DON’T FORGET, PLEASE, IF THE NUMBER ON YOUR MAILING LABEL IS 133 IT IS TIME TO REENLIST FOR THE HELIOGRAPH FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

First the bad news, I will have to increase the subscription rate beginning with the February 2003 issue 135. The new annual rate will be $20 for US subscriptions. However, if you wish to renew now it will be at the $12 annual rate. This will be the first time I have raised the subscription rate since taking over and I really have no choice now. Printing and mailing costs have increase greatly since 1995 when I began as editor. I hope I don’t loose too many of you to this increase.

I have no articles but my own for the future, so please start sending me scenarios, the more obscure the better for our period.

I have been so enthusiastically painting figures for the past 10 months I am running out of stuff to paint. Well, except for all those Foundry Darkest Africa natives I bought. I’ll really need to be ready for them. For several years I have been thinking about a Sudan campaign circa 1884/85. Now with 15 foot units plus 7 units of Castaway Arts mounted Mahdists and, as soon as I buy them two units of their English Camel Corps, I should be ready to begin. All I need are a few more terrain pieces, specifically a decent oasis that I can also use for the FFL.

I have also thought of building an FFL fort, Beau Geste-ish for some soon to be painted Legionaires, although I may spring for the Old Glory fort. Have any of you bought it, if so how is it???????

I thought that both ”The Four Feathers” movie and TVs A&E’s “The Lost World” were great escapist moments. Yes, I thought that there were problems with the historical accuracy, that it was a little slim with “Four Feathers” but that’s why it is Hollywood and not a documentary. Anyway the action was great (another reason to take to the Sudan). As to “The Lost World” it is my personal favorite of Conan Doyle’s works. Every time the directors add a woman to the script were none existed before they usually mess up the story line. Why do Hollywood hacks think they can write better then best selling authors, I don’t understand why there is a need to change a great book into only a good movie. Any way I thought the TV movie was just fine with some pretty good ideas for gaming. The Indian’s dwellings looked remarkably similar to Steve Barber’s Prehistoric ‘Skin and Bones’ tents.

Finally, I have been thinking more and more about re-creating a ‘lost world’ type of continent for gaming. I’m not so sure of dinosaurs and such, but a place where I can mix history and gaming without thinking, gee this is a recreation of Abou Klea or the Zulu War or something. But a place where I can run my own history while keeping the basis of real world history from being confused or causing a world war in 1885. I do not want the place to be too big, not continent sized, maybe something about the size of Texas and Mexico together or Australia. I would welcome comments from you, as to whether or not you use strictly historical situations or you have your own continent to play on.

I have also been toying with more detailed information on my favorite figure characters and some officers sort of like a role-playing game but within TSATF rules. I have been tinkering with Gurps character creating mechanisms and am close to working out a system so I can use it with TSATF. I think this will add a little more life to some of my favorite figures and units. I already use Larry’s unit history sheets and this will just add a further dimension especially since I have so many individual figures rather than just units of one to four posses with an officer. I guess I have to thank Mark Copplestone and the Foundry for starting that. If any of you have tried this, again please let me know how it work for you and what you did.