Tactics (game)

''Tactics'' is a board wargame published in 1954. Primitive by modern standards, it was nonetheless the birth of modern wargaming for the commercial market, and generally credited as being the first commercially successful printed (ie. board) wargame.

History

''Tactics'' was designed by Charles S. Roberts in 1953, and self-published in 1954 under the company name of The Avalon Game Company. Roberts sold the game on a mail order basis from his home in Catonsville (outside Baltimore) for the next six years, selling 2,000 copies and barely breaking even. The design was similar to other wargames published in England and elsewhere over the previous half-century. It was unique as a self-contained printed product for the commercial market not requiring miniatures or building a map.

''Tactics II'' is a revised version published by Avalon Hill in 1958, then reissued in 1961 and 1973. It is nearly identical in all respects, albeit with a slightly revised map and more detailed unit counters. In 1972, the game was discontinued due to rising costs, but was redesigned in 1973 with less costly components and used as a loss leader as it was an introductory wargame. In 1983, Avalon Hill released a 25th anniversary edition of the original ''Tactics'', although with a different (new) map.

Play

''Tactics'' pioneered many game mechanics which became standard in the board wargame industry, including the odds-ratio combat results table and variable movement costs for entering squares (later hexes) containing different types of terrain. It also evolved the use of cardboard counters which had been previously introduced with the 1911 " invasion literature" genre game '' War Tactics or Can Great Britain Be Invaded?''.''War Tactics or Can Great Britain Be Invaded?''
at the Imperial War Museum Pieces include the armored units, headquarters units, regular infantry units, and specialized units consisting of mountaineers, paratroopers, and amphibious units.

Reception

In his 1977 book '' The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'', Nicholas Palmer called ''Tactics II'' a "Respectable but dull abstract introductory game ..readers of this book looking for an easy starting game would probably enjoy a simulation of an actual battle more."

In ''The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training'', Martin Campion noted that this game was one of the two original commercial wargames, "and many old-timers have a soft spot in their hearts for it." He also commented that "It is sometimes recommended as an introductory game and in fact has served that function for many wargamers, but it has a square grid that makes its geography somewhat different from that of the now standard hexagon grid board." Campion concluded, "It has little historical interest because its representation of World War II conditions is so oversimplified."

References

External links

*
Tactics II (1963 version)

{{Italic title
American board games
Avalon Hill games
Board games introduced in 1954
Board wargames
Charles S. Roberts games