Douglas Nowokunski

Taurus Games came to Origins with three games. They paid their bills, and gave to the Convention 2nd and 3rd place medals. While Taurus may offer "comic relief" for some in the Hobby, they do have a small niche within it and seem both dedicated and strong on realism and data wtihin their games. I have a copy of Raiders of the North which deals with surface combat in the Atlantic during World War II. The rules are 190 pages long and does require a marking pen to underline key rules for easy reference.

One can disagree with certain values assigned to vessels, or Sunderlands making torpedo runs. There are misprints, e.g. reference to the Invasion of Normandy is really to Norway. However, if one is into a heavy-duty, many- options (down to refueling at sea and attacking individual ships in convoys), then one would like this game. I'm sure it will be reviewed badly because of language use and run-on sentences, and few of the reviewers will actually play a game of this monster. But a lot of solid work is reflected here and I am encouraged by this first effort. I look forward to playing this game and seeing their proposed Mediterranean game, which will have the potential for World War II Jutland- like battles.

Speaking with Douglas Nowokunski of Taurus, he felt that "90% of the reception (for Taurus) had been good." On the point of marketing violence, "No, I don't think we do." In war one "doesn't get reduced one step, he gets reduced." Douglas had one of the most concise answers on women in wargaming that I ran into on the pilgrimage. He gave several reasons: sociological, e.g. the "structure of western society;" "Men are restrictive, the concept of the refuge of the Saturday night poker game" to escape to is strong"; Non-liberated women who deal with self-imposed limitations of supposed "likes and dislikes." Douglas also felt that the sense of abstraction drew women away from wargaming.

Douglas felt that if Taurus's games could get within two-thirds of the quality of Avalon Hill's in looks they would have reached a standard they would be happy with.

Douglas likes to play the advanced game of Battle for Britain, D-Day, Sinai, Stalingrad, and Afrika Korps. "3rd Reich and 1776 are the ultimate wargames in my opinion." "I consider them a standard." Douglas felt that "most wargamers are too much into conventional warfare." Which is why he likes 1776. Thirty percent of Taurus's business is to service men.

Winding Down

So things begin to wind down at the Convention. I have had four hours of sleep each night and am near burned-out. Both Larry and I entered a superbly run Battleline competition of Wooden Ships & Iron Men making it to the 5th round. The awards and auction was pleasant, a copy of Trafalgar went for $50, and Charles Roberts was there. I look back at this trip and long report as a labor of love. It was almost too much for one to savour each moment and concentrate the energy on the people and events as they happened, as one should have. But it was fun. As Larry and I walked out I cornered Stephanie Greenwood and asked her about women in the Hobby.

"What do you think of wargaming?" "It's allright, if you want to spend the time learning." She plays Origins and Risk. On the question of social reasons for playing versus competitional, "No, I play to win." What is it like for her to play Origins of World War II "They (men, she is usually the only woman playing) think I'm easily intimidated or don't know the rules." "When I win they react dumbfounded." Do men view you as a threat? "Depends on how well I play if men think of me as a threat." The night ended with Larry, myself, Andrew Smith, and Randy Reed playing SeastrIke, gossiping, and discussing the political situation in Thailand.

Road Bound Again

Over the next few days we sped slowly, but gaining speed through Fredricksburg, North Caroline, Chickamauga (where we noticed the absence of entrenchments, the ability of units to withdraw from combat, General Wood's gap, and the aspect of a continuous front, all of which do not appear in the game Chickamauga), Shiloh, Arkansas (where we were checked out by some state troopers and a dog), ending with a 22 hour drive from New Mexico to Isla Vista. It was over. No more Randy Reed at his prayer wheel, no more incense and candies, no more holy services. Andrew would soon be arriving to discuss "Origins and Lemons", I would soon be writing this monster, we all could rest from our vacations!

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