The South Bay Game Club

Hobby News

by Chris Salander

November/December

Have You Come to Fremont Yet?

When we were worrying about the attendance in the summer, one member told me, "Just wait until the weather turns bad, then people will start showing up." Darned if he wasn't right. All four of our November morning games were at maximum capacity, and there were players for the two evening games as well.

Whither Scenario Hobbies?

The Fremont City Council voted to pick one of four plans from four developers for the site that Scenario sits on. Chuck wanted the plan where he would get a separate building that he could own. That plan lost. Another plan was chosen based on its mix of housing and commercial space, and senior low cost housing. One council member introduced a motion that would have allowed Chuck to have a "condonimium" arrangement where he owned a piece of the strip mall, but that was voted down. However, every one of the four developers pledged that they would do right by Scenario. (Yeah, right.)

An idealistic store clerk may tell you that the developer could clear and build half of the block, put up the buildings, and then the store would just move over to the new building right away. It ain't gonna happen. That is not the way developers will work. The entire block (except for Carl's Junior) will be leveled and cleared down to the bare ground. Then the utilities go in. So Scenario may be gone for a while. The key for us will be getting the schedule from Chuck.

The foundation for the Cupertino Library has been poured, and the structural support steel girders have been going up. They were doing the second floor three weeks ago.

Hal Needs Help

A continuing topic of conversation among many wargamers since before ConQuest at the beginning of September has been: "Have you gotten your MWAN yet?" The deliveries of the latest issue (125, I think, with the red stripe), have been smeared over several months. I still have not received mine.

This is a call to action for all of you. Hal Thinglum has been assembling, publishing, and mailing the wargaming magazine MWAN completely by himself every two months for many years. While The Courier has declined in content and become unpredictable as to when it will arrive, MWAN (Midwestern Wargamer's Assocation Newsletter) has increased its content substantially and improved its production quality. It has become the de facto wargaming magazine in the United States.

Unfortunately, Hal is getting burned out and is talking of dropping the work altogether. I am asking all of you who know anything at all about MWAN, to write to Hal immediately and tell him what a great job he is doing and how he can take it easy and get some help and keep MWAN going. halmwan@hotmail.com

Here are some suggestions:

Go to quarterly and don't start again until 1Q2004.
Reduce the content by reducing the number of pages and/or enlarging the font size to increase the number of pages that an article takes up.
Raise the subscription fee above $35 a year and use the extra month to pay someone to help him.

We need to keep MWAN going. It is central to our hobby.

Television and Movies

I won't say a peep about Master and Commander, except to point out that many critics who have never shown a particular interest in historical movies or sailing ship movies have been giving this movie their highest rating.

A few months ago Military History Magazine published an article by erstwhile club member Jon Rickman about the demise of the Samurai in Japan. A federal government and a federal army were formed and the Samurai were told to disband and go home and get regular jobs. A significant number refused and started the Samurai Rebellion. Now this episode in Japanese history is being brought to the big screen on December 5 as the movie The Last Samurai. Looks like some interesting battle scenes. But to get most Americans, particularly women, to watch it, the movie centers around an American loping around Japan at that time, played by Tom Cruise! Oh well.

Keep an eye out for the movie Timeline from Michael Crichton. The book sucked, because it was basically a screen play already, lacking the detail and flow that you expect in a novel. However, the ads show what looks like an excellent medieval siege. It lasts for a while and should be interesting. And there are some Sci-Fi elements too.

It is an embarassment of riches for sailing ship combat fans. The A&E Channel is broadcasting two new Horatio Hornblower movies in December. The first movie is "Loyalty", airing December 2.

Supposedly there are two sequels planned to Pirates of the Carribean.

AND, I cannot leave this subject area without mentioning that FARSCAPE IS COMING BACK!! There will be a four hour mini-series next year. Filming starts next month. At what point in time they will position this story, I do not know. Bitchin!

U.S. Distributors - Denouement

I am still vacillating about SEWS, whom I discussed in earlier newsletters. One member told me he had to wait 14 months for a shipment from them. But I just got my order, in about 4 weeks, and complete. But I placed a similar order for Irregulars directly with the manufacturer, and they arrived in less than 2. The cost difference? A 20mm cavalry figure from the UK was 90p ($1.35), plus 45% for overseas postage, or $1.96. Through SEWS is would be $1.35 + a little postage spread over the whole order. I will definitely go for cheaper over faster, but SEWS doesn't stock/list many of the WWI figures I am interested in.

My order with Eureka Miniatures came screaming back to me in less than a week. Another member had a similar experience, but he was also shocked at the postage across the Pacific. Fortunately for him, he was the first person to use their new web site to place an order, so he got his order with free shipping!

I ordered something from Tin Dictator, using his web site ordering system, and it came *the same week!* His main emphasis right now is on WWI, and some fantasy. But check him out. He has been clever and placed his ads in the British mags, which we all read.

Other Hobby News

A minute of silence, please. Geo-Hex has gone out of business. Stores will still sell what they have in stock, but it will not be replaced. Drop those car keys. I have already checked D&J Hobbies. It's all gone.

Hasbro has introduced a new Special Edition of RISK. It comes in a circular metal can and features plastic casting of the 50th anniversary metal figures, including the standing infantry man, and the cannon with the dual trail and more detail. This is a special report for those people working on LPA armies and training young relatives in the hobby. The set is 50% more than the standard version in the cardboard box. The BIG appeal to me is that the figures are already off the sprue and all the flash has been trimmed off!

Most of you have probably already been spammed by someone about the upcoming Ancient and Medieval Convention at the end of January 2004. While it appears to mainly be an outlet for the tournament-mad folks who play DB* and WRG rules, there will be a few participatory historical games for sane people. I will be running the battle of Zama in 15mm and Jon Baldwin and Ix have committed themselves to some sort of mayhem (probably also involving Carthaginians).

Ancients & Medieval Conference 2004

www.geocities.com/ancientconference2004.com/

Marriott San Ramon

Fixing Figures

Recently a member had some figures smashed up during shipping. This is an all too common tragedy. If it every happens to you, ask me for my article on how to pack figures for shipping so that you can send it to the culprit. In the meantime, you have to figure out how to straighten out your figures.

In the Good Old Days, figures had a high lead content, which made them softer and easier to bend. You just needed to heat them a little, even just by holding them between your fingers for a few moments, before you bent them back into position. Now, with the widespread use of pewter, the metal crystals do not slide past each other so easily, and you can hear quite a bit of cracking when you bend a pewter figure. Still, heat will work, but you have to get the figure warmer.

Put the figures (standing up, if possible) on top of an insulating material on a pan into an oven. It can be a small toaster oven if necessary. Experimentation will be required to determine how long to leave the figures in. Make sure the oven is on Low. Take a figure of identical composition that you do not care about and put it in the oven and leave it in until there is noticeable melting. Note the time taken and put your batches of figures in for half of that time. If your test figure still has not melted after 10 minutes, take it out and just put in your lot of damaged figures for 10 minutes.

When you pull the figures out, you should be able to correct even dramatic bends while the figure is warm. Don't wait until the figure is cool enough to touch. Wear gloves and use pieces of dowel to hold the figure down and bend the parts into the right positions. Do not use knives or pliers, even if they are needle-nosed. You will end up with nasty serrations on the figures. Bits chopped off. Tweezers are OK. But work that dowel and those finger tips.

If you make a bunch of puddles in the oven, don't blame me. You can't go off and watch a football game. You have to watch the clock. If the figures are painted, the paint should be OK if it is of good quality, or enamel.

Dave Partak

In spite of all of the base closings in our area, we still have one member who is an actual soldier. He has been called up and here is his first bulletin. He is destined for Iraq.

I am writing from the armory in Apple Valley, California. Needless to say my departure early Saturday Morning was rather difficult and fast. Barely time to say proper goodbyes. Apple Valley is next to Victorville in the high desert outside of the LA Basin. Those of us from the 149th Armor Battalion have been combined into one company and we are now Charlie Company of the 185th Armor Battalion, which is part of the 81st Heavy Brigade out of Washington State. I am in the first platoon which consists of sixteen men. I am the assistant platoon sergeant. All indications are that we will be a mechanized infantry unit operating out of armoured HUMVEES. We are all looking forward to the training and the equipment we will get. All of the US Army's latest goodies from the M4 carbine and SAW's to balistic armor and new helmets.

From there it's to Fresno airport on Saturday morning and off to Washington. We have a few months of intensive training and inprocessing to the regular Army. We have a very good group of soldiers and I am very proud of serving with them.
- Dave

October

Must See TV

Later this month PBS will be showing a mini-series about the Celtic Briton rebellion against the Romans led by Boudicea. Alexandra Kingston will play the warrior queen. She is best known as the British surgeon from ER on NBC, but also gave a very earthy performance in the TV series Moll Flanders. The original blurb I saw suggested that the series may start this Sunday, October 12, but local PBS stations often vary their show times from the national schedule.

Also, fans of the late 70s Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica will be pleased to know that the series is being reincarnated starting December 8 on the Sci-Fi channel. Not much news available about this new version, except that they are starting from the beginning of the story, the production values are much higher, and the one recognizable actor is Edward James Olmos, who plays Adama.

Lombardy Again

I finally stumbled across the packet that Dana Lombardy gave me at KublaCon. Here is a more complete rundown of what his new companies are doing.

New board game company - L2 Design Group

Their first big release is the monster game The Streets of Stalingrad, which they have fixed up and embellished. Only $140 with the convention flyer. $170 + shipping otherwise. They are also coming out with new versions of Avalon Hill's Bitter Woods (Battle of the Bulge) and Russian Campaign. Only $55 each, plus $14 shipping. Volume discounts.

New book company - Military History Press LLC

You can either become a Charter Subscriber for $300, or buy the first two books by themselves. Subscribers get the first two books, a 70 minute interview with Scotty Bowden on CD, a Keith Rocco Napoleonic print, and 35% off of future books.

The two books are Napoleon's Last Grande Armee for $250, and Napoleon's Finest for $150. NLGA is a collection of 130 uniform plates drawn by German artists of the French soldiers stationed around Freiburg and Dresden in 1813. The pages will be A4 size. Finest is Marshal Davout's combat journal from 1805 to 1807. The book is illustrated with excellent full color modern illustrations and maps. This is its first publication in English. Both books use acid-free paper bound in leather.

Other News

On Oct 22nd (Wed) at 5pm, the Burdick Military History Project (SJSU) will host a lecture by Dr. Richard Dinardo (USMC) at the San Jose Main Library (AKA the MLK Jr. Library). The topic will be: The Unknown Turning Point of the American Civil War: Tullahoma and Chickamauga. The lecture is free (of course).

Handicrafts

Having flags that slide on and off of flagpoles can allow players to represent many different specific regiments or nationalities with the same figures. To do this with adhesive-backed flag decals, remove the protective backing. Paint a thick layer of gloss lacquer over the center of the decal (where the pole will go). Let it dry. Close the ends of the flag decal together, slide it over a pole, and squeeze the rest of the flag halves together until you reach the pole. Rotate the flag around the pole to make sure that it does not stick. Take off the flag and save it for future use.

The Hazards of eBay

Although eBay has been a boon to people in our hobby looking for very particular things, no matter what they cost, I have always felt that it is a very fragile system where bad people can hurt good people too easily. The most obvious source of injury is a negative rating. One of those can be devastating. There are people who will not sell to someone with a negative rating. People will not take various forms of payment from you if you have a negative rating. People will not buy from sellers with negatives. There have been cases where I bought something and there was a problem. The buyer seemed to know that there would be a problem and deliberately held off putting down any feedback for me as a buyer. (Normally this happens when the item is shipped.) This way, once I get the item and realize the problem, I don't dare give them a negative feedback, because they will retaliate by giving me one also. They do something wrong, but they can trash me.

The problem has been ameliorated somewhat by the institution of "neutral" ratings. It allows the reporting of problems without setting off so many alarms or threats. This allowed me to point out that one seller was so bad about ignoring her e-mail that the only way I was able to complete a transaction was by sending her a paper postal letter.

However, I was hit with something much worse, that was outside of the user feedback system. I bought an item for $2.75. After postage the total was just $5.25. It never came. I was so busy, and had been ordering so many other things, that I did not notice. Then, one month after the auction, I suddenly received a notice from eBay administration. Not from the seller, mind you, but from EBAY AUTHORITIES. The seller had filed a report with them that I had not paid for an item, and that he was requesting his seller's fee back from eBay. eBay was notifying me that I had been put on probation and that non-payment was a serious violation of their rules and that with two more such violations I would be banned from eBay. There were also indications that an item would be put in my record for others to find.

I was pretty upset. I contacted the seller immediately and asked him what the problem was. He wrote back to say that he had never received payment from me. He had been selling the item for a friend and had given the item back to his friend. I got after him about never, ever contacting me. I then began to search through all the eBay background information. I wanted to find a way to contest the judgement that was about to befall me. (I should mention that I can no longer remember if I ever purchased and sent the money order.)

Finally I found a possible approach. I could file a complaint against the seller for not selling me the item. His one e-mail to me was the key. I sent that to eBay, along with a description of the situation, using their special complaint form. You need to include all the disgusting "header" information at the top of the e-mail to prove that it is genuine. Some time went by, and I never heard from eBay or the seller again. Apparently the case is closed. I can buy again.

- Chris

September

People News

John Sullins has returned from New York. He announced his arrival with a Samurai game at ConQuest and will be sending out a mass e-mailing to let people know of his new address. Art Sanchez will be moving to Alabama at the end of the month.

Mickey's Toy Soldier Shop

Here is the fate of Mickey's Toy Soldier Shop in Sunnyvale from Dave Smith:
"The last time I saw Mickey (last winter) he was in pretty bad shape. He had just had an operation and was only allowed to work two hours a day. He told me that he was selling the shop, and he said he thought he had a buyer. He told me the buyer lived out of the area and the shop would close."

Readers interested in 54mm display figures can still go to San Antonio Hobbies.

Theft Alert

Someone has stolen Hal Hoge's 25mm Renaissance Scottish army. This is the army of Flodden. Mostly pikemen. There is a very small market for these things, so keep an eye out for them. If you have time, get ahold of me. If you don't and have to act fast, buy them and collect what information you can about the seller, and maybe we can all chip in to reimburse whoever acquires the figures. The guy was a temporary worker at Hal's business. The only information I have is that he drives a surplused school van. These should be the *only* 25mm Ren. Scots for sale in Northern Calif!

ConQuest

Most of you were there, so I won't tell you what you saw, and I won't waste space on opinions. However, there were some things of note. Mike Taber and two friends are the guys who have bought all of Jack Scruby's wargaming figure molds and are offering the figures for sale through historifigs.com. These guys ran seven games at ConQuest. They used, of course, the old figures and the old rules. This really beefed up the historical game schedule. Two unique games were worth noting. One was the Napoleonic campaign of 1814 in France, where each unit was a division. The emphasis was on pre-battle maneuver, an element missing from most systems. The other was Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. There was the desert, the unusual uniforms, the Revoluntionary troops (which few people run), and there was the Dromedary Corps. First we did the battle of the Pyramids in four hours, then reset the table and did the battle of Gaza in another four hours.

Unfortunately the Egyptian game used crude rules, so your opponent might move, shoot, and melee, with you would be completely unable to respond in any way, including defensive fire. And a change in initiative could allow someone to do this complete player's turn *twice* in a row before you could do anything.

Fortunately, there was a very, very, good set of new rules at the Con at another game that was making it's first appearance. The rules are Le Petit Armee, available for $18 from Signifer Flags. If you behave historically, the rules respond. Do what worked historically and you will be rewarded. It was marvelous to play. Each unit is a brigade, but LPA does maintain some tactical feel to the rules, with columns, lines, squares, and skirmishing. What brought people to the game table were the 10mm figures. Not exactly 10mm, but actually RISK playing pieces, very well painted and mounted. You can make the armies and terrain yourself, or "Signifer", or Gunner Bearden, will sell you the figures and terrain, painted and mounted and organized, by unit or by army, and painted terrain sets. You can get everything you need to have a battle without every picking up a knife or a paint brush. Check it out. Expect to see games of this around here soon.

The other highlight of ConQuest for me was that Reviresco (John McEwan) came down and had a dealer's table. Even if you aren't interested in WWI or Colonial, or Victorian SciFi, it certainly made the dealer's room more interesting for historical players.

If you did not go to ConQuest, you missed an appearance by Xena the Warrior Princess, which was not advertised in advance. Personally I found her to be quite shallow.

Trivia

From 1792 to 1815, Great Britain spend 40 billion pounds on the wars, in 1815 pounds. The 1815 Waterloo campaign cost 1 billion pounds alone.

Review

The ACW prequel to Gettysburg, Gods & Generals, is now out on video. Don't get your hopes up. There are three good battles with re-enactors (Bull Run, Fredricksberg, and Chancelorsville), but the rest of the movie is pretty bad. We get a whole lot of personal detail, but almost no information about the strategies and movements of the armies.

Last Bit

Fry's Electronics is selling The Battle of Britain on DVD for $5.

August

The Last Meeting

Of most note at the last meeting was Chris Roberts' brave and successful effort to host an Aerodrome game on his own, without Mr. Aerodrome about. Chris has his own hardware, which he uses to host games at Sunnyvale Middle School. A true champion in the cause of bringing kids into our hobby. Now what have you done to get a kid involved?

Another spectacle (besides the furious Swiss versus Italians Renaissance battle), was 3 simultaneous games of In The Grand Manner. (patch level 2.13) The Spanish took a long time to die, and General Priszkov had to go back to Russia, while General "Chien Fou" Foss made short work of both the British and the Prussians. The Vietnam game kept a large number of guys entertained (or pinned down), but in the end The Duke got his man. Gamers from Sacramento, impressed by SBGC games run at KublaCon, forsook their own club meeting to attend ours. (It's forsook, not forsaked. It's an Anglo-Saxon thing.) There was a small Settlers of Catan tournament, for the less bloodthirsty among us.

And then there was that Victorian Sci-Fi game. I wonder if Luis is behind that ad on The Miniatures Page "Wanted: HRH Victoria with Shotgun"

Death

Mickey's Toy Soldier Shop in downtown Sunnyvale has disappeared. If anyone knows where it has gone, please contact me. This was the little shop on the corner near the post office, north of Macy's that was full to the brim with 54mm figures. He also have lots of plastic figures, and some models and some molds and some toys and supplies. He would sit in the corner with the window and paint all day, until you were ready to actually buy something. Occasionaly he would have wargaming figures for sale on consignment.

A Celebrity Hobby

Did you know that Jonathan Winters collects model soldiers? I read about it in AARP magazine. (My father-in-law's copy, not mine!) That explains the picture of him with Mickey in the shop. I wonder if Robin Williams got the habit from JW? (As mentioned in a previous newsletter, RW collects too.) Brad Pitt is now filming the Trojan War movie, but I doubt if he will ever get the bug.

Resurrection

I am pleased to announce that the wargaming magazine Battlefields has resumed publication again. It is my ideal idea of a wargaming magazine, with just detailed battle scenarios for wargaming. It is no longer magazine size, but 8"x5" pamphlet size with a flat spine. Unfortunately, rather than cut back on the content, the publishers have shrunk the size of the text and the maps. Some of the info on the maps requires a magnifying glass. I suspect that the saviors of this publication are under 40. But I really like the latest issue, because it has three Napoleonic battles, two Renaissance battles, and an Ancient battle. Personally, I would recommend that the publishers throw out the worthless opinion pieces and use the extra space to enlarge the maps and text. You can get the mag. at On Military Matters

Movies

I've read mixed reviews about the movie Pirates of the Carribean, including that it was just too silly. But every club member I have spoken to liked it, including Tom Foss, (Mr. "Pirates"), who gave it "two hooks up".

If you missed the TNT movie Caesar a little more than a month ago, keep an eye out for it on video, or as a re-run. It is a pretty good and objective summary of Julius' rise and fall, with some good battle scenes with the Gauls around two hours into the four hour miniseries, including the siege of Alesia. The battle scenes are on part with the battle with the Germans in Gladiator. If I have to fault it, it would be very few minutes spent on the titanic civil war between Pompeii and Caesar that fractured the empire. (They have an assassination and the sacking of a city.)

There is a fair amount of human drama as well, without it getting sappy. My wife actually sat down and watched the whole thing. Not being familiar with GJC's bio, every 12 minutes or so she would say, "Did Caesar really do that?" "Uh huh," I would say. Next week I will spring "Four Feathers" on her.

More About Modelling

This is where the guys who are into figures only start tuning out. But if you want to wargame the 20th century, or any time thereafter (sci-fi), and in a scale bigger than micro, you've got to build models. Be it a Mechwarrior or a Mathilda, plastic glue suddenly becomes more important. Or didn't you see Harry at the last meeting, carrying around that big tank model?

Since the last time I built models, various companies have come out with their own version of some marvelous stuff -- clear plastic glue. Designed primarily for airplane canopies, it will dry clear and not cloud the clear plastic. Some versions can even be spread across an opening to create your own window.

If you live with someone who cannot stand the smell of the typical plastic cement, or who thinks you are sniffing it, there is a great alternative. It is called Plastruct Weldene. It has a light, pleasant citrus smell, and is much more environmentally friendly. It comes in a glass bottle with a screw cap with a brush built into it. It works quite well, although it is very thin compared to standard model cement.

A company called ALPS sells a decal paper that you can put into a computer printer to make your own decals. Several people are selling unusual sets of decals now using this system. Unfortunately these decals are all on one sheet, forcing you to cut very closely to each decal. Also, these decals are very fragile, tearing very easily. Recently I was pleased to find a source of smaller scale Italian WWII aircraft rudder crosses and underside fascines. (True North Productions supplies only top surface fascines on a white circle.) Unfortunately most of them shredded while I tried to place them. If you get some of these, soak them for two to three times as long as you usually soak a decal, and if they don't slip off easily, put them back in the water for a while longer. When you do slip them off, make sure you are right over the spot where they should go. You won't be able to push them around. And they do not respond well to decal setting or dissolving solutions.

I Always Knew You Were a Roundhead

You've tried 1644, Warhammer ECW, Forlorn Hope, File Leader, A Wargamer's Guide to the English Civil War, and maybe six other sets of Engligh Civil War rules. But have you tried Renaissance Tactica ECW? At the September meeting, if all goes well, the RenTac gang will be hosting a 15mm ECW battle. It will be set in central England in 1642, so it will be similar to Edgehill. We don't yet have any rules that force your cavalry to dash off of the table, but we are open to suggestions.

Lord of the Board

Hasbro, which bought up Parker Brothers, has come out with a version of the Risk world conquest game based on Lord of the Rings. I saw a copy in Scenario Hobbies, went away to think about buying it for a couple of hours, then came back to find that it was gone. But I did find one. It's great. It's Risk on Elf Juice. The map is Middle Earth, and you can't go just anywhere that you want, because rivers and mountains get in the way. And there are not just red armies and yellow armies, but also Good and Evil armies and Good, Evil, and Neutral territories. There are leaders and fortresses. There are Adventure and Power cards. One of my favorite features are the counters, which are Elves and Orcs for 1 army, Dark Riders and Riders of Rohan for 5 armies, and Cave Trolls and Eagles for 10 armies. I still hope to figure out a tactical system for the game, where the pieces behave like the creatures they are. The game has a variable ending, depending on when the ring bearer gets off the board. Another option I am thinking of: "Hide the Ring". (Right now everyone knows where the ringbearer is and no one can touch him.) I know a mother who had no interest in table games, but who was raving to me the other day about how she trounced her 9 year old and his friends at that game. I will try to remember to bring it with me to the meeting.

Wanted: Reviews

One of the most common things we talk about are new figures, especially from new companies, and what we think about them. If you bought some new figures from a company recently and have some strong opinions about them, please let me know. I need figure reviews. I mean the latest figures that I have pulled out of a package are Saracens and Crusaders from the Old Glory "Revenge" line, but I suspect that they are "old hat" to most members. So people won't be surprised if I am looking to trade most of a bag of knights with hammers and maces for ones with swords. But the poses are great and the price was great. I am keeping all of the Saracens, but I am setting aside some of the Christian crossbowmen, because they have too much armor for the Middle East.

The Right Stuff

I have written before about what wargamers really need in the way of books is a very detailed book about just one battle, with all the juicy details we need to enjoy the read and recreate the battle. Well, I almost dropped to my knees when I saw a new book in the bookstore last week. It is called Nomonhan, and it is about the battles between the Japanese and the Soviets from May to September of 1939. It is 1200 pages long! Details, details, details! Maps, photos, bibliography. Oooooooooh! The author is Alex Coox. That is not a type. The last letter is an x. It is a paperback, so the price won't break you. But you'd better be prepared to pay for some early war light tanks after you read this book.

The Other Stuff

Don't forget to pay your dues. And don't forget to leave Labor Day open this year to go to ConQuest. Watch, out, that weekend falls in August this year.

If You Don't See Me Again . . .

Did you ever buy exactly the number of figures you needed for a unit, then lose one? After you had painted it? The shrink says that I should put the unit away in a box and just wait for the day I stumble across the last figure. I don't have time for that. I have to first open every bag and box I own, and then go through the vacuum cleaner bag.

- Chris

July

Annual Dues are due. $12.

Follow-Up

There were some errors and omissions in the last newsletter. First, ConQuest is at Ricky's Hyatt in Palo Alto one more year, this year. It does not have to move until next year, 2004. They are asking for miniature games now. KublaCon will stay at the same hotel next year.

Russell Crowe will star in Captain and Commander.

Alex Trant runs Alex Air.

I forgot to mention that the 1/144 Ju 52 model from Eduard is so expensive because it includes samples of their etched metal and window masking products that they are famous for.

And from Jim Y. & others, here are some of the figure offers available if you buy the WAB supplement, El Cid:

Black Tree Designs - WAB El Cid & 4 figs (mine were their command pack from their Warriors of Islam range)
Amazon Miniatures - WAB El Cid & El Cid figure by Mark Copplestone
Brigade Games also had a special deal where you could get a Mike Owen El Cid figure with the El Cid supplement but that was supposed to be good only until April 28. Apparently you can still order the figure separately.

The June Meeting

Besides the scheduled games, some guys were trying out the ShieldWall rules in the morning. There was WWI Aerodrome in the evening as well as the scheduled games. In the Renaissance game, the French whipped the Italians, even though the Italian Heavy Cavalry rode down the French crossbowmen. The room lights were off for the morning session. The rumor was that the guys playing ShieldWall were trying to recreate The Dark Ages.

More on 1/144 airplane models

True North
There is much more to this subject. In June, I was writing for people very familiar with the scale and market. One reason this scale is undergoing a Renaissance is due to Realmwerkz, which is part of True North Productions.
The owner has created metal in-flight models of many of the common, basic WWII aircraft whose plastic models have gone out of production. He is also the only independent source of basic WWII aircraft decals in 1/144 scale. And he does Soviet aircraft, which never even appeared as models in this scale. Unfortunately, communication is poor and you can expect to wait several months for an order to be filled.
Sweet
Another breakthrough has been provided by a "boutique" model kit company in Japan called Sweet. They make excellent 1/144 scale models of Hawker Hurricanes, Macchi MC 200s, and Grumman F4F Wildcats. They are preparing a model of the Mistubishi A6M2 Reisen. (the "Zero").
Sweet models come two to a box and typically come with enough decals to do four or more different aircraft. There are two different MC 200 models, Tropical and European. Two types of Wildcat boxes, and three types of Hurricanes: Tropical (desert), Battle of Britain, and fabric-winged (Battle of France and pre-war). The early Hurricanes come with Rumanian, Belgian, and Finnish decals. The Battle of Britain box includes decals for five different specific British aces. Boxes routinely include multiple choices of canopies, propellers, and other odd bits. In some models, to save on molding costs, one whole model is made in clear plastic, like the canopies.
Sweet model boxes (2 models) are available from Sweet Aviation in the East Bay for $16 each.
Modellers vs. Wargamers
One conflict between wargamers and modellers is that wargamers want multiple different copies of an airplane, where as modellers often only make one. Besides the Sweet models with multiple decal sets, there is another decal source for people interested in U.S. bombers and Stukas. Mike Grant Decals makes 1/144 scale decals in three sets:
1. B-24D and B24J - three aircraft;
2. B-29 SuperFortress - three aircraft; and
3. Ju87 Stuka - two aircraft.
These are not ordinary decal sets, but include elaborate nose art for some famous craft as "The Strawberry Bitch" and the Stuka with a snake running the length of the aircraft.
I found out about Mike Grant from a kit company, Cobra Company. They specialize in material for helicopter kits, (e.g., Cobras), but Cobra Company also makes conversion kits for 1/144 scale models of the B-24J, the B-25H/J, and several post war aircraft. All B-24 model kits in 1/144 scale are of B-24Js. The CC kit will allow you to convert one to a B-24D, for instance. Another kit will allow you to create the Navy version of the B-24, the PB4Y-1. Check it out.
Shops
The only 1/144 kits in production right now in the US are from MiniCraft/Academy. What is unfortunate is that their choice of aircraft is designed to complement the Revell and ARII line of aircraft, so some basic aircraft are missing, such as the Me109, and any US Navy fighters. Still, Scenario Hobbies has stocked some more 1/144 scale models. And D&J seems to have bought every last Avenger and B-29 model that MiniCraft makes. Beware, however, of buying the "Enola Gay" or "Bock's Car" versions of the B-29. They have no gun turrets. A pleasant surprise was the discovery that the Longs Drugs chain stocks the M/A 144 models in their toy sections. You may live closer to a 1/144 model of a Mustang or a B-26 or a Zero than you think.
Truth in Advertising
I used to go to the trouble to try and find out-of-production Revell kits of the 1/144 scale Messerschmitt Me110, because their kit was the C model, current during the Battle of Britain, whereas the still in production Minicraft kit is labelled as being an Me110G, the night fighter version. One day I finally opened up one box of each and compared them. They were identical! The only difference is that the Minicraft decals are much better (Revell supplies large national insignia only). A closer examination suggests that the spinners and engine exhausts are those of the C model, and there are no radar antenna supplied.
A company called Aoshima has purchased the assets of the bankrupt Hasegawa/IMAI company and is begining to re-release their models, including some of the two-engine Japanese WWII aircraft in 1/144 scale.
Thanks to Stan Kubiak for the URL to HobbyLink Japan. This small company is run by an American living in Japan who got tired of having his friends ask him to send them models that they could not obtain in the US. He set up the company to do just that. They are just starting to stock the Bandai 1/144 scale plastic pre-colored fighters that I mentioned in the last newsletter. (Sets of 10, randomly selected from 7 different models.)
Yujin will be coming out with a second set of 5 plastic pre-colored fighters as well. The first set was a Zero, an Me109G, a late model Spitfire, a Grumman F6F, and a Hayabushi, or "Oscar II". The second set will include a Raiden ("Jake"), an Fw190, a P-51, an F4U Corsair, and what looks like a Hayate ("Frank"). Their web site is in Japanese, but if you want to look at the photo, go to http://www.yujin-net.com.
- click on the green entry button near the bottom of the page
- click on the top blue bar on the left side, the one that says "New!" over the characters and has a picture of a sphere. (The airplane kits normally come in clear plastic eggs.)
- click on the top (fuschia-colored) bar on the top of the stack of bars in the center of the page (#5).
- scroll about 2/3rds of the way down the page (past the fish)
Retail appears to be 300 Yen. Ebay price starts at $10, plus $8 shipping.
Reviresco & WWI
John McEwan has come out with two new aircraft in 1/144 for WWI, a Sopwith Dolphin, and a Gotha bomber. He also has a decal sheet that will completely cover a Fokker D-7 in lozenge camoflauge.

Bay Area Wargaming E-mail Discussion Group

There is a new and vital e-mail discussion group for wargamers in the Bay Area. To join, or to read the public archives, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bayareawargamers/

You will see some names you recognize. A lot of talk about local events, personal activities, sales, stores, and new products. It could replace this publication!

The core members are also members of the East Bay Armchair Generals, or EBAG. They meet once a month on the first Saturday of the month. Sometimes in the Richmond Library, sometimes at the Temescal Library in Oakland. With fixed schedules for both clubs on different Saturdays, there should be no conflicts.

Hobby Shops

Castle Hobbies on Camden near Union in San Jose has changed its name to RC Unlimited Hobbies. This is indicative of the direction they are taking. There is one short aisle of plastic models left, and a good supply of paint, but otherwise the whole store is now radio-controlled products. They have bought the shop next door, emptied it out, and use most of it for a giant RC car race track.

If you are ever itching for hobby supplies, there are not many choices in Santa Rosa. One place is Trucks, Trains, and Hobbies in the far NE corner of town, two blocks south of Mission and Hwy 12. A few fantasy figures, and some supplies, but otherwise, as the name says, mostly trains and commercial vehicles. A more interesting place is a model shop called The Plastic Surgeon, downtown, near D and 5th. Run by a modeler, it is almost all about plastic models. There is one set of shelves dedicated to Italieri plastic miniatures (1/72), but otherwise about the only thing besides models is reference books. (You know the kind, one book about one airplane. You want to know about 5 airplanes, you have to buy 5 books.) I doubt it will survive, but there are some interesting completed models to look at. WWII Tactical Rules - Battlegroup Panzer Grenadier

David Brown, author of General de Brigade, and come out with a set of fast play WWII tactical rules. These are for Europe only so far, where one vehicle represents a troop or platoon of vehicles, and one stand of figures represents a squad or section. They are designed for small battles using 15mm and 20mm figures with some vehicles on the table as well. I am still working my way through them, but I think people who are working up home rules, or struggling with Rapid Fire, or Internet rules, should consider them. Go to David Brown's web site for the Battlegroup Panzer Grenadier discussion forum and errata. To buy them, go to the web site for On Military Matters. Hobby Learned-the-Hard-Way Rules

#23 Never place your work table near the part of the floor with the heater vent in it.

#37 Never put a detailed, multi-colored rug under your work table.

Japanese Airplane Codes - a very quick primer

"Zero" - Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 "Reisen"

Epilogue

Thanks to all of you who sent me condolences and praise for my father last month. I particularly appreciated the service stories from those of you who also had WWII veteran fathers. It is up to us now to pass on the stories to people younger than us, so that they will appreciate what went on before us . . . and develop an interest in history that will cause them to come play in our games.

June

KublaCon

The hotel used this year was quite striking, with a central courtyard with an atrium. My first thought was that this isn't the sort of hotel that usually hosts game conventions. I thought the flea market was reasonably good, because I found some things to buy, at good prices. There were plenty of historical games to choose from, from Friday night to Sunday morning, although late Sunday was dead, and Sat. afternoon had a big gap in it. My game was well attended. It was only days later that it finally dawned on me that the game had used about 950 figures. I have heard that ConQuest will use the same hotel this year. No trouble with parking!

El Cid

For the last several months, the buzz in the WAB world (Warhammer Ancient Battles) has been about the El Cid supplement, for early medieval Spain. For $26 you get a big glossy supplement with the four basic armies in it: Christian Spanish, Muslim Spanish, Moors, and mercenaries. There are many color photos of someone's 25mm figures of this era. There has been another debate about the value you get for your money, but most WABbies have settled down now to wait for the Alexander the Great supplement. I got the last copy at San Antonio Hobbies, but I have an extra copy for $20 for the first club member who mentions it at a club meeting. At least two other people I know have two copies, because after buying their first copy they discovered that there is a special offer where if you buy the supplement, you get an exceptional 25mm figure for this period for free. I don't know the details, but I am sure someone can tell me.

Lombardy Resurrection

Many of you may know Dana Lombardy, who was the editor of Napoleon magazine, and one of the organizers of the Celebrate History convention, and who can be seen occasionally on the History Channel. Well after the demise of those first two ventures, the East Bay resident is making a comeback.

Along with a gentleman named Art Lupinacci, they have formed L2 Design Group and released a new edition of the wargame Streets of Stalingrad. Dana was displaying the game in the historical game room at KublaCon. The city of Stalingrad is about 5 feet long and 2 feet wide, and all of the units involved are represented in very nice large counters that fit well into extra large hexes. The price can be quite breath-taking too.

In addition, Dana & Co. have started Military History Publishing, which is putting out two "collector's edition" books that are the translation of Napoleon era source material -- I've misplaced the brochure, but I vaguely recall that one is the letters of a French Marshal, something like that. No price listed, but if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Models

Emhar's 1/72 scale model of the WWI German A7V tank has finally reached the stores. I left one copy at D&J. For some reason they are on the figure shelf, not the armor shelf. I am now waiting to see if they will do their 1/35 Whippet tank in 1/72 also.

Eduard of the Czech Republic has released a 1/144 scale model of the WWII German transport airplane, the Junkers Ju52/3m. They are also preparing versions with snow skis and a barrage balloon bumper. The one copy stocked by D&J sold before I saw it, but you can always put in an order. And if you already know that 1/144 scale models of Stukas are going for $25 each on eBay, hold on to your socks! The next series that Eduard will do in 1/144 is the Ju87. First the B, then the D, and finally the G.

Meanwhile, Bandai of Japan has introduced its "Wing Club" 1/144 models of WWII fighters. They have 7 models, with the major parts already assembled and all parts painted and decalled. There is an army Zero, a navy Zero, two different Me109Es, a Spitfire MkI, a P-40C (US stars) and a P-40N (Chinese colors). Their scale is accurate and the detail is remarkable. (Some include pilots and instrument panels.) You can assemble them as "on the ground" or in flight. I have not yet found a source for these planes except private sales on eBay. I suspect it might involve buying candy, as with the 1/144 scale tanks. Milton, any advice here?

Beware of the Corgi $5 1/144 die case airplane models. They are actually 1/120 scale.

Given the poor selection of 1/144 scale propeller-driven airplane models, it was a relief to find a gentleman making resin models of many airplanes that are not available in that scale in any other form. Photos and prices for the models are available on the web at AirAlex.

Beside some basics, such as Me109s and Zeroes, he also does aircraft that are out of production and going for very high prices, such as the F-4U Corsair and the F6F, and he loves to produce odd German planes, including Heinkel night fighters and various jet fighters. He also makes some Soviet fighters that are not available from True North Productions.

Other News

The Art of War, a wargaming store in Oakland, is closing by early July. They are located on Telegraph Ave., just south of the border with Berkeley. Call Fritz on the telephone and ask what he has left and what he will take for it.

The Scenario Shoppe is now stocking Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames. Look for them on a bottom shelf in the game section.

Movies

As many of you already know, a movie is being made of the first Patrick O'Brien sailing ship novel, The Captain and the Commander, starring the star of Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind as the captain hero. Vin Diesel is practicing riding elephants in anticipation of his Hannibal movie.

The TV movie The Trojan War was somewhat disappointing. This British production did a good job of boiling down the Illiad and putting the situation into terms we could understand, but they spent far too much time on the lead up and on people growling with emotion and spent too little time on the good bits, such as the battles and the big horse. And so many of the scenes took place at night! And everyone's "bronze" was unpolished. I would almost recommend the old film from the fifties, with its glorious battles scenes and dopey acting.

Have hope. Nicole Kidman is looking for a boyfriend.

Dealing with resin models

More and more products are coming to us in resin, instead of metal or plastic. This is particularly true of structural models and special terrain features (and pirate ships and rare airplane models). Here are some basics for dealing with resin:

Wash any resin part before working with it to remove any agent that was used to release it from the mold.
Prime and paint as normal.
To glue resin parts, use the "super glue/crazy glue" type of glue.
To fill in gaps in resin, use epoxy that you allow to harden. If possible, take resin dust (from filing) or fine sand for terrain and mix it in with the epoxy for large gaps.

A Personal Digression

You may notice that this newsletter is lacking a few details. I must say that I have been very distracted lately.

Although there were many historical and war movies out when my generation was growing up, I suspect that one of the reasons I became interested in military history was that my father was a bomber pilot in WWII. When my brother and I were little, and we did not know what to get him for his birthday or Father's Day, we would buy him a model of the airplane he flew, a B-24, and we would assemble it together. He was stationed in Italy in 1944. A good book about a crew who flew the same type of bomber from the same airfield is Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose. The war gave him the opportunity to excel in ways that he never could in civilian life. He passed away last week at the age of 79. Before they would conduct a military burial, the Air Force asked for a copy of his military record.

May

Webmaster's note: I removed the phone numbers and email addresses from this newsletter to protect the innocent from abuse. If you want to get in touch with one of the folks where the newsletter says "contact so-and-so", mail me and I'll forward you the original newsletter.

Again, this newsletter will be shorter than usual. I have been sidelined for three weeks (illness and vacation), but will be glad to make it to the next meeting. A big thanks to Gary for keeping the information flying. Now to cheat just a little and mention my game, if there is room for it Saturday:

10:30

The Battle of Cape Ortugal, January 1806 Cut off and fighting against the wind, the lead French squadron of battleships leaves the Battle of Trafalgar unscathed and heads north for France. But they are spotted by a British frigate off of Cape Ferrol and a British squadron of equal size takes up the pursuit. 1/1200 scale sailing ships. "74" rules. Up to 8 players.

Capitol Fellows

If you live in or near Sacramento, or plan to be there in the near future, you might want to check out the wargame club up there; the Miniature Warfare Society of Sacramento. Here is their schedule for the near future:

The Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento
Schedule of Upcoming Events
May 17th, 2003	De Bellis Multitudinis. DBM game being run by Brian Fritz to get people ready for his next month's tournament. The Battle of Gazala. WWII Spearhead game using 20mm figures and being run by Keith Sullivan
June 14th, 2003	DBM tournament run by Brian Fritz - contact Brian for more information or to participate. Brimstone, The Wildest Wild West town ever. 28mm Wild West game run by Joe Bianchi-Cowboys- Indians-Mexicans- The Law-Outlaws
July 12th, 2003	Armati Tournament. 15mm armies from the Advanced Armati Triumph of Cavalry Lists-35 points- contact Mike O'Brien for more information. Some armies available for loan if you don't have one.

MWSS meetings are held at the Arden Manor Recreation Center, 1415 Rushden Dr in Sacramento from 11am-6pm. For more information contact Randy Sumpter or Mike O'Brien.

Board Game News

For all you board game fans out there, here is some of the latest. Amarillo Design is coming out with Federation & Empire: Advanced Operations. First new F&E product in five years, this fourth expansion kit provides rules for raids, battle groups, admirals, Neo-Tholians, X-ships, many types of auxileries, and a large 7-sector scenario. $32

Avalanche Press is coming out with a new game in its Panzer Grenadier series, Battle of the Bulge. Stand-alone, platoon level tactical combat fully compatable with the Pzr Grenadier system, set during the Bulge, Dec'44. Complete game w/ 4 new maps, 465 counters & 51 scenarios. 200m/hex. $60

Ancient players can look forward to Strategy & Tactics # 214 from Decision Games, with the games Marathon and Granicus. Includes errata counters for Op Elope (20). Also includes scenarios, experimental rules & errata for Boer War. Simpler, 2-battle game using the Btls Ancient World system covering the first battle of the Greek-Persian War (499BC, Marathon) and Alexander's entry into Asia at Granicus, 334BC. 1 map, 140 counters. 100-200m/hex, 30-90min/turn. $20

Guild of Blades has come out with an Axis & Allies style rendition of the Arab-Israeli Wars. 2-4 player, area-move, A&A-style strategy game covering both the 1967 & 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars. Includes 270 plastic tokens & unit stickers, 2 maps, rules. Complete w/ optional rules for nukes. $20 They are also supposedly working on a WWI modification kit for Risk. (!?)

Micro Games Co-op has two new DTP games, Dutch Revolt, and No Middle Ground. Although I was interested in the topic covered by the first, it is a strategic game with area movement. Game of the revolt of the Dutch against their inclusion in the Hapsburg Empire in the mid-1500s. Played on the duel forms of military & religious conflict for control of the Benalux. $12
NMG uses more conventional hex warfare. The Syrian attack on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War against Israel in 1973.

Some other titles due from Avalanche Games this year:

Columbia Games will be applying their block system to the American Revolutionary War in a game called Liberty. Eagle Games, known for their huge boards and plastic figures will also do their version of the ARW.

Here are some titles due from GMT this year:

And finally, look for a 3rd edition of Up Front! from Multi-Man Publishing.

Visitors From the East

Now that we are getting models from the former Warsaw Pact, some interesting things are turning up in the hobby shops. Thanks to reading Tank versus Tank by Kenneth Macksey, visiting the tank museum, and playing Landships by Clash of Arms, I have a greater appreciation for the odd models of tanks that came out between WWI and WWII. So I was quite interested to see a Russian model of the Soviet T18, which predated the Spanish Civil War. Another interesting item was a Czech model of the Renault TFS, the command version of the WWI tank (all box and no guns).

A Bit of a Travelogue

Circumstances prevented me from checking out the hobby shops in Bakersfield (next time!), but I can report that there are two outlets of the national franchise "Hobbytown USA" in Tucson, one in the Tucson Mall, (on Orchid Rd.) as well as a more normal hobby shop called Classic Hobbies on Wetmore. If you remember the Milpitas Hobbytown store, you get the idea -- a little of everything, but not enough of anything.

I can't begin to survey the great urban mass of Phoenix, but I can recommend Waterloo Games of Gilbert, where they actually play miniatures in the store. Gilbert is in the SE portion of the Phoenix mass, near Chandler. (Not the guy from Friends.)

The reactivation of Fort Huachuca, near the Mexican border, and the influx of developers and retirees has spawned Sierra Vista, a new city of 40,000. But the best they can muster right now is a couple of "Comics & Games" stores.

There are two small museums in the back of Fort Huachuca. You can visit them if you fill out some papers, get a pass, and present an ID. (And swear that you are not carrying any nuclear materials in your vehicle.) The exhibits focus on the arms and uniforms of the Buffalo Soldiers (10th US Cavalry) and the Apaches, so it could be of some interest to games intent on the Pony Wars, but is probably not worth the trip for others. There was a time when the poor garrison had to wear Prussian style helmets with the spike on top. All the rage I guess, and desert garrisons are not exempted.

- Chris

P.S. Don't forget to listen to a Country-Western radio station in the next few weeks and you might catch a song that is becoming quite popular - "The Truth About Men". I won't put most of it down here, but the refrain is "We ain't wrong, we ain't sorry, and we'll probably do it again."

April

This newsletter will be short this time. I haven't had much time to dig up hard news. I won't be able to make the meeting either.

KublaCon

Gary has already sent out a plea for more games. I have a General de Brigade Penisular battle scheduled for Saturday evening, although I might end up on Sunday afternoon. I forgot to mention in the write-up that there will be prizes awarded. My fingers are still sticky from painting the Spanish Patria regiment, and French hussars.

Napoleon

The A&E special on the emperor is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, April 8 and 9, at 8 pm.

Basic craft tip

When mounting figures two or more ranks deep, always mount the front rank first. It is the most visible rank and it is important that it look just right. Most figures have their weapons to their front. Even if they have them to the side, we will usually rotate figures like that so that they will fit into their row. If you mount the first rank last, the figures have to be twisted and shifted in order to avoid the weapons of the row behind them. It can look messy; unless they are irregulars.

A Parthian Shot from David Bronzich:

"Dear Chris, et al. I'm actually quite upset with what has been happening at D&J, although I've seen it coming for the last 6 months or so. I spent 18 years trying to build the Games Department into something that I felt could serve the games community with variety and selection, and now it's all gone in a big puff of smoke. It's very disheartening. Oh well. I just finished talking to Howard Whitehouse from Foundry, and D&J has of course dropped Wargames Foundry miniatures. Oh well. I'm moving to Texas this summer, and I will start a small games store there. Sorry, this is just a rant, and I don't have any direction for it. David Bronzich"

A Battle Report

I know with real men fighting and dying in a desert, this is not the most important or appropriate thing, but I thought I would tell you about a game I played just before my wife got back from New Hampshire.

I haven't acquire the figures for a WWII North African game yet. The host, Tim O'Keefe of Mountain View, was using micro armor. It was April 1941 and the first German units are trying to break through the British blocking force south of Benghazi.

Except for a few salt marshes, and a small village next to the coast road, the terrain was absolutely flat and open.

I and one other guy were the British. We had: 1 battalion infantry, with rifles, MGs, and anti-tank rifles 1 battery 2 pdr AT guns 1 battery 25 pdr field guns 2 tank battalions, 16 A13 cruisers 1 tank battalion, 8 captured Italian M13 medium tanks 1 troop of 4 Lt. tanks 1 troop of 4 armored cars

The Germans had: 1 battalion infantry, with rifles, MGs, and a short 75mm gun. 1 battery 37mm AT guns 1 battery 50mm AT guns 1 recon batt, with 1 co. of 3 arm. cars, and 1 co. of motorcycles 1 co. 4 Pz II tanks with 20mm guns 1 tank batt., 8 Pz IIIs with 37mm guns 1 tank batt., 8 Pz IIIs with short 50mm guns

The Italian 47mm guns were similar to 2 pounders. My basic problem was that the short 50mm German guns outranged the 2 pdr by 50% and the long 50mm AT guns outranged the 2 pdr by 100%. So I if I sat and waited, the Germans could stand off and pick us off. And I could not hide.

I decided on a daring strategy. (See Mel Gibson in "We Were Soldiers [Once]".) I attacked. As soon as the Germans entered the board, I went charging at them. I sent the A/Cs, lt. tanks, and M13s in first, with the cruisers hiding in their dust clouds. I left the AT guns and infantry in the village and a nearby salt marsh.

The first Germans on the board went "What the f--k!" and stopped. Then they backed up and stopped. I had put my 25 pdrs off table so that they could not be overrrun, but I could not use them for direct AT fire. I started calling in the artillery on the stationary Germans. A good roll took out three tanks.

As more Germans came on the board they stopped too and sort of formed a laager alongside and behind the first unit. My tanks kept racing forward, although I was starting to lose M13s and light vehicles. The Germans sent their motorcycles forward to see what the hell was coming at them.

Finally, we came within range. The A/Cs and M13s halted and my cruisers rushed out of the dust clouds. The A/Cs machinegunned the motorcycles. A furious tank battle ensued. I was still at something of a disadvantage because I was still moving on the first turn we exchanged fire. But the arty kept falling, and getting more accurate as it continued to fall on the same stationary (and very dense!) targets.

Then the German AT guns appeared and unlimbered and started slicing my tanks to ribbons.

My force was decimated. I was down to just 4 tanks and 1 A/C. But one last salvo landed, taking out two more German tanks. The Germans had lost 11 of their 16 MkIIIs. We had lost too many tanks to win, but they had to get a certain number of batts. off my side of the board and the tank batts. counted as TWO. So they realized that I had just pushed them down to where they could not win either, they could only draw. They called the game.

Darn! I was just about to shift the arty to the AT crews out in the open. And their whole force still had to cross the whole 6' board, and my concealed ATGs could eliminate the MkIIs across the narrow width of the board. Oh well. Flummoxing my opponents was worth more to me than all of those smoldering vehicles.

WonderCon

One more pitch for this Con in S.F. this month.

>To see the new WonderCon
>website, click on http://www.comic-con.org.
>
>We have been given four large rooms with which to game
>in.  These rooms, located within the Moscone Center
>Exhibit Hall Level, are in the North Meeting Rooms
>close to Hall D.  These rooms are 122, 123, 124 and
>125.  You can see the location of these rooms for
>yourself by clicking on
>http://www.moscone.com/rooms/flrplans/exhibit%20level.htm.
>
>I have taken the liberty to name these rooms based on
>the game genre that they will entertain.  These new
>room names are as follows:
>
>Room 122 (1,790 sqf.), Middle Earth- This room, named
>will play host to CCGs of many persuasions.  I have
>named this room Middle Earth in honor of Decipher
>Inc.'s popular and prestigious card game, Lord of the
>Rings TCG.
>
>Room 123 (1,770 sqf.), The Dungeon- Named The
>Dungeon, this room will house various Role Playing
>Games.  Dare ye enter the Dungeon?  Take heed, and
>keep ye'r sword handy!
>
>Room 124 (1,800 sgf.), The Eye of Terror- As dangerous
>as it's Warhammer 40,000 namesake, this room, known as
>The Eye of Terror, will entertain ferocious sci-fi
>miniature battles of all shapes and sizes.
>
>Room 125 (1,790 sqf.), The Beachhead- This room will
>host historical miniature war games of many types and
>many genres, boardgames of all types and also be a
>place for other sci-fi and fantasy miniature gaming
>that can't fit into The Eye of Terror.  From the
>American South where brother battled brother, to where
>the birth pans of America were heard `round the world,
>to the cockpit of a Koda Works Dictator -  Grab you
>rifle and hit the beach!
>
>Here is the tentative gaming schedule that we have for
>gaming at WonderCon 2003.  To find your game, please
>look under the appropriate room 'genre' and then, look
>for you game.  The schedule is as follows:
>
>
>Middle Earth, Room 122-
>Decipher Inc. who will exhibit at WonderCon this year,
>will host several events of their award winning
>Collectible Card Games.  From the fiery pits of Mount
>Doom to the furthest reach of the Final Frontier, you
>can expect Decipher Inc. to have quite and adventure
>in store for you.
>Exact times and dates of these events will be posted
>on the Room Schedule on the day of the Convention.
>
>
>The Dungeon, Room 123-
>Friday, April 25th-
>1:00pm-7:00pm- Open Gaming.  Take time out from the
>rigors of the convention to hack and slash your way to
>glory!  Pencils, paper and dice will be readily
>available for you and your friends to use at your
>leisure.  This is a perfect time to for you to try out
>that new module you've just purchased from the dealers
>room!
>
>Saturday, April 26th-
>Living Greyhawk.  Wayne Gavril and Sean Moore of the
>RPGA bring you the excitement and suspense of the
>world of Greyhawk. Take part in the adventures within
>the mysterious realm of fantasy.  Test your skills
>with the sword or your arcane mastery against the evil
>that knows now bounds!
>All materials will be provided no experience is
>necessary.
>This RPGA Event is broken down into three distinct
>adventures.  Take part in one or all If you dare!
>The adventure schedule is:
>11:00am-12:30pm- Adventure 1, Finders Keepers.
>1:00pm-3:30pm- Adventure 2, An Evil Day.
>4:00pm-6:30pm- Adventure 3, Forgotten Echoes.
>
>11:00am-7:00pm- Open Gaming.  There's still plenty of
>room in The Dungeon for more adventure.  Take time out
>from the rigors of the convention to hack and slash
>your way to glory!  Pencils, paper and dice will be
>readily available for you and your friends to use at
>your leisure.  This is a perfect time to for you to
>try out that new module you've just purchased from the
>dealers room!
>
>Sunday, April 27th-
>12:00noon-5:00pm- Greyhawk, Nyrond Regional.  Wayne
>Gavril and Sean Moore of the RPGA bring you the
>excitement and suspense of the world of Greyhawk. Take
>part in the adventures within the mysterious realm of
>fantasy.  Test your skills with the sword or your
>arcane mastery against the evil that knows now bounds!
>All materials will be provided no experience is
>necessary.
>
>
>12:00noon-5:00pm- Open Gaming.  There's still plenty
>of room in The Dungeon for more adventure.  Take time
>out from the rigors of the convention to hack and
>slash your way to glory!  Pencils, paper and dice will
>be readily available for you and your friends to use
>at your leisure.  This is a perfect time to for you to
>try out that new module you've just purchased from the
>dealers room!
>
>
>
>The Eye Of Terror, Room 123-
>Friday, April 25th-
>1:00pm-5:00pm- Classic BattleTech- 3025.  Paul Egedi
>and Mike Hardy bring you BattleTech the way it was
>meant to be played.  Using Nachimo 1/200 scale
>Robotech models, the venerable unseen `Mechs of old
>are back and bolder than ever.
>All materials are provided, no experience necessary.
>
>1:00pm-7:00pm- Open Gaming.  There's still plenty of
>room in the Eye of Terror to tear your opponents
>ASSUNDER!  Take time out from the rigors of the
>convention to hack and slash your way to glory!
>Miniatures, pencils, paper and dice will be readily
>available for you and your friends to use at your
>leisure.  This is a perfect time to for you to try out
>that new minis game you've just purchased from the
>dealers room!
>
>Saturday, April 26th-
>11:00am-7:00pm- Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader
>Tournament.  Aaron Morneau and the crew of Big Gunz
>Gaming Club, based out of Roseville, bring you this
>incredible tournament of Warhammer 40,000 mayhem.
>Participants must bring armies and materials.  Army
>lists must be cleared with Aaron Morneau prior top the
>event.  For details and information about this
>tournament, contact Aaron Morneau at
>aragura@rcsis.com.
>
>Sunday, April 27th-
>12:00noon-5:00pm- CAV- Operation Devastator.  Mike
>Hardy brings you an awesome CAV scenario that pits the
>Security Forces of Koda Works Corporation versus a
>Mercenary Raiding Party sent by the rival KDM
>Corporation.
>All materials will be provided, no experience
>necessary.
>
>12:00noon-5:00pm- Open Gaming.  There's still plenty
>of room in the Eye of Terror to tear your opponents
>ASSUNDER!  Take time out from the rigors of the
>convention to hack and slash your way to glory!
>Miniatures, pencils, paper and dice will be readily
>available for you and your friends to use at your
>leisure.  This is a perfect time to for you to try out
>that new minis game you've just purchased from the
>dealers room!
>
>
>The Beachhead, Room 125-
>Friday, April 25th-
>Closed.
>
>Saturday, April 26th-
>11:00am-2:00pm- Matrix 1066.  Mike O'Brien of the
>Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento brings you
>the cool new game of oratory skill and diplomatic
>prowess in the tumultuous middle ages.  Can you
>outthink, outwit and outtalk your opponents in this
>game of debate?
>No materials or experience necessary.
>
>11:00am-4:00pm- Starblazers. Mike Price and Keith
>Holmes present a miniature fleet battle game of the
>popular anime classic!  Join the fight as the Space
>Battleship Yamato defends the Earth against the forces
>of the Dark Nebula Empire.  A must see for any
>self-respecting anime fan!
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>11:00am-2:00pm- CAV demos.  Marvin Coleman brings you
>this fast paced and exciting game of Mecha Combat.
>During these demos learn from one of the best about
>how to play this great game.
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>12:00noon-5:00pm- Johnny Reb.  Rodger Mark of the
>Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento brings you
>this amazing wargame of the American Civil War.  If
>you have not had a chance to see this game, you'll
>definitely want to catch it now.  Beautifully painted
>miniature armies of the North and South fight over an
>amazingly detail piece of the American South.
>All materials are provided, no experience necessary.
>
>12:00noon-3:00pm- Settlers of Catan.  Grace Keller of
>the Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento brings
>you a classic boardgame to relax and enjoy.
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>3:00pm-7:00pm- American War of Independence.  Take
>part in the birth of our nation.  Mike O'Brien of the
>Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento brings you
>this miniature wargame that pits our brave freedom
>fighters against British forces in the wild American
>frontier. .
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>3:00pm-7:00pm- CAV Battle.  Marvin Coleman brings you
>this fast paced and exciting game of Mecha Combat.
>Take what you learned this morning to the next level
>in the multiple unit engagement.
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>5:00pm-7:00pm- Scrabble. Work the stress from a long
>convention day out with this classic boardgame of word
>knowledge.  Grace Keller of the Miniature Wargaming
>Society of Sacramento brings you this great game to
>have some fun with before you head for home.
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>Sunday, April 27th-
>12:00noon-4:00pm- Settlers of Catan.  Grace Keller of
>the Miniature Wargaming Society of Sacramento
>transforms this classic boardgame into an incredible
>miniatures game.  Much larger in size and excitement,
>this homemade game is sure to please.
>All material provided, no experience is necessary.
>
>
>That's the gaming schedule that I have now for the
>Con.  If you wish to make any corrections, please
>contact me as soon as possible.  If you have any
>questions, please feel free to contact me.
>
>Please, email me with a complete list of all those
>that will be assisting you during your events as soon
>as possible.  I require their names, email addresses
>and snail mail addresses in addition to your own.
>This will allow me to secure three-day convention
>passes for you and your assistants.
>
>Thanks for your help.  I'm looking forward to meeting
>each of you at the con!
>
>Mike
>Pod Corp, Sacramento
>Black Lighting, Sacramento
>
>Visit my website
>http://mechapress.com
>

March

Conventions

As the weather warms up (it never really got cold, did it?), convention season is starting early this year. First out of the gate is WonderCon, organized by some guys from Sacramento. This is their first con, and they waited until now to ask us for help, but if you live in or near The City, maybe you can help them out.

From: Mike Hardy 
>WonderCon is in San Fransisco, the Moscone Center.
>It's in April 25th-27th.  Now most of the gaming will
>be on Saturday and Sunday...  But Friday is also good for gaming.
>I have four 1700sqf rooms with loads of tables and
>chairs to use for gaming.
>I'm working on getting a Warhammer 40K RTT there as well
>as CAV, BattleTech, Mage Knight, Yu-Gi-Oh CCG, LoTR
>TCG, Magic and RPG events there as well.
>But, you'll notice that I have no Historicals going on
>there.  That's a shame considering how popular that
>genre is...
>This is because, despite my repeated efforts to
>solicit GMs to host Historical Gaming...  I have yet
>to find any interested parties.
>I find this amazing since WonderCon is a great
>convention with a large partonage...  A grea venue to
>both promote Historical Mini Gaming and your Gaming
>Clubs.

Next up is KublaCon, which is setting up the most extended pre-registration schedule I can remember:

Kublacon

http://www.kublacon.com

Following Up

Regarding the cardboard boxes. I forgot to mention that Associated Bag will send you one free sample of any particular box that you are interested in. Of course, they are assuming the you represent a business that will order 100s if not 1000s of the boxes if they meet your requirements.

Not everyone is up to using 25 boxes. Phil Chiu would like to hear from people who could use 19 boxes from his set: 18" x 12" x 2.75" leopardson@spininternet.com

The boxes I used to use were like a history of my career, from every company I have worked for, and from companies that supplied them with equipment.

Another Resurrection

Alison and Mike Taber of Cotati have purchased all the Jack Scruby figure molds from Ultimate Miniatures and have started a new company called Historifigs. Given how crude the figures are and how much better ones are now available, this is probably only of interest to people who have some Scruby figures. What is interesting, though, is that they are bringing back figures that have not been marketed for a long time, including a complete set of Egyptian Campaign figures for the Napoleonic era in 25mm, including British, French, Turks, and Mameluks. Also, Scruby's N gauge WWII line is compatible with the new 10mm figures and vehicles.

If you really have an itch for some of Jack's own larger scale painted figures, his wife Wendy is selling them off on eBay. Here seller ID is "solfac", for Soldier Factory.

Board Games

Gator Games in San Mateo and Gamescape in Palo Alto have a few historical board wargames, used ones too, and D&J has had some of the latest historical board games, but their selection has been imploding. San Antonio Hobbies is definitely the place to find most of what you want. They have just about every title from every major manufacturing on their shelves, and feature the latest games on a display behind the front counter. They also have a good selection of magazines and rules in the same aisle (the last one). However, if you cannot make it to San Antonio, and you are fed up with the fussiness and lack of stock at Boulder Games, you may want to try a new company that Dave Smith recommends for its low prices and fast delivery:

http://www.coolstuffunlimited.net/

"It's a small operation in NM. I've recently purchased some games from Todd (the owner). The games are at great prices (they're really tough to beat) and he only charges for the actual cost of the shipping. Parcels arrive at your doorstep in 3 days. He'll even try to special order stuff (I got some Metagaming microgames for some of my students) And, for those so inclined,,... he even carries GW's Blood Bowl."

General de Brigade

The General de Brigade tactical Napoleonic rules now have their own web site. The best part of the web site is a self-contained discussion group about the rules and about Napoleonic history and wargaming. You can get these rules from On Military Matters.

- Chris

January 30

Tolkien Beowulf found

A professor searching through a box of old papers in Oxford's Bodelian Library found a manuscript of Beowulf translated into English by J.R.R. Tolkien. Expect a book version of this to be published in about one year.

Bob's magazine survey

Bob Burke is concerned that with the departure of David from D&J, their stock of wargaming magazines will dry up. In anticipation of this, he would like to convince Scenario Hobbies in Fremont to start carrying several such magazines, including The Courier, Wargames Illustrated, and Miniature Wargaming. (And I vote for Age of Napoleon, Battlefields, and First Empire.) If you want to get these magazines and can make a commitment to buying an issue each time you visit the shop, please reply to me with a list of the magazines you will buy. If we get enough people, it will be worth the while of the store to get the magazines.

For Gary Z.

Spencer Smith Miniatures have ceased production of their plastic 30mm figures. However they will continue to produce the figures in metal, so the ranges will still be available. They are also continuing to import the Tradition/Willie/Holger Erikkson lines. And Peter Johnstone, the owner of Spencer Smith, can now be contacted via e--mail (Address dismembered to protect the innocent from spam: pjohnstonehr at hotmail.com, supply your own "@" -Ix).

Free Wargame Rules, many periods and types: http://freespace.virgin.net/pete.jones/index.htm

Kaiyodo Tank Museum

Milton Soong told me about this. The Kaiyodo model company of Japan is issuing assembled, pre-painted, plastic 1/144 scale models of WWII tanks. Normally you have to buy some candy, and a different tank is bundled with each set of candy. But you can also contact the company directly if you are interested (see web site below). 1/144 scale is 12.5mm. The models are available in sets of 6 for 250 yen, or about $2. Where else can you get painted tank models for 33 cents each? Right now they are just doing German and Russian tanks, but the detail is quite good. http://www.dct-net.co.jp/ktsite/wtm/index.html

Harmonic Convergence

Have you ever had two areas of your hobby interests come together in a sort of hobby harmonic convergence? Well, I just experienced one. Pendraken Miniatures has released a line of WWI figures in 10mm. Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh. I must be strong. I must resist. But at 30 foot or 15 horse for 2.5 pounds, that is cheaper than 20mm plastic! And the trenches and battlefield would not have to be so big . . . As far as I know, Pendraken does not have a US distributor yet.
http://www.pendraken.co.uk/

As some point during a plunge into 10mm, you will stop and ask, "Hey, where do I get 10mm terrain?" Well, Pendraken sells some. And Ron Langton and Hovels put out some for ACW. But what really impressed me was another UK company called Portcullis Enterprises. They not only have some 10mm items, but they also make 15mm, 1/72, 25mm, and micro scale terrain, and the odd figure. Typically they sell the smaller terrain already painted, on one foot squares. (Metric system? What's that?) Their stuff is expensive, however. Especially if you add the very high shipping charges to the US.
http://www.port-ent.net/shop/ranges.cgi

It gets deeper. There is a company that builds and sells specialty 10mm/N gauge items, such as armored trains, rocket launchers, and rail guns. Just the thing in case you want to preserve the Revolution or bombard Paris.
http://www.ncentric.panzerzuge.com/
http://www.aopt91.dsl.pipex.com/railgun/Content/Models/N%20Scale/n-centrics/n-centrics.htm (More details on N gauge stuff, incl. prices.)

Outsourcing

You may have heard rumors that one or more members have been sending their 25mm figures out to Sri Lanka to be painted. Well, if you are curious, and you like to find out more, the guy has set up a web site about his business: http://www.miniaturelovers.com

The Meeting, the Battle

There were just two games and a discussion of a game on the morning of the Jan. 11. meeting, so all three were well attended. The Crossfire game went well enough that another one started around 2 pm. The Middle Earth battle featured a determined stand by the dwarfs on a hill on the Army of the West's right flank against the Harradrim horse and foot. Beorn, the Rangers, and the men of Gondor managed to eliminate the oliphants and their supporting Harradrim and Easterlings, thanks partly to an assist by the eagles, but lost the Rangers and the bear. On the left of the "good" army, things did not go so well. The Riders of Rohan and other Western horse were disordered by wargs and wolves and finally brought to a halt by trolls. Meanwhile, six units of orcs overran four units of men and wood elves, pouring through a gap in the "good guys'" line. When the Nazguls defeated the Eagles, the Army of the West decided to pull out.

The Emperor

If you missed the Benedict Arnold movie on A&E, you also missed an interesting ad for another A&E film in April on Napoleon. There are at least two battle scenes, including one where Prussian infantry are blown up. Other clips suggest that people who lived or worked with the Emperor will have sly things to say about him to the camera.

If you are at all interested in Napoleon I, you should rent the movie The Emperor's New Clothes, just out on video. It stars Ian Holm as the corporal himself, and tells how he escapes from exile on St. Helena, only to have the plan go awry and he ends up living with the common people of Paris.

If you want to know the real story about how Bonaparte escaped from St. Helena, read Who Lies There? by Thomas G. Wheeler. It explains how a double of Napoleon was brought in on a supply ship and traded places with him. Why else did his behavior suddenly and significantly change halfway through his exile? Why was his corpse only 5'4", instead of the correct 5'6"? And why did it have all the wrong wounds, i.e., bayonet wounds?

Since no one answered the Farscape trivia question last week, (8 pm Friday, Science Fiction Channel), I still have the Campaigns of Napoleon available. So I will give it away to the first person to correctly answer this question: "What were all of Napoleon Bonaparte's wounds and where and how did he receive them?" Bruises and a broken heart and illnesses do not count, but if in doubt about something, include it.

ACW Movie

February 21 will see the premiere of another Civil War epic movie called Gods and Generals. It is based on the book that is the prequel to Killer Angels, which the movie Gettysburg is based on. This movie will cover the beginning of the war, up to the battle of Chancellorsville in early 1963. Expect multiple battles scenes and extensive use of re-enactors. There will be some focus on the career of Stonewall Jackson.

While we will see Jeff Daniels come back as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Bruce Boxleitner will replace Tom Berrenger as Gen. Longstreet. I am pleased to see that this time Gen. Robert E. Lee will be played by Robert Duvall. One thing that just drove me up the wall about Gettysburg was Martin Sheen's portrayal of the general as pathetic, weak, tired, confused, and uncertain. Let's hope they do a better job with the fake beards too.

Even though it was produced by Ted Turner (whose appearance in the film has been edited out), this is a theatrical release, not a television movie. Bob Dylan has written and recorded a new song as the title theme.

A Better Box

Recently I put all my Napoleonic figures together and found that I am using many, many different types of boxes to hold them. I had already determined that corrugated cardboard was the best container to use. It weighs very little, but is fairly strong. So I have been successful in moving my figures from wooden and thin cardboard boxes to corrugated cardboard, and I never developed the metal or plastic box habit. Unfortunately, the great variety of sizes and colors of the boxes I do have make it difficult to stack the boxes and keep track of them.

I finally decided to bite the bullet and reform all the boxes, standardizing on just one or two types. I figured out what I wanted (white corrugated die-cut cardboard box with side and outer flaps), what size it needed to be, (about 3" tall, and not wider than my current shelves or boxes), and searched the Internet for what I wanted. I should mention that I have been making do with some boxes that were just too short, and the final straw that drove me to this box reform was when I opened a box last week and saw a flag pole stuck in the top of the box, with the standard bearer still sitting in the bottom of the box with empty hands. The 3" requirement (for 20mm figures) is to prevent this and also to protect mounted lancers.

I finally found what I wanted at http://www.associatedbag.com (What an exciting company name!).

Many companies have corrugated white boxes with simple lids, but I insist on the outer flaps because I have seen the lids of boxes without them get crushed by boxes on top of them. I had to settle for 16" x 10" x 2.75". That should work. I ordered two bundles (25 ea). With simple flaps, you can get a box like this for about a dollar. But with the flaps, the price can get to be 1.33 per box. They will come flat, of course, and have to be folded up into boxes. I will need a big black marking pen to label all the boxes, and then the great migration will begin. And it will be a good time to conduct inventory, too.

- Chris

January 3

Club News

Happy New Year. This year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Amiens, the 2000th anniversary of the scientifically-determined birth year of Christ, and the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Shrewsbury, the ascension to the throne of Emperor Ming Jung Lo, and the death of Sultan Yildirim Bayezid I.

Decals

Some of you may have already now about these, but the Decal Detail line of decals has recently been expanded to include 1/144 scale decals for WWI (and WWII). This can be a great boon to those of us who love the 1/144 scale metal model airplanes made by Reviresco, which, unfortunately, come without decals. You may have seen the decal sets in the hobby shop, as a tiny bag with a dark green cardboard hanger. They were originally made by Beacon Publishing, but as best as I can remember, they were much too expensive. If you cannot get your local shop to order them (see below), you can buy them from I-84 Enterprises.

My favorite sets are GR-117, various WWI German crosses, and AL-102, and 103, assorted Allied WWI roundels, including Russian, Italian, and Belgian, in 1/144 scale. They also make 20mm, 15mm, and micro scale vehicle symbols and even decals for 1/2400 warships. Retail is normally $3 for two sheets (enough for 6 airplanes), but I-94 has been auction off the decals on eBay for about $2 per pack (2 sheets) as a way of getting publicity. (Sure worked, didn't it?)

Another great boon to wargamers in need of decals is decal sheets for ink jet printers. If there is a great image on the Internet (such as on www.warflags.com) that you need as a decal, you can load this paper into your printer and print out that page. Or, you can make your own images and instantly make them into decals.

These sheets of decals are made by Bare-Metal Foil Company of Farmington, Michigan. The series is "Experts-Choice Decal" (sp). You can get these sheets with white backgrounds or transparent backgrounds. Bulk purchases are possible. A single A-size sheet (sealed in a plastic bag) costs $2.50. If your hobby store does not stock these items, you can call them at (248) 477-0813, email baremetal@mediaone.net, or go to http://www.Bare-Metal.com. Make sure you follow the instructions on the paper included inside the bag, and not the instructions on the cover sheet.

Messages about Figures (Look Up!)

If you are wondering about the state of the miniature stock at D&J Hobbies, make sure you read the figure bulletins. These are white half sheets of paper taped to the wall about seven feet off the ground, above the glass cases full of figures. They include very up-to-date and pertinent information, such as the arrival of the new 25mm WWII Berlin or Bust series, and the reason why D&J will not be getting any new Wargames Foundry figures into its stock. Occasionally, you may find a Greek or Latin dictionary helpful in reading these notes. [Ave, David. Erat in Strabo cum facultas atque elegantia summa scribendi.]

Must See TV

On Monday, January 13, the Arts & Entertainment channel (A&E) will broadcase another of its excellent historical dramas. This one is about Benedict Arnold. There are all sorts of uniforms, and at least one good battle scene. The show tries to make clear how much of a hero he was before he turned his coat (inside out). The show starts at 8 pm.

Boardgamers Anonymous

Many of us miniature gamers are also board wargamers. Any of you who were ever interested in the WWI board game To the Green Fields Beyond" by SPI will be pleased to know that Decision Games is releasing a new edition of the game. This battalion and regiment level game recreates the battle of Cambrai in 1917, featuring the first large scale use of tanks. Airplanes are also represented. While not a "monster game" it does have long turns and lots of counters. Brave souls can go to the Decision Games web site and volunteer to be one of the first to buy the game for only $33. The regular retail price will be $44. The popularity of this game in indicated on eBay, where complete but punched copies of this game can go for $50 to $60.

A Wargame Oasis

If you are visiting Los Angeles, or plan to move there, the wargaming hobby shop to visit is The Last Grenadier in Burbank. While Brookhurst Hobbies is much larger, it is almost at the border with Orange County, while TLG is almost in LA itself.

TLG justed moved in October. It was in Beautiful Downtown Burbank, but can not be found at 820 Hollywood Avenue, just south of Magnolia Avenue, near Clark. (Go N on Hollywood from Hwy 134, or W from Hwy 5 on Magnolia.) As of December, their web site still had the old address, and this month I cannot access it at all. They are usually open 11 to 7. (818) 848-9144.

When I was there around Christmas, there was a BloodBowl game going on the front counter, and a Warhammer 40K game on one of the back tables. They have enough tables for at least three good-size games simultaneously. One whole wall is racks of fantasy figures. One whole side of the counter down the middle of the store is role-playing and fantasy books and supplements. The other size of the counter is all board wargames and rules. The other whole wall is covered with historical miniatures. Magazines are up front, and my favorite second is a small library in the front of the store with used military history books for sale. (I estimate 28 shelves worth.) There are also used, out-of-print boardgames for sale. There are old painted figures in a glass case for sale. My favorite finds were blister packs of BloodBowl Star Players, rule books I have never seen before, and Old Glory 15mm Ancients.

The guys behind The Last Grenadier are also Strategicon, the guys behind OrcCon 2003, which will be held at the Westin Hotel at LAX in February. Since it does not conflict with any Bay Area cons, I don't mind pitching it. There is a nice selection of games in the preliminary schedule, from WAB to WHFB to AK-47 to GASLIGHT to Age of Sail. See the details at http://www.strategicon.net/.

Hobby Shops - An Endangered Species?

You may have noticed that hobby stores have been slowly going out of business, or if they stay in business, they have dropped the sort of merchandise we might be interested in.

It is easy to resort to mail order, or Internet or telephone orders to the manufacturers. But there is another alternative that may keep the stores open and may keep the things you want in stock -- place your orders through the stores.

A Free Book - Campaigns of Napoleon

If you could only own one book about Napoleon, Campaigns of Napoleon by David Chandler is the one book to have. Since I just received a nice new copy for Christmas, I am giving away my other copy. It does not have a dust jacket, and has some sun fading along the top of the binding, but otherwise is in excellent shape, including the fold out map of the Mediterranean for the Egyptian campaign.

In order to get this book for free, all you have to do is be the first person to give me the answer to a trivia question. A trivia question about Farscape. The last 11 episodes of the fourth and supposedly final season start on Friday, January 10, at 8 pm on the Science Fiction channel. The question is: "What does Scorpius do in this episode?" Since I will probably not be logging in after the show, the first chance you will have to tell me the answer will probably be at the club meeting the next day. (I will be there, honest!) Second prize is Ship of Ghosts, a Farscape novel by Tor Books. Of course, you could take the novel as first prize, depending on your priorities.

But to be more relevant to our hobby: A role playing game based on Farscape has just been released! You can get more info on it here.

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