Now Speak

Towards the back of this issue is an article about the Aberdeen Proving Grounds near Baltimore. I urge you to read this and respond to the request.

Europafest and Origins

We have decided that with the changes that are occurring within the structure of GAMA and its control of Origins, it is in our best interest to continue to have Europafest with Origins. What we are looking for is something more than lots of tables, some speakers and new games to play. I have some ideas and as time gets nearer to the event I will share them with you. We do want to have games and speakers, but I want to have other stuff, neat stuff, to offer you.

Second Front, Second Thoughts

This will be the last [I hope] column I write before Second Front hits the market. This all-consuming project just about did us in. My hope is that it will be well received by our members, and other gamers as well.

The final price, $99, is the highest price charged for a game to the best of my knowledge. It is a very large game and covers a great deal of time and space. We have promoted it in a reasonable fashion and there appears to be a great deal of interest, so, cross your fingers. We have to sell about 2,500 copies to pay for the game and hope for about 1,000 more than that to pump some money into the company and end the usual cash starved nature of the beast.

We have received many requests for "review copies" from other magazines, which touches a sore spot with me, again. One magazine wanted 4 copies of the game.

I sat down last night and thought this through. I do not want to keep the system secret, and I want other gamers to try Europa. The problem is a reviewer needs experience in playing Europa games to make valid comments.

If a reviewer has not kept up with our system, the review will be based on limited information. If he has never played the system, the time it would take him to learn it, and I mean really learn it, so that he could make a careful and critical review of the game's key factors, would be too much of an investment for the reviewer and he will not give the game more than a quick pass.

Sorry, not interested. No games will be sent out for review unless I know the reviewer has invested the time and has the ability to review one of our games.

This is not elitism, my brothers. Think of it in these terms: you are invited into a completely darkened room, told to sit in the center of that room and then asked to give a detailed description of the furniture in that room.

Now, I understand this problem and if you don't get up and turn on the lights, you can't do the job.

So, no review copies. Sorry [not]. I have been working with some of the people who do the reviewing and if some fair resolution can be reached, great.

Meanwhile, Back at Origins

While attending Origins, John Astell and I had a chance to look at a game called "The Great War," a WWI game in three parts. Part one is the Western front, part two the Eastern front, and part three is the Southern front covering Serbia, Salonika, and Gallipoli. The game was the idea of Eric Pierce and has been designed and developed by Eric and Arthur Goodwin.

The Western front game uses one map covering all of eastern France, western Germany, and northern Italy. It has approximately 2,000 counters covering the armies at division level with occasional special units, such as tanks and jagers, at brigade level. The navies are abstracted to task forces and air units begin arriving in 1916.

John was very impressed by this design and after discussing the project with Eric and Arthur we have decided to add this title to the GR/D line. It is interesting to note that few, if any, division level games have been done on WWI, and in the market research that I have done I have been surprised at the positive reception this project has gotten from gamers. So we will be putting together a playtest game at Origins '94 and you will be able to take a look at this game and give us your opinion.

Last Speak

First, Second Front, then For Whom the Bell Tolls--that takes us to Origins '94. Next, War in the Desert sometime in 1994 towards the end of the year. After publication of WitD we will have, in old Europa terms, six games and three modules back in stock. It has been some time since that many Europa games and modules have been available to gamers.

During this time Arthur and I will be working on the Glory system and series. We are going to start with Iwo Jima, followed by two other island battles: Saipan and Tarawa. After Second Front, a more formal approach will be taken for requesting help in research and development, with an eye towards the navies, air forces and ground units for the operational-level part of the series.

The most fun in this series will be the naval war. The basic rules set for the naval war has been written, developed and produced by GDW with their Coral Sea and Battle of Midway games. That scale was 44 miles to the hex, two hour turns, naval air units in squadrons. Works pretty good, you bet.

Consider For Whom the Bell Tolls to be a Grand Europa title. It follows that Czech '38 would also be considered such; in my next column I will report on my talks about it with Jason Long.