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.
At the recommendation of several friends and bloggers, I sprung for a subscription to Slingshot magazine. Although I placed my subscription to The Society of Ancients in August, my first issue (Issue 288) did not arrive into my post box until October. Even then, the magazine header carries a May/June 2013 date. Looks like the Journal has experienced change of leadership which delayed publication but expectations are to get back on schedule soon.
My first impression of Slingshot is that is it a very professionally produced full color effort. Included in 288 is a good mix of articles especially a serial on the history of the Iberian Peninsula 400 AD to 1100 AD. Part 5 on Islamic rule is recounted in this issue. With my interest in the Reconquista, I may have to pick up the earlier magazines to obtain the entire picture. Another period of increasing interest to me is that of the Biblical conflicts. Issue 288 contains Part 5 of a series on the Transjordan. This time, the Assyrians are mentioned. Have yet to read the article but looking forward to it. Rounding out the issue is an article on the history of Republican Romans vs Italians Gauls including a scenario on the Battle of Telamon 225. Another article awaiting some time for reading.
After having been impressed with this first issue of my subscription and wanting more, I opted for the 45 Years of Slingshot, 1965-2010 on CD. That package arrived within two weeks and for the amount of reading material contained within, it is a steal at BP38.50. With electronic format, I can transfer all of the issues to my iPad for reading on the go or when away from home on business trips. Being completely searchable will aid getting quick answers to my many questions. Outstanding product!
While I could have started at Issue 1, I began with the latest issue included and began working my way back in time to get a sense of where the Journal stands today. Reading only the latest few issues, what I have really enjoyed are the recaps of Battle Days. For example, Zama was selected and multiple players refought this battle using multiple rulesets and figures sizes. Accompanied by some good analysis and historical comparisons. I look forward to seeing more of this type of work within the pages.
