Kenneth Van Pelt; 1205 Allendale Drive; Greenwood, MO 64034: I would like to take this opportuniy to introduce myself and tell you of a proposal I have in mind. My name is Ken Van Pelt and I am a member of the Lion's Den Wargamers of Kansas City, Missouri. I recently came into correspondence with your organization in my efforts to create a wargaming newsletter archive. In Lone Warrior #113, I have learned SWA is looking for a volunteer in North America to act as the association's free loan librarian. I am interested in taking on the responsibility.

In a brief discussion with Rich I had outlined my activities thus far in regards to the archive I have started. I am currently editor of two amateur wargames newsletters. I am a member of the Heart of America Historical Miniature Gaming Society and serve as the chapter's editor of the Communique. This entitles me to receive the newsletters from all 10 HMGS chapters nationwide. Our chapter newsletter is the bargaining chip I use to receive other organization's magazines outside of HMGS. This is where the idea of the archive came from. I intended to collect and catalog wargames newsletters from any source possible. In a fortunate turn of events SWA has landed a North American representative very close to home. This in turn has led to a closer relationship with your association than I had anticipated. Now instead of being just part of the collection, I feel that SWA can become the energy behind the collection.

I would like to serve as your association's librarian because it would strengthen the efforts I have already expended on this project. I would also like to expand the current holdings of the archive to include professional wargames magazines and back issues of the more useful variety.

I also see the possibility of books, rules, and even games being added if this will serve the SWA in a useful fashion. I look forward to working in your association to create an interesting and professional exchange of ideas and information. [Ken, welcome aboard! We are pleased to open a branch of the SWA Library on North American soil and I expect that some of our NA members will feel easier about postage costs to KCMO instead of the UK. Okay members, we have a librarian and a small archive. I invite all members to send Ken your unwanted newsletters, magazines, books etc. to build up the library. This will have to be a donation because frankly, keeping ownership straight would entirely overtax the system. I will publish Ken's holdings along with those of the other branches of our library in an upcoming edition of 'members only' information. Ken, thank you! Members, see what you can do about filling the library. Rich]

Andrew Freeman: My daughter's school has now learned I am into model soldiers, history and the like. This term they covered the Roman's, so what started as a simple offer to loan a few books and models turned into a couple of visits to talk about the Roman army etc. Very time consuming but it might generate a few next generation wargamers. I have already been asked what I am going to do when they study the Tudors next year. I feel some Armada ships coming on, or possibly a trip to Portsmouth to see the Mary Rose.

At long last I did have a chance to try out "Age of Country at War." As you say, excellent. A number of the ideas are readily transferable to any DBA type game. For example "Heroic Actions" could apply to any game where the forces involved had a similar ethos, for example Dark Ages Vikings and Saxons, Trojan War, Celts (but not Romans ! ) and many fantasy "Hordes of the Things" type games. The "orders" and "variable length moves"; are similar to ideas I've tinkered with varying degrees of success for big DBA style games with more than 12 elements. I know many people go to DBM for the bigger games, but I feel the extra complexity it introduces detracts from the game.

I saw a copy of WRGs new Renaissance Rules(DBR) recently. These are more like DBM than DBA so the major interest for me was basic troop classifications, which are similar to the earlier games

Last couple of LWs - excellent. Plenty of "How to do it" and ideas. It is unfair to single anyone out - contributors in particular - a great job by all concerned, not least yourself. The problem - where do I get time to follow up all these new things? Come to that how do you find the time?

By way of a footnote at the end of last year English Heritage decided to include the site of the Battle of Shrewsbury [see L W 1 10] in the "Register of English Battlefields" or whatever they call it now, effectively providing at least some degree of protection to the site.

Ian Jones: As a new member, I would like to comment on an excellent magazine that meet my needs well. The Long Shot in Bournemouth displays our flyer. Can other outlets follow suit? Excellent articles by Nicholas Birt and Billy Brand. [Thanks for your support and comments. Michael Gray is busy contacting clubs, shops and show organisers in order to get details of the Solo Wargamers' Association to the wargaming public but I know he would be more than grateful for any assistance. So when you receive a flyer with Lone Warrior don't File 13 it but pin it up where wargamers can see it. Is it not selfish to keep all the good stuff that is in Lone Warrior and the Solo Wargamers' Association to one self? Tell the world about our existence. Kenn]

Marvin Scott, Ames, lowa: It's good to see the North American edition Lone Warrior is thriving. Please keep the Games Service Check in the magazine. I am a resident of lowa and have played in a number of the postal games run by SWA members. One of my favorites was run by Walter Compton of Caracas Venezuela. It was a straight military campaign in the Seven Years War called "The Struggle for Bohemia." Each player was an officer. the climax came in a huge battle. There were both American and British players. the commander on my side lived in Wisconsin. We once had a postal 'council of war.' There were about half a dozen Americans in this arrny. the game ran for months.

If a North American member decided to run a postal campaign I'm sure Kenn would run it in his Game Service Check. It would be neat to have a campaign among SWA members in North America. It could even be a feature in the North American edition of LW. Is there a volunteer among us? Be warned, running a campaign game takes a lot of record keeping. Any ideas from other members?

Graham Empson: Having recently had a couple of copies of MWAN from the library, in the cause of research, I came across an article which contained a complete set of variant rules for Fire and Fury for the Naploeonic period, which were quite impressive. This then triggered off the thought that maybe I should sit down and put together a set of solo mechanisms for Fire and Fury. Then I thought there's probably a member out there who has already done it so why not ask the membership. So here it is people 'are any of you contemplating solo mechanisms for Fire and Fury? Even better has anybody already done a set? If you can answer yes to either question then I would like to correspond with you. As I always say 'if we help each other there are no heights to which we cannot climb'. I have started constructing the solo mechanisms for Fire and Fury with a view to testing them out after Christmas.

Bryan Ansell: Mark Copplestone (Ex Dixons, Citadel, Grenadier, Heartbreaker) and I have just formed a new sister company to Wargames Foundry, called Guernsey Foundry, and based, surprisingly enough, here in Guernsey. The models will look very much like the existing Foundry range in terms of size, style and standard of design and casting, and the two companies will produce complimentary ranges in support of each other. We're kicking off with a big Old West range. This isn't your Bonanza wild west but proper savage Victorians with guns.

The models are all based on contemporary photographs, and can also be used for civilians, mercenaries, adventurers and desperadoes in most theatres throughout the Victorian period: Boers, American Civil War, Paris Commune, India, China, Mexico and South America etc. If you'd like a free sample, send me a stamped addressed envelope (American stamps are no use to me, so American customers had better send a dollar). We will have over fifty models in production by the time you read this, if you actually feel you would like to buy some models, then send 5 pounds or $10 [NA readers - send cash. Banks in UK as well as in the US charge about $10 to cash a foreign currency check - Rich] for a sample pack of ten different models of our choice, including postage. Let us know if there's anything specific that you want. Next year we'll be starting on an eighteenth century range, beginning with the Seven Years War. Bryan Ansell, La Guelle, Mont Arrive, St Peter Port, Guemsey, Channel Islands, Great Britain, GYI 2AA. Fax. 01481714905

Ray Letkiewicz, Memphis, Tennessee: The article in Lone Warrior 1 12 & 1 13 relating to using Avalon Hill's "1776" game was exactly what I had in mind. I've found that the "vintage" boardgames lend themselves to solo gaming far easier than most newer offerings from the gaming companies. The A/H "classics" and some of the SPI "golden oldies" from the Red Simonson days are very adaptable to solo gaming for the D ELIM crowd.

I enjoy every issue of LW and given the direction it seems to be headed, it seems that there are just as many Yanks as Brits who enjoy solo gaming. This is a good sign that means there should be a good number of topics flowing in to LW on all manner of solo gaming techniques. I look forward to a very enjoyable and successful subscription year.

Joe Matthews, Shalimar, Florida. It has been a great pleasure to renew my acquaintance with other solo wargaming techniques and to see what others are doing. It has been a difficult year with two hurricanes within two months of each other through the immediate area where we live in Florida. It makes me nostalgic for Manhattan, Kansas even with its blizzards and tornadoes. We lived there two years. I hope to work out some of the more complex techniques I'm trying to use, complex in regard to the level of the wargame, but very simple to use. I have been told this is a contradiction and an impossibility. But, that is the whole point to solo wargaming, is it not? It allows one to try to do things others would find very dull, and of total disinterest. Even in failure I hope a better form of wargaming will emerge. This is one of the pleasures of the solo wargame. Keep up the good work

David Southall. Please find enclosed a review which I hope you can use. I should say at the outset that this game does not portray an historical conflict. However, its use of detailed graphics to create a fast moving tactical / strategic game, make it one that should be brought to the attention of computer owning members. [See review of Command and Conquer]. The game allows different options, player against computer; alternately, up to four players can fight it out via modem links - is this the end of the solo gamer? In the meantime let me say what an excellent section you [that's for Graham] edit in LW. It is unique in the hobby press as it reviews wargaming products available for the computer. There are so many wargames available for the PC it is important that there is a place where the wheat can be separated from the chaff.

If anyone has access to the Intemet, I recommend the two following sites: http://www. webspace. com/~tanker/games/g ames.html This has lots of reviews of computer wargames plus some boardgames. http://clever.net/grognard/index.html This is mainly boardgames review and support, but recently it did have a mouth-watering preview of Beyond Squad Leader.

Perhaps, in your column, you could ask other members to tell us all of Web pages or discussion groups on the net which they have found useful. [I think you just asked them David]

Jon Laughlin, Clearwater, Florida. Since Getting the "Beginners Pack" I have added personality to my generals. What I have done is to take the basic General powers in the rules I use and depending on the roll of the dice their powers can vary in one area or another. I have tried it out in a few battles lately. My Generals with their new found powers are more likely to risk their lives in battle to give their troops that extra edge. But by the Hellenic ideal, the proper place for the general was in the front rank with his men. Here they met their deaths quite often. [Stop Press. "General killed due to Beginners Pack!" "Generals give govemment ultimatum - Either the BP goes or we do!" Jon, sounds like you are having some fun with the BP but have you considered a simple rule; General gets killed - Troops morale goes up +1 !? Could be the lads hated him or even reflects their determination to avenge him - 480 BC Themopylae could be an example in the later case. Kenn]

Michael Buttle. For Michael Gray [Lone Warrior 113] I suggest he looks in The Dragon the D&D magazine to find UK suppliers selling hex sheets, as the D&D folk use hex maps for their plans and dungeons.

Marvin Schmid, Florence, Montana. Received and enjoyed LW113. I also would like to see a North American membership directory, including e-mail. At present I do not have e-mail, but I plan on having it in the near future. Being new to solo gaming, I would really enjoy getting in contact with other members to exchange information. Would it be feasible to entertain the thought of a national convention in the future? Preferably centrally located, maybe Kansas? I have been very interested in solo wargaming since I first saw Featherstone's "Solo Wargaming" back in the old days. I have been looking for a copy for about ten years without success. Seeing it listed in the SWA library was a pleasant surprise. Enclosed is a check for back issues LW l09-112.