Well as I said last time this issue marks our 25th Anniversary year. To mark the occasion, I asked Bob Beattie who was in at the birth of The Courier to write a short piece about our beginnings and how the hobby changed over the years. Bob was the first editor of the newsletter that became The Courier and has had as a sub-hobby the study of the history of wargaming. I'm sure you will find it interesting.

This is our birthday, but we are going to turn the tables and give our loyal subscribers the present. Starting with this issue and for the forseeable future, each issue, The Courier will select a subscriber at random to receive a $100 check made out to the dealer of his choice for hobby materials. The dealer must be an advertiser that took out at least a 1/2 page advt. in the issue associated with the drawing. We hope to report in the following issue who won and what he bought. To participate, you must be a subscriber in good standing for the issue of the drawing.

As I write this the HMGS Cold Wars convention is going on and I am not there! The first East Coast convention I missed since 1969 - I'm going through withdrawal! Illness in the family precluded my going and I apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced by cancellation of the 3 games I was going to put on The Courier Staff did put on 5 other games and I hope that some of you were able to participate. I will be at Historicon with The Courier staff to put on 3 full days of games in the Paradise Room.

As an added incentive to get more replies for VOLLEY FIRE, The Courier is going to award another gift to the winner of the winner of a drawing made up of all the Volley fire cards received for this issue. The gift is the 3 beautifully painted 25mm ECW figures that were the subject of Gary Leitzell's article on painting detailed miniatures that appeared in issue No. 61. these are gorgeous and great to add to your ECWs or just put on a shelf if your are into an other periods, or to trade or sell.

ERRATA