Industry | Gaming |
---|---|
Founded | 1977 |
Headquarters | British Columbia, Canada (formerly Bridgewater, Nova Scotia) |
Key people | Stephen Newberg |
Products | Board games, wargames |
Simulations Canada is the name of a Canadian board wargame publisher established in Nova Scotia in 1977. The company was founded by Stephen Newberg as a one-man operation and was one of only a handful of companies devoted to publishing wargames at that time. Other companies such as Avalon Hill and Simulations Publications, Inc. did not accept unsolicited submissions, resulting in the creation of the company.[ citation needed ]
Stephen Newberg, with assistance from other designers and graphic artists, produced a relatively large output of games in the first years of the company, focusing on a wide mix of historical subjects not covered by other publishers.
As the wargames industry grew, Simulations Canada made a number of text-only computer wargames that included a traditional board-game map and counters. [1] The company decided to focus entirely on computer games by 1986. [2] In 2001, Simulations Canada entered into a partnership with Matrix Games to publish some of Simulations Canada's computer titles, resulting in the release of Flashpoint Germany in 2005. In 2004, another partnership with Omega Games saw the rerelease of Line of Battle and Battleship.
Simulations Canada is currently based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and continues to create and produce innovating materials.
Year | Title | Designer(s) | Era | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | Raketny Kreyser | Cold War | Simulates a tactical naval engagement with surface ships and aircraft | |
1977 | The Peloponnesian War | Ancient | Strategic-level simulation | |
1977 | Dieppe | World War II | ||
1978 | Quebec Libre | Modern | Political and economic simulation of Canada under political tension | |
1978 | IJN | World War II | ||
1978 | Le Grand Empire | Napoleonic Wars | ||
1979 | Warring States | Warring States period | ||
1979 | Torpedo! | World War II | Simulates tactical submarine and anti-submarine warfare | |
1979 | I Will Fight No More... Forever | Nez Perce War | A game on the Nez Perce campaign of 1877 | |
1980 | Lee at the Crossroads | American Civil War | Brigade-level study of the Battle of Gettysburg | |
1980 | Kriegsmarine | World War II | ||
1980 | Dark Stars | Space | Simulations Canada's only science-fiction game | |
1980 | Assault on Tobruk | World War II | ||
1980 | Rockets Red Glare | War of 1812 | Strategic and operational simulation of the War of 1812 in North America | |
1981 | Jihad! | Early Muslim conquests | Strategic simulation of the first century of Islamic expansion after the death of Mohammed | |
1981 | Inchon | Korean War | Simulation of the Inchon campaign | |
1981 | Divine Wind | World War II | Strategic simulation of the Pacific War | |
1982 | Seapower & the State | Stephen Newberg | Cold War | Simulates a global naval war between the U.S. and USSR. Was remade as a PC game under the title Red Sky at Morning |
1982 | Scourge of God | Middle Ages | Covers the Mongol wars 1206-1259 | |
1982 | Napoleon's Last Triumph | William Haggart, Stephen Newberg | Napoleonic Wars | A grand tactical game of the Battle of Wagram |
1982 | D.A.K. | World War II | Strategic simulation covering the battle for North Africa | |
1983 | With Fire and Sword | P. L. Hollinger, Stephen Newberg | Thirty Years' War | Strategic simulation covering the entire Thirty Years' War |
1983 | The Wilderness | American Civil War | Brigade-level study of the Battle of the Wilderness | |
1983 | La Regia Marina | World War II | Strategic simulation of naval combat in the Mediterranean Sea | |
1983 | Ortona | World War II | Operational simulation covering the Allied drive on Ortona in December 1943 | |
1983 | Man of War | Age of Sail | Tactical-level study of naval battles from 1775 to 1815 | |
1983 | Hannibal: The Italian Campaign | P. L. Hollinger | Second Punic War | Strategic simulation of Hannibal's campaign in Italy |
1984 | Schnellboote | World War II | Focuses on small-craft warfare | |
1984 | Power and Resolution | English Civil War | ||
1984 | The One World | P. L. Hollinger, Stephen Newberg | Aztec wars | |
1984 | Lebensraum! | World War II | Grand-strategic game of the Eastern Front. Republished by Compass Games in 2018 | |
1984 | Battle Stations | Cold War | Operational game of modern naval combat | |
1985 | West Front | World War II | Grand-strategic game of the Western Front. Republished by Compass Games in 2018 | |
1985 | Norseman | Medieval | ||
1986 | Line of Battle | World War I | Tactical study of naval combat from 1912 to 1924. Republished in a second edition by Omega Games in 2006 | |
1986 | Battleship | World War II | Tactical study of naval combat from 1924 to 1945. Republished in a second edition by Omega Games in 2005 | |
2010 | Grand Fleet | World War I | Strategic game of the Anglo-German naval struggle for control of the North Sea | |
2015 | Setting Sun, Rising Sun | Russo-Japanese War | Strategic game of the Russo-Japanese War's naval actions | |
2017 | Sovereign of the Seas | Age of Sail | Strategic game of naval struggle between the UK and European powers from 1756 to 1805 | |
2019 | Once We Moved Like the Wind | Apache Wars | ||
2020 | Dawn of Empire | Spanish-American War | Strategic game of the Spanish-American War's naval actions | |
Year | Title | Designer(s) | Era | Notes | Platform |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | Fall Gelb | Les Howie | World War II | Strategic-level game covering the Battle of France | Apple II, Atari ST, C64, PC |
1983 | Grey Seas, Grey Skies | Bill Nichols, Stephen Newberg, Thomas Konczal (2nd edition) | Cold War | Portrays small naval engagements. A second edition was released in 1987, with more playable vessels and additional features | Apple II, C64, PC |
1984 | Sieg in Afrika | John Kula | World War II | Strategic-level game of the North African Campaign from 1940 to 1943 covered in monthly turns | Apple II, C64 |
1984 | Fifth Eskadra | Bill Nichols, Stephen Newberg | Cold War | Theater-level game of a U.S.-Soviet naval campaign in the Mediterranean Sea | Apple II, C64, PC |
1985 | Battle of the Atlantic | Les Howie, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Strategic-level game covering Atlantic convoy activities from 1939 to 1944 | Apple II, Atari ST, PC |
1985 | Golan Front | Bill Nichols, Stephen Newberg | Yom Kippur War | Theater-level game of the Yom Kippur War's Syrian-Israeli front | Apple II, C64, pC |
1985 | Seventh Fleet | Bill Nichols, Stephen Newberg | Cold War | Theater-level game of a U.S.-Soviet naval campaign in the Western Pacific Ocean | Apple II, C64, PC |
1986 | Rommel at Gazala | Stephen St. John | World War II | Apple II, Atari ST, PC | |
1986 | Operation Overlord | Stephen St. John | World War II | Apple II, Atari ST, PC | |
1986 | To the Rhine | Stephen St. John, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Apple II, Atari ST, PC | |
1987 | Moscow Campaign | Stephen St. John, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Apple II, PC | |
1987 | The Stalingrad Campaign | Bill Nichols | World War II | Apple II, Atari ST, C64, PC | |
1987 | Kursk Campaign | Stephen St. John, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Apple II, PC | |
1987 | Long Lance | Bill Nichols | World War II | Covers naval combat in the Pacific in 1942 | Apple II, Amiga, Atari ST, C64, PC |
1988 | In Harm's Way | Bill Nichols | World War II | Covers naval combat in the Pacific from 1943 to 1944 | Apple II, Amiga, Atari ST, C64, PC |
1988 | Rommel at El Alamein | Stephen St. John, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Apple II, Atari ST, PC | |
1988 | Northern Fleet | Bill Nichols, James Baker, Stephen Newberg | Cold War | Theater-level game of a NATO-Soviet naval campaign on the North Atlantic | Apple II, Atari ST, PC |
1989 | Grand Fleet | James Baker, Stephen Newberg | World War I | Covers naval combat from 1906 to 1920 in the North Sea | Atari ST, PC |
1989 | Kriegsmarine | James Baker, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Covers naval combat in the Atlantic from 1939 to 1945 | Amiga, Atari ST, PC |
1989 | Main Battle Tank: Central Germany | Stephen Newberg, Stephen St. John | Cold War | Battalion/brigade-level game of mechanized combat in West Germany | Apple II, Atari ST, PC |
1990 | Battle Tank: Barbarossa to Stalingrad | Stephen Newberg, Stephen St. John | World War II | Amiga, Atari ST, PC | |
1990 | Main Battle Tank: North Germany | Stephen Newberg, Stephen St. John | Cold War | Follow-up to Central Germany but set in NATO's Northern Army Group sector | Apple II, Atari ST, PC |
1990 | Malta Storm | Robert Crandall, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Strategic-level game covering the Siege of Malta and Axis attempts to resupply forces in North Africa | Amiga, Atari ST, PC |
1990 | Fleet Med | James Baker, Stephen Newberg | World War II | Covers naval combat in the Mediterranean Sea from 1939 to 1943 | Amiga, Atari ST, PC |
1991 | Main Battle Tank: Middle East | Stephen Newberg, Stephen St. John | Modern warfare | Covers potential conflicts in the Middle East | Amiga, Atari ST, PC |
1991 | Battle Tank: Kursk to Berlin | Stephen Newberg, Stephen St. John | World War II | Apple II, Atari ST, PC | |
1991 | Pacific Storm: The Midway Campaign | Robert Crandall | World War II | Strategic-level game covering an 18-week period beginning on May 15, 1942 in 9 two-week turns | PC |
1991 | Pacific Storm: The Solomons Campaign | Robert Crandall | World War II | PC | |
1993 | Red Sky at Morning | Bill Nichols, James Baker, Stephen Newberg | Cold War | Based upon Seapower & the State; covers naval warfare across the world in a World War III scenario, with start dates in 1973, 1982, 1991, and 2000 | PC |
1993 | Man of War | Stephen Newberg, Stephen St. John | Age of Sail | PC | |
A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a simulation of some military operation. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to study the nature of potential conflicts. Many wargames re-create specific historic battles, and can cover either whole wars, or any campaigns, battles, or lower-level engagements within them. Many simulate land combat, but there are wargames for naval and air combat, as well.
Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the company's "Hasbro Gaming" division.
Fire & Movement: The Forum of Conflict Simulation was a magazine devoted to wargames, both traditional board wargames and computer wargames. It was founded by Rodger MacGowan in 1975, and began publication the following year.
Tom Clancy's SSN is a 1996 submarine simulator of the 688i released on Microsoft Windows. The player is in command of USS Cheyenne in a limited war against China over the Spratly Islands. The gameplay is limited to a 15-mission single-player campaign in which the player carries out anti-submarine, anti-surface ship roles, intelligence gathering activities, and the launch of submarine based cruise missiles. Tom Clancy also wrote a book by the same name as a tie-in.
A grand strategy wargame or simply grand strategy game (GSG) is a wargame that places focus on grand strategy: military strategy at the level of movement and use of a nation state or empire's resources. The genre has considerable overlap with 4X games, but differs in being "asymmetrical", meaning that players are more bound to a specific setup and not among equally free factions in exploring and progressing the game and an open world.
Close Combat is a 1996 real-time computer wargame developed by Atomic Games and published by Microsoft. Set during World War II, it simulates the conflict between the United States' 29th Infantry Division and Germany's 352nd Infantry Division after the Invasion of Normandy. The player controls an artificially intelligent army whose behavior is dictated by psychological models: each soldier makes decisions based on the circumstances of the battlefield and can disobey the player's orders.
A computer wargame is a wargame played on a digital device. Descended from board wargaming, it simulates military conflict at the tactical, operational or strategic level. Computer wargames are both sold commercially for recreational use and, in some cases, used for military purposes.
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 modern, commercial wargaming hobby developed in 1954 following the publication and commercial success of Tactics. The board wargaming hobby continues to enjoy a sizeable following, with a number of game publishers and gaming conventions dedicated to the hobby both in the English-speaking world and further afield.
Kriegsmarine is a video game published by Simulations Canada in 1989 that simulates naval combat during World War II. It is text-only, unusual for the time, and requires the player to track ship movement on a physical map.
Malta Storm, subtitled "The Axis Siege of Malta", is a 1989 video game published by Simulations Canada that simulates the battle for the central Mediterranean during World War II.
Rodger B. MacGowan is an artist, game developer, art director and magazine publisher who has been active in the board wargame industry since the 1970s. MacGowan is a prolific artist of cover art for wargames, and the wargaming magazine he founded, Fire & Movement, won the Charles S. Roberts Award several times while under his editorial control.
Dieppe, subtitled "An Operational Game of the Allied Raid on Fortress Europe, August 1942", is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada in 1977 that is a simulation of Operation Jubilee, the disastrous Dieppe Raid made by Canadian and British forces during World War II.
Not to be confused with the 1910 Civil War drama film Road to Richmond screenwritten by Emmett C. Hall
The Peloponnesian War is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada (SimCan) in 1977 that simulates the 5th century BCE war between the Greek cities of Athens and Sparta.
IJN, subtitled "A Tactical Game of Naval and Naval-Air Combat in The Pacific, 1941–1945," is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada in 1978 that simulates various naval encounters during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. It was the first in a series of three interlocking naval wargames.
West Front, subtitled "The Campaign in Europe, 1943–1945, is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada in 1985 that simulates, at a strategic level, combat operations in the European Theater during World War II. It can be married to another Simulations Canada game, Lebensraum!, which deals with the Eastern Front, producing a large game covering the conflict from England to Russia and Norway to the Mediterranean.
Lebensraum, subtitled "The Campaign in the East, 1941–1945", is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada in 1984 that simulates, at a strategic level, Russo-German conflict on the Eastern Front during World War II. It can be married to another Simulations Canada game, West Front, which deals with the European Theatre, producing a large game covering the conflict from England to Russia and Norway to the Mediterranean.
Man of War, subtitled "A Game of Fleet Combat in the Age of Sail, 1775–1815", is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada in 1983 that simulates fleet and squadron naval engagements during the Age of Sail.
The One World, subtitled "A Strategic Game of the Aztecs, 1426–1501", is a board wargame published by Simulations Canada in 1984 that simulates a civil war in the Mexican Basin during the Aztec Empire.