Ted Herbert

I have just returned from two weeks in Morocco with Ramblers Holidays UK.  On a free day I and two Canadians hired a Land Rover and drove into the Jebel Sarho (Mountain of the Birds) in southern Morocco to visit the battlefield of Bou Gafer, where 1,000 Berbers held out against the French for 42 days in 1933.  I found a six-inch fragment of an aerial bomb, proving that the French assaulted the position by air and that the bombs worked!  Absolute desolate terrain where nothing grows or lives.  It is now called the Mountain of No Birds and the Sahara is advancing at a rate of 3 kilometres a year apparently into the area.

I asked Ted to write an article about the terrain and the battle, which is in this issue.

Patrick "The Virtual Armchair General" Wilson

Why, thank you, Sir, for the generous invitation!  I had hope to do so, especially if I could scrape together the do-re-mi to resubscribe before your (inescapable) price hike goes into effect.  I have no idea how you've been able to hold the line on subscription prices for so long, but I and everyone else are grateful you did.  And don't worry too much about losing folks with the higher rate.  For what we readers get, $20 is still a good price and anyone who won't save up his nickels to meet it probably wasn't all that committed to Colonial Wargaming anyway.

Please give me some time to write something pithy, then I'll send it to you ready to paste into the next issue.  I hope I will be able in a few days to be less of a tease about the new lines coming from Bobby Jackson.  I've wanted these sorts of figures for at least 20 years, and now he's agreed to make them.

I think they'll be HOT!

It was typically thoughtful of you to extend the invitation, and I will get on it as soon as I've finished more work on the VAG site.  After all, Brother David "outed" me from the toy closet before I was quite ready!

Give me a few days, but I'll definitely have something ready for the December issue.

Thanks again, Richard, and best of luck to you in all things!

With justifiable pride, The (Virtual) Armchair General announces that the first set of "B'hoys!" is now available and ready for shipment!  The first set, "Five Pointers," includes four packs, each representing one of the major gangs from the Five Points neighborhood, the Roach Guards, Dead Rabbits, Chichesters, and the Plug Uglies. 

For full particulars, including photos, please visit the Thrilling Combat Miniatures page at TVAG.

For those who know Herbert Asbury's book, or those who will see the eponymous film, "The Gangs Of New York" this weekend, and you've got your blood up, come see the first of what promises to be the most original addition to historical wargames since "Darkest Africa!"

Thanks Patrick and read the review.

Below are a few of the letters/emails I received concerning the price increase, at least a dozen re-upped early to which I am thankful for the support.

Edward Harvey

Concerning the question of subscription rates, I've wondered if you might not increase the issue content but publish only on a quarterly basis. This would allow you continue putting out the same amount of material but save on mailing costs. It's an idea I suspect you've already considered, but I thought I'd run it past you just in case.

Thanks for accepting all the articles I've sent you. I hadn't really written anything remotely creative since college, and the Heliograph has been a nice incentive to get me started again.

Have a great Xmas    

P.S. I've started reading "The King's African Rifles" by Moyse-Bartlett on the suggestion of Chick Lewis on the Colonial Wars Message Board. It's great stuff, and I am contemplating putting together a series of scenarios based on actions described in the book (perhaps called "Tales of the King's African Rifles" or some such title). I came to the Darkest Africa craze rather late but enjoy the period immensely. I have been struck by the relative dearth of scenarios available for the period, however, with even the material contained in Wargames Illustrated offering only scenario ideas rather than anything that is "ready-to-play."      

Dwight Grosso

I don't mind paying $20.00 for The Heliograph, but I wasn't sure when the cut off date was or is. Secondly, what are your requirements for article submissions? I know you keep requesting scenario ideas, and I have some for the Great War in Africa. I don't know if this is of particular interest to many of the other subscribers, but it is a project I have been working on for several years now. So many figures, never enough time to paint them all!

Do you read National Geographic? The December 2002 had a great article about a modern day camel excursion that followed the reverse course of Hanns Vischer’s 1906 journey through the Sahara. It was a great read, had very nice maps and gave me all sorts of cool ideas for games. Now if I just had some camels….I can’t wait for the next issue of the Heliograph!

Thanks again for the info Dwight and checkout Castaway Arts Camels their camels will fit right in for this trek.

Eric Kolber

I hope all is well with you. I finally tracked down three of the cheapo trains from Toy's R Us this year for my Western gunfights. My wife actually bought me an HO train for Christmas and these $10 trains work better because of their size. I'm going to have to try to do some conversions to them because they look like they are from Back to the Future 3 in their color schemes. I'd rather pay more and keep it monthly. I have cut out all hobby pubs except Heliograph and MWAN so I'd like to see it stay on the same schedule. By the way thank you for keeping a quality pub on my era of choice. Is my sub due? If so I'll reup early if that will help. Have you ended up with any more 25mm western figures you want to get rid of?

Bob Giglio

Basically, you gotta do wot ya gotta do!

If a price increase is needed to keep the same content, number of issues, and level of professionalism, I'm all for it. Note: That I know what it is to have a newsletter, as we have one for my ECW org, so I'm bias! ;)

But, going quarterly is an idea as well. Provided that the content stays good (I know, I know...I still owe you an article...damn ECW! ;) That would also ease your duties as editor I imagine as well. Maybe you can make the quarterly issues just a wee bit larger, and still keep it at $12 with enough profit margin? I dunno.

I'm for either -- raise the cost but keep things as good or better, or go to quarterly and keep things as good or better. Even though I renewed at the $12 (nice editor :) price, the $3 would not break my bank either.

So, I haven't really been any help now, have I?

Ok then. I say stay the latter. To wit, stay at $12 and go quarterly ($4/issue) and see if you can tweek things a bit by adding more pages (even 1 real sheet, or 4 pages worth of print). Try condensing remarks about reviews and such as best you can. Play with font a bit just down one size (maybe, don't know if that will be unreadable, your call).

Hope I've helped a bit, as I truly like the Heliograph, and wish to see you continue with it (without losing your shirt, or for that matter, impacting your colonial buying power!

Grant Sigsworth

Sorry I didn't answer earlier, but I was on travel to lovely Hampton, VA.  Hmmm, good question.  You could compromise and raise the rate a little and go to a larger, but quarterly issue.  You could include the usual stuff that you do, and 2 or 3 major articles?  I could accept any of the alternatives.  And I really am thinking of articles to submit!  I have been painting Pulp figures recently.  I really like Bob Murch's work, and he has been very nice when we have exchanged e-mail.  He even accepted my recommendation to do a U-boat landing party, like in the movie Murphy's War.  Let's see if he really does it.  So now I have  bunch of Chinese soldiers and mercenaries, some heroes, some villians, and a bunch of USN.  But you know, I don't play that many games.  Maybe if I belonged to a club I would.  But I get enough enjoyment out of painting and making scenery bits that it makes it all worthwhile.  

Joseph Seliga

My preference would be to retain the present mailing schedule with an increase in price.  That schedule provides for the opportunity of news of the hobby whose immediacy could disappear with a quarterly.  You do a wonderful job of keeping on top of the hobby from the Colonial aspect and informing the rest of us.  I for one would hate to see that disappear. 

The other aspect of retaining the present publishing schedule is having enough information for each issue.  I have been remiss in preparing the book review that I said that I would do on the British Intelligence book on the Boer War.  It has been a hectic several months for me.  I still plan to do it.

Jeff Johnson

I think it is perfectly OK for you to pass on the actual costs through a small increase in the subscription rate. This is something that every hobby publication needs to do from time to time. We can't expect you to subsidize it for us.

Also, since current information is of greater value to the reader, I think it's important to keep the publication coming out on the current schedule. That way the "news" of new releases will actually be new when we get it.

Rob Mahoney

It is still a bargain. My preference is monthly.

Patrick Wilson (AGAIN)

For me, "The Heliograph" is unique and irreplaceable.  I think you may have spoiled the rest of us with your pricing--not to mention your regular production schedule.

In short, it's definitely worth $20.00 a year to keep coming as often and well as it has.  Admittedly, I took advantage of my chance to "re-up" at the old price, but I attribute that to being cash poor since I was "De-installed" by Foundry back in September. 

If the feeling is to go to a quarterly, that will be alright, but not being seen that long between issues is NOT going to encourage folks to submit more articles over that down time.  You may find that you don't get as much active participation from the readership. I mean, if it was all about saving money, you could put out ONE issue a year, but I hardly think that would benefit anyone.

I don't subscribe to many magazines, and only two hobby related--"The Heliograph" and Hal Thinglum's indispensable "MWAN."  If "Savage And Soldier" ever rises from the ashes, I'd scrape together the cash for it, too.  Otherwise, I don't want to see any changes in "The Heliograph" except as necessary to guarantee it's remaining as reliable and valuable as ever.  

I don't say the price could just keep going up and I'd hang on regardless.  There's a point where it could be priced out of my reach, which ain't all that long.  But I'll cross that bridge when and if we get there.

So, I trust your best judgment on policy and I'm sure the vast majority of your subscribers do so as well.  I and the crew are with you, Mon Capitaine!

Meanwhile, I apologize for not sending a few inches of stuff about my new enterprise, The (Virtual) Armchair General, as you requested.  I'm sure you got that small ad, and I'd like to say more, but I've just been swamped.

However, the good news is, I am about to put into the mail (this week, if not today) your first samples of Bobby Jackson's "B'hoys!" line of figures for the Gangs of New York project.  These figures will knock your socks off and have a wide range of other possible uses in historical and Victorian Sci-Fi/Fantasy games.  I will be grateful for your review and comments.

I hope to be sending you in the next week or two the first release of "B'hoys Towne" as well.  These purpose built full color cardstock streets and building fronts not only provide the perfect environment for the "B'hoys!" but will work as well in other applications right up to the turn of the 20th Century.

And, to finish the point, Lori Brom of "And That's The Way It Was..." hopes to have the rules for "B'hoys!" published in February or March.  Naturally, a copy will be directed to you as well.

You should also have received, or will soon, your copy of "The Sun Never Sets: 20th Anniversary Edition" which, if sufficiently publicized, could generate a new birth of Colonial Wargaming.  I'm very proud of my editing job on this and my own considerable additions both to it and the new TSATF rules that are included with it.

More news to come--I promise!--and many new goodies Colonial Gamers have never seen before.