The founder of Avalon Hill - Charles S. Roberts died this past week.
Here is the article/news announcement:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-08-28/news/bs-md-ob-charles-roberts-20100827_1_b-o-halethorpe-railroads
There is an award given at ORIGINS every year named after him.
- Ed C.
Thanks for posting that. There are a couple of minor errors that I noticed: Rail Baron was published long after Roberts left Avalon Hill AFAIK, and the company was taken over by Monarch Printing, not Parker Brothers. (Much later, it was sold to Hasbro, which by then also owned Parker Bros. I believe.)
I had no idea what Roberts did with himself after giving up AH; it's nice to read that he had even more success with another geeky pursuit.
One of my earliest games was the starship troopers original bookcase wargame...
So many things Avalon Hill participated to gaming...
He sounds like a fantastic geek and person in many ways.
Diplomacy is probably the board game I have played most over the years, and I still cheerish the (old?) Avalon Hill Edition (http://www.amarriner.com/dip/images/diplomacy_box.jpg) I bought some 15 years ago.
That and that crazy Empires in Arms campaign I was part of a couple of years back, all good Avalon Hill stuff.
Tactics II is probably still my favorite board wargame I've ever plain.