Strategy & Tactics Press

What Strategy & Tactics Press does

Strategy & Tactics Press is a privately held specialty military history publishing company headquartered in Bakersfield, California, operating under parent Decision Games since 1991. The firm publishes a portfolio of military history magazines and board wargames, anchored by Strategy & Tactics magazine, which has reached 350+ issues since its 1967 founding and is identified as the longest-running publication of its kind. The company's signature differentiator is embedding a complete, ready-to-play board wargame—paper map, counters, and rules—inside each premium Game Edition issue, a format the company pioneered and that no major competitor has successfully replicated.

The product portfolio spans four core periodicals: Strategy & Tactics (general military history), World at War (WWII-focused, 100+ issues since 2008), Strategy & Tactics Quarterly (in-depth single-topic analysis launched 2018, 116 pages with 22-24 maps), and Modern War Annual (2025 review, releasing March 2026). The company also publishes standalone military history books and sells individual game components separately. The technical integration of magazine and game in a single issue requires coordinated editorial, cartographic, and game-design workflows, producing publications with 5-10x more maps than typical military history magazines. Products span all historical eras from ancient through modern conflicts and alternate-history scenarios.

The business operates on a print-to-order subscription model managed through the Subscription Genius platform, complemented by direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales and live event distribution at six annual wargaming conventions (Origins, ConsimWorld, Historicon, WBC, Pacificon, Boardgame Geek Fall). Pricing ranges from $11.99 (Magazine Edition) to $54.99 (Game Edition) per issue and $24.99-$35.00 per book. The company serves two primary segments—military history enthusiasts seeking analytical depth and wargaming hobbyists seeking playable simulations—with educators and students as a secondary segment. The firm operates with 11-50 employees from a single Bakersfield location under leadership including Publisher Doc Cummins, Editor Emeritus Joe Miranda, Editor Ty Bomba, and Associate Editors Christopher Perello and Kyle Lockwood.

Name

Strategy & Tactics Press

Legal name

Strategy & Tactics Press

Website

https://strategyandtacticspress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Strategy & Tactics Press is a Bakersfield, California-based specialty military history publisher operating under Decision Games since 1991. It produces the longest-running military history magazine (350+ issues since 1967) alongside embedded playable board wargames, serving military history enthusiasts, wargaming hobbyists, and educators worldwide via subscriptions, e-commerce, and conventions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military History Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (51313)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wargames & Historical Board Games Retail (CRALALAD)

Keywords

• Military history magazines
• Board wargames publishing
• Hobby wargaming products
• Historical strategy games
• Military history books

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from Strategy & Tactics, World at War, and Strategy & Tactics Quarterly magazines. Both Newstand (magazine only) and Game Edition (magazine + game components) subscriptions available. Rates vary by world region.
2. Single Issue Sales: Retail sales of individual magazine issues, game editions, and annual publications like Modern War Annual. Available through online shop and eventually bookstores.
3. Books: Sale of standalone military history books including 'Crowns In The Gutter', 'The Quest For Annihilation', and 'With Custer At The Death' priced at $29.95-$35.00.
4. Game Components Only: Sale of standalone game map, counters and rules without the magazine component. Limited quantity offerings through the Game Only category.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Strategy & Tactics Press publishes military history magazines (Strategy & Tactics, World at War, Strategy & Tactics Quarterly, Modern War Annual) that combine in-depth analytical articles and map-heavy visual presentation with embedded playable board wargames. Each premium Game Edition issue includes game rules, a paper map, and counter sheets, allowing readers to simulate historical battles and campaigns. The company also sells standalone military history books and individual game components through its online shop.

Product overview

Strategy & Tactics Press publishes a portfolio of military history magazines and board games, with its flagship products being Strategy & Tactics Magazine (the longest-running military history magazine, 350+ issues since 1967), World at War (WWII-focused, 100+ issues since 2008), Strategy & Tactics Quarterly (in-depth single-topic analysis since 2018), and Modern War Annual (annual conflict review). Each magazine is available in Magazine and/or Game editions that include embedded wargames. The company also publishes standalone books on military history topics and offers individual game components (maps, counters, rules) separately. Products span all historical eras from ancient through modern conflicts, organized into categories including Americana, Ancient to Renaissance, Gunpowder-Napoleonic, Modern, WWI, and WWII.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Strategy & Tactics: The longest running military history magazine (350 issues as of January 2025), featuring four articles, multiple columns, and numerous illustrated maps. Also available as Game Edition with map, counters, and rules.
• World at War
• Strategy & Tactics Quarterly
• Modern War Annual

Products and services

• Strategy & Tactics Magazine The longest-running military history magazine (350 issues as of January 2025), combining in-depth historical analysis with embedded board games. Available in Magazine edition and Game Edition (includes map, counters, and rules). Covers all eras from ancient to modern conflicts.
• World at War Magazine Magazine focused exclusively on World War II, with 100 issues published by January 2025. Available in Magazine and Game editions. Covers all WWII theaters including Eastern Front, Western Front, Mediterranean, and Pacific.
• Strategy & Tactics Quarterly Special Interest Publication featuring in-depth analysis of single historical topics by expert authors. Each issue is 116 pages with 22-24 maps and includes a 19x26-inch two-sided map poster for premium subscribers.
• Modern War Annual Annual publication providing review of military conflicts worldwide. The 2025 edition includes 20 articles supported by over 20 maps, diagrams, charts, and infographics, plus a 19x26-inch map poster. Single issue, not a subscription.
• Crowns In The Gutter Book by Ted S. Raicer providing concise analysis of World War I strategies and tactics, covering campaigns and battles with maps and diagrams. Priced at $35.00.
• The Quest For Annihilation Book by Christopher Perello examining the nature of American Civil War battles with over 220 maps, 100+ diagrams, photographs, and orders of battle. 320 pages. Priced at $35.00.
• With Custer At The Death Book by Robert F. Burke providing detailed account of Custer's Last Stand with 48 full-page maps and photographs. 99 pages. Priced at $30.00.

Quantifiable outcome

• Longest running military history magazine with 350 issues as of January 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• HistoryNet: HistoryNet operates a portfolio of military history magazines including MHQ and Vietnam, and a digital content network serving military history enthusiasts. Comparable audience but operates as a digital-first content platform rather than print-plus-games hybrid.

Direct peers

• Academy Games: Academy Games designs and publishes historically-themed board wargames, with comparable mid-complexity wargames targeting the same hobbyist market segment as Strategy & Tactics Press.
• GMT Games: GMT Games is a leading independent publisher of wargames and strategy board games, directly comparable to Strategy & Tactics Press's wargame publishing operations. Both companies produce high-quality historical wargames targeting the same enthusiast market, with GMT being a major P500-style pre-order publisher.
• Multi-Man Publishing: Multi-Man Publishing publishes Advanced Squad Leader and related tactical wargames, serving the same hardcore wargaming community as Strategy & Tactics Press with high-complexity historical simulations.
• Wargames Illustrated: Wargames Illustrated is a UK-based wargaming magazine featuring miniatures and board wargame content with embedded scenarios. Most directly comparable as a competing hobbyist wargaming magazine with similar editorial approach, though focused on miniatures rather than exclusively board wargames.
• Legion Wargames: Legion Wargames is an independent publisher of boutique historical wargames targeting the same dedicated hobbyist market as Strategy & Tactics Press. Comparable in scale and customer focus as a niche wargame publisher.
• Decision Games: Decision Games is the parent company of Strategy & Tactics Press and publishes a wide range of wargames including Against the Odds, Strategy & Tactics, World at War, and other wargaming publications. Direct overlap in product portfolio, customer base, and editorial team.
• Compass Games: Compass Games publishes historical wargames across multiple eras with a similar product format and customer focus as Strategy & Tactics Press. Both target the dedicated wargamer seeking detailed simulations with map-and-counter components.

Broad incumbents

• Osprey Publishing: Osprey Publishing is a major military history publisher producing books across all eras with extensive illustrated content. Comparable as a publisher of authoritative military history material, though at broader scale and with different format (standalone books rather than magazines).
• Avalon Hill (Hasbro): Avalon Hill, owned by Hasbro, is the historical pioneer of board wargaming dating back to the 1950s. While it operates at much larger scale with broader game categories, it remains the foundational reference point for the wargaming hobby that Strategy & Tactics Press serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StrategyTacticsPress

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Strategy & Tactics Press