Convention season lasts all year 'round, though Historicon, the 3,000-attendee historical miniatures fest was just the other week. I am very pleased with the new layout--dealers in the tennis barn, tournaments in the old dealer area, games everywhere in between.
I can always tell when Historicon fever is about to hit--publishers print their magazines to coincide with the show. I received a half dozen publication just before I left--to be noted below.
I'd like to mention that The Heliograph: A Newsletter for the Colonial Period is at the following address: Richard Brooks, Rte 6 Box 771, Saluda, SC 29138, USA, E-mail: brooksr@saludasc.com
I had accidently gotten the route number wrong in a previous column. FYI, with the 100th anniversary of the Spanish-American War, The Heliograph has been picking up interest, and more importantly, subscribers.
The Zouave, the American Civil War magazine formerly from Dave Reynolds and now under Ivor Janci, is just simply impressive. The new color and layout pack a considerable amount of punch. The subscription price has increased as well, but what a makeover. Wow. More details below.
I talked to Dick Bryant of The Courier at Historicon. He's changed printers, and should be back on track soon.
Dana Lombardy of Napoleon was also at Historicon, and the magazine changes I mentioned last column--switch to larger, quarterly issues with color throughout--are proceeding apace. He's expanding distribution into more retail outlets.
Keith Frye of Clash of Empires was very pleased--he's been picking up subscribers and has improved the graphics of his magazine.
Diversion: In Slingshot #198, the most surprising thing was an advert for Warhammer Ancient Battles (cost: 15 British pounds) rules, which I am going to guess--and I mean guess without having seen or played it--are Warhammer rules with historical miniatures photos instead of orcs and such, plus the usual re-run of painting/terrain/buying armies articles. Not surprisingly, the issue contains designer's notes for said rules, plus a couple reviews of said rules--seems like retooled Warhammer. What I expect to happen is that one day we can all sit down to play Romans vs. Orcs. What makes this entire offshoot interesting is whether a big glossy rule set from GW will continue to get coverage from Slingshot, or from other magazines for that matter.
I had the tables turned on me the other day. Usually, as a writer or editor, I'm the one asking questions about someone's product or application. This time, the local paper (Trenton Times, circulation somewhere around 50,000, I believe) sent a reporter and photographer to talk about MagWeb. They were there because MagWeb is 2 years old and had topped 50 magazines--strength in numbers, backed by our tenacious public relations firm, you understand.
Actually, I should say "tables turned again", because Bill Gray of HMGS interviewed me back last year--he was ahead of the pack. And the small local county paper did a phone interview with me last week.
Anyway, when you are the interviewer asking questions, you have an idea about the information you want and need to write an article, the flow of the questions, and so on. When you are the interviewee, it is quite a different experience. You are reacting to the questions, and since it's a general newspaper rather than a military history specific publication, the questions focus on more general topics.
I had a heckuva lot of fun over a couple hours explaining the idea of gathering all these magazines in one place on the Web, the marketing/publicity advantage of being part of one site, royalties paid, and so on. Having photographs taken of you by a professional is also an experience--mood shots and lighting, positioning of props (magazines around the Napoleonic chess set we gave away in August), hand placement, and so on. Such a celebrity... Seriously, I hope this translates into more interest into military history and thus the magazines, and thus the hobby. On the one hand, it seems a bit retro to use the print medium to publicize a Web service that offers electronic versions of print magazines and newsletters conveying information about military history and the products we all enjoy. On the other hand, it seems a perfect way to expand the pool of recruits as one way to combat the so-called "graying of the hobby" factor.
As always, if you need to reach me: 161 Lambertville-HQ Rd., Stockton, NJ 08559, ph: 609-397-4265, e-mail: lockwood@magweb.com, Web site: http://www.magweb.com
As before, each rating: PQ (Physical Quality of layout, print quality, and use of graphics), WR (Wit Rating or quality of writing and sustainable interest level), and IR (Inspiration Rating or creativity of ideas and reference value) comes with a grade (A, B, C, D, F).
And now, onto the magazines...
Age of Empires -- #14; 40pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly. German Camelcorps in SW Africa, Leifontein 1900, Charge of the Light Brigade, Chasseurs d' Afrique 1855, French Campaign in Duhomey, British tactics in Cape Frontier Wars 1835, 1846-7, and 1850-53, and other news and reviews.
Age of Napoleon -- #25; 50pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $36 per year, bimonthly. Battle of Urfahr-Linz 1809, part 2; Peninsula Battle of the Light Division Cuidad Rodrigo (part 2); Infantry Squares (reprtinted from Courier), a close look at Zeiten's Message at Waterloo; Bylandt's Brigade at Waterloo, Wellington Congress 1998; Dusty Archives, and the Baden Army 1803-05 (Part 1).
The Art of War Annual -- #9; 40pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR C, IR A/F; Clash of Arms, The Byrne Bldg. #205, Lincoln & Morgan Sts., Phoenixville, PA 19460; $12 per 4 issues, ($2.95 cover price) quarterly Rules for Actung Spitfire and Jena, plus rules errata for a couple COA games, and works in progress.
Clash of Empires -- #3; 48pgs.; 8.5x5.5"; PQ B, WR A, IR A; Keith Frye, 33 Ridge Rd., Bloomingdale, NJ 07403, $12 per year, quarterly ($14.50 Canada). The improved CoE has articles on: Prussian infantry 1870-71, History of the French Army 1816-1848, Paris 1848 (Revolution), Roman Republican Army 1849 OOB, French Mediterranean Expeditionary Force 1849 OOB, Part II, Kingdom of Naples Uniform Guide.
English Civil War Times -- #53; 40pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly. Been a while since this came out--worth the wait. Battle of Oswestry, profiles of Thomas Lord Grey of Groby and Phillip Skippon, profiles of Sir Stephen Hawkins Regt of Foot, Derby Regt, and Earl of Newcastle's Regt of Foot, eyewitness account of the capture of Jersey, strategy of siege warfare, plus notes, queries, and reviews.
First Empire -- #41, #40; 40pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly. #41: The Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo part 2; Journal of 1799 (translation the diary of A. Jz. Kaan); Wavre 1815; Napoleon's Military Postal System overview and uniform guide; Napoleonic campaigning with miniatures; reviews of 1815 The Waterloo Campaign and Piquet: Wargame Rules; plus news, letters, and more.
#40: The Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo part 1; Colonel Hoevenaar diary translation; Artillery Effectiveness; Horatio Hornblower comes to the BBC screen by Richard Rutherford-Moore; Collected Works of a Nautical Nature (naval bibliography), Skirmishing and the Third Rank (Part 2: French and British); profile of Suchet; Napoleonic Fair; the Horse Guards; and reviews of Generallieutenant Johann Nicolaus von Luckner, Die Vorgeschichte, Gründung und fröhe Entwicklung, The Glory Years 1805-1807, Napoleonic Weekend (video), Wellington's War, L'Epopee Napoleonienne, 1815: The Waterloo Campaign, and The Eagle; Plus news, letters, and more.
The Gauntlet--#12; 100pgs; 5.5x8.5"; PQ B, WR B, IR A; Craig Martelle, 1203 English Bluff Ct., Brandon, FL 33511; $20 (4 issues), $30 for overseas customers (U.S. military FPO excluded); quarterly. Pirate rules, Napoleonic campaigns in Spain, lots of reviews, 1940 Battle of Gembloux Gap, Battle of Yamazaki (1582), Charge at Huj (1917), Battle of Sauchieburn (1488), Ancients rules, and more.
The General--Vol. 32 #1, #2; 64 pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A/D; Avalon Hill, 4517 Harford Rd., Baltimore, MD 21214; $18 per year (2 years $29)
#1: Big Starship Troopers issue with movie stills, plus usual array of AH boardgame scenarios, variants, and news. ZOC reviews a bonus.
#2: Good article on Alexander Successor wars, scnarios for Hannibal, replay of History of the World, ASL scenarios, plus news, and reviews. What happened to ZOC?
Greenhill Military Book News -- 32 pgs.; 5.5"x8.5"; PQ C, WR C, IR A/C; Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Ltd Park House, 1 Russell Gardens London NW11 9NN United Kingdom e-mail: LionelLeventhal@compuserve.com; $9 per year, published about 7 times a year The Heliograph #107; 48pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ B, WR B, IR A; Richard Brooks, Rte 6 Box 771, Saluda, SC 29138, USA, E-mail: brooksr@garnet.cla.sc.edu ; $12 per 6 issues ($15 Canada, 15 pounds for Europe) A huge issue includes a plethora of Spanish-American War photos taken from an 1899 book, which bumped up the IR to an "A". These 93 images (in total) will be presented over issues #107, #108, and #109. If you have a S-AW interest, these are not to be missed. Plenty of other articles cover the S-AW: book reviews, figure reviews, artillery pieces, and more. Plus letters, news, and more.
Lone Warrior -- #122 (North American edition); 40pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR B, IR A; Solo Wargamers Assn., 1707 Ridge Rd., Levenworth, KS 66048; $20 per year (US), $25 (Canada), quarterly. Articles on: Form Square! (fast-play Napoleonic rules), Spanish American War (Naval Rules), Chickamauga Artillery Action (Sept. 19-20 1863 ACW battle), Commanding Celtic Armies (ancients organization and orders), Stand To! (the ACW bivouac), Where Did They Come From? (Battle of Vimiero, 21st August 1808), Zulu Army 1800-1850, Play By Mail overview, and reviews of The Green Howards (Regiment #34), The War of the Austrian Succession, Computer Corner Games, Sid Meier's Gettysburg, The Great Battles of Hannibal, and Eastern Front.
Napoleonic Members Bulletin -- #58; 42pgs; 8.5"x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; Napoleonic Society, 1115 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33756, 813-586-1779; $36 year (Canada $38 US, elsewhere $48 US), quarterly.
Another fine issue includes articles on Russia 1812, Tilsit 1807, the famous MagWeb top 10 survey, Napoleon's Work Ethic, St Helena talks with Gen. Gourgand, and plenty more news, letters, and more.
Naval History -- Vol 12 #3; 64 pages; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR B, IR A; US Naval Institute, 2062 Generals Hwy., Annapolis, MD 21401; $20 per year, bimonthly.
Spanish-American War Centennial Section includes pictures of the Oregon, Guantanamo, profile of John Long, and Manilla Bay prize payments, plus airships, history spots inWashington DC, Vietnam lessons, and more.
The Naval Sitrep -- #14 (April 1998); 32 pages; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR B, IR A; Clash of Arms, Byrne Building #205, Lincoln and Morgan Streets, Phoenixville, PA 19460; $15 per year, quarterly. Went to a ful glossy magazine, so I bumped the PQ to an "A". Articles on Bangors in WWII Japanese service, the modern India navy, postwar US destroyer fleet, rules and ship specs for CAS and Harpoon rules, Royal Navy jargon, news, rviews, and other items of interest.
The Nugget -- #127 and #128; 32 pages; 5.5x8.5"; PQ B, WR B, IR B; Wargames Developments, 84 Eglinton Hill, Shooters Hill, London SE18 3DY warden@dircon.co.uk; 9x a year, 15 British pounds
This UK newsletter contains a variety of game ideas, history pieces, scenarios, reviews, rules, and news. These are rather short, but at times sweet.
Odyssey -- #3, #4; 70pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly.
A magazine of sci-fi and fantasy stories, with boo and video reviews, author interviews, and other news tossed in as well. Slick and interesting for such fans.
Operations -- #29; 32 pages; 8.5"x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A/C; The Gamers, 500 W 4th St., Homer, IL 61849; $16 per year (US), $24 (overseas), quarterly. Hallowed Ground (Gettysburg game) designer preview, adding realism to Stalingrad Pocket, Guderian's Blitzkrieg (clever historical analysis vs. game play), Sidi Barrani, errata for various games, news, and more.
The Penny Whistle -- #37, #36; 16 pages; 8.5"x11"; PQ B, WR B, IR C; The Penny Whistle, 1205 Allendale Dr., Greenwood, MO 64034; $12 per year, bimonthly. #37: Slim issue with Dawn Patrol Fighter Command charts for P-40B Warhawk and Mitsubishi Zero, note about future sailing ships game.
#36: TwisterCon 500 Racing Game Results, Formula I Motor Dice Rules Addition, Paint Ships: Computer Generates Ships, and Chasm Quote by David Lloyd George.
Perfidious Albion -- #96, 48 pgs.; 5.5x8.5"; PQ B, WR A, IR B; 75 Richmond Park Rd., East Sheen, London, SW14 8JY UK; 2.10 pounds (UK), 2.9 pounds (airmail to US); published "irregular in frequency" The usual broad reach of wit and wisdom. Reviews of: The Sun Never Sets, Yarmuk, Arriba Espana, Rivoli 1797, Tunisia, Vikingatid, Crusader, and a variety of short game reviews. Plus a variety of book reviews.
Piquet Dispatch -- Vol. 1 Issue 3; 16pgs; 5.5x8.5"; PQ C, WR B, IR A; 165 Charles St., Vestal, NY 13850. imac100@aol.com; $14 for four issues.
If you use Piquet, here's the official newsletter to go with the rules. Articles include: Status Markers, Reading the Battlefield, Variable Reinforcement Availability, and "Really Weird Stuff."
Practical Wargamer -- Vol. 12 #1, #2, #3; 56 pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; Wise Owl Worldwide Services, 4314 W. 238th St., Torrance, CA 90505; $26 US (14.40 pounds UK, 17.90 pounds Europe) per year, bimonthly.
Still colorful and packed with information.
#1: Baden General Officers' uniform guide 1809-1815, Garibaldi Corps 1870-71, Enfield Rifle, gaming ideas for reverse slope, siege engines, Roman Civil War campaign, plus news, reviews,and other ideas.
#2: Shangani Patrol Last Stand, Polish Uprising 1830-31, history of Blemmyes, plus gaming articles on ECW, chance cards, painting flags, map movement, and building a 6mm Dark Ages village.
#3: Special Napoleonic eastern issue: Battle of Pyramids 1798, Battle of Mt. Tabor 1799, Battle of Alexandria 1801.
The Rebel Yell -- #10; 20pgs; 5.5x8.5"; PQ B, WR B, IR B; HMGS South, 1203 English Bluffs Ct., Beandon, FL 33511; $10 per year, bimonthly. The issue contains: 1998 MagWeb Survey (top commanders, most pivotal battles, and favourite eras), Convention Calendar '98 Coming conventions, Recon in Review HMGS South's convention report, Editorial Progress and projects, and Battle of Turovn Napoleonic miniatures battle recap.
Saga -- #65; 40pgs, 48pgs; 5.5x8.5"; PQ B, WR A, IR A; SAGA, 890 Janes Rd., Rochester, NY 14612; $25 per year ($30 Canada, $35 elsewhere), bimonthly. Better cover design may signal the beginning of a new Saga, according to Editor Terry Gore. the usual mix of excellent ancients and medieval articles include: 10mm Republican Roman Armies, an introduction to Ancient Warfare rules, Building a Late Hebrew Army, Rome Military Museums, excellent analysis called Aspect of Psychology and Morale in Wargames, Medieval Warfare rules Q&A, review of Origins of Western Warfare, CapCon XXI convention report, and more.
Simulacrum -- #1; 48pgs.; 8.5"x11"; PQ C, WR B, IR A; John Kula, Editor, Simulacrum, 4020 Haro Road, Victoria BC, Canada V8N 4B2, e-mail: johnkula@islandnet.com; $21 year, quarterly.
The Quarterly Journal of Board Wargaming Collecting has a neat feature: a component manifest for its featured games. That's a smart idea for a collector! Games include: Rommel in the Desert, Mighty Fortress, Tatchanka. Usually, it's accompanied by a review, strategy guide, and more. Additional articles on Internet Auctions, origins of "Grognard," list of North Africa theatre wargames, and more make this a great first (photocopied) issue.
Slingshot--#197, #198; 60 pgs., 42pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR: A; Society of Ancients, Richard Jeffrey-Cook, Mabar, Blackheath Lane, Wonersh, Guildford, GU5 0PN UK; $25/year, bimonthly.
#197: Includes a bagged circa 1983 Paddy Griffith wargame called Aquitaine. Map excellent, rules look clean enough, but you have to cut the counters from the map. can't complain about the free bonus game (the map looks like a great campaign system generator), but how many will take the next step with scissors. Too bad it didn't have regular cardboard counters. I know, I know, finances...The usual mix of excellent articles abound in the issue: highlights: Sassanian Scenics (fortifications), Phalanx organization, computer games through the ages, Bosworth Field an alternative approach, a series of reviews, and much more.
#198: great article on shield colors of Early Scotland, gaming with the Ancient British (clever title: "Woad Rage"), an interesting article on Sui China, plus reviews and other-game-related pieces.
Valkyrie -- #15, 16; 80 pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A/F; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly.
If you like science fiction and fantasy roleplaying gaming, this UK import blankets the industry with news, lots of reviews, adventure modules and scenarios, advice for running games smoothly, analysis of game systems and monsters, and even some fiction. In #15, scenarios for Star Trek, AD&D, World of Darkness, and others. Reviews, news, ideas for fantasy campaigns, and more for the sci-fi/fantasy buff. In #16: World of Darkness, Star Trek, In NomineAD&D, and other scenarios/adventures, plus reviews, ideas, and more.
White Dwarf -- #220, 221, 222, 223 -- 100pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR B, IR B/F; Games Workshop, $40 per year, monthly
Well, the WD is getting thinner in pages, shriller in pitching new products, and leaner in actually providing information. It used to be a couple articles in each issue dealt with terrain or modelling/painting tips plus another bit on scenario rules or something like that, but what I see now is the same painting tips over and over again with different models, with perhaps a picture or sidebar on terraining from time to time. In issue 222 is a Rorke's Drift style rules set, which was interesting, and #223 had a Barroom brawl set of quick rules, map, and thin cardboard counters that could be helpful. I was tempted to drop this to a "C", but I do like the color photos of models throughout, which if nothing else provides a model for a style of painting. The Warhammer Siege book ($25 or so) will be coming out, and since I have a medieval style single stand mounted force and a city, I'll be interested to see what they have to say--although Medieval Tactica's siege rules (not army rules) are still my favourite.
White Knight -- #8 --24 pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ B, WR B, IR B; Bill Brierton Pegasus-Unicorn Productions 12420 Old Colony Dr. Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-5000 kheled@juno.com; $8 year, quarterly. The usual mix of sci-fi and fantasy news, some fiction, and a nifty piece on the historical origins of dragons in lore.
The Zouave -- Spring 1998 -- 40 pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; Marek/Janci Design, 725 Ranch Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187. mjdesign@eagle.ais.net; $24 per year ($28 Canada, $32 Overseas) Zap! Pow! Pop! The new Zouave really sizzles with full color throughout as Ivor turns his graphics talents to publishing a small magazine. In some cases, it can be too overwhelming, but with all the color boxes, maps, figures, and illustrations, you really get the sense this is the emergence of a brand new force in American Civil War publishing. The focus changes a bit to place more emphasis on gaming, rather than history. Articles/Scenarios on Arrowhead Church 1864, Bull Run 1861, and Ball's Bluff 1861. Also, after-action reports on miniatures battles, new products, rules analysis, and how to build fences.
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© Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum
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