Tactics II

Last updated

Tactics II Tactics II cover.jpg
Tactics II

Tactics II is a wargame designed by Charles S. Roberts and published by the Avalon Hill game company in 1958 and then re-released again in 1961 and 1972. This was the second game produced by Roberts following the success of his first game, Tactics .

Contents

Publication history

Charles S. Roberts formed gaming company Avalon Hill in 1958 to publish Tactics II (1958). [1] [2]

Tactics II is a revised version of Tactics published by Avalon Hill in 1958, then reissued in 1961 and 1973. In 1972, the game was discontinued due to rising costs, but was redesigned in 1973 with less costly components and used as a loss leader as it was an introductory wargame. [3] In 1983, Avalon Hill released a 25th anniversary edition of the original Tactics, although with a different (new) map.

Gameplay

It is nearly identical to Tactics in all respects, albeit with a slightly revised map and more detailed unit counters.

Reception

In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nicholas Palmer called Tactics II a "Respectable but dull abstract introductory game [...] readers of this book looking for an easy starting game would probably enjoy a simulation of an actual battle more." [4]

In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman dismissed the then-22-year-old Tactics II as unplayable, saying, "Aside from its historical importance, this game has no redeeming qualities. [...] Against an even vaguely competent opponent, [the game] can't be won. The [geography] combines to produce an inevitable stalemate directly across the center of the board." Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Poor", saying, "Tactics II is overdue for retirement." [5]

Reviews

Related Research Articles

<i>Richthofens War</i> 1973 WWI board wargame

Richthofen's War, subtitled "The Air War 1916–1918", is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1973 that simulates aerial combat during World War I.

<i>Blitzkrieg</i> (game) 1965 board wargame

Blitzkrieg is a strategic-level wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1965 that simulates a non-historical attack by one major power against another using the blitzkrieg strategy. It was the first commercial wargame that did not simulate an actual historical battle, and with almost 400 counters, it was a precursor to the "monster" wargames of the 1970s featuring more than a thousand counters.

<i>1776</i> (boardgame) 1974 board game

1776, subtitled "The Game of the American Revolutionary War", is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1974 that simulates the American Revolutionary War. Its release was timed to coincide with the bicentenary of the Revolution, and for several years was a bestseller for Avalon Hill.

<i>D-Day</i> (game) Board game

D-Day is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1961 that simulates the six months of the European Campaign of World War II from the Normandy Invasion to the crossing of the Rhine. It was the first wargame to feature the now ubiquitous hex grid map and cardboard counters, and was revised and re-released in 1962, 1965, 1971, 1977 and 1991.

<i>Afrika Korps</i> (game) Board wargame

Afrika Korps is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1964 and re-released in 1965 and 1978 that simulates the North Africa Campaign during World War II.

<i>Arab–Israeli Wars</i> (game) Board game

The Arab-Israeli Wars, subtitled "Tank Battles in the Mideast 1956–73", is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1977 that simulates various battles during the Suez Crisis, Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War.

<i>Alexander the Great</i> (board game) 1971 wargame

Alexander the Great is a board wargame first published by Guidon Games in 1971 that simulates the Battle of Arbela in 331 BCE, also known as the Battle of Gaugamela. A revised edition was published by Avalon Hill in 1974. Both editions of the game were notable for having what one critic described as "one of the ugliest maps ever to curse a war game."

<i>Tactics</i> (game) 1954 board wargame

Tactics is a board wargame published in 1954 by Avalon Hill as the company's first product. Although primitive by modern standards, it and its sequel, Tactics II, signalled the birth of modern board wargaming for the commercial market. Tactics is generally credited as being the first commercially successful board wargame.

Panzer Leader is the sequel to Avalon Hill's PanzerBlitz game.

<i>Gettysburg</i> (game) American Civil War board wargame published in 1958

Gettysburg is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill in 1958 that re-enacts the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. The game rules were groundbreaking in several respects, and the game, revised several times, was a bestseller for Avalon Hill for several decades.

<i>Chancellorsville</i> (game) War-game set during the US Civil War.

Chancellorsville is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill in 1961, and republished in 1974 that simulates the Battle of Chancellorsville during the American Civil War.

<i>Conquistador</i> (game) Board game

Conquistador, originally subtitled "The Age of Exploration: 1495–1600", is a board game published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the exploration of the New World in the 16th century. Players take on the role of European countries sending expeditions to find gold and establish colonies. Although the design uses the trappings of board wargames such as a hex map, combat is not a major part of the game.

<i>Stalingrad</i> (wargame) 1963 board wargame

Stalingrad is a strategic-level board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1963 that simulates the first 24 months of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II. As one of the first board wargames it was extensively played and discussed during the early years of the wargaming hobby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Siege of Jerusalem</span> Board game

The Siege of Jerusalem, 70 A.D. is a board wargame published by Historical Perspectives in 1976 that simulates the Roman attack on Jerusalem by Cestius Gallus. The game was subsequently bought by Avalon Hill, revised and republished in 1989.

<i>Blitzkrieg Module System</i>

Blitzkrieg Module System is a series of expansion modules published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that are designed to be used with the Avalon Hill board wargame Blitzkrieg.

<i>Caesars Legions</i> (board game) 1975 board wargame

Caesar's Legions is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1975 that simulates various Roman campaigns in Gaul and Germany.

<i>Frederick the Great</i> (game)

Frederick the Great, subtitled "The Campaigns of The Soldier King 1756–1759", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates several of the campaigns of Frederick the Great in Central Europe during the Seven Years' War. When SPI ran into financial difficulties, they sold the rights to the game to Avalon Hill, who produced a second edition in 1982.

<i>Luftwaffe</i> (board wargame) Board wargame

Luftwaffe, subtitled "The Game of Aerial Combat Over Germany 1943-45", is a board wargame originally published by Poultron Press in 1969 under a different title, then subsequently sold to Avalon Hill, who republished it in 1971. The game is an operational simulation of the American bombing campaign against Germany during World War II.

<i>Napoleon at Waterloo</i> (board wargame) Board wargame

Napoleon at Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo. The game, which features simple rules, was designed as an introduction to board wargaming, and was given as a free gift with each subscription to SPI's Strategy & Tactics magazine.

<i>Submarine</i> (wargame) 1976 WWII board wargame

Submarine is a board wargame published by Battleline Publications in 1976 that simulates submarine warfare during World War II. The following year, Avalon Hill bought the rights to the game, expanded the rules and republished it with new cover art.

References

  1. Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. p. 175. ISBN   978-1-907702-58-7.
  2. James F. Dunnigan (2005). The Complete Wargames Handbook. pp.  141–142.
  3. "The General Index and Company History". The General Magazine Index and Company History: 6. 1980. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  4. Palmer, Nicholas (1977). The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming. London: Sphere Books. p. 178.
  5. Freeman, Jon (1980). The Complete Book of Wargames. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 205.
  6. https://archive.org/details/playboywinnersgu00free/page/238/mode/2up
  7. Teverbaugh, Rick (September 28, 1980). "War Games Provide Fun Without Real Casualities". The Star Press . p. 48 via Newspapers.com.