The Gamers was a designer and publisher of board wargames that, over the course of 20 years, won over a dozen Charles S. Roberts Awards.
History
The Gamers was founded in 1988 by game designer and artist Dean Essig in Homer, Illinois. Instead of designing a new game system for each game, Essig decided that The Gamers would produce a number of games, but categorized into different series. The games in each series would use a common set of rules. Each game within the series would also have a subset of rules to deal with situations unique to that battle.
The company's games received good critical reception, and won a total of 14 Charles S. Roberts Awards.
The Gamers was bought by Multi-Man Publishing in 2001. Multi-Man continued to use the services of Essig as game designer until his death in 2024. Multi-Man publishes new materials for the original Gamers series as well as new games and new game series.
Series
The Gamers produced games in seven different series:
- Civil War Brigade (CWB): American Civil War battles at the brigade level.
- Regimental Sub-System Series / Line of Battle (RSS/LoB): American Civil War battles at the regimental level.
- Tactical Combat Series (TCS): 20th-century platoon level battles.
- Operational Combat Series (OCS): 20th-century battles at battalion and division levels.
- Standard Combat Series (SCS): General system that allows simulation of a wide range of battles.
- Napoleonic Brigade Series (NBS): Brigade-level battles during the Napoleonic Wars.
- Battalion Combat Series (BCS): 20th-century battles at the battalion level.
(One game, Circus Minimus, was not categorized. A new category, Modern Tactical Combat, was announced but no games were ever published for it.)
Homercon
Homercon, a convention for The Gamers games, was held each September in Homer from 1990 until 2012.
List of games
Civil War Brigade Series
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|- align="center"
! Game
! Subject
! Year
! Designer
! Series Number
! Awards
|- align="center"
|In Their Quiet Fields
|Antietam
|1988
|Dean Essig
|CWB 1
|
|- align="center"
|In Their Quiet Fields II
|Antietam
|1995
|Dean Essig
|CWB 1a
|
|- align="center"
|Thunder at the Crossroads
|Gettysburg
|1988
|Dave Powell
|CWB 2
|
|- align="center"
|Thunder at the Crossroads II
|Gettysburg
|1992
|Dave Powell
|CWB 2a
|
|- align="center"
|August Fury
|2nd Battle of Bull Run
|1990
|Dave Powell
|CWB 3
|
|- align="center"
|Barren Victory
|Chickamauga
|1991
|Dave Powell
|CWB 4
|
|- align="center"
|Bloody Roads South
|The Wilderness
|1992
|James Epperson
|CWB 5
|
|- align="center"
|Perryville
|Perryville
|1992
|Dave Powell
|CWB 6
|
|- align="center"
|Embrace an Angry Wind
|Spring Hill & Franklin
|1992
|Dean Essig
|CWB 7
|
|- align="center"
|No Better Place to Die
|Murfreesboro
|1994
|Dave Powell
|CWB 8
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|April's Harvest
|Shiloh
|1995
|Al Wambold
|CWB 9
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Champion Hill
|Champion Hill
|1996
|Ken Jacobsen
|CWB 10
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Gaines Mill
|Seven Days Battle I
|1997
|Dave Powell
|CWB 11
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Seven Pines
|Seven Pines & Seven Days Battle II
|1998
|Dean Essig
|CWB 12
|
|- align="center"
|Malvern Hill
|Seven Days Battle III
|1999
|Dean Essig
|CWB 13
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Three Battles of Manassas
|1st & 2nd Bull Run, hypothetical 3rd Bull Run
|2004
|Thomas Prowell
|CWB 14
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Strike Them a Blow
|North Anna
|2006
|Bob Munns
|CWB 15
|
|
|}
Regimental Sub-System Series / Line of Battle
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
! Game
! Subject
! Year
! Designer
! Series Number
! Awards
|- align="center"
|This Hallowed Ground
|Gettysburg
|1998
|Dave Powell
|RSS 1
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|This Terrible Sound
|Chickamauga
|2000
|Dave Powell
|RSS 2
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|A Fearful Slaughter
|Shiloh
|2004
|Dave Powell
|RSS 3
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|South Mountain
|South Mountain
|2008
|Dave Powell
|RSS 4
|
|- align="center"
|None But Heroes
|Antietam
|2011
|Dean Essig
|LoB 1
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Last Chance for Victory
|Gettysburg
|2014
|Dean Essig
|LoB 2
|
|- align="center"
|To Take Washington
|Monocacy, Fort Stevens
|2019
|Dean Essig
|LoB 3
|
|- align="center"
|No Turning Back
|Battle of the Wilderness
|2026
|Dean Essig
|LoB 4
|}
Tactical Combat Series
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|- align="center"
! Game
! Subject
! Year
! Designer
! Series Number
! Awards
|- align="center"
|Bloody 110th
|Battle of the Bulge
|1989
|Dean Essig
|TCS 1
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Objective: Schmidt
|Hürtgen Forest, Ardennes Campaign
|1990
|Dave Powell
|TCS 2
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Omaha
|Omaha
|1991
|Dave Powell
|TCS 3
|
|- align="center"
|Matanikau
|Matanikau River
|1993
|Sam Simons
|TCS 4
|
|- align="center"
|GD '40
|Stonne, Battle of France
|1993
|Wig Graves
|TCS 5
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Hunters from the Sky
|Maleme Airfield, Battle of Crete
|1994
|Wig Graves
|TCS 6
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Black Wednesday
|Krasny Bor
|1995
|Dave Friedrichs
|TCS 7
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Leros: The Island Prize
|Leros
|1996
|Dave Friedrichs
|TCS 8
|
|- align="center"
|GD '41
|Tula Road, Battle of Moscow
|1996
|Wig Graves
|TCS 9
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Semper Fi!
|Korean War
|1997
|Lee Forester
|TCS 10
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Raging Storm
|Anzio, Allied invasion of Italy
|1997
|Nigel Roberts & Bob Runnicles
|TCS 11
|
|- align="center"
|A Frozen Hell
|Tolvajärvi, Winter War
|2000
|Al Wambold
|TCS 12
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Screaming Eagles in Holland
|Veghel, Operation Market Garden
|2002
|Nigel Roberts & Bob Runnicles
|TCS 13
|
|- align="center"
|Bloody Ridge
|Guadalcanal, Bloody Ridge
|2005
|Michael Smith
|TCS 14
|
|- align="center"
|GD'42
|Operation Mars
|2009
|Wig Graves
|TCS 15
|
|- align="center"
|Canadian Crucible
|Norrey-en-Bessin, Battle of Normandy
|2013
|Larry Brien
|TCS 16
|
|- align="center"
|Ariete
|First Battle of Bir el Gubi
|2020
|Mauro De Vita
|TCS 17
|
|- align="center"
|Goose Green
|Battle of Goose Green
|2023
|Carl Fung
|TCS 18
|
|- align="center"
|Force Eagle's War
|(Hypothetical NATO-Warsaw Pact conflict)
|1990
|Dean Essig
|Modern TCS
|}
Operational Combat Series
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|- align="center"
! Game
! Subject
! Year
! Designer
! Series Number
! Awards
|- align="center"
|Guderian's Blitzkrieg
|Operation Barbarossa
|1992
|Dean Essig
|OCS 1
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Enemy at the Gates
|Stalingrad
|1994
|Dean Essig
|OCS 2
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Tunisia
|Tunisia
|1995
|Dean Essig
|OCS 3
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Hube's Pocket
|Western Ukraine
|1996
|Dave Friedrichs
|OCS 4
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|DAK
|Western Desert Campaign
|1997
|Dean Essig
|OCS 5
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Burma
|Burma Campaign
|1999
|Dave Friedrichs
|OCS 6
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Sicily
|Sicily
|2000
|Dean Essig
|OCS 7
|CSR award WINNER (tie)
|- align="center"
|Guderian's Blitzkrieg II
|Operation Barbarossa
|2001
|Dean Essig
|OCS 8
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Korea: The Forgotten War
|Korean War
|2003
|Rod Miller
|OCS 9
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Case Blue
|Case Blue & Stalingrad
|2007
|Dean Essig
|OCS 10
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Baltic Gap
|Baltic Offensive
|2009
|John Kisner & Hans Mielants
|OCS 11
|
|- align="center"
|The Blitzkrieg Legend
|Battle of France
|2012
|Hans Kishel
|OCS 12
|
|- align="center"
|Reluctant Enemies
|Syria–Lebanon Campaign
|2014
|Curtis Baer
|OCS 13
|
|- align="center"
|Beyond the Rhine
|Northwestern Europe Campaign
|2015
|Roland LeBlanc
|OCS 14
|
|- align="center"
|Tunisia II
|Tunisia
|2016
|Dean Essig
|OCS 15
|
|- align="center"
|Operational Matters: OCS Guide (Sicily II insert)
|Sicily
|2016
|Dean Essig (game)
|OCS 16
|
|- align="center"
|Smolensk:Barbarossa Derailed
|Battle of Smolensk (1941)
|2018
|Hans Kishel
|OCS 17
|
|- align="center"
|Hungarian Rhapsody
|Siege of Budapest
|2020
|Stéphane Acquaviva
|OCS 18
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|The Third Winter
|Battle of the Dnieper
|2022
|Antony Birkett
|OCS 19
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Crimea: Conquest and Liberation
|Crimean campaign & Crimean offensive
|2023
|Guy Wilde & Antony Birkett
|OCS 20
|
|- align="center"
|Luzon: Race for Bataan
|Philippines campaign (1941–1942)
|2024
|Matsuura Yutaka
|OCS 21
|
|- align="center"
|The Forgotten Battles
|Smolensk operation
|2025
|Antony Birkett
|OCS 22
|
|}
Standard Combat System
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|- align="center"
! Game
! Subject
! Year
! Designer
! Series Number
! Awards
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
|Stalingrad Pocket
|Stalingrad
|1992
|Masahiro Yamazaki
|SCS 1
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Stalingrad Pocket II
|Stalingrad
|1996
|Dean Essig
|SCS 1
|
|- align="center"
|Afrika
|Western Desert Campaign
|1993
|Dean Essig
|SCS 2
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Afrika II
|Western Desert Campaign
|2006
|Dean Essig
|SCS 12
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Ardennes
|Battle of the Bulge
|1994
|Dean Essig
|SCS 3
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Yom Kippur
|Sinai Front, Yom Kippur War
|1995
|Al Sandrick
|SCS 4
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Crusader
|Operation Crusader
|1997
|Dean Essig
|SCS 5
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Gazala
|Gazala
|1999
|Dean Essig
|SCS 6
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Drive on Paris
|Western Front 1914
|2000
|Al Wambold
|SCS 7
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Fallschirmjäger
|Airborne assault against Holland 1940
|2001, 2026
|Al Wambold
|SCS 8
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Operation Michael
|Operation Michael
|2002
|John Best
|SCS 9
|
|- align="center"
|The Mighty Endeavor
|Operation Overlord to V-E Day
|2005
|Steve Newhouse & Tim Armstrong
|SCS 10
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Guadalajara
|The Battle of Guadalajara in 1936
|2006
|Ernesto Sassot
|SCS 11
|
|- align="center"
|Rock of the Marne
|The last German offensive in WW1
|2008
|John Best
|SCS 12
|
|- align="center"
|Bastogne
|Siege of Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge
|2009
|Dean Essig
|SCS 13
|
|- align="center"
|Karelia '44
|Karelian Offensive, Continuation War
|2011
|Ken Jacobsen
|SCS 14
|
|- align="center"
|It Never Snows
|Operation Market-Garden
|2012
|Dean Essig
|SCS 15
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Heights of Courage
|Golan Heights, Yom Kippur War
|2012
|Steve Newhouse
|SCS 16
|
|- align="center"
|The Mighty Endeavor: 2nd Edition
|Operation Overlord to V-E Day
|2013
|Dean Essig (expansion)
|SCS 17
|
|- align="center"
|Day of Days
|Normandy Landings from D-Day to D+9
|2015
|Lee Forester
|SCS 18
|
|- align="center"
|Panzer Battles
|The Battle for the Chir River, 1942
|2016
|Dean Essig
|SCS 19
|
|- align="center"
|Autumn for Barbarossa (Spec OPS #7)
|Battle of Smolensk (1941)
|2017
|Dean Essig
|SCS 20
|
|- align="center"
|Rostov '41
|Battle of Rostov
|2020
|Ray Weiss
|SCS 21
|
|- align="center"
|North Africa
|Western Desert Campaign
|2021
|Dean Essig
|SCS 22
|
|- align="center"
|Iron Curtain
|Hypothetical NATO-Warsaw Pact offensives, 1945-1989
|2020
|Carl Fung
|SCS 23
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Ardennes II
|Battle of the Bulge
|2023
|Dean Essig
|SCS 25
|}
Napoleonic Brigade Series
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|- align="center"
|Austerlitz
|Austerlitz
|1993
|Dave Powell
|NBS 1
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Marengo
|Marengo
|1995
|Dave Powell
|NBS 2
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Aspern-Essling
|Aspern-Essling
|1999
|Jerry Malone
|NBS 3
|
|- align="center"
|Espinosa
|Espinosa
|2002
|Anders Fager
|NBS freebie
|
|- align="center"
|Montebello
|Montebello
|2006
|François Vander Meulen
|NBS freebie
|
|- align="center"
|Talavera
|Talavera & Vimeiro
|2007
|Jerry Malone & Anders Fager
|NBS 4
|CSR award nominee
|}
Battalion Combat Series
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|- align="center"
|Last Blitzkrieg
|Battle of the Bulge
|2016
|Dean Essig
|BCS 1
|
|- align="center"
|Baptism by Fire
|Battle of Kasserine Pass
|2017
|Dean Essig
|BCS 2
|
|- align="center"
|Brazen Chariots
|Operation Crusader, Siege of Tobruk, Operation Brevity, Operation Battleaxe, Operation Skorpion
|2019
|Jim Daniels
|BCS 3
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Panzers Last Stand
|Operation Konrad, Siege of Budapest, Operation Southwind, Operation Spring Awakening
|2021
|Carl Fung
|BCS 4
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Arracourt
|Battle of Arracourt
|2022
|Carl Fung
|BCS 5
|CSR award nominee
|- align="center"
|Valley of Tears
|Yom Kippur War
|2023
|Carl Fung
|BCS 6
|CSR award WINNER
|- align="center"
|Inflection Point
|Battle of Kalach and Battle of Chir River
|2025
|Dean Essig and Carl Fung
|BCS 7
|
|- align="center"
|Danger Foward
|Battle of Gela
|2026
|Dean Essig and Carl Fung
|BCS 8
|
|}
Uncategorized
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"|- align="center"
|Circus Minimus
|Chariot racing
|2000
|Dean Essig
| —
|
|}
References
External links
- The Gamers Archive Rules, errata, etc. for all of The Gamers games
- MMP Producers of current The Gamers products and brand owner of older games