Club rivalries in America are rather strong. For the club offices, inter-Club feuds are very nearly the only wargames we have time to play. Two great super powers (I mean Clubs), the International Federation of Wargaming (IFW) and the Spartan International Competition League (SICL) (pronounced Sic-ell) each have first rate photooffset magazines and thereby tremendously outclass all other Clubs (IFW 370 members, SICL 285). Curiously enough, our idealogical differences are over Club organisation, the strong central leaderships, "efficient" and unchanging (Charter Founder Russell Powell is still in command), the IFW based on democratic ideals of Republican self rule, (and plagued with self-interest), rapid changing of officers, scandals, politicians in the Chicago (Mayor Daley) sense. We even have a rising third power, the it. John's Military and Strategy Club with their improving (but not photo-offset) magazine "D-Elim". Our feud is conducted mainly through personal letters among Club officers and supporters, (SICL is California based, IFW Chicago based - both have a strong ground of contention in New York, home of D-Elim), publicity blurbs and cartoons, and in competition of services rendered to the hobby. If we did not make increased service our main weapons, that is, if we just insulted each other to our respective memberships, both Clubs would lose so many members, neither could survive. We also have to watch out for subtle attempts at internal trouble making. Once, after Powell called one of our officers long distance for a few hours, he had that officer convinced that he should hold onto the issues of International Wargamer and not mail them out. Anyway, wargaming in America is even done on a grand scale. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 122 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1972 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