Europa in the nineties is on the move. During the seventies the series went through major evolutionary changes. The period that followed in the early eighties saw the system settle into this new form and two major works, Fire In The East and Scorched Earth, hit the stores reflecting the new reality of Europa.

It was also a time when the people who supported the system underwent changes as well. The perceived decline in World War Two board games and John Astell leaving GDW meant the system was in stasis. Alive, certainly, but not vigorous. It requires a certain dynamic to keep such an outstanding series of games on the move. It requires a personal commitment on the part of the people who hold Europa and what it stands for in esteem. You must understand that this series is much more than a game or collection of games about a series of historical events.

Since I have moved toward the center of this industry by reason of my position as the director of the Game Manufacturers Association I have learned a new respect for our series, how it works, and what it means. At Europafest One in Eau Claire, and the succeeding fests, I have met more and more of the people who are at the center of this endeavor and talked to them at some length. This has given me new perspective on this very large undertaking.

Europa is not a simple set of interlocking games about World War Two. It is much more. The researchers who spend hour after hour without compensation relative to their effort; the developers who spend most of their free time without the tangible rewards typically given for such efforts; other individuals who work on the parts of the whole; the computer bulletin board support; the video tape (that would have cost many thousands of dollars in the regular market); the editing; the art work; the convention staffs; the demonstration team; and the people who buy the games, make all the phone calls, send letters, show genuine concern, patience, the love, and all the rest. When you are at the center of it, as I am, it makes you wonder; in fact, it fills you with a sort of wonder at how much this project means to so many people.

Europa is truly a style of life that mirrors the people involved. I have seen many companies put out many games. I have never seen any group become so directly involved, so personally touched, by what seems to be just another bunch of war games. The personal connection is built upon a foundation that was set down by Frank Chadwick and Rich Banner when they began the project, and has been engendered by the many of you who play the games and the many who get them, not to play, but to read and study as source materials.

When Game Research/Design was started in 1983 we looked at what Europa was and reflected upon all that I have discussed above. I had not learned the full extent of what Europa meant to people, but I had a sense of what Europa meant to me. That was a small part of all that I have said here. John Astell knew. He taught me the importance of what was being done. Shelby Stanton knew. His clarity of vision for the project provided me with more insight. Rick Gayler's commitment also gave me more understanding on how most of you view Europa.

Something wonderful happened at Origins when Mark Van Roekel showed up with the video on the Europa system which he had been working on for over a year. During the time at the convention we played the video I could see the effect; I could feel the emotion when the veterans of Europa watched the tape. The look on their faces and the comments they made were something to behold. Personally, I was mesmerized. I watched that tape many times and observed the others there who were viewing the tape. You could see the personal involvement, you could feel the empathy. That video gave a form and visual substance to the emotions I feel about Europa.

Now Europa is undergoing a renaissance. As the next several years pass you will see the fruits of all the labor that this group of very committed individuals is giving us. I am quite sure that when we are finished, when the project declares itself complete, you will have something unlike anything else.

Glory

"They get you up at 0300 to feed you on the day you were going to jump off. I always thought the Navy kept you on the ship so long that you would do anything to get off the damn thing. Then they give you a big sulfa pill, the theory being that if you got hit you would have something in you to fight the infection, then you took your Atabrine for malaria. You went back to your hole to check your gear and rifle and waited for your wave to be called. If you were in the first, second or third wave you got into an Alligator to hit the beach.

At Saipan we were in wooden boats, the air bursts from the Jap artillery were terrible. Thirty-six guys on the boat, twenty were hit before we got in. The real hell was on the beach, it was mass confusion, wrong beach, wrong unit, all you tried to do was keep your squad together, move inland and stay alive."

--Wayne Simerman, Platoon Sgt. 2nd Regiment, 2nd Marine Division Veteran of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian.

GR/D has begun the process of creating a new series of games based on the Europa system that deals with the war in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The series' working title is "Glory" and work is underway on several aspects. This project will not cross over the line with Europa, meaning no staff or R&D time will be taken up to support "Glory' that should be spent on completing Europa. We are working with a new group of individuals on several different elements of the new series.

We are looking at the scale, unit size, naval war, land war, and air war as well as the combined arms aspects of this major series of campaigns.

In practical terms you can not fight an island battle like Iwo Jima at the present scale unless you want to display the island elsewhere, or ignore the tactical aspect and use a minimum number of counters to represent influence rather than going into the counter detail required to fight a battle.

I am looking at a system that displays the campaigns on three levels of scale. The naval war at one scale, the general campaigns such as China, Burma, the Philippines, at another scale, then a scale that would show individual island campaigns such as Saipan, the Canal, Tulagi, Iwo Jima, and the rest. There are many considerations to this multiscale operation and several people have been giving input on how things should look.

The most difficult task is the naval system. This problem may have been solved with the team of Steve Chase and Brian Miller. These two gentleman have offered to work on the naval system and have source data and resources that appear to get the job done. Steve and Brian helped out with "Supermarina" in the beta version and have signed on to complete the rest of the Europa naval system.

Others are at work on parts, such as John Gee working on the Burma campaign, A.E. Goodwin, map master, and so on.

New News, Old News

Well, some reality on a plate with the donuts. Second Front will not be available until GENCon/Origins, August 20th, 1992. The time it is taking to get the game right, the need to research the 1943 scenario, the air system fixes, the invasion work for Italy, and finally, the bloody cost of the thing makes a convention release a requirement, not an option.

Estimated cost to produce 3,000 Second Front games is approximately $40,000, start to finish. Well, campers, we don't have the money to do that without getting as many of you to buy it at a convention as possible, even more so since we have vowed to keep the cost of the game at $80 or less, soooo. That is it. Wish I had better news for you on that front, but after John Astell and I looked at the situation, the reality was clearly presented and we both agreed that the foremost important thing is to make sure the game works.

So, before you bounce onto the beach, spend a pleasant winter with the Soviet Army bashing your brains out on the Marinerheim Line. That's right, A Winter War is moving towards final production. Right after First To Fight hits the street we are going to begin the final scrub on A Winter War.

This game, by Gary Stagliano (soon to be a papa, as I understand it) will feature one new map, two Mark 11 countersheets, and all the rest. This game has been in the "hatching" stage for some time. It has undergone extensive playtesting and has been looked over by some of our best people. The reports are that the game plays well, it is fun, and the rules work. We will be keeping you informed on the game as it trots through the various stages of production. The target price is $19.95 to $24.95. It will include the Grand Europa armies of the Baltic States and maybe some other goodies as well.

After Second Front comes For Whom The Bell Tolls. This will be a big game with two maps covering Spain, the Canary Islands and the Azores. These island maps will be separate and give you some options if you want to play "land grabber" prior to invading the continent. There are plans to include the Hitler fantasy invasion of Spain. An attack on Gibraltar by Spain/Germany is also an option being reviewed. With the game you will receive the complete civil war armies and air forces, the post civil war Nationalist army, the Italians, Germans, Abraham Lincoln Brigade, and all the rest. We will also include the Grand Europa Portuguese Army and other goodies.

After For Whom The Bell Tolls we will be putting out War In The Desert, the Collector Series game that will replace Western Desert. We don't know what form or shape that game will take, but it was one of the most popular Europa games and deserves to be on the shelves again.

Look for three games in 1992, which will build a great base for the final push to get the rest of the games onto the market.

The idea for a national championship is in the pot cooking away. It should be in shape by the end of this year and we are planning to set down the outline soon for how it will work. Next time.