Game Designers' Workshop

Infobox_Company
company_name = Game Designers' Workshop
company_type = Unknown (defunct)
industry = Wargame and Role-playing game publisher
products = "Traveller"
company_
foundation = June 22 1973
key_people = Frank Chadwick, Rich Banner, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman
location = Normal, Illinois USA

Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996.cite web |url=http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/327/on_game_design_a_history_of_video_.php?page=2
title=On Game Design: A History of Video Games |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author=Jason Weesner |date=2007-01-11 |work= |publisher=Game Career Guide] Many of their games are now carried by other publishers.cite web |url=http://www.farfuture.net/ |title=Far Future Enterprises - Home |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Far Future Enterprises]

History

"Game Designer's Workshop" was originally established June 22, 1973.cite web |url=http://www.boardgamegeek.com/publisher/181 |title=GDW (Game Designer's Workshop) |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=BoardGameGeek] The founding members consisted of Frank Chadwick, Rich Banner, Marc Miller, and Loren Wiseman.

"GDW" published a new product approximately every twenty-two days for over twenty years.

The company disbanded February 29, 1996 after suffering financial troubles. Designers working for the company attributed a part of "GDW's" failure as burn-out.

Products

Role-playing games

*"2300 AD" (1987) - A hard science fiction roleplaying game. First edition was titled "Traveller: 2300"
*"Cadillacs and Dinosaurs" - Based on the underground comic book Xenozoic Tales.
*"Dangerous Journeys" (1992)
*"Dark Conspiracy" (1991)
*"En Garde!" (1975) - Dueling game set in 17th-century France
*"" (1988) - Victorian-era spacefaring game
*"Traveller" (1977) - A science fiction game originally intended for a ruleset for generic space opera adventures.:*"MegaTraveller" (1986)- Second edition of "Traveller".:*"" (1992) - Third edition of "Traveller".
*"Twilight 2000" (1984) - An alternate history game set in a Europe devastated by nuclear war.

Board Games

Miniatures rules

*"Fire & Steel" (Napoleonic Wars)
*"Harpoon" (modern naval combat), later developed into a computer game
*"Johnny Reb" (American Civil War)
*"Striker" (science fiction, 1983), another "Traveller" based game.
*"Command Decision" (20th Century Warfare, WWII)
*"Combined Arms" (Cold War, post-WWII)
*"TacForce" (20th Century Warfare)

Grenadier Magazine

The Grenadier was the house magazine from 1978 to 1990 and comprised of 35 issues. It started off as a quarterly magazine, but towards the end was published sporadically. Although it covered games from all companies, it gave most of the magazine space to GDW games.

Journal of the Travellers Aid Society

Journal of the Travellers Aid Society was a magazine dedicated to Traveller published by GDW between 1979 and 1985.

=Challenge=

Challenge was a role-playing game magazine that replace Journal of the Travellers Aid Society. It covered all of GDW's role playing games, not just Traveller. It was published between 1986 and 1996.

Awards

*"Best Graphics of 1976" Charles S. Roberts Award, "Avalanche" [cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1976
title=1976 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1977 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Fantasy/Futuristic Game of 1978" Charles S. Roberts Award, "Mayday" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1978
title=1978 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1979 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1978" H. G. Wells Award, "Fire & Steel"
*"Best Historical Figure Series of 1979" H. G. Wells Award, "System Seven Napoleonics" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1979
title=1979 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1980 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1979" H. G. Wells Award, "System Seven Napoleonics"
*"Best Roleplaying Adventure of 1979" H. G. Wells Award, "Kinunir"
*"Best Magazine Covering Roleplaying of 1979" H. G. Wells Award, "Journal of the Travellers Aid Society"
*"Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1980" Charles S. Roberts Award, "Azhanti High Lightning" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1980
title=1980 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1981 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1980" H. G. Wells Award, "Tacforce"
*"Best Roleplaying Adventure of 1980" H. G. Wells Award, "Twilights Peak"
*"Best Professional Magazine Covering Roleplaying of 1980" H. G. Wells Award, "Journal of the Travellers Aid Society"
*"Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame of 1981" Charles S. Roberts Award, "House Divided" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1980
title=1981 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1982 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Professional Roleplaying Magazine of 1981" H. G. Wells Award, "Journal of the Travellers Aid Society"
*"All Time Best Miniatures Rules for 20th Century Land Battles of 1981" H. G. Wells Award, "Tacforce"
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1982" H. G. Wells Award, "Striker" [cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1982
title=1982 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1983 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Roleplaying Rules of 1984" H. G. Wells Award, "" [cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1984
title=1984 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1985 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1986" H. G. Wells Award, "Command Decision" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1986
title=1986 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1987 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Roleplaying Adventure of 1986" H. G. Wells Award, "Going Home"
*"Best Boardgame Covering the Period 1900-1946 of 1987" Origins Award, "Scorched Earth" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1987
title=1987 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1988 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Boardgame Covering the Period 1947-Modern Day of 1987" Origins Award, "Team Yankee"
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1987" Origins Award, "Harpoon"
*"Best Miniatures Rules of 1988" Origins Award, "To The Sound of the Guns" cite web |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/1988
title=1988 List of Winners Presented at Origins 1989 |accessdate=2007-09-14 |author= |date= |work= |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design]
*"Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Boardgame of 1988" Origins Award, "Sky Galleons of Mars"
*"Best Graphic Presentation of a Boardgame of 1988" Origins Award, "Sky Galleons of Mars"
*"Best Pre-World War Two Game of 1989" Charles S. Roberts Award, "House Divided" (2nd edition)
*"Best Roleplaying Rules of 1993" Origins Award, "Traveller: the New Era"

References