''The Ythri'' is a

board wargame A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby (as distinct from military exercises, o ...

published by

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 invente ...

in 1975 that is based on the 1973 science fiction novel ''

The People of the Wind ''The People of the Wind'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Poul Anderson, first published in 1973. It was a 1974 nominee of the Nebula Award for Science Fiction. The novel is the last book in Anderson’s Polesotechnic League series ...

'' by

Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...

Background

In Anderson's novel, set on the planet Avalon, human settlers have, for many generations, lived in peace with the Ythri, an indigenous winged race. A Terran space fleet invades the planet, forcing the humans to choose between Ythri and Terrans.

Description

''The Ythri'' is a two-player wargame in which one player takes the role of the residents of Avalon, and the other controls the Terran space fleet. Play is divided between space combat using a space map, and land combat using the planetary map.

Components

The ziplock bag contains: *14" x 17" paper

hex grid A hex map, hex board, or hex grid is a game board design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into a hexagonal tiling, small regular hexagons of identical size. Advantages and disadvantages The primary advantage of a h ...

space map *17" x 18" paper hex grid map of Avalon *242 die-cut counters *rulebook *Combat Results Table

Publication history

In 1974, Howard Thompson designed a science fiction space combat game titled ''

Stellar Conquest ''Stellar Conquest'' is a science fiction board game designed by Howard M. Thompson that was published in 1974.Preface to the third printing, Stellar Conquest rule book, Howard Thompson, June 1978. It is a prototype of the 4X strategy game genre ...

'', and formed Metagaming Concepts to publish it. The following year, Metagaming acquired the game license for Poul Anderson's 1973 novel ''People of the Wind'', and Thompson designed ''The Ythri''. The first edition, packaged in a ziplock bag, featured a black & white sketch of space combat. In 1976, Metagaming released a second ziplock-bagged edition with slightly revised rules and full color artwork by Winchell Chung.

Reception

In 1976, reviews appeared in four consecutive issues of ''

The Space Gamer ''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...

'': * In Issue 5, Rick Mataka gave a positive review, saying, "''The Ythri'' is a game simulation I can recommend for any gamer. For the beginner this is a game that is easy to learn. For the Veteran it is a game that can be challenging." * In Issue 6, Norman Howe was also impressed, writing, "''The Ythri'' is a fine game, with great potential. It's one of the few I've seen which provides sufficient numbers of spare counters to work with. This versatility definitely outweighs any problems with the basic scenario." *In Issue 7, Tim Hawkinson noted some issues, but concluded, "All in all, playability is good. As the rules note, it is a good idea to make a few alterations with the rules to suit your taste. But basically, ''The Ythri'' provides a good scenario, and Metagaming Concepts should be commended for another great game." *In Issue 8, William Brogen gave a positive review, saying, "This is an innovative and mind-stretching game with a lot to offer, both as the basic game and as a base to build on." In his 1977 book ''

The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 1977 book by Nicholas Palmer about the hobby of board wargaming. Contents ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 223-page book about the hobby of wargaming for non-gamers and game ...

'', Nicholas Palmer thought that only Poul Anderson fans would be interested, calling this game a "lively, simple simulation ..mainly suitable for readers of nderson's novel"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ythri Board games introduced in 1975 Metagaming Concepts games