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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
God knows we all deserve a happy new year after the trials and tribulations of the one just gone, which will be remembered infamously for the rest of our lives.
From a wargames hobby perspective 2020 saw a decimation of the show circuit, the club scene was also somewhere close to non-existent and simply meeting up at your mates’ houses for a game fluctuated between being risky and illegal.
Thanks to wargamers’ increased use of the internet over recent years many of us were able to take to the keyboard to keep our hobby alive, whether that was via forums, virtual conventions (well done to Partizan, HMGS CyberWars and Patmocon for their valiant efforts) or ordering online. This last, along with state aid in some quarters, has meant that we are not aware of any businesses in our hobby that have ‘gone under’ because of Coronavirus.
In some cases hobby companies have actually thrived, struggling to cope with orders during lockdown (see my article in Wi392 – Coping with the Great Pandemic of 2020). But, I know that many, many of us are hoping that 2021 will see a resumption of normal service when it comes to meeting up with fellow gamers across the tabletop, rolling some dice and talking toy soldiers and other nonsense with like-minded people.
Let’s hope that will be the case sooner rather than later and that 2021 will see an outbreak of dice rolling, rulebook flicking and above all laughter across the tabletop, around the globe.
Here’s to 2021!
Dan Falconbridge
Editor and Owner
QUICK FIRE!
Our regular look at what your fellow readers have been up to over the last month.
OBSERVATION POST
New and forthcoming products in the wargaming world.
FULL PAPER JACKET
Your monthly book preview column.
FRAME FOCUS:
EPIC ACW FRAMES
We threw one of the free Warlord ACW frames at our Project Manager and waited to see what would come back. James didn’t disappoint!
THEME:
STEAL LIKE A GAMER
He’s back, for a double-whammy! James studies a broad gaming panoply and steals like a gamer to bring new rules ideas to Never Mind the Billhooks and more.
GAMING IN BLUE AND GREY
Do you want to get into ‘Epic scale’ ACW? The answer is, of course, yes! Civil War aficionado Neil Smith explains why.
THEME:
“A PARCEL OF OLD WOMEN”
Pete Brown presents a logistical campaign for the French and Indian Wars, adaptable for any wargaming period.
DESIGNER’S NOTES:
WARS OF OZZ
Chris Abbey takes us to Ozz, charting the journey that he and a couple of other devoted Munchkins took in making their new game, based on L. Frank Baum’s world.
THEME:
DIEN BIEN PHU
Jim Graham examines the Indochina War and the logistical struggles France faced in their return to Indochina after WW2, particularly when it came to precuring wine!
REDISCOVERING THE AMERICAS
Warlord Games have been kicking up quite a fuss about Mythic Americas so we tracked down main man Nelson Martinez to tell us what it is all about.
THEME:
GUERRILLA ROADS
Paul Leach takes himself down guerrilla roads, considering the small battles that can be fought over tabletop supply lines.
ERIN GO BRAGH!
If you’re looking for a new period for your favourite skirmish rules, Pete Brown thinks he may have the answer.
THEME:
SHOW ME THE MONEY!
As part of this month’s theme Neil Smith suggests some interesting ideas for featuring filthy lucre in your wargames.
THE COASTAL DEFENCE FORT
Swedish model maker Jan Karman completes his trilogy of nostalgic tributes to Airfix models from his childhood with The Coastal Defence Fort.
INSIDER INTERVIEW:
JOE MCCULLOUGH
We had an illuminating Skype chat with Joe, learning about his new supplements for Oathmark and Frostgrave, his fascination with magic, and how happy he gets playing with a piece of string!