Saturday, May 17, 2014

Mail Bag

In the post this week, not one but two issues of the Society of Ancients' journal, Slingshot arrived.  Each issue is loaded with interesting articles, the arrival of which is always highly anticipated.  Being a relative newcomer to the journal and a subscription for my first year drawing to a close, I wonder how I missed such an excellent magazine for so long.  I definitely will be resubscribing.

Upon subscribing, I ordered the 45 years of Slingshot on DVD and promptly loaded this opus onto my tablet.  What a joy to be able to pass the long flights to Europe reading these works electronically from the (dis)comfort of my airline seat!  Articles and writing are first rate and I really enjoy the comparative game BatReps featured in the regularly featured Battle Day exposes.  Highly recommended!

The second item in this weeks' post was a package from Edwin at Thoughts of a Depressive Diplomatist blog.  Great title, no?  To promote his 50,000 blog view, a contest was held.  To cut to the chase, I won the Airfix tin containing two decks of cards, dice and a booklet of rules in a nifty tin decorated with WWII artwork.  Can you believe my luck?  I won a contest and was awarded my first choice!  What a terrific gift!  Edwin, I thank you for your generosity.

Finally, Jake and Kevin are stopping by on Sunday to fight the first tabletop battle of my solo Montcalm & Wolfe campaign as described here.  The battle with be a relatively small affair for control of the building site for the future Fort Carillon along the shores of Lake Champlain.  With winter approaching this fight could have important consequences in the campaign.  If the French can win, Fort Carillon will be completed and in French hands thus preventing the French from having to roll on the deadly Forage Table.  If the British are victorious, then the fort will not be finished until the French can reoccupy the ground.  Even if victorious in battle, the British will be forced to forage.  With winter approaching, survivors will likely be forced to make a hasty retreat back to the comfort of the soon to be completed Fort William-Henry.  

8 comments:

  1. It's a great day when you get gaming loot in the mail!

    I bought the SoA DVD too and it's a great resource. Have a great game Sunday!

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  2. I must admit - I have a real weakness for gorging in pdf magazines. It's just too good.

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    1. Conrad, I regularly prefer the physical copy myself but for travel, the pdf version of Slingshot was a Godsend. My experience is that I forget I have the pdf version of a magazine so it does not get fully utilized. Physical mags, on the other hand, get pulled from the shelf on a regularly.

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  3. After subscribing to a variety of waramwesd magazines for many yuears (The oiginal and later Courier - got an email form Dick Bryant a few weks ago when he came upon my blopg and rcognized my name as one of the subcsribers to the "original NEWA Courier - I was all of 16 at the time my sub started), Faetherstone's "The Wargamers' Newsletter" until it ceased puiblication, Empires, Eagles and Lions, Hal Thinglum's Midwest Wargametrs Association Newsletter until. it ceased puiblication, The Reiter (US Pike and Shot Society), ditto, I haven't subscribed to a print wargames magazine in a long time. The English glossies always seemed long on pictures and very short on useful content to me. Domn't know hopw I missed subscribing to "Slingshot", probably the lopngest in continuous publication of all current magazines! Fortunately for me, airplane travel is usually once a year or less for me, so the elctronic copmpanion isn't the same draw. For me, the internet has largely replaced print magazines since at least 2000.

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    1. You pre-date me, Peter. My wargaming publication subscriptions began with Wargamer's Digest in the early half of the '70's. MWAN and EEL had been staples of mine too but I also dabbled in subscriptions to Wargames Illustrated, Miniature Wargames. and probably a few more that I cannot recall.

      As you stated, the internet has replaced my subscription to print journals with the exception of my recently acquired interest in Slingshot. Still pick up the occasional issue of WSS and Ancient Warfare from the newstand. Really, many blogs surpass the content found in the print glossies but I still miss MWAN.

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  4. Glad to hear that your prize arrived (and apparently undamaged!). I hope you enjoy it.

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    1. Edwin! The package arrived in pristine condition. What a perfect gift. I love it!

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