Dear Sirs;
Both the quality and composition of the format and articles has shown marked improvement. Keep up the great job.
Dear Brian,
We had the first meeting of our little ACW group and eleven people showed up. After viewing "Gettysburg In Miniature" we played the Cool Springs scenario from 3~j3~ Sound Of The Guns. Twelve hours later the Federals were declared the winner. Our next meeting will be December 29th.
Could you please send me about 15 copies of your flyers to hand out? Maybe we can pick up some new Society members.
Enclosed is a check for my yearly dues and a little extra in the form of a donation. I saw advertised some months back a book about the regimental flags of Pennsylvania regiments, but can't remember where I saw it or anything else about it. Ever heard of anything like that?
[Editor's Reply]: Thanks for the donation - we really need it! Yes, the name of the book you're talking about is Advance The Colors (not to be confused with the rules set I wrote by the same name), which can be purchased, I think, from either Old Soldier Books (301) 963-2929 or Morningside Books (800) 648-9710 (toll free number). By the time this magazine has reached you, you will have already received the requested flyers. Thanks for helping!
Dear Brian,
Last night while reading issue 151 of The Slingshot (yes, I like Ancients too), I ran across what I thought was an excellent comment on their declining membership. I quote: "....hints at one of the problems of success: if you stop growing, you think something has gone wrong. What our forebearers did in the face of success was nothing. They carried on what they wanted to do, in the way they wanted to do it There is no reason why the Society should not continue now to do what it wants, the way it wants. We are not a political party, needing policy reviews, or tinkering with unpopular legislation Our success or failure as an institution does not depend on emerging victorious in some kind of popularity contest. Our success depends on whether or not we are having fun. Twenty-five years ago it took twenty people to found the society. We wail and gnash our teeth because our membership falls below a thousand. But we forget at our peril the statistical likelihood that what goes up will come down; and then go up again."
Perhaps this is a little long-winded, but you get the point. The money to keep going is a problem, I know, and the only solution is to maintain a certain membership level, which can be done by not hiding your very excellent light under a bushel. Anyway, this is all a tad bit self-serving, since I enjoy your publication and wish it to continue.
[Editor's Reply]: It's letters like yours that prompted me to continue the magazine for at least one more year, even if I had to take a loss on it. Being a bit perfectionistic, I don't want the quality of the format or articles to diminish due to a lack of money or time. The Zouave will continue, and if worst comes to worst, there will just have to be fewer pages. Yes, we will advertise and hope for the best. Got any friends who might want to join?
Dear Brian:
I think it would be a great loss to the wargaming community if The Zouave were to cease to exist due to a lack of membership. I think you should advertise in order to bring in new members. This does not necessarily have to bring you into the realm of wargaming politics since you already have an adult view, and I cannot see any outside influence changing the neutral stance of The Zouave while you are editor. Quite to the contrary, The Zouave could only be well effected if opened up to a larger readership.
Have you thought of asking some of the figure manufacturers whom you are friendly with to send out Zouave flyers with every order of ACW figures? Secondly, you could also put the subscription up by about $5 or so - it's well worth it. I would also like to offer my services in the U.K. if you will send me some flyers so that I can have them copied and sent to many of the major conventions in this country
On the same subject, why don't you just put one in every copy of the magazine and put a little piece in asking people to display them at local events? You have, in my humble opinion, the best and truest "wargaming" magazine in the business and it would be a sin to lose it.
[Editor's Reply]: Your letter was one of those that made me decide to keep going through 1991. We will likely try out advertising this year, and will also start encouraging more advertising within The Zouave. Only one figure manufacturer or distributor has stepped forward in the way you described -- Stone Mountain Miniatures. They helped get us started with flyers before the first issue of the magazine went out. As far as raising the price, we are likely to do so in 1992 (assuming that we make it through 1991 with more members), but by far less than $5. Your other suggestions have been noted and acted upon. Thanks for your support, both in words and deeds!
Dear Brian,
Here is my 1991 membership and I hope this is quick enough. I have also added a ten dollar donation to help make up for the 10% loss of members. Considering the quality of your publication, I am surprised membership has gone down. Anyone I show it to is very impressed.
As you may know, I am the Newsletter Editor and a Board Member for HMGS Midwest. Our newsletter, The Phoenix, is a quarterly report on our activities. I have enclosed a copy in case you haven't seen it. All this is by way of stating that I would be happy to hand out fliers for you at our Little Wars Convention this year. Please let me know if I can be of further service. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season. My wife and I are expecting our second child any day, so ours will be a full experience. Take care.
[Editor's Reply]: Yours was another of those letters that gave me the energy to pursue this project for another year. Yes, I would love to take you up on your offer of assistance. Would you be willing to become our "rep" for the midwest area? The pay is nothing, the hours are lousy, and we don't even have a pension plan - but, we could sure use your help! The job title simply means that you pass out flyers at ACW events in the area and give us the scoop on what will/did happen at the various conventions in your area. As regards your second child, my hope is that he/she was born in good health and that the later teenage years are kinder to you than mine were for my father! Congratulations to both you and your wife.
Dear Mr. Scherzer,
Mr. Bley's "Battle of Perryville" scenario in your Fall/90 issue looks awesome. My small club doesn't have the figures to play one that big yet, but we are working on it. In his article, Mr. Bley made a comment about a Johnny Reb Rules stand with 8 figures "smashed onto it". You don't have to do any smashing. All you do is add 1/8th inch to the regular Johnny Reb stand for each additional figure If you don't want to have permanent regiments that large, make a temporary one by making a base that holds two smaller stands. After the scenario, you just remove them from the larger base and you are back to two smaller regiments. Playing these large regiments can add an interesting twist to a scenario. They can do a terrible amount of damage, but if one routs it leaves a terribly big hole in your line. I hope that these suggestions are helpful.
[Editor's Reply]: This general topic is probably long overdue for discussion in these pages, especially since Johnny Reb seems to have more followers amongst our readers than most other rules sets. Actually, depending on the figure manufacturer, some of the "15mm" castings are so large that one would have to "smash" them onto a correctly sized base.
However, I have found that by making the stands a full one inch in depth, rather than 7/8th inch, seems to solve the problem without altering anything that would happen on the table. As regards the Perryville scenario, Dale sent that in several years ago and, because of the number of figures required, I didn't use it until recently. You could always use On To Richmond or Fire And Fury to play the larger scenarios (or any number of other larger scale rules sets). Refer to Clay Cooper's review of Fire And Fury in this issue!
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