Welcome to MWAN Magazine, Issue #132. It seems that our last few issues of the magazine have created quite a stir in the wargames community, not from the articles necessarily, but from the editorial stance. To a certain extent, this may not be a bad thing, as discussion is all about generating interest and thought about the hobby. Too much of a good thing, however I'm sure you get the idea.
The Flea Markets at HMGS-East shows was a major topic for the last while. Is it good? If so, for which group? It is clear from the feedback and discussion that the Flea Market concept is a good one. As it was intended, the Flea Market at a convention is for the nonprofessional seller to get rid of unwanted items in his or her wargames collection. Many people find hard-to-find items, and great bargains on figures, vehicles, accessories, terrain and especially books in the Flea Market. That's its charm! To get rid of the Flea Market would be to do a disservice to many of our wargames brethren. It is clear also, however, that everyone has not been playing by the same rules.
HMGS-East set up a series of rules by which the Flea Market will be run. Fall-In 2004, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was the first time in a long time that those rules were enforced. The difference was dramatic, in my opinion. It wasn't a discrete change in sales patterns, or changes in what was offered for sale where, but it was more a feeling of fair-play. Comments around the convention seemed to indicate that if the rules are enforced, the Flea Market is no longer an issue. Once the rules are enforced, the Flea Market is back to being a good service to gamers. If nothing else, the discussion here in MWAN Magazine, and many other places, has made those running the Flea Market stand up and take notice that we like, value and expect this fair-play to continue.
We mentioned that we were looking into changing format with MWAN Magazine. We have made our decision. There were many comments made to us, many against the change, but many times more for the change. We have chosen several of these opinions to be published in the Letters to the Editor department, a little later in the magazine. Hal Thinglum started MWAN Magazine (then the Midwest Wargamers' Association Newsletter) some 25 years ago as an amateur publication designed to get the word out to his group about the goings-on in the miniature wargames world. The original editions were nothing more than copied, digest-sized newsletters, and that's all they claimed to be. The technology to create a color magazine with professional print was beyond the budget when Hal was doing the magazine. If the budget had been there, and the technology in place, I am sure that this move to a full-sized magazine would have happened sooner. I could be wrong, but its the feeling I get.
The current size has several advantages. It is easier to produce (being black-and-white on the interior), and images don't have to be that large to look good inside or on the cover. Its size is convenient for putting into a lunch box or brief case, and it's easy to hold while reading on the train, sitting on a plane, lying in bed, or sitting on the head (or, perhaps, while eating green eggs and ham!) The new format has several more advantages. It is no more difficult to read, as the magazine can be folded over so that only one page is seen at a time. It is lighter, more colorful, and easier to flip through. From the retail point-of-view, it is a definite improvement. Retailers are used to handling full-sized magazines and books. All the racks are built to take this size of periodical, and because of it, it will be easier to encourage retailers to carry the magazine.
You'll notice that all of our erstwhile competitors have come to the same conclusion and are in the full-size format. Believe it or not, it actually cuts down on some of our costs, too, so that we don't have to raise our cover price in the new year. That's a definite savings to you, our reader!
The real concern is, will MWANMagazine be the same great magazine after the switch to a larger, color format? The answer is no. It will not be the same magazine. It will still have excellent articles, most from you, the readership. I see no change in the excellent quality of the articles. In fact, adding some color photographs and diagrams to those articles may, in fact, improve the article's readability, and allow the message to get out there that much better. We have no intentions of becoming a glossy picture magazine. To us, and it seems to you, the articles are the most important part of the magazine. "Keep the meat!" is what I'm hearing, and I'm a believer too. I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment.
I'd like to see MWANMagazine branch out from just being a periodical that just supports the hobby. I would like to see it in places that people with no prior knowledge of (or very little knowledge of) miniature wargames can learn about the hobby. I'd like MWAN Magazine to become a support tool and a recruiting tool. It may be a lofty goal, but I'd like to strive for better. The change in format will allow us to appeal to the greater marketplace that demands full-size before it will pay attention, and color to catch the eye.
The support for our move has been overwhelming. Thank you to all who have voiced your opinions to us, for or against. We are planning on our first issue in the new format to be the March/April 2005 (Issue #134). Wish us luck!
All this discussion of HMGS-East has probably gotten rather tiresome for those of your reading but not involved in the East Coast of the United States and its conventions. Point well taken. North America is a diverse miniature wargaming landscape, and there's lots out there besides the east! There are HMGS (or Historical Miniature Gaming Society) chapters all across the United States.
HMGS East, Bill Rutherford, Secretary and VP for Membership Services, 5436 Lomax Way, Woodbridge, VA 22193, Phone/Email (703) 878-1225, worj@Comcast.net, http://www.hmgs.org.
HMGS Great Lakes, Thomas H. Bryant, President, 5120 Gay Street, Muskegon, MI 49441-5724, Phone/Email (231) 798-3317/ tombryant@muskegon.com, http://www.hmgsgreatiakes.org.
HMGS Gulf South, Hilton McManus, Chapter POC, 6612 Colbert St, New Orleans, LA 70124, Phone/Email (540) 486-5340/ hiltonmcm@aol.com, http://geocities.com/rphmgs_1/gulfsouthweb.html.
HMGS Heart of America, Brian Beat, General POC/Newsletter Editor, Box 4198 Independence, MO 64051 , Phone/Email (816) 252-8913/shthar@comcast.net, http://www.hahmgs.org.
HMGS MidSouth, Major Bill Harting, Chapter POC and Newsletter Editor, 101 Taylor Road, Estill Springs, TN 37330, Phone/EMail (931) 649-5366 / majorbill@united.net, http://www.hmgs-midsouth.org.
HMGS MidWest, Mike Shay, VP Membership, 1903 Arbor Falls Drive, Plainfield, Il 60544, Email at forcepublique@hotmail.com, http://www.hmgsmidwest.org.
HMGS Pacific NorthWest, Mark Serafin, Newsletter Editor and General POC, 6090 Pioneer Park PI, Langley, WA 98260. Phone (360) 321-5831. Email mserafin@Whidbey.com, http://www.hnmgs.org.
HMGS Pacific SouthWest, Marcelo A. Figueroa, President, Chapter POC and Newsletter Editor, PO Box 701, Norwalk, CA 90651, Phone (909) 592-4314 and Email squidguru@adelphia.net, http://hmgs-psw.org.
HMGS South, Rhett Scott, President & Chapter POC, 1416 Forsyth Way, Brandon, FL 33511, Phone/Email (813) 661-0641/rhettscott@aol.com, http://hmgs-south.com.
HMGS Tornado Alley, Jeff Lawrence, Chapter POC, 2806 Speedway Ave, Wichita Falls, Texas 76308, Phone/Email (940) 767-3699 (message only)/ jlaw2424@sbcglobal.net
HMGS West, Raymond (Ray) James Jackson, 224 Cedar Avenue, Atwater, CA 953014454, Phone/Email (209) 358-8510/ Mahdilray@cs.com.
Canada has a few organizations that run conventions. I am aware of three in Ontario, but there are more across the country. I would be happy to hear of more!
MIGS, Jamesville Postal Outlet, P.O. Box 37013, Hamilton, ON. L8L 8E8, Canada. http://migsclub.netfirms.com.
Hot Lead, James Manto, 431 Greenwood Drive, Stratford, ON, N5H 7S7, Canada. http://www.hotlead.ca.
Ottawa Miniatures Gamers, Canadian War Museum, 330 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Mexico is an area that I know very little about. To assume that there are no conventions there without any real information would be wrong, so if anyone knows of any sources of gaming conventions in Mexico, I'd love to hear from you!
I feel that these clubs, organizations and conventions are what keep our hobby alive. Sure, many of us play with friends in the basement once in a while, but that will only get a very few new recruits into the hobby. Regional organizations, open clubs and conventions are all there to promote the hobby.
We sometimes think of ourselves as a little "geeky" for playing with toy soldiers. When new people come around to see what we do, we feel a little embarrassed by the toys, the dice and the game. From the other side, however, I think most people looking at a well put-on game with colorful troops and terrain are not thinking "how geeky!" Instead, they're rather impressed with the effort, the pageantry, and the visual aspect. Most are either not interested(and they'll know that immediately) or they're impressed by the spectacle. Get over your own sense of inadequacy and talk up what you're doing. You may not get a recruit, but you may get someone who will think kindly on what you're doing, and mention the "interesting thing I saw at this convention (club, whatever)." It's a way for us to get the word out.
This holiday season is one that crosses many ethnic, religious and national boundaries. There's something to celebrate for nearly everyone, and for those who don't have an official reason, perhaps it's that everyone else is celebrating, so why not you? Happy holidays to all of you, and we'll see you in the New Year!
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