HISTORY Of AVALON HILL / ORIGINS 1952-1963 / The Story Of The AVALON HILL GAME COMPANY

The Avalon Hill Game Company is 70 years old this year, so what better time to chronicle the history of Avalon Hill. In Part 1, Origins, we will look at the story of not only the establishment of a game company, but an industry and a hobby.
Here is a link to part 2:
• HISTORY Of AVALON HILL...
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[@rags417]

I started with Tactics II in 1974 before moving on to Panzer Blitz and Third Reich in 1975. I still play and collect wargames, it has been one of the big loves of my life for almost 50 years now !

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's awesome!

[@johanvangijsegem9620]

Avalon Hill was the wargame giant when i came in the hobby ... TSR was the RPG giant ... one digested by WOTC, the other digested by Hasbro, WOTC then digested itself by Hasbro ... I have a feeling that an independent AH would be more fun at the moment

[@LegendaryTactics]

It would! GMT seems to be the successor, although there are other companies out there that put out some great games in the Avalon Hill tradition!

[@michaelmelen9062]

A few pronunciation corrections: CAY tons ville, fay YET, mick Yool (RIP Mick!). It was fun to see these again. I owned all of the war games shown except Bismarck, starting from Tactics II & Gettysburg '58 (with those OP counters). I met Mick Uhl & Alan Moon in 1976 at the HQ on Read & St Paul Sts in Baltimore, with Mick working on Gettysburg '77. Thanks for uploading this!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you for that - I had no independent way of confirming those! I will definitely correct them going forward in Part 2 and beyond... Thanks for watching!

[@neighborhoodpranksters6214]

I am going down a rabbit hole of Avalon Hill games right now. Today I discovered Rail Baron, and being a huge diplomacy fan, learning that all these fantastic games are interconnected is amazing to me.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, over a 46 year history! Lots of games to try and to explore!

[@patrickcloutier6801]

The first wargame I purchased was SPI's "World War 3", but the first game that kept my interest was Avalon HIll's "Russian Campaign", followed by the purchase of "Afrika Korps". Money well-spent and I credit the hobby with keeping me away from the narcotics that were readily available in the neighborhood.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Board games are a much better addiction, though sometimes a bit expensive! Glad to hear it got you through a tough time.

[@tgurlamber5874]

Tactics 2 was my very first AH game. My father bought it for me as a Xmas gift. I loved strategy games and this was unbelievable. Gettysburg, Amoeba Wars, and Panzer Blitz(???) Were my games

[@LegendaryTactics]

Nice! And if you had to rank them, which would be the best?

[@tgurlamber5874]

@@LegendaryTactics Amoeba wars

[@TheGreat2]

@@tgurlamber5874 Interesting!

[@rugbynorm291]

I recently purchased a copy of a number of Squad Leader games. The games (in theory) were used by play testers for the Game developer Hill. They have extra characters in them. The sale was through an estate sale. I really appreciated the honor of the purchase from a group a friends who played as a group for many years.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's a great story!

[@rugbynorm291]

@@LegendaryTactics The handwritten letter which explained this came with the gaming material from the Ebay sale and was both unexpected and humbly appreciated

[@TheGreat2]

@@rugbynorm291 Wow, that's great!

[@tharkwarrior]

I have owned and tried many AH games over the years. The ones still on my shelf are Panzer Blitz, Starship Troopers, and Dune. We played a lot of Civilization but I sold it off years ago. Though interesting, it took too long to play and I knew we would never play it again.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, that's unfortunately the sad realization that we all come to. Not enough time and too many games!

[@jamesellis4664]

This video takes me back. I started my life long love of war games around 1976 when I found Battle of the Bulge in Doug's hobby shop in Waldorf Md. Have been at it ever since. Thanks Avalon Hill.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, they were great! Thank you for watching!

[@uncleeric3317]

My first AH game was Assault on Crete. I bought it when I was 12 with some Christmas money in 1978 at Toys r Us. I had no idea AH existed or anything about the hobby itself, but I was playing Risk a lot at the time and I had an interest in WW2. When I saw the game box on the shelf and read the back description, I knew I had found something special. Admittedly not the best game to serve as an introduction to the hobby, but nevertheless I was hooked for life. You never forget your first time.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Ha ha, very true. I think if wargaming is really for you, it won't matter what game you start with!

[@agilemonk6305]

Thank you all so much for doing this.

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome! Thank you so much for watching!

[@cbearabc]

Avalon Hill wow, takes me back to 1959 and my oldest brother bought me a Christmas gift, he said it was for me, but now I know he got it was for himself? I was all of eight-years-old, but he would teach me how to play Gettysburg. My oldest brother was 12 year older than me? But we became old game buddies for next 8 years and many games later and became good friends too. Nice side effect! 😎 I am 71 now and still gaming.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's great! A lifetime of great memories!

[@agilemonk6305]

Absolutely fantastic video.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you so much for saying so, and for watching!

[@josepha9313]

Mostly started accumulating these games when I was 12 or 13. Too soon to really get thru the rules and not many kids wanted to play these. I kept them on a shelf, Stalingrad and D-Day, Gettysburg. When I pulled them out again around age 17 they made more sense to me. I continued playing into my 20s. PanzerBlitz and Squad Leader became my favorites. I probably owned close to 40 titles and a lot of spare parts plus a few copies of The General and then everything was left behind in a divorce. Why does life have to be so harsh.

[@LegendaryTactics]

I'm sorry to hear that you couldn't hang on to them, but it sounds like you had a lot of fun when they were around

[@thomasmurray3920]

Waterloo was my first war game. After a couple plays, I broke the code that enabled me to win as Napoleon every time taking advantage of the rule that Napoleon wins by delaying the link to between the British and Prussians and the rule concerning units in contact with the enemy.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, the early games did have their flaws, and were sometimes "solved" - but keep playing it, as you may find an opponent that has a perfect counter to your strategy!

[@Chrisrob90406]

Wow, a fantastic orgins story of Avalon Hill. I love how you show each individual game at the start of the company and the hobby. So many of these titles were still for sale in traditional hobby/game stores the mid-1970's when I started (or I would stare at in brochures and imagine playing). The video brings back some of that early emotion & desire I had as a kid looking through the store window.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing, and for watching!

[@itiswho2]

Always wondered what AH was about when I got a copy of Axis and Allies last year. Thanks for making this and I will be looking for part 2.

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome! Part 2 will be done soon! Stay tuned!

[@jwbjpb1338]

I started playing AvalonHill games in the early 1970s and started with Panzer Blitz and D-Day and then bought a LOT of the games. I spent a lot of hours as a kid having great time with these games even if I did not always play them correctly as I read the rules.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Great! It sounds like you have a lot of nice memories of them!

[@jwbjpb1338]

@@LegendaryTactics I still have 25-30 of those games to this day. I remember as a teenager and college student playing them and we would "bend the rules" often after reading them and trying to make heads/tails out of them sometimes. LOL.

[@ScottPalmer-mp1we]

This is a delightful, well presented video. For a long time, I didn't know there were any war game companies other than AH! My brother and I started with Stalingrad and Panzerblitz in the mid-70s and then went on to to others. I introduced a number of AH titles and other wargames to my own boys. We also played a lot of economic games and some sports games.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Glad you liked it! Don't forget to check out part 2 (and beyond) here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIuXeJeVn7B8mcUsi=W9jv7QSkvYudkd9s

[@Nappy1One]

Bulge was the first AH game I played. A friend of mine had it. The year was 1964, fixed in my memory as my friend chided me for being too young, at 9 years old, to play a game clearly labeled for ages 10 and up. By Christmas that year, I was ten and had a copy of my own. Thanks "Santa". I have been gaming ever since. At one point I play tested Panzer Blitz, or Panzer Bush as some name it. Now days gaming for me is all via computer with people who never experienced the rigor of shoving cardboard about a hex grid and calculating odds. I've heard bits and pieces of the AH story over the years. This presentation is the most comprehensive and complete I have seen in one place.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your memories. I could not come across a definitive history of the company, so that's what I'm endeavoring to do!

[@allanfifield8256]

"I play tested Panzer Blitz, or Panzer Bush..." I remember the initial excitement of THE EASTERN FRONT replaced by the realization that dashing across open ground immune from enemy fire from tree to tree was the blitz to success. I think they tried to fix that with rule revisions but I had drifted out of the hobby by then. It was either the hobby or graduate school. I'm sure I'm not the only one who had to make that choice. Also almost overnight everyone I knew was playing D & D (which I never played.)

[@darrellhanning5068]

AH's Battle of the Bulge was not released until late 1965. I know this, because it was timed by AH to be released in conjunction with the 1965 movie by the same name, starring Henry Fonda. My best friend at that time received a copy of the game for Christmas of '65, and we played it for the first time just days after that.

[@18xxtraining625]

This is a great historic video. Brings back a lot of my gaming experiences in the 70s!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Glad it brought back some memories! Thanks for watching!

[@Phillybrarian]

The company that introduced me to wargames and sustained a lifelong passion for the hobby. When the company got bought out by Hasbro, I stopped buying games for a long time. Thanks for a concise and thorough history!

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome! Stay tuned for part 2!

[@TheGregoryodd]

Great video and a much needed history for a pivotal company who’s reach extends far beyond the hobby, I’d say. Even just noting how much the games cost then and putting it in todays dollar values is interesting.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, I am far from a documentary filmmaker, but I felt that the history of this great company was underserved. So I'm doing my best to bring it to life!

[@kirksellman1999]

Very interesting history of AH. This is all new information for me. Thanks for making it.

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@naslan]

Love it. Good stuff. Wow, I miss them.

[@LegendaryTactics]

We all miss them!

[@vstar7196]

You missed the boat. Early in the 1940’s the Japanese Imperial Navy was very big on war games. Very comprehensive rules and judges standing by to determine outcomes.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, the military has probably used wargames for centuries in one form or another. Even training exercises might be viewed as such

[@michaelholmes7147]

This is an amazingly well done video documentary on the early years of Avalon Hill. I can’t wait for part 2.

[@LegendaryTactics]

It's coming soon! The research takes a little while, and I want to make sure it's interesting and accurate! Thanks for watching!

[@kencusick6311]

First game was D-Day. Eventually developed the perfect German strategy to defeat a Normandy/Brittany or Bay of Biscay invasion. Forcing the Allied player to try Pas de Calais or North Sea invasions.

[@LegendaryTactics]

I got an original copy of D-Day about a year ago and I've been able to get it to the table a couple of times. The North Sea invasion seems like a great idea, because it's so close to Germany, but I'm sure it's easily thwarted. I've heard that there is a lot of discussion about the perfect German defense, especially in Avalon Hill's magazine, the General.

[@alberros309]

Io negli anni '80 ho giocato con midway , panzer blitz , trireme , Stalingrad ; ne avevo tanti di giochi dell' Avalon hill , tutti stupendi. Ma quello a cui ho giocato di più , con lunghissime sessioni di gioco e divertimento , e' stato midway. eravamo tutti appassionati di aerei della seconda guerra mondiale. Io degli aerei giapponesi e tedeschi; spesso combattevo con il mitico Mitsubishi ZERO ......che battaglie!!!! ❤️🇮🇹 Ora non ne sono più in possesso. Che peccato!!!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Potresti non avere più i giochi, ma hai ancora i ricordi!

[@alberros309]

@@LegendaryTactics grazie per avere risposto. Si hai ragione; certo e' che se fossero in vendita li comprerei di nuovo.

[@blueroninrob]

This is a great video. A lot that I had forgotten or never knew. Thanks for putting it together.

[@LegendaryTactics]

You're welcome!! Thank you for watching!

[@barrylevine1564]

My first was Victory in the Pacific from a long-gone game shop at Quincy Market in Boston. I think 77 or 78. Still have it, and lots of others. Great trip down memory lane!

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's great! Victory in the Pacific is a fun game!

[@schreckpmc]

I still have my copy of Feudal.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Jealous! I always thought that game looked so cool

[@darrellhanning5068]

You should probably insert a reference to Charles Roberts' introduction to hexagonal grids on maps. This is often attributed to Mr. Roberts, but he, himself, first saw them being used in a picture of a RAND Corporation game design for the Pentagon, by his own admission.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Interesting! And I think Chancellorsville was the first game to incorporate them, if I am not mistaken?

[@jfeast5469]

Excellent video - very well done!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you for your kind words! Thank you for watching and stay tuned for more!

[@dr.anthonytrabue7426]

Started in '59 with Gettysburg and Tactics II and ended up playing so many games from AH, SPI, and others. Still have a few games left in the basement...

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's great! Do you have a top 10?

[@mikesteckman1515]

I got my first Avalon Hill game in 1973 the game was Midway.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That was the first Avalon Hill game my colleague, Flash, here at LT got!

[@GenghisVern]

never heard of the "Tactics 3" story.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, I came across that and thought it was interesting. You don't hear much about board game "piracy" :)

[@terry7907]

My first game was Waterloo.

[@LegendaryTactics]

A classic! Do you have a top 10 Avalon Hill games list?

[@crapphone7744]

How in the world did Panzerblitz not make your list? I also love 1914, but I get that it is definitely only appealing to a niche group. But Panzerblitz was literally a game changer.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Well, this historical documentary covers all the games from 1952-1963. I covered Panzerblitz in the next chapter. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIuXeJeVn7B8mcU

[@brucewarren3562]

Well done! BRAVO!!!!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you! Hopefully you had a chance to check out part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIuXeJeVn7B8mcU

[@wbussample]

I played Tactics 2 in the early 60’s.

[@wbussample]

I still have Panzerblitz and two others.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Nice!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Which one's your favorite?

[@johnking6252]

I enjoyed the concept of book shelf games due to the boxes appearance of books in a library, when properly stowed !! Just saying 👍

[@LegendaryTactics]

There are some companies, like GMT, that still make them that way!

[@TWolf317]

Fascinating video! By the way, I used to live very near Catonsville, and it is pronounced like Kate - ons - vil.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, I have found that our since. I am planning to string this series together into a "movie" and put in all these little corrections in that version

[@navalartichoke]

I like how you say the Military and Prussia as if all of Prussia played wargames :-)

[@LegendaryTactics]

Well, it says in Wikipedia that Prussia had "an unusually well-organized and effective army" - perhaps because everyone was gaming?? :)

[@psychohist]

Interesting that Stalingrad did not sell well. I thought all wargamers had a copy. My brother and I never figured out the tactics in high school. Since the Russians could make a line proof against 3-1 attacks, the Russians always won in our games. Then I went to college and played against someone who knew how to gamble on multiple 2-1 attacks.

[@LegendaryTactics]

There is always a "meta" that has to be factored in with any game. That's why it's great to play with other people sometimes!

[@Muzzlepaint]

Fantastic Documentary.... Catonsville ...is pronounced Kate-ns-ville... its a Baltimore thing 😉

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, I understand that now - what I said was my best guess at the time :)

[@Muzzlepaint]

@LegendaryTactics I promise not to release the Maryland Crabs on you. Fun fact: As a kid in the 80s I discovered I lived within a bike ride distance of Don Greenwood. We use to ride by his house hoping to ask rules questions for Panzer Leader... before KZbin..lol we saw him once but we're too afraid to talk to him

[@LuizAugustoPSilva]

The Brazilian game that is similar to Tatics II is named MX-1 and was produced by a company named GROW

[@LegendaryTactics]

Interesting! I hadn't heard of it before I researched for this video

[@allanfifield8256]

Copyright used to be not respected in Brazil. (This may have changed.) Famous old IT techie joke the Lotus sold one copy of 1-2-3 in Brazil. There was at least one company that formally attempted to prevent the export of their consumer software to Brazil. I wonder how that worked out?

[@michaelsommers2356]

A couple of pronunciation notes: The first syllable of 'Catonsville' sounds like 'kate', not 'cat', and the first syllable of 'Fayette' rhymes with 'hay' or 'day'.

[@michaelsommers2356]

Oops. I see Catonsville has already been mentioned. Sorry.

[@LegendaryTactics]

No problem at all! I appreciate the feedback!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Thank you so much! I will correct that going forward! There are some unique pronunciations sometimes (like Cairo in Illinois, or Vienna in Virginia)!

[@michaelsommers2356]

@@LegendaryTactics How is Vienna, Virginia, pronounced? I've always heard it pronounced just like the capital of Austria, but then I've never heard a native say it.

[@bluedevil006]

I just have to ask, I've noticed in this video and another one, some VERY good graphics of the game. How did you do that? Is there actually a digital version of these old games out there?

[@elbonian1166]

Probably from the vessel online game engine

[@darrellhanning5068]

@@elbonian1166 These images do not, for the most part, resemble VASSAL modules. They look more like TTS (Table Top Simulator).

[@LegendaryTactics]

Hi there! Yes, we did the digital captures on Tabletop Simulator. We did a video explaining how it works: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWO7Z6meoq2qp5o

[@LegendaryTactics]

It's actually from Tabletop Simulator, but we should probably do a video on how to use Vassal as well!

[@LegendaryTactics]

Well-spotted!

[@Shauma_llama]

The Air Empire game, how fast would that get shutdown by lawyers today, using the names of real airlines. 🤨 My first AH game was Tactics II. Over the years I got rid of my collection, except for Kingmaker. The counters are so worn by the hundreds of times I've played it that some are getting difficult to read.

[@LegendaryTactics]

That's the mark of a great game!

[@dimitriwinderickx8156]

Guns of August

[@LegendaryTactics]

Interesting! You don't hear that one often. What about it makes it your favorite?

[@allanfifield8256]

From the Memory Hole!

[@rickslingerland1155]

Are there any war gamers in the area west of St.Louis?

[@LegendaryTactics]

I imagine there are! We are trying to use our Discord as a place to connect people for games. You can find us there as Legendary Tactics or Legendary Tactics 2020

[@synth1644]

what virtual game are you using to play these board games I WANT IT

[@LegendaryTactics]

We use Tabletop Simulator for a lot of our footage. Here is a video on how to use it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWO7Z6meoq2qp5o

[@synth1644]

@@LegendaryTactics haha yes i had impeccable timing as soon as i wrote the comment i clicked on your channel and found that you had uploaded a short to my exact question! cheers :)

[@wtrollkin]

Dispatcher - first heavy Euro?

[@LegendaryTactics]

Wow, that's quite the assessment. How so?

[@wtrollkin]

@@LegendaryTactics it’s not a wargame. It’s not dice driven (American). It’s lightly themed. And it’s from the hobby side of the industry.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Interesting. I have always thought of railroad games as a category all their own. Or perhaps in the "pickup and deliver" genre of games? I always picture Euros as building an economic engine, as opposed to a steam engine LOL

[@darrellhanning5068]

No, not really. The game does not bear any of the characteristics of Euro-style games. If you want to take a close look at the evolution of Euro-style games, you (ironically) should probably look at the American, Sid Sackson, and his earliest games. They best typify what one finds in Euro-style games.

[@wtrollkin]

Hey Darrell how's it going. BGG wiki entry for Eurogame lists 8 bullet points. if you check it you will see Dispatcher hits almost all of them I certainly hadn't thought Dispatcher a Eurogame, but a more recent re-playing and modern interactions with hobbyists who keep broadening the definition of Euro has left me feeling its in a grey area and worth (re)considering.

[@Bob-py9mn]

He mispronounced Catonsville. It is pronounced "Kate"tonsville

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes. I found that out afterwards...sorry about that! It was my best guess!

[@farpointgamingdirect]

It's pronounced CAY-TONS-VILLE; I live roughly 2.5 mi from where Charles S Roberts lived

[@LegendaryTactics]

Yes, I found that out after I had already published it - my apologies. I made my best guess as to the pronounciation!

[@farpointgamingdirect]

@@LegendaryTactics LOL No worries