HISTORY Of AVALON HILL 1986-1991 / The Story Of The AVALON HILL GAME COMPANY Part 7

Avalon Hill, after a big surge in the late 70s until the mid-80s was on a roll. But little did anyone know, the company would soon enter a decline that would eventually lead to the end of the company. In this episode, we explore the beginning of the end of Avalon Hill.
In case you missed it, here is a link to part 1:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
and Part 2:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
and Part 3:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
and Part 4:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
and Part 5:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
and Part 6:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
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#avalonhill

[@greyone40]

This a great historical series. Thanks for putting the time in to produce this!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you so much for saying so! It takes a lot of time researching, writing, and editing, but at the end of the day, it's a labor of love and I really appreciate the positive comments as they make it all worthwhile!

[@bobk4438]

I got Afrika Korps for Christmas over 50 years ago. Never looked back.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Afrika Korps was the 2nd Avalon Hill game I got - so many great memories!

[@terry7907]

Me, too. And Waterloo.

[@GrumblingGrognard]

I have been a huge fan of this company and its games since the mid 70s. These videos are greatness. :)

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you so much! It was a great company that made such great games!

[@meenki347]

Same.

[@michaelkoznarsky7911]

I’m looking forward to the final episode. It’s been cool to see the many titles of games that I owned at one time. This has been so much fun to listen to, Thanks very much.

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome! Thank you so much for watching, and for your kind words. I have the final episode almost written. I'm just trying to make sure to make it the best of the bunch!

[@akkvik]

Looking forward to this! Cool🎉

[@LegendaryTactics]

Awesome! I hope it lives up to your expectations!

[@stephenowen9382]

Fascinating - thank you. Reminds me of games I have forgotten I still have!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Hopefully you will get them to the table sometime soon, for old time's sake!

[@campbellmj9405]

Third Reich was my first AV game and first real war game--talk about jumping in the deep end. Great game and memories. Up Front is probably my favorite, but Starship Troopers is also great fun.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Those are some great games! Do they still get to the table sometimes?

[@campbellmj9405]

Sadly, just for admiration now, but there's always hope, right? A war gamer's endless quest...@@LegendaryTactics🙁

[@kencusick6311]

Was looking forward to this video. Loved EIA. My favorite game.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you for saying so! Did you ever play all 132 turns??

[@kencusick6311]

Only remember one game going to a decisive conclusion. It ended in 1812 by unanimous consent that France couldn’t be caught. Most games ended when we lost more than one player and a replacement player didn’t want to play the vacated country. We’d declare whoever was ahead the winner and start a new game.

[@chee-yanhiew485]

I and a group of friends did complete a whole 120 turn game of EiA 1796 variant from the General magazine. Took us about 18 months playing every 2-3 weeks, including a 6 week Christmas break. One of the best gaming experiences I have had. Lots of Diplomacy and at one time, a Spanish-Anglo-Russian-Turkish-Austrian alliance made Spain the dominant power depriving France of that status !

[@rhlm95]

I sure hope you do SPI next, then GDW, Yaquinto, Victory Games etc. I love this series

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you! I'll give you an early heads up - Victory Games history is coming very soon, as I had the chance to recently interview Mark Herman, who ran the company! Stay tuned!

[@saltytbone]

Turning Point Stalingrad was one of the first war games that I "got" as a kid where I actually understood the strategy involved and didn't just crunch numbers on the CRT and looking to just "kill" cardboard.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That is one that I have played before, way back when I was a teenager, but I haven't played since. I would love to try it again now that I have more experience.

[@josepha9313]

I was a newly minted airman living in a wooden barracks in 1984. Bought a C64 computer and ordered B-1 Nuclear Bomber and Nukewar from Avalon Hill. Very primitive days in computing back then, and a lot of competition. Today, can play solitaire some of the most complex games ever designed, and the computer takes care of everything. I still have my cardboard counter original AH games, but rarely take them out and play anymore. They are old friends that have, well, like me, simply gotten too old. Nice video, and are you taking this series up thru the demise of AH in the late 90s?

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, the final chapter has been mostly written. I need to put it all together, which should be soon. I was distracted by an episode I am nicknaming 7.5, where I was able to interview Mark Herman about the history of Victory Games, which will come out beforehand.

[@chillbossfanghorn6072]

Excellent!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@johncloptop1585]

Empires in Arms. Best game ever made. 🤔

[@LegendaryTactics]

If you have the time to play it! 🙂

[@adamwells9352]

Yes! So YOU are the other person who knows this. Been wondering.

[@aleks1939]

Great video, and you guys put a lot of effort into your research for this series. But the decline of AH is just too sad for me to watch all the way through 😢😬🤣

[@LegendaryTactics]

If this one is sad, wait until the next (last) chapter...

[@lucadonati3338]

Bel video! Complimenti!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Grazie mille!

[@rhlm95]

great job, thank you

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@dennissvitak5475]

At one time, I think I owned virtually every AH game ever made. Probably 1985 or so.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Wow! That would have been quite a collection by 1985! Do you still have some around?

[@jeffkouba6521]

nice... that was a fun era... I have Spices of the World, that's actually not a bad game...

[@LegendaryTactics]

I love that the player tokens have actual spices in them!

[@johnfrei9057]

Raid On St. Nazaire is a great game.

[@LegendaryTactics]

I remember being really intrigued by the looks of it, though I haven't played it

[@jefferyzimmerman6892]

It's disappointing that you did not give much comment to Napoleon's Battles, considering it's seen so much life and republication. It's currently on its 4th Edition through Capitain Games.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Sorry about that - there are so many games, I really only have enough space for a quick blurb on each. What do you like best about it?

[@jefferyzimmerman6892]

The game was one of the first to provide a grand tactical experience that was abstract enough that you could actually play a major battle in a day/weekend. Versions of Napoleonic games prior to this were too heavily detailed to make major battles playable or were so abstract it might as well have been a boars game. Napoleon's Battles struck a great balance between the two.

[@terry7907]

@@jefferyzimmerman6892depends on your definition of “playable”. I have been playing the La Bataille series since 1981.

[@rusty90272]

AH's computer games also were bug-ridden or unplayable.

[@LegendaryTactics]

A lot of them are available now online via emulators, and they all seem to be very unplayable, even by the standards of the day. It's hard to believe they staked the entire future of the company on them.

[@ColonelKurtz]

It would be great if there was a History of Avalon Hill playlist. I'm not sure why there is an individual playlist for so many different games. Seems kind of unnecessary.

[@Dell999950]

Great episode- 37:59 Ahhhh - those nibs.......

[@LegendaryTactics]

Haha, yep. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@rusty90272]

The simplistic "Smithsonian" games killed AH.

[@LegendaryTactics]

I think there were many factors at play. At least with the Smithsonian series, you can see what they were trying to do, which was to attract new gamers to the hobby.

[@StackingLimit]

What killed Avalon Hill was Monarch Press got a great offer for their computer games. Hasbro had no interest in even talking about publishing the back catalog of war games. No money in them. There were a lot more games than the Smithsonian series in that catalog.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, very true. And sadly, that is why there aren't very many Avalon Hill games being republished to this day. The hobby has moved on

[@befirmbefair6674]

This is an excellent video series. I, however, do not like the sop to political correctness in the phrase “the unpleasant theme” when describing New World. All historical simulations are essentially “unpleasant.” For example, how is Verdun less “unpleasant?” Players and designers are not making moral statements when they pick titles to play or design. If this track continues, playing the Germans during World War II will be considered morally unacceptable. The great loss of this crippled religion is its contradictory consequence of making “unpleasant history” forgotten.