Christopher Bourne In response to your letter here are a few lines about my self, I have been wargaming from my late teens and I am now in my early fifties. For the last twenty years I unfortunately have had little time for gaming because of family commitments, only having time for computer games. Things are starting to look better at the moment, I am on sick leave so I have some time to myself. In the past I have tried most periods, my favorites are Ancient and Horse and Musket. Of late I have become interested in Warhammer 40K. Because of some computer game I like such as FINAL LIBERATION, CHAOS GATE and RITES OF WAR, all good simple tactical games. I even managed to go to my local WARHAMMER shop in HARROW to fight with my SPACE MARINES and lost twice. I have plans to try a solo campaign around FINAL LIBERATIONS planet of VOLISTAD if I can find time between the list of things why wife as given me to do! [Christopher, thanks for the response and I wonder just how many of us could have written a similar letter. Kenn] Michael Matthys I have been a member of the Solo Wargamers Association now for several years but as I very rarely get a chance to have solo games I have not felt that I have anything to contribute to the Lone Warrior. However, Graham Empson asks in Issue 136 "Where have all the PC Wargames gone?" To that discussion I feel able to make a small contribution. As I have only recently acquired a PC for use at home, I do not have any knowledge of games that there have been in the past. I do have three games which I consider to be excellent wargames though and although I expect everyone has full knowledge of them I cannot let the question pass without giving them a mention. The first is my Flight Simulator - there are many on the market but I bought Combat Flight Simulator 2 a while ago and for me it is all I could ask of an air wargame. I remember the days of plastic planes on stands or cardboard counters on maps and I could never get any fun out of air wargames like those. But with this computerised version of air wargames I get loads of fun and the action is faster than I can cope with, instead of at a snail's pace. Secondly there is naval wargaming and for that I was lucky enough to get a copy of Fighting Steel - I suspect it is no longer available in the shops. This again gives me excellent games, at a different tempo but requiring more tactical thought. Thirdly I have Shogun. Now Japanese Samurai warriors are about as interesting for me as cold baked beans - but this game is a delight. I have won and lost many battles and there are many more approaches for me to try. When I get around to buying the Mongol add-on I expect to be even more delighted - I will warm the baked beans up a bit. And I read in some magazine that a Crusader period clone of the game is projected. That would be right up my street! So I cannot agree that there are no computer wargames around. I'm sure the three I have mentioned are 'old hat' to many. I think that Shogun has been such a success that it is likely to inspire clones from other manufacturers, and I'm also sure there are other wargames out there, if only I could identify which ones they are. [Shogun keeps me awake at night - must get this battle finished! It is brilliant. “Cold Bake Beans!” What is wrong with cold baked beans? Kenn] Jonathan Aird Reference favourite periods, well, like most people I would have said "Ancients !" - it's such a nice big period - you get 3,000+ years with the Society of Ancients! But: Late Dark Ages / Medieval (don't know why but have these in 6mm, 15mm, 20mm and 25mm - think it must be the banners & heraldry). Renaissance (European - including naval: galleys in the med') are good bets. I'm not sure it's a "period" as such, but: SF/Fantasy - particularly Tolkien style battles - has been a mainstay for the last 25 years or so. [Beware the new Tolkien range(s). Kenn]. Other "sidelines" are: ACW naval WWII (1939 - 1940, '41 in the Desert) Air wargames pre-1946. I sometimes wish that I did have just one period! I have a theory that there are 2 kinds of wargamers, the very focused, one period man, and the "butterfly" flitting from one interest to a new interest - with a couple of core periods and a handful of "main" side interests. I'm sure the figure manufacturers are more than happy that most gamers seem to fall into the butterfly group! I sometimes think the "focused" gamer has some advantages - once his armies are purchased and painted that's it, the rest is gaming. Or does the focused player find himself continually buying and painting newer and better figures all in his chosen period ? I also sometimes wish that I had just one scale! Good luck with finding a 1600 - 1800 & colonials reviewer! My AWI figures are behind the Zulus, Boers and British right at the end of the painting schedule! One day I'll have to sit down and make a proper list of what's left, and decide what I can realistically expect to actually paint up - based on available painting time and my slow painting speed. There were some excellent looking Zulu war rules (based on elements, but otherwise not very DBA ish) in MWAN a few years ago, and I keep planning to get enough of the piles of figures painted up to enable me to do the main battles with those rules. Maybe one day. [I am definitely of the ‘Flutterby’ variety both in periods and armies. Still, it keeps me sane, almost. Kenn] Steve Hicks I’ve just received the latest edition of Lone Warrior, complete with enclosed letter, and thought I’d put “pen to paper” as requested. I have to say that whilst I’ve been wargaming since about 1971/72 (which must mean very scary - that I’m coming up for my 30th gaming anniversary!), I am indeed one of the silent majority. This isn’t because of a lack of time to submit articles on my part, or a lack of imagination re. what would make a good article, or even a lack of written things that might make an article - more in my case the feeling that “they aren’t good enough, so I won’t both him with them”! Back in ‘71/’72 I played Napoleonics, but as a callow 11/12 year old, and being impoverished, this was with Airfix, based 4 or 5 to a base, and using Don Featherstone rules from “Wargames”. I subsequently expanded periods by getting into WWII (North Africa) using Airfix and the rules from the same source - though rapidly expanded to take account of all the vehicles Don didn’t cater for. > From ‘72 to ‘74 I lived in Australia (mine is a services family) which was when I started my most serious solo gaming - wargaming wasn’t well established in Oz at that time. I became the proud owner of an autographed copy of Solo Wargames when it first came out, and this, along with ‘Wargamers Newsletter’ kept me going for the 2 years in the wilderness! When I came back to the UK, I moved on to WRG Napoleonic rules following my attendance at Portsmouth Wargames Club - a lot of my gaming was still solo however, at that age transport is the problem! After a brief flirtation with girls and beer (about ‘76 if I remember rightly!), I then moved on to D&D, and later AD&D - mostly because I had found a bunch of friends who were already playing. At university I returned to the “light side” and started collecting Ancients in 15mm - mostly Minifigs (the early one’s, they sold in strips), and Mikes Models (many, many, interesting visits to their shop in Brighton!). I collected Samurai (Minifigs), and Indian armies (Mikes Models) and played to WRG 6th edition. I mainly played campaigns to generate the battles. After university, and with the attainment of gainful employment, I then took those Ancients and moved on to DBA. In about ‘86 a really good friend of mine (John Corrigan - diamond geezer!) who’s been painting all his (lengthy) life decided to clear out his cupboards, and having heard of my - doomed - attempts to restart my AWI collection using Revell/Airfix plastics, gifted me with a considerable number of 25mm Minifgs in the period - and all of them painted. His only requirement for this was for me to play with them, and this period has now provided me with the majority of my gaming - solo and otherwise, campaigns, etc. I’ve since enlarged the initial legacy since as John was a great fan of the German units, his primary interest being Seven Years War and the campaigns of Adolphus I was short of British, but heavy on Brunswickers and Hessians! I now have a number of Redcoat units, also French and Continentals - my eventual aim being to field all units on both sides involved in the Yorktown Campaign. More recently my WWII North Africa fires have been re-lit with the emergence of the new Minifigs 12mm range (absolutely cracking for price/quality and range), and I’m collecting rapidly to be able to put German, Italian and British/Commonwealth troops on the table. I play using a Rapid Fire/AK47 based set of house rules called “Panzer Grenadier”. The first campaign (based on the British withdrawal to Tobruk, following Compass and the landing of the Afrika Korps in Tripoli) is now a solid germ in the front of the mind so hope to get that moving soon. …and that’s about it! Current thoughts are now turning to the next period - I’ve always had a yen to play Colonials, I think since I saw Solo Wargaming and those excellent pictures of Don’s NW Frontier games. So I’m currently researching, and have a feeling I’ll soon be buying some Essex/Minifigs 15’s to start building Sudan forces, for the relief of Mafeking etc. Not India, but the scenery is easier!! > From my personal perspective, I think the magazine is doing an excellent job. It’s the only Wargames periodical I get which I read cover to cover, without fail. In the others, there always something that I skip. My view on this is that the magazine is not heavy on what I call “amateur historian” articles - if I want this I go to the library, what I want to see in a magazine is articles with far stronger links to wargaming. Your magazine does this... the only other examples were Practical Wargaming, and the old Wargamers Newsletter, so keep it up! Would you guys be interested in seeing some articles based on the AWI campaigns I’ve played - as I said above, the only reason I haven’t sent it in is that I’m not sure how good/suitable it is! [Steve, Wow! Thanks for the letter and I look forward to seeing any article you care to submit. Kenn] Terry Morgan In response to your letter to members, I wonder if I can be of any help. I am a brand-new member of SWA (although I think I might have been a founder member in 1976, before I went out to Singapore!) and so am not familiar with how it is run, but if you think you could use my skills, such as they are, feel free to contact me. I am newly retired and have background in teaching, writing and journalism. I don't have the expertise to do all of the computer stuff (layout, illustration etc.) but I would be very happy to do proof-reading and general preparation of articles for publication, either via e-mail or by post. I have been wargaming since 1967, although while I was in Singapore (16 years) I hardly threw a die in anger. I don't think I'd be qualified to 'pick up the reins', as you put it, but I'm sure I could lend a hand. I don't drive and live in the sticks of wildest Lincolnshire, but I am used to working from home. Let me know what you think. P.S. I have just bought the Society of Ancient's "The Last Slingshots of the Millennium"; is anything similar envisaged for SWA? [Terry, Not at present but if anyone would like to take on such a project…. Welcome aboard. Kenn] Jonathan Aird Should you still require a volunteer to assist with the Figure Reviews, then I'd like to volunteer myself ! I won't be able to do illustrations as David Barnes did - a rare talent - but I'd be glad to offer my assistance with written reviews. First glance at LW 136 shows it to be a plum issue - glad to see that Chris Grice is running the tournament again ! At the end of the second one I was enthused enough to start thinking of running something myself, a bit different, maybe some kind of large skirmish with multiple players at a time. So far, that's as far as I've got: the difficult bit is working out how to control several groups at one time. Maybe I'll try another tack - I guess I've got another 12 months at least to sort something out now thanks to Chris. [Jonathan, Good to hear from you and thanks for the reminder to get my finger out and join the latest ‘Grice Endeavor’ having enjoyed the others. It is the cheapest way of having a good wargame I have come across and if any member can prove me wrong, just let me know. Kenn] Editor: Thanks for the response from members who have not written in before and to those still thinking about it - please put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and let us hear of your wargaming stories. Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #137 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Solo Wargamers Association. 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