The Game of Shakespeare (1966)

Parcheesi with a Shakespeare theme. Each space has the name of a Shakespeare play. Movement is by dice. The board contains "pick card" spaces, which do standard "move forward 4", "move back 3", etc. In the tournament game if you can name a previously unnamed character from the play your pawn is on you can move bonus spaces. Players win by getting their three pawns around the board and up a ladder to the middle of the board (the Globe Theater).

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from "The Avalon Hill General Index and Company History, 1952-1980"

In 1966, AH unveiled its first genuine sales hit, but it wasn't a wargame.

Shakespeare (1966)
Freelance design revised by Avalon Hill
Designed by Henry Scott

Just being a good game is no guarantee of success in financial terms. It usually takes money to make money in the business world and in the game industry that means spending lots of money on promotion. AH, like most small companies, couldn’t afford to “buy” a hit with mass media exposure, but in 1966 they got lucky. LIFE magazine link featured the new SHAKESPEARE game in an article. AH sold 23,000 copies that year—a number it never reached before nor would reach again in the following two years.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.3,No.2
  • The Game of Shakespeare – “Cover Story... Shakespeare Game Set for Summer Release” (Commentary)