The Origins '84 in Dallas seemed to be a great success, thanks to Howard
Barash and his crew. From my previous experience of fifteen national wargame
conventions, Origins had as many dealers and about as many historical games
as any past gathering. I was told that the gate as of Saturday morning had
approached four thousand gamers.
EMPIRE III GAME IN PROGRESS AT ORIGINS '84
The painting awards were presented Sunday. The only disappointing aspect to me, as a judge, and to some convention organizers, was that more wargamers didn't enter the contest. The 25mm ancient and feudal units that entered were beautifully painted, but where were those 18th Century, Napoleonic and Colonial armies that I saw on the wargame tables? Remember this next year!
The historical awards were: James Shuit for a single 25mm mounted Edward III by Essex; Perry Huston for "owning" a large unit of 25mm Hoplites by Essex and 25mm Pechenegs by various manufacturers (they were painted by a professional painter who got the trophy but we don't have his name); ScottPryor won THE COURIER award for his painting of a unit of Essex Hoplites; Empire awards went to Scott Pryor for his 15mm Napoleonic Prussians and Eric Streicher for his 15mm Napoleonic Austrians.
A number of new miniature lines were introduced. Alliance Miniatures of Des Moines, Iowa (producing 15mm tabletop miniatures) displayed a number of new Napoleonics. The new 1812 Russians are excellent, and the British have been redone so that their heads are a bit smaller. A large range of ACW were also introduced.
ASP Imports of Bloomington, Minnesota, brought a large selection of Irregular Miniatures and QT Miniatures. They will stock the full ranges of these companies as well as Ros 5mm and Naismith figures. I also finally saw the Viking Miniatures armies from the Glascow manufacturer who doesn't sell to North America. They were very nice and reminded me of Citidel's range.
Wargames of Dallas had some of the new Essex releases available. These are fantastic figures. Peltasts, cavalry and hoplites were available in numerous variations. A few late 15th Century knights and British sailors (Sudan) were seen.
The Iron Brigade of 2345 NW 121st, Oklahoma City 73120 (note new address, please) had his extensive 25mm ACW and Continentals fully available. These are the old Duke Siegfried ranges with some new figures sculpted by Uncle Duke himself. Lots of new Foreign Legion and Arab figures were available. Soon to be coming will also be some very nice 18th Century highlanders and American Indians.
A new company, The Gamer'sGuild of Wichita Falls,Texas, had some new 25mm Medievalswith each figure coming both mounted and dismounted. Their size is compatible with Ral Partha. They also have a simple and fun set of medieval rules called WARLORD. They ran a very enjoyable tournament won by Dwayne Dunnaway. Although primarily historical, I should have been suspicious when on closer inspection one of the armies were bunny rabbits uniformed as 1870 British with regimental colors reading "The King's Own Buns"!
Ral Partha had almost their complete 25mm range available, including the new Sudan was displayed. The sculpting is similar to their other ranges. The only comment I'll make on these otherwise excellent figures is that the figure representing Gordon's Sudanese is incorrectly dressed and is in a strange musket-butt smashing position. The new ancient command groups were available as well as many redone Dark Age troops. The Normans are excellent full figures instead of the thin Teutonics released last year. To their credit, Ral Partha has continued to release new 25mm historical ranges.
Rafm had their new 18th Century American Indians and ancients. The ancients are generally with interchangeable heads which lends itself to creating some really interesting Successor units.
Stone Mountain of Denver had its large new range of 15mm ACW displayed.
Miniature Figurines Ltd. of Pine Plains, New York, was represented. Its new 15mm Colonials were available. it alsosawthe first ofthe new 15mm SYW "Tricorne" range. I hope to review these in this or the next issue. Minifigs is also re-releasing most of its old 25mm ranges now only available from England. The Malburian and American Revolution range should be available soon.
Greenfield Hobby wholesalers displayed two new forts available through retailers. There is a Vauban fortress (in sections), a log frontier fort (in sections) and various buildings all made from a hard styrofoam. They are scaled for 20mm figures; but useful for 15mm as is, or for 25mm with a little conversion. I'll review these in this or the next issue.
I was particularly pleased to see the 25mm figures of Bill Lamming of England at the convention. Gallia has purchased Lamming Miniatures, kept Bill in charge of that portion of the business, and distributes the figures through Modelers Mart of Florida. Lamming has an extensive line of ancients, medievals, pike and shot and Napoleonics. Bill has produced new ECW figures and is remodeling his Napoleonic British. His interchangeable heads and equipment have been a trademark for many years. For my money these are some of the best wargame figures around. Gallia had its extensive range of buildings and 15mm figures available. A Gedemco Vauban fortress (in sections) is available in 15mm which is beautiful but expensive.
Empire Miniatures has released most of Civil War and Napoleonics. I noticed a new set of a Napoleon on foot with staff. Watch this company for terrain section releases soon. Bowden's book on campaign rules will soon be out.
There were WRG ancients and Renaissance tournaments which our ancient editor, Kruse Smith, will describe, The WRG tournament was extremely well attended with some impressive armies and apparently very well run by Kruse.
A large Sword and Flame tournament was run by Jack Hulsey. These battles were crowded throughout the convention.
Our own Omaha/Kansas City contingent put on 25mm SYW and Boxer Rebellion games. The Seven Years War game was attended by member of the Seven Years War Association and fought to a very enjoyable draw between my Anglo-Prussians and Larry Irons' Russo-French armies. As a private note to members, the "holy rock" still rests in Omaha. Bob Davis' scale model 7'x24' Peking Legation game was a centerpiece throughout Saturday.
Empire Games had an impressive 8'x24' recreation game of Waterloo with the French winning. Evidently the Prussians got bogged down behind their own artillery.
ORIGINS AWARDS FOR ADVENTURE GAMING ANNOUNCED
The Adventure Gaming Hobby/] nclustry's most prestigious awards, the Origins Awards have been presented at each Origins since the National Convention was first held in 1975. This year's presentation took place at ORIGINS 84, held at Dallas Market Center, Dallas, Texas, June 21-24,1984.
They are an international series of popular awards aimed at recognizing outstanding achievements in Adventure Gaming consisting of theCharles Roberts Awards for Boarclgaming, and the H.G. Wells Awards for Miniatures and Role Playing games.
An International Awards Committee of 25 hobbyists directs and administers the awards system. The nomination ballot is open to all interested gamers. A final ballot is prepared by the committee and voted on by members of the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. Academy membership at $2/year is open to active, accomplished hobbyists, both pro and amateur. Direct correspondence and requestsfor membership guidelines to: AWARDS, POB 656, Wyandotte, MI 48192.
H.G. WELLS AWARDS WINNERS For Excellence in Miniatures and Role Playing
1. Best Historical Figures Series, 1983: 25mm Siege Equipment by RAFM.
2. Best Fantasy/SF Figure Series, 1983: 25mm Call of Cthulhu by Grenadier Models.
3. Best Vehicular Series, 1983: 25mm Dwarf Steam Cannon by Ral Partha.
4. Best Miniatures Rules, 1983: Johnny Reb (Adventure Games Inc.)
5. Best Role Playing Rules, 1983: James Bond, 007 (Victory)
6. Best Role Playing Adventure, 1983: Stormhaven (Blade/Flying
Buffalo)
7. Best Professional Miniatures Magazine, 1983: The Courier
8. Best Professional Role Playing Magazine, 1983: The Dragon
CHARLES ROBERTS AWARDS WINNERS For Excellence in Boardgaming
9. Best Pre-20th Century Boarclgame, 1983: The Civil War (Victory)
10. Best 20th Century Boardgame, 1983: Ambush! (Victory)
11. Best Science Fiction Boardgame, 1983: Nuclear Escalation (Blade/Flying Buffalo)
12. Best Fantasy Boardgame, 1983: Lost Worlds (Nova)
13. Best Professional Boardgaming Magazine, 1983: Fire & Movement.
14. Best Adventure Game for Home Computer, 1983: Knights of the
Desert (SSI)
15. Best Amateur Adventure Gaming Magazine, 1983: Journal of 20th
Century Wargaming
16. Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame Winner, 1983: Dave Arneson
THE MINIATURES TOURNAMENTS
This year at Origins the miniatures tournaments consisted of WRG Ancients and WRG Renaissance. The Ancient tournament was divided into four divisions: 15mm & 25mm Early (3000 BC-1000 AD) and 15mm & 25mm Late (1000 AD-1485 AD) with the 25mm Early having almost double the entrants of any other division. Tournament organizer was Mike Stover and chief umpire was Kruse Smith. The division winners were; 15mm Early, Bob Andriola, Jersey City, NJ (Bactrian Greek); 25mm Early, Wesley Harris, Ft. Worth, TX (Seleucid); 15mm Late, Bill McHenry, Burleson, TX (Teutonic); and 25mm Late, Joe Robinson, Killeen, TX (100 Years War English). Bob Andriola played Bactrians to prove he was a winner with any army, not just Late Romans. Bob defeated a Late Roman in his final game.
Three of the division winners were double winners. Bill McHenry and Perry Huston won Courier's Best Painted Army trophies in 15mm and 25mm respectively (Perry gave his trophy to Wes Harris, who had painted the army). Joe Robinson won Best Sportsman, which proves nice guys can finish first.
The Renaissance Tournament was a real Louisiana-Texas shootout with Mike McGoey from Louisiana the final winner. Mike won with an Early French-Italian Wars army and had his fourth tournament win in a row. Gary Beetey from Garland won the Best Painted Army trophy.
Manufacturers and Dealers who contributed prizes for the tournaments were: The Courier, Minifig USA, Warrior (Austin),The Armory, Wargames (Dallas), Ral Partha, RAFM, Alliance Miniatures, ASP Imports, and Genesis Gaming Products. We appreciate the support they gave us.
I was very impressed with the level and maturity of play at Origins and the quality of painting in many of the armies this year. And a special note about Wes Reed, who after paying to see the many sights at Origins, spent much of his time teaching beginners.
US ANCIENT MINIATURES CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCED
The North American WRG Ancient Rules Committee has been authorized by WRG to conduct annual miniatures championships. There will be two divisions, Senior and Junior. Any club or group may organize a local heat and the qualifiers from local heats are invited tothefinals. An entryfee of $10.00 is required to participate in a local heat. This is a non-profit making enterprise and the bulk of the entry fees will be used to assist qualifiers with expenses associated with attending the Finals. The Finals will be held in the Summer/Autumn of 1985.
The winners of the first fifteen 25mm heats to be received will win a 20 figure unit of their choice from Essex and the first fifteen 15mm heat winners will receive a 30 figure unit of their choice from the Tin Soldier range.
At the same time, a US Society of Ancients will be formed. All who participate in a heat are invited to become founder members (no fees). Anyone unable to participate in a heat may become a founder member by sending $3.00 to the address below.
The committee welcomes suggestions for both the tournament and the Society. For more information call or write: Kruse Smith, 2345 McFarlane Ave., Lake City, FL 32055 (904) 752-8801.
AVAILABILITY OF 5MM FIGURES
Several issues ago The Courier ran a couple of articles by Brian Stokes extolling the advantages of 5mm figures. Two dealers were given at the end of the article: The Barbour Trading Co. and Enola Games. Enola Games is the company of choice as it is reported that The BarbourTrading Company is neither filling orders nor replying to inquiries.
MINIFIG 18TH CENTURY
Miniature Figurines, Ltd. has made this a great summer for the wargamer whose interest is the Eighteenth Century. Not only have they released the long- awaited 15mm "Tricorne" Seven Years War figures, they have reissued both the 25mm Marlborough and American Revolution ranges. This completes the Eighteenth Century ranges after the 25 mm Seven Years War range was reissued last year.
MIKE'S MODELS
Mike's Models has recently developed a rather interesting concept in building armies. Mike's now offers a wide variety of army types in packages containing enough figures to build a small army without laying out a huge investment. This is one easy way to look into that "other" period all of uswould like to try but did notwant to makethe investment. The packages are marketed as "Just The Basics" or JTB for short. -JAY HADLEY
ARTISTIC ENTERPRISES
Artistic Enterprise5 is a Canadian firm that specializes in custom painting. The art work is very good for the price and features a surprising amount of detail work on each figure. The lines are clean and the research top drawer. The best part of the service is the price which is $2.00 for a 25mm foot figure and $1.25 for a 15mm. The samples I received were coated in a glossy protective finish so be sure to specify a gloss or flat finish when ordering. Write to: Daniel Borris, 9 Winston Crescent, Whitby, Ontario LIIN 6Y3 CANADA.
GLEANINGS
Military History (Published Bi-monthly, $10 for 6 issues.) Military History Circulation, POB 2309, Reston, VA 22070.
A brand new publication covering various aspects of military history. The premier issue features articles on the 1862 crisis between Britain and the Union, Nepoleon and Hitler's plans for the invasion of England, an interview with General Gavin (he led one of the first drops of American paratroops in France on D-Day), and an examination (another one) of the reasons behind the Charge of the Light Brigade.
The magazine is pitched at the general public and it will be interesting to see how it fares. Wargamers are hardly the general public when it comes to military history, and most may find it somewhat superficial in its coverage. The pictures and color diagrams are good and the articles are generally well written. The price is very reasonable considering the size and composition of the magazine and I hope it does well. An increase in interest in military history can only be good for the hobby.
Breakout (Published Quarterly, $14 (Aus) for 4 issues, surface, $25 (Aus) airmail.) Conflict Simulations of Australia, POB 162, Mooroolbark, Victoria 3138 : The latest issue features several articles on computer games and gaming, including a close look at SSI's Fighter Command; a Battle of Britain game. As always Breakout covers all aspects of the hobby: other articles in this issue examine the resolution of melee in role-playing games, the third part of an ancients campaign on the Roman invasion of Britain (using WRG 5th edition), and an interview with Ian Livingstone of Games Workshop.
These main features are supplemented by review columns, letters to the editor, club news and happenings in the hobby. Breakout something for gamers with interest in many aspects of the hobby. Good value with the current strength of the US dollar. (Subscribers paying in US$ please add A$3 to the above subscription prices.)
Fire & Movement (Published 8 times a year, $13 for 6 issues, $23 for 12 issues.) F & M, POB 18957, Austin, TX 78760-8957.
Issue number 40 contains what will, hopefully, be a regular feature; a miniatures section. This issue applies the well tested format for boardgame reviews to a set of miniatures rules with great success. The rules in this care are an ACW set entitled "Johnny Reb" published by Games Inc. of Minnesota. The review is followed by comments by the designer elaborating examples of clearing up some confusion in the rules set.
Other features continue the ACW theme in this issue. There is a review of "Mr. Lincoln's War" covering two boardgames on the Civil War in the east and the west. Other games reviewed are "Lawrence of Arabia" published by Worldwide Games, and Victory Games "Gulf Strike". In the computer gaming section there is a comparative review of three tactical level games; "Combat Leader", "TAC" and "Operation Whirlwind". This is an excellent issue.
Campaigns (Published Bi-monthly, $15 for 6 issues) Uniforms and Campaigns, c/o Combined Book Service, POB 577, Conshohoken PA 19482. Campaigns is now under new management but is still edited by Phillip Stearns and has returned in the same format with the same fine selection of features and regular columns. Although primarily a military history publication, Campaigns offers a potpourri of articles of interest to the general gamer.
Issue number 47 contains articles on Roland at Roncevaux (comparing the myth with the reality), the 1914 invasion of Mexico by the US, and the first part of a series chronicling the fighting between Russian settlers and Alaskan indians. On the miniature gaming side there is a very interesting piece on the treatment of morale in colonial games. There are also news, reviews and letters columns.
The magazine is notable for the quality of the pictures and drawings it contains. These are very good indeed. The prices is very reasonable and well worth the content. Campaigns is highly recommended.
THE ESSEX TOURNAMENT
by J. Lacour
The Essex Tournament, hosting the 3rd annual American Pike & Shot National Championship was recently held on April 7th and 8th. The tournament, sanctioned by the Pike & Shot Society, took place on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and attracted a qualifying group of 17 participants from as far away as Delaware.
The championship, sponsored by the Southern Pike & Shot Federation and Mr. Johnson Hood of Wargames, the U.S. distributor for Essex Miniatures was won by Michael McGoey of New Orleans. He, using a French Italian Wars Army, defeated Tony Curtis of Jackson, Mississippi who was playing with a Knights of St. John Army in the finals. Eliminated in the semifinals were William Howell (Later Polish Army) and Dr. Brian Scherzer (Knights of St. John). Howell took 3rd place by defeating Scherzer in the consolation game.
The four semifinalists were the survivors of competition on the 7th of April, where 3 rounds reduced the field to four undefeated players. All armies consisted of 1500 points and were taken from the WRG lists (1st Edition), while the games were played using George Gush's WRG rule set for the Renaissance period. 1st place prize, won by McGoey was a 17th Century English document, while 2nd place prize, won by Curtis, was an Essex Miniatures 1500 point army. Joe Penton won the good sportsmanship award of a book on medieval armies which was presented by Stephen Miller, representing the Armadillo Soldier Shop in Dallas, Texas.
A large assortment of armies was present at the tourney and included such diverse lists as Moghul Indian and Scots Royalist. The most popular entries were the French Italian Wars and Knights of St. John, with three players each. The Knights of St. John were undefeated throughout the 3 games played by each participant on Saturday, with their strong point appearing to be the use of many large guns, which were well defended by halberd armed infantry. With a combined record of 7 wins, 1 winning draw and 1 losing draw out of nine games, it would seem that artillery were proven to be quite effective when using the WRG rules. Other successful armies were comprised primarily of EHC with lance. it was McGoey's cavalry maneuvering with his French Italian Wars army which finally turned the championship match in his favor, forcing Curtis to concede after losing several units in routs.
The Southern Pike & Shot Federation with members in six states wishes to announce that it is about to become the United States Pike & Shot Federation and invites all Renaissance period wargamersto inquire about qualifying for the 1985 U.S. Championship Tournament, which will be held in New Orleans. There has been far too little done in the way of expanding involvement of wargamers in the Renaissance period in the U.S. and the new Federation encourages players interested in the period to form local clubs and to become active in setting up tournaments around the country. For information, please write to: The United States Pike & Shot Federation, 605 Sadie Ave., Matairie, LA 70003.
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