Recently I lost my job in an executive change - after 8 1/2 years. In order to get to the office in Chicago I had to spend 5 hours/day commuting, so I hope to be able to find some sort of work around Lake Geneva.
During this temporary (forced) vacation I am working on a couple of board games for semi- commercial sale and trying to get some work in on miniatures rules and equipment preparation. Even so, it seems that there are too few hours in the day. I fully understand your being unable to reply at length to the correspondence you receive. Yesterday I mailed out 13 cards and letters, and I don't publish a 'gaming 'zine.
The Castle and Crusade Society's Domesday Book has been delayed due to mechanical difficulties - the mimeo machine has gone kaput! You are on the mailing list, but I cannot say when the next issue will be out.
Leon Tucker, Michael Reese and I are going to work on a finalised draft of the WWII miniatures rules very soon now. They will be given final play-testing by our local group (Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association) as well as several other groups elsewhere. We project publication in 6-12 months, the rules being done in 3 or more separate booklets. That way wargamers can use the entire set or merely pick up that part they wish to incorporate in their own rules.
Lake Geneva is a small resort town of about 6,000 population. And it is a very pretty little place too (although it seems that there are many at work trying to spoil its natural beauty and pollute the lake). Before the recent interest in winter sports it was pretty dead in the cold months ... the Playboy Club Hotel nearby has enlivened it a bit also. Anyway, there are some 12-16 wargamers in town now, but they are divided between boardgaming and miniatures. LGTSA is 90% miniatures activity, and the boardgamers rather resent our preoccupation with them, so they have not been coming around much lately. Our usual Saturday meet consists of 4-5 local players plus visitors from up to 75 miles away, for the sand table is a big attraction.
WWII is unquestionably the most popular period, locally and throughout the country, because of the relative low cost of the equipment and the ease of obtaining it. If only RoCo would make more US and British AFV's. It is easy to make a Sherman "Firefly" by cutting off the regular barrel and gluing on a gun from a M41, then cutting up thin plastic pieces for the radio gear box on the back of the turret. Sherman 105 can be made by taking off the regular gun, cutting down the barrel and mantle of the M36, chopping off the breach block, and putting it into the Sherman turret. A fair "Hellcat" can be made by taking an AMX hull (30), removing the exhaust system and continuing the sloped side all the way to the rear, putting on the suspension of the M41, and M36 turret, and an M10 gun. There are a few other conversions of Allied equipment that can be made without too much work, but, unfortunately, it is the German equipment which is the easiest to convert otherwise. It is too bad that Mini Tanks do not have a wargame consultant!
LGTSA is currently running a strategic/tactical (map movement/table-top battles when contact is made) game based on the German invasion of Russia in 1941. We have only just started, but as soon an it has developed a bit I will send you battle reports. The map we move on covers an area equal to 6 tables (6' x 10' each). Opponents are not aware of the exact enemy OB, and each sends movement and observation orders to a judge. I cannot tell you the size of the forces involved, as I do not know what the Russians have - probably a company of T34-76a's plus several infantry companies. The Germans (me) have an assortment of miscellaneous AFV's, A/T guns, about a company of infantry and some engineers and bridging equipment. My objective is to get across a river, establish a firm bridgehead, and continue eastwards if at all possible. With the number of M IV FlIs I have it will be touch-and-go if the Soviets keep their T34's in a mass and hit me all at once.
We are also planning to write up rules for Tolkien fantasy games, using LGTSA Medieval Miniatures rules as the basic starting point. Hobbits will be 20mm, dwarfs/ goblins 25mm, elves/orcs 30mm, men/Nalgul/Balrog 40mm, ents/trolls/dragons 54mm, and a few 7Omm giants to top it off.
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© Copyright 1971 by Donald Featherstone.
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