Jamie,

Howdy. Someone mentioned to me that you were handling SAGA these days, and that you might be convinced to insert a tourney notice into that August publication. [August publication? Chris it comes out more often than just August...Fish]

If that's the case, here's the scoop:

TwinCon DBM Tournament 1997
Sunday 25 May 1997
350AP two-list open, three rounds
Referee - Craig Harrison


More information:
Chris Cornuelle (612) 659-0573, bob@isis.spa.umn.edu

Thunderbird Hotel - between the Mall of America and the airport, Bloomington, MN (612) 854-3411

Rules: DBM 1.3, with the DBM 2000 terrain rules. If you need the latest copy of the latter, please contact Chris Cornuelle, or see Richard Bodley Scott's web site, http://www.byzant.demon.co.uk/terrain.htm.

Other: This is an HMGS/NASAMW event, so non-NASAMW members should bring an extra $5. Craig is whipping up many prizes. There will be a DBR introduction game on the Saturday, a Fornovo refight. The "Jeff-off" challenge battle is tentatively scheduled for Saturday night. Pre- registration is encouraged. We can guarantee visitors a first-round battle against one of our local minor nobility.

Locale: Late May is the best possible time to visit Minnesota: no snow, no sub-zero temps, and no mosquitos. The hotel is a sling shot from the Mega-Mall, the airport is in sight, and downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are 20 minutes away. So there are plenty of distractions for the accompanying non-gamers.

Adios,

Chris
C.S. Cornuelle

Dear Terry,

A bit for SAGA. No, Terry and Jamie are not "hostile" to D.B.M. - they are unconverted. "Hostile" is when you don't print anything on the set you hate, or make snide comments on it without allowing a reply, or print one paragraph of the reply along with a page of Editorial rebuttal, all experiences I have had. Loyalty to old friends, favorite garments (may I mention The T&R personality- -warping Hat?), [HEY, I resemble that...-Fish] lost causes and sets of rules with which you are content are all admirable. And everyone should write their own rules once, if only to appreciate the difficulties. I do personally think it a shame that two gamers whose favorite armies are cunning Normans and wild Scots are depriving these of the opportunity of really terrorizing opponents, but that is how the cookie crumbles, or as we Romans put it "sic friatur crustum dulce".

The way to convert players is to persuade them to play a game against a friendly, helpful opponent who will explain the nuances as they come up and who will lose, expressing chagrin at being outplayed. I am rather good at this, since for some reason people are not surprised at my losing. Conversely, do not let them play their first games against win-at-all-cost jerks who measure in millimeters and invent strange tactical practices to exploit what they think of as loopholes.

The last resort is to seize Terry and Jamie and chain them to the table and make them play a DBM game in public with a kindly knowledgeable umpire to explain the difficult. [So this is were my daughter gets her violent tendencies heh? I should have known exposing her to Phil when she was less than a month old was going to have ramifications-Fish] Whoops!, less simple, bits. If they then do not utter loud praises, the game must be repeated with each being allowed supporters to distract the other side. Maybe Terry's could continuously read aloud rave reviews of other manufacturers' figures and Jamie be assisted by Ali [aforementioned daughter] throwing custard pies (small accurate ones of course)? She will vote for that.

As Phil, Terry and I are old friends, I have sent my reply to Phil so he can make his counters. For as Phil, we cannot stand editors taking shots while denying that opportunity to the writer. Basically my letter says why not support both systems? -Fish

Dear Terry,

I'm enjoying SAGA. Happy 50th birthday! [50 huh?] Hope some day you'll edit SPEARPOINT again. I much enjoy the fact that even though you are a WRG 7th advocate/afficionado, the articles and editorials during your tenure were very historically oriented and all games were respected and appreciated. Currently I'm completing my collection. I exclusively use 15mm [Ah, how I envy those who can still see well enough to paint 15mm. -Terry] and have most historical armies (no burmese, War of Jenkins Ear, or Eskimo armies yet, however). I want to mention Tin Soldier U.K. from which I obtained Roman Eagles, Turkish horse archers and Swiss command as well as colonial Ethiopians which were well done and including actual postage much cheaper than figures bought in the U.S..

Terry's response

[ Thank you, George, for the kind words and birthday wishes. Insofar as SPEARPOINT goes, I feel that Chris Damour is doing an excellent job. Under Dave Ottney and my tenure, the journal did have a more historical slant, for I am an historian first and foremost, and a gamer second. NASAMW exists primarily as a vehicle for establishing and supporting convention gaming. My own thoughts run counter to this. SAGA exists primarily as a vehicle for exchange of ideas, historical perspectives, new gaming formats and lessons in Ancient/Medieval command. You can see the conflict of interest here. Paul Georgian, when he was president of NASAMW, gave me a free hand in the content of SPEARPOINT. It was made clear that the new administration wants a much more 'hands-on' approach. To tell you the truth, George, I feel strongly that we are all better off having these two, different approaches to our respective publications. It keeps them diverse and appealing to both sides of the aisle.]

Dear Terry,

I just attended the fifth and last Vi Ci Con, the historical miniatures con in the SF. Bay area. I was at the first one, then moved to Seattle for three years, now back in CA to attend the last one. It is going to be replaced by "Celebrate History" a commercial/professional attempt to combine toy soldier/model collectors with war gamers and re-enactors. Looks like quite a challenge.

I'm also playing my own rules (YLRAC) when I can find time and a willing opponent. YLRAC is modified TACTICA with a fantasy element to encourage teenage players. I'm also helping Scott Hayes playtest "Broadsword", another historical set. I'll probably start playing your FGWH. I really like avoiding anything that has developed an "established" feel such as DBM or WRG 7th. Both of which are cursed with being written in "English" rather than in "American" and often result in rules lawyering. I'm a lawyer by profession, I really don't want to be one in my hobby.

Dear Terry,

Attached is my renewal. I guess persistence pays. What turned me around was the article on Pall Armata. That of information alone is worth a subscription. By the way I think you do a great job with Saga and I know you are not in it to get rich. So thanks from a fan. The reason I nearly didn't renew was because my interests have shifted from medieval and how to play WRG7/DBM to a more general interest in early modem history, books, figure reviews and such. I do like your interest in new rules and am eager to play yours.

I think I recall you publishing field reports from readers visits to Europe. I find that to be very valuable information. So attached is my contribution. Feel free to print it, edit it or trash it. If you find it of value I'll send anything relevant I find on My trip to Rome next month.