highly-acclaimed Triplanetary. And TSR started out with wargames like Chainmail and Star Probe before Dungeons and Dragons.

Tim Morgan

When Tim Morgan told his high school guidance counselor that he wanted to publish games for a living, the response was a clueless, “Uhhhh, you’ll probably want some college then.” Twenty-five years later, while still not publishing games for a living, he has made games his life -- over twenty years as the manager of a game store in Seattle, playtester of more RPGs and board games than you can shake a stick at, and small-press publisher of several games and even more novels. And now, co-owner of the ‘Round the Table Game Pub in Lynnwood. He currently lives in Everett, WA, where he is the caretaker of four (no, five!) lolcats, the oppressive taskmaster of a teenaged daughter, and the devoted husband of a wonderful author. His latest work is Ellis: Kingdom in Turmoil, a full RPG rules system and setting, detailing a low-fantasy world where religion is king and morality matters.