Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy No.93

After some urging by Arthur Harman, I finally gave in and have taken out an electronic subscription to WARGAMES, SOLDIERS & STRATEGY magazine. As my subscription does not start until issue No.94, I decided to buy the latest issue at a nearby branch of WHSmith ... and I was very pleased that I did!

This issue contains the following articles:

• Editorial by Guy Bowers
• Miniature Reviews by Guy Bowers
• This Gaming Life: Time, Tide, and Yesterday's Lead by Rick Priestley
• 47 Ronin: Bitesize Battles – The Ako Vendetta by Michael Leck
• The Papal Bull And The Novgorod Bear: Defending The Finns From The Pagan Rus by Michael Leck
• They Fought Like Demons: The Battle For The Coaling At Port Republic by Mark Backhouse
• The Battle Of The Marne: Bolt Action For The Great War by Stephen Luscombe
• All the 'C's: Tabletop Tactics by Henry Hyde
• DIY Epic Legions: 2mm Roman Triplex Acies Made Easy by Mark Backhouse
• Wargaming the Eighty Years' War: An Introduction To The Dutch Revolt by Sydney Roundwood
• Gembloers 1578: A Running Battle Or A Fixed Fight? by Bouko de Groot
• Battle of Rijmenam 1 August, 1578: Don Juan Tries To Seduce The Sates General by Michael Leck
• The Peat Ship Of Breda: A Clever Ruse Takes The Day by Jan-Willem van der Pijl
• Revolt Against The Empire: Building An 80 Years' War Army by Guy Bowers
• A Cunning Plan: On The Cover by Tim Spakowski
• Social Mechanics In Game Design: The Irregular by Joseph A McCullough
• Making A Desert Oasis: An Island In The Ocean Sand by Stephen Tunmore
• Death From The Jungle: Creating Captain Joe Darkie by Steve Beckett
• Let's Play Blood Red Skies: Fast Play World War 2 Aerial Action by Guy Bowers
• Game Reviews
• Book Reviews
• Parting Shots

As the above list of contents indicates, there are a lot of articles in this magazine. I liked the idea of a bi-monthly theme, and although I had only a vague idea about the Eighty Years' War before I read this issue, I found the themed article interesting and informative.

Arthur Harman was right; I should have begun subscribing to WARGAMES, SOLDIERS & STRATEGY magazine much earlier than I have!

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The Parting Shots section contains an interesting challenge ... 'which is to come up with an aesthetically pleasing wargame that can be played out over a single evening.' The design parameters are laid out in some detail, but in summary they are:

• It must be portable
• No larger than a 2' x 2' footprint
• Should be able to fit into a shoe box, file box, or similar-sized container
• The cost of any figures require to play the game should be no more than £30.00
• The rules should fit on two pages (i.e. approximately 1,600 words)
• It should be eye-catching and visually attractive
• It should have replay value
• A game should last between twenty minutes and three hours
• The deadline for submissions is 1st March 2018, and the entrants will be judged by a team of four, including Guy Bowers, Richard Clarke, and Rick Priestley

I look forward to seeing what designs people come up with ... but as I get a mention in the introduction to the challenge, I don't think that I will be eligible to make a submission!