Julie wants me to remind those of you who ordered first-class-mail extentions to third-class-mail subscriptions that had not yet run out, that the remaining issues of your old third-class subscription will be sent via third class mail before starting your first-class sub. The fact that you have resubscribed will not be indicated on your address lable until the old subscription does run out.

We should gain back, this issue, most of the ten or twelve days we lost last issue on our publication schedule. Partly because of being rushed and partly because of a lack of very much to review, there is no "Miniature Warfare" column this turn. However, there is plenty of other material of interest to miniatures players. "Thumbnail Analysis" is also somewhat shorter this time. I had more things to review, but not enough time to review them.

You'll notice we are now carrying some of the Rand line of games. They've been having financial difficulties, and several of their older games are now out of print. Their long awaited Great War will soon be out, I understand, and Jim Cumbo, of Morningside Game Project (the designers) will personally see to it, at his own expense, that the 800 or so people who have already ordered it will receive their copies.

Here's how the 1-10 ratings of the last issue averaged out:
Thumbnail Analysis 7.32
How to Lose CHICKAMAUGA 6.96
Issue #76 as a whole 6.76
Origins II 6.31
Conquering the Reichswald 6.22
Line of Communications 6.14
Aggressiveness in AFRICAN CAMPAIGN 5.96
Our Most Worthy Enemy 5.94
Tactics in RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN 5.93
Mail Call 5.68
A Four CRT System 5.64
Third Reich: The German's Options 5.60
G2 Reports 5.10
Miniature Warfare 4.74

The issue as a whole is down somewhat from last time's 7.12, which was our third-best ever. "Thumbnail Analysis" is down only slightly from 7.35. The considerable drop in "Mail Call's" rating can be attributed, at least partially, to the poor quality of the printing of those pages. The voting for best three aticles went like this:

How to Lose CHICKAMAUGA...Peterson $5.00
Origins II - Ryan $2.50 tied with
Tactics in RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN - Hilton $2.50

Six issues have now gone by once more, and it is time to announce the winners of the $10.00 best-of-the-year bonuses.

HISTORY - Colonial Twilight (7.11) - Prados
REVIEW - ROMMEL (6.41) - Sarnoff STRATEGY - Tactics in DNO/UNT (7.63) - Hughes
VARIANT - A PANZERBLITZ Ramble (6.46) - Sarnoff
DESIGN - More Thoughts on CRTs (7.71) - Stone
MISC. - State of the Art: Game Review (6.53) - Totten

Three of these (Strategy, Variant and Misc.) are from issue #74. The design and History articles are from #73, and the Review article is from #71. And Herschel M. Sarnoff won in two different categories.

Happy Holidays.