Iron Crown Enterprises
Encyclopedia
Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) was a publisher of role playing, board
, miniature battle
, and collectible card game
s.
ICE was incorporated in 1980 shortly after the principal founders graduated from the University of Virginia
. ICE began by publishing a series of rules supplements, beginning with "Arms Law", which were intended to serve as modular add-ons to other RPG systems offering greater detail. In time these supplements were tied together to form an RPG system of their own, Rolemaster
. The company enjoyed a sudden jump in status when it acquired the license to produce an official fantasy RPG based upon J. R. R. Tolkien
's world of Middle-earth
, which would come to be known as MERP ("Middle-earth Role Playing"). According to some interpretations, at the time of its publication ICE's Middle-earth Role Playing
was the second best selling fantasy RPG after TSR
's Dungeons & Dragons
. ICE then added the science fiction RPGs Spacemaster
and Cyberspace
to its line, and, with the rise of collectible card game
s, the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game
. ICE also published a moderately successful space miniatures battle game called Silent Death
, based on Spacemaster but with simpler mechanics. Silent Death was released in two major editions, with supplemental books and a fair number of paintable lead miniatures.
Iron Crown branched out into the solo gaming books under the Tolkien Quest (later called Middle-earth Quest) and Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries book lines.
ICE signed in 1986 a publication contract to take over Hero Games
' production and distribution. Later with Hero Games staff leaving for other jobs, ICE took over the creative reins of Hero's products.
The Middle-earth Quest turn out to have violated ICE and Tolkien Enterprises' contract with Tolkien's book publishing licensee George Allen & Unwin forcing ICE to recall and destroy the whole line of books. ICE sued the Narnia licensor as they did not have the necessary right to license out Narnia to ICE. That company went bankrupt from the legal settlement and was unable to pay ICE their damages. ICE reached terms in 1988 for a gamebook license with the Estate of J.R.R. Tolkien and George Allen & Unwin for 4 new Middle-earth Quest. The solo game book market was going soft by this time. ICE canceled all solo game book lines with dozens of books under development. Returns were high on the Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries line. All this brought ICE to near bankruptcy in a "voluntary-type of receivership".
Despite ICE's many successes, in 1997 ICE suffered financial difficulties from a rapid decline in its distribution net; nearly 70% of ICE's distributors either went bankrupt or became moribund. The company entered bankruptcy and filed for Chapter 7
in October 2000. This bankruptcy cost ICE the Middle-earth license, ending both the MERP and CCG lines. Many of the illustrators were not paid for substantial amounts of work.
In December 2001, ICE's assets were purchased by Aurigas Aldebaron LLC, an intellectual property
ownership company backed by several wealthy individuals. The new owners licensed the Iron Crown Enterprise name and other assets to Mjolnir LLC
until 2011. Starting in January of 2011, licensing was transferred to Guild Companion Publications Ltd.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
, miniature battle
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
, and collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
s.
ICE was incorporated in 1980 shortly after the principal founders graduated from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. ICE began by publishing a series of rules supplements, beginning with "Arms Law", which were intended to serve as modular add-ons to other RPG systems offering greater detail. In time these supplements were tied together to form an RPG system of their own, Rolemaster
Rolemaster
Rolemaster is a role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises. Rolemaster has come in four separate editions. The 3rd edition, first published in 1995, is also known as the "Rolemaster Standard System" . There are two editions currently in production...
. The company enjoyed a sudden jump in status when it acquired the license to produce an official fantasy RPG based upon J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's world of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, which would come to be known as MERP ("Middle-earth Role Playing"). According to some interpretations, at the time of its publication ICE's Middle-earth Role Playing
Middle-earth Role Playing
Middle-earth Role Playing is a 1984 role-playing game based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises published the game until they lost the license on 22 Sep 1999.-Setting:The setting for MERP is an expanded version of J. R. R...
was the second best selling fantasy RPG after TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
's Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
. ICE then added the science fiction RPGs Spacemaster
Spacemaster
Space Master is a science fiction role-playing game produced by Iron Crown Enterprises, written by Kevin Barrett, developed by Kevin Barrett and Terry K. Amthor...
and Cyberspace
Cyberspace (role-playing game)
Cyberspace is a cyberpunk role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises and using a somewhat modified version of their Spacemaster ruleset...
to its line, and, with the rise of collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
s, the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game
Middle-earth Collectible Card Game
Middle-earth Collectible Card Game is a collectible card game released by Iron Crown Enterprises in late 1995. It is the first CCG based on J.R.R...
. ICE also published a moderately successful space miniatures battle game called Silent Death
Silent Death
Silent Death is a miniatures space battle game by Iron Crown Enterprises , based on the Star Strike sourcebook to the Spacemaster role-playing game, but with vastly simplified mechanics. In particular, combat is fast and lethal, and so chances of crewman death or ship destruction are frighteningly...
, based on Spacemaster but with simpler mechanics. Silent Death was released in two major editions, with supplemental books and a fair number of paintable lead miniatures.
Iron Crown branched out into the solo gaming books under the Tolkien Quest (later called Middle-earth Quest) and Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries book lines.
ICE signed in 1986 a publication contract to take over Hero Games
Hero Games
Hero Games is the publisher of the Hero System, a generic roleplaying rules set that can be used to simulate many different genres, and was the co-developer of the Fuzion system.-History:...
' production and distribution. Later with Hero Games staff leaving for other jobs, ICE took over the creative reins of Hero's products.
The Middle-earth Quest turn out to have violated ICE and Tolkien Enterprises' contract with Tolkien's book publishing licensee George Allen & Unwin forcing ICE to recall and destroy the whole line of books. ICE sued the Narnia licensor as they did not have the necessary right to license out Narnia to ICE. That company went bankrupt from the legal settlement and was unable to pay ICE their damages. ICE reached terms in 1988 for a gamebook license with the Estate of J.R.R. Tolkien and George Allen & Unwin for 4 new Middle-earth Quest. The solo game book market was going soft by this time. ICE canceled all solo game book lines with dozens of books under development. Returns were high on the Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries line. All this brought ICE to near bankruptcy in a "voluntary-type of receivership".
Despite ICE's many successes, in 1997 ICE suffered financial difficulties from a rapid decline in its distribution net; nearly 70% of ICE's distributors either went bankrupt or became moribund. The company entered bankruptcy and filed for Chapter 7
Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...
in October 2000. This bankruptcy cost ICE the Middle-earth license, ending both the MERP and CCG lines. Many of the illustrators were not paid for substantial amounts of work.
In December 2001, ICE's assets were purchased by Aurigas Aldebaron LLC, an intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
ownership company backed by several wealthy individuals. The new owners licensed the Iron Crown Enterprise name and other assets to Mjolnir LLC
Mjolnir LLC
There are two known Mjolnir LLC organizations - a Mjolnir LLC from Florida, that is an information services provider and does business under the Mjolnir LLC brand; and a Mjolnir LLC that does business as Iron Crown Enterprises and licenses that name and the other gaming property of the original...
until 2011. Starting in January of 2011, licensing was transferred to Guild Companion Publications Ltd.
Board games
- Manassas (1980)
- The Riddle of the Ring (1982)
- The Battle of Five Armies (1984)
- The Lonely Mountain - Lair of Smaug the Dragon (1984)
- Cleric's Revenge (1985)
- Star Strike (1988)
- Armored Assault (1989)
- The Hobbit Adventure (1994)
Solo gaming books
- Middle-earth Quest line
- Tolkien Quest (1985)
- Night of the Nazgul (1985)
- Sherlock Holmes Solo Mysteries line
- Murder at the Diogenes Club (1987)
- Narnia Solo Games line
- Return to Deathwater (1988)
Role-playing games
- The Iron Wind (1980)
- A Campaign and Adventure Guidebook for Middle-earth (1982)
- Angmar (1982)
- MERPMiddle-earth Role PlayingMiddle-earth Role Playing is a 1984 role-playing game based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises published the game until they lost the license on 22 Sep 1999.-Setting:The setting for MERP is an expanded version of J. R. R...
- Middle-earth Role Playing (1984)- Bree and the Barrow-Downs (1984)
- Dark Mage of Rhudaur (1989)
- Lords of Middle-Earth (1986)
- Minas Tirith (1988)
- Minas Ithil (1991)
- Palantir Quest (1994)
- Kin-Strife (1995)
- Hands of the Healer (1997)
- RolemasterRolemasterRolemaster is a role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises. Rolemaster has come in four separate editions. The 3rd edition, first published in 1995, is also known as the "Rolemaster Standard System" . There are two editions currently in production...
- A role playing game system.- Arms Law (1980)
- Spell Law (1981)
- Character Law (1982)
- Claw Law (1982)
- War Law (1991)
- Sea Law (1994)
- Rolemaster (1982)
- Campaign Law (1984)
- Rolemaster, second edition (1986)
- Rolemaster Companion (1986)
- Rolemaster second edition 2nd iteration (1989)
- SpacemasterSpacemasterSpace Master is a science fiction role-playing game produced by Iron Crown Enterprises, written by Kevin Barrett, developed by Kevin Barrett and Terry K. Amthor...
- An adaption of Rolemaster in a sci-fi setting. first edition (1985), second edition (1988)- Dark Space (1990)
- Time Riders (1992)
- CyberspaceCyberspace (role-playing game)Cyberspace is a cyberpunk role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises and using a somewhat modified version of their Spacemaster ruleset...
(1989) - Campaign Classics line - dual stated for Hero System and Rolemaster:
- Robin Hood (1987)
- Mythic Greece (1988)
- Vikings (1989)
- Pirates (1989)
- Mythic Egypt (1990)
- Lord of the Rings Adventure GameLord of the Rings Adventure GameLord of the Rings Adventure Gaming is a role-playing game based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises published the game until they lost the license on 22 Sep 1999.-Setting:The setting for LOR is an expanded version of J. R. R. Tolkien's...
(1991) - High Adventure Role PlayingHigh Adventure Role PlayingHigh Adventure Role Playing is a fantasy role-playing game, designed by Tim Dugger & Heike A. Kubash, and published by Iron Crown Enterprises .- Background :...
(2003)