The Name of the Game was actually three series in one starring Gene Barry, Robert Stack and Tony Franciosa. Each featured in their own self-contained episodes. The connection between them was Howard Publications, a Los Angeles based publishing empire run by Glenn Howard. Howard's position of power, his confrontations with business and political enemies, and his own flamboyant lifestyle were portrayed in his portion of The Name of the Game. Within the Howard empire were correspondent Jeff Dillon and editor Dan Farrell. Dillon was a super-agressive former newsboy who had clawed his way up to a position of power and respect working for Howard's People Magazine. Farrell was a former FBI agent who had gone into the publishing business because it provided a position from which to make the public aware of the threats posed by organized crime. He was the senior editor of Crime Magazine.