Europa Nuts & Bolts Joins The Europa News
Gary Stagliano has merged N&B with TEN. The merger takes place effective with this issue of The Europa Newsletter. Those of you who have existing subs to N&B will have the TEN sub extended. Those of you who are not subscribers, welcome. Gary will be the associate editor to TEN and will remain very active in its production and composition. The details on how the transition will occur will be sent to each N&B subscriber showing how the credits will be given. TEN will apply liberal standards to this transition to ensure nobody gets the short end of the stick. We are all in this together and we want to remain together. Questions, comments and the like can be sent to either TEN or to Gary at his current address. Contributors will be paid under the TEN rates (see page 16 for rate schedule and writers' guidelines) and we want to encourage everyone to contribute. TEN welcomes Gary to its staff and sees great times ahead for Europa.
It's Free!
You will notice a freebee with this issue of TEN: a heat transfer provided to all members which is a spiffy Second Front decal you can apply to your own favorite shirt, jacket, pet cat or whatever. We will be sending these out later to a wider audience, but you get them first. More are available if you wish, but they are not free. Members can get additional transfers for $1 each, non-members must pay $2 each. Write to GR/D and send for as many as you wish. The cost includes shipping via First Class.Grand Europa Alive and Well!
As most of you know by now we have undertaken a design of Grand Europa. I have been discussing this project with GDW for the past six months trying to define the size, scope and procedure for the completion of GDW's role in Europa. Some things became very clear during these discussions.GDW is completely behind the project and will publish Grand Europa after it has been completed. The physical form this publication will take is not decided since other considerations, size and the like have not been established.
It will take the combined efforts of many researchers and designers to make Grand Europa a playable game. The political and social ramifications have never been designed in a system of this size.
When you think about all of the variables and permutations that exist in this system you begin to realize that there is a certain fragile quality to its playability. It is not simply lists of units, orders of appearance, resource points and time tables.
The efforts of this design team have to be coordinated within some sort of overlay so we do not end up with "weird Europa," as John Astell has commented on in the past. The design team itself has to be organized and careful attention paid to the connections of the various components of Grand Europa made prior to the release of any playtest. The team will have some sort of outline to work from with the various time frames and schedules of the events that occurred during the war. Natural resources and their applications will have to be dealt with; political events, alliances and betrayals, treaties made and broken, and a host of sociological events as well. Weather, GNP and other economic forces, trade, arms production, rearming and mobilizations--the list is potentially endless and full of potholes that can cause major headaches once the project gets underway.
The purpose, then, is to get underway. To that end GR/D has been asked by the Workshop to take on the project. We have started by contacting a dozen of the best designer/researchers to find out if they are interested in working on Grand Europa. As the team forms and we find out the numbers involved we will be developing an outline and overviews. The news of progress on Grand Europa will be reported as it develops.
No iNo, Pasaran! But . . . .
The iNo Pasaran! project has been booted off the schedule at this time. John Gee and Jeff Millefoglie are designing a completely revised Europa game of the Spanish Civil War called For Whom the Beg Tolls, which will be released by Game Research/Design next year or the year after depending on design and release schedules. John Gee has done much work on the Spanish Civil War and has been discussing the game with John Astell. It was concluded that this game, using the latest Europa rules (a la SE) would fit nicely into the Europa family of games. The game will be complete with rules, counters and maps. There may be a new Spain map (revised to correct some errors) issued with the game and the entire Spanish peninsula will be represented, with the revised map or with a reprint of the existing maps. A revision will depend on cost and time, of course. But you can expect to see For Whom the Bell Tolls from GR/D.The Urals (Oh No, More Maps)
Yes, campers, more maps. GR/D will be releasing official Europa Maps 28, 29, 30 and possibly 31 to add to the SE maps. Maps 28, 29, and 30 will be full maps extending from the Caspian north which will take the existing game up to the Urals (dream on, Germans, dream on), and there may be a Map 31 about 11 hexes wide to attach to Map 28. These maps have been approved by GDW as official inclusions to the existing collection. Also included in the release will be the upgraded rules for movement, new military district lines and additional OB placements for FITE/SE (now titled FITE/SE/U. The project was presented to me by Dennis Dubberley about four months ago at AtlantiCon at the GDW/GRD booth. Dennis walked up to the booth and stated that he wanted to do some more maps (the Urals) and sold me on the idea by showing me color mock-ups of the proposed area. He had obviously spent a great deal of time working out the terrain in four color adhesive overlays. As he explained the project to me I became convinced (not an easy thing to do, mind you) that people would be interested in such a presentation. I called Shelby Stanton and explained the project to him and he told me that he knew of some research information showing some German raids that occurred far behind Soviet lines and would be willing to help the project along by working out some scenarios for The Urals. I spoke to GDW and they approved including the maps in the official pantheon of Europa. I also got approval to issue The Urals in a box using the GDW Europa style. The module is scheduled for release 1 March 1989. Members of the EPA will receive a $5 discount off the price and shipping priority of about 2-3 weeks. No final retail price has been established since the final cost figures have not been worked out at this time, but a range of $19.95 to $24.95 seems to be the target. Dennis Dubberley will have done the cartography and design with assistance from Charles Sharp, A. E. Goodwin, and John Astell. John will review the project to ensure Europa standards. The production will take place at GDW's printers to ensure standards are kept at par.Russo-Finnish War
Work is beginning on the Russo-Finnish War front. Gary Stagliano (famous beyond words) has accepted the assignment. Others have been contacted to help with this project as well. We have no other information for release at this time except that the project will fit nicely into Europa and is part of the big puzzle. What we would like to get from you, our beloved public, is a good working title. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The person who gives us the title we use will get a game free.GenCon/Origins
Great turnout, few new releases. Did manage to see Tom Johnson's demo. He and his crew did a stand-up job of presenting the FITE game to the public. I believe he ran 1,394,930,201 people through in the brief time we all had together. In any event I have asked Tom to write up how it was done, start to finish. GR/D will be publishing a ConKit for those clubs interested in running a convention demo of a Europa game. Club or organization members interested in running such an event should contact GR/D for further details on how the kits work and what is involved. The ConKit will be free for our members to help them promote Europa.It's Time
Time has come to resubscribe to TEN. But first some news. TEN is changing its name from The Europa Newsletter to The Europa News. A small change, but necessary. TEN is changing its subscription price because it is going to come out six times next year, not four. The change will go into effect 1 January 1989. The sub will be for six issues between 1 January 1989 and 1 January 1990. If you subscribe you will be getting one issue of TEN every two months with the first TEN due out in midJanuary (proposed). The rate for resubscription for TEN will be $15.00 for the year. It will be mailed First Class in a flat envelope. Watch the mail for your resubscription notice. You will receive a postcard with the details and we will want you to send the postcard back if you wish to keep your sub active.It's New News
There will also be a new look for the News. We have added some technology that will allow us to give graphics and text a better presentation. Additionally, the News will be produced on 11" by 17" paper, folded and drilled instead of the current loose leaf. We hope you will appreciate the new News.Back to Europa Number 4 Table of Contents
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© Copyright 1988 by GR/D
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