The Gamers


The Gamers was a wargaming company founded and run by Dean Essig in Homer, Illinois. Their distinction was the focus on a few series, with special rules for each individual game. This made it easier to play new games within a series that was well known to the players. Homercon, a convention for The Gamers games was held each September in Homer, IL from 1990 until 2012. This company was bought out by Multi-Man Publishing in 2001 who continues to publish new materials for the original Gamers series and new games and game series designed by Dean Essig.

Games

The Gamers produce games in several different series:
GameSubjectYearDesignerCategoryNotes
In Their Quiet FieldsAntietam1988Dean EssigCWB 1
In Their Quiet Fields IIAntietam1995Dean EssigCWB 1a
Thunder at the CrossroadsGettysburg1988Dave PowellCWB 2
Thunder at the Crossroads IIGettysburg1992Dave PowellCWB 2a
August Fury2nd Battle of Bull Run1990Dave PowellCWB 3
Barren VictoryChickamauga1991Dave PowellCWB 4
Bloody Roads SouthThe Wilderness1992James EppersonCWB 5
PerryvillePerryville1992Dave PowellCWB 6
Embrace an Angry WindSpring Hill & Franklin1992Dean EssigCWB 7
No Better Place to DieMurfreesboro1994Dave PowellCWB 8CSR award nominee
April's HarvestShiloh1995Al WamboldCWB 9CSR award nominee
Champion HillChampion Hill1996Ken JacobsenCWB 10CSR award nominee
Gaines MillSeven Days Battle I1997Dave PowellCWB 11CSR award nominee
Seven PinesSeven Pines & Seven Days Battle II1998Dean EssigCWB 12
Malvern HillSeven Days Battle III1999Dean EssigCWB 13CSR award nominee
Three Battles of Manassas1st & 2nd Bull Run, & a 3rd Bull Run?2004Thomas ProwellCWB 14CSR award nominee
Strike Them a BlowNorth Anna2006Bob MunnsCWB 15
This Hallowed GroundGettysburg1998Dave PowellRSS 1CSR award nominee
This Terrible SoundChickamauga2000Dave PowellRSS 2CSR award nominee
A Fearful SlaughterShiloh2004Dave PowellRSS 3CSR award nominee
South MountainSouth Mountain2008Dave PowellRSS 4
None But HeroesAntietam2011Dean EssigLoB 1CSR award WINNER
Last Chance for VictoryGettysburg2014Dean EssigLoB 2
To Take WashingtonMonocacy2019Dean EssigLoB 3
Bloody 110thBattle of the Bulge1989Dean EssigTCS 1CSR award nominee
Objective: SchmidtHürtgen Forest, Ardennes Campaign1990Dave PowellTCS 2CSR award nominee
OmahaOmaha1991Dave PowellTCS 3
MatanikauMatanikau River1993Sam SimonsTCS 4
GD '40Stonne, Battle of France1993Dean EssigTCS 5CSR award nominee
Hunters From the SkyMaleme Airfield, Battle of Crete1994Wig GravesTCS 6CSR award nominee
Black WednesdayKrasny Bor1995Dave FriedrichsTCS 7CSR award nominee
LerosLeros1996Dave FriedrichsTCS 8
GD '41Tula Road, Battle of Moscow1996Wig GravesTCS 9CSR award WINNER
Semper Fi!Korean War1997Lee ForesterTCS 10CSR award WINNER
Raging StormAnzio, Allied invasion of Italy1997Nigel Roberts & Bob RunniclesTCS 11
A Frozen HellTolvajärvi, Winter War2000Al WamboldTCS 12CSR award nominee
Screaming Eagles in HollandVeghel, Operation Market Garden2002Nigel Roberts & Bob RunniclesTCS 13
Bloody RidgeGuadalcanal, Bloody Ridge2005Michael SmithTCS 14
GD'42Operation Mars2009Wig GravesTCS 15
Canadian CrucibleNorrey-en-Bessin, Battle of Normandy2013Larry BrienTCS 16
Force Eagle's War1990Dean EssigModern TCS
Guderian's BlitzkriegOperation Barbarossa1992Dean EssigOCS 1CSR award nominee
Enemy at the GatesStalingrad1994Dean EssigOCS 2CSR award WINNER
TunisiaTunisia1995Dean EssigOCS 3CSR award WINNER
Hube's PocketWestern Ukraine1996Dave FriedrichsOCS 4CSR award nominee
DAKWestern Desert Campaign1997Dean EssigOCS 5CSR award WINNER
BurmaBurma Campaign1999Dave FriedrichsOCS 6CSR award WINNER
SicilySicily2000Dean EssigOCS 7CSR award WINNER
Guderian's Blitzkrieg IIOperation Barbarossa2001Dean EssigOCS 8CSR award nominee
Korea: The Forgotten WarKorean War2003Rod MillerOCS 9CSR award nominee
Case BlueCase Blue & Stalingrad2007Dean EssigOCS 10CSR award WINNER
Baltic GapBaltic Offensive2009John Kisner & Hans MielantsOCS 11
The Blitzkrieg LegendBattle of France2012Hans KishelOCS 12
Reluctant EnemiesSyria–Lebanon Campaign2014Curtis BaerOCS 13
Beyond the Rhine2015Roland LeBlancOCS 14
Tunisia IITunisia2016Dean EssigOCS 15
Operational Matters: OCS Guide Sicily2016Dean Essig OCS 16
Smolensk:Barbarossa DerailedBattle of Smolensk 2018Hans KishelOCS 17
Stalingrad PocketStalingrad1992Masahiro YamazakiSCS 1CSR award WINNER
Stalingrad Pocket IIStalingrad1996Dean EssigSCS 1
AfrikaWestern Desert Campaign1993Dean EssigSCS 2CSR award WINNER
Afrika IIWestern Desert Campaign2006Dean EssigSCS 12CSR award nominee
ArdennesBattle of the Bulge1994Dean EssigSCS 3CSR award nominee
Yom KippurSinai Front, Yom Kippur War1995Al SandrickSCS 4CSR award WINNER
CrusaderOperation Crusader1997Dean EssigSCS 5CSR award nominee
GazalaGazala1999Dean EssigSCS 6CSR award nominee
Drive on ParisWestern Front 19142000Al WamboldSCS 7CSR award WINNER
FallschirmjägerAirborne assault against Holland 19402001Al WamboldSCS 8CSR award nominee
Operation MichaelOperation Michael2002John BestSCS 9
The Mighty EndeavorOperation Overlord to V-E Day2005Steve Newhouse & Tim ArmstrongSCS 10CSR award nominee
GuadalajaraThe Battle of Guadalajara in 19362006Ernesto SassotSCS 11
Rock of the MarneThe last German offensive in WW12008John BestSCS 12
BastogneSiege of Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge2009Dean EssigSCS 13
Karelia '44Karelian Offensive, Continuation War2011Ken JacobsenSCS 14
It Never SnowsOperation Market-Garden2012Dean EssigSCS 15
Heights of CourageGolan Heights, Yom Kippur War2012Steve NewhouseSCS 16
The Mighty Endeavor: 2nd EditionOperation Overlord to V-E Day2013Dean Essig SCS 17
Day of DaysThe first days after D-Day2015Lee ForesterSCS 18
Panzer BattlesThe Battle for the Chir River, 19422016Dean EssigSCS 19
Autumn for Barbarossa Battle of Smolensk 2017Dean EssigSCS 20
AusterlitzAusterlitz1993Dave PowellNBS 1CSR award nominee
MarengoMarengo1995Dave PowellNBS 2CSR award nominee
Aspern-EsslingAspern-Essling1999Jerry MaloneNBS 3
EspinosaEspinosa2002Anders FagerNBS freebie
MontebelloMontebello2006François Vander MeulenNBS freebie
TalaveraTalavera & Vimeiro2007Jerry Malone & Anders FagerNBS 4CSR award nominee
Last BlitzkriegThe Ardennes Offensive2016Dean EssigBCS 1
Baptism by FireBattle of Kasserine Pass2017Dean EssigBCS 2
Brazen
Chariots
Battle for Tobruk2019Dean EssigBCS 3
Circus MinimusChariot racing2000Dean Essig