In the December 1989 issue of the REVIEW, I referred to an article in the latest COURIER on EMPIRE. I addressed, not the rules themselves, but the fact that while the author saw the rules as a "super simulation" of Napoleonic warfare, one man's concept of what a simulation should contain could be 180 degrees out from that of the next fella's. Bob Coggins, new miniatures Napoleonic game, NAPOLEONS BATTLES, has just been published by Avalon Hill, and as a young lad with a newly vested interest in the rules writing game, Bob decided to use my comments as a base for making a few points of his own. One thing I immediately noted about Bob's piece is that in referring to me, he mentions in passing, "one of ( ... my... ) ingratiating traits" (you'll have to read his article to find out what it is) , thus implying thereis at least one other. I gave this some deep thought... I'm thinking of sponsoring an "ingratiating trait" contest... since I've got at least two, this may prove to be a winner. But back to business. Bob submitted the article immediately following this introductory piece; he starts out by translating my generalized comments on simulations as a direct critique of EMPIRE. A good ploy. In fact, this is an excellent ploy... setting up a straw man as the devil incarnate, upon whom you can now wreak vengeance because he dares to point out a competitor's weak points. But Bob doesn't stop with a mere "Wally bashing" ... evidently, this only serves to start the adrenalin flowing... the blood lust is on him, and he goes on to challenge all of British Authordom!! Yes, Bob the Berserker casts off his clothes, and, with a good supply of foam and spittle, bites down on his shield, and charges into the midst of the Brits! Striking left, striking right, he spares no one on that tight little island across the Atlantic. I'm looking forward to Bob's next input in which, it is rumored, he takes on, and lashes out at, Albanian, Hungarian and Romanian wargame rules writers. After that, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Papua... why, there's no end to the possibilities ... but for now, you'll have to be content with the Brits... Back to PW Review January 1990 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1990 Wally Simon This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com