The game publisher Metagaming (formerly Metagaming Concepts), owned by Howard Thompson, published strategy and role-playing games from 1975 to 1983. The firm is most notable for inventing the microgame form--smaller and less expensive games in both strategy and role-playing genres. Metagaming's first success came with the science fiction strategy game Stellar Conquest, which Avalon Hill had refused to publish in 1973. Metagaming is also notable for giving designer Steve Jackson, later of Steve Jackson Games, a start in the business.