Alliance Game DistributorsAlliance Game Distributors began with two companies that had learned the hobby business from opposite sides of the table. Archangel EntertainmentGroo, The Three Stooges, Larry Elmore artbooks, Zero, Extreme Vengeance, and the cost of chasing too many lanes. Avalon HillTactics, Diplomacy, Squad Leader, and the idea that war and history could live on a dining-room table. ColecoColeco began with shoe repair. Decipher Inc.Star Trek, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, a financial betrayal, and one of gaming’s great fan afterlives. Diamond Comic DistributorsDiamond Comic Distributors began because Steve Geppi needed comics for his own stores. Dynasty PresentationsDark Conspiracy 2nd Edition, Games Unplugged, SnarfQuest, and the family move that sent the magazine to Fast Forward. FASAStar Trek, BattleTech, Shadowrun, Earthdawn, and the company that walked away on its own terms. Fast Forward EntertainmentA Lake Geneva startup with legendary names, big licenses, and a brutal lesson in boom-era fragility. GDWTraveller, Twilight: 2000, Space: 1889, and the company that taught the table to respect logistics. Heritage ModelsHeritage Models began in Dallas during the years when fantasy gaming was becoming something people could hold in metal. Ideal Toy CompanyThe teddy-bear pioneer that turned licensed ideas and mechanical spectacle into a mass-market toy empire. Imperium GamesMarc Miller’s Traveller, Sweetpea Entertainment, Chris Foss art, and Ken Whitman’s side of why he left. Iron Crown EnterprisesRolemaster, MERP, critical tables, Tolkien maps, and the danger of building on a rented world. Judges GuildCity State of the Invincible Overlord, the first D&D license, judges and journals, and the market it started. Last Unicorn GamesAria, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Icon System, the Wizards purchase, and ambition heavier than the company. Mag Force 7Star of the Guardians, Wing Commander, Fleer/Skybox Star Trek, Lane-to-Lane combat, and the crash that closed the card market. Margaret Weis ProductionsSerenity, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Leverage, Marvel Heroic, Cortex Prime, and the system that outlived the company. Marvin Glass and AssociatesMarvin Glass and Associates did not manufacture toys for store shelves. It manufactured ideas. Mayfair GamesEmpire Builder, Role Aids, DC heroes, The Settlers of Catan, and the company divided into its valuable parts. Metagaming ConceptsOgre, The Fantasy Trip, The Space Gamer, and the small-game format that opened a cheaper door into serious play. Pacesetter LtdA two-year design flash that left Chill, Timemaster, Star Ace, Sandman, and the Action Table behind. PaizoDragon and Dungeon magazines, the adventure path, Pathfinder, Golarion, and the company that kept rewriting its own map. Palladium BooksRifts, the Megaverse, one house system, the 2006 crisis, and the fans who refused to let it die. Pinnacle Entertainment GroupDeadlands, Savage Worlds, the Cybergames wound, and the Weird West company that kept riding. R. Talsorian GamesMekton, Cyberpunk 2020, Castle Falkenstein, The Witcher, Cyberpunk RED, and the quiet long game. RPGAGen Con tables, Living City, Living Greyhawk, Polyhedron, and the network that carried organized play. Selchow & RighterSelchow & Righter began with boxes, wholesale goods, and an American version of an ancient Indian race game. Sovereign PressSovereign Stone, Dragonlance d20, the Whitestone Council, the divorce that ended the founding chapter, and the license that ran out. SPIStrategy & Tactics became a direct pipeline from historical analysis to playable simulations. Steve Jackson GamesOgre, Car Wars, GURPS, the Secret Service raid, Munchkin, and the little games that thought big. TSRDungeons & Dragons, Dragon, Gen Con, boxed worlds, and the business machine that changed the hobby. WaddingtonsWaddingtons entered games through ink. West End GamesParanoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars D6, Torg, and the system that outlived the company. Whit PublicationsMutazoids, Wizards, WWF Basic Adventure Game, and the approval loop that sent Ken Whitman to TSR. White WolfVampire, Werewolf, Mage, live-action courts, black books, and a monster that began as a magazine. Wizards of the CoastMagic: The Gathering, the Pokemon wave, buying TSR, and the company that became the center of the hobby.