In the Works
What was being planned for the future, as reported in SSI's catalogs
WINTER 1981:
[My earliest SSI catalog.]
"In the Planning Stages"
* A space war game (with a target release date of February 1981) that will thrill trekkies and non-trekkies alike. Armed with phasers, photons, torpedoes, disruptor bolts, and photon torpedoes on star bases, base stations, heavy cruisers, battle cruisers, and War Eagles (just to name a few), this forthcoming game is your ultimate dogfight in space.
* A business strategy game so realistic that the economic climate-such as the inflation rate-is taken into account. It can be played by 1 to 6 human players. The computer can simulate 1 to 5 players.
* A World War II submarine wargame filled with convoys of freighters and tankers, escorts of destroyers and patrol craft against stealthy sub attacks. The game is highlighted by Hi-Res computer-simulated sonar screens and periscope sightings.
* An expanded version of Rebel Force (in COMPUTER CONFLICT) that includes paratroopers, commandos, engineers, bridges, rivers, and pre-plotted artillery for on-board and off-board bombardment. There are four scenarios provided (for both two-player and solitaire): Meeting Engagement; Prepared Defense; Arnhem-type Paratrooper Drops; and Commando Raid. If you enjoyed COMPUTER CONFLICT, you're going to love this one!
SPRING 1983:
*A game of global, political, and military warfare in the '80s [would become Geopolitique 1990]
*A boxing strategy game that gives you the best ringside seat for all the great pugilistic bouts of history and of your imagination [Ringside Seat]
* A tactical tank game on the Atari
* A humongous Eastern Front game and a Pacific carrier game, both by the inimitable Gary Grigsby, author of SSI's widely-acclaimed Guadalcanal Campaign and Bomb Alley
* NORWAY 1985, the third game in our "When Superpowers Collide" series by Roger Keating
* The Atari conversion of EPIDEMIC!
* We also hope to get some of our games converted to the Commodore 64
WINTER 1984:
* NORWAY 1985, the third game in our "When Superpowers Collide" series
* A business game where you become a 19th-century railroad entrepreneur [Rails West!]
* A gunfight game in the "old West" genre [Six-Gun Shootout]
* A monstrous Eastern Front game [War in Russia]
* Atari conversions are planned for: Computer Ambush, Fighter Command, Germany 1985, Broadsides, Galactic Adventures, and RDF 1985 [Broadsides & Computer Ambush were both converted]
* Commodore 64 conversions are planned for: The Cosmic Balance, Germany 1985, RDF 1985, Geopolitique 1990, and Broadsides [all were converted]
SPRING 1984
* Two World War II games: Battle of Kursk (Russia) and "Europe at War"
* Norway 1985 and Six-Gun Shootout are again mentioned
* Atari conversions are planned for: Computer Ambush, Germany 1985, Galactic Adventures, Bomb Alley, Guadalcanal Campaign, Computer Baseball, and Computer Quarterback
* Commodore 64 conversions are planned for: Geopolitique 1990 and Broadsides.
* Regretfully, the IBM Computer Baseball conversion has been put on hold indefinitely [released by the time the Fall 1985 catalog came out]
FALL 1984:
* A gunfight game in the "old West" genre
* A game on the War in the Pacific, 1941-45 [Warship]
* A game on the Battle of Gazala, 1942
* Atari conversions are planned for: Germany 1985, Bomb Alley, Guadalcanal Campaign, and Fighter Command [none happened]
* Commodore 64 conversions are planned for: Fighter Command, Objective: Kursk, War in Russia, and Reforger '88[only Fighter Command was converted]
WINTER 1985:
Much the same as Fall 1984
SPRING 1985:
* A semi real-time game on modern battalion-size armored operations [imagine, "real time" in 1985]
* An Apple conversion is planned for FIELD OF FIRE, and GEMSTONE WARRIOR will also be available for the Macintosh
FALL 1985/WINTER 1986:
* A tactical game on the Vietnam War (AP/C64/AT) [Nam]
* A tactical WWII naval game in the Pacific (AP/C64) [Warship]
* A sequel to PHANTASIE (AP/C64)
* A tactically oriented fantasy role-playing adventure game (AP/C64) [Wizard's Crown]
* PHANTASIE is being converted to the Atari ST, the Macintosh, and the Commodore Amiga [no Mac version ever came out]
SPRING 1986:
* We're working on a brand new, detailed simulation of the Battle of Gettysburg [yes, Gettysburg: The Turning Point]
* Macintosh conversions: PHANTASIE, QUESTRON (on indefinite hold) [neither made it]
* Atari ST converisons: PHANTASIE-PHANTASIE ST version coming in April!-, PHANTASIE II, WIZARD'S CROWN, COMPUTER BASEBALL [Computer Baseball never came out]
* Atari conversions: PHANTASIE, BATTLEGROUP [Battlegroup never was released]
* Commodore Amiga conversions: PHANTASIE, WIZARD'S CROWN [Wizard's Crown was vaporware]
* IBM conversions: RINGS OF ZILFIN, BATTLE OF ANTIETAM [both came out]
SUMMER 1986:
* A Civil War game on Shiloh using the Antietam/Gettysburg system [Shiloh: Grant's Trial in the West]
* A tactical simulation of World War II naval combat in the Pacific [Warship]
* A sequel to GEMSTONE WARRIOR [Gemstone Healer]
* A monster of a game on the World War II campaign in the South Pacific, from May '42 to March '43 [War in the South Pacific]
* Amiga conversions: as in Spring
* Atari 800 conversions: BATTLEGROUP, FIGHTER COMMAND [neither ever seen]
* Atari ST conversions: RINGS OF ZILFIN, WIZARD'S CROWN, PHANTASIE II, COLONIAL CONQUEST [all made it!]
* IBM conversion: RINGS OF ZILFIN
* Macintosh conversions: NORTH ATLANTIC '86, COMPUTER AMBUSH, COLONIAL CONQUEST, QUESTRON [the last two never appeared]
FALL 1986/WINTER 1987:
* A sequel to WIZARD'S CROWN [The Eternal Dagger]
* A tactical game covering Napoleonic battles using a greatly modified Antietam/Gettysburg system [Battles of Napoleon]
* Macintosh conversions: COMPUTER AMBUSH, QUESTRON
* Amiga conversion: PHANTASIE
* Atari 800 conversion: FIGHTER COMMAND [you guessed it!]
* Atari ST conversions: COLONIAL CONQUEST, SHARD OF SPRING, RINGS OF ZILFIN, ROADWAR 2000, COMPUTER QUARTERBACK [Shard of Spring and Computer Quarterback were both canceled]
* IBM conversions: WIZARD'S CROWN, ROADWAR 2000, KAMPFGRUPPE
SPRING 1987:
* A Civil War game on Chickamauga using the Antietam/Gettysburg system [Rebel Charge at Chickamauga]
* A strategic/tactical game on the current war in Afghanistan [never released]
* A WWII B-24 bomber flight simulator game [B-24]
* Amiga conversions: WIZARD'S CROWN, PHANTASIE II [neither made it]
* Atari ST conversions: SHARD OF SPRING, GETTYSBURG: THE TURNING POINT [ditto]
SUMMER 1987:
* A sequel to QUESTRON [Questron II]
* A tactical squad level WWII game
* Macintosh conversion: PHANTASIE [nope]
* IBM conversions: WAR IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, IMPERIUM GALACTUM, COMPUTER AMBUSH, WARSHIP [all made it except Imperium Galactum]
* Amiga conversions: WIZARD'S CROWN, COLONIAL CONQUEST [nope]
* Atari ST conversion: GETTYSBURG: THE TURNING POINT [uh-uh]
FALL 1987/WINTER 1988:
* A grand-strategic game of World War II showing both the European and Pacific Theaters [did this ever make it?]
* Macintosh conversion: as in Summer
* IBM conversions: ETERNAL DAGGER, WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET
* Apple conversion: WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET [SSI's only vaporware Apple II conversion]
* Amiga conversions: SHARD OF SPRING, COMPUTER AMBUSH, WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET [only Wargame Construction Set made it-years later and as a more-or-less straight port of the IBM version]
* Atari ST conversions: GETTYSBURG: THE TURNING POINT, REBEL CHARGE AT CHICKAMAUGA, WARGAME CONSTRUCTION SET, IMPERIUM GALACTUM [only WCS made it]
SPRING 1988:
No catalog, 4-page update only
SUMMER 1988:
No "In the Works" or equivalent section published, Pool of Radiance graces catalog's cover
FALL 1988/WINTER 1989:
No "In the Works" or equivalent section published, Hillsfar graces catalog's cover
SPRING 1989:
No catalog, 4-page update only
1989-1990:
[Can you see how this was the beginning of the end? From 3 catalogs a year to 1? Sad.]
* Coming in 1990: announcements of Champions of Krynn, DragonStrike, and Renegade Legion: Interceptor
SPRING/SUMMER 1990:
No catalog, 4-page update only
1991 CATALOG:
* A sequel to SSI's award-winning AD&D FORGOTTEN REALMS Fantasy Role-Playing Epic series Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds and Secret of the Silver Blades.
* A brand-new AD&D FORGOTTEN REALMS computer fantasy role-playing adventure featuring an all-new game system and based on AD&D 2nd Edition game rules!
* A gigantic Pacific War (WWII 1941-1945) game from Gary Grigsby, author of SECOND FRONT.
* A political and strategic wargame of the American Civil War.
* A multi-player, grand strategic simulation of political, military and economic warfare throughout the Middle Ages.
[Note: This was the first SSI catalog to not include player ratings for games. It was the last one to feature Atari ST and Apple II games]
1992 CATALOG:
* Conflict: Korea. An operational wargame set during the 1950-51 conflict between the United Nations and Communist forces in Korea. From popular author Norm Koger, this game includes 3 scenarios and 1 hypothetical modern-day scenario.
* Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44. An exciting, dynamic tactical carrier battle game from Gary Grigsby, author of SSI's Western Front, Second Front, and Kampfgruppe. The first SSI WWII game to connect naval battles together to form a campaign game.
* A political/military simulation of war with Iraq featuring different political alliances. Based on TSR's A Line in the Sand board game.
* An exciting new single character fantasy role-playing game featuring stunning digitized art, a huge game world, and a state-of-the-art"point and click" interface.
* A science fiction role-playing game with state-of-the-art graphics and interface. The first in a new series of SSI role-playing games. [was this the ill-fated M?]
* A new, high-powered fantasy role-playing game set in TSR's AD&D DARK SUNS game world. Features more spells than any other SSI AD&D game! Introduces psionics, the power of the mind. [the lengthy delays of Dark Sun: Shattered Lands helped cause SSI's eventual sale to Mindscape, the demise of the TSR license, and a game released after its graphics engine would have wowed-thus beginning the notorious mid-1990s "death" of RPGs]
* A fantasy space combat game set in TSR's AD&D SPELLJAMMER fantasy world.
* A premium AD&D fantasy role-playing game set in TSR's FORGOTTEN REALMS game world featuring AD&D 2nd Edition game rules. Adventuring and combat occur from the same perspective, creating a smooth, realistic flow! [I don't think this ever made it to retail, did it?]
* A World War II 3-D battleship combat simulator set in the North Atlantic
SUMMER 1992:
8-page, "fold-out" "catalog"
SPRING 1993
"What to Play" slogan, games included Dark Sun, Unlimited Adventures, Veil of Darkness, and Pacific War.
[Note: This was the last stapled SSI catalog.]
SUMMER 1993 Update:
4 pages, Stronghold on cover.
[Note: The last catalog to feature Commodore 64 games.]
SUMMER 1994 "Catalog"
8 page, "fold-out", Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star on cover
3DO support introduced. The last catalog to feature Amiga games.
First Half 1995:
Silent Hunter on cover
Second Half 1995:
Thunderscape on cover
PlayStation support introduced, Mac games make a reappearance
First Half 1996:
Perhaps SSI at its nadir: Necrodome, Silencer, Slayer, CyClones, and Deathkeep, all in one place.
1996-1997:
War Wind on the cover. The introduction of Age of Rifles.
This is the last SSI catalog I have. Were more produced?Later SSI games I purchased (such as Imperialism II) included ad inserts for other games, but no catalogs.
