Metagaming Concepts
Metagaming Concepts was an American publisher that helped establish the low-cost MicroGame format and produced influential board wargames and role-playing games.
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Overview
Metagaming Concepts, later generally known simply as Metagaming, was an American tabletop-game publisher active from 1974 until 1983. Founded and owned by Howard Thompson, the company became particularly important in the development of compact, inexpensive tabletop games, a publishing concept that came to be identified with the MicroGame format. Its products used small packages and relatively limited components to deliver complete strategic, science-fiction, historical, fantasy, and role-playing experiences at a lower price than many conventional boxed games. The company's first publication was Stellar Conquest, a science-fiction strategic game designed by Thompson. Avalon Hill had rejected the game in 1973, but Metagaming released it in 1974 and used its reception as the foundation for the business. The publisher subsequently built a strong catalog of science-fiction games, including WarpWar, Ogre, G.E.V., Rivets, and other titles. Several of these games became especially influential within the hobby, combining relatively compact physical formats with substantial tactical or strategic depth. Metagaming also played an important role in the early careers of game designer Steve Jackson and other designers. Jackson created Melee and Wizard for the company, initially as the combat and magic components of a broader fantasy role-playing system. Those projects ultimately became The Fantasy Trip, released in 1980 through books including In the Labyrinth, Advanced Melee, and Advanced Wizard. Metagaming published additional material for the system in MicroGame and MicroQuest formats. Other contributors associated with the company included Lynn Willis and Keith Gross, while Ben Ostrander served as art director for much of the catalog. In 1975, Metagaming began publishing The Space Gamer as a quarterly house magazine. The publication expanded into a larger bimonthly magazine that reviewed and discussed games from multiple publishers, including fantasy games. Metagaming later launched Interplay, another company magazine intended to appear six times a year. Interplay published eight issues between its May/June 1981 debut and the September/October 1982 issue. The company continued releasing MicroGames and related products in the early 1980s, including fantasy adventures, science-fiction games, and historical simulations. Its catalog ranged from serious military and strategic subjects to deliberately comic material such as A Fistful of Turkeys, a parody game about turkeys and a deranged hunter. The breadth of the catalog reflected Metagaming's willingness to experiment with themes and formats while maintaining the compact-game concept. Relations between Thompson and Steve Jackson deteriorated during the development of The Fantasy Trip. Jackson left Metagaming in 1980 and acquired The Space Gamer. A subsequent legal dispute concerned rights to several Jackson-designed works, including Ogre, G.E.V., and the then-unreleased One-Page Bulge. Metagaming ultimately conceded rights to those works. On January 1, 1982, Thompson created Games Research Group, Inc., a spin-off whose copyright appeared on some products associated with Metagaming. Thompson closed Metagaming in April 1983, leaving much of its intellectual property in an uncertain state. In 2017, Jackson announced that he had reclaimed rights to several of his former Metagaming works under the termination provisions of United States copyright law. Metagaming is therefore defunct as a publisher, but its games and publishing innovations remain significant in the history of hobby board games and role-playing games.
History
Metagaming Concepts was established in 1974 by Howard Thompson, who served as its owner and publisher. The company's first release was Stellar Conquest, a science-fiction strategic game designed by Thompson. Avalon Hill had rejected the game in 1973, but Thompson published it through the new company the following year. The release established the company's interest in science-fiction gaming and provided the basis for its early catalog. Metagaming's most important contribution was the development and popularization of the MicroGame format. These were small, relatively inexpensive games that used limited components and packaging while still presenting complete tactical, strategic, or role-playing systems. The model allowed the company to publish games at a lower price and encouraged designers to create focused rulesets. Metagaming became a major presence in this niche, particularly in science-fiction wargaming. Its catalog included WarpWar, Ogre, G.E.V., Rivets, Ice War, Black Hole, and other games. Ogre and G.E.V., designed by Steve Jackson, became among the best-known products associated with the company. In 1975, Metagaming expanded beyond games by launching The Space Gamer as a quarterly house magazine. The publication later became a full-size bimonthly magazine printed on slick paper. Although it served Metagaming's own catalog, it also covered games from other publishers and broadened its subject matter to include fantasy gaming. This made it an important communication and review channel within the developing hobby-game market. Following the success of Dungeons & Dragons, Metagaming commissioned Steve Jackson to develop fantasy-game systems. Jackson designed Melee in 1977 and Wizard in 1978. These began as combat and magic systems intended for a larger fantasy role-playing game. Metagaming eventually published The Fantasy Trip in 1980 through books including In the Labyrinth, Advanced Melee, and Advanced Wizard. The company also issued related adventures and supplements through its MicroGame and MicroQuest lines, including Death Test, Death Test 2, Grail Quest, and other titles. The relationship between Thompson and Jackson deteriorated during the development of The Fantasy Trip. Jackson left Metagaming later in 1980 and purchased The Space Gamer. A legal dispute followed over rights associated with several Jackson-designed products. Metagaming conceded rights to Ogre, G.E.V., and the unreleased One-Page Bulge. The dispute contributed to the separation of Jackson's subsequent publishing career from Metagaming. Metagaming continued to issue games in the early 1980s. Its products covered science fiction, fantasy, historical conflict, and humorous subjects. The catalog included games such as Hitler's War, Dimension Demons, The Lords of Underearth, Helltank, Trailblazer, and Starleader: Assault!, as well as the comic 1981 release A Fistful of Turkeys. The company also launched Interplay, a house organ planned for six issues per year. Eight issues were published, beginning with the May/June 1981 issue and ending with the September/October 1982 issue. On January 1, 1982, Thompson created Games Research Group, Inc., a spin-off whose copyright appeared on some products released or distributed in the Metagaming period. Metagaming itself closed in April 1983. Thompson withdrew from the hobby, and much of the company's intellectual property entered an uncertain period. On December 26, 2017, Steve Jackson announced that he had reacquired rights to several of his former Metagaming works by using the termination provisions in Section 203 of the United States Copyright Act. Although the company no longer operates, its MicroGame format, publications, and early titles remain influential in tabletop-game history.
- 2017
Steve Jackson reacquires rights to selected works
[1]Steve Jackson announces that he has reclaimed rights to several works he authored for Metagaming under the termination provisions of United States copyright law.
- 1983
Metagaming closes
[1]Thompson shuts down Metagaming in April, leaving much of the company's intellectual property in limbo.
- 1982
Games Research Group is created as a spin-off
[1]Howard Thompson creates Games Research Group, Inc.; its copyright appears on some products associated with the Metagaming catalog.
- 1980
The Fantasy Trip is released
[1]Metagaming publishes The Fantasy Trip through In the Labyrinth, Advanced Melee, and Advanced Wizard.
- 1977
Ogre and Melee are published
[1]Metagaming publishes major MicroGame releases including Steve Jackson's Ogre and Melee, strengthening its position in science-fiction and fantasy gaming.
- 1975
The Space Gamer begins publication
[1]Metagaming launches The Space Gamer as a quarterly house magazine; it later expands into a larger bimonthly publication covering games from multiple publishers.
- 1974
Metagaming Concepts is founded and releases Stellar Conquest
[1]Howard Thompson establishes the company and publishes Stellar Conquest, a science-fiction strategic game that had previously been rejected by Avalon Hill.
Products and positioning
Metagaming positioned itself around accessible, low-cost tabletop games that delivered substantial strategic or role-playing content in compact formats. Its catalog combined science-fiction wargames, fantasy games, historical simulations, magazines, and occasional parody products, with the MicroGame format serving as its defining commercial and design innovation.
Compact tabletop wargames and strategy games · 1977
MicroGames
Metagaming's defining product format consisted of small, low-cost games with compact rules and components. The line covered science-fiction, fantasy, historical, and experimental subjects. Notable entries included Ogre, G.E.V., WarpWar, Rivets, Melee, Wizard, Hitler's War, Helltank, and Starleader: Assault!. The format helped make detailed hobby gaming more accessible and became closely associated with the company.
Fantasy adventure games · 1978
MicroQuest
The MicroQuest series adapted the compact publishing approach to fantasy adventures and role-playing scenarios. It included Death Test, Death Test 2, Grail Quest, Treasure of the Silver Dragon, Security Station, Treasure of Unicorn Gold, and Master of the Amulets. Several entries supported or extended the fantasy systems developed for The Fantasy Trip.
Fantasy role-playing game · 1980
The Fantasy Trip
The Fantasy Trip was Metagaming's principal fantasy role-playing system. It grew from Steve Jackson's Melee and Wizard, which supplied combat and magic rules, and was released in 1980 through In the Labyrinth, Advanced Melee, and Advanced Wizard. The system was supported by adventures and related products, including MicroQuest releases.
Science-fiction strategy game · 1974
Stellar Conquest
Stellar Conquest was Metagaming's first published game and was designed by founder Howard Thompson. It is a science-fiction strategic game centered on interstellar expansion and conflict. Its publication in 1974 gave the new company its initial commercial identity after the design had been rejected by Avalon Hill.
Science-fiction tactical wargame · 1977
Ogre
Ogre was a compact science-fiction tactical game designed by Steve Jackson and published by Metagaming. It focused on conflict between a heavily armed cybernetic tank and opposing conventional forces. The game became one of the company's most recognized publications and was later among the works for which Jackson announced that he had reacquired rights.
Science-fiction tactical wargame · 1978
G.E.V.
G.E.V. was a Steve Jackson-designed science-fiction tactical game published as a Metagaming MicroGame. It developed the setting and tactical ideas associated with Ogre and became another important title in the company's catalog. Rights to the work were part of the later dispute between Jackson and Metagaming.
Tabletop gaming magazine · 1975
The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer began as Metagaming's quarterly house magazine in 1975. By its seventeenth issue it had become a full-size bimonthly magazine printed on slick paper. It reviewed and discussed games from Metagaming and other publishers, helping connect the company's products to the broader hobby-game community.
Tabletop gaming magazine · 1981
Interplay
Interplay was a second Metagaming house organ intended for publication six times annually. It ran for eight issues, from May/June 1981 through September/October 1982, during the company's final years.
Brand decisions
2017
Reacquisition of selected author rightsOtherBackground
Rights to several Steve Jackson works originally published by Metagaming remained affected by the company's closure and the passage of time.
Action taken
Jackson announced that he had reacquired rights to Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test 2, Advanced Melee, Advanced Wizard, In the Labyrinth, and Tollenkar's Lair under the termination provisions of 17 U.S. Code Section 203.
Aftermath
The announcement clarified that at least some former Metagaming properties had returned to their original author, while the broader catalog remained historically fragmented.
1982
Creation of Games Research GroupStrategyBackground
During Metagaming's final period, Howard Thompson established a related company.
Action taken
Games Research Group, Inc. was created as a spin-off, and its copyright appeared on some Metagaming-released products.
Aftermath
Metagaming closed in April 1983, and the relationship between the two entities became part of the fragmented history of the company's catalog.
1980
Expansion into a full fantasy role-playing systemStrategyBackground
After Steve Jackson created Melee and Wizard, Metagaming developed them into the broader fantasy role-playing system The Fantasy Trip.
Action taken
The company published The Fantasy Trip through In the Labyrinth, Advanced Melee, and Advanced Wizard, followed by related adventures and supplements.
Aftermath
The project became one of Metagaming's most important fantasy properties, but disagreements between Thompson and Jackson contributed to Jackson's departure later in 1980.
Recent events
- 2017
Steve Jackson announces reacquisition of rights to former Metagaming works[1]
Other
Steve Jackson announced that he had reacquired rights to several works he originally authored for Metagaming, including Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test 2, Advanced Melee, Advanced Wizard, In the Labyrinth, and Tollenkar's Lair. The announcement cited the termination provisions of United States copyright law.
Sources2 sources
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