List of wargame publishers
Encyclopedia
List of wargame publishers is an index of commercial companies that publish wargames
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+ Matrix Gambes –
Eagle Software: http://www.eagle-software.co.uk
25 years of development of the Follow The Eagle Computer moderated wargame systems. Developed specifically for Table top wargaming
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...
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- A and A Game Engineering – concentrating on air and naval rules
- Agema.org.uk – publishers of the Game of War 18th century/Napoleonic rules, Salvo WW2 naval, and Challenge & Reply WW1 naval, among others.
- Amarillo Design Bureau Inc.Amarillo Design Bureau Inc.Amarillo Design Bureau is a company which specializes in tactical and strategic board wargames. The company is a successor to Task Force Games, and is owned and operated by Steve and Leanna Cole, with partner Steve Petrick, and based in Amarillo, Texas...
(ADB) – publisher of Star Fleet BattlesStar Fleet BattlesStar Fleet Battles is a tactical board wargame set in an offshoot of the Star Trek setting called the Star Fleet Universe. Originally created in 1979 by Stephen V. Cole,...
(SFB), along with the related strategic game Federation & EmpireFederation and EmpireFederation and Empire is a strategic-level board wargame set in the fictional Star Fleet Universe spinoff of Star Trek, currently published by Amarillo Design Bureau Inc....
. - Australian Design GroupAustralian Design GroupThe Australian Design Group is a game company that specializes in wargames and strategic board games.-History:The Australian Design Group was formed in 1982 by a group of Canberra gaming enthusiasts in order to publish the game Empires in Arms. The game was designed by Harry Rowland, who was...
(ADG) – Publishers of World in FlamesWorld in FlamesWorld in Flames is a board wargame designed by Harry Rowland and released in 1985 by the Australian Design Group. It is currently in its 6th edition, World in Flames - Final Edition, each new edition featuring changes to the rules, maps and counters provided with the game. World in Flames won the...
. - Avalanche PressAvalanche PressAvalanche Press is an American company that publishes board wargames and has published some role-playing game supplements. An extremely prolific company, they have produced many respected contributions to the wargame community, most notably The Great War at Sea and Panzer Grenadier series, as well...
– publishers of the Great War at SeaGreat War at Sea seriesThe Great War at Sea series of board wargames released by Avalanche Press features operational and tactical-level naval combat in the period of the early battleships and dreadnoughts...
and Panzer GrenadierPanzer Grenadier seriesThe Panzer Grenadier series of Board wargames is Avalanche Press's series of World War II tactical land combat. The first game in the series was released in 2000. -Series Summary:...
series', among others. - Avalon HillAvalon HillAvalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
– the first publisher of board wargames, Avalon Hill (AH) made many classic games, such as Squad LeaderSquad Leaderthumb|Squad Leader game package.Squad Leader is a tactical level board wargame originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by Hall of Fame game designer John Hill and focuses on infantry combat in Europe during World War II...
, Third ReichRise and Decline of the Third ReichRise and Decline of the Third Reich or more commonly Third Reich is a grand strategy wargame covering the European theater of World War II designed by John Prados, and released in 1974 by Avalon Hill...
, and PanzerBlitzPanzerBlitzPanzerBlitz is a tactical-scale board wargame of armoured combat set in the Eastern Front of the Second World War. The game is notable for being the first true board-based tactical-level, commercially available conflict simulation...
, bought out by HasbroHasbroHasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
in the late 1990s. - Battlefront Miniatures Ltd. – publisher of Flames of WarFlames of WarFlames of War is a World War II tabletop miniatures wargame produced by the New Zealand company Battlefront Miniatures Ltd...
(FoW), a World War II wargame. - Battleline PublicationsBattleline PublicationsBattleline Publications was a board wargame company founded by Steven Peek in 1973. Output was relatively low at first, with each game being funded by sales of the one before, but their games were generally well-respected. Several were re-published by Avalon Hill, and their second game, Wooden...
– founded in 1973 and bought by Heritage Models around 1980. They were the original publisher several Avalon Hill games, such as Wooden Ships and Iron MenWooden Ships and Iron MenWooden Ships and Iron Men is a naval board wargame in which the players simulate combat by sailing ships of the late 18th and early 19th centuries...
, and Circus MaximusCircus Maximus (game)Circus Maximus is a chariot-racing board game originally published by Battleline Publications in 1979, but better known for the 1980 Avalon Hill edition. It was designed by Michael E. Matheny with Don Greenwood working on the second edition. Up to eight players choose teams of horses and drivers,...
. - Black Skull Games – founded 2007. Publisher of Universal WarUniversal WarUniversal War is an artist's book by Aleksei Kruchenykh published in Petrograd at the beginning of 1916. Despite being produced in an edition of 100 of which only 12 are known to survive, the book has become one of the most famous examples of Russian Futurist book production, and is considered a...
. - Clash of ArmsClash of ArmsClash of Arms Games is a wargaming company best known for a high level of graphics quality and moderately to highly complex games, often focusing on the Napoleonic era, but with offerings in most eras of military history...
- Collins Epic Wargames – Publisher of the Frontline General series of board/mini wargames.
- Columbia GamesColumbia GamesColumbia Games is a maker of board and role-playing games including Hârn and a variety of games, mostly wargames using blocks instead of the more conventional chits...
(originally Gamma Two Games) – the biggest producer of "block games", using wooden blocks instead of cardboard counters. - Computer Strategies – founded in 1990. They are the producer of the widest range of computer moderated wargames rules for tabletop miniatures.
- Conflict Games – 1970s company founded by designer John HillJohn Hill (game designer)John Hill is an American designer of military wargames, as well as rules for miniature wargaming such as Johnny Reb 3. He is a member of the Wargaming Hall of Fame....
. - Critical HitCritical hitIn many role-playing games and video games, a critical hit is a successful attack that deals more damage than a normal blow.-Origin:The 1975 role-playing game Empire of the Petal Throne introduced the concept of critical hits...
– Publishes tactical-level wargames, notably games in the Advanced Tobruk System as well as ASL Compatible modules and scenario packs. - Crocodile Games – Publishers of Wargods of ÆgyptusWargods of ÆgyptusWar Gods of Egyptus is a game that re-creates battles, using metal miniatures on a tabletop, that each player collects and paints. The miniatures are catergorized into armies; each army represents one of the gods of Ægyptus-Anubis, Bast, Horus, Set, Ptah, Khanum, Sobek, Thoth, Isis and Osiris...
and Wargods of Olympus. - Decision GamesDecision GamesDecision Games is a wargaming company, founded by Christopher Cummins, that publishes Strategy & Tactics magazine. The company has bought the rights to many Simulations Publications, Inc...
- Dwarfstar GamesDwarfstar GamesDwarfstar Games was a division of Heritage Models that published microgame-sized fantasy and science fiction board wargames in the early 1980s. They typically came with 12"x14" fold-out cardstock mapboards and 154 thin die-cut counters. The demise of its parent company also meant the end for...
– Published a line of small SF&F games around 1980. - E-Mail Games – provides free wargaming and computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
ized refereeRefereeA referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
/AIAiAI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
, via e-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the... - Excelsior Entertainment Current (as of 2005) publisher/manufacturer of Chronopia and Warzone.
- FASA – original publisher of the boardgame/miniatures game BATTLETECH. Now closed.
- Firefly Games Publisher of science fiction tabletop fighting games including Monster Island and CyborGladiators.
- Flashpoint Miniatures – Publishers of Flashpoint Vietnam.
- The GamersThe GamersThe Gamers was a wargaming company founded and run by Dean Essig in Homer, Illinois. Their distinction was the focus on a few series, with special rules for each individual game. This made it easier to play new games within a series that was well known to the players. Homercon, a convention for...
- Game Designers' WorkshopGame Designers' WorkshopGame Designers' Workshop was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers.-History:Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973...
– Published many popular wargames and role-playing games such as Traveller and Drang Nach Osten!Europa (wargame)Europa is a series of board wargames planned to cover combat over the entire European Theater of World War II at a scale that represents units as divisions and game turns that represent two weeks of time. The series was launched in 1973, and is still in production as of 2005, with over a dozen...
, disbanded 1996. - Game Research/DesignGame Research/DesignGame Research/Design was a board wargame publisher, principally concerned with the Europa series of European World War II wargames. GR/D was formed in 1985 by John Astell, one of the Europa designers, and Winston Hamilton, another WWII wargame designer...
– produced expansions for EuropaEuropa (wargame)Europa is a series of board wargames planned to cover combat over the entire European Theater of World War II at a scale that represents units as divisions and game turns that represent two weeks of time. The series was launched in 1973, and is still in production as of 2005, with over a dozen...
and eventually took on the series. - Games WorkshopGames WorkshopGames Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
– Publishers of a number of fantasy and science fiction wargames and role-playing games. - GMT GamesGMT GamesGMT Games, probably the most prolific of the wargame companies in the 1990s and 2000s, was founded in 1990. The current management and creative team includes Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch, and Andy Lewis...
– Probably the most prolific of the wargame companies in the 1990s and into 2003 - Grenier Games
- Guidon GamesGuidon GamesGuidon Games produced board games and rulebooks for wargaming with miniatures, and in doing so influenced Tactical Studies Rules , the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons. The Guidon Games publishing imprint was the property of Lowry's Hobbies , a mail-order business owned by Don and Julie Lowry...
– Original publisher of ChainmailChainmail (game)Chainmail is a medieval miniatures wargame created by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren. Gygax developed the game with fellow Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association member Perren, a hobby-shop owner with whom he had become friendly, and the game was first published in 1971...
. - Historical Military Services – took over GRD in 2004
- JagdPantherJagdpantherThe Jagdpanther was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank. It entered service late in the war and saw service on the Eastern and Western fronts...
– Original company of Steve V. Cole and Allen Eldridge. - Jedko GamesJedko GamesJedko Games is an Australian importer/wholesaler of games, jigsaws, playing cards, wooden toys, board games, traditional games and puzzles. It was originally a publisher of original games and Australian editions of overseas wargames....
– 1970s Australian company of John Edwards, which initially published some Avalon Hill games such as The Russian CampaignThe Russian CampaignThe Russian Campaign is an award winning strategic board wargame of the Eastern Front during World War II, during the period 1941-45. The unit scale is German Corps and Russian Armies and roughly covers the Berlin to Gorki region and Archangel to Grozny...
and War at SeaWar at SeaWar at Sea is a strategic board wargame depicting the naval war in the Atlantic during World War II, published by Jedko Games in 1975, and subsequently republished by Avalon Hill in 1976 and more recently by L2 Design Group in 2007....
. - Johnny Reb Gaming SocietyJohnny Reb Gaming SocietyThe Johnny Reb Gaming Society is the leading international society for the hobby of miniature wargaming of the American Civil War. Headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, the non-profit society exists to promote regimental level miniature gaming of historical battles from the Civil War...
, publishes the free quarterly newsletter Charge! newsletter / fanzineCHARGE! (magazine)CHARGE! is a miniature wargaming newsletter / fanzine published quarterly by the Johnny Reb Gaming Society, headquartered in York, Pennsylvania...
with an annual paid membership dues. Also publishes wargaming scenarios books, such as Crossed Sabers, for its members. - L2 Design GroupL2 Design GroupL2 Design Group was established in 2001 by Art Lupinacci. Its primary business activity is to publish strategy games.Since then, L2 Design Group has published The Russian Campaign, Deluxe Bitter Woods and Russia Besieged. The Russian Campaign Expansion Kit, Deluxe Bitter Woods Expansion kit and ADC...
- Lost Battalion Games – Games include the man-to-man scale Sergeants!, several card-based wargames.
- Majestic Twelve Games – Publisher of several games, including Starmada, Iron Stars, & Grand Fleets.
- Marek/Janci Design, publishers of full color miniature wargamingMiniature wargamingMiniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
scenario books, including the Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in MiniatureEnduring Valor: Gettysburg in MiniatureEnduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature is a series of two popular scenario books written for miniature wargaming the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in regimental scale...
series and Undying Courage: Antietam in Miniature.
+ Matrix Gambes –
- Mayfair GamesMayfair GamesMayfair Games is a publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games. They also license German-style board games and publish them in English throughout the world...
– Original publisher of many "train" games, 18xx series, & Empire Builder. - Metagaming Originator of the microgame format, original publisher of OgreOgre (game)Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
. - Mongoose PublishingMongoose PublishingMongoose Publishing is a prolific British manufacturer of role-playing games, miniatures, and card games, actively publishing material since 2001...
– publishers of RPGs, historical SF and fantasy rules. - Multi-Man PublishingMulti-Man PublishingMulti-Man Publishing, LLC is a game company formed by baseball player Curt Schilling and his partners to keep the game series Advanced Squad Leader in print. MMP operates some of the former Avalon Hill games under license from Hasbro, Inc...
– republishes Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad LeaderAdvanced Squad LeaderAdvanced Squad Leader is a tactical-level board wargame, originally marketed by Avalon Hill Games, that simulates actions of approximately company or battalion size in World War II. It is a detailed game system for two or more players . Components include the ASL Rulebook and various games called...
(ASL) - New England Simulations – A New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
based group that has created three games based on previously designed systems, with an emphasis on both graphics and design. - Operational Studies GroupOperational Studies GroupOperational Studies Group, also known as OSG, is a publisher of tabletop wargames mostly devoted to the wars of Napoleon I. Some of their more notable games include Napoleon at Leipzig, Napoleon at Bay and Bonaparte in Italy. OSG is a leader in the design and production of Napoleonic Wargames...
– Focuses primarily on the Napoleonic Era. - Paradox EntertainmentParadox EntertainmentParadox Entertainment owns rights to many intellectual properties, the most famous of which is Conan the Barbarian as created by pulp author Robert E. Howard and expanded upon by many other authors over the years. Other properties include Bran Mak Morn, Kull, Solomon Kane, Mutant, Mutant...
– Creator of such games as the medieval wargames Europa Universalis I and II, WWII game Hearts of Iron, and Roman-era game Legion. - Privateer PressPrivateer PressPrivateer Press is an award-winning role-playing game and miniature wargame production and publishing studio founded in 2000 by Brian Snōddy, Matt Staroscik and Matt Wilson. Mike McVey joined the partnership early on as Miniatures Director...
– Publishers of WARMACHINEWarmachineWarmachine is a tabletop steampunk wargame produced by Privateer Press.The game is played with white metal and plastic miniatures manufactured by Privateer Press representing military characters from the Iron Kingdoms D20 Role Playing Game setting...
as well as the Iron Kingdoms d20D20 SystemThe d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
RPG setting. - Quarterdeck Games
- Radioactive Press – Publisher of the Toy Battle System series of games which includes Atomic Super Humans, Giant Monster Rampage, and Mega Bots.
- Renaissance Ink - Owned by Jay Wirth. Published Fantasy Gladiators and Armistice, manufactures wargame bases and other modeling items.
- Shrapnel Games, Inc. – A company owned by Timothy W. Brooks that primarily publishes war and strategy games.
- Simmons Games – contemporary publisher of two (so far) Napoleonic wargames that look very much like the battlefield maps published at the time; also, the games do not use dice.
- Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) – another early—and very prolific—wargame publisher, SPI published the magazines Strategy & TacticsStrategy & TacticsStrategy & Tactics is a wargaming magazine now published by Decision Games, notable for publishing a complete new wargame in each issue...
and Moves. - Specialist Military Publishing publisher of BlitzkriegCommanderBlitzkriegCommanderBlitzkriegCommander is a tabletop wargame designed to re-create battles of the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War using miniatures. It is published by Specialist Military Publishing who also publish Cold War Commander and Future War Commander.-BlitzkriegCommander game play:Players can...
, Cold War Commander and Future War Commander.. - Stealthy Spider Publishing – Publishers of the Occult Wars horror/fantasy skirmish miniatures game.
- Steve Jackson GamesSteve Jackson GamesSteve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
– Early successes were OgreOgre (game)Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
, Car WarsCar WarsCar Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
, and IlluminatiIlluminatiThe Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
. Also published many titles in the microgame format: tiny plastic boxes costing very little money (US$4–6). - StrikeNet Games publisher of Panzer Miniatures Rules.
- Task Force GamesTask Force GamesTask Force Games was a game company started in 1979 by Allen Eldridge and Stephen Cole. Mr. Cole left the company in the early 1980's, but continued to design the company's best selling Star Fleet Battles game. Mr. Eldridge sold the company to New World Computing in 1988...
– founded in 1979 by Steven V. Cole and Allen Eldrige, went out of business in the mid-'90s. Produced many games, most notably Star Fleet BattlesStar Fleet BattlesStar Fleet Battles is a tactical board wargame set in an offshoot of the Star Trek setting called the Star Fleet Universe. Originally created in 1979 by Stephen V. Cole,...
and StarfireStarfire (strategy game)Starfire is a board wargame simulating space warfare and empire building in the 23rd century, created by Stephen V. Cole in 1979.-Starfire editions:...
. - Too Fat Lardies – Publishers of Algernon Pulls it Off, Bag the Hun, I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!, If the Lord Spares Us, Kiss Me Hardy, Le Feu Sacré, Triumph of the Will, Kriegsspiel in both its 1824 and 1862 versions, They Couldn't Hit An Elephant, Sharp PracticeSharp practiceSharp practice is a pejorative phrase used by lawyers to describe sneaky or cunning behavior that is technically within the rules of the law but borders on being unethical...
and Troops, Weapons & Tactics. - Tower GamesTower GamesTower Games is an online computer game company, started in 2004 by Danny Stevens and Chris Wilkins. The aim of the company is to produce commercial, online pay for play wargames that are played online with multiple players. The engine for the web site is designed for new games, by third-party...
– Provide pay for play wargames for multiple players on-line. Titles include Line of Muskets and Lightning War - Wargames Research GroupWargames Research GroupThe Wargames Research Group ' is a British publisher of rules and reference material for miniature wargaming. Founded in 1969 they were the premier publisher of tabletop rules during the seventies and eighties, publishing rules for periods ranging from ancient times to modern armoured warfare, and...
– Publisher of the popular De Bellis AntiquitatisDe Bellis AntiquitatisDe Bellis Antiquitatis or DBA is a fast play set of rules for the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, particularly ancient and medieval wargaming in the period 3000 BC to 1485 AD. These rules allow entire armies to be represented by less than 50 figures. The rules also include a campaign...
(DBA), De Bellis Multitudinis (DBM) and De Bellis Renationis (DBR) rule sets for the ancient, medieval and renaissance periods. - Warhammer Historical WargamesWarhammer Historical WargamesWarhammer Historical Wargames, also known as Warhammer Historical, is the publisher of Warhammer Ancient Battles and other game systems. It is was imprint from the BL Publishing division of Games Workshop...
(a division of Games WorkshopGames WorkshopGames Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
) – Produce Warhammer Ancient BattlesWarhammer Ancient BattlesWarhammer Ancient Battles is a ruleset for miniatures wargames produced by Games Workshop's Warhammer Historical Wargames imprint...
(WAB), Warhammer English Civil War, Legends of the Old West and Warmaster Ancients. - Warhorse Simulations – Publisher of Empire and Automated Card Tracking System (ACTS).
- Wessex Games – historical and sci fi / fantasy rules including Air War C21, Strange Tydes, and Iron Cow
- Yaquinto PublicationsYaquinto PublicationsYaquinto Publications was the wargame publishing arm of the Robert Yaquinto Printing Company of Dallas, Texas. In March 1979 Robert Yaquinto hired Steve Peek and Craig Taylor, both experienced wargame designers with several famous titles in their resumes...
- Z&M Publishing Enterprises - Publisher of Angriff!Angriff!Angriff! is a miniatures wargame, perhaps the first ever published using scale model 1:285 scale micro armour. First published in 1968 and later revised and expanded in 1972 and 1982 by R. Zimmerman & D...
See also
Eagle Software: http://www.eagle-software.co.uk
25 years of development of the Follow The Eagle Computer moderated wargame systems. Developed specifically for Table top wargaming