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Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company's "Hasbro Gaming" division. Avalon Hill introduced many of the concepts of modern recreational wargaming, including the use of a hexagonal grid (a.k.a. hexgrid) overlaid on a flat folding board, zones of control (ZOC), stacking of multiple units at a location, and board games based upon historical events. History The Avalon Game Company Avalon Hill was started in 1952 outside Baltimore in Catonsville, Maryland, by Charles S. Roberts under the name of "The Avalon Game Company" for the publication of his game '' Tactics''. It is considered the first of a new type of war game, consisting of a self-contained printed map, pieces, rules and box designed for the mass-market. Other war games published over the prior half-century, from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Privately Held Company
A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose Stock, shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in their respective listed markets. Instead, the Private equity, company's stock is offered, owned, traded or exchanged privately, also known as "over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter". Related terms are unlisted organisation, unquoted company and private equity. Private companies are often less well-known than their public company, publicly traded counterparts but still have major importance in the world's economy. For example, in 2008, the 441 list of largest private non-governmental companies by revenue, largest private companies in the United States accounted for $1.8 trillion in revenues and employed 6.2 million people, according to ''Forbes''. In general, all companies that are not owned by the government are classified as private enterprises. This definition encompasses both publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Zone Of Control
In board wargames, a zone of control (ZOC) is the area directly adjacent to certain combat forces that affects the movement and actions of enemy combat units. In hexagonal tiled maps, a combat unit's zone of control is the six hexagons adjacent to the hexagon occupied by a unit. The effects of zones of control can vary significantly between different wargame rules. The most common effect is that moving combat units must stop when entering an enemy unit's zone of control. This type of zone of control is termed "rigid" zone of control. If movement is not stopped, but only prohibited when moving directly from one zone of control space to another, this is termed "semi-rigid". Rules that slow down (increase movement cost) instead of stopping movement are termed "fluid" or "elastic" zones of control. Rules that prohibit leaving are termed "locking" zones of control. Some zone of control rules require enemy units must be attacked. In some games, zones of control may be cancelled by ter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Jim Dunnigan
James F. Dunnigan (born August 8, 1943) is an author, military-political analyst, Defense and State Department consultant, and wargame designer currently living in New York City. Career Dunnigan was born in Rockland County, New York. After high school, he volunteered for the military instead of waiting to be drafted. From 1961 to 1964, he worked as a repair technician for the Sergeant ballistic missile; his service included a tour in Korea. Afterwards, he attended Pace University studying accounting, then transferred to Columbia University, graduating with a degree in history in 1970. In college he became involved in wargaming. He designed ''Jutland'', which Avalon Hill published in 1967, following it up with ''1914'' the next year, and '' PanzerBlitz'' in 1970, which eventually sold more than 300,000 copies. Meanwhile, Dunnigan had founded his own company, initially known as Poultron Press, and which was soon renamed to Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI). Dunnigan created S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
PanzerBlitz
''PanzerBlitz'' is a tactical wargames, tactical-scale board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1970 that simulates armored combat set on the Eastern Front (WWII), Eastern Front of World War II. The game, which was the most popular board wargame of the 1970s, is notable for being the first true board-based tactical-level, commercially available conflict simulation wargame. It also pioneered several concepts that would become industry standards. Description ''PanzerBlitz'' simulates clashes between Soviet and German forces at the level of company-sized infantry for Russian units, and platoon-sized infantry for German units, as well as individual mechanized or motorized vehicles. This scale of simulation was new to wargaming, since previous wargames had focused on larger units such as brigades, regiments, and divisions. Much of the strategy in ''PanzerBlitz'' derives from the rule allowing units to shoot or move, but not both, in a single turn. Additionally, the difficulty of out ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Battle Of The Bulge (1991 Game)
''Battle of the Bulge'' is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill (AH) in 1965 that simulates the World War II battle of the same name. General Anthony McAuliffe (ret.), who had been commanding officer at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, was a consultant during the game's development. The game proved popular and sold more than 120,000 copies, but was dogged by criticisms of historical inaccuracies, and was finally replaced by a completely new edition in 1981. A third edition in 1991 was released as part of the '' Smithsonian American History Series''. Background In December 1944, Allied intelligence believed that German forces were close to collapse and were incapable of mounting an attack. However, German forces surprised the Allies with a major offensive through the Ardennes that had the combined objectives of splitting the Allied forces in two, preventing the use of the port of Antwerp, and forcing the Allies to sue for peace. German forces managed to create a large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Afrika Korps (game)
''Afrika Korps'' is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1964 and re-released in 1965 and 1978 that simulates the North Africa Campaign during World War II. Background British forces had enjoyed a great degree of success against Italian forces in North Africa in 1941. That changed after the arrival of the Afrika Korps under the command of Erwin Rommel, who launched an offensive against the Allies, defeating them at Gazala in June 1942 and capturing Tobruk. The Axis advance was stopped in July 1942 only from Alexandria in the First Battle of El Alamein. At the end of August 1942, Axis forces attempted to turn the southern flank of the Allied defenses at the Battle of Alam el Halfa, but were unsuccessful. The Allies counterattacked in October 1942, decisively defeating the Italian-German army in the Second Battle of El Alamein. Description ''Afrika Korps'' is a two-player wargame in which one player controls the Allied forces and the other controls the Axis forces. Comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Midway (1964 Game)
''Midway'' is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1964 that simulates the Battle of Midway during World War II. Background Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan looked to extend its defensive perimeter by attacking and occupying the U.S. base on Midway Atoll. To do this, the Japanese navy sent a strong fleet of four aircraft carriers, two battleships and a variety of smaller craft, hoping to lure the American fleet into a trap. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, cryptographers had broken their fleet code and knew about the attack. Both forces sent aircraft to scout for the enemy fleet's position, but it was American airplanes that found the Japanese fleet first. In a series of devastating torpedo and dive bomb attacks, American airplanes sunk all four aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser, suffering a loss of one aircraft carrier themselves. It was a pivotal battle in the Pacific war, causing losses Japan would not be able to replace, and giving momentum and confid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Blitzkrieg (game)
''Blitzkrieg'' is a strategic-level wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1965 that simulates a non-historical attack by one major power against another using the blitzkrieg strategy. It was the first commercial wargame that did not simulate an actual historical battle, and with almost 400 counters, it was a precursor to the "monster" wargames of the 1970s featuring more than a thousand counters. Description ''Blitzkrieg'' is a two-player wargame simulating military technology used at the end of World War II. The game uses a large hex grid map of a fictional continent dominated by the major powers "Big Red" and "Great Blue", with several neutral counties separating them. ''Blitzkrieg'' was innovative in several respects, including being the first commercial wargame to offer partial eliminations as a combat result, and also the first that did not simulate a specific historical battle. Game historian Harry Lowood noted that "Players intrigued by the unprecedented array of milita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
The General (magazine)
''The General'' (1964–1998) was a bi-monthly periodical devoted to supporting Avalon Hill's line of wargames, with articles on game tactics, history, and industry news. It was the first professionally produced wargaming magazine for the nascent cardboard and hex-map wargaming hobby. Over the years the magazine was variously called ''The Avalon Hill General'', ''Avalon Hill's General'', ''The General Magazine'', or simply ''General''. It was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. With the sale of Avalon Hill to Hasbro in 1998 the magazine ceased. Its unofficial heir was '' Operations Magazine'' published by Multi-Man Publishing to support the line of Avalon Hill games that remained in print, but that too went out of print in 2010, replaced by '' Special Ops'' magazine in 2011. History When the first issue was published, wargaming in the modern recreational sense was still in its infancy, and The Avalon Hill Game Company had been producing wargames for a mass market for only five ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Gettysburg (game)
''Gettysburg'' is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill in 1958 that re-enacts the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. The game rules were groundbreaking in several respects, and the game, revised several times, was a bestseller for Avalon Hill for several decades. History ''Gettysburg'' was originally published in 1958, and was the first board wargame based on a historical battle. ''Gettysburg'' has game mechanics similar to Avalon Hill's ground-breaking '' Tactics II'' (1958). In particular, the combat results table favors attacking where one has a local superiority of numbers. Unlike ''Tactics II'', ''Gettysburg'' gives each unit an orientation, and an attacker can improve his odds by attacking a defender from the side or from the rear. The defender, meanwhile, can improve his odds by entrenching himself atop a hill. Charles S. Roberts, the founder of Avalon Hill, made the following comment about the game in 1983: In its original form, ''Gettysburg'' played ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
B&O Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessie System. Its lines are today controlled by CSX Transportation. Founded to serve merchants from Baltimore who wanted to do business with settlers crossing the Appalachian Mountains, the railroad competed with several existing and proposed turnpikes and canals, including the Erie and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The railroad began operation in 1830 on a 13-mile line between Baltimore and Elliot's Mill in Maryland. Horse-drawn cars were replaced by steam locomotives the following year. Over the following decades, construction continued westward. During the American Civil War, the railroad sustained much damage but proved crucial to the Union victory. After the war, the B&O consolidated several feeder lines in Virginia and West Virginia, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howard County, Maryland. The name "Patapsco" is derived from the Eastern Algonquian languages, Algonquian ''pota-psk-ut'', which translates to "backwater" or "tide covered with froth". History John Smith of Jamestown, Captain John Smith was the first European to explore the river, noting it on his 1612 map as the Bolus River. The "Red river", named after the clay color, is considered the "old Bolus", as other branches were also labeled Bolus on maps. As the river was not navigable beyond Elkridge, it was not a significant path of commerce; in 1723, only one ship was listed as serving the northern branch, and four others operating around the mouth. The first land record regarding Parr's Springs, the source of the South Branch, dates from 1744, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
