Members letters, thoughts, ideas and, at times, cries for help.
Carl Cross
This is being posted to Kenn Hart and Grahaeme Ross as well as all members of solowargames@onelist.com. (Its not posted to but is FAO Dave Heading who is assumed to read his own list :-)
There seem to be a fair few of us, judging from the letters column in Lone Warrior and discussion lists that enjoy a bout of computer wargaming as well as the more traditional sort that gets stuck in the dog's paw, makes dinner late and generally clutters up the spare bedroom. A lot of modern (and some not so modern) computer wargames offer the option to play via e-mail. And I reckon if we're honest we have most of the same disc boxes lurking in our collection somewhere ("Battleground series anyone? Steel Panthers? Yeah, thought so...")
There are also a dozen and one "opponent wanted" boards available on the Internet. Would there be any interest in an SWA one? I for one would like to play with people I "know" (if you know what I mean!) and of course particularly exciting and/or energetic battles could be written up for Lone Warrior by the exciting and/or energetic participants! [Editor well in favour of this! Kenn]
I don't know if this would be a bulletin board on the existing SWA website (what do you think Grahaeme?) a mailing list (Dave?) or simply a list held by a member to be used as a central point for matching requests.
I would of course be happy to help in any way possible (and be the first to post my list of games), who knows if I ever manage to get my BT "free" internet access thing going I might even get in a game or two of Close Combat or Axis and Allies at some point!
Let me know what you think.
On a completely separate point why is it that Lone Warrior is the only wargame publication to cover air wargames with any frequency? Having been inspired to have a go at 1/72 WWII combat by Marvin Scott's articles I feel like a bit of a poor cousin to the 2D bound pleasures of naval and land wargames. Ho Hum.
Cheers, Carl.
History is written for schoolmasters and armchair strategists. Statesmen and warriors pick their way through the dark. Lord Esher.
- Reply:
Greetings Carl, PBEM. Graham Empson, and a few others played KINGMAKER by email a while ago and published details in Lone Warrior. Perhaps Graham will remember which and get in touch. Love to hear how you get on with the PBEM via articles submitted to Lone Warrior.
Should point out that The Solo Wargamers Association is an ‘hand to mouth’ organisation and we are always on the look out for new members to ensure that we can provide the high standard of service and publication that we do at present. So if you are not a member and would like to join please contact Kris Constable, our Membership Secretary on E-mail: krisjconble@ukonline.co.uk Just started a 15mm Mongol invasion of China and have decided to co-opt the SWA Advisers Service to give me a bit more Fog of War in this year’s epic encounter. Will keep you informed via Lone Warrior and MWAN. Good Soloing, Kenn. [If anyone wishes to pick up on Carl’s ideas please contact him direct but let me know on kennhart@btinternet.com].
M. Fiddimore, Essex:
What are you looking for from the Solo Wargamers Association?:
As a returnee to gaming after a lengthy break, I am looking for access to a network of contacts and resources in order to assess the feasibility of Solo play. I consider the major benefits of Solo gaming as: playing at a time and location suitable to me, allowing experimentation with different periods /armies at a whim and, finally, enabling me to build up some gaming experience in parallel with potential club membership.
Chris Grice
Recent events having persuaded me that life is too short, I have actually started making the occasional foray down to the local wargames club, having not put in an appearance for many years. On the first visit, I umpired a WWII game, which seemed to go quite well. On the second visit, I found a queue of wargamers demanding a place in the next one! This is not a reflection of my superior abilities as an umpire, but rather of the fact that the club plays a lot of DBM and DBR - anyone bringing different ideas is a real breath of fresh air.
So take this as a clarion call - clubs need soloists! Help bring a bit of life into the atrophied brain of the club wargamer! No, I know not all clubs are like that, but there do seem to be a lot of wargamers about these days who don’t seem to be able to think much for themselves and play wargames as a complicated variety of chess. To be honest, I run a mile if anyone suggests dicing for terrain! [oops! I did that I while ago and was faced with Mont Blanc, a tropical rainforest and a thingy infested Amazon river! Not good for my Golden Horde! Kenn]
OK, enough of this. As you can see from ‘results’, I am not unveiling another tournament just yet and I’ve invited anyone who wants to take up the baton to have a go at running one if they wish to. Failing that, I am sure that, when I have a viable idea for a postal tournament, I’ll run another one. I’ve enjoyed doing these two, and the contact they’ve given me with other players. [Anyone wishing to have a go please contact the Editor. Bet Chris ends up running the next one! Kenn]
Jack Squires
Perhaps you put the following in `Forum` or somewhere as a follow up to my review, on ECW "Hard Pounding" Rules. Over the Hills.. covers 1600 to 1789, not 1660 as stated. It's actually easier to do saves to your C drive than to floppy, and there is an auto save routine which will do it for you during the movement phase.
Jonathan Aird
Thanks for the recent Lone Warriors, an enjoyable read as ever. I started this letter some time ago, when the next sentence started "I went to Salute last weekend", it then changed to "a few weeks ago", well it's "a few months" now, so hopefully it won't become "last year!" I went to Salute a few months ago at Olympia - what a show! I got there at about 10:20, and the queue to get in was very long and very stationary. Pushed off to the Rogues gallery, which was just a few traders - a couple from Germany. One had some excellent resin armoured vehicles - but the prices were sky high, so I didn't bother getting any. I realised later that he must have left the prices on in Marks, rather than putting the prices on in pounds: it makes quite a bit of a difference! Played a game there - Fearless, a sort of SF gladiatorial skirmish game which was quite good. Browsed a bit, then headed back to the main show. The queue was still quite long, but at least it was moving. When I eventually got in the program told me that the show opened at 10:30 - but unfortunately this hadn't been in the pre-show ad's I'd seen (or, if it was, not very prominently!), so it looks like a lot of people thought, like me, "10ish sounds like a sensible time for Salute to open..."
Just to prove that wargamers are impossible to please - Salute was for me, if anything, too big. I hadn't intended to buy much, so didn't spend a huge amount of time looking at the trade stalls - which was just as well as there really was a mind boggling amount of choice. If I'd gone to shop I'd have needed the whole day to do it - or, more likely, would have gone home with a huge pile of catalogues. I'd planned to pick some things up from Irregular - but couldn't find them (I could have looked at the map in the program I guess, but I thought they'd just stand out as usual). I decided that they weren't there, and then found their (large) stand on my third circuit of the hall! There were some very impressive games - games workshop were present in quite a big way, there were also lots of Edwardian SF type games - zeppelins, steam powered land ships and so on [Just read in WI that it'll be even bigger next year - two floors of Olympia].
My major purchase was a lot of boxes of HaT miniatures plastic figures from their ancients range - the war elephants are excellent. Full review to follow (maybe with this letter). I remembered to wear my SWA badge this year, but didn't meet any other members although I'm sure there must have been some there somewhere.
I finally got around to entering the SWA Tournament, which has been fun so far - but I've got the battle reports to come back still. I don't know if my luck will have held so well this time. Good gaming !
[Jonathan, Thanks for your letter it is always interesting to hear what other members are getting up to plus a big thanks for your articles. Kenn]
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