| Revision as of 13:47, 19 February 2021 editSunDawn (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Page movers, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers67,321 edits →Published Games: Combat CommanderTag: Visual edit← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 14:20, 19 December 2024 edit undoAjax der Lokrer (talk | contribs)1 edit Changed the quote "some of the best wargame design of the last twenty years" to "one of the biggest and most successful , with one of the largest libraries" as the original quotation is not to be found in the source.Tag: Visual edit | ||
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{{Short description|American board game publisher}} | ||
| {{pp-pc1}} | {{pp-pc1}} | ||
| {{Infobox company | |||
| ] | |||
| | name = GMT Games | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| | logo = Gmt games logo.png | |||
| | logo_size = 145px | |||
| | logo_caption = GMT Games logo | |||
| | foundation = 1990 | |||
| | industry = Gaming | |||
| | key_people = Tony Curtis, ], ], and Andy Lewis | |||
| | products = | |||
| | num_employees = | |||
| | parent = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''GMT Games''' is a California-based ] publisher founded in 1990. The company has become well known for graphically attractive games that range from "]s", of many maps and counters, to quite simple games suitable for introducing new players to wargaming. They also produce ] and family games. The current management and creative team includes Tony Curtis, ], ], and Andy Lewis. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| GMT's name comes from the first name initials of founders Gene Billingsley, Mike Crane, and Terry Shrum. Crane and Shrum later left GMT and founded the Fresno Gaming Association.{{ |
GMT's name comes from the first name initials of founders Gene Billingsley, Mike Crane, and Terry Shrum. Crane and Shrum later left GMT and founded the Fresno Gaming Association.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} | ||
| In the 1990s GMT pioneered a pre-order system called "Project 500" or "P500", |
In the 1990s GMT pioneered a pre-order system called "Project 500" or "P500", where customers pre-order a title and production does not begin until a set minimum of orders had been reached. This system has been adopted by other wargame publishers. GMT was successful during the 1990s, when other war game publishers were failing, which has been credited in part to their innovative P500 system.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=newport-papers&usg=AOvVaw05cUmvNMyrDxrB_h2ZvgB5 |format=PDF |title=On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and how They May Shape the Future |publisher=Naval War College Press |author=Matthew B. Caffrey Jr. |year=2019 |page=396 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125165749/https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=newport-papers&usg=AOvVaw05cUmvNMyrDxrB_h2ZvgB5 |archive-date=2020-01-25 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
| GMT is known for publishing the ] series of games, which started with ''Andean Abyss: |
GMT is known for publishing the ] series of games, which started with ''Andean Abyss: Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Colombia'' by Volko Ruhnke, a CIA instructor. Most COIN titles feature four playable factions commanding ] forces or conventional ] forces, both trying to win the ] of the local population. The games focus on historical conflicts such as the ], ], ], ], ], and others.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Hall|first=Charlie|date=June 22, 2017|title=The art and craft of making board games for the CIA|work=Polygon|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/6/22/15730254/cia-board-game-volko-ruhnke-coin-series-gmt-games|access-date=2018-06-13}}</ref> | ||
| GMT's best-known game may be ''],'' a card-driven strategy game about the global ].<ref name="Roeder">{{cite web|last=Roeder|first=Oliver|date=December 31, 2014|title=Designing The Best Board Game On The Planet|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/designing-the-best-board-game-on-the-planet/|access-date=July 7, 2019|website=FiveThirtyEight}} With .</ref> In 2018, GMT began creating ] and ] adaptations for some of their titles, including ''Twilight Struggle'' and ''Labyrinth: The War on Terror''.<ref name=zacny>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbj7pb/gmt-games-already-make-great-tabletop-wargames-now-theyre-going-digital |title=GMT Games Already Make Great Tabletop Wargames, Now They're Going Digital |work=] |author=Rob Zacny |date=July 25, 2018 |access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref> | GMT's best-known game may be ''],'' a card-driven strategy game about the global ].<ref name="Roeder">{{cite web|last=Roeder|first=Oliver|date=December 31, 2014|title=Designing The Best Board Game On The Planet|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/designing-the-best-board-game-on-the-planet/|access-date=July 7, 2019|website=FiveThirtyEight}} With .</ref> In 2018, GMT began creating ] and ] adaptations for some of their titles, including ''Twilight Struggle'' and ''Labyrinth: The War on Terror''.<ref name=zacny>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbj7pb/gmt-games-already-make-great-tabletop-wargames-now-theyre-going-digital |title=GMT Games Already Make Great Tabletop Wargames, Now They're Going Digital |work=] |author=Rob Zacny |date=July 25, 2018 |access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref> | ||
| GMT was about to publish ''Scramble for Africa'' in 2019, but pulled the title after controversy erupted about its subject matter |
GMT was about to publish ''Scramble for Africa'' in 2019, but pulled the title after controversy erupted about its subject matter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/style/board-games-cancel-culture.html |title=Should Board Gamers Play the Roles of Racists, Slavers and Nazis? |work=] |author=Kevin Draper |date=August 1, 2019 |access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lozano-Monterrubio |first1=Natàlia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mr3GEAAAQBAJ&dq=Meeple&pg=PT98 |title=Heritage, Memory and Identity in Postcolonial Board Games |last2=Luis Gonzalo-Iglesia |first2=Juan |last3=Araüna-Baró |first3=Núria |date=2023-08-04 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-91807-6 |editor-last=Mochocki |editor-first=Michal |language=en |chapter=No Meeples for Scramble for Africa. Online Debates on Playing Historical Trauma}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ''The Washington Post'' called GMT "the modern hobby's highest-profile wargame publisher" and characterized P500 as a "] before Kickstarter that allowed fans to vote with their wallets on which GMT games should come to market".<ref name=gaynor>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/the-cold-war-themed-board-game-that-feels-more-relevant-than-ever/2018/07/16/45be9be4-7a4e-11e8-93cc-6d3beccdd7a3_story.html |title=They created maybe the best board game ever. Now, Putin is making it relevant again. |newspaper=] |author=Michael J. Gaynor |date=July 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907202809/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/the-cold-war-themed-board-game-that-feels-more-relevant-than-ever/2018/07/16/45be9be4-7a4e-11e8-93cc-6d3beccdd7a3_story.html |archive-date=2018-09-07 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/in-the-world-of-role-playing-war-games-volko-ruhnke-has-become-a-hero/2014/01/10/a56ac8d6-48be-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html |title=In the world of war games, Volko Ruhnke has become a hero |newspaper=] |author=Jason Albert |date=January 10, 2014 |access-date=January 17, 2014}}</ref> ''Wargamer Magazine'' called them a "house-name in table-top wargaming".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wargamer.com/articles/gmt-games-digital-games/ |title=GMT Games are bringing Labyrinth, COIN games and more to digital |work=Wargamer |author=Joe Robinson |date=July 24, 2018 |access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref> '']'' said they are "one of the biggest and most successful , with one of the largest libraries."<ref name=zacny/> | ||
| ⚫ | ==Published |
||
| ⚫ | Some of the better-known games produced by GMT Games include: | ||
| ⚫ | ==Published games== | ||
| ⚫ | * |
||
| ⚫ | Some of the better-known games produced by GMT Games include:<ref name="top-selling">{{cite web | ||
| ⚫ | *'']'' | ||
| |url=https://www.gmtgames.com/c-44-best-sellers-all-time.aspx#%5BPageNumber(0)%7CPageSize(50)%7CPageSort(Name)%7CDisplayType(Grid)%5D | |||
| |title=Best Sellers - All Time | |||
| |date=31 March 2021 | |||
| |website=gmtgames.com | |||
| |publisher=GMT | |||
| |access-date=21 July 2021 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | * '']'' series - strategy economic board games about railway construction and investing in railroad companies. | ||
| ⚫ | * '']'' | ||
| * '']'' | * '']'' | ||
| * '']'' series - a card-driven action board game series |
* '']'' series - a card-driven action board game series based on counterinsurgency and irregular warfare. | ||
| *Combat Commander series - a card-drive game, simulating tactical warfare usually in World War 2. | * ''Combat Commander'' series - a card-drive game, simulating tactical warfare usually in World War 2. | ||
| * '']'' - a block game with card-driven action, based upon tactical combat in the Classical Period. | * '']'' - a block game with card-driven action, based upon tactical combat in the Classical Period. | ||
| * '']'' | |||
| ⚫ | * '' |
||
| *''Down in Flames'' series of air combat cards games that includes ''Rise of the Luftwaffe'' and '']'' | |||
| ⚫ | * ''Europe Engulfed'' | ||
| * '']'' | * '']'' | ||
| * '']'' | * '']'' | ||
| * '']'' | |||
| * '']'' series - wargame series that is modeling the hypothetical clash between US and Soviet forces in Germany. Later expansion added British and |
* '']'' series - wargame series that is modeling the hypothetical clash set in 1987 between US and Soviet forces in Germany. Later expansion added British, West German, and Canadian forces. | ||
| * '']'' series - wargame series that is based on hypothetical war on modern times. | * '']'' series - wargame series that is based on hypothetical war on modern times. | ||
| * ''Panzer'' series - a detailed, tactical-level, World War II game based in the European theater, currently with 4 expansion sets. | |||
| * '']'' | * '']'' | ||
| *'']'' | |||
| * '']'' | * '']'' | ||
| * '']'' | * '']'' | ||
| * ''] -'' card-driven board game, based on the Cold War. | * ''] -'' card-driven board game, based on the Cold War. | ||
| * Wing Leader series - aerial combat wargames series with side-scrolling views, mainly based on World War II era aircraft. | * ''Wing Leader'' series - aerial combat wargames series with side-scrolling views, mainly based on World War II era aircraft. | ||
| == References == | == References == | ||
| Line 38: | Line 64: | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * {{Official|http://www.gmtgames.com}} | * {{Official website|http://www.gmtgames.com}} | ||
| * {{bgg publisher|52}} | * {{bgg publisher|52}} | ||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 14:20, 19 December 2024
American board game publisher
 GMT Games logo | |
| Industry | Gaming |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Key people | Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch, and Andy Lewis |
GMT Games is a California-based wargaming publisher founded in 1990. The company has become well known for graphically attractive games that range from "monster games", of many maps and counters, to quite simple games suitable for introducing new players to wargaming. They also produce card games and family games. The current management and creative team includes Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch, and Andy Lewis.
History
GMT's name comes from the first name initials of founders Gene Billingsley, Mike Crane, and Terry Shrum. Crane and Shrum later left GMT and founded the Fresno Gaming Association.
In the 1990s GMT pioneered a pre-order system called "Project 500" or "P500", where customers pre-order a title and production does not begin until a set minimum of orders had been reached. This system has been adopted by other wargame publishers. GMT was successful during the 1990s, when other war game publishers were failing, which has been credited in part to their innovative P500 system.
GMT is known for publishing the COIN series of games, which started with Andean Abyss: Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Colombia by Volko Ruhnke, a CIA instructor. Most COIN titles feature four playable factions commanding guerrilla forces or conventional military forces, both trying to win the hearts and minds of the local population. The games focus on historical conflicts such as the Cuban Revolution, Vietnam War, Gallic Wars, American Revolution, War in Afghanistan, and others.
GMT's best-known game may be Twilight Struggle, a card-driven strategy game about the global Cold War. In 2018, GMT began creating Windows and mobile adaptations for some of their titles, including Twilight Struggle and Labyrinth: The War on Terror.
GMT was about to publish Scramble for Africa in 2019, but pulled the title after controversy erupted about its subject matter.
The Washington Post called GMT "the modern hobby's highest-profile wargame publisher" and characterized P500 as a "Kickstarter before Kickstarter that allowed fans to vote with their wallets on which GMT games should come to market". Wargamer Magazine called them a "house-name in table-top wargaming". VICE News said they are "one of the biggest and most successful , with one of the largest libraries."
Published games
Some of the better-known games produced by GMT Games include:
- 18XX series - strategy economic board games about railway construction and investing in railroad companies.
- Battle Line
- Chandragupta
- COIN series - a card-driven action board game series based on counterinsurgency and irregular warfare.
- Combat Commander series - a card-drive game, simulating tactical warfare usually in World War 2.
- Commands & Colors: Ancients - a block game with card-driven action, based upon tactical combat in the Classical Period.
- Dominant Species
- Down in Flames series of air combat cards games that includes Rise of the Luftwaffe and Eighth Air Force
- Europe Engulfed
- Fields of Fire
- Here I Stand
- Labyrinth: The War on Terror, 2001 – ?
- MBT series - wargame series that is modeling the hypothetical clash set in 1987 between US and Soviet forces in Germany. Later expansion added British, West German, and Canadian forces.
- Next War series - wargame series that is based on hypothetical war on modern times.
- Panzer series - a detailed, tactical-level, World War II game based in the European theater, currently with 4 expansion sets.
- Paths of Glory
- Space Empires 4X
- Sword of Rome
- SPQR
- Twilight Struggle - card-driven board game, based on the Cold War.
- Wing Leader series - aerial combat wargames series with side-scrolling views, mainly based on World War II era aircraft.
References
- Matthew B. Caffrey Jr. (2019). On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and how They May Shape the Future (PDF). Naval War College Press. p. 396. Archived from the original on 2020-01-25.
- Hall, Charlie (June 22, 2017). "The art and craft of making board games for the CIA". Polygon. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
- Roeder, Oliver (December 31, 2014). "Designing The Best Board Game On The Planet". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved July 7, 2019. With prototype map.
- ^ Rob Zacny (July 25, 2018). "GMT Games Already Make Great Tabletop Wargames, Now They're Going Digital". Vice News. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- Kevin Draper (August 1, 2019). "Should Board Gamers Play the Roles of Racists, Slavers and Nazis?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- Lozano-Monterrubio, Natàlia; Luis Gonzalo-Iglesia, Juan; Araüna-Baró, Núria (2023-08-04). "No Meeples for Scramble for Africa. Online Debates on Playing Historical Trauma". In Mochocki, Michal (ed.). Heritage, Memory and Identity in Postcolonial Board Games. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-91807-6.
- Michael J. Gaynor (July 17, 2018). "They created maybe the best board game ever. Now, Putin is making it relevant again". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2018-09-07.
- Jason Albert (January 10, 2014). "In the world of war games, Volko Ruhnke has become a hero". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- Joe Robinson (July 24, 2018). "GMT Games are bringing Labyrinth, COIN games and more to digital". Wargamer. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- "Best Sellers - All Time". gmtgames.com. GMT. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
