For this issue of Funnies, we have not a game, but a magazine. In fact, not the entire magazine but one particular page from one particular article in one particular issue of The Grenadier ... issue 32, dated June 1987. The article (which appeared on page 40, for those who prefer to read along) was Bill Stone’s Game Designers’ Census, and it started as follows:

“Back in 1980, when The Grenadier first conducted its census (in Issue 10), we had 29 responses representing a relatively high percentage of war game designers. For this second census, we have considerably more responses but -- because of the continued growth of the hobby -- I believe the proportion of representation has actually declined. Nevertheless, this year’s census offers an interesting cross-section of designers both very familiar and less well known.”

Less well known indeed. I had forgotten completely about this article, and am still at a loss as to how I made the cut. When I saw the article recently, I laughed out loud. Now, some of you may think you see a connection, whereas you are merely revealing your lack of subtlety, because most of the laughter was of the type usually associated with embarrassment.

After 14 years, many ... well, okay, then, most ... things have changed. But true, clear-through-to-the-soul embarrassment comes from the dated attitudes and the miserable attempts to be funny. Please point me to the nearest hole.

There were 50 designers featured in the article, from John M. Astell to Louis Joseph Zocchi, from James F. Dunnigan to Samuel L. Murray and from Jack N. Radey to Helena Rubinstein. Of these 50 designers, only two were women, the aforementioned Ms. Rubinstein, and Laurel Ann Richelle Cochran (of China Incident and Anvil-Dragoon fame). Including Virginia Mulholland and Linda Mosca, this brings to four the total number of women board war game designers identified to date.

But I digress. The Simulacrum data base showed 507 game designers still alive up to 1987, so fewer than 10 per cent were represented in the census. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to call this article a sample rather than a census.

Oh well. Alea iacta est, as they say.