Avalon Hill
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Board games, Wargames, Role-playing games |
| Founded | 1952 in Catonsville, Maryland, United States |
| Founder | Charles S. Roberts |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Charles S. Roberts (founder), Thomas N. Shaw (game designer), Don Greenwood (joined 1972), Bruce Milligan (sports division leader) |
| Products | Wargames, strategic board games, miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games, sports simulation titles |
| Owner | Hasbro |
| Parent | Hasbro Gaming |
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a company focused on producing wargames and strategic board games, also offering miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games, and sports simulation titles. It functions as a subsidiary within Hasbro's "Hasbro Gaming" division.
The company is credited with introducing several foundational elements to modern recreational wargaming, including the use of hexagonal grids (hexmaps), zones of control (ZOC), unit stacking mechanics, and historically themed board games.
Origins as The Avalon Game Company
Established in 1952 by entrepreneur Charles S. Roberts in Catonsville, Maryland, Avalon Hill was initially known as "The Avalon Game Company." Its first release was Tactics, regarded as the first widely marketed wargame featuring a complete set of map, pieces, rules, and packaging. Prior to this, wargames were either non-commercial or relied on miniatures with custom-built terrain. Roberts sold Tactics through mail order from his residence overlooking the Patapsco River valley.
In 1958, following a dispute over the company name, Roberts incorporated under the name "Avalon Hill," inspired by his home's hilltop location. That same year saw the release of three games: Gettysburg, recognized as the inaugural historical battle simulation board game; Tactics II; and Dispatcher, a railroad-themed game. Between 1958 and 1964, the number of annual game releases ranged from one to seven.
By 1959, Avalon Hill relocated to office space in Baltimore and began publishing games designed externally, such as Verdict. In 1960, Thomas N. Shaw—a high school acquaintance of Roberts—joined as a game designer and developed a pioneering line of mostly dice-free sports games starting with Football Strategy, followed by Baseball Strategy and Basketball Strategy. Shaw had privately published these sports titles in 1959 before Avalon Hill's involvement.
The early 1960s recession brought financial strain. A failed venture into pre-school games in 1963 nearly bankrupted the company; creditors Monarch Office Services and J.E. Smith & Co. assumed control, restructured operations by retaining only Shaw on staff, and appointed J.E. Sparling as president. From 1964 onward, Avalon Hill adopted a strategy of releasing two games annually.
Expanding its catalog, Avalon Hill introduced abstract combat titles like Blitzkrieg (1965) alongside historically accurate battle simulations including Midway, Afrika Korps, and The Battle of the Bulge. In 1970, it published PanzerBlitz, designed by Jim Dunnigan's Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI), under a royalty agreement stemming from SPI's Tac Force 3.
Monarch Avalon division
Monarch acquired J.E. Smith & Co., co-owners of Avalon Hill, forming the Monarch Avalon division within Monarch Office Services.[1]p10 A new warehouse facility was established at 1501 Guilford Ave., Baltimore, supplementing the original location at 4517 Harford Road.[2] Don Greenwood joined the team in 1972.[2]
In February 1976, Monarch Avalon broadened its offerings by acquiring the 3M Games collection, which included titles such as Acquire, TwixT, and Feudal.[1]p5,12 Later that year, it purchased the Sports Illustrated game line and launched a dedicated sports game division in May 1977 under Bruce Milligan’s leadership; Milligan also initiated the publication of the All Star Replay magazine. In March 1977, Monarch Avalon further expanded by acquiring Aladdin Industries' game portfolio. Among these acquisitions, Facts in Five from the 3M line emerged as a significant bestseller.[1]p5,12
During the 1970s, Avalon Hill released several notable games including Outdoor Survival, Panzer Blitz, Squad Leader, the Statis Pro sports series, and Tobruk: Tank Battles in North Africa 1942.[3]
Monarch Avalon continued growth through acquiring smaller firms: Heritage Models sold Battleline Publications in October 1979, which added games like Wooden Ships and Iron Men, Machiavelli, and Diplomacy to its catalog. Additionally, it obtained Jedko Games' titles The Russian Campaign and War at Sea, along with Hartland Trefoil's board game Civilization (1980 board game). The internally developed railroad game 1830 gave rise to the successful 18XX series.
In 1983, Avalon Hill launched Gulf Strike, reflecting contemporary geopolitical tensions. Two years later in 1985 came the release of Dr. Ruth's Game of Good Sex, which initially matched sales success similar to that of Trivial Pursuit before experiencing a decline.[4]
By 1990, after enduring economic difficulties and three consecutive years of losses, Monarch Avalon shuttered its New York office, divested its toy division, and reduced inventory levels. Nevertheless, the timely launch of the Desert Shield expansion in October 1990 sold out swiftly and required a second printing by December.[5][6] By 1991, Monarch Avalon was sharing office space with Hobbycraft Canada.[7]
In an effort to strengthen community ties and market presence, Avalon Hill inaugurated the AvalonCon World Boardgaming Championships near Baltimore in 1991.[8]
Role-playing games
In 1974, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson collaboratively created a pioneering cooperative role-playing game. When Gygax proposed Dungeons & Dragons to Avalon Hill, the prominent wargaming company did not understand the concept and declined to publish it. Consequently, Gygax established TSR Inc to independently release the game, rapidly becoming the leading force in the RPG market within five years.
Avalon Hill ventured into the role-playing game sector about ten years later, introducing titles such as Powers and Perils (1983) and Lords of Creation (1984). Additionally, through a complex arrangement with Chaosium in 1983, Avalon Hill obtained licenses for RuneQuest and board games including White Bear & Red Moon (renamed Dragon Pass) and Elric, publishing the third edition of RuneQuest in 1984. Despite these initiatives, Avalon Hill's RPG offerings never achieved the same level of market penetration or acclaim as Dungeons & Dragons.
Video games
Avalon Hill initiated its Microcomputer Games division in 1980 to convert board games into digital formats for platforms such as the TRS-80, Vic-20, Commodore 64, and Apple II. While sales were generally modest, only Achtung Spitfire! attained significant success late in the company's lifecycle.
In December 1992, with board game sales declining, Avalon Hill appointed Jim Rose to rejuvenate its computer gaming branch. The company reentered the market in 1994 with Flight Commander 2, which garnered favorable reviews, and expanded into Pogs in 1995. However, Rose left by mid-1995 to establish TalonSoft. That year, Monarch Avalon briefly contemplated selling Avalon Hill but ultimately retracted the plan.
Despite renewed efforts focused on computer games, Avalon Hill's financial results did not improve; by late 1998, no title had surpassed global sales of 50,000 units, underscoring difficulties competing in the shifting gaming landscape.
Hasbro subsidiary
On August 4, 1998, Monarch sold Avalon Hill to Hasbro for $6 million. After acquisition, Hasbro dismissed all Avalon Hill employees and took ownership of trademarks, copyrights, inventory, manufacturing equipment, and divisions such as Avalon Hill Software and Victory Games. These assets were integrated into Hasbro's video game arm, Hasbro Interactive. Subsequently, Hasbro incorporated Avalon Hill Games, Inc.
In 2001, Hasbro Interactive was sold to Infogrames, but Avalon Hill was excluded from this transaction. In 2004, Hasbro transferred Avalon Hill under its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast. Under Hasbro’s stewardship, new products have been launched bearing the Avalon Hill label; additionally, older games like Axis and Allies, which were not originally Avalon Hill creations, have been rebranded under this imprint.
On September 8, 2020, Hasbro revealed plans to move management of Avalon Hill from Wizards of the Coast to Hasbro Gaming starting January 2021. This change aligns with Hasbro’s strategic goal to unify its board game brands and capitalize on Avalon Hill’s heritage within its broader gaming portfolio.
Game rights
Several complex game rights previously owned by Avalon Hill have either reverted to their original creators or been licensed or sold to other publishers:
- Multi-Man Publishing holds licenses for Advanced Squad Leader and the Great Campaigns of the American Civil War series and continues producing new releases.
- Valley Games has republished modernized editions of Titan, Hannibal: Rome versus Carthage, and Republic of Rome.
- GMT Games has issued updated versions of early Avalon Hill card-driven wargames including We the People (rebranded as Washington's War), Successors, and For the People, as well as A World at War, which follows on from Advanced Third Reich/Empire of the Rising Sun.
- Mayfair Games retains rights to 1830, part of their 18XX series portfolio.
Victory Games
Following the acquisition of assets from rival Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1982, Avalon Hill launched Victory Games by recruiting former SPI designers. Victory Games became known for producing intricate and highly regarded wargames that reflected the simulation approach characteristic of SPI.
In 1989, the team at Victory Games grew with the addition of Leonard Quam from West End Games and product developer Kevin Boylan. The subsidiary released several notable titles such as 3rd Fleet, 5th Fleet, and Carrier. After Quam left, the New York office was shut down in early 1991; Boylan finished Victory’s last projects, Flashpoint Golan and Across Five Aprils, collaborating remotely with Avalon Hill’s art department.
From 1983 to 1987, Victory Games also produced an officially licensed tabletop role-playing game based on the James Bond franchise titled James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service.
The General
Between 1964 and 1998, Avalon Hill published The General Magazine as a central tool for marketing and player engagement. This publication included strategic articles, game-specific tactics, historical insights, columns on sports and computer games, vendor advertisements, player rankings, discount offers, and previews of upcoming Avalon Hill releases, all contributing to expanding the company’s market influence.
All-Star Replay
Focused on Avalon Hill’s sports gaming audience, All-Star Replay was issued in 19 editions initially on a quarterly basis before switching to bi-monthly publication from 1977 through 1981. This magazine supported the company’s strategy of targeting niche segments within its market.
Heroes
Introduced in 1984 alongside the third edition of RuneQuest, HEROES magazine ran for ten issues until 1986. It acted as a promotional vehicle for Avalon Hill’s role-playing game lineup, including titles like James Bond 007, Lords of Creation, Powers and Perils, and RuneQuest, thereby boosting product awareness and customer interaction.
See also
External links
- The Avalon Hill Home Page at www.wizards.com
- Web-Grognards: Avalon Hill Ludography
- The Fall of Avalon Hill from GIS.net
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