I wish to thank Clay Cooper and Butch Taggert for their help, without which this magazine would never have come into being. I also would like to thank those few who have so far submitted articles. We still need many more, and ask all of our members to dig into their free time to add to the pages of what has become a successful magazine.
There are a few other magazines being published which may interest you. The one most related to the ACW period is VOLUNTEERS, written primarily for AW boardgamers, although some articles may deal with miniatures or other related subjects. VOLUNTEERS came out at about the same time we did, and I have received 2 issues to date. While I have never played boardgames, I found VOLUNTEERS most informative. I adhere to the philosophy that boardgames are almost impossible to do without if you do miniatures wargaming. In playing a large scenario or campaign, you might do best to use the boardgame to get into contact, then switch to the war table for combat resolution. VOLUNTEERS will most certainly be an asset in determining what boardgames you might want. Published quarterly, a subscription costs $6.00 and can be ordered from Bill Koff, 146 Chimney Lane, Wilmington, NC 28403.
There are two other magazines that contain general information about miniatures wargaming, THE COURIER and MIDWEST WARGAMER'S ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER (MWAN).
THE COURIER is, of course, the. premier miniatures magazine in North America and covers all periods. Much of the knowledge I obtained about the miniatures world came from that source over the past years. Published 6 times per year, a subscription is $16.00 and can be obtained by sending a check to Box 1878, Brockton, 02403.
MWAN, the brainchild of Hal Thinglum, is also printed 6 times per year, but costs only $10.00. Hal covers all arenas of miniature gaming, is quite thick, and contains many well written articles. While not as slick as THE COURIER, I was shocked to see how much information could be packed into the available space. Checks should be made payable to Hal Thinglum at 22554 Pleasant Dr., Richton Park, IL 60471.
I have received a fair number of letters from members who wish to purchase painted ACW figures. Unfortunately, I have received none from people who have armies for sale. My guess is that demand far exceeds supply. We would like to have a 'for sale' and wanted page, which would be free of charge to our members. Anyone wishing to buy or sell Civil War items (businesses excluded) should send word to the editor.
One dilemma still facing the editors is trying to guess whether or not our readers would prefer more gaming related articles, or whether they would like to see a lot of historical writings. The few members who have commented thus far have pushed for a more historical orientation, while retaining such things as miniature figure and rules sets reviews, plus scenarios. I hate having to guess at what you want to see, so all members are requested to write a brief note on this subject.
I am more inclined to bring an historical flavor to the pages of THE ZOUAVE so as to appeal to a wider base of Civil War buffs (that's an editor's constant wish). Personally, I have been quite disappointed with Civil War Times Illustrated's lack of intensity regarding printing material that I can use to learn more about battles, tactics, and troops. We might be able to take up the slack -- but I want to know what YOU want!
It's not hard to see that Clay and I are still the main authors of articles published in THE ZOUAVE. While I admit to enjoying writing ACW articles, the magazine would be better served if others. make contributions. Because my major interests are the Army of the Cumberland and artillery, THE ZOUAVE may soon become too specialized for many readers. Even our offer of a prize has not made most of you pick up a pen or work out on a typewriter! Don't remain passive readers -- become active participants.
Speaking of active participants, Ryan Toews of Manitoba, Canada is the winner of our contest for "Best Article" and will receive the Confederate bond as his prize. Ryan's. article, "Tactical Parameters. of American Civil War Battles" can be found in this issue. Ryan will also be doing some scenarios for us, the first of which (Iuka) is contained in this issue.
Our comments about being willing to present a format for convention ACW tournaments seems to have met with a deafening silence. There has been little in the way of suggestions. or commentary on this. topic by our members, presumably because nobody is interested in the concept. Such may be for the best. As a result of this, we will not pursue the topic further. However, we would like to put a "bug in your ear" regarding the possibility of an ACW convention where rules authors put on demonstration games to teach the intricacies. of their rules. Any interest out there?
PHOTO CREDITS FOR THIS ISSUE
Due to a lack of space we were unable to say much about this issue's photos. All are from the collection of the editor. For anyone interested, the uniforms of the 7th N.Y State Militia are light gray with dark gray trim-- just one of the Federal units early in the war who wore gray! The regiment spent most of their time in the Washington defences.
PLEASE NOTE
We had planned to include a scenario on Cedar Mountain, along with a personal account of the battle which was written by a member of the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry. However, the article turned out to be more than we had space for in this issue (about 14 pages long), so we decided to delay both for future issues. Instead, we are running a scenario researched by Ryan Toews on the Battle of Iuka, one of the moderate sized battles fought early in the Western theatre. In the future we will refrain from announcing in advance what scenarios or articles will be included in an upcoming issue since such is dependent on space availability.
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© Copyright 1987 The American Civil War Society
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