Well, the war is going well in Afghanistan, so I'm wondering how long it will take to see new rules and figures for this conflict, and maybe a boardgame or two. Hmmmm. My collection doesn't extend past the colonial period and I'm currently basing up some Crusaders that Mark Brown painted for me-average wargame paint job at a fair price. Recent events have stirred up that "Crusader zeal" in me, I guess, and I'm anxious to fight a battle with them. Anyone want to join me in taking back the Holy Land? Oh yeah, I forgot the Israelis own most of it now. C'est la guerre.
Warren Peterson of the Metro East Gamers Association (MEGA) wrote to tell me about his club. They meet in Terry Callahan's house in Shiloh, IL every Saturday night (that's about 20 miles east of St Louis, MO). These folks are avid supporters of Big Muddy HGA and contribute to local conventions (Command Con III is next). They have an excellent website at http://homepages.apei.net/-tpcalla/mweb/index.htm that has rules variants, campaign rules, game logs of the last 6 months, terrain ideas, random number and terrain generators, WWII aircraft nose art, and much more. Very nice. WWII using Mein Panzer and Ship base III rules is very popular, as is ACW using Johnny Reb. There are six regular members and a number of casual attendees. You can contact them thru the website or call Warren at (618) 628-1136. Look them up for a game.
The Secret Society of Miniature Wargamers continue their weekend gaming down in California. My friend Kevin Rounsaville wrote to say they are starting their Volley & Bayonet campaign in ACW on 24 Nov, and looking for recruits. The 20 or so players enjoy a wide variety of periods and scales, so if ACW isn't your bag, somebody will be playing something you like.
Don Wolff sent me the latest Camino Real Post. I wish I had a convenient listing like this for the northwest. It shows 25 local gainers to the greater Albuquerque area, what periods they play, what days, etc. This issue shows an average of 3 planned events per month in the region.
NOVAG has a new newsletter and editor(s) these days-it's now called The Gamer's Closet and Bob & Cleo Liebl, our friends from HMGS East are the editors-huzzah! They wrote a nice article on how to sucker in (I mean recruit) new gamers using such ploys as movies, pretty figures simple demonstration games, etc., then listed about 50 colonial period movies sorted by location (India, Africa, S. America)-very cool! They also threw in a set of simple colonial rules to use for first-timers. Besides their usual clever banter, they announced that there is a new President John Camarano and staff. Good luck John. Next Gamecon in March '02.
Writing this column is really quite enjoyable because I get to read so many great ideas in all the newsletters. Bill Harting's HMGS Mid-South Dispatch is a regular contributor to my pile of articles for later use. This time I liked Howard Whitehouse's "Set of Rules for Big Game Hunting, or Indeed, Having it Hunt You". What a fertile mind. The October issue was sort of a compilation of articles discussion the aftermath of Sept I I and American foreign policyinteresting. Don't miss Siege of Augusta X on 18-20 January.
According to "Mad Mike" Demana of The Herald from HMGS Great Lakes, advance the Colors went off without a hitch despite 9-11. Beautiful terrain and figures with only slightly reduced attendance. Warparty '02 will be held in July. Articles of interest included Mike Stelzer's discussion of the wide board variation for the DBA tournament, Mike Reese's Touring France: 1944 description of a refight of Patton's breakout. Jim Schwendeman recounted the refight of the ACW Gettysburg campaign. Ray Garbee dreamed up some interesting random event charts for Smoke on the Water (or other naval games). And Dennis Frank entertains readers with the roots of naval wargaming, while Demana updated the glories and failures of the I st century BC Roman campaign. Fun stuff.
The latest Citadel from Northwest HMGS starts off with Bill Stewart interviewing Steve Allen, jovial and highly successful President of the Trumpeters Wargame Club in British Columbia. I definitely want to game with him and Doug Hamm (Larry Leadhead fame) again-they come to all our conventions and put on regular gamenights each month. Greg Maggard reports that Game Faire in Spokane went off well, and he recounts his efforts in a WWII Battleground scenario and Clay-o-rama. Kevin Smyth and Dave Schueler talk about their interesting creation of "Golden Age Air Racing" rules for the Museum of Flight demonstration a couple months agosounds fun, and the museum visitors quickly caught on. Finally, Mark Serafin adds a number of WWII vehicle reviews, useful for those looking to expand their interests.
Big Muddy HGA continues its active gaming. VP Harold Wones thanked MEGA members (see above) for recruiting efforts in going to all fantasy conventions and stores to hold historical events and draw in new players and members. He also spent some time discussion medieval warfare and potential opponent lists for many armies. Their website at http://homepages.apci.net/-ipw4/bigmuddy/bigmudl.htm includes links to many interesting articles and their upcoming event schedules.
Dave Lowe's latest Phalanx Veteran reports that Armati "leadership" has shifted from Rob Robertson to Rob Wolsky, and that the Armati website is off the air for now. Dave penned a good scenario for Hannibal crossing into Gaul in 21813C. Dave Beatty wrote up some of his painting and basing techniques (he's an oilbased guy vice water based). For those who liked the "Island in the Sea of Time" books by S.M. Stirling, John Wirth created a scenario for the Battle of the Downs.
That's all the mail in my inbox this month. Thanks to all those who continue to send information my way. I especially appreciate the updates to club POCs and current events.
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© Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum
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