Dear Terry,

Enjoyed the last year of SAGA. It is always on time and epitomizes Ancient gaming and scholarship. I like chariots, elephants, barbarians, Roman discipline and the values of Rome when it was an agricultural nation--dignity, loyalty and seriousness. My favorite articles are those where people dissect an army and describe its components, strengths and weaknesses. I also like articles where people describe battlefields and museums. If any readers know a manufacturer of 15mm Koreans, please let me know.

Keep on writing in heroic style reminiscent of Harold Lamb and the Eagles in the Snow author as opposed to the mindless babbling of many current history tomes that drive kids to orcs and such fantasy creations.

Response (Saga 66)

Dear Terry,

I've always found in your works various information I wanted but could get nowhere else (e.g. Scottish OB's) and we all think you do an excellent job. Medieval Warfare looks great; I still haven't gotten it to the table (kids, the so-called 'real world', etc.). I'll get there someday.

Dear Terry,

I am enclosing a check for a one year renewal to SAGA. I was planning not to resubscribe, but I will give it one more year.

Why was I not going to resubscribe? Basically, too much of the space in SAGA has been given over recently to your Medieval Warfare rules. I play DBM and ARMATI. I was not sad when 7th was replaced. It was fine it ints day, but has been left behind by DBM and ARMATI. Since you seem to have designed MW as a replacement for 7th, I have no plans to purchase it and have no interest in reading about it.

Also, to be completely honest, for the same $25.00 I am getting SLINGSHOT from England. It is larger and longer, contains great historical pieces, covers DBM, and it even comes with a free game once a year. In the competition for my limited hobby dollar, SLINGSHOT would win if it came to a choice. As I said, I will give SAGA one more year. Should it continue to be dominated by Medieval/Ancient Warfare, then this will be my last year.

Ed. For years, unlike David, I was sad that 7th had been replaced by DBM. Characteristically, I tried to play the new rules, but quickly realized I simply did not care for their style of replication. Stubbornly (along with a few hundred other stalwarts), I continued to play 7th, all the while wondering if there was something out there I would enjoy better. ARMATI was being playtested, and Arty Conliffe sent me early editions for testing and comments. I added my two cents, resulting in a couple of rules, as well as several army lists which I researched and wrote up. Still, ARMATI did not have what I felt was necessary to replicate warfare on a tactical level, the level I was most interested in gaming.

I turned to the ACW, working on a set of rules which had been in the works for almost twenty years, took on Steve Phenow as a partner, and have recently sold them to WARGAMES for publication under the title, MISTER LINCOLN'S WAR. These are tactical, one figure equals twenty man, rules. From there, I decided to work on a Medieval set of the same tactical scope, utilizing many of the conventions and rules from MLW.

Why? Because I refuse to waste my limited gaming time playing rules I do not enjoy. This project has literally taken two years, three to four hours (or more) a day, seven days a week. SAGA is also my project, going on eleven years in the making. I do this because I like to do it, I'm certainly not getting any richer! If others can derive some enjoyment from it as well, so much the better. MEDIEVAL and ANCIENT WARFARE are most certainly not a rehashed WRG 7th. They stand on their own as a new and innovative tactical rules system.

As to why SAGA has been filled with articles and writings on these rules, ask yourselves what would you put in a magazine of your own? Would you write about rules you don't play...or like? Would you rather analyze campaigns and battles which you are currently involved with? I print everything I receive. If you see few DBM/ARMATI articles, it is because I have not received any this issue. Instead of white space and blank pages, I end up filling each issue as best I can, usually with my own articles. Those who would like to see different things, write them up and send them in! It's that simple.

Dave, thanks for resubscribing and send me some DBM and/or ARMATI material if you would. Note: I sent this letter to Dave for his response, which follows...

Terry

I hope that I did not mislead you with my letter. I completely understand why you are filling SAGA with articles about Medieval/Ancient Warfare: these are your rules and SAGA is your magazine. I have no objection to that. I also understand that you want to read and write about gaming systems that you enjoy. I have the same feeling and that is why I wrote my letter. As I said, I play DBM and ARMATI, not 7th or Medieval/Ancient Warfare. It is because I, too, want to read articles about games I play that I told you that if SAGA continues to concentrate on MW/AW, I will not resubscribe.

When I first got into Ancients, 7th completely dominated the hobby and SAGA was great and was very helpful to me in phasing into the hobby. As long as the hobby was dominated by one system our interests coincided. With the breaking open of the 7th monopoly by DBM, ARMATI and various other rules, including yours, our interests started to diverge. There is nothing wrong with that, it is simply that I took to DBM and ARMATI and you have not. You want to write about MW/AW and I do not want to read about it. It is as simple as that. On the other hand, I will try to get some articles to you in the future. We have a DBM tournament coming up in April in Columbus, so maybe I will write up some battle reports and send them in.

Ed. Thanks for your response, Dave. I look forward to your articles. My only closing thought is, why not at least take a look at one of our games? At HISTORICON in July, there will be three Ancient Warfare games being put on and at least one Medieval Warfare scenario. Please stop by to see why I am so excited about these rules. Hey, you might just like them after all!

Dear Mr. Gore,

Jeff Ball and I are currently discussing sponsoring a game of MW at HISTORICON based on a clash between Poles/Teutonic Knights/Lithuanian-Russ against Mongols prior to Liegnitz (1241) using the new Old Glory 25mm line. In preparing for this battle, I have developed several additional rules for your MW rules, including modifications on the feigned flight, move and fire for skirmish cavalry and evade rules you already developed, all designed to capture the unique characteristics of Mongol tactics.

Ed. Thanks for the subscription to SAGA and the offer, Dave. I would be most interested in seeing your modifications. Please e-mail them to Bruce or mail them to me, if you would. I'm always eager to see what others think and put into practical use as per MW. We'll definitely be seeing you in July! The scenario sounds great.