Wargames Illustrated- #40 and 41 - Two issues of one of the top hobby magazines are here for review. Iss 40 starts on a somber note with an editorial by editor MacFarlane on the death of Peter Guilder, founder of the Wargames Holiday Center and owner/maker of Connoisseur Minitures. The hobby contributions of this great man are listed, and MacFarlane also mentions Guilder's part in the starting of Miniature Wargames, the first gaming magazine MacFarlane edited.
Articles deal with the Spanish Civil War, which seems to be growing in popularity in the UK, and there's still another version of the assault on Ft. Wagner in a Glory! inspired article, which features an excellent map of the works of the fort and the surrounding terrain. The Seven Years War action at a place called Leutzen (wasn't that one of the really BIG battles) has some beautiful photos of 15mm troops to accompany, plus there's an account of an American War of Independence naval action on the Great Lakes. Rules are provided and its a unique action because of the many types of small boats used.
Number 41 has the Anglo-Irish War of 1919-22, a nasty little guerilla war offering a variety of troop types if you choose to refight it, like the regular British army, the police and militia, and the infamous IRA. Dark Ages action has the Viking Siege of Paris in 885, and the same battlefields several hundred years later are discussed with a World War One article telling of the weapons and tactics used. Finally, author Ian Knight, creator of the Zulu Wars bc~ok Brave Men's Blood, tells oi his journey to that war's battlefields recently. If this sounds interesting, you can take part next year, as Mr. Knight plans on making this an annual event. A contact address is provided in the article.
Heliograph - #66, April 91, Andrew Preziosi, 11017 SW 125th Ave, Miami,Florida 33186, subs at $8.50 for 10 issues - If you haven't read Helio since Mr. Andy Preziosi took over, you're missing some enjoyable stuff. His enthusiasm and sense of humor show when he writes, and the personal touch he puts to book and hobby product reviews are excellent. Just the sort of thing most hobbyists like to read, it is.
This issue has a report on Iron Brigade's French Foreign Legion line, with premises of more Iron Brigade product reviews to come. ( It's good to see IB getting the attention it deserves) The results of a survey asking what directions the content of Heliograph should take in the future are reviewed and it seems that all colonial wars from 1816-1947 are open game for the future, with some attention given to certain "real" wars. Worth a read.
Miniature Wargames - #95 and 96 - Issue 95 features info on the major UK con, Salute, with accompanying articles by member of the South London Warlords, tho con hosts. The Warlords' work is always enjoyable as many of them are pro'cession writers and painters. There's photos by John Treadaway of Special Forces artwork on subjects like Japanese Samurai, French Dragoons, and modern camoflauge patterns, Also of interest in 95 are some rules for a solo refight of naval actions in the Russo-Japanese War.
Issue 96 has a new series starting on early WW II campaigning in the Mediterranean and Southeast Europe which looks like its going to be good. This time action in Yugoslavia and Greece is featured. Another good read is by frequent contributor Jim Webster, about possible future action with a Red Army uprising. More traditional gaming has a Napoleonics naval combat between British and French and in dustier climes, you can read about Wellington in India.
Savage and Soldier - Jan/Mar 91, Milton Soong, 2946 Mauricia Ave, Santa Clara, Ca 95051, $18 for four issues - I always like this magazine, but in terms of quality content, this is a particularly good issue with some entertaining reading. Feature articles are by the late Lynn Bodin on gaming French colonial action in late 19th Century Indo-china. I'm building a French Foriegn Legion force with the new Redoubt Enterprises and Wargames Foundry 25mm colonial figures, so it was good to find ideas on another place to use the troops besides the sandy deserts of North Africa. An exotic locale it seems too, with many uniforms and troop types on each side, and unique terrain and buildinq to match Another very good work is "The Colonial Wars of Imperial Germany", Savage and Soldier - accounting for many of the sharp actions fought in the African colonies from 1883-1907.
The article adauquately describes the small unit tactics so frequently used in quelling the local uprisings that seemed to characterize life in the German colonies. Photos, illustrations and article comments detail the uniform and gear of all sides. The Germans are similar to British Slade Wallace wear, so coming up with Imperial forces to fight would be easy. Good reading.
Volunteers -March 91, Bill Koff, 146 Chimney Lane, Wilmington, NC 28409, subs are $15 for four issues - The magazine devoted to boardgaming the Civil War has a new editor in the form of Rob Markam and spends a lot of this issue updating news on the 3rd Annual Retreat held May 17-19th. The retreat is usually on the site of a historic battlefield of the Civil War and features tours and discussion on the action at that site, besides providing board and miniature gaming opportunities as would be expected. Gatherings of hard-core enthusuaists is small, but many hobby movers and shakers are in attendance and much info can be gained on future game releases as well as thoughts on current games. I like the new editor's writing style. It's easy to follow and he covers hobby news in a manner that's much like he's sitting there telling you about it. If you like ACE boardgaming, this is your magazine.
PW Peview - April 91, Walter Simon, 12905 Layhill Rd, Silver Spring, Md 20906- I have no idea how much Wally charges for a subscription as he never mentions the cost. PW is worth obtaining however. The editor, Wally Simon, is humorous and irreverent, and usually offers a darned refreshing look at the hobby and the people that play at it. Most issues normally cover Mr. Simon's current gaming activities, and if there's any new rules sets being used in the process, you're going to get Wally's unapologizing viewpoint of same.
This issue is particularly great as we get nine pages worth of Mr. Simon's perception of the games to be played at this year's Cold Wars. Sam Mustafa's currently popular modern Battlegroup rules and a medieval set called Might of Arms get close attention. Robin Peck of the UK now provides an article each issue, and this offering discusses the make-up of a British infantry battlion on the battlefields of Europe.
Command Post - Fall 90, GDW, Po Box 1646, Bloomington, Ill 61761, subs are $8 CP is the voice of GDW's game Command Decision, and always provides a wealth of technical data on WW II and post world war battle formations. This issue covers German paratroop divisions of WW II, modern French 11th Airborne TO & E, and ideas on the generic German WW II infantry regiment. A good idea gaming scenario with the Canadians fighting in Normandy is reprinted from Canadian wargamers, and a Desert Shield supplement gives all the Order of Battle info you'll need on coalition and Iraqi forces. Worth saving for the future, I think.
Deck-log, Newsletter of the Patrol Craft Associatian - Feb and March 91 issues, no subs, one two-stamped SAE gets an issue from J.P.Kelly, USS Nashville, X Division, FPO New York,09579-1715 - Enthusiasm is the first thing to mention about this most recent addition to hooby publications. Truthfully, I have no personal interest in this special interest area, but the editor's writing is enjoyable enough to make the content hold my interest.
These two issues have a wealth of info on German U-boats of WW II and how they operated, with some well detailed rules on submarine action as well. Like the Heliograph, the editor reviews books and other hobby products he thinks the readership will find useful too.
I like a gaming scenario he came up with this time: Its the end of WW II, the Japanes have been defeated after an invasion of the home islands, both the allies and Germany now have atomic weapons, and FDR lives on. In an attempt to sway the balance, the Germans plan a raid with U-boats to capture FDR from the resort area where he is recuperating. Maybe Mr. Kelly should write novels and make hobby newsletters a gentle diversion, eh? Worth taking a closer look at.
Lone Warrior - March and April 91, 11 Lancaster Drive, Clayton-Le-Moors, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 5RD, UK, subs are $26 airmail in US dollar bills, $18 surface for six issues - Lots of articles this time in the house magazine for solo gamers. There's campaign action with ancients as Ramans try to beat their Gallic adversaries, plus there's a Marlburian French vs. English action, and Donald Featherstone gives campaign and battle ideas for the Hundred Years War. There's English Civil War wedge rules, and more sedge action in a series on the Boxer Rebellion at the Legation. With works like these you can see you don't have to be a solo gamer to appreciate all the ideas for rules and game scenarios to be drawn from this quality publication. Each issue there are regular columns on play by mail gaming and figure reviews, which are welldetailed with drawnings of the troops reviewed by the columnist.
Nugget - #65, Bob Cordery, 84 Eglinton Hill, Shooters Hill, Plumstead, London, SE18 3DY, UK - The Journal of Wargame Developments house magazine provides updated info on the upcoming COW91, the annual get together for the innovative types at Wargame Development. About 50 events are already planned; I say event because COW is more an opportunity to brainstorm new ideas rather than game, although there will be much of this also from the sound of things. Apparently there is no central theme this year, but many of the events are supposed to be nautical in nature This issue also runs the idea of a mini-Cow con past the membership, and Chris Engle of MWAN and editor of EGG has an article reprinted on his thoughts of traditional methods of record keeping during wargames. For me the favorite thing was a letter by Andy Brown, a British serviceman in the Gulf with his camments a few days before the ground war commenced. -
Empires Eagles and Lions - #112, Feb/March 91 -20 Parkhill Road East, Cambridc Ontario, Canada, N1R 2GS - EEL is the magazine for the serious Napoleonics gamer. There's much attention to scholarly research and the presentation of accurate data on the period. This issue there's a major article an the elite forces, the grenadier and chasseurs of the guard, which tells much of the unit arganization. There's another good piece featuring excerpts from contemporary accounts an unorthodox deployments during infantry melees and other types of close combat. Another work gives info on the life in a cavalry regiment on the campaign, plus there's a piece on the Army of the Duchy of Warsaw.
El Dorado - Jan/Feb 91, TD Hooker, 27 Hallgate, Cottingham, North Humberside, HU16 4DN, England - subs are $20 far six issues - me journal an military matters in South and Central America has the usual useful uniform information, ranging from Simon Bolivar to Noriega, with black and white illustrated uniform plates to supplement the text. There is uniform of the Panamanian Defense Force in this issue, plus gear of Mexico, Peru, and Argentina in the middle 1800's.
Saga - April 91, 890 Janes Road, Rochester, New York, 14612, subs are $20 a year. Lots of tournaments have been going on lately in the ancients WRG world, and this is the place to read about the events and the results. me many tourneys being held at the local level seem to be helping to spread the word about WRG gaming with ancients, something that has apparently ironically gained in popularity with the interest in the new rules Tactical Odd how things work same time.
There are other rules in this issue, some that are tongue in cheek suggesting ideas for combining 15 and 25mm figure scales (I said tongue in cheek) plus there's commentary on a playing of Phil Barker's new DBA rules, with the consensus being the rules provide for a fun, fast game. MWAN's and MOM's hard-working Craig Tyrrell has an exhaustive work on Bronze Age armies, all 33 of 'em.The intention of the article is to generate interest in Bronze Age vs. Bronze Age forces, as there are good competitive armies in the lists, they just do not fair well against later enemies.
Civil War Courier - May/June, PO Box 1863, Williamsville, NY 14231, subs are $17 for six issues - Still more good news for ACW gamers and enthusiasts is this bi-monthly paper with loads of advertising on Civil War related products, like re-enactment gear, books, antiques, research information and sources - The list goes on. If you're looking for something hard to find you will either find it here or same one who knows where to get it.
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© Copyright 1991 Hal Thinglum
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