Time on Board indicates earliest arrival hours of new units. Players have the option of bringing units on board later than indicated above.

As many of you probably don’t know, Richard Gutenkunst is a grognard. His bona fides include an appearance in the masthead of Vol. II, No. 4 (the July -August 1968 issue) of Strategy & Tactics ... that’s pre-SPI and Jim Dunnigan if you’re paying attention. And if not, well let’s just say that Mr. Gutenkunst has been in the thick of the hobby for over 30 years. In fact, he told me the story once of how Chris Wagner (the original and founding editor of S&T) had bestowed a lifetime subscription to S&T on him for his most excellent work for the magazine. When Jim Dunnigan took over editorship and ownership of S&T with issue 18, Richard’s lifetime subscription rolled a D Elim.

It’s these kind of stories that threaten to turn Simulacrum into a gossip rag, so please don’t go around repeating them. In the past 30 years, Richard has gone through a number of new directions in his life and his lifestyle. Loose talk about sex-change operations is just vile slander that doesn’t bear repeating. But the fact is that he now has more discretionary time to devote to the hobby, especially as it relates to his own particular talents.

For Richard is not only a researcher of note, he is also a master counter-maker. His counters are made from the finest stock. They are thicker than the standards we’ve become accustomed to -- not as thick as the old Battleline counters, but with a similar solidity, heft and feel. In addition, his counters aren’t die-cut. Oh my goodness, no. They are sheared by a razor-sharp blade, so every counter is centered, there are no messy corners that require clipping, and the top edges aren’t chamfered.

In short, these are the finest counters you’re likely ever to see. Now, you might wonder what hand-made counters have to do with collecting and accumulating board wargames. Quite a lot, actually.

Do you want to play a game without punching the original counters? (Please note that this is a hypothetical question, and not intended to advocate that anyone take this course of action and become a tort feasor.)

Did you find a playing copy of a rare old game that was missing some non-blank counters?

Have you played Beda Fomm so often that the counters are completely worn out now?

Do you yearn for a more accurate variant of an old classic?

Sometimes it’s simply impossible to obtain a set of replacement counters, at any price. One options is to make your own, but if you are like me, you will have neither the patience nor the temperment, and the results will need to be burned in the privacy of your own home because the landfill operators won’t touch them. The other option is to make the acquaintance of the afore-mentioned Mr. Gutenkunst.

Richard is currently in a penitent mood. He tried to take on the job as publisher of the Strategy Gaming Society’s newsletter Strategist, but was unceremoniously yet rapidly replaced. His claim that he was trying to get fired would be laughable if it weren’t so patently absurd. But anyway he has made an offer, and I have it in writing: “I’ll send a free copy to any of your paying subscribers from the U.S. who might need a copy.” There. If you want a set, please contact Richard at the address at the end of this article (if you contact me, you will have demonstrated a basic misunderstanding of one of the 12 commandments, and will be dealt with in due course by the authorities). And if you are not a paying subscriber, you can still get a set of counters by sending $5.00 to Mr. Gutenkunst. Finally, if you are loathe to part with a 33-cent stamp, you could photocopy the counter sheet on the facing page and make your own, on the understanding that neither Simulacrum nor Mr. Gutenkunst can be held responsible for any adversities resulting from such a foolhardy endeavor.

The counter set you will get will be the German counters as shown on the facing page, which will make Avalon Hill’s Bulge ‘65 historically acceptable. You will also get more detailed instructions on how to go about using these variant counters. Since you can no longer obtain parts for Bulge ‘65 from Avalon Hill, these counters will come in handy as spare Germans, as well as assuaging Mr. Gutenkunst’s guilty conscience.

This offer also gives me the opportunity to point out that Richard is a valuable asset to the hobby, in that he has a few other counter sets available (the Artillery Park from PanzerBlitz is one that comes to mind). In fact, if you’re interested in SPI’s Blitzkrieg Module System, the pass-word is “Aggressor Homeland”. But more than that, Richard makes his services available, on request, for a most reasonable and affordable price. If you are missing some counters, of any shape or size, for any game, Richard will make replacements for you.

To avail yourself of this offer or of any other services, the contact information is as follows: Richard Gutenkunst P.O. Box 580636 Minneapolis MN USA 55458