I have noted, with some consternation, the frequent requests of the editors of THE ZOUAVE for people to write scenarios for ON TO RICHMOND. I have also noticed the fact that none have apparently been submitted, which brings me to writing this short piece. Being a person who plays only with JOHNNY REB, I have a few friends who do game with OTR, and have come to some personal conclusions that might explain a lack of response from OTR players. First, I understand through the "grapevine" that Paul Koch, author of OTR has been too busy with some personal affairs to back his rules set recently. Certainly, he has written very little for THE COURIER of late, and that magazine tends to push OTR. This may be the reason that THE ZOUAVE has not had a response from Mr. Koch. There is another factor that perhaps plays an important part in all of this. While I will not go so far as to state that OTR is "non-historical", it does not present an accurate simulation of ACW combat statistically. The people that play it seem more concerned with getting a game over with quickly than in participating in the feel of a real Civil War battle. My friends that use OTR tend to know less about the war, spend less time studying battles and tactics, and seem in general to do ACW gaming as a sideline to other gaming periods. Have you ever seen an in-depth article in THE COURIER, for instance, giving the background of a particular battle to use with a scenario? Not meaning to grind an axe or cause hard feelings, I have heard from several friends in the East that certain persons have been "badmouthing" THE ZOUAVE because of its attempt to place scenarios in an historical perspective. Since the rumor comes from several unrelated sources, I have to assume that there is some truth to this. Such verbal trashing is a shame and is indicative of a major problem in our hobby. Egos and opinions seem to always prevent miniature gaming from reaching its maximum potential. Personally, I love THE ZOUAVE because it provides me with information not found in other sources. It is not surprising that advocates of JOHNNY REB would be a major support for the magazine, since many who use that rules set are interested in research. Dean West's scenarios and those produced by Ryan Toews and the editor seem well thought out - an indication of their love of the American Civil War. I have learned much from what I have read. It seems time for those that use OTR to realize that history IS the reason there is even a game to play. If people who use those rules don't write articles or scenarios, then it is either because they are lazy, or just plain don't care. This is fine if my statement represents fact. If not, they should begin to write scenarios and become an active part of this society. To complain about a lack of scenarios for a particular rules set and then not follow up by correcting the situation themselves merely points to an old syndrome of miniature gaming - let someone else do all the work! Perhaps you can get Dick Bryant of THE COURIER to provide some written material, since he is a strong proponent of OTR (and publishes those rules). Of course, I've noticed a general lack of emphasis on ACW in that magazine, so perhaps he is having the same problems as THE ZOUAVE in getting material submitted. In any event, I hope that this short article gets someone to move in the right direction! (EDITOR'S NOTE): I have discussed this problem on the phone with Dick Bryant ant he has promised to try to send some scenarios that have been played by a local club, of which he is a part. ON TO RICHMOND is a GOOD rules set for people who like playing large scale battles in a short period of time, and I fully support people who wish to use the rules. My complaint, like yours, is that so little is done to give scenarios out to people who have bought OTR, probably leaving them somewhat frustrated. I must point out that THE COURIER has helped let people know about our existence and Mr. Bryant should be thanked for this. Also, as per my notes from the editor in this issue, other rules sets have failed to have proponents write material for THE ZOUAVE, not just OTR fans! In fact, I had a recent conversation with Scotty Bowden, mentioning that he had never submitted an ad for SNB3 that had been paid for, had not written a scenario to promote his rules, and in fact had not even renewed his membership for 1988! His response was that he was "too busy". While I can certainly understand being busy, I can't help but feel a bit miffed that he can't find even a few minutes to help support us. The moral is that it's not just OTR fans or Paul Koch. Back to The Zouave Vol II No. 1 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1988 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com