Phil Barker and I had a chance to get together this past week as he and Sue passed through Rochester on their way to Ohio. It gave us a chance to discuss the future of WRG/DBM and the expected new Renaissance rules, DBR. Phil says that in England, the old 6th edition players have gone over to DBM as well as the competitive WRG 7th gamers (a mixed blessing, he quickly added, as rules lawyers are attempting to tweak the rules to favor their particular armies).

Needless to say, in England, at least, it appears that the 7th gamers are in a decided minority. Phil gets a couple of 7th rules queries a month and pages of DBM questions!

At HISTORICON this July it seemed that there were an equal number of gamers for both rules systems. I believe that there were over two dozen 25mm players in the 7th NICT's and eighteen in the 15mm Nationals. The Crusader and Open Theme tourneys had more 15mm players, though I don't have any totals. DBM were equally well represented, though in 15mm, exclusively. All this was positive.

The only real negative of the weekend was being stuck in the out-of- the-way tennis courts, where few convention attendees wandered during the course of the convention. Not only was this a bit disconcerting-- being segregated as it were--but there was little opportunity to talk to conventioneers who night wander by (as in the past) and perhaps spur some interest in our segment of the hobby. I realize that the WRG Ancients tourneys are quite large, but to be placed out of the mainstream gaming area was not, in my opinion, a good idea. Hopefully, NASAMW will prevail on the convention organizers to allow us back into the main ballroom in 1996.

Back to DBR, Phil is anticipating a Fall release date. He said that the playtesters had two main reactions; they either loved it because it was so different from George Gush's rules, or they hated it because it was so different from George Gush's rules! Hey, it's hard to please everybody and don't we all know that. It should be interesting to note the WRG will be releasing the rules along with the first army list book at the same time...a wise marketing decision.

I would like to mention that ARMATI is also well-suited for this period, Phil correctly pointing out that the ARMATI games have the right look for the period; i.e. realistic looking tercios and army formations, right out of the old contemporary prints of the Battle of Lutzen. In fact, Dave Ottney is working on an ECW supplement to ARMATI which should be ready for publication next year, another eagerly awaited booklet!

This month in MILITARY HTSTORV (October, 1995), is my article on Simon de Montfort and the Battle of Muret. Jon Guttman, the new editor and Bob Maddox, the art researcher, really did themselves proud this time. They managed to find some original work which I suggested after seeing it in an old issue of the SMITHSONIAN magazine. It's amazing how much detective work is involved in finding usable art...and getting (read paying for) permission to use it. One of my latest endeavors is laser-copying any old art I can find in pre-1920 publications for my own work, fun and a bit of a game at the same time. Many of the old books are very hard to find, especially pre-1890, but well worth the effort.