Task Force's mini games
Nicholas Sauer
After not finding any lists of Task Force Games' mini-games (what they seemed
to call ziplock games in their ads) on the web, I decided to make one myself.
The list below is all that I have managed to verify so far. Unfortunately,
the earliest TFG catalog I have in my collection is already pretty late in
their publishing history. Here is the list with additional notes below:
#: Name: Date:
01 Starfire 1979
02 Asteroid Zero Four 1979
03 Cerberus 1979
04 Star Fleet Battles 1979
05
06 Intruder 1979
07
08
09 Strafire II 1979
10
11 Spellbinder 1979
12
13 Robots 1981
14 Battlewagon 1981
15 SFB Expansion Set 1 1980
16 Survival/The Barbarian 1981
17 Ultrawarrior ????
18 Starfire III: Empires 1981
19 Moonbase Clavius 1982
20 The Warriors of Bataak 1982
21 Boarding Party 1983
22 SFB Expansion Set 2 1982
23 Escape From Altassar 1983
24 City States of Arklyrell 1983
25 SFB Expansion Set 3 1983
26 Check Point Omega ????
27 Groundfire 1985
Now to the questions. First, does anyone know for sure whether Groundfire was
actually released or not. I have never actually seen a copy of the game and,
even though I have a copyright date on one of my lists, there is just too much
vaporware out there for me to trust one piece of information whose source I
can't even remember. The games up until Intruder carry the banner "Task Force
Game #X" on the bottom of the front cover. Starfire II is the first game in
my collection that doesn't have it. The game's product numbers are in a 10XX
format where the XX matches the Task Force Game number for the early releases.
The rest of the games are listed by these last two digits. This leads into the
games missing from the list. One of them is Valkenburg Castle, which is
product number 1000 (making it Task Force Game #0?). I think Prochorovka was
TFG#5 but, couldn't swear to it without seeing a copy again. I also know that
Operation Pegasus was originally released in this format as well. I vaguely
recall it having the "Task Force Game #" banner at the bottom (I could very
well be wrong though). I think it was game #8 but, again, if someone out there
could verify it, that would be nice. Still, this leaves three holes in the
sequence above. The only other game I recall that might have been originally
released as a mini game was Swordbearer but, again, I'm not too sure. So, if
anyone out there can fill in the missing info it would be greatly appreciated.
After the list is complete it should probably be posted to one of the Microgame
web sites as well (so some other poor shmuck doesn't have to re-invent the
wheel here). Thanks to all who are able to contribute any further info to
the list.
Nick Sauer
Maximillian Natzet
Nice list! I had forgotten alot of those early games. TFG
really put out some fun _little_ games back in those days.
I remember having a blast with asteroid 04.
As far as I know, Groundfire was never published. Some of its
ideas are incorporated into the 3rd ed. Starfire rules and amy
yet see the light of day as a Starfire expansion.
To those lurking TFG guys: it would be nice if you'd reprint
some of those games.
--
Maximillian F Natzet, Combat Botanist
North American Combat Botany Institute
University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
http://watt.seas.Virginia.EDU/~mfn8j/
Daniel Blum
TFG did Swordquest in the micro format as well as in a boxed format (I used
to own a copy of the former). I don't know which number it was, unfortunately.
_______________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum to...@mcs.net
"Let it be granted that a controversy may be raised about any question,
and at any distance from that question." - Lewis Carroll
Jeffery S. Jones
On 30-May-97 14:04:55, Nicholas Sauer <n...@peerless.dnrc.bell-labs.com>
wrote:
It does get confusing, especially since several of the TFG games were
rereleased later in other formats (Operation Pegasus, boxed version
#2003, roughly 1984). Battlewagon was aldo redone in that format.
Swordquest (probably what you mean by Swordbearer) was a 1980 release
pocket game, but I don't know the number. Prochorovka, Warsaw Pact, and
Armor at Kursk may also have been released in that format; but again I
have no reference handy to tell me the numbers.
Groundfire was never released. Starfire was redone in a boxed set
(1031), with New Empires (1032) and The Gorm-Khanate War (1033) coming
out in 1984 and 1985 (approximately) as folio format (the larger version
of the pocket games). Since elements from the unpublished game were
included in these last two products, the copyright date may be valid
even though it was never released as a complete game.
--
*-___________________________| *Starfire* |__________________________-*
Jeff Jones email:jef...@execpc.com *//* Amiga Lives! |Born Again 1995
*Task Force Games* \\//http://www.task-force-games.com
*Starfire Design Studio* http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~seidl/starfire/
--
MN1st
Prochorovka & Warsaw Pact were boxed games. I didn't know they started out
as Mini-Games. They both played very well. I especially enjoyed Warsaw
Pact. I still play it solo, in fact. McPherson's Ridge was too much like a
TSS clone for my tastes. I think I still have my copy, though.
Look to the cookie!
Robert A. Woodward
In article <4210.7089...@execpc.com>, Jeffery S. Jones
<jef...@execpc.com> wrote:
> On 30-May-97 14:04:55, Nicholas Sauer <n...@peerless.dnrc.bell-labs.com>
> wrote:
> >After not finding any lists of Task Force Games' mini-games (what they
> >seemed to call ziplock games in their ads) on the web, I decided to
> >make one myself. The list below is all that I have managed to verify so
> >far. Unfortunately, the earliest TFG catalog I have in my collection
> >is already pretty late in their publishing history. Here is the list
> >with additional notes below:
>
> >#: Name: Date:
> >01 Starfire 1979
> >02 Asteroid Zero Four 1979
> >03 Cerberus 1979
> >04 Star Fleet Battles 1979
> >05
#5 was _Prochorouka_
> >06 Intruder 1979
> >07
#7 was _Swordquest_
> >08
#8 was _Operation Pegasus
Chris Camfield
I suspect all of these games are listed on the Microgame HQ list, but not
organized by publisher or with publication date...
I'd add to the list:
07 Swordquest 1979
Ultrawarrior was published 1981
Check Point Omega was published 1983
Groundfire was, as far as I know and according to the Starfire (Mailing
List?) FAQ, never published.
Chris
--
Chris Camfield - ccam...@freenet.carleton.ca
do you recognize another's twitch / that exposes the weakness of the myth
when your turn comes 'round / and the light goes on
and you feel your attraction again / your instinct can't be wrong (CH)