Thanks to the Little Wars 2000 convention and a TV appearance on Chicago cable's "Tecora Rogers" show, I was able to fit in a half day at the home of Hal Thinglum, Editor and Publisher of MWAN. The offices consist of rooms with cubby holes, computer, and tables, not to mention closets full of a variety of publishing knick-knacks and paraphenalia. Of note is its neatness--but I suppose the orderliness makes sense if you have to publish a 192-page magazine every other month.

I managed to assist Hal in getting his OCR functions on the scanner working. Although not difficult per se, it requires patience, especially with the "lite" (read crippled) version of software suupplied with the scanner. While there and testing, I managed to see that rare item: Issue #1 of MWAN (and promptly scanned it too)!

Issue 1 was only 20 pages long, typed, and looking very thin compared to the current issue. As I was scanning, explaining, and showing some tips, tricks, and techniques, we also talked of many things in a comfortable, easy-going meandering of topics, including scanning, publishing, the Internet, rules, books, and gaming.

Eventually, we descended into the basement, where a 6x16-foot table, well terrained and set up with thousands of English Civil war figures primed for a tabletop battle. Hal noted that the two armies had been staring at each other for about a year, but sadly, had not clashed. Perhaps someday they would, but the set-up looked great, and had it been at Little Wars, I guarantee many an eager Roundhead or Royalist would have been pleased to have at it.

Most of all, Hal enjoys the researching of a period, with game playing far down the list. Long-time subscribers of MWAN know Hal's prolific brush has been stilled of the last few years, but he's picked it up again, and I saw 25mm Seven Years War figures starting to come to life.

On one side of the wall and rounding the corner to fill half the other side are floor to ceiling plastic shelves neatly filled with boxes of troops from all eras and periods. Hal pulled some of these out, and some of those, showing off his 25mm 7YW, 20mm WWII, and so on. We exchanged ideas on troops and figures, painting, terraining, and the best and worst aspects or military history, products, and wargaming. He pulled down some painted 6mm castles he found in a dollar store. I mentioned I had been experimenting with 2mm Napoleonics, and Zip...Out came some samples so I could touch on some points--as if you can really point out anything on figures the size of a grain of rice. Personally, I find these fellows accurate enough for the scale, even if any one stand represents any troop in the horse and musket era.

I was treated to a wonderful meal, followed by more chatting and examining. At one time, he pulled out a number of old 1970s wargames magazines--including one that I had written for way back when (Pursue and Destroy).

Alas, it went all too quick, and it soon came time to withdraw, but I very much enjoyed his company and hospitality.