The New Guy

Greetings from Canada's Southwest! Yes, a non-American is about to take up the burden of editing this illustrious magazine. So who is this guy? Well, I've got a couple of degrees, some eccentric hobbies, and a complete collection of Europa games in my basement. My other interests include geology, winemaking, astronomy, skydiving and history. I bought my first Europa game in 1978 or '79. It was the first edition of Narvik, and it came in a zip­lock bag. I took it with me when I moved to Northern British Columbia to begin my teaching career. My playing of Europa games thus pre-dates most of my current hobbies and interests, one of my degrees, and even my marriage. What's the appeal?

Well, I like the big, detailed maps. I'm a map collector, whether its places I've traveled to, places I would like to, or just maps that present a lot of information in an interesting way. I like the counters: the individual military units with their specialized characteristics. I like the Europa system, and how it continues with few major changes over a wide range of campaigns. Most of all, I enjoy playing the games. Yes, these are historical simulations. Yes, Europa can give us insight into the twists and turns of military history. But isn't the best part of Europa moving all of those neat armored units around and tearing up the countryside with air attacks? Doesn't your pulse go up just a bit when you roll that vital attack? The play is the thing.

I get some puzzled looks when non-gamers see my basement for the first time. How could such a nice, normal guy be so obsessed with warfare? Some of it must be due to my family background: I was born in London, less than ten years after WW2 ended. My Dad lost a brother, shot down over Germany. My Dad's house was the impact point for a V-1; you can still see the different brickwork where it was rebuilt. Growing up in England in the late '50s and early '60s, the war did not seem that far away. I think, though that nostalgia (or what ever you want to call it) makes only a small contribution. Mostly, I play Europa because it is just that: play.

Most of us live very serious working lives. Reports to write, data to input, meetings to attend, and supervisors to report to. There isn't enough fun in the average day. Now, Europa is a rather rarefied form of fun, but an extraordinarily rich one.

I guess what I'm saying is this: take more time to have fun. Play the games, rather than just argue about them. Maybe that Wellington I C should have a slightly longer range and a smaller attack factor, but let's not use up all of our fun time debating such minutiae. All of which brings me to an appeal....

Send us stuff!

All the historical stuff that finds its way to this magazine is great. There will always be a place for well researched, informative historical articles. Ditto the stuff on weapons, aircraft, and individual unit histories. Have you noticed, however, the dearth of after-action reports and stories on actual play of the games? I've just finished playing all of Second Front.

for the very first time. It took a year and a half, with only one player a side. I now understand many things about the conduct of the latter part of WW2 that I didn't before. Along the way, I read for the first time, or re-read, some of the classics of WW2 military history. Some of the things I learned will the subject of future articles in this magazine. Now, I'd like to know a few things. How many readers have actually played SF to the end? How many of those games ended in a decisive victory for one side or the other, as my game did? What was the winning strategy? Did anything weird happen? What do you think of the political rules (surrender, garrisons, victory conditions)?

Back when Fire in the East and Scorched Earth came out, it seemed like every other article in TEM or ETO was an afteraction report or advice on strategy. I haven't seen the same mix of articles for a while, and so I would urge all of you budding Guderians and Pattons to put finger to keyboard and let us know what you did in your games, even if it didn't work.

Here's another suggestion: how about sending us "my greatest victory" stories? Alternatively, you could send us stories about your worst defeats, and we'll print them with the names deleted!

In this issue

We have an Eastern Front theme this time, built around the "Lost Victories" battle scenario in the center of this issue. The battle of Stalingrad was fought 55 years ago, and Bradley Skeen's detailed treatment includes some optional rules for you to try out. David Lippman contributes two pieces on Soviet weapons, while Jason Long has articles on MiGs and Soviet factories. Also, John Gordon has some suggestions for some changes he'd like to make to the Europa rules. A big "thank you" to everyone who contributed to this issue. All I did was sand it down a bit.

The Future

Frank Watson is not gone, in fact, he remains as the managing editor of this magazine and is doing most of the work on the next issue. Then David Lippman and I will probably alternate issues under Frank's guidance. This is a new experience for me, and for David too, editing by e-mail. I have an advantage over David in that Rich Velay, our very own rules Guru, lives in the next suburb to me, and I get to run my weirder ideas through his encyclopedic knowledge of the Europa system. Frank's Virginia address will still serve as the main contact for any articles you might send us by mail. If you want to contact me directly, and you have a modem, you can send to my home e-mail, .