John Hill’s Works Complied by Randall Black
I wish to thank Randy Black, a long-time wargaming buddy of John’s, who was worked very hard to put together this compilation of John Hill’s works. The document opens up into a PDF. If you do not have Adobe Reader installed, be sure to download the latest version. All of the works are sorted by the year in which they came out. Each game is based on a historic theme and is recommended for ages 12 and older and provides hours of realistic strategy. Many of John Hill’s games are now considered collectibles.
Here is a list of all works designed by John Hill taken from the PDF document and also includes the three separate ADF rulebooks, the first two which came out a year before his passing and the third one four months after John passed away.
| Verdun | Conflict Games | 1972 | Published in two versions: The first had a mounted board and a large bookcase box (Rare). The second was the later paper map with the standard thin Conflict Games box |
| The Brotherhood | Conflict Games/GDW | 1972 | Published in three versions: The first was a large bookcase box in Red. The second was in a thinner Conflict Games Box Red and the third was put out by GDW in a thin Brown Box. |
| The Battle of Hue / Hue | Conflict Magazine a Simulations Design Corporation publication / Mayfair Games | 1973-1975/ 1982 | The first was published in Conflict Magazine #6 as a magazine game and as a bag game, later picked up Mayfair games and boxed in a thin Conflict Games box. |
| Kasserine Pass | Conflict Games | 1973 | Published in a thin yellow Conflict Games box. |
| Overlord | Conflict Games | 1973 | Published in a thin blue Conflict Games box |
| Bar Lev | Conflict Games | 1974 | Published in a thin black/green Conflict games box, GDW did at total redesign of the game in their re-release which was package as a bag game. |
| Jerusalem! | Simulations Design Corporation | 1975/ 1982 | This was originally published as a pouch game. Task Force games was contracted to republish it in 1981, but it fell through and Mayfair Games released it in 1982. This game is of the 1948 conflict where Israel was trying to establish itself as a nation. |
| Squad Leader | Avalon Hill | 1977 | Revolutionized table top small unit tactical gaming systems and lead to three expansions before evolving into Advanced Squad Leader (ASL). It was packaged in a large bookcase box mostly black, orange and green. Squad Leader is a game of World War II tactical combat in Europe. |
| Yalu | Conflict Games + GDW First Edition / Compass Games | 1977/ 2010 | First Edition was a thin Gray/Blue thin box, while the Second (2nd) Edition was boxed in a thin bookcase box in shades of Gray/White/Black with title in Red. This game is of the Chinese-led counteroffensive against UN forces in northern Korea,1950. |
| Cross Of Iron Squad Leader Gamette | Avalon Hill | 1978 | Published in a thin book shelf box black and red and light green/blue. |
| PanzerForce | Battlefront Series | 1979 | Comes in a large box containing mounted board and HO scale rubberized plastic models which need to be assembled. The tanks are four Sherman and two Tigers. |
| Battle for Stalingrad | SPI | 1980 | Comes in a large bookcase red box. It was based on the seven week battle for the heart of the Soviet city of Stalingrad, Fall 1942. |
| Johnny Reb | Adventures Games | 1983 | This is in a Conflict Games thin red box and was the first (1st) edition of Johnny Reb. |
| Tank Leader Eastern Front | West End Games | 1986 | Comes in a large bookcase black box. Later West End Games added two expansions: Tank Leader Western Front and Tank Leader Desert Steel. |
| Johnny Reb II | GDW | 1988 | This comes in a Conflict Games thin BLUE box and is the 2nd edition of Johnny Reb. |
| Johnny Reb III (JRIII) | Johnny Reb Game Company | 1996 | This was a booklet in shrink wrap and was the 3rd edition of Johnny Reb. |
| Conflict of Heroes Storms of Steel Kursk 1943 | Academy Games | 2009 | Comes in a large blue box. It uses cards and dice, also has portable terrain. It is for 2-4 players and takes 1-3 hours to play. |
| Across a Deadly Field: Regimental Rules for Civil War Battles | Osprey Publishing | 2014 | The 1st rulebook in the ADF series. ADF offers a game system that enables wargamers to fight large scale battles in a relatively compact space, yet maintains the regimental focus and flavor so appropriate to the conflict. |
| Across a Deadly Field: The War in the East | Osprey Publishing | 2014 | The 2nd rulebook in the ADF series. This ADF includes a number of scenarios of differing size and complexity, intended to give players a diverse and huge variety of options for their American Civil War (ACW) games. |
| Across a Deadly Field: The War in the West | Osprey Publishing | 2015 | This was the last of the published works designed by John Hill. It came out in May 2015, four months after John passed away in January 2015. |
There are other games that John, my father, contributed to which are not included here, but this is a pretty exhaustive list. Thank you again to Randy Black for putting this together. I hope you find this information useful. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and I will reply as soon as I can. If you are a wargamer and have specific questions relating to wagraming, please refer to the ADF Q&A page.
Wow, I have played many of these games over the years. Stephanie, you have created an inspiring tribute to your father, John Hill. Thanks for keeping these memories alive and sharing them with the rest of us.
Bill
Thanks Stephanie,
This is a great site and a very wonderful tribute to your dad. I think Squad Leader was brilliant, and it set the standard for gaming.
I’ve often wondered what John Hill was like, and I’m pleased that you have taken the time to show your love and admiration for what he’s done. (As a father to 3 daughters, I especially love seeing what you’ve done).
Thank you very much,
Brian
This is a fine tribute to your father.
I’m tempted to try one of these games in his honor even though my recreation time is extremely limited right now.
The attention to detail in this type game is incredible and I always assumed they were done by teams of designers and researchers.
It stuns me to think so many war simulation games were the product of one man’s creativity.
I think of my own daughters and wonder what in my life they will each remember me for.
Hi Chazz:
Thanks for stopping by and checking out my father’s tribute site. He was a rather amazing person. I am sure when you pass away and visit the white pearly gates of Heaven your daughter will remember you very fondly as well as miss you dearly. We all leave a larger impact on our heirs then we think we do.
Thank you for the kind words. Have a wonderful day!
Sincerely,
Stephanie
This is a great post. I’m fairly young. But I enjoy each of these games. I have a family member who has all of these. He has them in a box. He lets be play when we have family get togethers. I will say the only thing I dislike about them. Is that they all seem to take a lot of time to complete. But they are still very fun to play.
Hi William:
Great to hear you are aware of the wargames by father John Hill designed. You are right. Tabletop wargaming does involve hours and hours of playing. When I was a little girl, I remember my father facilitating a wargame with several other wargames until the wee hours of the night. You do need to block a day or so aside for these games. 🙂 Many thanks for leaving this awesome comment.
Stephanie Hill (AKA John Hill’s daughter)
Hello there!
Awesome post here. When I read “war games”, I was thinking of modern PC games like Stronghold, Company of heroes and Shogun. Nonetheless, I still find it amazing that your father has contributed to so many games. That speaks volumes about his dedication.
Are these mostly board games? Or have some of them been released for gaming platforms? I was thinking of searching for them on some gaming networks. Just curious, do you intend to continue your dad’s legacy?
Cheers!
Hi Farhan:
Thanks for commenting today. I certainly appreciate you reading about my father’s wargames. To answer your question about whether these were all board games, yes. My father focused on tabletop miniature wargame designs. However, some games he designed to include Squad Leader have been converted into computer games. You can visit Amazon for Squad Leader to find a computerized version of Squad Leader. I am not sure what exact gaming platforms you use on a regular basis.
I was curious when you mentioned Shogun, because as far as I know, that is only available as a board game. It has a medieval Japanese setting right?
As far as continuing his legacy, I will maintain this website and continue to add new content as much as I can. Thank you again for your comment and taking the time to check out this tribute site.
Sincerely
Stephanie
Not gonna lie, when I read this webpage I half expected to see Stratego, Munchkin, and Settlers of Catan. Then I realized that war games are an entirely different sort of board game, and I went off to investigate. There is an entire Wikipedia page devoted to a “list of board wargames.” You learn something new everyday. That being said, I bet these are all fun and I’d be super down to play a few. Neat site!
Thank you Gabrielle for commenting. The wargames listed on this particular page are those that were designed by my late father, John Hill. That is why you will not see other wargames listed here that were not designed by John Hill.
I am glad you thought the website is neat. Have a wonderful day!
wow this really is an in depth and complete collections of games by John Hill. I didn’t realize he had so many!
I have a friend who is just all about war games. I am going to make sure to give him this link. I think he will fully appreciate the amount of work that went into making this collection.
Hi Jessica:
Thank you for reading the list of wargames by my father, John Hill. I would love for you to pass this site along to your friend who is into wargames. I would be interested in hearing their feedback. Thank you again. Have a wonderful day!
Sincerely
Stephanie
Wow, Steph what a wonderful and in-depth list of games by John Hill! I had never heard of him, nor have I played war games, but this is a great tribute and you have done an excellent job. Easy to purchase as well. Thanks for your post!
Thank you for stopping by today. I do appreciate it. John Hill was my father who passed away a little over a year ago. Thanks again. Have a great day!
Your father did some excellent work, and you and his friend followed up by putting all this together. Like you mention it in your post, it is a pretty exhaustive list. I found your information to be extremely helpful and I love the strategy games. I want to try most of those games!
Hi Juan:
I am grateful for the hard work that was put into compiling this list. Thank you Juan for appreciating it. I am glad you found this list to be extremely helpful.
Stephanie (AKA John’s Daughter)
I have never heard of Mr. John Hill and his war games, but I am now intrigued and want to learn more. I really like games of strategy, and I want to introduce my son into playing games such as this.
Is there anyone in particular that you would consider a fan favorite?
Hi Christian:
Thanks for visiting. Games of strategy help to teach analytical and thinking skills. Players of strategic games learn cognitive abilities. Since you are a parent and wish to introduce your son to playing games such as these, you may be interested in the Parent’s Guide to Understanding Tabletop Wargaming.
To answer your question, the fan favorites are Squad Leader and Johnny Reb, but there are many ADF fans as well.
Thank you again for taking the time to stop and check everything out.
Stephanie (AKA John’s Daughter)
Hello Stephanie,
What a great honor to visit your website that is a tribute to your father. It is such a great way to keep your father’s work going and also keeping his memory alive.
By the way, my older brother is really into these types of games. I will be sure to pass along this website address to him. I know he will really enjoy reading it.
Thanks, for this great post.
Thanks,
Val
Hi Val:
Thank you for visiting and checking out this list of wargames designed by my father. Please do share with your brother and I hope he enjoys. Have a great day!
Stephanie
Hey Stephanie,
I’m a game freak and man, this is a great compilation! Randy Black is a great man and a great friend to compile all of john’s works.
I remember the time when I used to play Avalon, Jerusalem and Overlord, those were the times. Which one is your favourite ?
Hi Riaz:
Thank you for checking out the long list of games that John Hill designed. I am always happy to hear from “game freaks” – have a wonderful day and I hope to see you again real soon.
Steph
Wow, what a collection. Your dad was clearly a very busy man. My eldest is 9 so maybe a little young yet for these but I’m sure he’d love them in a couple of years. Great site Steph, you must be proud having such a creative dad.
Hi Dan:
Thank you for visiting my father’s tribute site and thank you for your comment. And yes, I am proud to have had such a creative Dad. Please be sure to visit again soon.
Sincerely
Stephanie
Wow what an awesome bunch of games. I really want to try some of these games now. I love this article about your father and the games he made. I’m very sorry for your loss of your father he seems like an awesome person.
Best Regards
William
Hi William:
Thank you for checking out the list of wargames my father designed. I appreciate the kindness and yes, he was a pretty awesome person.
Sincerely
Stephanie
Wow! That’s quite a list!
John Hill was your father!?
My daughter is currently going to a school devoted to the study of games and gaming. They mostly focus on video games because that is where the most money is, but they also have general game design classes that gives some credence to good old fashioned strategy, role playing and board games.
I’ll have to show this page to her, she’ll get a real kick out of it.
By any chance have you continued down the path of your father?
Hi Jack:
Pleasure to meet you. In answer to your question, yes, John Hill was my father.
I am delighted to hear that gaming schools still devote studies toward general game design such as strategy, role playing and board games, all of which fall in the category of what my father designed. His wargames were tabletop games involving strategic movements, role playing and they are still enjoyed by many folks today. There are those who think that traditional gaming and wargaming, specifically, is going out of style, but I have seen otherwise through the comments I have received on this website and other social media sites. My father while speaking at a wargaming conference even touched on that very topic. The video of my father’s speech can be found on the additional links page.
Please come back and let me know what your daughter thinks of this site. I would be interested in knowing.
Sincerely
Stephanie
Hello Stephanie. What a pleasure it is to visit your website. Not only is it a pleasure to read about your fathers work but it also feels like a great privilege to be allowed access into your lives. You have done an outstanding job in creating this website Stephanie and you should be very proud of yourself.
Thank you Andrew for the very kind compliment. I am glad you have enjoyed visiting this website, a tribute to my father. Please feel free to visit anytime.
A very nice memento to keep your Father’s memories alive. You must be very proud of putting these altogether, a very informative website.
Hi Eva:
Thank you for the kind words. I could not have put this list together without the help of one of my father’s longtime wargaming colleagues Randy Black. But, yes, I am proud to have this list and now be able to answer the one question I keep getting on this tribute site and that is – “How many games did your father design and what were they?” I appreciate you visiting today, taking a look and leaving a very sweet comment. Have a truly fabulous day!
Sincerely
Stephanie