War Game Magazines

Wargaming magazines are primary documents of hobby history, and in many cases, they're games in themselves. Publications like Strategy & Tactics, Moves, Fire & Movement, Command, and The Wargamer didn't just cover the hobby; they drove it, publishing designer interviews, historical analysis, and original games that shaped how an entire generation of players and designers thought about conflict simulation.

Strategy & Tactics alone published over 300 complete wargames across its run, many of them the only published simulation of their specific subject. Magazines with unpunched, complete game components are genuinely collectible items, not just reading material. Noble Knight has been sourcing wargame magazines through collection purchases for decades. Our inventory spans recent issues through early printings from the 1960s and 1970s that represent some of the rarest material in the hobby.

Frequently Asked Questions

Noble Knight stocks wargame magazines from publishers past and present including Strategy & Tactics (Decision Games, 1967-present), The General (Avalon Hill, 1964-1998), Fire & Movement (various publishers, 1976-2005, revived 2017), Command Magazine (XTR, 1988-2006), Against the Odds (LPS/ATO, 1993-present), Moves (SPI, 1972-1991), Modern War (Decision Games, 2011-present), World at War (Decision Games, 2007-present), Line of Fire (MMP, 2009-2018), Campaigns & Commanders (Legion Wargames, 2015-present), and many others including foreign language magazines. Many issues include complete wargames with maps and counters. Both individual issues and runs are available, from vintage 1960s-1970s collectibles to current releases.
Yes, many wargame magazines include complete playable games with maps and counters. Strategy & Tactics magazine has included a complete game in every issue since 1969, making it the longest-running game-in-magazine format. The General regularly included games and game variants. Command Magazine included a game with every issue. Against the Odds includes a complete game per issue. These games range from small folio-style games to full-size productions with multiple maps and hundreds of counters. Some magazine games are later republished as standalone boxed products if popular. Magazine games cover all historical periods and scales. Noble Knight product listings indicate whether magazines include complete games versus articles-only issues.
The most collectible wargame magazines include early issues of Strategy & Tactics from the SPI era (1969-1982, especially issues #1-100), The General Volume 1-10 (1964-1974, early Avalon Hill era), complete runs of discontinued magazines (Moves, Fire & Movement 1976-2005, Command Magazine), issues containing highly-regarded games (S&T #260 Operation Mercury, S&T #281 Boots on the Ground, The General Vol 16 #1 with Third Reich), and magazines with rare variants or articles by famous designers (John Hill, Jim Dunnigan, Mark Herman, Richard Berg). Condition significantly affects value; magazines with unpunched games command premium prices. Noble Knight's vintage magazine inventory changes based on estate sales and collection acquisitions. Many 1970s-1980s magazines are increasingly scarce.
Yes, Noble Knight occasionally stocks foreign language wargame magazines from international publishers. You'll find French magazines (Vae Victis, which includes games), German magazines (Spielbox historical articles), Japanese wargaming publications, and others. Vae Victis is particularly notable as a French-language magazine that includes complete games with French rules. Some foreign magazines have English editions or English-language translations available separately. Availability varies significantly based on international acquisition opportunities and collector trade-ins. These foreign publications represent the global wargaming community and sometimes cover topics or designs not published in English-language magazines. Product listings indicate language and origin.