Iron Crown Enterprises has produced role playing, board, miniature, and collectible card games for over 20 years. Many of ICE’s better known products were related to JRR Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth, but the Role master rules system, and its science-fiction equivalent, Space master, have been the foundation of ICE’s business.
The Birth Of Ice
Old ICE logoICE was incorporated in 1980 after the principal founders graduated from the University of Virginia. ICE’s primary focus, then and now, was on non-electronic, or “table top”, role-playing games (RPG’s) marketed to the RPG hobbyist market. Iron Crown Enterprises Tolkien-based RPG, Middle-earth Roleplaying or “MERP”, was the second best selling fantasy RPG after Hasbro’s Dungeons & Dragons.
Iron Crown Enterprises products have been developed and refined over a thirty year period. And have achieved commercial and critical success. Selling over $35 million of game products. ICE products have been given several game of the year awards domestically. Including those from the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA). They have also won several awards overseas
Harp, Cyradon And Shadow World Expansion
In December of 2001, ICE was purchased by Aurigas Aldebaron LLC, an intellectual property ownership company backed by several wealthy individuals. Aurigas licensed the Iron Crown intellectual property including the Iron Crown name, to a new company Mjolnir.
After 10 years of mixed results that included the industry-wide success of High Adventure Role Playing (HARP) and the accompanying gryphon world setting called Cyradon, as well as a reworking of Rolemaster and continued expansion of Shadow World, the management of Aurigas Aldebaron LLC decided to make a change, and in January of 2011 announced the transition of most of the systems and settings licenses to Guild Companion Publications Ltd.
Guild Companion Publications And The Return Of Iron Crown Enterprises
Guild Companion Publications logo Since taking over the reins, Guild Companion Publications Ltd (GCP Ltd). Has been very successful in releasing a number of new products. Restoring previously unavailable products and building the Iron Crown Enterprises fan base. Led by Company Director Nicholas Caldwell, the company has gone from strength to strength. After six years of steady growth, the decision made in late 2015 to merge Aurigas Alderbaron LLC. And Guild Companion Publications Ltd into one single company. Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd.
The merger has reduced administrative costs and allowed for more money to pumped back into creating new products, it has simplified contracts between the company and freelancers and it saves time, allowing the company directors to spend time on growing Iron Crown Enterprises and creating even more great role playing products.
As a single company with all team members working together to take ICE to even greater heights, everyone at Iron Crown Enterprises is very excited about the future.
Note: The current ICE has absolutely no connection with Middle Earth Role Playing. NOT one of the properties purchased by Aurigas Aldebaron LLC in 2001.