1996 in games
Encyclopedia
This page lists board
and card game
s, wargame
s, miniatures games
, and table-top role-playing game
s published in 1996. For video and console games, see 1996 in video gaming
.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
and card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
s, wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
s, miniatures games
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
, and table-top role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s published in 1996. For video and console games, see 1996 in video gaming
1996 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
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Game awards given in 1996
- Origins AwardOrigins AwardThe Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
s (for 1995):- Best Card Game: Middle-earth: The WizardsMiddle-earth: The WizardsMiddle-earth: The Wizards is a collectible card game based upon the characters, places,and events detailed in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy works The Lord of the Ringsand The Hobbit...
- Best Fantasy or Science-Fiction Board Game: Dragon DiceDragon DiceDragon Dice is a collectible dice game originally made by TSR, Inc., and is published today by SFR, Inc. It is one of only a handful of collectible dice games produced in the early 1990s. In 1995, Dragon Dice won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science-Fiction Board Game...
- Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game: RoboRally - Armed and DangerousRoboRallyRoboRally is a board game originally published in 1994 by Wizards of the Coast . It was designed in 1985 by Richard Garfield, who would later create the card game Magic: The Gathering. The game and its expansions received a total of four Origins Awards...
- Best Miniatures Rules: Warzone - A Fast & Furious Miniatures Battle GameWarzone (game)Warzone is a tabletop miniature wargame based on the Mutant Chronicles universe and role-playing game. It features squad-based combat at a skirmish level, although vehicles and large models were introduced in later supplements to the main rule book....
- Best Modern-Day Board Game: Empire of the Rising SunEmpire of the Rising SunEmpire of The Rising Sun is a board wargame published originally by Avalon Hill. This is the companion game to Advanced Third Reich and utilizes the same rule book to bring the Pacific War to life...
- Best Pre-20th Century Board Game (tie): Colonial Diplomacy, Three Days of Gettysburg
- Best Roleplaying Rules: Mage: The Ascension (2nd edition)Mage: The AscensionMage: The Ascension is a role-playing game based in the World of Darkness, and was published by White Wolf Game Studio. The characters portrayed in the game are referred to as mages, and are capable of feats of magic...
- Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame
- Axis & Allies
- Call of Cthulhu RPGCall of Cthulhu (role-playing game)Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos.The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium.-Setting:...
- Best Card Game: Middle-earth: The Wizards
Significant games-related events of 1996
- Five Rings Publishing GroupFive Rings Publishing GroupThe Five Rings Publishing Group was formed as a spin-out of Alderac Entertainment Group and ISOMEDIA.-History:In 1996, Alderac Entertainment Group and ISOMEDIA divested themselves of their joint operating venture, and created Five Rings Publishing Group...
formed as a spin-out of Alderac Entertainment GroupAlderac Entertainment GroupAlderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California...
and ISOMEDIA. - Looney LabsLooney LabsLooney Labs is a small game company based in College Park, Maryland, USA. It is named after its founders, Andrew Looney and Kristin Looney.- Card games :...
is founded after the demise of Icehouse Games, Inc.