Colonial Conquest - #1, On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, NJ 08525, phone 609-466-2329, subs are $36 for six issues - The premier issue of this new UK magazine was sent by Dennis Shorthouse of On Military Matters for review. A lot can be said about it, but I want to make a good first impression, so here goes - It's new! It's got color pictures! It's great! And indeed it is. I was very impressed, enough so that I would have sent copies of it to other friends for review, if I hadn't wanted to hold on to it myself. There's a lot of potential here. Any gamers with interest in colonial gaming should at least check out an issue, and all maniacs who live and sleep the 1879 Zulu War will consider #1 a must have. The first issue has articles on Isandlwana, Nyerzani, Rorke's Drift, and Ntombe River, looked at f om the unique perspective of contemporary accounts. For instance, the Rorke's Drift article has Lt. Chard 's personal report to Queen Victoria regarding the action, as well as the memories of privates Hook and Hitch. Isandlwana also has some personal accounts from warriors on both sides, which, while sobering reading, does set the mood and an atmosphere that takes the reader to the battlefield. Besides the personal accounts, there are photos of things like Rorke's Drift shortly after the fight, and several great color shots representing battle scenes using the great Wargames Foundry 25mm Zurla Wars line. To top it off, there's a short history of the Zulu War as well as the organizational structure of the Zulu Army, with regimental names and shield colors. I can't wait to see the next issue, which should be available as you read this. Volunteer - AUTUMN/WINTER 92, S. E. ESSEX MILITARY SOCIETY, 6 Norton Ave, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 8LQ, subs four issues for $14 - A club magazine with material to interest everyone is a good way to quickly describe Volunteer. It's always a good read, with the larger articles being accented by lighter reading, like quizzes, cartoons, and short news bits of a military nature, usually gleaned from the world-wide news media. This issue addresses the idea of surrendering in wargaming, the French command and military structure in the Hundred Years War, and some entertaining thou ghts with good rules ideas on a fantasy/medieval PBM campaign. Miniature Wargames - #113, Oct 92 - Wargames Inc, P0 Box 278, Route 40 East, Tiadelphia, WV 26059-0278, phone 304-547-0000 - Time flies, and one of the oldest hobby magazines keeps on publishing. If you dropped MW after editor Dancan McFarlane left, it's about time you took another look. While not of fering the degree of color photography and advertising as it's passionate competitor, the quality of articles remains high, with such notables as Jim Webster contributing things like this month's Afghan War scenario. The War of 1812 is well covered with two articles, one on the Battle of New Orleans and another on small scale action in the Great Lakes. Therre's more Napoleonic era action covering Peninsular combat at Arroyo Molinos, plus there's naval and medieval battles. Read it. Practical Wargamer - Jan/Feb 93 - A bit of an American Civil War theme issue, with several articles on the topic, including rules, an ACW farm by Ian Weekley a uniform study of 186 1-65 marines, and a well-done piece on ACW naval actions. Other stuff includes a report on the 1808 Peininsulur Campaign in Portugal, and the always popular fantasy/science fiction new products column by John Treadaway Available from Wise Owl Publications, 4134 West 238th St., Torrance, Ca 90505. phone 213-375-6258. Courier - #59 - Winter 92, $4.55 per issue, P0 Box 1878, Brockton, Ma, 02403 An updated facelift for the Courier is highlighted by a new typeface on the inside, and a new logo on the outside. What's also different and long over due (in my opinion) are the cover photos of toy soldiers, instead of the past practise of using military paintings. Some bemoan that change, but I've always figured if you like old paintings, buy Military History or check out old books from the library. We be talking toy soldiers here, after all. This issue seems to carry a Spanish Civil War theme, done very well with three very readable articles by Nick Nascati, Pat Condruy, and Robin Hunt. They provide an excellent overview to a little covered period. There's also a detailed report on the Borodino refight which took place in September 92 at Ft. Meade. Perfidious Albion - #83 Dec 92, Charles Vasey, 75 Richmond Park Rd., East Sheen, London SW1 4 8 JY - Detailed, critical reveiws of past, present, and future boargames is the purpose of this peiodical. A bit of knowledge on boardgaming terminology is necessary for the readership, but then you wouldn't be reading it unless you already liked boardgames, would you? Covered this time is Gettysburg, SPQR, and the Peloponnesian War, amongst others. Wargames Ilustrated - #63, Emperor's HQ, 5744 West Irving Park, Chicago, Ill 606 34 - The magazine that sets the standards for the hobby celebrates it's 63rd issue with rules for the Maori Wars, a DBA conversion for ACW, and rules ideas for long-range artillery. Ian Knight, author of "Brave Men's Blood" and other Zulu War era books, takes the reader on a tour of famous South African Battlefields, while explaining how to go it yourself. Guy Halsall has a detailed serial peice on the Dark Ages Franks, and as usual, all this is illustrated with state of the art color photography, featuring varieties of the high quality figures available these days. Courier - Jan/Feb ['93] 2503 Deleware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14216 - Please note the change of address for America's favorite ACW classifieds magazine - as well as the change of editors, from Fred Hoffman to Dave Gallagher. Fred's reasons for the sale and his stepping down are both personal and public - his shared feelings being that by "passing the torch" now, the proper steps are being taken to insure the continued publication of the Courier far into the future. For those concerned, the Courier still looks like the Courier, with the same ads, articles and columns as always. You can still subsribe to the Courier at the same cost, $17 for six issues. Best of luck and good wishes to both those departing and those arriving. SAGA - Jan 93, #36, 890 Janes Rd, Rochester, NY 14612 - Editor Terry Gore introduces a new Biblical theme editor, Wayne Melnick, who provides an interesting article on why we should game his area of interest, in the Biblical sense. Mr. Gore also reveals in revealing his coming and goings at Historicon 92, while MWANer and MGMer Craig Tyrell offers unique ideas on a combined campaign-tourney. Neil Hammond continues his useful series, A Beginners Guide to tactics under WRG 7th, and Mr. Melnick has another piece, on Sparta vs. Thebes. Experimental Gamers Group #22, Chris Engle, 725 Woodale Terrace #12, Greenwood, Indiana 46142 - Chris Engle's Matrix system continues to pick up steam. At EGG's beginning, Chris wrote all the articles. Now articles appear each issue from other gamers, telling of using and experimenting with the Matrix system in a variety of ways. Indeed, Bob Cordery of Wargames Developments has an introductory article on Matrix systems in #64 of Wargames Illustrated. Writeer Tom Barris applies it to WW II this issue, Richard Madden tells of his first experience with the Matrix, and a gentleman from the UK that Chris has never met comments on seeing the Matrix used at games and conventions in the UK! For those not knowing of the Matrix system, it is a gaming technique using role play style arguments to determine a game action, with th GM umpire deciding on the possibility or impossibility of your arguments. Chris can explain it much better than I, so write Chris at the above address for more info. More Experimental Gamers Group #23 - Chris provides an entertaining issue this time, with much thought-provoking stuff to tickle the old grey matter. He offers opinions on the well-known fight or flight syndrome of man, as he discusses ideas for possible use in morale rules. He's also working on an idea he calls calculated risk, which revolves around the amount of dice a gamer uses during firing or melee. The idea is the more dice one uses, the greater the chance of gain or loss. It's an interesting concept and the article alone is worth buying the issue for review. Finally, Chris discusses his newest project, a PBM (play by mail) mystery game placed in a Victorian era setting aboard a TransAtlantic steamer. Particularly good an this time, Chris. By the way, Chris' convention game for the year is the Austerliitz campaign, utilizing the Matrix rules system. Any Mid-west or Mid-south conventioneers might contact Chris to see if he'd be available for your event. His presence would add diversity and a touch of class to your gaming rosters. P W Review - Dec 92 and Jan 93 - Walter Simon, 12905 Layhill Rd, Silver Spring, Md 20905 -The guru of rules reviews takes an in-depth look at Wargames Foundry's ECW rules 1644" in the Dec issue, and then provides a alternative with his home-grown ECW version. January reports on ACW combat, both at the skirmish level and in traditional full-battle action, plus there's opinions on ancients combat. As always, all the articles touch on rules particulars Wally finds either wanting or impressive. Wally often modestly disputes my statement that no better rules reviews will be found anywhere, but it's still true every issue provides commentary on both commercial and homegrown rules in each gaming report found in PW. Lazy wargamers like myself looking for rules ideas can really profit from reading PW - plus the reports are usually funny or irreverant, so the reader can laugh at the same time. Despatches - #100 - Hong Kong Society of Wargamers, Jan 93 - Serious organized wargamers these people be, located half a world away. Although produced by a club, Despatches easily stands as a magazine in its own right with well-written quality articles of a diverse nature. This particular issue features many ancients and DBA-related articles, wiith other works on the Spanish navy in the Napoleonic era, and the WW II campaign to take Hong Kong in the early years. Useful awards go to Dennis Leventhal for his hints on rigging those beautiful 1/1200th age of sail models, and to Oliver Silby for his thoughts on things to consider when writing Napoleonic rules. First Empire - #7, 8 & 9 - First Empire is a UK magazine devoted to Napoleonics wargaming, offered in this country by On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, New Jersey 08525. Stressing qualilty content over color photography, the magazine seems to be attracting a great deal of interest in the UK and the rest of Europe. Being a recent convert to Napoleonics, I find the gobs of information contained (sometimes off the beaten track of usual Nap articles) to be very useful. In style, it's a lot like a laid-back Empires, Eagles and Lions. That is, the articles show thought and a degree of scholarly research, yet a sense of humor and informality prevails in the writing, which is welcome. Articles include reports on elite units, like Austrian Grenadiers and the Irish Legion, and personalities, like VanDamme. Obscure articles (to me) like the Russo-Swedish War and the Invasion of Holland also find a place in First Empire. For $33 you get six issues, and single issues are available if you want to sample before commitment. Back to MWAN #63 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1993 Hal Thinglum 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