This issue will end SAGAs third year of publication. In many ways, this has been a volatile year... there has been the WRG rules controversy which took more than it's share of time, energy and space. I finished my M.A. degree this past Spring, which also took an immence amount of time, and tried to keep SAGA going with only the timely intervention of my co-editor makng it possible to do.

To be perfectly honest, I gm serious thought to discontinuing publication. First of all, a newletter of this size (100 subscribers) does not attract advertising. I sent letters to every major (and some not so major) figure manufacturers, distributors and hobby stores. Exactly two of them bad the courtesy to respond. Without advertising monies, SAGA is published each year a loss -- not a massive amount, but still in excess of several hundred dollars.

This year, I will again send out these letters, trying to attract their notice. Granted, 100 subscribers does not a world make, but we are certainly a targeted group--i.e. we all buy and play with ancients miniatures. Having been in business for over 20 years, I know how useful it is to evaluate your customers' buying habits. Yet, most of the manufacturers do not seem to realize this... or care--at least not in respect to advertising in a smaller publication. I would like to take a minute and thank those advertisers who did take a chance on an ad in SAGA: Kevin Fitzpatrick's Games, Crafts, Hobbies and Stuff; Geo-Hex, Thistle and the Rose Miniatures and Campaign HQ. Thanks for your continued support.

The fact that many fellow games and subscribers have given us so much encouragement that we do fill a void in wargaming has convinced me that to discontinue publication, would be detrimental to ancients gaming. For this reason, we will continue to publish SAGA and make it an even better newsletter, incorporating articles and news from various regional efforts - note in this issue the articles which were first published in the newsletter of the Ottawa S.O.A. Wargaming Club (thanks to Keith Wilkes kind permission, allowing us to reprint the material).

Gary Comardo

I am also pleased to annouce that Gary Comardo (at right) has joined the SWA staff as an Associate Editor. Gary's rules have long been a favorite staple of SAGA readers and his articles are always inciteful and enjoyable.

With this issue, I am including a resubscription notice for those of you whose subscriptions are up for renewal. Subscriptions will be $15.00 a year ($18.00 for Canada and $25.00 Overseas Air) for the next 6 issues. I regret the increase, but in order to break close to even, it is necessary. For the added money, each issue wi11 be larger (4-12 pages more than the current 44/issue) and will be more evenly balanced for both the historical gamer as well as the competitive ones. Historical ticles will be more evidenced (note Gary Comardo's article on the early days of Israel as well as the treatise on Agricola's 1st Century A.D. conquest of Scotland) a regular letters column will appear. Of course, battle reports and new rules also will be published, figure reviews will be presented and research results from various individuals will be published as well. WRG will still be discussed with Phil Barker answering questions and commenting on trends in general as to his new fast-play rules, new army lists, etc.

All in all, I am very excited about what this new publishing year will bring. Sure, I would love to expand into a Courier style publication, but limitations are very real, so the old Xerox machine will still be the main medium of print, and, since I have not found the necessary funds to purchase a computer, my friendly (sometimes, anyway) Smith- Corona will be the keyboard of choice. I hope all of you have enjoyed SAGA so far, I know a lot of you have written me, giving encouragement and even willing to forward the necessary postage when the Postal Service managed to destroy several copies of SAGA en route! A few individuals have even volunteered to send me a few extra bucks to help defray the costs of printing. I will try to be more punctual (this is beginning to sound like New Years!) in putting the newsletter out as well.

Unfortunately, I can't put an issue together until I have the necessary articles to fill it! This is where you come in ... send me a copy of your local club forum, with permission to use whatever you wish to see in print; send me your own army lists, battle reports, research on tactics, whatever. I just had an article published in Military History magazine (October issue) on the Battle of Tannenberg 1410. My first published article was three years ago. . . in a hobby magazine! It is a start, believe me. Send me what you've got and you'll be a published author (even Dave Armer can claim this honor!)