One walks in and the elevator man looks at you and says, "simulations ya want?" The paths of many pilgrims before you have come this way. Into the home of Somber Simonsen, where 15,000 sales of a title is superb. Howie Barasch greets Larry and I and we quickly discover that he works about 50-70 hours a week. SPI doesn't "have the freedom of GDW." The number of Bureaucrats is extraordinary (to carry my Russian analogy further.) SPI is big in the sense of the number of people.

Howie Barasch

Sitting down with Howie I ask him what games he likes. Blue & Grey, Sinai (last played three months ago), U.S.N., Global War, and Bar-Lev.

The direction of the Hobby? While it is stagnant now it will expand. SPI continues with its innovation by running a T.V. ad in the Boston area, and the idea of S&T at the newstand. The need is there to broaden the Hobby and "we are the only ones who can do it." Collectors are on the decline, there are no block buster sellers. There are no longer 3,000-5,000 gamers who buy everything. Yet Howie feels the hardcore is on the increase of those "who know what they want."

Howie thinks that reviews depend on "who is writing it." Further he felt that long and detailed reviews were the best ones. The overseas market? Five percent of their sales was overseas. SPI is thinking of trying to sell products in Russia and Japan.

Germany? "Avalon Hill beat us to the punch." Howie sees the classical wargamer as one who has money to spend, is middle class, college educated, and feels that because of this wargames will continue to be based on Western History and not the Sudan, India, etc. Howie felt that closet Nazi's may not exist; "imposed on wargamers from outsiders."

Linda Mosca

SPI has on its staff Linda Mosca, who will soon be the first published woman wargamer designer with her game on the Battle of the Wilderness (quad series).

Linda is a fan of strategic level games, Diplomacy, Dungeons & Dragon, and her favorite are games of the ancient period. Linda pointed out that 300 women subscribe to S&T.

"I played games before my husband married me." When they were both short of money they would drag out Battle for the Bulge instead of going on an expensive date' Linda first learned playing "with my father.

"Kevin Zucker made the point at this time that women by and large "Don't want anything to do with war." Linda replied that was the "same generalization as women aren't aggressive" when it came to a question women playing to win or for the social contact. That is, Linda likes to win and enjoys the aspect of conflict, a test of wills. Linda went on to point out that when her husband was into Napoleonics that "I built up a lot of hostilities because it bored me.' Some women wouldn't like wargames period."

"I play Canasta, 3M Games, Basketball game (The Lakers are my favorite)." I asked if she liked to win, "sure I do." Kevin made the point that the competitional aspect "is more intense," with wargames then other games.

Linda felt some men disliked playing women as it is a "threat to your winning, especially twice as bad if she had to launch an assult." Linda used to play a woman regularly who came by the SPI offices but her husband was not interested in wargames so she faded out.

Linda felt that the hardest problem with Wilderness was the balance, 60/40 in favor of the Union right now. "Designing a folio game is not the same" since one uses the same rules and you are "working within a framework ... .. I've designed 'Night of the Living Dead', man versus ghoul, and a scenario where the police "arrive early."

"I argue with the referee in Dungeons & Dragons." "I think they (women) use their husbands' names in the opponents wanted column" so that men aren't scared off. "He used my body as an excuse to my winning" is one line that has come up in her days of game playing. Linda feels she is an average player and plays a few games several times.

Jim Dunnigan

Next I was to meet Jim Dunnigan for the first time and ask him my questions. To those who have not visited this cathedral and have not entered the final and innermost temple, Jim has plastic tubing running throughout the office with a family/pack of Gerbils, hamster-like animals that run about this all day and night.

Jim last "played" World War I just a week before I visited him. He likes to study games as he is "not interested" in playing. As he put it, he all but plays them, and he thinks most gamrs in the Hobby are like this as well. They are not for maximum use between two people, "people like to fuck with things." The difference in the number of an individual title as far as sales go between Avalon Hill and SPI is a "matter of marketing." SPI beats out Avalon Hill 3 to I in sales where both are retailed. Though this could be a reflection of the number of titles available at those retail outlets.

SPI has a five year plan. Jim believes that the Hobby will grow at a 5% rate until 1980 when it will drop to a 4% annual increase based on a steady rate of "turn ons" by age and the rate of increase of disposable income. SPI feels that to increase this rate that games must become more flexible which is why SPI is pushing the Kingmaker and power politics game concept very strongly. This also accounts for the Quad game concept. I think that this approach coupled with games like Dungeons & Dragons will gain more people to the fold of the Hobby. Jim made an excellent point that no one game appeals to more than 50% of all wargamers.

Also within the Hobby Jim felt that "People want more information", that was why Jutland was done by Avalon Hill, one of Jim's early games. There is no "media in the Hobby other than S&T". That point seemed true in the sense of mass impact. Jim also feels that gamers want to know about the business end of things; SPI's feedback has about 6-7% who want it dropped, 8% who want it increased. The S&T consistency wants to know what is happening. What was sad to learn was that while Frederick the Great was a "great game" it also "bombed." I felt it was one of the best games to appear from SPI in a long time. He also pointed out the Hobby has grown by five times in the last 10 years.

Europe and Australia. "Getting their shit together to move" and "somebody has to lay hands on it and do the deed," were Jim's sentiments. A German translation of Kursk is in the works. Jim also mentioned the fact that SPI sales to Australia are less then 1 % of their total volume.

On closet Nazi's Jim said he had "never seen any" and "never see them get teary-eyed over Adolf Hilter." On the question of women, Jim broke it down this way. There are 200,000 wargamers out of 10,000,000 Americans who have the background (profile) for becoming wargamers, 20,000,000 if women are included. The key difference Jim felt lay in the pressures women get hit with; the same pressures that keep Historians a largely male dominated profession.

I asked Jim about this rumored riot control game for the New York City Police. "I wasn't interested in doing a game on riot control." Red Star/White Star sold 15,000 copies. Panzerblitz has sold 120,000 copies while games die out in sales after three years for SPI. "You've got to publish games." From what I saw, SPI has the staff to do just that and to keep publishing games. Jim feels that mail games can be released anytime in the year while retail games should be released in the fall.

I asked Jim what he would do with the General if he were the editor of it and he made only one strong change, more errata as it is the most popular item with MOVES/S&T. Less than 1% of those who buy games send for an errata sheet. Jim said, "American Revolution games don't sell well. I think it is because people realize we are the Tories now." From this we moved to the problems with Global War, to which I have yet to receive an errata sheet on but one is rumored to exist. "50-90%" of its problems lay with the game developer. "My fault ultimately , but he (the game developer) won't make that mistake again." As to Jim's absence at Origins, "I don't like crowds". "Little heavy for my taste," and "I don't play games much."

Jay Nelson

I spent the next day and a half wandering around the office and asking questions. From Jay Nelson who did Wurzburg and is doing Arnhem (both quads) I learned that the North East corner of the Wurzburg map is blown up and used for Mech War '77.

Basically this is "Napoleon at Waterloo plus FPF." FPF is defensive and offensive artillery as in Kasserine Pass. The best balanced scenario is the meeting engagement one. The silhouettes on the counters are used because the players like it, e.g. popular request. Jay felt the problems with the Quad system were two: Firstly, one was not a game designer but a super game developer in which the information fits the system. Secondly, this in turn gets one to a situation where "(one) keeps games 'different' and yet the same."

Jay went on to say that the Napoleonic quad is "Borodino revisited," and that Marengo may be the best in that series of four games. The same system is a "real safe system."

I asked him what he felt were the problems with playtesting on World War III, Global War, and War In the East. The "Development schedule was very rushed ... for all the right reasons." Hopefully, in the future more time will be taken with the big games. In some ways, especially on the big games, schedules should fit the game.

"The man behind the scenes is really Jim." The "Art department has the final say," as it is the final stopping place of a game. "Redmond is the other man behind the scenes." So with that I wandered into Redmond's office.

Redmond Simonsen

Redmond Simonsen is best known as the graphics person at SPI so many of my questions centered on this aspect of his work. Redmond tries to have the graphics fit the game. The "latest thing we've done is the folio package." Redmond tries to introduce new ideas and new visual approaches from time to time. "I don't think there is really much to be gained by many colors in a two sided game"' as it is confusing.

Redmond went on to point out that he was a "functional graphics" man first and foremost. He tries to create a "physical system, not a graphic system." Some of his favorite games are WWI, Battle for Germany, and Panzer Armee Afrika.Anzio and Crete that he did. The "box" design he did is impossible to describe except to say it was both unique and superb. Unfortunately, also very expensive. They both appeared to be somewhat like simple Chinese box puzzles with plenty of space to put stuff so one could not become confused or having to search long for pieces and also opened up for the boards to be spread out. It was a real treat to see them. Redmond complimented Gamma Two's games, especially their pieces and maps.

On reviews, "Impact is very subjective." On the Hobby, "I'd like to see another young and vigorous company to appear on the scene." Redmond hoped that "guys like at GDW who wanted to put their shoulder to the wheel and make a commercial and going concern (like SPI)" is what he would like to see. Redmond also feels that it will be hard to have a quantum jump in game design as was Panzerblitz when it appeared. Redmond did feel that a spicy competition would help the Hobby.

The "limited number of women in wargaming is because of the nature of society." "Where aggression is rewarded some women short-circuit." While closet Nazis are visible, "Crypto-Nazi's might be a better name." "The most visual person in the Hobby is the vocal extreme."

I asked Redmond about the changes the art department does to games when he gets them. "it falls to me to sometimes so I take the rough edges out" of a game. "I try to standardize the approach to rules." One thing I learned from talking with Redmond is that he does not try to produce "pretty games" but rather to make them functional. I wish he did design pretty games, like some of the covers of late on S&T or the game boxes, but that is not his aim.

The following are the light remarks and banter that circled around an R & D meeting at SPI which had 12 male staff members and one female staff member present. "Hey fattie." "Get some troll to do it" (troll equals either a playtester, or any other fluncky), "Ever hear of a game designer who was Jewish?" (to Richard Berg). "if the turkeys (playtesters) like it we know we're in trouble." "You've been concealing this from the committee?" On Dixie, "Not a forgone conclusion that the South will lose." Also on Dixie, "Where they're putting the Mennonite colony ... Turn around Berg and I'll show you." On Baltimore, "Respect the native women" and "Bring plenty of nylons."

Some Scattered Comments

Karen Berg (intimate friend of Richard Berg!) on wargaming: I feel "jealousy, anxiety, and interest." I asked Jim Dunnigan if he liked controversy around him, "sure, why not?" Richard also pointed out that "Dreadnought is how Jim wanted to do Jutland."

Richard Berg felt that Frank Davis is the most meticulous and the one who handpicks playtesters and produces the best rules on the staff. judging of what I have seen Frank (Frederick the Great for example), I would agree. Richard felt that "a game is what the designer wants it to be." Richard on Crimea, "the game is excellent, just did it on the wrong battle ... .. It's a history lesson." Richard feels the allies usually win the game. "I've never seen a game where units are more vulnerable."

Larry and I talked about our experience at SPI towards the end of our visit, which I should add was the most in depth of any of our visits, but then there were more people to talk to. Also, both Larry and I do not consider ourselves to be SPI "hardcores". Larry: "I think there are gaps, there are holes" in their development system. "I see more of a lack of variety in their games than with Avalon Hill." There is a company style while GDW and Avalon Hill are more indi- vidual .... .. It sells, people like the SPI style." "I can get off on playing their games oc- casionally." "If I had to choose one line of games (between GDW/AH/SPI) I would choose Avalon Hill." "On the whole their (SPLIS) system (of production) is quite good though they break down on details."

Terry Hardy

I had a long session with Terry Hardy who is the Chief-of-Staff to Jim for getting the games done. He worked on Chickamauga and American Civil War, among others, on a very close basis. "I rarely play a game to completion." Recently he has played 3rd Reich and Kingmaker.

On 3rd Reich Terry said, "Professionally I was disappointed as to its development." War in the West was having some problems dealing with the naval aspects of it. We both agreed that most games have too much intelligence given to each player. SPI is "not getting into a GDW syndrome where one turn takes 5 hours." Terry on new directions in the Hobby, "I don't know." But he did feel that there would be some new directions. Terry pointed out Avalon Hill's practice of buying young designers games, while with SPI they were developing new developers instead of designers.

Race. "Within New York City the minorities are well represented." "Shit, most of your Negroes are trying to get out of the ghetto. Being alive is fucking good enough than to play a game,"

On women. "I have no interest in knowing why women aren't in wargaming as I think to try to pursue it with the data on hand is fruitless." Terry mentioned that Linda's article was rated on the bottom for MOVES (Linda Mosca did an article in #19 on women in wargaming.) "I don't even like to play a woman in Bridge unless she is good." "A husband is crazy to play a game with his wife," because of the competitive aspects. Violence in wargames? Some view SPI as a Modern day Atilla the Hun" corrupting children. "I don't think our games are behavior modification kits for good or bad."

On Dreadhought I mentioned the aspect of it being an "exercise in die rolling." Terry pointed out that "players are in their main role (admiral)". The campaign version of this game is a superb idea. Between this game, and the campaign rules in Avalon Hill's sailing warship game the Hobby will have made a big jump. It is interesting to note that both of these similar ideas were arrived at independently by the two major companies.

More Cathedrals

Cathedrals of Wargaming: Introduction
Cathedrals of Wargaming: Game Designers' Workshop
Cathedrals of Wargaming: Avalon Hill
Cathedrals of Wargaming: SPI
Cathedrals of Wargaming: On the Road to Origins
Cathedrals of Wargaming: Joe Seliga and Steve Peek
Cathedrals of Wargaming: Taurus Games
Cathedrals of Wargaming: Postscript