Lt. Ted G. Franklin, U.S.N., USS Platte "The military figures used to beautify the article FRENCH INVASION OF ENGLAND IN 1810 by Harold Gerry -- the figure top left is a Russian Grenadier circa 1812-15. Positive identification is made by distinctive shako and collar. Also leggings, pack and cartridge pouch are definitely Russian. Also note facings on sleeve are of Russian configuration. Sorry it had to be the U.S. Navy that pointed this out!" Steve Curtis "I an just writing to thank you for your extremely kind write-~p in your Newsletter on my Western Gunfight Rules. I really am grateful. It is no "geration to say that I have had a flood of orders - so much so that I have nearly exhausted my initial printing and an seriously thinking of bringing out a second edition covering shotguns, Indiana, mountain sea as well as the rules for the classic gunfighters, already covered. In short I hope our rules will cover 54= close quarters fighting from the American Revolution right up to around 1900. 1 hope that the second edition will be ready next Spring. The only drawback to having all these orders was that few, if any, enclosed the shilling postage with their order - to make 5s. -d. in all. A minor moan - really I an very pleased with the whole project. One thing your readers might be able to help me with. "Sawed-off" shotguns. The Wells Fargo guards cut their shotguns down to around 2011 for the barrel - sometimes shorter still. Now - can anyone tell me what was the maximum effective range with such an arm? What was the spread of shot and the effect on human target(s) at close-medium-and-long range. Simple questions. But the answers are damned hard to find." S.R.Simmons "I have Just completed reading your book "War Game Campaigns". I found it a very rich source-book and most enjoyable in itself, the writing having a casual, intimate yet very factual and detailed quality of style. My main interest is in simulation games in general, of which wargames are a welldeveloped part. By studying the many simulations which have been created in the name of childrens games, it has been possible to draw some general principles of what makes these games enjoyable; and on the basis of these principles, the wargames you have described must be completely engrossing to the players. I am sure you are aware how widely simulation is used in modern times and at the moment, we are engaged on simulating diagnostic situations, practice-management situations and treatment planning in the sphere of dentistry. A strange game indeedl But these 'games' have had a markedly beneficial effect on the players skills in real life, and we are hoping to try some experiments with dental students to assess the degree of transfer of skills which these games impart. It had occurred to us (the group of dentists involved) that it would be very stimulating to visit a Wargame Club on one of their evenings to see how these games are carried out and having read your book, I think that it would be essential and a very enjoyable experience. I would be grateful if you could send me the names and addresses of secretaries of the Clubs in the Inner London Area so thats if possible, a visit to the Club(*) might be arranged. If there is any other information which you think might be useful or of interest to us, we would be very grateful for it. And perhaps one day, we could persuade you to play one of our dental simulations! It doesn't hurt... L.J.Suteliffe "I am a Venture Scout Leader, Venture Scouts being the 16 to 20 year old members of the Scout Association, and I mentioned the subject of wargamies to my lads. Of the dozen or so Venture Scouts in the Unit three were definitely keen on investigating the possibility and three or four said they would come along with the others. The remaining 50% of the Unit, though not immediately enraptured with the idea, will, I feel, take an interest. Would it, therefore, be possible for you to give me a stact an the subject within this area? Although I live in Epping the Venture Scout Unit is based in Loughton. Richard Slater "I have never played a wargame in my life, but as a devoted 20= collector and diorama fan I find your monthly Newsletter fascinating, so I have very much pleasure in renewing subscription for another year." John Robertson "At this year's Convention, I hope to have sufficient time for the Clubs represented to get together for a short while, and discuss future Conventions. I remember reading a letter about this, some time ago in your Newsletter, regarding the too great an emphasis on the actual table-rounds, and arguing over the various rules etc. Some of us felt at Worthing that it was about time, in view of the large numbers of Clubs willing to enter, that some points should be thrashed out. Dundee, Bristol, Glasgow, and some other Clubs felt that there should be some form of league, with the inter-club matches taking place all year round, and only the semi- and finals to be played at the Convention. This would enable more time to be spent in meeting other enthusiasts, exchanging ideas, watching new demonstration battles, and seeing the various trade stands and exhibits. We also dislike the sypmetrical type of battlefields which have been used to date, as we feel that this does not help find the BEST wargamer, but the one who can bend the rules to suit himself. Incidentally, this also brings in the point about Umpires and Rules. We feel that, although something might not be covered in the rules, the Umpire should be permitted to interpret the situation in the light of whether this was actual practice at that time or not. Thus, if a situation arose whereby, for example, one side wished to fire shell into a wood in the A.C.W., without knowing that the enemy was there, the Umpire would be permitted to say that although this situation was not specifically covered in the rules, it did happen in actual practice, and so would be permitted on the table. This means, of course, that one must have Umpires who are very conversant with the period they are umpiring, which again creates a great deal of difficulties. However, we are trying an experiment for this Convention. In addition to the Table Umpires, the compiler of the various rules being used, Phil Barker for Ancients and Medieval, Charles Dick for Modern myself for A.C.W., Dave Milaward for E.C.W. and Peter Goldsborough (on behalf of Merv Gibbs) for Napoleonic, will be in attendance as Referees. Each player will be permitted to appeal, over the head of theTable Umpire, to the respective Referee on not more than four occasions, but in all decisions, the Referee has the final say. This means that there is a form of "Higher Appeal", and, by limiting the number of occasions a player is able to appeal, ensures that time is not wasted on irrelevant details. Turning back to the symmetrical battle lay-out, the W.W.II section has come up with the answer for their section, at least. This is a normal type of layout, and written orders for the opposing players. Each side has a choice of four plans, all of which are in sealed envelopes, and are only opened when both players are ready to start. Each plan has different forces and objectives, and thus there are eight possible combinations. We feel that this should produce, as a winner a good general, rather than a good "rule reader." The final point is my own personal one. I wished for a Convention to be held in Scotland, as this gave us a chance to publicise wargaming up here. However, although agreeing in principle with the idea of the winner being host for next year, this does produce snags. 1, for one, do not wink any future Conventions to be held in Scotland, unless the rail-fares drop considerably, as the amount of time and money involved in travelling up here means that only a very few of the Clubs actually enter. Much as I loath to say so, I am beginning to feel that, unless the Club concerned is reasonably close to a large communication centre, it would be uneconomical for the Club to hold any future Convention." J.H.Bates "While I am writing to you I must mention a thought that occurred to me on reading Mr.Scotts article on cavalry in the May edition. In my battles if my cavalry is fired on by artillery or infantry while charging and more than two casualties are caused, then their next move is cut by one third because they are hampered by the slaughter of their comrades e.g. Waterloo or Agincourt. Since I fight solo no one has complained about this one yet." Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 104 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1970 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com