 | |
| Designers | Lynn Willis |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Metagaming Concepts |
| Publication | 1979 |
| Genres | Science fictionboard wargame |
Holy War is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1979 in which two groups battle each other inside a pocket universe.
An immense space-dwelling creature was able to seal a cosmic anomaly inside its nebulous form, creating a pocket universe in which intelligent life inadvertently developed. The intelligent life gradually divided into the Sunthrowers, who do not believe their universe is a god and want to destroy it to gain their freedom, and the Holy Band, who believe that the Sunthrowers are heretics who must be stopped. [1]
Holy War is a two-player game in which one player controls the Sunthrowers, and the other controls the Holy Band. [2]
Combat is done in three dimensions, and movement uses a dual horizontal and vertical system previously used in Godsfire . [1]
Starting in 1977, Metagaming Concepts pioneered the concept of the microgame, a small pocket-sized wargame packaged in a ziplock bag, and produced almost two dozen games in its MicroGame line. The 13th in this line was Holy War, was a game designed by Lynn Willis as a full-sized board game, but then reduced down to a microgame and published in 1979. [1]
In the inaugural issue of Ares Magazine , game designer Eric Goldberg questioned the clarity of the rules, saying, "The rules to Holy War are extremely difficult to decipher, and, as the game is interpreted by the designer, only one side may win." Goldberg concluded by giving the game a very poor rating of only 2 out of 9. [2]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman noted that "It apparently began life as a full-sized game, and the transition to the microgame format was not entirely successful. This isn't a bad game, but there's too much of it. If you drop about one third of the rules, the result is reasonably clean and simple game less dependent on luck than the original." Freeman concluded by giving this game an Overall Evaluation of "Fair to Good." [3]
In Issue 27 of Simulacrum, Brian Train noted, "the combination of many unit types and the weird board can render play rather confusing. Having really only one scenario means that replay value is not very large". [1]
In Issue 35 of Warning Order, Matt Irsik commented, "The game, while complex for its size, did a good job of portraying 3D strategic movement. With a vast array of bizarre units and options, this was once again a game that gave you a lot for your money. Not as popular as many of the other games in the series in that it was difficult to play solitaire." Irsik concluded, "The game had a novel concept, interesting forces, and the unique movement/combat gave it a great sci-fi feel." [4]
G.E.V. is a science fiction board wargame that simulates combat in the near future between supertanks and other futuristic weaponry. The game was designed by American game designer Steve Jackson as a sequel to his Ogre board game when he was working for Metagaming Concepts. When Jackson left Metagaming to form his own company, he took the rights to both G.E.V. and Ogre with him, and all subsequent editions have been produced by Steve Jackson Games.
Invasion: America, subtitled "Death Throes of the Superpower", is a near-future board wargame published by SPI in 1976 that simulates a hypothetical coordinated attack on North America by various factions.
The Creature That Ate Sheboygan is a science fiction board game released in 1979 by Simulations Publications (SPI). The game received good reviews and won an industry award.
WarpWar is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1977 that simulates interstellar combat. It was the fourth in Metagaming's MicroGame series.
Melee is a board wargame designed by Steve Jackson, and released in 1977 by Metagaming Concepts. In 2019, Melee was revived and re-released by Steve Jackson Games.
Wizard is a game system of medieval fantasy magical combat published by Metagaming in 1978 that was designed to compliment the previously published Melee, a system of melee combat rules. Forty years later, Wizard was revived and re-released by Steve Jackson Games.
After the Holocaust, subtitled "The Nuclear Devastation of America: Recovery and Reunification", is a near-future board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the economic recovery of the United States following a nuclear war. The game was the third and last in SPI's "Power Politics" series.
Chitin: I is a science fiction microgame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1977 in which bands of intelligent insects vie for resources.
Hot Spot is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1979 that simulates the battle for possession of a molten planet.
Ice War is a board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1978 that hypothesizes a Eurasian attack against American oilfields in Alaska.
Olympica, subtitled "The U.N. Raid on Mars, 2206 A.D.", is a science fiction microgame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1978.
Black Hole is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1978 as part of its MicroGame line.
Invasion of the Air-eaters is a science fiction near-future board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1979 in which aliens invaders attempt to replace the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere with sulfur dioxide.
Rivets is a post-apocalyptic board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1977.
Ram Speed, subtitled "Naval Warfare in the Bronze Age", is a two-player microgame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1980 that simulates naval combat between galleys in the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age when the preferred method of attack was ramming a ship.
Dimension Demons is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1981 as part of its MicroGame line.
The Fury of the Norsemen is a two-player board game published by Metagaming Concepts in 1980.
Helltank is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1981 as part of its MicroGame line. The game simulates combat in the future between a supertank and more conventional forces.
Helltank Destroyer is a science fiction board wargame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1982 as part of its MicroGame line that features combat between supertanks and other futuristic weapoons systems. The game is a sequel to 1981's Helltank, which is itself based on Ogre.
Starleader: Assault! is a science fiction microgame published by Metagaming Concepts in 1982 that was designed to introduce the rules of combat with firearms for a forthcoming science fiction role-playing game that did not get published before Metagaming went out of business.