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Microgame Design Group
Microgame
Design Group was a Canadian wargame company begun in 1996. After eight
years and the production of forty games, the company deleted its website
on 1 Nov 2004, when co-founder and business manager Kerry Anderson
decided to pursue a PhD, leaving no time for business.
In an online
article, Microgame Design Group was credited for "the current vigorous
state of the desktop publishing segment of wargaming."1 The
article went on to say that "(MDG) demonstrated from the start that
inexpensive games (all titles are priced between nine and 15 dollars)
can be as attractive and innovative as the $40 products of more
conventional publishers, though they do require a bit of assembly."
One cost
savings, according to the company's own website, was the use of
unmounted and uncut counters.
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All
Microgame Design Group games come with unmounted counters. While this
may be a nuisance to the purchaser, it is a significant saving for us.
Besides keeping costs down (both physical components and postage),
there is a great deal of personal time saved with this shortcut. The
time and money saved enables us to come out with more designs per
year. Also, by keeping our costs low, we can do more games on obscure
topics with less concern about recovering costs.
Like Simulations Canada, the
company offered games on subjects not covered by other publishers, as
well as some Canadian content.
List of Games2
- The Marcher Lords: The
Norman Conquest of Wales (2003), designed by David Cuatt. Grand
strategic treatment of the Norman advance from 1066 through the end of
the 11th Century.
- The Dutch Revolt,
1566-1609 (2003), designed by Michael Gilbert. The political,
religious and military struggle to keep the Netherlands Spanish and
Catholic.
- A Mere Matter of
Marching: The Niagara Campaign, 1812-1814 (2002), designed by
Bruce McFarlane. The American invasion of Canada during the War of
1812.
- Trampling Out the
Vintage: The Campaign for Atlanta, 1864 (1999), designed by Paul
H. Rohrbaugh. High-level operational treatment (3 week turns)
emphasizing the relationship of Sherman’s drive through Georgia to the
rest of the war.
- Bittereinder: The
Anglo-Boer War (2000), designed by Hjalmar Gerber. The Second Boer
War, 1899-1902; probably the only game on this topic to make extensive
use of Afrikaans language sources.
- Clash of Empires: The
Battle for France, 1914 (2003), designed by Kerry Anderson. The
initial phase of the war, continuing until decisive victory or (more
often) stalemate. Novel mechanics intended to reflect the opposing
sides’ ignorance of what weapons and tactics would work.
- Ypres, 1915 (1998),
designed by Kerry Anderson. The first gas attack of World War I. A
more elaborate edition was published by Moments in History under the
title In Flanders Fields (1999).
- Vimy Ridge (2001),
designed by Kerry Anderson. One of the finest hours of Canada’s
military history: the capture of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917. One of
the few games to make a serious attempt to portray WWI trench warfare.
- Across the Piave: Italy
1918 (2002), designed by Hjalmar Gerber. The last two major
battles on the WWI Italian front: the Piave and Vittorio Veneto. One
of the rare games in which a unit can be placed “between” two hexes.
- Byzantium Reborn: The
Greek and Turkish War, 1920-1922 (2004), designed by R. Ben
Madison. Borrows from the ¡Arriba España! system to give due weight to
political factors and the key role of foreign support.
- Freikorps: The
Bolsheviks Attack Germany, 1920 (1999), designed by Brian Train. A
hypothetical Red Army invasion of Germany following a communist
victory in the Battle of Warsaw.
- Land of the Free:
American Politics During the Depression (1996), designed by Brian
Train. A two or three-player political game in which extremists try to
win power between 1930 and 1941.
- War Plan Crimson: The U.S.
Invasion of Canada (2001), designed by Brian Train. Based on actual,
though highly hypothetical, American plans in the event of war with
Great Britain during the 1930’s.
- ¡Arriba España!
(1997), designed by Brian Train. The best game, IMHO, yet devised on
the Spanish Civil War; pays attention to factions within the opposing
sides, military developments and varying levels of foreign aid and
intervention. Owners of Aide de Camp 2 can find my module for the game
here.
- Battle for China
(1999), designed by Brian Train. The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1941, for
two or three players.
- More Battle for China
(2001), designed by Brian Train. Extends Battle for China through
1949, covering World War II and the ensuing civil war.
- Zhukov’s First Victory:
The Battle of Nomonhan (2003), designed by Paul Rohrbaugh. The
clashes in the Far East between the Soviet Union and Japan in July and
August 1939, whose outcome dissuaded the Japanese leadership from
joining in Hitler’s invasion two years later.
- Mediterranean Fury: The
Battle of Cape Matapan, 1941 (2001), designed by Paul Rohrbaugh.
The battle that ended Mussolini’s hopes of challenging the Royal Navy.
- The Siege of Hong Kong
(1997), designed by Michael Gilbert. The last week of the battle,
covering the Japanese assault on Hong Kong island.
- Switzerland Must Be
Swallowed! (2001), designed by Peter Schutze. Hypothetical German
invasion of Switzerland during World War II.
- Stalingrad: Pivot on
the Volga (2003), designed by Hjalmar Gerber. The campaign in
Southern Russia, July 1942-January 1943, with a rational portrayal of
the effects of Hitler’s interference and some unusual rules.
- Blood & Steel: The
Battle of Prokhorovka, July 12, 1943 (1999), designed by Paul
Rohrbaugh. The climactic engagement of the Battle of Kursk; one of the
largest tank battles in history.
- Blood & Steel
Expansion: The Battles of Oboyan Hills and Rzhavets Bridgehead, July
12, 1943 (2001), designed by Paul Rohrbaugh. Two companion battles
to Prokhorovka, which can be played without the original Blood &
Steel; with the earlier game, all three battles can be combined.
- Patton’s Finest: The
Battle of Arracourt (2001), designed by Paul Rohrbaugh. Uses the
Blood & Steel system for the 4th Armored Division’s clash with
counterattacking German panzers, September 19-21, 1944.
- Operation Veritable:
The Battle for the Reichswald (2000), designed by Paul Rohrbaugh.
A free, downloadable game, later incorporated into Schutze Games’
Breaking into Valhalla (2001).
- MacArthur’s War: The
Korean War and Beyond (1996), designed by Kerry Anderson. A fairly
conventional treatment of the conflict coupled with possibilities of
nuclear confrontation.
- Vallée de la Mort: Dien
Bien Phu (2000), designed by Paul Rohrbaugh. Semi-tactical
portrayal of the siege that ended French rule in Indochina, March-May
1954.
- Algeria: The War of
Independence, 1954-1962 (2000), designed by Brian Train. A classic
asymmetrical war, as FLN rebels try to erode the colonial power’s
political will before they are physically destroyed by its military
superiority.
- Operation Whirlwind:
The Soviet Invasion of Hungary (2002), designed by Brian Train.
Street battles pitting Hungarian patriots against Soviet tanks in
1956, with options for NATO intervention.
- Cuban Missile Crisis:
The Threshold of Nuclear War (2002), designed by Kerry Anderson. A
board game with card play that makes it possible to win the 1962
U.S.-Soviet confrontation without going to war, though the possibility
of military action cannot be ignored.
- Victory in Vietnam
(1999), designed by Bruce Costello. The War in Vietnam from 1964
through 1975, featuring a wide range of strategic options for the both
players.
- Victory in Vietnam II
(2002), designed by Bruce Costello. A revised and enlarged second
edition of Victory in Vietnam. The only MDG game with die-cut
counters.
- No Middle Ground: The
Battle for the Golan Heights, October 6 to 10, 1973 (2003),
designed by Paul Rohrbaugh. The Syrian Offensive at the beginning of
the Yom Kippur War; intended as a relatively simple game suitable for
novices.
- Afghanistan (1999),
designed by Perry Moore. Tactical/operational portrayal of battles in
the Panjshir and Kunar Valleys between conventional Soviet forces and
Afghan guerillas, 1982-1987.
- Shining Path: The
Struggle for Peru (1998), designed by Brian Train. The continuing
guerilla conflict between the Peruvian government and Maoist rebels.
- The Battle of
Armageddon: Apocalyptic Warfare in the End Times (1999), designed
by Kerry Anderson. A near future, military interpretation of the Book
of Revelation, for two or three players.
- The Final Frontier:
Man’s Expansion into the Solar System (1997), designed by Kerry
Anderson. Competition, primarily economic and political, among two to
four nations aiming to achieve dominance of the Solar System.
- Barnard’s Star: The
First Interstellar War (1999), designed by Kerry Anderson.
Planetary combat between humans and aliens in a hostile environment.
- Astromachia (1997),
designed by Peter Drake. Tactical spaceship combat using a quasi-three
dimensional movement system.
- Smokejumpers
(1996), designed by Kerry Anderson. A solitaire game in which the
player directs a crew fighting a forest fire.
- He Shoots. . . He
Scores! (2000), designed by Bruce McFarlane. An ice hockey game
designed to illustrate realistic tactics.
Notes
- http://stromata.typepad.com/stromata_blog/
- Game descriptions also taken
from http://stromata.typepad.com/stromata_blog/, 29 Sep 2004 entry.
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