That time is here for the billion dollar a year fantasy sports industry: next month marks the 50th birthday of Strat-O-Matic, the cards and dice game that got fantasy sports off the ground before computers took over.

FORBES: Strat-O-Matic Turns 50

"SportsClix" can be played in fantasy games on a plastic board or swapped like cards, each figure having one of six degrees of rarity.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Cards in Urban Rivals needed to be trained individually, in Fantasy Rivals that system has been refined and streamlined.

FORBES: Fantasy Rivals: A Worthy Successor to Urban Rivals

Guardian Cross features Final Fantasy-esque graphics and sounds, and even contains some familiar faces from the series on cards.

FORBES: Guardian Cross Is Monster Collecting, Card Battling Fun

But those sponsors and demographic data gatherers driving fantasy sports into the world of big money can thank Hal Richman, who got it all started with cards and dice 50 years ago.

FORBES: Strat-O-Matic Turns 50