The Australian Design Group is a game company that specializes in
wargames
''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, foll ...
and
strategic
Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " ar ...
board games
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a ...
.
History
The Australian Design Group was formed in 1982 by a group of Canberra gaming enthusiasts in order to publish the game ''
Empires in Arms
''Empires in Arms'' is an out-of-print board game by Harry Rowland, published by the Australian Design Group in 1983. It was licensed to the Avalon Hill Game Company (now a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc.) in 1985.
A computer version of the game ...
''. The game was designed by Harry Rowland, who was thirteen years old at the time. ''Empires in Arms'' was published in 1983 and proved to be an almost instant success, receiving a nomination for
Game of the Year at Origins in 1984. The game was licensed to the
Avalon Hill Game Company in 1985, and still sells strongly.
The Australian Design Group went on to produce the international smash hit ''
World in Flames
''World in Flames'' is a board wargame designed by Harry Rowland and released in 1985 by the Australian Design Group. It is currently in its 8th edition, ''World in Flames - Collector's Edition'', each new edition featuring changes to the rules, ...
'', a popular game based on
the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, which won the Game of the Year, State of the Art, Best 20th Century Game and Game of the Decade awards.
Since then, the Australian Design Group has produced ''Days of Decision, Rub Out, World Cup Football, America in Flames, Patton in Flames, 7 Ages'' and numerous ''World in Flames'' kits.
External links
*
Australian Design Groupat ConsimWorld.com
*
Australian companies established in 1982
Publishing companies established in 1982
Toy companies established in 1982
Board game publishing companies
Companies based in Canberra
Toy companies of Australia
Card game publishing companies
Game manufacturers
Entertainment companies of Australia
Australian games
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