The Boardgamer was a magazine founded by Bruce Monnin after Avalon Hill was bought out by Hasbro and the future of their games was in doubt. The intention was to continue support for Avalon Hill products in the same way The General had, as well as (according to Monnin in issue 46 of Operations Magazine), any games contested at the World Boardgaming Championships.

The Boardgamer never achieved high circulation and boasted only 200 subscribers although it did manage to survive for nine years. The magazine also lacked color and professional graphics. Monnin went on to become editor of Operations beginning with the Fall 2004 edition (issue 46). The stated aim of Multi-Man Publishing was to have Operations be to their line of games what The General was to Avalon Hill's line of products.

A special preview issue was published in August 1995, the cover of which is illustrated at right. Monnin's introduction described his intent in full:

So, why another magazine devoted to coverage of Avalon Hill games. Don’t we already have The GENERAL?
 

This publication will never match The GENERAL for coverage of new game releases, first looks at new games or computer game coverage. In fact, it will never even try. The BOARDGAMER is for coverage of those games which no longer grace the pages of The GENERAL with any regularity. Being independent from Avalon Hill, there is no need to concentrate on current “best selling” titles or new titles which need a little advertising. The goal of The BOARDGAMER is to cover the games which people play, regardless of their current sales status.

I hope to deliver coverage of a great variety of games in each issue. I see no reason why articles on Advanced Squad Leader, March Madness, Advanced Third Reich, Title Bout, Blitzkrieg and Wooden Ships & Iron Men could not reside in the same issue.

I also plan to promote other valuable aspects of the hobby. You will notice the advertisement for AHIKS on page 11. AHIKS is an organization which specializes in play by mail (and e-mail) of boardgames. It is especially valuable for someone like myself who does most of his gaming by mail and e-mail due to a lack of local face to face opponents and because I find it easier to fit in many one hour time blocks for my gaming than it would be to devote 4-6 hours at a time. There are also lists of specific game AREA ratings and an article detailing

These features will also continue in the future. Finally, I plan to have as extensive as possible Avaloncon coverage on these pages. I hope to not only have an overview of the whole convention, but also in depth accounts of specific tournaments. Look for 1995 coverage in the January 1996 issue.

One of the goals of this magazine will be to provide references for new players to quickly become competitive in a game and for more veteran players to pick up a few useful tips. My father used to say that anything worth doing is worth doing right (actually I think he stole that quote). My personal corollary is that any game worth playing is worth playing well. If this magazine can help improve anyone’s play of or appreciation for these games, then it has accomplished one of its missions.

Of course, to make this vision of mine a reality, I will have to rely on you, the readership. Plans are to expand the length of this magazine to around 32 pages, depending on the number of subscribers and the amount of material received. I will need plenty of quality articles to choose from, and will need your feedback as to the type of games you wish to see covered. It is easy to complain about the lack of coverage for a particular game, here is your chance to do something about it.