Metagaming Concepts

Metagaming Concepts, later known simply as Metagaming, was a company that published board games from 1974 to 1983. It was founded and owned by Howard Thompson, who designed the company's first game, ''Stellar Conquest''. The company also invented Microgames and published Steve Jackson's first designs, including ''Ogre'', '' G.E.V.'' and ''The Fantasy Trip''.

History

The company's first product, released in 1974, was ''Stellar Conquest'', which had been rejected by Avalon Hill in 1973.
Many of Metagaming's notable titles were also science fiction wargames, including ''Ogre'', '' G.E.V.'', and '' WarpWar''.

In 1975, Metagaming started ''The Space Gamer'' as a quarterly house magazine. By its 17th issue, ''TSG'' was a full size bimonthly magazine, printed on slick paper and covering games from other publishers, including fantasy games.

Thompson and Metagaming pioneered the idea of publishing small, low-cost games in what came to be known as the MicroGame format. For a while, Metagaming dominated this niche wargaming market. Notable MicroGames from Metagaming include ''WarpWar'' (designed by Thompson himself), ''Ogre'', ''G.E.V.'', ''Melee'', '' Wizard'' (all designed by Steve Jackson), and ''Hitler's War''.

Following the success of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', Thompson had Steve Jackson design ''Melee'' (1977) and ''Wizard'' (1978) as the combat and magic systems for a fantasy role-playing game named ''The Fantasy Trip''. TFT was released in 1980 as three books: '' In the Labyrinth: Game Masters' Campaign and Adventure Guide'', ''Advanced Melee'', and ''Advanced Wizard''. Thompson was unhappy with Jackson's work on ''TFT'',
which presumably contributed to Jackson's departure from Metagaming later in 1980. Jackson bought ''The Space Gamer'' when he left; after a legal dispute, Metagaming conceded that they had also sold ''Ogre'', ''G.E.V.'' and an unreleased MicroGame called ''One-Page Bulge'' to Jackson.

In the early 1980s, Metagaming published a series of modules for ''TFT'' in MicroGame format, as well as other MicroGames, some with historical themes, including ''Hitler's War''. The company launched another magazine, ''Interplay'', which was a house organ intended to be published six times a year. It ran for eight issues before the company disbanded. The first issue of ''Interplay'' was dated May/June 1981, and the eighth was dated September/October 1982.

In 1981, the company published ''A Fistful of Turkeys'', which is a game that simulates the struggle between turkeys and a deranged turkey hunter, Billy Jackal. Tom Gordon reviewed ''A Fistful of Turkeys'' in ''The Space Gamer'' No. 41. Gordon commented that "All in all I feel that this game is not even fit for a beer and pretzel game. It possesses nothing unique or worth he price It is, however, a real 'turkey' game." "Sahm Reviews" thought that the touches of parody were more interesting than the game: "a bogus author introduction, an angry letter from a customer, a fictional game list, silly versions of major game company logos, and the manner in which “Some Turkey Games” is printed at the bottom of the cover (copying the style used on the early teve Jackson Gamesgames)."

On 1 January 1982, Thompson created Games Research Group, Inc., a spin-off from Metagaming.
The Games Research Group, Inc. copyright appears on several Metagaming-released products, such as the counters of the MicroGame ''Dragons of the Underearth''.

Thompson closed down Metagaming in April 1983 and disappeared from the gaming hobby, leaving most of Metagaming's intellectual property in limbo.

On December 26, 2017, Steve Jackson announced that he had re-acquired the rights for the remaining products he authored for Metagaming, specifically ''Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test 2, Advanced Melee, Advanced Wizard, In the Labyrinth,'' and ''Tollenkar's Lair''. This was accomplished through the provisions of 17 U.S. Code § 203, which allows authors to reclaim works after 35 years.

Personnel

Notable game designers who worked for Metagaming include Jackson, Lynn Willis and Keith Gross. Ben Ostrander, who was later the publisher of Mojo Press, served as the art director for most of the company's titles.

References

External links

List of titles published by Metagaming
*{{bgg publisher, 356

of some Metagaming microgames


Game manufacturers
Wargame companies