"I returned from Israel last year and as soon as I have caught up with the household odd jobs that have accumulated in my absence shall renew my interest in table-top battles. Whist abroad I visited several places of interest to our hobby notably Crusader ruined castles and sites such as Belvoir Caeserea, Tiberius, Acre, the battle sites of Horns of Hattin, Mount Taber. I returned via Cyprus and Istanbul, the former place displaying more signs of imminent hostilities than I ever found journeying around Israel. Both Greek and Turkish Cypriots glowered from behind crude street barricades in Nicosia;the only reassuring feature being the presence of United Nations troops. Whilst in Istanbul I saw and heard playing the most ancient military band in the world -- the famous Janissary band. The military museum was filled with relies from Crusading age until the World War II period. The museum even boasted the original chain, heaped up on the floor, that stretched from the Golden Horn. A floor was also devoted to officers and dignataries uniforms of the Sultanate period. There was no real discernable military cut at all. In fact any one of them would have passed with distinction in any local carnival. The colours however were varied and garish." --R.J.Capon (Bournemouth) "I don't do too much wargaming but lately I have been going to San Jose once a month for a game with the big group there. San Jose is in the San Francisco Bay region and about 115 miles from Atwater. Its funny, but since scruby folded up publications of his magazine, the western part of the U.S.A. has been quiet - few, if any, will contribute to other publications it seems. You were wondering about your first subscribers - I was definitely one of them. I was in Spain when you broke with Scruby and somehow you never sent me the "advertisement" copy of the Newsletter (April 1962, Vol. 1. No. 1) and I never heard about the break with Scruby until May 1962 when Richard Dickson wrote me. I wrote you late in May and you sent me a copy of the June 1962 issue. I still have your letter and a letter saying you were out of April and May issues." --Ray Jackson (California, U.S.A.) "I have just got back from a return visit to Kinsale in Eire, poor weather I am afraid. I should think that the Battle of Kinsale would make quite an interesting wargame. It occurred in 1601 and the Spaniards were installed in Kinsale and were putting up a very spirited defence. The Irish relieving army, included a Spanish Tencio, which fought to the bitter end: the battle being won by a successful English cavalry charge. --Derrick Atwell (Sheffield) "I have been having a bit of trouble trying to find wargamers on Manhattan Island. One of the biggest cities in the world and probably one of the wealthiest it still seems to be deprived of wargamers, or at least wargamers who come out into the open, join together, and form clubs. To my knowledge St. John's University has a group and there are a few groups in Queens and Brooklyn, BUT, to bring my French (Napoleonic) Army of 800+ pieces is indeed a problem when one must travel by means of rapid transit, i.e. trains and buses. Therefore, in the hope that I might find at least one soul on this "deserted" island who has the facilities to conduct a wargame in this very congested city, I am enclosing the proper amount for an advert." (Appeared in June Newsletter - Editor). --D. Evans (New York, U.S.A.) "May I, with your permission, blow your own horn for awhile? My brother and I have recently begun to build up our Ancient armies using Aloys Ochel's painted flats. As he doesn't like to paint, and I have too many Colonials to paint neither one of us wants to take too much time out to paint up our Ancients. We are using the rules in your first rule book, and I imagine may soon add some of the embellishments from your "Advanced Wargames" book. What I am really pleased about, though, is that when I decided we needed more information I went back to my pile of old Wargamer's Newsletters and was pleased once again with the amount and quality of information I found there. Yours is still one of the few magazines that has kept on publishing solid information, rather than attempting to attract subscribers with an empty, but fancy layout. I am sure that if any other period strikes my fancy in the future, ,I'll get a good start on it from your magazine. Our Ancient battles have turned out quite well. My brother is supplied with Romans, Greeks, Carthaginians, Gauls, Celts, Germans and Etruskans, while I have the Persians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Scythians and Sarmatians. If I can find flat makers who produce unpainted figures of Mongols, Indians, Japanese and other Oriental Ancients, I will add them to my army too. My brother is the Kingdom of Belorabia and I am the Land of Zinj. We are divided by the sacred River Balus, the Mountains of Doom, the Great Vaste (a desert), and the Marshlands of Dakar. de have had about four border battles so far, neither army having been able to gain much territory yet. Today we have another, and I am invading. The Belorabians are commanded by Hannibal and the Carthaginians are the centre of their strength. My Great King, or King of all ieigns, is Darius, and the Persians -ire the centre of my kingdom. However, there may be a coup forming, composed of Egyptians and Assyrians, led by what has proven to be my most successful commander so far - Sargon, King of Assur." --Doug Johnson (St. Louis, U.S.A.) "One question that many American readers might share with me is if Americans are planning to visit England (or U.K. at all) is there one best place to write to to obtain the names and addresses of Wargames Clubs? Here in New England we have formed the NEWA and are the only organised wargame group for 300 miles around - out in the Midwest it is worse! If you could perhaps indicate in an editorial the best way to contact gamers it would be a great help. Also any gamers coming to New England can get an extensive list of players in the area from the Editor of our publication "The Courier"." Dick Bryant (Brockten, Mass, USA) "You will find enclosed a copy of "The Sentinel", which is the monthly publication of the Palm Beach Gardens High School Wargames Club, of which I am President. We have 13 members and wargame in almost any period, both on land and sea. I included it because I thought you might like to see how well one of the smaller American groups is doing. It is a very "grassroots" publication, but we are proud of it. If any of your associates wishes to have a copy, tell them to write me and I will see that they get one. There is no subscription cost. Likewise, we would appreciate any groups over in England to send us their magazines, or we would be glad to accept any articles they might wish to write about." --Bob Stone (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.A.) "I have enclosed a cheque for 2.10 pounds and would be very happy to renew the subscription on the Wargamer's Newsletter as I find it most informative and invaluable to the hobby. I have already picked up many valuable hints from your articles. What I would like to see more of would be any articles on different rules, not necessarily the whole set but any parts which might help the wargamer build up a set of rules which suits him as at the moment I am having the same trouble and am not satisfied with a number of sections of my rules especially saving throws and cavalry charge. I think too much use of the dice can spoil a wargame. Anyway that is my opinion." --I.Ferguson (Gt. Bookham) "I admire your determination to keep the price down, however one cannot fight inflation single-handed. Post charges go up in the autumn and I am sure most of us would expect a subscription increase then. However, all that really matters is that the magazine continues to run. Good luck. --D. Stiedl (Reading) Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 112 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1971 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