This issue contains the third and for the present last of Jim Zylka’s 6mm articles. I want more of them Jim, I really enjoy reading them. Jim plans to write future articles on 6mm terrain and army organization, I can’t wait and yes I would like to see more on the “insanity” of solo gaming. Insanity is in quotes because that’s what Jim said he would write about, however, I solo game more than multiplayer gaming and I would guess most of you readers do too.

A Big CONGRATULATIONS to Scott Hansen as his article “Improve the Look of Your Wargames Table” (issue 138) ranked in the top 100 articles with Magweb for the 4th quarter of 2003. The Heliograph had 10 articles in the top 237. We’ll soon see how 139 and 140 did.

I received several more articles from Don Featherstone THANK YOU DON!!!! The Zulu War Articles will appear over the next two or three issues in accordance with the 125 anniversary. Then over the following two years I will print the rest. Don’t think these are full issue articles most are only one pagers.

SO I NEED ARTICLES PLEASE!!

By the way did I say I need more articles, please, tell us what you have been up to, scenario ideas, solo gaming, almost anything.

I have been writing the Heliograph at work during lunch for the past five issues since my home computer died. Ben decided to be more efficient with his work and that he needed to upgrade his i-mac to a G5 Mac with a flat screen (all very cool), now he knows what being in debt is like.

So I got his i-mac and bought to go along with it a new color HP copier/scanner/printer.

Hopefully, I will be able to produce covers and other illustrations easier. Unfortunately, it does not scan figures well at all unless they rest directly on the glass, and figs don’t so most figs are fuzzy. We are also switching internet providers in March and I will have a new home email address rather than my work address. Hopefully, I might do a small web site for the Heliograph, but only if it’s free.

Readership is up slightly since I have been announcing issues on the ColonialWars Yahoo group, as well as Castaway Arts and The Virtual Armchair General’s web sites having banners/ads for the Heliograph. Thank you very much for your efforts Gentlemen on behalf of the Heliograph!

I went and saw The Last Samurai movie when Ben and I went to NJ for my fathers 99th birthday. I thought it was pretty good overall and the battle scenes were great. Gave me lots of ideas to try on the table top using Ben’s Samurai against my colonials, we’ll explore it sometime soon.

Ben and I conducted our first The Sword and the Stargate game last week with a group of 20 scientists, adventurers, gun bearers and 10 Sikh infantry against a hostile gang of lizard men. The game uses the basic TSATF rules and adds modifiers for the aliens, saving throws for characters, shotgun and great white hunter additions, and event cards. I’ll be putting the rules in some future issue once we have a few more games under our belts.

This game used humanoid figures from Wizkids Mage Knight sets (I modified their click bases, but this didn’t work very well and will try something different next time). Unfortunately, the scientists and great white hunters weren’t very good against the lizardmen, only the Sikh’s kicked butt. More later.

This issue sees the second part of The Kris and The Flame review.