The Vanguard

Editorial

by Dick Bryant

Need More and Longer Articles

Another short issue, though I thought it was going to be shorter due to a lack of longer articles. I have a plethora of articles, all interesting, that are only 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 pages long. You can see the effect of this in this issue as a lot of filler has to be used.

I welcome all lengths of article but certainly could use some in depth 4 to 6 pagers. This magazine is written by you, the reader. That fact has kept the topics current and of interest over 35 years of publication without, I believe, ever getting stale.

If I’m going to do the same over the next 35 years, I need your help with articles. Go to our website at www.thecouriermagazine.com and check out our “authors notes”. If you are not wired to the internet (and over 60% of you are not), drop me a line with a stamped, Self-addressed, business-sized envelope and I will send along a printed version of our Author’s Notes.

Major clutter = major problem. There's more clutter than figures on the table--sometimes I can't locate a "clear" space to photograph games in progress.

Help Wanted

The Courier needs a new Advertising Manager. He/she must have good internet and communication skills and the time and inclination to chase after potential advertisers. Drop me a line or an e-mail, if you are interested and I will send you the particulars.

CONVENTION SEASON

I mention this every year at this time but I just want to try again to convince you that you have not experienced the entire Miniature wargaming experience until you have attended a major convention. Bring your (or someone’s) kids - introduce them to the panapoly of this great hobby. You will always be remembered by the kid for the greatest experience of his/her young life. And you just may recruit another stalwart against the graying of the hobby.

Corrections to reviews in issue #87

MAGWEB.COM

Thank you for the kind review. However the pricing in the review is the old 2002 price. (Not that your readers wouldn’t see the ad in the back) If you could post the current prices:

    $10: 1 week “Quickie Peek”
    $20: 1 month “Take a Look”
    $40: 3 month “Trial Period”
    $60: 6 month “Attack Run”
    $75: 12 month “Super Value”

      Thanks,
      Russ Lockwood, CEO
      MagWeb.com
      On-line archive of military history and related magazines on the web since 1996.

      Wellington Rules

      Would you please print the following clarification to the review that aappeared in #87?

      Mr. Hamper states “The kicker (as I interpret the rules) is that one die roll result is applied to all commanders in the chain...” The intent of the rules is for each leader figure (brigade commander and above) to roll separately for their leader rating in the game. This will result in some good leaders and some not-so-good leaders. Mr. Hamper also expresses some reservations concerning the fact that units break when the number of stragglers exceeds the number of effectives.

      There are some subtle nuances to these rules. For instance, units in column or square take more casualties and fewer stragglers. The effect is that columns take a beating but remain steady. Lines, on the other hand, lose stragglers faster and are a little more fragile.

      In “Wellington” there is no disordered status. It is up to the player to decide when the unit is getting disordered (i.e., getting too many stragglers) and he has to stop and “dress the ranks.” In practice players usually wait a turn too long to do this their first game or so and their units go scampering away to be rallied and reformed. As a result of the straggler mechanism, there are no morale checks except when another unit sees a unit rout past it.

      I understand Mr. Hamper’s reservations with the straggler mechanism. It is not completely unique (being similar to the old Battleline “Fury in the West” board game and Ron Prillaman’s Penny Rules), but it is quite foreign to most gamers. I think that he (and your readers) will find that the system grows on them after a couple of games.

      Thanks,
      Buck Surdu

      Note: Corrections have been made in MagWeb.com archives...--RL

      Back to Table of Contents -- Courier # 88
      To Courier List of Issues
      To MagWeb Master Magazine List
      © Copyright 2003 by The Courier Publishing Company.
      This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
      Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com