Columbia Games

Columbia is one of the hobby's oldest wargame companies. Tom Dalgliesh, Lance Gutteridge, and Steve Brewster founded Gamma Two Games in Vancouver, BC in the early 1970s, and published their first game in 1972. Brewster left the company soon after its formation. Ron Gibson soon joined the company, but left the company in 1986. Gamma Two Games became Columbia Games in 1982. In the mid-1980s, Gutteridge left the company, leaving Dalgliesh as its sole owner, although the two still associate frequently and Gutteridge still makes some contributions. Columbia Games moved from Vancouver, BC to Washington State in 1994 for a variety of personal and economic reasons.

Columbia's most well-known games are block wargames. Many of these games are designed for introducing new players to the hobby, but more detailed games have been produced, such as EuroFront, a wargame depicting the entirety of World War II in Europe, with various "what-if" situations. Among them is Hammer of the Scots, based on the English wars in Scotland (1297-1315).

Other Wargames include:

• Combat Infantry, a World War II game based on squad level tactics
• Richard III, based on the Wars of the Roses
• Julius Caesar, based on the Roman Civil War
• Athens & Sparta, a game based on the Peloponnesian War
• War of 1812, a game based on the War of 1812
• Quebec 1759, based on the French and Indian War also known as the 7 Years War.
• Liberty, based on the American Revolution
• Crusader Rex, a game based on the 3rd Crusade.
• Sam Grant, based on the campaign in the west of the American Civil War
• Bobby Lee, a game based on the campaign in the east of the American Civil War
• Eastfront, a game depicting the entire Eastern Front of World War II
• WestFront, a game depicting the entire Western Front of World War II
• Rommel in the Desert, based on the North Africa desert campaign of World War II
• Pacific Victory, based on the Pacific Theater of World War II
• Victory in Europe, based on the European Theater of World War II
• Victory: The Blocks of War, a generic World War II strategic, combined arms game
• Texas Glory, based on the Texan War of Independence, including the Battle of the Alamo
• Borodino, a game covering the French invasion of Russia during the Napoleonic Wars
• Gettysburg: Badges of Courage, covering all three days of Gettysburg during the American Civil War
• Shiloh: 1862, based on the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War
• Shenandoah: Jackson's Valley Campaign, based on Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862 during the American Civil War
• Wizard Kings, a non-historical wargame about fantasy armies and creatures warring at the strategic level

Block games are not limited to war themes, The Last Spike is a competitive strategy block games based on the Golden spike completing the First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA.

In the late 1990s, the company began producing collectible card games based upon military themes for the American Civil War (such as Dixie) and the Napoleonic Wars (Eagles: Waterloo).

Slapshot is a card game that focuses on managing a hockey teams. Players trade, take, a draw new team members and attempt to challenge opponents when they feel their opponents are weak. It is not necessary to know much about hockey to play.

Columbia publishes Hârn, a low-magic fantasy campaign setting created by N. Robin Crossby, for use in role-playing games and for collaborative fiction. The Hârn product line is compatible with Hârn products produced by Kelestia Productions (Robin Crossby's own company) and is supported by additional material produced by the game's fans.

It publishes a set of supplemental materials called HârnQuest.[1] Each issue is approximately 32 pages and includes articles about Hârnic kingdoms, cities, castles, history, creatures, and other gaming topics. New Hârn Atlas maps are also sent under this subscription as they are released.

• Official website
• Columbia Games at BoardGameGeek