Columbia Games
Encyclopedia
Columbia Games is a maker of board
and role-playing game
s including Hârn
and a variety of games, mostly wargames
(Wizard Kings and various historical and quasi-historical games) using blocks instead of the more conventional chits. The company is based in Blaine, Washington
; it is run by founder Tom Dalgliesh and his son Grant.
s, designed for two players. Many of these games are suitable to introducing new players to the hobby, but there are also some very detailed games that have been produced, such as MasterFront, a monster wargame depicting the entirety of World War II in Europe, complete with various what-if situations. Among the best-known is Hammer of the Scots
, based on King Edward I and King Edward II's campaigns in Scotland in the early 14th century.
Other Wargames include:
Columbia Games also made a variety of wargames based on battles of the American Civil War
(such as Dixie
) and the Napoleonic Wars
(Eagles).
, a high-realism/magic-rare fantasy world created by N. Robin Crossby
, for use in role-playing games and for collaborative fiction
. The Hârn product line is compatible with Hârn products produced by Kelestia Productions
(Robin Crossby's own company) and is supported by a large body of additional material produced by strong and dedicated community of fans.
Columbia Games also have a card game called Slapshot in the works.
For role-playing, Columbia Games publishes a supplement called HarnQuest. Each issue is approximately 48 pages and includes articles about Hârnic kingdoms, cities, castles, history, creatures, and more. New Hârn Atlas maps are also sent under this subscription as they are released.
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 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 including Hârn
Hârn
Hârn is a world published by and designed for use in fantasy role-playing games . It was designed by N. Robin Crossby, and it was published by Columbia Games in 1983. In 2003, Crossby claimed that the contract between him and CGI had ended...
and a variety of games, mostly wargames
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...
(Wizard Kings and various historical and quasi-historical games) using blocks instead of the more conventional chits. The company is based in Blaine, Washington
Blaine, Washington
Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...
; it is run by founder Tom Dalgliesh and his son Grant.
The beginning
Columbia is one of the hobby's oldest wargame companies. Tom Dalgliesh, Lance Gutteridge, and Steve Brewster founded Gamma Two Games in Vancouver, BC in the early 1970s, and published their first game in 1972. Brewster left the company soon after its formation. Gamma Two Games became Columbia Games in 1982. In the mid 1980s, Gutteridge left the company, leaving Dalgliesh as its sole owner, although the two still associate frequently and Gutteridge still makes some contributions. Columbia Games moved from Vancouver, BC to Washington State in 1994 for a variety of personal and economic reasons.Wargames
Columbia's most well-known games are block wargameBlock wargame
A block wargame is a board wargame that represents military units using wooden blocks instead of cardboard counters or metal/plastic miniatures. These blocks are typically square, have a labeled and an unlabeled side, and are generally thick enough that they can be placed on their side with the...
s, designed for two players. Many of these games are suitable to introducing new players to the hobby, but there are also some very detailed games that have been produced, such as MasterFront, a monster wargame depicting the entirety of World War II in Europe, complete with various what-if situations. Among the best-known is Hammer of the Scots
Hammer of the Scots (board game)
Hammer of the Scots is a board game, designed in 2002 by Jerry Taylor and published by Columbia Games. It chronicles the Wars of Scottish Independence through roughly the time period portrayed in the film Braveheart....
, based on King Edward I and King Edward II's campaigns in Scotland in the early 14th century.
Other Wargames include:
- Athens & Sparta, a game based on the Peloponnesian WarPeloponnesian WarThe Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
- Quebec 1759, based on the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
- Liberty, based on the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
- Pacific Victory, a game based on the Pacific Theater of World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- Texas Glory, a game based on the Texan War for Independence, featuring the Battle of the AlamoBattle of the AlamoThe Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
- Richard III, based on the Wars of the RosesWars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
Columbia Games also made a variety of wargames based on battles of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Card games
In the late 1990s, the company began producing collectible card games based upon military themes for the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(such as Dixie
Dixie (card game)
Dixie is a collectible card game that uses dice and special trading cards to allow players to refight famous American Civil War battles, such as the battles of First Bull Run, Shiloh, and Gettysburg...
) and the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
(Eagles).
Hârn
Columbia also publishes HârnHârn
Hârn is a world published by and designed for use in fantasy role-playing games . It was designed by N. Robin Crossby, and it was published by Columbia Games in 1983. In 2003, Crossby claimed that the contract between him and CGI had ended...
, a high-realism/magic-rare fantasy world created by N. Robin Crossby
N. Robin Crossby
N. Robin Crossby was the creator of the Hârn fantasy setting and the HârnMaster role-playing game system, as well as dozens of other related works describing the world of Hârn.-Early life:...
, for use in role-playing games and for collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction is a form of writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a story.Collaborative fiction can occur for commercial gain, as part of education, or recreationally - many collaboratively written works have been the subject of a large degree of academic research.-...
. The Hârn product line is compatible with Hârn products produced by Kelestia Productions
Kelestia Productions
Keléstia Productions publishes role-playing materials for use with Hârn, a fictitious setting. Keléstia Productions was created by N. Robin Crossby, the original creator of Hârn, after a contract dispute with publisher Columbia Games proved irresolvable....
(Robin Crossby's own company) and is supported by a large body of additional material produced by strong and dedicated community of fans.
Future Games
Columbia Games is planning to publish the following new Wargames:- Julius Caesar, based on the Roman Civil War
- Shiloh: 1862, based on the Battle of ShilohBattle of ShilohThe Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
- Shenandoah: Jackson's Valley Campaign, based on the
Columbia Games also have a card game called Slapshot in the works.
For role-playing, Columbia Games publishes a supplement called HarnQuest. Each issue is approximately 48 pages and includes articles about Hârnic kingdoms, cities, castles, history, creatures, and more. New Hârn Atlas maps are also sent under this subscription as they are released.