Over the course of the next two issues we will be taking a wide-ranging romp through the Europa suburbs, looking behind the scenes and exploring the outer realms of Europa. We begin with an update on where the magazine is headed for 1994.

Articles

Lest some of you worry that we may soon run out of material to print in these pages, let us assure you that there is no shortage of articles in the pipeline. Indeed, due to the continuing efforts of our columnists and readers, material is currently in plentiful supply. Thank you all, and keep up the good work.

Almost all of the articles we receive are worthy of publication, and hopefully will see print one day. There are, however, four varieties of articles that present us problems:

1. This type article offers an interesting experimental Europa concept, but just runs too long. For example, we have an excellent article proposing an alternate Europa combat results table. Our assistant editors have been extremely high on this piece ever since it was received, but we just haven't been able to justify devoting eight or more pages of the magazine to an experimental CRT. Neither have we been able to succeed in editing the piece down to a shorter length while still maintaining its cohesiveness, as it is a very complex article.

2. Next there are those articles that present someone's full-blown vision of all or part of Grand Europa. Believe it or not, there are quite a few of these! We can usually recognize them on sight, as they arrive in packages weighing in excess of two pounds; one was even accompanied by a video tape. Many of these sign off with, "More to follow soon!" We have to be honest here-the vast majority of these documents go straight into the "hold" pile. We just don't have the time to study them right away, and they also present us with the aforementioned space bugbear.

3. The third type of article sets out to totally reinvent the wheel. These articles begin with the premise that Europa is fatally flawed in several major areas, and can not be saved by minor surgery. Therefore, only a total system transplant will suffice to save the patient and leave Europa gamers with a product that is satisfying to play.

Hey! If you wish to invent your own game, it's a free country--go right ahead. Just don't expect to publish it in our magazine. Having said that, we do read these articles, which often contain interesting ideas. Some of these are culled to provide material for EXchange. We may even occasionally print one, if it's good enough (and not too long). So if you are planning to send us an article of this nature, go ahead; just don't hold your breath waiting for it to be published.

4. We love game replay reports. Really, we do. And we give these a high priority in our article mix. But moderation, please, moderation! Reports on games of Scorched Earth containing loss statistics from each turn and endless pages of commentary will probably fail to see print because they would just take up too much space (have you noticed a common thread, here?). Bear this in mind when writing up your battlefield summations.

As for the article mix, there is no change planned for 1994. We seem to have attained the proper balance of historical articles, order of battle material, system discussion, and game play advice. At least that is what our mail tells us.

While speaking of system discussion... It often seems that Europa players are all on a different page of the play book. Each has his own idea for improving some aspect of the system. This issue contains an outpouring of such sentiment-so much so that I, as editor, worry that in its totality it might come across too negatively, or even as an assault on the system. However, I believe the reformers are well intentioned and offer their ideas constructively, to improve a system they think is already the best there is.

Scenarios

We are blessed with a number of excellent authors who have produced an impressive array of scenarios over the last two years. Surely this is the area where the magazine has most increased its value over the span of its existence. There is every reason to believe that we can promulgate this tradition in the coming year, as new projects continue to enter the pipeline.

The 1994 project getting the most attention is "Berlin 1945." This has become a major research effort, tied to the completion of the 1945 East front orders of battle. We intend to publish "Berlin 1945" in conjunction with the release of the delinquent Soviet 1945 countersheet--some of these counters would be used in the scenario.

Potpourri

We have a number of new features under consideration for 1994. Chief among these is to publish a Series Replay of one or more Europa games. The replay would detail all the moves and combat results of the game, and be accompanied by commentary from the players and perhaps some independent analysis. We can't think of a better way to enhance understanding of how to play Europa than to describe an actual game.

We are devising several Europa puzzles for the magazine. Solutions will be solicited from the readers, with prizes for the winners.

There will be a short new feature in each issue providing playing tips. It will consider such items as time limits for moves, how to manage counter clutter, play etiquette, use of percentile dice and a number of useful play techniques. We expect this to be a popular feature.

Reenlist Now

The inside front cover contains an invitation to join us in 1994. With the advent of Second Front there will be a lot to talk about next year. We have some great material in preparation and you won't want to miss it!