Obituary: Alan Emrich, game designer and writer, has died

Alan Emrich, a game designer on the Master of Orion series, passed away earlier this week, according to members of the ConsimWorld forums.

According to his bio on Board Game Geek, Emrich designed both computer and tabletop games. During his time as a developer, he founded the board game company Victory Point Games, co-designed Totaler Krieg! World War II in Europe, and helped start several LA-based game conventions.

Emrich's video game credits include include Warlords II, Empire Deluxe, and Castles II. His MobyGames page also credits him as a consultant on the 2016 remake of Master of Orion.

Famously, Emrich coined the term "4X" (then "quadruple-X") to describe strategy games built around exploration, expansion, extermination, and exploitation. It was first used in his review for Orion in 1993, which he said contained "the essential four Xs of any good strategic conquest game."

"Players must rise from humble beginnings, finding their way around the map while building up the largest, most efficient empire possible," his review reads. "Naturally, the other players will be trying to do the same, therefore their extermination becomes a paramount concern. A classic situation, indeed, and when the various parts are properly designed, other Xs seem to follow."

Prior to reviewing Master, Emrich worked with Tom Hughes to help refine the game's design. The pair were credited, and also worked on the finished game's strategy guide. Emrich would later pen guides for Empire Deluxe and Master of Magic, where he re-teamed with Hughes.

Members of the wargaming board game community remembered Emrich as "a longtime giant of the gaming world, both tabletop & digital. [...] Alan's influence will be rippling through the hobby gaming world for many years to come, and he is gone too soon," wrote Armchair Dragoons.