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Avalon Hill set the stage for modern
recreational wargaming by making games that were graphically
attractive and of high quality, easy to learn, affordable, and could
be played in a single sitting. Many of today’s now conventional
concepts of board wargaming were introduced by Avalon Hill,
including the use of hexagonal grids, zones of control (ZOC),
stacking of multiple units, combat results tables (CRT), terrain
effects on movement, troop strength, morale, and board games based
upon historical events. More complex games could and did take days
or even weeks, and AH created a play by mail system to facilitate
long distance play.
In order to further bring the new board
wargamers together, Avalon Hill launched
The General, a
house organ,
in 1964. The magazine featured an opponent finder column, articles
on existing and upcoming Avalon Hill games, discussed tournaments
and other hobby events, and forged a sense of community.
Monarch Avalon Printing
As a way of combating accumulated debt,
Roberts allowed Avalon Hill to become a subsidiary of Monarch Avalon
Printing in 1962, a status it maintained until 1998. Avalon Hill
acquired the rights to the very first commercial board wargame with
a tactical theme, Tac Game 3, and reprinted it as
PanzerBlitz in 1970. The game was a departure from conventional
wargames to that point in time on many levels, introducing a
multiple scenario format, isomorphic mapboards, and open-ended
scenario creation abilities. Designer James F. Dunnigan had
meanwhile went on to acquire
Strategy & Tactics Magazine at
about the same time, and began what was to become their biggest
competitor: Simulations Publications, Inc.
Charles S. Roberts concentrated as much
on his non-military line, considering the game Management to be the
game of his own creation during his time with Avalon Hill as his
favourite. Other non-military titles were acquired through the
purchase of 3M’s titles in 1976, and Avalon Hill often acquired
games from smaller companies including Battleline Publications and
Jedko Games.
A brief flirtation with role playing
games produced no military titles, but early entries in the computer
gaming market did result in titles such as Close Assault, Under
Fire! and Tanktics. Early games were hybrids requiring
mapboards and counters, and later titles were standalones, but
almost all were crude even by the early industry standards of the
time.
Victory Games
In the wake of the buyout by TSR of SPI
in 1982 Avalon Hill acquired some of their design staff and formed
them into a subsidiary company called Victory
Games. SPI’s raison d’etre had been games that were more complex and
detailed than those generally found in the AH line, and Victory
Games followed suit. Amidst a string of successful operational-level
games came the tactical solitaire title Ambush! and a string of
sequels and companion games which were unique and very well
received. As VG staff left for other companies, they were not
replaced and the line slowly died, disbanding officially in 1989.
Tactical Titles
As far as tactical wargames go, Avalon
Hill is probably best known for introducing some of the most notable
titles in the history of that genre. These include the trilogy of
PanzerBlitz/Panzer Leader/Arab-Israeli Wars, Tobruk, and
Squad Leader. While Tobruk was quickly eclipsed a year
later by Squad Leader, it later rose in popularity by a
reboot at the hands of Raymond J. Tapio and Critical Hit. Squad
Leader, however, became a phenomenon, with three sequels, a
reboot as Advanced Squad Leader, and an incredibly successful
run that is still producing new and marketable products.
Hasbro
After costly legal missteps in 1997 and
1998, Monarch ended its direct participation in the games industry,
disbanding Avalon Hill in the summer of 1998. Hasbro Games purchased
the rights to the Avalon Hill titles and back inventory and the name
"Avalon Hill" for $6 million and published a select number of Avalon
Hill games while several individual titles were licensed to
interested publishers. The rights to Advanced Squad Leader
were licensed to Multi-Man Publishing.
Hasbro has also released new titles
under the Avalon Hill name in addition to rebranding older titles
such as Axis and Allies with the AH logo. The games published under
Hasbro ownership have been targeted for a wider general audience,
and are less hobbyist oriented than had been published previously.
In a sense, the brand has come full circle; titles in the 1960s were
marketed as non-specialist military-themed entertainment. Advanced
Squad Leader was about as far from that image as one could get.
Location
Avalon Hill moved its corporate offices
to 4517 Harford Road in Baltimore in the 1960s, while maintaining a
second address on Read Street where playtesting was conducted and
inventory maintained.
Avalon Hill is now a division of the
game company Wizards of the Coast, which is itself a subsidiary of
Hasbro.
References
Charles S. Roberts: The Founding
Father from the CSR Awards site.
The Complete Wargames Handbook Chapter 5: History of Wargames -
Into the 1980s
Tactical
Games Published by Avalon Hill
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