You may have noticed we have raised the cover price from $2.00 to $2.25. At this rate, if this issue costs no more to print than the last one, we'll just break even on the copies we sell to wholesalers. It may soon become necessary to raise the cover price again, to $2.50. We are holding subscription prices at their present levels, however, for a while at least, because with subcriptions there is no middle man (except the Postal Service) taking a cut. In effect this means a subscription is an even better buy, compared to buying the magazine over the counter. A one year sub saved you $3.00 (or 25%), but now it saves you $4.50 (or 33%).

The reasons for this increase are two-prolonged: papermill strike on the west coast, along with general inflation, has increased the coats of printing, and for about a year now our circulation has refused to grow, hovering around the 2,000 to 2,200 mark. If you'll all get out and beat the bushes for new subscribers (and stop lending your copies to people who can afford to buy their own) we can stave off a subscription price increase indefinitely. Don't forget that you get a one issue extension or a $1.00 credit for each new subscriber you bring in (See the subscriber's discounts page on the outer wrapper.)

Let us remind you subscribers that it is the time for the annual voting for our Best Game Or the Year and Best Game of the Year Awards. The ballot is also on the outer wrapper. We were promised a copy of the nominating ballot for the Charles Roberts Awards, which are voted on and announced each year at the Origins convention, for reproduction in this issue, but it has not shown up.

Orccon

By the way, I finally got to attend a wargaming convention strictly as a gamer, without manning a booth. This was possible because the only convention that is close enough for us to go to without having to pay for a place to sleep was held earlier this year than usual. ORCCON (orange County Convention) was to be held on Super Bowl weekend when we're in the middle of putting the March-April issue together (it's the Wed. before SB as I write this). This year Son of Orccon was held 5-7 January, and I bummed a ride with Jeff Jones and Kevin Pollock. Things seemed a bit disorganized, especially for a con in its third year at the same site (the campus of Cal. State, Fullerton). But all three of us had a good time. We missed the first day, Friday, but we got there bright and early at 8:00 am Saturday - only to find that registration didn't begin until 9:00.

To make matters worse, the first scheduled event were also slated for 9:00, but fortunately (?) the one we chose, a DIPLOMACY tournament, started late. In fact we registered and still had to wait about half an hour for a substitute gamemaster to show up. By that time some people had already given us and gone elsewhere, and there were only enough players for four boards. Although boards and positions were determined by drawing names from a hat, Jeff, Kevin and I wound up in the same game - Jeff as Italy, Kevin as France, and I as England. We should have been able to combine forces to sweep the board, but Kevin couldn't resist stabbing Jeff. Also unfortunately, the Turkish player was a real novice who didn't understand the game's mechanics and initiated NO diplomacy at all. So Russia and Austria grew rapidly and propped up Germany to stunt our alliance's growth.

Jeff and Kevin gave up and went off to join the BLUE - GRAY tournament. Another friend, Bob Schroeder, took over France but Italy went into civil disorder and Russia and Austria steamrollered their way to a tie (While I had been busy diplomatizing, the gamemaster evidently informed most of the other players that, with four games in the first round, the top TWO finishers in each game would play the final round, minus the second place finisher with the fewest centers. By the time I found out about this, Russia and Austria were ahead and had no incentive to stab each other.)

Victory in the Pacific

Next I entered the VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC tournament, which was better organired. I felt pretty goad when my first round opponent, Gilbert Anderson, asked to play the Allies, as it meant I could use the Japanese strategy I outlined in issue #85. Unfortunately Gilbert refused to roll over and play dead. I blew away most of his battleships at Pearl Harbor beat up pretty good again and took Johnston Island. Unfortunately he took it back again on turn three (I forgot to bomb his Marines) and he alao retook the Central Pacific, which caused me increasing problems, as I had to devote more and more force to defend againat a possible American strike at the Japanese Ialands. So to make a long story short, I sunk all of his carriers by turn five or so, but had also lost most of mine, and was not able to prevent all turn 6 reinforcements from coming on.

When the end of Turn 7 saw the POCs on the Allied side of the chart, I resigned. I heard, unofficially, that Jack Greene won the tournament, defeating Gilbert Anderson in the final game.

Tanktics

Schroeder showed me a computer game he'd found in the dealer's area called TANKTICS. Each side had a small input to the computer like a pocket calculator keyboard, LED readout, and a paper mapboard with cardboard counters.

The computer randomly chooses starting positions for a nunber of tank for each side and shows each only where their own tanks are and the location of an objective hex - the control of which wins the game. You can give each tank up to five hexes worth of orders which it proceeds to carry out (or attack) while you turn your attention to your other tanks. The unique feature of the game is that it operates on real time. That is, there are no "turns" and no breaks in the action during which to plan your next move. While you are planning, your tanks sit awaiting orders, and your opponent may be moving! You can order a tank to move in any of six directions, rotate 60° clockwise or counterclockwise, search for enemy tanks, or fire at a specified tank. The computer takes the terrain on the map into consideration when determining how long it takes a tank to move and what a given tank can see. VERY intereating oh, yeah, Bob blew me away.

Armor

At eight Saturday night there was an HO scale armor game scheduled I got there about ten til, but the game was already in progress, and looked like it had been for some time. In between supervising tank gun fire, a fellow who evidently was in charge offered to let those of us who showed up at 8:00 bring on reinforcenents, but there wee no explanation of what rules were being used nor any indication of any system or plan for the game, ao I gave it up.

Jeff and Kevin wanted to attend a panel discussion at 9:00 with Jim Dunnigan of SPI, Jack Greene and several other game designers, so I tagged along. It was interesting, everybody fielding questions from the audience, but nothing very profound wee enunciated. By 10:30 we were getting tired and decided to head for home. Jeff and Kevin went back Sunday, but I stayed here, It was an interesting experience, I especially enjoyed the VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC game, even though I lost. But I do hope the DIPLOMACY tournament and the armor miniatured games are not typical of all of Orccon's events.

Return Fire

And now to the results of last issue's Return Fire:

The German High Seas Fleet 6.97
To Ann Arbor and Back 6.63
Real World Wargaming 6.44
Mail Call 6.00
Brazen Chariots 5.97
ISSUE 89 AS A WHOLE 5.97
Thumbnail Analysis 5.94
G2 Reports 5.88
Book Review 5.63
Line of Communications 5.13
STAR WEB Part II 5.03
Indulging your Fantasies 4.44
Impressions From the Prism 3.84

As usual, the voting for best three disagreed somewhat. In this case, Lorrin Bird moves up several positions:

The German High Seas Fleet - Dworachak $5.00
Brazen Chariots - Bird $3.00
To Ann Arbor and Back - Flory $2.00