Compass Games
Compass Games is a Connecticut-based, privately-held board game publisher founded in 2004 that designs and sells historical wargames and tabletop titles direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce site, serving hobbyist wargamers with 118+ catalog titles and a quarterly Paper Wars magazine.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersCromwell, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Compass Games does
Compass Games LLC is a privately-held, Connecticut-based board game publisher founded in 2004 that designs, manufactures, and sells historical wargames and adjacent tabletop titles direct-to-consumer through its compassgames.com e-commerce storefront. Its catalog of 118+ titles spans military history from the Bronze Age to modern conflicts, presented in Standard, Designer Signature, and Deluxe editions priced $54-$199, alongside the long-running Paper Wars magazine (49 issues, $22.95-$46.95 per issue; $154-$230 annual subscriptions) that pairs a quarterly publication with a playable wargame. The company explicitly prioritizes solitaire playability across its design intake and maintains a 118-title plus 49-issue content archive supported digitally through downloadable Vassal Engine and Cyberboard modules for both current and out-of-print titles. Its commercial operation is run by an 8-person team and spans a 'Pay Now' / 'Pay Later' pre-order system, curated bundle SKUs (the 1776 Bundle at $1,776 for 43 games; 250 Militia and 250 Continental bundles celebrating America's Semiquincentennial), a designer submission pipeline that has onboarded 43+ contributors, and a recurring annual Compass Games Expo. The 2023-vintage Golden Age Collection sub-brand represents a deliberate strategic pivot toward hybrid wargame/Euro/RPG mechanics, with Christopher Moeller's Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen as its flagship title and the Burning Banners line continuing to be expanded in subsequent releases. Revenue mechanics are anchored on one-time physical game sales, an annual subscription book for Paper Wars, event registration ($25-$50 for Expo attendance), and Kickstarter-crowdfunded flagship launches that convert into long-tail catalog sales.
Compass Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Compass Games
- Legal name
- Compass Games LLC
- Website
- https://compassgames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Compass Games is a Connecticut-based, privately-held board game publisher founded in 2004 that designs and sells historical wargames and tabletop titles direct-to-consumer through its e-commerce site, serving hobbyist wargamers with 118+ catalog titles and a quarterly Paper Wars magazine.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Compass Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Historical Wargames / Tabletop Board Games
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wargames & Historical Board Games Retail (CRALALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail (CRALALAC), Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA)
Keywords
Where Compass Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cromwell
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Compass Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Board Game Sales: Direct sales of physical board games and wargames through e-commerce website. Individual games priced from $54-$199, with bundle offerings like the 1776 Bundle ($1,776 for 43 games) and themed collections (250 Militia at $250, 250 Continental at $250). Sales include both in-stock items and pre-orders for upcoming releases.
- Paper Wars Magazine Subscription: Quarterly magazine featuring historical wargames. Individual issues priced at $46.95, with subscription options ranging from $154 (US domestic with game) to $230 (international with game). Magazine-only subscriptions also available at $22.95 per issue.
- Pre-Order System: Pre-order sales model with 'Pay Now' and 'Pay Later' options. Pay Later allows customers to reserve games for future delivery with payment at shipping. Pre-orders include upcoming releases like Red Star/White Eagle ($75), Lion of Judah ($59), and various Combat series titles.
- Expo Registration: Annual Compass Games Expo event featuring gaming sessions, tournaments, and designer-hosted playtests. Full registration fee is $50, with single-day attendance at $25.
- Digital Downloads: Support library providing free digital downloads including rules PDFs, errata documents, and digital modules for out-of-print games. Learning library with video tutorials also available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Historical Games |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 1776 Bundle - America 250 Collection |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 250 Militia Bundle |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 250 Continental Bundle |
| Subscription | Annual | Paper Wars Magazine Subscription |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Expo Registration |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Beginner-Friendly Games |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Compass Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Compass Games publishes and sells professional-quality physical board games, primarily historical military wargames, directly to consumers through its e-commerce website. The portfolio spans ancient, Napoleonic, World War I, World War II, Cold War, and modern conflicts, available in standard, Designer Signature, and Deluxe editions, supplemented by the Paper Wars quarterly magazine, the Golden Age Collection hybrid genre line, fantasy/sci-fi titles, and themed bundles. The company also provides digital support modules for virtual play, learning video tutorials, and hosts an annual gaming Expo.
Product overview
Compass Games is a board game publisher founded in 2004, specializing in historical wargames and tabletop gaming. The company's product portfolio centers on physical board games (wargames, Euro-style games, fantasy, and sci-fi titles) sold directly through their e-commerce website. The core offerings include standalone historical wargames available in standard, Designer Signature, and Deluxe Edition formats; the Paper Wars magazine series featuring historical wargames (Issues 98-116+); and specialized categories for solo/solitaire play, pre-orders, and commemorative bundles. The company also maintains digital support through Vassal and Cyberboard modules for many titles, and operates the Compass Games Expo annual convention. Recently launched products include Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen (fantasy wargame, first Golden Age Collection title), the 1776 Bundle (43-game mega-bundle for America's Semiquincentennial), and numerous pre-orders for upcoming releases. The company also provides educational resources through their Learning Library video series and Support Library for out-of-print game resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Historical Wargames
Companies that use Compass Games
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Compass Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Compass Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Christopher MoellerflagshipCreator of Burning Banners fantasy wargame, which launched the Golden Age Collection via Kickstarter in 2023. This flagship title represents the company's expansion into hybrid game genres combining traditional wargame mechanics with other tabletop genres.
- Game Designers (Submission Program)coreCompass Games actively seeks game submissions from independent designers. Focus areas include historically-based military history topics across all periods. Solitaire playability is preferred. Designers submit rulebooks (PDF), prototype assets (Google Drive/Dropbox), and optional digital prototypes. The company offers the Golden Age Collection (launched 2023) for hybrid games combining wargame mechanics with Euro/Ameri/RPG elements.
- Vassal EnginecoreOpen-source platform enabling virtual play of board games online. Compass Games provides downloadable Vassal modules for many of their titles, allowing customers to play digitally. Modules available at vassalengine.org/wiki/Category:Compass_Games.
- Comfort Inn & Suites Meridenminor
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Compass Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Columbia Games: Columbia Games publishes block wargames and the HPS Simulations catalog, competing directly with Compass in historical periods like the American Revolution and Civil War via D2C channels.
- GMT Games: GMT Games is the leading direct-to-consumer publisher of hex-and-counter historical wargames, overlapping almost entirely with Compass Games' core catalog across WWII, Napoleonics, and American history titles. Both use the same designer-submission model and Kickstarter pre-order mechanics.
- Academy Games: Academy Games designs block wargames and historical titles covering similar periods (American Revolution, WWII). Their designer-submission approach and D2C sales model closely mirror Compass Games' structure.
- Lock 'n Load Publishing: Lock 'n Load publishes tactical and operational wargames with similar component quality and mid-market pricing, plus Vassal module support. Competes with Compass for designer submissions and the same enthusiast buyer.
- Worthington Publishing: Worthington publishes Train (a card-driven WWII title) and other block wargames through D2C and Kickstarter. Directly comparable in scale, price band, and audience overlap with Compass Games' Combat! and Designer Signature lines.
- Decision Games: Decision Games publishes Strategy & Tactics magazine (a direct analog to Compass' Paper Wars) and historical wargames in similar mid-market price points. Both target the same hardcore wargamer and magazine subscriber segments.
Broad incumbents
- Fantasy Flight Games: Fantasy Flight Games is a much larger publisher with broad genre coverage including fantasy and sci-fi wargames (e.g., Twilight Imperium, X-Wing). Overlaps with Compass' fantasy and sci-fi sub-catalog but at much higher scale and retail distribution.
- Multi-Man Publishing: Multi-Man Publishing is an established wargame publisher behind the OCS and ASL lines, serving a similar hardcore audience but with deeper complexity and higher price points than Compass' mid-market titles.
Emerging players
- Hexagon Cluster Games: A small emerging wargame publisher using Kickstarter for crowdfunding and direct sales. Operates at a smaller scale than Compass with a narrower catalog but shares the D2C, designer-submission, and pre-order business model.
- Admiralty Trilogy Group: A small specialty publisher focused on Napoleonic naval wargames using similar hex-and-counter mechanics. Comparable in scale, designer-driven model, and enthusiast customer base, though narrower in subject scope than Compass.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Compass Games social profiles
Digital presenceCompass Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Compass Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Compass Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Compass Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Compass Games
What does Compass Games do?
Compass Games publishes and sells professional-quality physical board games, primarily historical military wargames, directly to consumers through its e-commerce website. The portfolio spans ancient, Napoleonic, World War I, World War II, Cold War, and modern conflicts, available in standard, Designer Signature, and Deluxe editions, supplemented by the Paper Wars quarterly magazine, the Golden Age Collection hybrid genre line, fantasy/sci-fi titles, and themed bundles. The company also provides digital support modules for virtual play, learning video tutorials, and hosts an annual gaming Expo.
Is Compass Games a public or private company?
Compass Games is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Compass Games founded?
Compass Games was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Compass Games based?
Compass Games is headquartered in Cromwell, United States, in the North America region.
How does Compass Games make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Board Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are paper Wars Magazine Subscription, pre-Order System, expo Registration and digital Downloads.
Who are Compass Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Columbia Games, GMT Games, Academy Games, Lock 'n Load Publishing, Worthington Publishing and Decision Games. Broad incumbents are Fantasy Flight Games and Multi-Man Publishing. Emerging players are Hexagon Cluster Games and Admiralty Trilogy Group.
Does Compass Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Compass Games.
What industry is Compass Games in?
Compass Games's product category is Historical Wargames / Tabletop Board Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAD, Wargames & Historical Board Games Retail, with a secondary code of CRALALAC, Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.