Gamemaster (board game series)
Encyclopedia
The Gamemaster Series of board games consists of five war simulation games created by the game company Milton Bradley
, beginning in 1984
with the introduction of the popular Axis & Allies board game. Of note is that none of the five games were developed "in-house"; all five games were published under smaller game publishers in the early 1980s in limited runs before their rights were acquired by Milton Bradley. Nevertheless, the games as released by Milton Bradley are considered to be the "first edition" of the games in this series.
The original Milton Bradley Gamemaster Series included:
The first three games were designed by Larry Harris
, while the last two were designed by Mike Gray
, though neither were credited for their creations until their subsequent re-releases. Of these five, Axis & Allies was the most successful, spawning several revised versions, spinoffs, and a related miniature game series
, though Conquest of the Empire and Shogun, also saw some success.
Though all five games were originally released under the Milton Bradley umbrella, by the 1990s Axis & Allies was the only game being continually updated. Hasbro
(parent company to Milton Bradley) moved Axis & Allies to its Avalon Hill
imprint (specializing in board wargame
s) in 1999, and Avalon Hill itself was made into a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast
, another Hasbro imprint (specializing in board games for a more dedicated "gamer" audience), in 2004. Axis & Allies was chosen as one of the three board games re-released to represent the 50th anniversary of Avalon Hill in 2008.
The rights to Axis & Allies, as well as three of the other four games in the series, is currently held by Avalon Hill; Conquest of the Empire was re-released by Eagle Games
in 2005 with updated rules. The only other game in the series to have seen re-release is Shogun, renamed to Samurai Swords in 1986 and Ikuza in 2011 to avoid naming conflicts with a myriad of other board games with the same name, under the Avalon Hill branding.
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
, beginning in 1984
1984 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1984. For video and console games, see 1984 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1984:...
with the introduction of the popular Axis & Allies board game. Of note is that none of the five games were developed "in-house"; all five games were published under smaller game publishers in the early 1980s in limited runs before their rights were acquired by Milton Bradley. Nevertheless, the games as released by Milton Bradley are considered to be the "first edition" of the games in this series.
The original Milton Bradley Gamemaster Series included:
- Axis & Allies (1984)
- Conquest of the EmpireConquest of the EmpireConquest of the Empire is a board game created in 1984 by Milton Bradley and re-released in the summer of 2005 by Eagle Games, designed by Glenn Drover. Part of the Gamemaster series, Conquest of the Empire is very similar to the popular Axis & Allies of the same series. That may be because it was...
(1984) - Broadsides and Boarding PartiesBroadsides and Boarding PartiesBroadsides and Boarding Parties is a board game published by Milton Bradley in 1984 as part of their Gamemaster series. It was the 3rd in the series of games that are all designed by Larry Harris...
(1984) - Fortress America (19861986 in gamesThis page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1986. For video and console games, see 1986 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1986:...
) - Shogun (1986)
The first three games were designed by Larry Harris
Larry Harris (game designer)
Larry Harris, Jr., is a game designer most famous for creating the board game Axis & Allies, as well as all of its sequels. His other significant games include Conquest of the Empire, Broadsides and Boarding Parties, LionHeart and more. He has also assisted in the further development of Trivial...
, while the last two were designed by Mike Gray
Mike Gray
Mike Gray is a writer, screenwriter, cinematographer, film producer and director.-Film and TV:Gray co-wrote the screenplay for the 1979 nuclear thriller The China Syndrome. Earlier in his career he directed and produced two documentaries on radical politics in Chicago, American Revolution 2 and...
, though neither were credited for their creations until their subsequent re-releases. Of these five, Axis & Allies was the most successful, spawning several revised versions, spinoffs, and a related miniature game series
Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry...
, though Conquest of the Empire and Shogun, also saw some success.
Though all five games were originally released under the Milton Bradley umbrella, by the 1990s Axis & Allies was the only game being continually updated. Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
(parent company to Milton Bradley) moved Axis & Allies to its Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
imprint (specializing in board wargame
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 hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
s) in 1999, and Avalon Hill itself was made into a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, another Hasbro imprint (specializing in board games for a more dedicated "gamer" audience), in 2004. Axis & Allies was chosen as one of the three board games re-released to represent the 50th anniversary of Avalon Hill in 2008.
The rights to Axis & Allies, as well as three of the other four games in the series, is currently held by Avalon Hill; Conquest of the Empire was re-released by Eagle Games
Eagle Games
-Background:Founded in 2001, the Eagle Games company is based in Plainfield, Illinois and was found by Glenn Drover.In 2007, the company was bought by Ashland, Oregon-based Gryphon Games. In 2010, the company produced 28 new board games designed principally by other gamers from around the world...
in 2005 with updated rules. The only other game in the series to have seen re-release is Shogun, renamed to Samurai Swords in 1986 and Ikuza in 2011 to avoid naming conflicts with a myriad of other board games with the same name, under the Avalon Hill branding.