Squad Leader is a
tactical level
board wargame originally published by
Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by Hall of Fame game designer
John Hill and focuses on
infantry combat in Europe during
World War II. One of the most complex wargames of its time,
Squad Leader is the natural extension of the trend towards greater realism (and hence complexity) initiated by several earlier games, including Avalon Hill's own
PanzerBlitz and
Panzer Leader. Those two earlier games were slightly larger in scope, with
counters representing platoons and map hexes measuring 250 metres across, compared to Squad Leader's 40 meter hexes and squad sized units. The original Squad Leader was produced in time to debut at
Origins '77. (The original print run of 2,500 copies had purple boxes which have become collector's item.)
Avalon Hill sold well in excess of 100,000 games of Squad Leader, making it one of the most successful wargames ever made.