''Operations'' was

Multi-Man Publishing Multi-Man Publishing, LLC ("MMP"), founded in 1994, is a Maryland based game company that publishes many wargame titles, including '' Advanced Squad Leader'' and Operational Combat Series. History Multi-Man Publishing (MMP) was founded in 1994 ...

house organ A house organ (also variously known an in-house magazine, in-house publication, house journal, shop paper, plant paper, or employee magazine) is a magazine or periodical published by a company or organization for its customers, employees, union ...

for articles and discussion about its

wargaming A normal wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to st ...

products, published from 1991 to 2010. The stated aim of Multi-Man Publishing was to have ''Operations'' be to their line of games what '' The General'' was to

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 compan ...

's line of products. It was published from 1991 to 2010, when it was replaced by a new magazine called ''

Special Ops Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

''.

History

The first issue of ''Operations'' was published in the summer of 1991 by The Gamers and was printed regularly, until The Gamers were taken over by MMP. The magazine was produced quarterly, until Issue 42, when production slowed to semi-regular status with only one issue being produced in 2003, and two issues a year in 2004 and 2005. Bruce Monnin, founder of ''The Boardgamer'' magazine, became editor of ''Operations'' beginning with the Fall 2004 edition (issue 46). ''The Boardgamer'' was founded in 1995 to support the old Avalon Hill games and was published from 1996 to 2004. The last issue of ''Operations'' was #53 in the Fall of 2008, but there were also three ''Special Operations'' issues published yearly in 2008-2010 that had additional content such as full games, maps and counters. In Summer 2011 MMP published the first issue of its new "house organ" called ''Special Ops''.

Issues

The magazine published quarterly beginning in 1991. By 2001, the printing schedule became extremely irregular, and output fell from four issues a year, to as little as one. The final issue, number 53, was published in 2010. Three "special editions" were published as summer issues in consecutive years in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Awards

''Operations'' was nominated in the "Best Professional Wargame Magazine" category of the

Charles S. Roberts Award The Charles S. Roberts Awards (or CSR Awards) is an annual award for excellence in manual, tabletop games, with a focus on "conflict simulations", which includes simulations of non-military as well as military conflicts. From its founding in 1975 ...

(CSR) nine years in a row from 1992 to 2000, and again in 2005, but never won. It did win other CSR awards for best articles and games. The game "Iwo Jima: Rage Against the Marines", published in ''Special Operations'', won the

in 2008.

References

{{WargameMag 1991 establishments in Maryland 2010 disestablishments in Maryland Quarterly magazines published in the United States Annual magazines published in the United States Biannual magazines published in the United States Defunct game magazines published in the United States House organs Magazines established in 1991 Magazines disestablished in 2010 Magazines published in Maryland Defunct wargaming magazines