Classic Europa's Legion of Honor

This page honors a number of people for their contributions to Europa.

The Founders: Paul R. Banner and Frank Chadwick

Rich Banner (Paul R. Banner) and Frank Chadwick (Frank A. Chadwick) started Europa with the design and publication of Drang Nach Osten in 1973. They were two of the founders of Game Designers' Workshop. Rich and Frank both contributed to the game's design and research, as well as that of many other Europa games.

Rich was the art director of GDW and created the successive Europa graphic treatments until he left GDW after Fire in the East was published. Rich was active with Europa throughout his period at GDW and is still involved in it today.

Frank was the premier game designer of GDW (and by all accounts one of the top three designers in the entire wargaming business). I believe Frank preferred fresh challenges and breaking ground on new game systems, so after Their Finest Hour he tended to concentrate on new, non-Europa designs. He kept a keen interest in Europa and provide valuable support and research for the series, such as for the GDW desert game trio (Western Desert, The Near East, and Torch).

Winston Hamilton

Winston got involved in Europa through Narvik, published in 1974 by GDW. Winston lived in the US Midwest not too far from GDW, and he and Frank Chadwick got together over Winston's interest in the game. Frank and Winston became friends, and Winston became a supported of GDW and Europa.

In the 1980s, Winston and I got together to do sets of play aids for the Europa games (reduced-size maps and extra charts). We did this through Game Research/Design, Winston's wargaming business. (As I recall, he first set up GRD when he designed his Aachen game, which was published by Peoples' Wargames.) The play aids were a success, and GRD thus was in the Europa business. Later, GRD acquired the license to publish the Europa games itself and went on to publish the Collectors' Editions and a newsletter that became The Europa Magazine.

Winston was a tireless promoter of Europa. Unfortunately, he became very ill with diabetes and had continual health problems in the 1990s. He untimely passed away in the year 2000. His friends and true Europa supporters who knew him still miss him to this day.

Honor Roll

The following individuals have made significant contributions to Europa. (This is by no means a comprehensive list! And, its in alphabetical order by first name, just to make things interesting.) TEM is The Europa Magazine.

• Harold Andrews: Scenarios and historical research.
• Paul Dunigan: All sort of ground and air OB research.
• Stefan and Andrew Farrelly: Europa's own Farrelly brothers; historical research and perhaps more than you even want to know about ports.
• Rick Gayler: The courteous, painstaking Rules Court and TEM editor.
• John Gee: Researcher and For Whom the Bell Tolls co-designer.
• A.E. Goodwin: OB research, map design, game development.
• Jack Greene: Jack's been active in the wargaming hobby for a long time and has been helpful to Europa on various occasions (including sharing his unpublished material with Europa researchers). Jack earns a place on the honor roll by his epic bet with Ian Trout that he could win with the Allies in The Fall of France (historical scenario) or he would eat the German panzer divisions (literally). Alas, he lost. Concerns that the inks used for printing in those days might contain toxic chemicals, it's reported Jack ate cardboard equivalent to the German panzers in FOF.
• John Harshman: John was one of the original employees of GDW and contributed a lot to the running of the company and the testing of some of the early Europa games. He also did the cover art for the rules folder of Their Finest Hour first edition.
• Fred Helfferich: Development assistance and a special insight on the war having fought in it himself and gamed it many times with Europa.
• Dave Hughes: British, French, and more OB research, development assistance.
• Gordon Johansen: Europa supporter, Mr. One-Week Europa, and host of Europafest 2002.
• David H. Lippman: TEM editor and historical writer.
• Jason Long: OB and historical research; Europa scenarios ("Clash of Titans"). He also designed the unpublished Peace in Our Time game on the invasion that almost occurred, the planned German assault on Czechoslovakia in 1938. I've played the game and think it an excellent job; someday perhaps it will see print!
• Ben Knight: TEM editor, development assistance, thoughtful insights.

• Jeff Millefoglie: For Whom the Bell Tolls co-designer/developer and one really nice human being.
• Marc W. Miller: Europa design and research (particularly air system), designer of one of the games in Their Finest Hour first edition.
• Michael K. Parker: OB researcher (particularly on the Italians).
• Franklyn G. Prieskop: Axis armies researcher.
• Peter Robbins: TEM editor, Europa playtester.
• Peter Rogers: TEM author and one sharp player.
• Louis Rotundo: Soviet OB and historical research and analysis. One smart guy!
• Mark Royer: Europa enthusiast and designer of the awesome War of Resistance, "Europa in China."
• Dave Stokes: Knowledgeable and helpful Rules Court Judge.
• Ian Trout: Ian, from computer game publisher Strategic Studies Group, was a friend of Winston, major supporter of GRD, and a fun guy to share a beer with.
• Charles Sharp: Soviet OB and historical research.
• Ron Shown: TEM author and Europa Winterfest organizer.
• Gary Stagliano: Long time Europa enthusiast, Europa Nuts and Bolts magazine editor, designer of A Winter War. Gary was perhaps the first person to publish a Europa scenario: "Operation Typhoon" in the early-1970s GDW Newsletter.
• Shelby Stanton: US and German OB and historical research.
• Mike Tapner: Europa playtester, promoter, and all-around good guy.
• Rich Velay: The former, long-serving Rules Guru and Rules Court Editor, simultaneously a devoted defender of the Rules As Written and a prolific promoter of House Rules.
• Janne Viitala: Creator of the immensely useful JET, computer-assisted Europa play aid.
• Waldo: Winston's beloved St. Bernard. I still have some Europa Waldo Bucks last time I looked!
• Frank Watson: Outstanding, long-serving editor of The Europa Magazine and designer of Wavell's War.
• Sally Watson: TEM graphics, making the magazine as interesting to view as it was to read. She also had her own Europa side business, making and selling Europa-themed earringsfrom the classy Free French to the [in]famous SS Panzer earrings.
• Robert S. Williams: TEM author and Europa game replay raconteur extraordinaire.
• Loren Wiseman: Loren was another of the original employees of GDW and contributed a lot to the running of the company and the testing of some of the early Europa games.
• Deen Wood: TEM author.
• Russ Wynne: Europa promoter in Australia.

John M. Astell

I built the Classic Europa website as tribute to Winston Hamilton. I worked with Winston with Game Research/Design and have designed many of the Europa games for Game Designers' Workshop and GRD. I've also written columns and articles on Europa and on World War II history for The Europa Magazine and other publications.

My Europa Credits

The following list my Europa game work, as either designer (often in collaboration with other designers) or developer.

Game Designers' Workshop:

• Marita-Merkur
• The Fall of France
• Western Desert
• Their Finest Hour, 2nd edition
• Narvik, 2nd edition
• The Near East
• Torch
• Spain and Portugal
• Fire in the East
• Scorched Earth

Game Research/Design:

• The Urals
• WW2 Scenarios of For Whom the Bell Tolls (mainly the rules; most of the scenarios were designed by A.E. Goodwin)
• First to Fight
• Balkan Front
• Second Front (The air rules were a collaborative design effort among myself, Victor Hauser, and others, with me doing the final design and rules writing. The naval rules were done mostly by A.E. Goodwin with time only for a light editing pass by myself before publication. The rest of the rules are my work with, of course, contributions, comments, and suggestions by others.)
• War in the Desert (I outlined to A.E. Goodwin, the developer, how the game's overall rules should be developed from the Torch rules plus later Europa rules, while I worked on certain specific rules and other parts of game.)
• Some design work for Storm Over Scandinavia (I am listed as the game's designer, but a great deal of the work was actually done by the game's developer, A.E. Goodwin)