High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! 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 was 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 metre hexes and squad sized units. Full color flyer from 1977. 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 in and of themselves a prized collector's item.)