Readers, last issue I suggested that boardgarners take a look at The Strategist, the journal of the Strategic Gaming Society. I contacted John Kula, editor of this fine magazine and asked him to tell us a little about the SGS. Here is John's reply.--RB

Many thanks for offering me the opportunity to tell the Solo Wargamers Association readership a bit about the Strategy Gaming Society.

The SGS is the oldest international, all-hobby, democratic, wargaming association. It was founded in 1973 with the express intention of being a democratic organization run by individual gamers, rather than a dictatorship run by game companies or special interest groups. These goals are embodied in the SGS Constitution. There are annual elections for National Officers and Regional Directors, and the work of the society is carried out by its officers and a structure of volunteer committees, in support of conventions, tournaments, local and regional interest groups and more.

The SGS is responsible for publishing Pimper's All the World's Wargames. This publication, begun as a thesis by Jeff Pimper, is the most definitive listing available of wargames published throughout the world since 1953. The SGS publishes periodic updates to Pimper's; Volume IV, covering the period 1992 to 1995, is currently nearing completion. Another SGS publication is the Wargamer's Encyclopediac Dictionary.

The SGS has published two stand- alone wargames: the Fall of Manjukuo and Madrid II. In addition, two other wargames, Hell's Foxes and Tupamaro, have been published in conjunction with Strategist.

The Strategist is the society's monthly newsletter, which contains reviews of new and old games, industry news, wargame variants, historical articles, upcoming conventions listings, members ads, and other items of interest to the society. We manage to cram a lot of information into its eight pages (twelve pages quarterly).

SGS fortunes seemed to follow those of the wargaming hobby in general, reaching their nadir in 1995. The 1996 elections gave the SGS an opportunity to retrench, and have significantly revitalized the society, which is now enjoying a gradual but consistent growth I encourage anybody who is interested to see the SGS ad for further information on how to join.

Thank you for this opportunity, Rich. I would like to offer you the same in return.

John Kula, johnkula@islandnet.com

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com