Phoenix Games was an American game company that produced

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

s and game supplements.

History

Phoenix Games was located in Rockville, Maryland. Phoenix Games began as a partnership between Dan Bress and Phil Edgren, and was a successor to the company Little Soldier Games, to which Bress and Edgren had both contributed before that company closed. Ed Konstant of Little Soldier Games designed some products for Phoenix Games, such as ''The Book of Fantasy Miniatures'' (1978) and the deduction game ''Elementary Watson'' (1978) which was financed by

Gamescience Gamescience is an American game company that produces role-playing games and game supplements. History Gamescience Corp. was started by Phillip E. Orbanes in 1965. In that year, the company published the wargame Vietnam which was reviewed in is ...

in exchange for rights to the back catalog for Little Soldier Games. A few transitional supplements were published between the companies, such as ''The Book of Shamans'' (1978) using the Little Soldier Games label, as a division of Phoenix Games. Phoenix Games continued publishing the fantasy role-playing game supplements that Little Soldier Games had started, and expanded into science-fiction role-playing game supplements. Phoenix Games published the first role-playing game work by

Kerry Lloyd Kerry David Miles Lloyd (September 29, 1941 – August 27, 1988) was a game designer who worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Kerry Lloyd wrote his first published work, the fantasy role-playing game adventure '' The Mines of Keridav'' ...

, the fantasy adventure '' The Mines of Keridav'' (1979). Phoenix Games also published the fantasy role-playing game supplements ''The Book of Shamans'' by Ed Lipsett and ''The Book of Treasure'' by Phil Edgren in 1978, and the fantasy adventure ''The Lost Abbey of Calthonwey'' by R. Norman Carter in 1979. Phoenix Games also published Ed Lipsett's series of science-fiction role-playing game supplements '' Spacefarer's Guide to Planets: Sector One'' (1978), '' Spacefarer's Guide to Planets: Sector Two'' (1979), '' Spacefarer's Guide to Alien Monsters'' (1979), and '' Spacefarer's Guide to Alien Races'' (1979). These supplements by Lipsett led to his ''Star Quest'' (1983) game, the first non-licensed original tabletop role-playing game published in Japan. The second edition of the role-playing game ''

Bushido is a Samurai moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. Its origins date back to the Kamakura period, but it was formalized in the Edo period (1603–1868). There are multiple types of bushido which evolved significantl ...

'' was published by Phoenix Games in 1980; Phoenix Games was also preparing to publish Paul Hume and

Bob Charrette Robert N. Charrette (born 1953) is an American graphic artist, game designer, sculptor and author. Charrette has authored more than a dozen novels. His gaming materials have received many Origins Awards. Charrette was inducted in the Origins Hall ...

's ''

Aftermath! ''Aftermath!'' was promoted with the line: ''“Is it the sunset of the Earth or the sunrise of a brave new world?”'' It is a role-playing game created by Paul Hume (game designer), Paul Hume and Robert N. Charrette, Robert Charette and publis ...

'' (1981), but as the company went defunct,

Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for tabletop and role-playing games. The company has no in-house design teams and relies on submitted material from outside talent. History Founded in the summer of 1975 in Jericho, New York b ...

reprinted ''Bushido'' in 1981, and stickered their logo over the Phoenix Games logo on the boxes for ''Aftermath!''. Phoenix Games had a booth at

GenCon Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

XII in 1979 to sell their science fiction and fantasy RPG products as well as create interest in their upcoming game ''

Streets of Stalingrad ''Streets of Stalingrad'' is a 1979 board wargame published by Phoenix Games. Gameplay ''Streets of Stalingrad'' is a game that simulates the fighting from a company/platoon level that happened in the streets in late autumn 1942. Publication his ...

'', with a columnist from ''

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

'' stating noting the game "purports to be 12 separate games in one, which would make the seemingly steep price much more reasonable".

Dana Lombardy Dana Lombardy is a game designer who has worked primarily on board games. Career Dana Lombardy designed the award-winning ''Streets of Stalingrad'' board wargame, published in 1979 with three separate editions since its first release. He is also ...

's ''Streets of Stalingrad'' by Phoenix Games won the 1980

Charles S. Roberts Award The Charles S. Roberts Awards (or CSR Awards) is an annual award for excellence in manual, tabletop games, with a focus on "conflict simulations", which includes simulations of non-military as well as military conflicts. From its founding in 1975 ...

for Best Initial Release Wargame. In the February 1981 issue of ''Dragon'', another columnist noted that Phoenix Games "invested a very great deal in its massive Dana Lombardy-John Hill design ''Streets of Stalingrad''", sparking rumors that the company would go out of business. Game reviewer Ian Chadwick called it "one of the most impressive games the industry has ever produced", noting that ''Streets of Stalingrad'' would quickly be unavailable at stores because the game suffered from low financing and the closing of "the short-lived Phoenix Games".'' Moves'' #59 (Oct/Nov 1981) Phoenix Games was one of the companies that freelance game designer Perry Moore sold his designs to, but the company went out of business after releasing ''Streets of Stalingrad'', and before they were able to print any of the designs from Perry.''

'' #49 (May 1981) Kerry Lloyd wrote a sequel to ''The Mines of Keridav'' called ''The Demon Pits of Caeldo'', but Phoenix Games went out of business it could be published, so Lloyd started the gaming company

Gamelords Gamelords was an American game company that produced tabletop role-playing games and game supplements. History Kerry Lloyd founded the company, with three friends - Richard Meyer, Janet Trautvetter, and Michael Watkins in 1980. Gamelords was ...

References

{{reflist, 30em Role-playing game publishing companies