This month Your Editor gets to go under the knife again, to have an "intramedullary nail" taken out of his leg. (For the uninitiated, this is a 12" steel rod that looks a bit like a bent tire iron; see picture at right for an old one of mine, posed with a GI Joe doll for scale. Joe is holding two of the screws used to moor it in my shinbone.) So I will try to act the October issue done ahead of time, but that's my excuse in case there is any delay.

Still, if you have any nominations to make, please make them soon!

However, I will be well enough to read, enjoy and tabulate your responses to the Strategist Reader Poll, appearing on page 11 of this issue. Every so often we need to ask our readers who they are, what they play, and what we can do to improve Strategist. I thought it might also be useful in view of all the new members we have picked up in the last six months - so all of you newbies out there, please write in and tell me about yourself!