A Brief History of
ICE
Iron Crown Enterprises has produced role playing, board, miniature,
and collectible card games for over 20 years. Many of ICE's better-known
products were related to JRR Tolkien's world of Middle-earth,
but the Rolemaster
rules system, and its science-fiction equivalent, Spacemaster,
have been the foundation of ICE's business.
ICE was incorporated in 1980 after the principle founders graduated
from the University of Virginia. ICE's primary focus, then and
now, was on non-electronic, or "table top", role-playing
games (RPG's) marketed to the RPG hobbyist market. ICE's Tolkien-based
RPG, Middle-earth Roleplaying, is the second best selling
fantasy RPG after Hasbro's Dungeons & Dragons. These
products have been developed and refined over a twenty-year period,
and have achieved commercial and critical success, selling over
$30 million of game products. ICE products have been given several
game-of-the-year awards domestically, including those from the
Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA)
in 1996. They also won several awards overseas.
In December of 2001, ICE was purchased by Aurigas Aldebaron LLC,
an intellectual property ownership company backed by several wealthy
individuals. Aurigas immediately replaced the former ICE management
with part of the management team from ICE and its own senior representative.
In addition, some of the former employees were recruited, and
ICE has since recruited new employees.
ICE's game plan is simple:
- We will support our core fans who have stuck with ICE through
thick and thin by developing more products for ICE's main game
systems. This will include beefing up releases for existing
settings, which includes our revival of Shadow World, releasing
new settings and releasing adventure game modules set in these
worlds.
- ICE intends to increase its fan base. We are actively implementing
a strategy to attract former ICE fans, new-to-RPG fantasy/sci-fi
enthusiasts as well as disillusioned or bored D&D players
to ICE game systems. This, in turn, will create a larger player
base for our core fans, hopefully increasing gaming opportunities
and variety for all. More playing and fun means more fans, and
fans buy product. This is what we call a virtuous circle and
why actively increasing the fan base is a critical ingredient
for ICE's success.
- As the ICE fan base grows and ICE can generate a stream of
excess profits, we will plow that money back into R&D, developing
more products for existing fans, advertising to attract new
fans, and developing new game systems or settings to increase
variety. ICE plans to develop its IP, either in house or through
acquisition. In the long run, ICE hopes to develop its IP in
other entertainment mediums that will allow fans of our products
to not only play games, but to read a book or watch a television
series in their favorite fantasy or science-fiction setting.
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