Larry Irons sent me an interesting email about a scenario he did on the Battle of Magnesia. In the game, he noted that the elephants and scythed chariots were not vulnerable enough to Roman missile fire as they apparently were in the actual battle and suggested an optional scenario rule whereby they would have to take a morale test for being fired at.

Our rules are designed to be adaptable. Scenario games are a good way of using 'new' options to attempt to replicate historical outcomes. In this respect, I feel the rules will be ever evolving. On other rules groups, I constantly am reading about how this system or that is 'better'. Well, every rules system is better in some ways or another. Finding a system you like and feel comfortable about it what it is all about. An adaptable system is what we have tried to produce.

I will be teaching four courses at two different colleges in the fall, SUNY Brockport (my old alma mater) and GCC. This should certainly keep me occupied and it also gives me the chance to bring military history back into the classroom. The social historians have all but made the 'great man' and dynamics of empire and warfare a dead issue, according to some recent reading I have done. Last semester, I tried to bring the focus back…see, I'm a 'throwback' not only in my rules, according to some contributors to TMP and ancmed, but also in my teaching focus!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to using miniatures in the classroom again this next semester. Bruce Taylor was the highlight of the course with his examples of Napoleonic warfare. This year, I'll also be using my Greeks, Romans and Normans to show their tactics and methods of fighting. It's always interesting to see how the students react to the visual dynamic of a battle. You never know where you might pick up a new recruit.

See you at Historicon where we will be putting on nineteen SAGA events!