Patrick Wilson: Just got my June E-mail up and running (I think!). I want to let you know I just received my Heliograph #102 on Sept. 1. Thank you, as always for your prompt and regular service!
If you still have the second release of Guernsey Foundry US Cavalry (the Custer outfit), I would be glad to take them off your hands.
Please confirm and I will send you the three bucks for postage asap.
I have already received set number three and was amazed--but not really surprised--to immediately recognize poor ol' Marcus Reno the moment I picked him up! Without fear of contradiction, Mark Copplestone has to be the best sculptor in the industry! The two Reno figures are nothing less than portraits! His own mother would recognize him (which is more than can be said about a lot of the rest of Custer's battalion)!
Chris Ferree (the principal sculptor of Richard Houston's Colonial figures) and I are still working on "John Company--The Conquest of India, 1750-1860" and have begun another round of play testing the rules in what should be its final form. You might remember the rules were printed about a year ago in MWAN and we got some wonderful responses, though perhaps oddly, mostly from Britain. We have been able to act on some criticisms and the usual errors or "gray areas" that always come along and hope to have another draft in Bryan Ansell's hands fairly soon.
Would you have any interest in a brief game report of a recent test game? The remarkable features of this action were the totality of the Sikh victory over two Company Infantry Brigades and another of Cavalry, and the effects of "victory disease" on the British players. The reasons for the defeat are both illustrative of the nature of the game and, I think, of warfare in general. As usual, we have a good map and can provide a few other illos to make it more accessible to the readers.
I also hope to make some contribution to your 1898 Special. Richard Houston and Chris Ferree are busily producing a line of 15mm American, Spanish, and Insurectos figures, with a range of mounted figures, and appropriate artillery for Cuba, including 15mm sailors for ship and shore usage.
I want to get this off to you quickly, so I hold back on other news of possible interest to you for now. I look forward to hearing from you and, by way of e-mail, keeping a closer contact with The Heliograph.
Thank you for your quick response to my mail! I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship... or at least a semi-regular correspondence of mutual benefit!
I have all the Plains Indians, but not quite all of the Apache. If you have the last release with the various Apache Chiefs and want to dump them too, please say so. However, from your remarks, I doubt you'd want to and I couldn't blame you. Mark's Apach' are some of his very best work. And, yes, I too am eagerly awaiting the release of the promised Buffalo Soldiers. I hope Mark has seen "Sergeant Rutledge" (John Ford, 1959, I think). I have always pictured these men as exemplified by the late great Woody Strode who played the eponymous Sergeant. I was also pleased to see the Buffalos featured so well in John Milius' recent TNT flick, "Rough Riders."
As regards the forthcoming Spanish-American War line from Richard Houston, Chris has finished around 20 figures, including a dozen Yanqui Infantry with officers, a standard bearer and (I believe) a drummer, four poses of Regular Spanish Infantry (in full dress), and three or four Insurectos in the usual ragamuffin cotton ticking uniform. There will be some more of these to fill in for the usual Spanish field dress uniforms as well. I believe some Spanish Sailors and/or Marines are on the list, but gun crews for both sides are the next batch to be finished. Richard is working on the mandatory (and sadly missed in the movie) Zalinski Dynamite Gun, as well as the late model Gatlings and Maxims. The 57mm Hotchkiss is already done and the Jerry 77mm guns used by the Spanish are also on the list.
The 15mm sailors I mentioned are uniformed for the period, but are part of another new line of Richard's to support our forthcoming set of rules for 15mm scale predreadnought warship models for the period 1870 to 1900, with the working title "Infernal Machines". An early version of the game was demonstrated last March at TwisterCon V and will certainly be repeated in '98.
By the by, the reason you keep getting a copy of the "Tornado Alert" is because you keep saying such nice things about us! Editor in Chief, Scott Saylors, and I, his faithful idiot companion, have kept you in freebies for the last year or so. Look out, the next one may be in your hands in a week or so and I think you'll like the next installment of Scott's series from previous issues.
As regard the Heliograph, I think it's neat as is, though I tend to favor the digest format you have used occasionally. Then again, Andy Preziosi tells me by phone that Colonials may be in "recession", for now, and that a resurgence may be due soon.
As to content, I thought all the bits from the press book for "Storm Over The Nile" were cute, but frankly a bit wasteful of space. I've seen it, as I'm sure you have, and since most of the interesting stuff was cut out of "Khartoum" or the 1939 "Four Feathers", it really was better called "Snore Over The Nile."
The data and illos about the Russian Central Asian Campaigns was unique, the sort of thing we used to get from the old "Savage And Soldier". Please continue with this as you get more hard data (OB's, maps, plans, etc.).
I think your idea of xeroxing miniatures to provide a good idea of their appearance was little short of brilliant and we might steal the trick for the "Tornado Alert". No, I'm not prolific, just obsessive-compulsive about responding to my mail! At the very least,
I wish to reply to your letters by way of keeping open my lines of communications.
Inform Bob (and your readers if so inclined) that Robert Conroy's "1901: A Novel" (catalog #6TB6E) is available in limited numbers from The Scholars Book Shelf mail order company for $5.95, plus $4.50 p&h. Unfortunately, they seem to need a minimum $10 order, if by check, and $15 if by Visa or Master Charge. These figures may not include the p&h, so you can e-mail them for clarification at: books@scholarsbookshelf.com
For those not receiving this catalog, it specializes in history and military history on a wide variety of subjects, including Colonial titles (notably Knight's "Go To Your God Like A Soldier" for $29.95. Their prices range from full retail to bargains. The prices quoted here are good through February, 1998 and they promise to ship within 48 hours.
Their mailing address is 110 Melrich Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512, USA. They accept fax orders at 1-609-395-0755 and have a WEB address of: http://www.scholarsbookshelf.com.
WOW, where do I start. I will just let this as is, since it is full of great information with an answer to Bob Burke's question about 1901. Scholars Bookshelf is a very good service if you haven't tried it before. I would like to go back to the pamphlet format but not until I can find a reasonable printer nearby.
Eric Kolber DJKolber53@aol.com: I'll keep an eye open and my mind too for scenarios for next years issue. I would like to see more on solo info. Since my boys left home, I don't have anyone to game with anymore, so when I do have time I work on the existing figures especially the western ones right now. I can see a whole bunch of alternative scenarios for the west with French, Brit. Russian or other powers in small conflicts. Do you have any thoughts for solo rules for either the west or for the Brit. Colonial period? Does the old Wargamers Digest still exist? I have a huge amount of their old issues that have building plans in them, if we can get permission to use them?
As to solo gaming-well generally, I play both sides and try not to cheat, but sometimes I do, then I have to slap myself around, and that can get pretty unpleasant. I never lose, but the side I want to win doesn't always win, not really a big deal. I usually play TSATF rules, I like them and they're easy to play solo. To me they seem perfect for solo play. As for westerns I haven't tried that solo yet. But would probably go with Ansell's The Rules with no Name.
If you are close to a good library try to find Don Featherstone's or Stuart Asquith's books on solo gaming, they are both very good and full of ideas. You can always go with the Solo Wargamer's Association, they usually have some great ideas to steal and use (see the ad elsewhere this issue). I like your idea about an alternate west. At one Cold Wars I saw the French invade Texas after the Civil War and in another game invade at New Orleans. They were both pretty interesting. The the Russians marching through Canada would also. Which Wargamer's Digest? There were at least three. One is still going, although sporatically. It had a glossy cover and was mostly WWII. Jack Scruby's is long gone, as is, I think, Don Featherstone's. If it is Don's make copies of the articles and I will write Don for permission to reprint them.
Emanuel Pentecost: I've enclosed a list of books I have for sale that might be of interest to 19th century colonial wargamers. The list is subject to change because supply is very limited. New titles are added monthly. I'd be glad to send a current list to anyone who asks for it. I'm also looking for any source or contact who can tell me how the late 19th century British army handled criminal investigations. I'd appreciate any help or referral anyone can give me.
Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of British army investigations, but if anyone can help I'd appreciate it. Maybe, Emanuel would do a short article for us. I can attest to Emanuel's book list being an excellent list with very good prices particularly since they are post included. His service is impecible.
Next issue I have an article about Gen. Hugh Gough by Don Featherstone, German SE African uniforms, some scenarios, and a few other goodies.
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© Copyright 1997 by Richard Brooks.
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