THE BOXER UPRISING AND THE SWORD AND THE FLAME Volume V, No. 1 was another excellent issue brought forth from that Valhalla of Wargaming (Miniature Gaming, I mean) in Brockton. I was glad to see all of The Sword and the Flame underground literature assembled together in a single international publication so it will now be official and widely known. While Larry's presentation is generally well done, may I point out some slight dis- agreements I have regarding his descriptions of the Boxer forces. First, I do not think that "Tigermcn" should be considered Boxers. If my reading of Lynn Bodin's useful little Osprey book, The Boxer Rebellion, is correct, the Tigermen were a branch of the regular army used for disrupting enemy cavalry. They were armed with long swords and grappling hooks (not pikes as indicated by the MiniFigs model). Secondly, I offer the opinion that an all rifle-armed unit of Boxers is inappropriate. Boxers, were, after all, attempting to restore old values to and remove advances in technology from their society. They killed Christians, destroyed trains and telegraphs. They generally fought with hand weapons such as pikes, halberds and swords. The advancing-with-rifle MiniFig Boxer converts nicely into a polearmed figure. Game balance can be achieved by allowing each Boxer unit to have a few, say up to five, rifle armed figures. A final comment on Vol. 5 No. 1, this time regarding Mike Gilbert's instructions for painting flesh. This note is closely tied to colonial gaming. May we assume that Mike realizes that only a small part of the world has white-pink flesh and in later issues he will cover brown, black, red, and yellow flesh. Can anyone suggest straight from the bottle paints for these peoples? -BOB BEATTIE, Ann Arbor MI A SOURCE OF FRENCH NAPOLEONIC MUSIC Look for "Military Fanfares, Marches and Choruses From the Time of Napoleon" produced by Nonesuch Records, 9229 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90069 (#1-1- 71075 STEREO). It contains the stirring "Marengo March" most people will recognize. Unfortunately, the record may be out of print-I bought my copy four years ago through "Publishers Central Bureau". Travellers going to France might find something there. -C.E. SILVERSTEIN, Pittsburgh PA. ED. NOTE- Many others sent us similar info about Nonesuch, but there were at least four addresses given. The address listed above is correct. Phone is (213) 205- 0407. Eric Noblet mentions a record of French Military Marches sold by Olympic Records and distributed by Everest Records, 10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 410, Los Angeles CA 90920. In addition one of our Canadian readers is writing to Les Invalides in Paris to try to locate something there. Thanks to all who responded. -DICK BRYANT COMMENTS ON "CHICKEN" (Dispatches from the Field, Vol. V, No. 1) Tom is a gentleman and a very excellent gamer. However, I think he has missed the point regarding WRG and terrain. My quick survey of battles from the ancient period shows that the majority probably were ambushes. Only the WRG Rules to my knowledge give gainers a chance to recreate this via terrain choice without a referee. As for his intention that "no army ever fought a baffle in terrain so bad as that it could not deploy"-I think Tom owes me a pizza. The following examples came to mind: 1. The massacre in the Tentoberger (sic) forest (well, possibly Tom could claim "ambush" but the Romans walked into it eyes open; heavy infantry in dense woods). 2. The battle of Staines 61 A.D. Ancient Britons attack Romans defending uphill, across a sandy bog in space too constricted to deploy (see Featherstone). 3. Pylos 425 B.C. Athenian light troops inflict the first crushing defeat on a Spartan contingent of heavy hoplites deployed on a rocky island unable to amneuver. (See Thucydides.) So, Tom, pay up. Xenophon and Thucydides give more examples of battles where terrain was significant. Still, Tom has a valid point; but I think the problem is more in the rules than in the person who is clever enough to use them. Therefore, I propose that the following rule be applied in future to all WRG tournaments ("Guth's law"): "No player may place terrain in his opponent's crucial sector until after his op- ponent has had a chance to place a terrain item (e.g. string for Indian armies). Note that this is perfectly compatible with the existing rules which allow tourna- ment directors to limit terrain or prearrange it." -MICHAEL GUTH, MD, Bethesda MD. Response: Letter to Editor (vVn4) KUDOS I borrowed a friend's issues of THE COURIER, two years of them. All my comments are based on vol. 2 no. 4 through vol. 4 no. 3. Up to now, having seen only vol. 1 nos. I and 2, I felt that the magazine was so-so. Well, I was very much impressed with these issues. Several points I would like to make are: 1. THE COURIER has no competition given the demise of Wargamers' Newsletter and the amalgamation of Battle with Military Modeling. Frankly, [the rest of the competition] is mediocre. 2. The figure reviews are the first genuine critiques I have seen. They are quite valuable given the cost of figures these days. Even though I do not collect 15mm armies, I read such reviews with interest. I have often wondered how Heritage, Hinchliffe, Minifigs, Jacobite, Frei Corps, etc. "stack up" with one another in this dimunitive scale. How about putting more emphasis on figure girth as well as height? 3. The covers of the magazine are extremely effective. I am refreshed to see someone who recognizes that splashy color shots are not necessary. 4. The use of annual themes is an excellent idea. I find the notion a way to broaden my knowledge even if I am not particularly enamored with a certain period, e.g. Renaissance. May I be so bold as to suggest the Crimea as a possible theme? Also the AWL Both are pet projects of mine. I think they make fascinating wargaming subjects (I am in the Crimean War Study Group of the Victorian Military Society). One negative, however; There seems to be an excess of paternalistic condecension in some of the writing. Samuel Gill is in danger of being lynched some day! Few of the contributors would do well in public relations. Do not misunderstand me. The content I agree with on most every point. However, the tone is too belittling and antagonistic. Wargaming is like history in that rules rest on various interpretations. This trend is more pronounced in wargaming given players' catholic tastes. For example, I do not like THE SWORD AND THE FLAME. The system is too simplified and I dislike playing-card or dice movement rules. But I do not condemn them as unrealistic, worthless of leaves of paper. The set has done wonders to expand interest in colonials. We need to avoid the stereotype of the stuffy, hardcore, Napoleonic player who thumbs his nose at the vast masses of the unwashed. I think a lot of games are so overcome by having a platform to communicate their ideas that they sometimes go overboard. Well, this dispatch is fast approaching chapter length. Let me add that I wish THE COURIER continued success. I only cast an Origins ballot once but I did vote for the magazines. -J.D. SCUDIERI - Bradley Beach NJ. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. V #3 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1984 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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