|
Year |
Event |
Significance |
|
1958 |
Tactics II published, The Avalon Hill Game Company founded |
The first commercial board wargaming company kicks off the modern
era. Despite the name, Tactics II is not a tactical game but
an operational level one. |
| 1964 |
The General founded by
Avalon Hill |
The first
house organ of the industry
established. |
| 1967 |
Strategy &Tactics founded by Chris Wagner |
Would become a major player in the commercial wargaming industry. |
| 1969 |
Strategy &Tactics purchased by
Jim Dunnigan, Simulations
Publications, Inc. founded. |
Beginning with Issue No. 18, a new wargame was released to the
community every 8 weeks; a huge change from Avalon Hill's previous
schedule of two wargame titles every three years. |
| 1969 |
Tac Game 3 published |
The first commercial board wargame to feature modern ground tactical
combat. |
| 1970 |
PanzerBlitz published by
Avalon Hill |
Isomorphic map boards introduced in
this open-ended wargame, originally conceived as Tac Game 3. |
| 1971 |
Grunt published in
Strategy &Tactics |
First squad-based tactical wargame ever published. |
| 1972 |
Combat
Command and
Red
Star/White Star published by SPI. |
The first "series"
of tactical wargames, both later developments of PanzerBlitz,
though with a change in scale. Was not successful, and ultimately
replaced. Avalon Hill also later developed a more successful series
of games based on PB with Panzer Leader and Arab-Israeli
Wars. |
| 1973 |
Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) founded |
An early company devoted to miniatures, and later a force in
wargaming and RPGs. |
| 1974 |
Dungeons & Dragons first published by TSR |
The start of the role playing game phenomenon. |
| 1976 |
Tobruk debuts, published by
Avalon Hill |
Hal Hock's game of tank battles would be overshadowed the next year
by Squad Leader, but become a serious competitor when
reshaped into the Advanced Tobruk System much later. |
| 1977 |
Squad Leader debuts, published by
Avalon Hill |
Squad Leader/ASL went on to become the best selling tactical
wargame series ever. Despite the name, Squad Leader is not a
man-to-man game, but a squad-based company-level game. |
| 1977 |
Cross of Iron
debuts, published by
Avalon Hill |
Described at the time as "one of the
best combined arms representations available from either a boardgame
or miniatures approach", COI also introduced the concept of
multiple-module games previously proven successful in such fare as
Dungeons & Dragons to tactical wargaming. |
| 1982 |
SPI folds, Victory Games created |
TSR Hobbies, Inc. picked up some of the SPI properties while some
staffers formed Victory Games, a subsidiary of Avalon Hill.
Innovative tactical games such as the Ambush! series
resulted. |
| 1983 |
TSR Hobbies, Inc. splits |
Four successors result, the main being TSR, Inc. Changes in fortune
lead to decline and sale in 1997. |
| 1985 |
Advanced Squad Leader debuts |
A
reboot of the basic Squad Leader system into a module
series, issued with a unique loose-leaf rulebook format. |
| 1989 |
Bloody 110 debuts |
The first of an eventual series by The Gamers of
platoon-based games in its Tactical Combat Series. |
| 1989 |
M-1 Tank Platoon debuts for the PC |
Microprose offers a glimpse of the future with a hybrid 2-D tactical
game and 3-D vehicle simulation. |
| 1991 |
Decision Games acquires
Strategy &
Tactics |
Major realignment of ownership of
the leading wargaming magazines, putting S&T, F&M and
Moves under the same publisher. S&T and SPI had pioneered
tactical level games; not one tactical title in either boxed or
magazine form would be released by Decision Games. |
| 1995 |
Steel Panthers debuts for the PC |
The first of a series of successful turn-based tactical games on the
computer. |
| 1996 |
Close Combat debuts for the PC |
Real Time infantry simulations take a step forward and the first
title of a successful series; original plans to be an official
ASL translation fall through however. |
| 1997 |
TSR sold to Wizards of the Coast |
TSR had produced a handful of tactical wargames during its decline. |
| 1998 |
Avalon Hill folds |
The General stopped publication; Hasbro bought the rights to
the line of games. Multi-Man Publishing obtained a license to
produce ASL products. |
| 2000 |
Combat Mission debuts |
Combat Mission became a contender for the best selling PC
tactical wargame series, original plans to be an official ASL
translation fall through however. |
| 2000 |
Avalon Hill's Squad Leader debuts for the PC |
Perhaps the most cynical and egregious abuse of a brand name ever. |
