A & A Game Engineering was started up by Andrew Finch ("A") and Alan Butler ("the other A") in 1995. Both are long term wargamers and, having failed to find rules that provided a good game that could be played to a conclusion in the time available, set themselves the task of providing these to the wargaming world.

We are both long standing members of Tunbridge Wells Wargames Society.

Our Philosophy

Since we started our business publishing rules we have seen a big change in the style of rules available to the wargaming community. Most sets of rules were the product of a small number of players who had come together at various events and had formed groups who set about publishing rules, which became what could be termed standard sets. These were used for many years at annual competitions, so all players who were participating knew how the games were played. These products were usually in booklet form with little or no illustration.

More recently the hobby expanded with a number of companies producing much larger glossy hardback books, which set a new standard. What used to be a hobby that was centred on historical battles has expanded into one where fantasy and science fiction also have their place. Over time these sets of rules have become the new standard at competitions.

When we started our business, our rules were developed for use between a small group of players at our local wargame society. After a while a suggestion was made that we could market our products, albeit in a small way, selling them at wargame shows that we were attending as a society, often demonstrating the use of the rules in the games we presented. The aim has always been to have a set of rules which played to a conclusion within around 2-3 hours of actual gaming during an afternoon at a meeting. While the actual meetings in those days lasted about 5 hours, you have to allow for the coffee breaks and chats with other members.

From the outset we seem to have concentrated our efforts on areas where there was and still is not really a great choice of easily playable sets of rules: in the air and on the sea. There are quite a few offerings in both these categories, but these all seem to be either hideously complex and/or require the use of an umpire. Our view of this hobby of ours is that we want a game which is fun, feels right and gives the right result in the end. Games played using our rules should not be regarded as simulations. Leave that to the computer.

The most significant change for us was transferring our range into electronic format in the form of PDFs, which can be downloaded and cuts the cost both for us and for the customer. To enable us to do this, we work together with Wargame Vault, part of the US-based OneBookShelf organisation. Distribution of our products could now be global, rather than limited to just the United Kingdom. Having moved away from carrying a stock of printed copies, the next step was to embrace the concept of Print on Demand. This allows you to have a nice shiny copy of the rules to use in a game, but also allows us to provide stock to wargames traders who sell our products at shows or by mail order.

There are a number of such sites now in operation and many classic wargame producers have stopped printing their rules and placed them as downloads, some free where they are supporting a specific metal product and some where payment is required.

Research

When we started out, research was largely based on available technical books, such as most wargamers had in their collections if they were starting in the hobby in the late 1960's, as we were. Many of those books are now long out of print, but thankfully we either kept our copies, or tracked them down thanks to the Internet. Of course in recent years, the Internet itself has become a valuable resource. You can now track down all manner of research which delves into quite interesting and complicated analyses of weapons, armour, battles, and other factors which have had an effect on the outcome of conflicts in history.

When carrying out research, it is interesting to make use of resources such as Wikipedia. While this can in some areas be regarded as less than reliable, in the area of technical information, it can be invaluable. There is now so much more information being shared via this resource that was unavailable as recently as 10 years ago. It can also be amusing to find, as we have done many times, mistakes made in recording information decades ago still being presented as facts. It is therefore necessary to cross check through several data sources to establish whether some little piece of data can be believed. These hidden mistakes usually come to light when you have carried out a series of calculations and a figure appears in the results which is completely off the scale, when compared with the rest.

As we have developed sets of rules over the years we have collated several large databases, which are useful to use when we set about reviewing some of our earlier products. As new data comes to light, we also take care to make sure that we correct game data where required, or add new game data to widen the scope of the rules.

Publishing for other authors

When we started out, the rules were devised by the two of us. Through our wargames society we played other games with home-grown rules, and developed these, with the agreement of the authors, adding them to our product range. As time went on, other authors contacted us, asking if we would be interested in publishing their work, further expanding the range.

When we work with other authors, we support them in the development of their rules, making suggestions in areas where we feel that the flow of the game could be improved, and seeking clarification about rule mechanisms. It is often our experience that games will play very easily if the author is present at the time, because he may contribute some information about how the game works. If the author is not present then it can be that some vital aspect of the rules is absent, because it has not been "committed to paper".

What happens to the final product is a decision that must be made when we start work on such projects. If the final result is going to be marketed by the author, then we would charge a one-off project development fee. If the final product is going to be added to our product range, then a contract will be drawn up between us and the author, which defines the annual royalties that will be paid on each item sold.

Aberrant Games was formed with the goal of creating the very best of science fiction gaming set in detailed original universes. Our mission is to take our players to new and exciting worlds by way of fun, easy-to-learn games with infinite possibilities.

As our name suggests, we are not afraid to be different or to deviate from the norm, and this is reflected in our products. Rezolution is a cyberpunk miniatures game set in a dystopian future on the brink of interstellar contact. The rich unique setting, high quality sculpted miniatures and easy-to-learn rules has made it simple to attract new players and keep established ones. With minimal time in the market, Rezolution has had a deep impact and has been nominated for four Origins Awards for Best Miniature Line and Best Miniature Rules, as well as numerous other awards.

If you are looking for the unexpected or the unusual… Welcome, friend and enter the worlds of Aberrant.

Aerodrome is a miniatures game of aerial combat during World War I. Players take on the role of biplane pilots and tail gunners dog fighting their way through the gray skies of Europe during the war to end all wars.

Ambush Alley Games was founded in 2007 with the release of our first game, Ambush Alley. That little game packed a lot of punch and soon became a favorite for war-gamers interested in modern, asymmetric urban conflicts. We followed Ambush Alley up with Ambush Z, which pitted SpecOps teams against hordes of zombies, and Force on Force, which expanded the basic mechanisms of Ambush Alley onto the more traditional, kinetic battlefield.

The success of Force on Force attracted the attention of Osprey Publishing, who engaged with us to publish Osprey editions of both Force on Force and our science fiction rule set, Tomorrow's War (both of which were nominated for Origins Awards in 2011). In conjunction with Osprey, we published eight Force on Force source books covering modern theaters of war ranging from mid-century colonial wars in Africa to cutting edge Special Operations in the 21st century.

Today, Ambush Alley Games continues to support our existing games and is hard at work on new rule sets that will bring new eras and scales of gaming to our fans. As always, our sights are set on the future!

We are Anvil 8 Games – an amicable and dynamic collective of gamers. With an innovative approach to game mechanics and a steadfast determination to make our vision breathe.

Anvil 8 Games began in 2015 with the launch of our miniatures board game Aetherium. (just launched its fifth expansion). And continues with the release of our fast-action card game, Front Line – No Komrades! which itself has a new expansion Oxna Bears All!

From the outset, we have demonstrated our ambition and motivation. We dedicated to the creation of top-shelf quality in our games. Both in terms of modern game design and tangible production value.