It is with great pride and excitement that I assume the office of President of the Strategy Gaming Society. I have great plans for the SGS and sincerely hope and trust that the Society will grow and prosper during my tenure. It is my main goal to help spread the word about our wonderful world of gaming, bringing more people into our hobby. The world would undoubtedly be a much better place if more fami-lies spent quality time together around the table sharing the fun, excitement and challenge of top notch board games.

So what is in store for the SGS during this millenium year? A bunch! But before I delve into the details, head on over to the BRAND NEW SGS website, which has been completely revised: http://pages.about.com/strategygames. Please note that this is a new URL, so kindly make the necessary corrections to any bookmarks you may have saved. The website is divided into numerous sections, each covering some aspect of the SGS, including the many new programs we are instituting. It is well worth frequent visits to the site.

Here are just a few of the new programs which have been or will be instituted dur-ing the course of the year:

1) NEW DISCOUNTS for being a member of the SGS. Boulder Games and RC Hobbies and Games are each offering 5% discounts off of ALL orders placed with them. This is in addition to the already steep discounts they offer versus other gaming outlets.

2) WORLDWIDE GAMERS DATABASE. The SGS is building a massive, comprehensive database of gamers from around the world. The database will be maintained on the SGS website. Listings on the database are ABSOLUTELY FREE for SGS members and a modest $2 for non-members. Please be sure to complete the da-tabase form which is included in this issue and return it as indicated. Or, you can complete the form electronically by visiting the SGS website.

3) GAMER’S CHOICE AWARDS. The SGS is proud to sponsor the Gamer’s Choice Awards, a brand new set of awards which will recognize outstanding games, designers and service to our hobby. There will be separate categories for Historical Simulation Board Games, General Strategy Games and, in the near future, Miniatures, Desk-Top Publishing and Children’s Games.

We have assembled some of the most knowledgeable, respected and prominent members of our hobby to serve on these committees. Please see the separate article in this issue which discusses this program in detail.

4) CONTINUATION OF NEW MEMBER PROMOTIONS. We will continue the practice of offering great incentives for recruiting new members into the SGS. Included in these incentives are:

a) 1 month of FREE membership for each new member re-cruited into the SGS.

b) 25% off coupon from Avalanche Press, Games USA or Moments in History In addition, NEW members will also receive a 25% discount coupon from StrataMax.

In addition to these, even more exciting programs are being planned for the near future. It is my intention to help make the SGS a thriving, dynamic society which serves all of the members of our hobby.

I look forward to the upcoming year with great excitement and anticipation. Please keep watching the Strategist and our webpage for all of the news and announcements. It promises to be a great year!