Maybe game publication has slowed down a bit across the industry, but this hobby will still keep you plenty busy. Origins '97 happens in Columbus again this year, the weekend of 19 July, and historical gamers will find events of interest there, including the SCS tournament, the double-blind Austerlitz, and the MiH Tank Commander tournament. Details on these events appear in this issue. The special DAK display at The Gamers' booth will be something to see. Of course, the Charlies are awarded also. If you have not done so already, fill in the CSR awards ballot on the mailing cover and send it off.

The Game Ratings Chart still does not include ratings for some fairly new games (including several that I have asked you to rate) because they have fewer than eight votes. Games with at least one vote in the database include Achtung-Spitfire, A Bold Stroke, Europa Universalis, Fields of Glory, Friedland, Glory, Geronimo, Jena, The King's War, Krieg, Red Parachutes, Samurai, Stonewall's Last Battle, Typhoon, and Zorndorf.

Aside from desktop publishing for game production and the magazine, the decentralized culture facilitated by networked personal computers influences the way publishers and players interact. The technology not only lets me produce the magazine, but it also helps me receive and consider your contributions faster than Redmond Simonsen ever could pulling paper submissions out of a literal mail bag. The situation now is something like SPI's MOVES magazine, but with an even higher percentage of "guest" writers.

One way the World Wide Web and print media complement each other is that it's great to have a book or magazine in your hand while you wait to hit a server and download a page. Internet-connected fans of Operations, The Gamers, and wargaming in general will also appreciate MagWeb. You can find a good compilation of wargaming journalism there, including back issues of this magazine. I encourage you to check it out at http://www.magweb.com.

Beyond these pages, Lee Forester has a very interesting site with details of the play-by-e-mail game of GD '40 he ran. If you have a modem and even a passing interest in the TCS, check out this content-rich site at: http://www.hope.edu/academic/language/forester/gd40/

One correspondent recently asked for more feature content in Operations, even at the expense of dropping or shortening some of the magazine's regular content. What do you think? Do you want more feature (article) content? Can you tolerate smaller type in some of the supporting sections (e.g. the "errata")? What regular items can you most easily do without? Which regular items are the most valuable to you? Send me e-mail at daved@enainc.com or a paper letter at The Gamers' address.

One piece of news that even I learned first on The Gamers site is that Dean is offering limited edition prints of David Pentland's original D.A.K. and Crusader artwork at bargain prices.

Another autumn is approaching, and with it HomerCon. The Gamers Retreat will be Thursday through Sunday, 25-28 September 1997. We won't be open Wednesday night. Arrive in Champaign Wednesday if you like, but the con doesn't start until Thursday morning, 8:00 am. See you there. Hotel info is:

Bugetel Inn, (217) 356-8900., Block number: The Gamers, Inc., $53.95

Courtyard by Marriott, (217) 355-0411, Confirmation number: 76189 through 76212 $69 or $75 depending on Queen or King sized beds

Howard Johnson, (217) 359-1601, Confirmation number: 18736 Rates are $44 for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, $70 for Friday and Saturday.

(The Red Roof is booked; we couldn't get space there.)