Short answers, pulled from the story.
Charles S. Roberts launched Tactics II in 1958 through his newly formed company, Avalon Hill. This release marked a revised version of his earlier work that became a cornerstone of the wargaming industry.
Jon Freeman dismissed Tactics II as unplayable against even a vaguely competent opponent because the geography produced an inevitable stalemate directly across the center of the board. This structural issue meant that the game could not be won by either side once players reached a certain level of skill.
Rising production costs forced Avalon Hill to discontinue the original version of Tactics II in 1972 because maintaining the game's components became unsustainable. The financial pressure led to a strategic pivot in 1973 when the game was redesigned with less costly materials.
Nicholas Palmer described Tactics II as a respectable but dull abstract introductory game in his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming. He suggested that readers looking for an easy starting point would probably enjoy a simulation of an actual battle more.
Avalon Hill released a 25th anniversary edition of the original Tactics in 1983. This edition included a new and different map, attempting to recapture the spirit of the early days while acknowledging the need for evolution.