While perusing the weighty pages of the last Potomac Wargamer Review (the March 87 PW Review, to be exact), I was roused from my usual somnombulence by the editor's exhaustive examination and penetrating criticism of the magazine "Miniature Wargames"(MW). Since the magazine is a favorite of mine, I subjected El Simon's attack to the closest scrutiny. As a result, I have come to the conclusion that his basic premise and cogent presentation of facts is irrefutable: MW is not full of "wargame idea" articles, as Wally labels them. But in thus condemning the magazine (by failing to give it the coveted Simon "OOH or AAH"), he is ignoring the broader issues. This is unfair! A rebuttal is demanded by common decency, truth, justice and the American Way" And so, tongue set firmly in cheek, I present my views. Perhaps their clarity will stir the editor, if only a jot or a tittle. In Senor Simon's breakdown of the content of MW, he implies that one of the magazine's failures is the inordinate amount of space given to advertising and the full color plates. Now, in an ideal world, we could dispense with advertising and get on with another cheeseburger in Paradise. But this is America. Unlike miniature wargaming magazines in this country, which are labors of love, put together by the sweat, blood and toil of dedicated wargamers who do it for free (or almost), MW is a commercial magazines that must make a profit to continue publishing. That profit does not come from subscribers and shop sales --- it comes mainly from advertising revenue. In the same vein, since a solid circulation helps sustain profitable advertising rates, increasing circulation by using good quality, full color photos of miniature battles seems a creative idea. It doesn't make sense to criticize MW for allocating space to advertisements or to color plates. They have to do it to stay in business! But where I differ most with Gospodin Simon's argument is in his contention that the contents of MW (and I assume all other wargaming mags) can be categorized into "Useful" articles and "Other" stuff. "Useful" is defined here as instantly transferrable from magazine to the wargame table. "Other" stuff, especially the history article, is not fit to be called useful, and should, one presumes, be relegated to the pages of "American Heritage', 'The Smithsonian", or "True Detective". False, I say! Revanchist doctrine fraught with bourgeois tendencies! Like many (most?) gamers, I came into miniature wargaming by the back door after being involved in board gaming only for many years. I suspect there are a lot out there like me--people with other related interests, such as general history and military history, building models, painting collector figures and dioramas, playing board games, etc. What this boils down to is that the hobby has many interconnected parts, all important to each other. For me, the history article sparks interest in other periods, and perhaps pushes me to read further. The articles on figure painting or terrain/building modelling lets me see other techniques so that my figures and buildings can be improved. Reviews on figures and books help me make more informed decisions on how to spend my limited wargame budget. Not being as eclectic (or as old) as The Lion, I do not have the vast storehouse of knowledge and experience that many "veteran" miniature gamers have, so I find the "Other" category "Useful" to me. MW magazine serves us well --- most of the time it provides a menu of wargaming articles on a wide variety of topics. The advertising lets us know what's new on the scene; book and figure reviews tell us about the quality of that new stuff. Notwithstanding the roars of The Lion to the contrary, MW is a wargaming magazine worth "oohing" and "aahing" about. And the pictures are pretty, too. Back to PW Review June 1987 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1987 Wally Simon 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