GI Dispatches to the VC
Letters to the Editor
by the readers
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Hi Pete, You now have a page on the WEB: http://www.erinet.com/bp/hmgsorig.html (Let me know if you see any problems with the page). Also http://www.erinet.com/bp/hist.html has a link to it a the top of page as well as several other pages at the site. This page receives a few hundred hits a day. So that should help get the word arround. We will also include info in this months flyer. Thanks for all your hard work on the HOT 98. It should be a great way to recruit gamers to historical miniatures. Pete, I have updated the HMGS GI page: http://members.aol.com/bfempire/hmgs.html I also updated the BAPS and BFE pages: http://members.aol.com/bfempire/bfe.html Note the new SAR pictures on the BFE page. Despite the long, military tradition at Texas A&M University, the VAST majority of the gaming in the Bryan/College Station area is dominated by Magic, fantasy role playing, and Games Workshop. In a year in the area, I have slowly rounded up a handful of historical gamers. In an effort to bring more out of the woodwork, I am running a game day 20 June 1998 at the Memorial Student Center (our version of a student union). At this time, I have 10 historical events lined up and I hope to add five more. The game day will begin at 0800 on the 20th and run all day in three four-hour sessions. Because of the unofficial nature of the event, there will be no admission fee. I am attmepting to spread the word Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. I think that I will ge some sponsorship from HMGS Tornado Alley and MidSouth. This will be a great opportunity for us all to get together and play historical miniatures all day. Currently scheduled events include:
Incidentally, the name of the convention goes back to when I was a cadet at West Point. My senior year, I played a bunch of WRG(6) against Joe DiCamillo. He would always play the "good guys," as Emperor Camillus the From: Eric.Schlegel@pilot.ih.navy.mil]
Buck,
Your comment about the composition of Texas A&M gamers reminded me of a
game I saw at Gamecon a couple of weeks ago. It was a Warhammer game run by a
bunch of Games Workshop guys on a 6'X15' table. They had a horde of bad guys
(orcs, goblins, undead, etc.) attacking a lesser amount of good guys (elves,
dwarves, rangers, etc.) in some fortified positions. I figure there were
somewhere around 1000 figures on the table. The bad guys were attacking along
the short side of the table. They played for about 6 hours and about 1/2 of
the bad guys and maybe 1/3 of the good guys were never engaged. The bad guys
were just stacked up rank upon rank for about 4' of table space.
Pete,
You seem to be one step ahead of me as far as "wish lists" and big projects. I wanted to do Eban Emael, and I discovered your scenario on MagWeb. Then I wanted to do Maleme, and you mention the same thing. What was that saying about great minds?
In the near future I plan to finish work on some other BAPS scenarios we've been playtesting up here: US Paras attacking outside of Ste. Mere-Eglise on 6 June; Germans attempting to break out of the Cherkassy pocket; and, a coastal raid by Soviet naval commandos against Jagers
(haven't gotten around to this yet, but I've already found a source for a 1/72 Soviet patrol boat). This is all real small-scale stuff, maybe a platoon equivalent per side.
I'd be more than willing to help out with the terrain for any/all of your projects, just let me know. When I receive my DFS-230 I'll figure out how to go about casting more -- I haven't done it before but I have a handle on how to start. It's a resin kit so hopefully the fuselage and wings are each one-piece molds, that would make it easier. By the way, I envy your nearby cadet labor pool! I'll canvas our club and see who else wants to get involved. Pick what you want to do first and I'll help out anyway I can.
Here's the contact info for Roll Models: Roll Models ,Inc. 2709 Vale Crest Rd. Crystal, MN USA 55422-3427 Voice @ (612) 545-0399 Fax @ (612) 545-0899
They also sell a Focke-Achgelis Fa-223 helicopter, which Skorzeny's men were prepared to use to extract Il Duce. When it broke down they brought in the Storch and the rest is history. Would make a neat scenario twist, but unfortunately $46.50 is a little too rich for my blood. One thing I plan to try is to give the German players extra "Goebbels propaganda" points for performing heroic/daring deeds in LOS of the official Reich combat cameraman. It's one thing to frag an enemy soldier, but clubbing him into submission with his own rifle while holding schnapps in your off hand is stuff for the newsreels!
One more thing you may be interested in. An online bookstore called "Articles of War" just came out with the official New Zealand history of Crete. I was considering picking up a copy for myself. Homepage: http://www.sonic.net/~bstone/articles/books.html
Davin, D.M. CRETE . OFFICIAL HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND IN THE SECOND WORLD
WAR. A limited edition reprint of probably the best overall account of the operations in Crete in 1941. This volume chronicles in great detail not only the operations of the New Zealand forces defending Crete, but an excellent study of the opposing German parachute forces during the battle of April/May l94l. A detailed day by day account opf all operations to the surrender and withdrawal on June lst. 1997 reprint of l953 ed, 6 1/2 x 9 1/2, xvii, 547 pp, 58 photos, 28 maps, notes, appendices include OB's, losses, escapes, bibliog, index. $ 54.95 Great selection of other titles here also.
Talk to you soon,
From: Chaplain (CPT) Grant E. Johnson warchap@juno.com
Dear Sir:
I am one of 4 miniature wargamers here at Fort Campbell, KY that are also active duty Army Chaplains. I knew that you are interested in keeping active duty wargamers in contact so I thought I would send you a brief note.
I own many figures: 15mm & 25mm Ancients; 15mm Renaissance, 25mm Colonials, 25mm Wild West & Pony Wars, 15mm Prussian & Austrian 7YW, 15mm French & Indian War, 15mm AWI, 15mm WWII eastern front 43-44, Blue Max WWI Bi-planes 144th scale, plus a whole bunch of yet to be painted stuff.
My other Chaplain hard core gamer has a large 25mm Napoleonic French vs. Austrian collection, 25mm French & Indian War, and a collection not yet complete of ACW & Italian War Miniatures and 20mm WWII early war.
I look forward to hearing form you soon. I have richly enjoyed your Pony Wars, and other articles that I have seen you publish.
From: Chaplain (CPT) Grant E. Johnson warchap@juno.com
Tuesday, May 12, 1998
Pete,
I thought I would drop a quick note,
I designed a battle field sand-table for the battle of "Cowpens" and prepared all the figures (1 to 10 scale) in 15mm. I plan to use it at Nashcon 98. I did the entire battle-layout as a sand-table, for the staff briefs while I attended my Chaplain Officer Advanced Course, at Fort Jackson SC. Part of the course was to have your group do a battle-brief, as a staff ride exercise. Our battle was the Battle of Cowpens, Jan 1781. Bernie at the Emperors HQ, helped me get the elusive figures for the British Legion both Cav & foot. (Tarleton).
At Nashcon I will also try to run a Don Featherstone Skirmish Wargame in a "wild west" game. My basis probably will be MWAN's #91, p103-105 Wild West Scenario. As time permits Armati and WRG are the other games I plan to get involved with.
I plan to come to Historicon this year. I hope to see you there. My friend Chaplain (MAJ) Jerry Owens is leaving Fort Campbell, KY this June and is moving to the Fort Meade, MD area. He asked where you where located and what POCs there are for wargamers in that area. Let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks for now
HERE's our Response:
Dear Grant and Jerry,
Thanks for your continued interest in HMGS and HMGS-GI [Gamers International]. We'll do our best to help you find some of the key persons in your geographic and interest areas. The HMGS POC's in your AO:
HAWKS (Harford Area Weekly Kriegspielers) a wargaming club in Harford County Maryland.
Are you an HMGS MEMBER? Your region at Fort Meade would be HMGS EAST.
(If you haven't joined, one years membership and newsletter subscription is $10. Just send them a $10 check for and they'll send you the complete member listing for your area.) BE SURE to tell them you want to be on the list of "HMGS GI members" you get extra free stuff through HMGS International [me] for that. Please send them and me your snail mail address and data so we can keep you updated on the HMGS action. (Include: NAME, ADDRESS, Phone/fax/email, Primary HM Gaming Interests.) With your email address I can send you HMGS-GI electronic newsletters also.
HMGS EAST CHAPTER:
HMGS EAST SHOULD GET YOU THE FOLLOWING (PLEASE ASK FOR IT)
*[If you receive no response please let me know, I monitor this for HMGS National]
I know the region is big, but many folk know other gamers in other areas and can further refer you.
keep asking even after you've found a few contacts. Otherwise you might miss someone 2 blocks away. (I've discovered this a few times, only weeks before I shipped out; I regretted that I stopped looking so early.)
Here are a few other contacts, email and etc.:
First use the Wargame Opponent Finder database:
This should be enough for now, more soon from other locales, and I'll put you on the HMGS GI List.
Best,
Pete
Pete,
You are more than welcome to come to Bayou Wars. I was under the impression (misguided, probably) that you would be too busy to come down to Bayou Wars, given your involvment in Origins. If this is not true, please consider coming down. This year shapes up to be our biggest yet, with a number of dealers who have requested to come to the con, based on good results from other dealers. Let me know. The dates are June 5-7.
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