The second edition, Wargame Collector's Guide (19931), purported to provide basic data on over 99% of the wargames ever published (unfortunately, it's that last 1% which is of most interest to collectors). The associated values are closer to current rates. These two books were published by Panzer Press, 11530 W. 84th Pl., Arvada CO 80005.

The following four publications come closest to being definitive with respect to board wargame simulations:

Pimper's All the World's Wargames, published by the Strategy Gaming Society (SGS, c/o George Phillies, 87-6 Park Avenue, Worcester MA 01605) comes in four volumes: I (covers games published 1953- 77); 11 (1978-83); 111 (1984-88); and IV (1989- 95). Over 2000 published board wargames are listed with publisher, year of publication, historical period, game scale and counter scale.

Pimper's was begun in the mid-seventies as a listing of Jeff Pimper's games collection, but gradually expanded to include games on his want list, i.e., everything published (with a paper map) that he didn't have. At this point, Jeff felt that he had the third largest board wargame collection, after George Phillies and the Bromley Brothers of Mayfair Gaines. Jeff is no longer a wargarne collector, and Pimper's is currently edited by George Phillies and the SGS.

Lou Zocchi and Greg Costikyan published Zocchis 1993 SPI Designers & Chronology List in 1992. Although this publication deals only with SPI games, it is probably the single most complete list, and includes other data such as a separate list of designers and their designs. Since SPI produced more collectible games than any other manufacturer, this reference is invaluable for this reason.

This list would not be complete without a word about Danny D. Holte's Wargamer's Reference Guide (1997). What makes this reference so useful is the fact that it lists, by game title, all of the articles published on these game in 13 gaming magazines (Battleplan: Campaign, C3i: Command; Fire & Movement; the Grenadier; the General; Moves; Panzerfaust; Paper Wars: Relative Range; S&T- and the VIP of Gaming). This reference is available from Etloh Technologies, PO Box 1493, Westminster CA 92684-1493.

Another excellent source of information about available board war-games is the Internet, and one home page in particular - Web Grognards (http://www.grognard.com). This could very well be your first stop, as it has vast amounts of information, plus links to many other useful sites.

The issue of which of these games are still available and which are OOP is a bit less accessible. As a general rule, all games from companies which no longer exist (such as GDW and the original SPI) are likely to be OOP. But established companies (such as Avalon Hill and Columbia Games) also have games which are OOP. And some OOP games from defunct companies have been reissued by existing companies.

With no single reference available listing OOP games, the process of deter-mining print status must be done on a case-by-case basis; but with due care and diligence. Rommel in the Desert, which Columbia Gaines obtained from the Game Preserve and published in 1984, in a run of 5000 copies, officially went OOP in 1997. What that means is that the last of the 5000 copies left the warehouse in 1997, after it was first printed. Milton Bradley's Shogun has been OOP for several years but recently MB reissued it, with very few changes, under the name Samurai Swords.

As a result, the value of Shogun dropped from a high of about $150 to current values , of about $25. Battleline's Machiavelli and Air Force Dauntless were obtained by Avalon Hill in the late 1970's. The first edition distributed by Avalon Hill was simply the Battleline edition with Avalon Hill's logo over- printed. Once these versions were exhausted, Avalon Hill reprinted them in their own distinctive style. On the other hand, Avalon Hill's Dune has been OOP for some time and commands relatively high prices at auction, yet the two Dune expansion gamettes are (or were, until very recently) still available directly from Avalon Hill, at $5 each.

How to Determine What Games are Collectible

If you want a particular game for whatever reason, then it is ipso facto collectible. The more people who want that particular game, the more collectible it becomes, especially if the print run was small and/or the game was published long ago. In any event, collectibility is also directly related to the game being OOP.

It's actually very easy to find out which games are collectible. Just look up any recent price list for old games - those with the higher prices are more collectible. I'm sorry if that answer sounds facetious, but truth is just truth - you can't have opinions about it. The prices asked for older games by some dealers appears to be quite out of line with reality, particularly the reality of Internet sales and auctions. However, on the assumption that the unreal prices are at least internally consistent, these price lists are valuable in indicating which games are relatively more collectible.

Going back to my first statement for a moment, collectibility is in the eye of the beholder. As a collector, you have a rare opportunity to define what you are collecting in order to minimize competition from other collectors and to maximize your own return on investment. Buying a copy of SPI's War in the Pacific for $600 may be very satisfying if it's mint, and is the backbone of your collection of Pacific Theater games. But this game will not appreciate in value significantly, as it's already at the top end of the cost scale.

But if you were able to find a copy of GDW's Beda Fomm for $10 for your collection of games on the North African Theater, you may find that this game will increase significantly in value over the next few years (it's a good and an entertaining simulation, there are no other meeting engagement simulations like it, its print run was limited, it's OOP with little prosepect of being reprinted, and GDW is no longer in business).

The secret to success is the same as it is for the stock market: to determine which games are inexpensive right now but are likely to appreciate over the next few years. For example, GDW's original Europa series (not the subsequent editions published by GRD) can generally be acquired in mint condition for about $15 each. These monster games don't yet have the cachet of SPI monster games, but their prices have nowhere to go but up.

How to Determine What Games are Worth

A game is worth only what a buyer is willing to pay for it, and no more. A game's value is the price which the most generous, or desperate, buyer will pay. In this regard, auctions can be dangerous, since many an otherwise right-thinking person can easily get swept up in auction fever and end up bidding far more for an item than would normally be sensible.

In general, games sold by dealers will have higher prices than those sold or auctioned on the Internet. Dealers have overhead costs to consider, and usually offer buyers the security of a reputation to protect and an unconditional refund if they are not satisfied with the condition of the game. Internet transactions can be chancy, particularly if the seller is relatively new and does not have a reputation. And not all Internet auctions are run with the same honesty, due diligence and morally correct business practices that one might expect. This should be evident from some of the messages from the Internet which have been reprinted in Simulacrum.

Having said that, it is important to understand that there are a number of sellers on the Internet who have been doing business for, as in my case, over five years. They are proud of their reputation, and go out of their way to provide excellent value and service to buyers. If you are in the market for a particular game, spend some time "lurking" just reading the postings, but not becoming involved or posting messages yourself) and you'll soon be able to recognize the sellers you can trust implicitly.

As I mentioned already, game lists published by dealers in the various game magazines tend to be at the high end of cost, but are useful for determining relative worth. The most reliable indicator of current game value comes from the Internet, and therefore the single most useful document in this regard is Mark Boone's Internet Wargames Catalog. This publication provides high, low and average prices for both auctions and sales on the Internet, an excellent guide to prices and values, and highly recommended for any serious collector.

Other sources of accurate current game values are such dealers as Michael Dean (of Fine Games) and Andrew Webber (of Games By Mail).

Most games have quite a range of values associated with them, and there are very good reasons for this. Game values fluctuate over time, and many games which once commanded rare prices are now, thanks to the Internet, in fairly good supply and thus less expensive than they used to be. Game values also fluctuate with condition a shrinkwrapped game is worth considerably more than a punched and played (and possibly 'incomplete) game. And finally, game prices seem to fluctuate with the season, being lower during the summer when there are conventions and other distractions, and higher in the fall when students get back to school.

If a game to you is worth only what you're willing to pay for it, then that puts the onus on you to do your homework and your research, and come to your own conclusion about the price range and the maximum price that you are willing to pay. Study dealers' lists to get a rough sense of relative costs, and then lurk on the Internet for a while to get a feel for what is happening.

Once you've established your price range, you can start to go looking, but don't make the all-too-easy mistake of becoming involved in an auction to the extent that you get caught up in a bidding frenzy. All this will do is have you paying too much for a game, skewing the statistics, creating a false sense of expectation in other sellers, and getting other buyers upset with you. There are very few games which are so rare that you must obtain them at all costs when they become available.

In future articles, I will discuss the different kinds of auctions, how to run an Internet auction, how to bid in an Internet auction, and how to bid in an eBay auction.