Avalon Hill · Category
AVALON HILL SYSTEM GUIDES
The game systems that outlived the boxes they shipped in.
Avalon Hill didn't just publish games — it published systems. These are the design frameworks that spawned families of titles, tournament scenes, and decades of derivative work across other publishers.
Core Systems
Advanced Squad Leader (ASL)
#1The most detailed tactical WWII system in the hobby. Modular, chapter-based rules that combine into a lifetime study.
Squad Leader (Original System)
#2Scenario-first, programmed-instruction WWII squad combat. The direct ancestor of ASL.
Panzerblitz / Panzer Leader
#3Company-level armored combat on geomorphic maps — the template for a decade of AH tactical designs.
The Great Battles of History (via AH's late catalog)
#4Grand-tactical ancient and medieval battles with morale, momentum, and command activation.
Wooden Ships & Iron Men System
#5Age-of-sail naval combat with wind, rigging, and boarding — the definitive AH naval system.
Third Reich / Advanced Third Reich / Empire of the Rising Sun
#6The grand-strategic WWII family with production, diplomacy, and combined arms.
Diplomacy Engine
#7No dice, no cards — just seven players, one map, and thirty-four supply centers. A pure negotiation system.
Civilization Trade System
#8Trade-card mechanics that seeded an entire genre, from Sid Meier's video game to modern Euros.