I ran across an interesting portion of the editorial in Courier Volume III No. 5 (1982) the other day. And it came hard on the heels of a conversation I had with Ivor Janci, publisher and editor of The Zouave, and e-mail with Jason Anderson, publisher of Masters of Role Playing magazine.
First, let me quote from editor Dick Bryant's editorial, The Vanguard:
- Last summer an avid reader of THE COURIER showed up at my home and
"wanted to see the printing presses!" Others have written suggesting that they
envision fancy offices, plush carpets, a luscious secretary (or was that
lascivious?). I suppose that this mental image along with the professional look we
attempt to give the magazine goes a long way toward explaining the often strident
letters we get complaining about "late issues" of THE COURIER.
We, the three partners - Leo Cronin, Joe Miceli and myself, are more likely to shake our heads in awe that we get each issue out in reasonable time at all. We, all three, have full time jobs with a level of responsibility that demands more than a 40 hour week, we have families to placate, homes to maintain, figures to paint and we even try to get a game in once and again.
THE COURIER is a part time effort that is edited and printed in Massachusetts, typeset in Vermont, pasted-up in New York from material sent in from all over the world and reviewed by editors as far away from the "home office" (read 'basement') as England and California. The printer fits our 5000+ print run in amongst his 20+ magazines with print runs in excess of 100,000 each when and as he can. Finally - 3rd class mail takes 2 to 4 weeks for delivery depending on your distance from us. (foreign subscribers often wait 6 to 8 weeks as it goes by boat - unless they pay $30.00 for airmail). Believe me when I say that it only takes one late mail run or one item lost in the mail to cause a large delay in the issue. It is any wonder that we miss our goal dates from time to time?"
As for Ivor, who runs a successful graphic design company, the gist runs about the same--work, family, and the occasional game. And if you've taken a look at the latest Zouave, you can see the effort he puts into each issue.
And Jason echoes much the same idea that publications are quite often a tradeoff in terms of work, and getting everything together. I can certainly understand and sympathize...here's my reply:
I hear you! Multiple hat days are frequent Certainly, there are full-time editors and writers in the publications field--those large glossies covering everything from architecture to zoology come to mind. But in our small corner of the publishing world, enthusiast newsletters and magazines proliferate, and the editors who publish them sometimes take a little longer than expected to create, print, stamp, and mail. I'm not saying that's a good thing--nothing more irksome than waiting for an issue with the next part of a multi-part article that has excited your imagination. And publications do go out of business. But it does take time to publish a magazine or newsletter--even when you can pull in enough material.
Piquet Dispatch plans to go to a 100-page format.
MagWeb (www.magweb.com) received a "Hot Site Award" from USA Today newspaper in January. It is the first "outside the wargame world" recognition for MagWeb, and page hits went from 100,000 in December 1998 to 136,000 in January--considerable exposure for the hobby press.
Got a call from Bob Burke asking for some help. He has every issue (some are photocopies, but what a collection) of Savage and Soldier--except Vol I #3--and he's looking for a photocopy of this missing issue. If you have one or know who might, drop him an e-mail burker1@aol.com and let him know.
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...
Abanderado -- Vol. 4 No. 1/2; 40pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ B, WR A, IR A; Rolfe Hedges, 32 Linnet Mews, Balham, London SW12 8JE, E-mail: Rolfscw@aol.com; 5 British pounds per year (UK), 6.50 pounds (Europe), 8.5 pounds (rest of world); quarterly. This "double issue" on the Spanish Civil War offers articles on: the battles of Bermeo (May 1-4 1937), Malaga (Feb. 6, 1937 CD2 Scenario), and Cordoba (August 1937), Majadahonda: The Last Day (Rumanians in the Spanish Foreign Legion), Italian Bersaglieri and Cavalry, SCW Naval Wargaming Part 3 scenarios, Carlist Cavalry Unit Escuadron de Borgona, more on the Soluthurn 20mm Anti-Tank Rifle, Wales and the SCW, Italian CTV Cavalry, model kit news, book reviews, and more.
Age of Napoleon -- #29; 48pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly. More colorful than ever, this issue features a nicely done article on the Battle of Eylau 1807, field artillery, an interview with Peter Hofschroer, Russian infantry life, more on Maida, British politics during the Napoleonic era, an interesting piece on the French garrison escaping from Almeida, and more.
The Courier -- #75; 64pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; PO Box 1878, Brockton, MA 02403; $19 quarterly ($34 for 2 years, $45 for 3 years).
Back on track and sticking to its publishing schedule, #75 includes part 2 of WWI air wargaming with camoflage and markings information, Desperado adapted for French and Indian War, Crusades supplement to Day of Battle, Cedar Mtn Fire and Fury scenario, Variable Length bounds, trivia, reviews, and all the other good ideas and articles The Courier is known for.
Cry Havoc! #25; 24pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; David W. Tschanz, 7862 W. Irlo Bronson Hwy. #188, Kissimmee, FL 34747. Quarterly, $25 per year hard copy, $10 in electronic PDF form. cryhavoc@iname.com That's right. If you want the printed version of the magazine, it's $25, but a PDF version is $10. Excellent magazine. Battle of Brooklyn (American Revolution), Habbakuk: The Frozen Aircraft Carrier, WWII HomeFront Propaganda (The Cherry Ames Series for Young Girls), Military History on the Web Survey, The Internet Strategist: An Extensive Assessment of On-line Resources, Wargamer's Widow Web Surfs for History & Resources, news, humor, and more.
Dragoman Vol. Vol. 3 No. 1 (Fall 1998) and 3 No. 2 (Winter 1999); 20 pages; PQ A, WR A, IR A; The Dragoman 1524 S. 10th St. Ocean Springs, MS 39564 e-mail: burker1@aol.com; quarterly; US: $4 per year, Canada: $6 per year, $8 Rest of World
Special issue (v3n2) on Ottoman Cavalry includes Suvarileri, Sipahis, and Garrison Troops, cavalry tactics, recruitment analysis, Book Review (Ottoman Warfare 1500-1700), and more. (v3n1) Military History of the Ottoman Empire During the Napolonic Period (1787-1816), a chronology.
El Dorado Booklet #7; Terry Hooker 27 Hallgate Cottingham, North Humberside HU16 4DN United Kingdom. $25
Although not really a magazine, this 70-page booklet #7 from the South and Central American Military Historians Society features The Leticia War (1932-1933) between Peru and Colombia, and the "Football War" (1969) between El Salvador and Honduras. Includes historical analysis, OOBs, oral histories, and maps.
First Empire -- #45, #44; 40pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ A, WR A, IR A; On Military Matters, 55 Taylor Terr., Hopewell, NJ 08525; $42 per year, bimonthly. Another pair of excellent issues.
#45: Battle of Montereau (18 Feb 1814), Halle (17 Oct 1806), and Orthez (27 Feb 1814), Part 2
Dutch Revolutionary Wars (1787), profile of Marshal Jourdan, NA NewsDesk, Command and
Control, and more.
#44: Albuerra, Friendly Fire at Waterloo, Part 2: Waterloo Campaign 1815, Part 1 Dutch
Revolutionary Wars (1787), profile of Marshal Berthier, Napoleon's Imperial Wrath, NA NewsDesk,
and more.
The Frontline Vol. 1 Iss. 2 (1999), 40pgs.; 8.5x12"; PQ B, WR A, IR A; Rolfe Hedges, 32 Linnet Mews, Balham, London SW12 8JE, E-mail: Rolfscw@aol.com; 5 British pounds per year (UK), 6.50 pounds (Europe), 8.5 pounds (rest of world); quarterly. World War II heavy issue features articles on: Soviet Artillery in Street Fighting 1945 (Translation from a May 1945 Soviet article), Soviet Naval Infantry 1941-1944, Australian Armour in WWII The Australian Armoured Corps (AAC), Armour in the Norway Campaign British, French, and German in 1940, US Army Airbourne Organization June 1944 Company and Platoon TO&E, German Motocycle Infantry Bttn 1939-1941 TO&E, Armed Forces of Regional Powers in the Recent Congo Conflict, First Israeli Army (The Zahal 1948), Bay of Pigs TO&E, Hidden Movement in Wargames, Shopping Guide in Paris for Wargamers, Running a WWII E-mail Campaign, Painting Soft Plastic Figures, reviews, Rapid Fire TO&Es for Soviet Black Sea Fleet Naval Infantry 1980 and 1939 Polish Infantry regt., and the proverbial more.
The Gauntlet--#14; 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. A Bit of Napoleon 1813, The Chosin Few (Fox Company Toktong Pass November 28, 1950), Battle
of Rocquefort (Vendee Revolt 1794), Saving Private Ryan: The Bridge at Ramel, Renaissance
Campaigning, Wild West rules, Bayonets in the Bush (Askaris), Snakes and EDNAs Morale, reviews
and news on over 100 products, Web sites, and more.
Greenhill Military Book News No. 88-- 32 pgs.; 5.5"x8.5"; PQ B, 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 Latest issue (Jan. 1999) provides news and excerpts about upcoming books, including Barbarians, Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and His Myth, and others. Col. John R. Elting (Ret) Bio is fascinating.
The Heliograph #109 and #110; 48pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ B, WR B, IR A; Richard Brooks, Rte 6 Box 771, Saluda, SC 29138, USA, E-mail: brooks@saludasc.com ; $12 per 6 issues ($15 Canada, 15 pounds for Europe) The Heliograph 110 (December 1998) and The Heliograph 109 (October 1998) All things Victorian era colonial, including Pre WWI German East Africa uniform guide, many photos from the Spanish American War, photos from Die Deutschen Kolonien, HM Stanley: A brief historical background to Darkest Africa (includes excerpts), Painting Guide to the Ashanti Wars, loads of news and information about colonial products, and more.
The Herald #27; 48pgs.; 8.5x5.5"; PQ B, WR B, IR A; 2251 Wayne Madison Rd., Trenton, OH 45067, E-mail: mdemana@freenet.columbus.oh.us; $10 per 6 issues (US) From HMGS Great Lakes, an impressive magazine about chapter doings, with articles on American Indian symbols, scenarios, casualties over time, and more.
HMGS Dispatch -- Feb 1999; 40pgs.; 5.5x8.5"; PQ C, WR B, IR A; HMGS Mid-South, 101 Taylor Rd., Estill Springs, TN 37330; $10 per year (US) monthly. From HMGS Mid-South, an interesting piece analyzing various world hot spots, a first-person account of flying in Operation Desert Fox, and chapter doings.
The Journal -- #30; 68pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ B, WR A, IR A; Jim Webster, Sect., Page bank, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA13 0QT : In US Canada : Chris Scruton 1225 la Salle Ave., Apt 701, Minneapolis, MN 55043; $50 US per year for 5 issues.
Another 20th Century excellent issue: Luftwaffe camoflage, Polish paratroopers, Battle of Point 309 (Normandy), RAF P-51s, excellent Sherman Tank part 2 article, and an even better Part 2 Operation Sealion, a Falkland Islands (1982) scenario, plus all the latest info on models and miniatures. I bumped up the Wit rating.
Lone Warrior -- #125 (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. Merrill's Marauders (5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) Actions Burma Theatre February - May
1944), Winter Wonderland Fantasy, Gridlock (tabletop grids), Patrol (use those tabletop grids), For God, Queen, and Country (ECW Campaign Rules), Battle of Brauvogn (ECW Game Replay), WWII
House to House and Street Fighting, ACW Balloons, computer game reviews, and more.
The Matrix Gamer. matrixgamer@juno.com
The return of Chris Engle in an all-electronic version. Sample first issue available from Chris includes purpose of Matrix Gamer And new types. Conflict in Matrix Games Clinton, Congress, and Iraq. Sure Fire Strategy Getting Rid of Saddam Hussein from the Air. Hamster Con '99: Oct. 24-25, 1999.
Operations -- #31; 32 pages; 8.5"x11"; PQ A, WR A, IR A/D; The Gamers, 500 W 4th St., Homer, IL 61849; $16 per year (US), $24 (overseas), quarterly. The Gamers' publication covers their board games as well as military history. #31 (Winter 1998) includes articles on: The D'Avanzo column (British vs. Italians 1940); A Modern Naval "Game" of a Mediterranean Cruise; HomerCon '98 Convention Report, and more.
The Penny Whistle -- #39,40; 16 pages; 8.5"x11"; PQ B, WR B, IR B; The Penny Whistle, 1205 Allendale Dr., Greenwood, MO 64034; $12 per year, bimonthly. Articles include: D6 (WWII rules), Electrabowl football rules, Sniper rules for Theatre of Operations Rulesset, Missouri Confederation of Wargamers compact, and more..
Perfidious Albion #98 (February 1999), 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" Wit and wisdom from the UK with reviews of Risorgimento (1848), For The People (ACW), Blue Vs.
Gray (ACW), Invasion Sicily (WWII July-August, 1943), Tigers in the Mist (WWII Battle of the
Bulge), Arnhem 1944, Saratoga (AWI), Ypres 1915, and The Great Battles of Caesar (computer
ancients game). Plus the usual minireviews from in What the Players Say, Open the Box Stake the
Bunny, Designers Guild, For Your Nostrils Only, and Old Duffer's Book Reviews.
Saga 68 (Jan-Feb 1999) 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. I quite liked the Viking Combat Equipment and Tactics, as well as The Templars And The Battle Of Hattin. Also included: Descriptions of Dark Age and Medieval Armies Part 5, Mongol Military Might Characteristics of the army, Medieval Welsh Warriors and Warfare Weapons and tactics, Impressions of Fall-In 1998 Convention Report, Failing That Planning and Tactical Blunders on the Wargames Table, Glutter of Ravens Warfare in the Age of Arthur, DBM V2.1 Terrain Rules 31st October 1998 Rules, Early Medieval Polish Official Army List, Medieval Warfare Rule Changes, 1999 Schedule for MW and AW demos and more.
Seven Years War Asso. Journal Vol. X No. 3 (Winter 1998); 64 pgs.; 8.5x5.5"; PQ B, WR A, IR: A; Jim Purky 3127 Park Place Evanston, IL 60201 E-mail: jpurky@aol.com; $30 per year.
Seven Years War. Profiles of Austrian Sapper Corps, IR 49 (Prussian Pioneers), and Horace St. Paul. Brilliant and extensive 1998 Frederick the Great Silesian Tour of several battlefields, including Leuthen, Kunersdorf, Landeshut, Mollwitz, Bunzelwitz, Hohenfriedberg, Glatz fortress, and more. A must-get issue for 7YW buffs.
Slingshot --#201; 42 pgs.; 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. membership@soa.org.uk
The usual eclectic mix of all things ancient to medieval for historical and gaming interests. This issue is a bit more "gamey" than previous ones, so I almost downgraded inspiration to a B, but three articles really pulled it back up: the "civil war" in 1st C BC Judaea article, communal armies in the county of Flanders, and I'm getting to be a fan of Paul V. Walsh's work--his "shield" research analysis is enlightening and interesting.
Taisho -- Vol 1 No. 2; 10pgs; 8.5x11"; PQ B, WR A, IR A; Brian Bradford, 631 Ridgeway Lane # L, La Habra, Ca 90631, E-mail: KllrKatnas@aol.com; $16 per year (US), quarterly. This samurai newsletter includes articles on: Life of Mori Motonari, Battle of Gassan Toda Castle (17 April 1565), and Flags of the Mori (illustrated).
Tornado Alert #33,34,35; 16 pages; 8.5"x5.5"; PQ C, WR B, IR B; Tornado Alley HMGS PO Box 890031 Oklahoma City, OK 73189-0031, Editor in Chief: Dave Pritchett dryfd@aol.com; $12 per year.
After many months of being MIA, TA makes a comeback with three issues in a row. Samurai rules, convention and game recaps, convention listings, Murphy's Military Laws, Twistercon VII Convention March 19-21st, 1999, Schedule of Conventions Listings, Napoleon at the Gates of Smolensk 1812 Miniatures Battle, Spring Maneuvers (April 15, 16, & 17th Convention), and HMGS News from the National.
White Dwarf -- #227 et al -- 120pgs.; 8.5x11"; PQ A, WR C, IR B/F; Games Workshop, $50 per year, monthly
After a 3-year run, I finally dropped WD, noticing a decided trend towards less words, more pictures, higher subscription price, and more catalog-like advertorials than articles. I liked the dark sci-fi and fantasy worlds they created, but there is a decided lack of innovation in the product lines and story lines.
The Zouave 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) Zouave Vol. XII No. 2 (Summer 1998) and Zouave Vol. XII No. 1 (Spring 1998) are both color laden and popping with a new design. Battles of Fredericksburg, Gettysburg (first day), Ball's Bluff, Belmont, Drewry's Bluff, and Arrowfield Church. Logistics and the ACW article. Terrain making tips for stone and rail fences, and fields. Reviews and more.
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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