:;3-+4&C"y: <-qt .>.-A+: T?:: $?!2 2:i,@$$%; ,;;,.A:; :;;;;:, .-4C:. - t;,..). ek-L;-*"'-. ;-..-;. ...,., " F.c~z32:;*--------. ..i<2sp*<: J:+ .a~:21t?~k~:~~.,+a,".a- - &**&>*- . *-+.-->- --:--qr :?? ;~~~~~;-;.s~~~+~~-* July-Aug~st1978 y.!?i;.;,.. ...:jzs:: :-%" ~ct-2~:&~~:~?~yi-- *:+-+P.$Z PAGE 2 THE GENERAL Avalon Hill Philosophy Part 68 GENER Every once in a while in this Business, you ORIGINS and hope to conduct a mini-playtest The Game Players Magazine have to eat some crow and we got some liberal session at GENCON. If all goes well, the game The Avalon HIII GENERAL 15 dedicated tu the presents- helpingsof it at ORIGINS '78 this past July. If you should be available by mail before Christmas, rlol! of authoritatwe articles on the suatagy, racrics, and recall, back in April we did a promotional 8-page varlatlon of Avalvn Hill gamss 01 strategy. Histor~calarticles and in the retail pipeline shortly thereafter. We are included only InCornuch es they provide useful back. combination spoof of our softball team, ORIGINS spent a small fortune on artwork for this rascal ground information on currmnt Avalon Htll ritles. THE '78 events and upcomlng releases. Althoug h we and havedecidedagainst releasing it until we% GENERAL 1s puhli~hedby rhe Avalon Hilt Company solely for the cultural edilication of the serious game aiic~onsdo,in went on record that some of the games might tested it more thoroughly. Just how much we Iha hoper of Irnpmulng the game owner's proficiency of glay not make it in time for ORIGINS, even we did not spent on the artwork will become obvious when and ploviding seruiws not othmlwlre available to the Avalon expect that we'd fall as short as we did. When you see the $15.00 price tag. Ah, infla- HgH game buff. the record crowds at Ann Arbor descended on Publlcatlon IS bl-monthly wlth maillnos madeclose to tion . will you ever end? the exh~b~t~onarea w~thcash at the ready, we THE LONGESTDAY should have been called faced them bravely with only two of nine THE BIGGEST JOKE based on any expectation promised titles. The most frequently asked that it would be available for ORIGINS '78. question was: "Wha'happened?"Briefly, here's ORIGINS '79 would be closer to the truth. It is wha' happened. tentatively being scheduled for Spring release. CROSS OFIRONwas our only newwargame Randy Reed is doing his usual impeccable to make the con and the usual jokes about wet research job and hasacquired enough data to fill ink weren't ell that far fetched. The concept for a dozen books. Thefirsi real AH "monster" game sobm:ttad to The the gamertes had undergone great changes leaves us with one overridihg, unanswered advance to guaran since we first proposed them a year ago. Notjust question not will anyone play it, but rather, type 1s accepted . hastily thrown together collections of new maps will anyone beable to pick it up?A monster game and oounters, CROSS OF IRON with its massive with mounted mapboards is not only a hobby new armor system grew into a major design and first, but will probably be a sizable blow to the testing process that matched or exceeded the wallet as well. development of SQUAD LEADER ~tself.As a TRIREME fell victim to the fantasy craze. rnp examrrlns a17d dlagrams rho" consequence, the projecl grew until it tookon all Despite being all but ready for a by-mail playtest, red ink. Photogrn~tisshould h the physical and tlme costs of a full scale AH wrbnvn on back. Rejected arttcl the game was shelved in favor of work on game-which it is, except for the oddity of being MAGIC REALM. When progress will resume is EDITOR: Donald A. Greenwood a game based on another game. In any case, open to conjecture, but surely not before MAGIC GRAPHICS: Jrm Ham~lton,Rodger MacGowan, Scot1 CROSS OF IRON didn't take 6 months as was REALM is completed, and not prior to 1979, in Moores, Sleve Olrff, Charles Veit, Jean Baer. Stephanie Czach. Margaret l.ehman, J~unSklnner initially planned, but an entire year. The second any case. GUNSLINGER, incidentally, has an EDITORIAL STAFF: J Angmllllo. A Beyma. W. Buchan- kit. A RISING CRESCENDO (since renamed identical status, being another of Rich Ham- an. 0.Burdick, S. Carus. R. Chrang. J. Connolty, J Dsvts. CRESCENDO OF DOOM W8S set back accord- blen's designs. R. Easton, A. Gruen, R. Hamblen. R Harrnon.T Haz1en.T. Hllfon, J. Jarv~nen,R Cluerlnore, R Medrow. D. M~ller,T. ingly, and due to the many changes in CROSS REGATTA fell victim to the Wargamer's Oleson. G Phnfltes, L. Punsky. A. Plock, J Pournelle, R OF IRON will now have to undergo a second Guide to DIPLOMACY, which did get done. Rsed. M. Saha. D. Turnbull, M Uhl, C Vasey. L.Zoochi. playtesting perid. Don't expect it before next Nevertheless, this old 3M favorite should make PUZZLE EDITOR: A Richard Hamblen Cover: Kim Erornoll spring. As for CROSS OF IRON, although many it into the new Sports Illustrated branch of To facilitate correspondence, we sugwst rhar all envs expressed surprise at the cost (812.00), we sold Avalon Hill before Christmas. out of the 350copies on hand during the first$% hours. Repons of the game being scalped thereafter for $25.00 a copy were probably exaggerated, but did lend a considerable bunto the exhibition gossip. STATIS-PRO NBA BASKETBALL was the only other new title released at the show. For a quertlons will he anrvuehed chat are not ac~ornpanied 915 sports item at a wargame convention, it starnpd, selfaddressed envetope. Only questions rega moved rather well. The other STATIS-PRO rule clarificat~ons[nut historical or design subjects1 ca sports games . 1977 Major League Baseball, and Great Pennant Races are still being sold in their original STATIS-PRO packaging. BISIWARCK didn't make it to ORIGINS, although printer's proofs of the games' various components did and drew quite a few favorable "Nope, no MAGIC REALM, no BISMARCK CROSS OF IRON i: sold out but let me tell you about our fantastic Statir Pn comments. The game was essentially done, but Basketball . " the Advanced Game version had yet to be As to the show itself, it can be safely saidthm thoroughly tested. We decided withhold to ORIGINS '78 far surpassed its predecessors in publication pending a complete by-mail playtest. size, facilities, organization, and just about any It should be available before Christmason a mail other category you'd care to mention. Metro , , ,, order basis and in retail outlets the following Detroit Garners puton a simply fantastic show in spring. The price has been set at $12.00. proving that a hobby organization can do every THE RISING SUN may be redubbed THE bit as goode job of running a convenrion ascan a SEITING if don't finish it soon. The SUN we major gaming company. In fact, they showed game is just now reaching art stage, and a by- they could do it a lot better! Only the lack of air mail playtest will probably keep it out of print conditioning, failure to mail the excellen- until the spring. When it'sgone, we'll breathe a program to pre-registrants in advance, ant sigh of relief and proclaim "never again." .exorbitant university food prices marred ar Making aplayable game of this monster may end otherwise flawless conference. Attendanc~ up being far more trouble than it's worth. We estimates were in the neighborhood of 3,600- certainly won't tackle anything this involved a figure well substantiated by our abilir again in the near futurb. 4,000: to seta newsales record despite having only twl MAGIC REALM pulled a disappearing act on new offerings as opposed to six the year before us when desinner Rich Harnblen fell ill in late . .. .. ... ... .. ... .-. I ~une.we did display the artwork forthe at Continued on Pg. 3 I. Column -. - .. .-. .- - . THE GENERAL PAGE 3 PANZER LEADER, 1940 With all of the fine games currently available with its colonies spread all over the world. Great at strategic level, was not as pronounced at the Ioday on almost every comcivable subjecr, variants Britain, in turn, was the world power, the only tactical level. As in Russia a year later, the have to bepresented with class to have any chance at nation with possessions everywhere . and the equipment to stop the Germans was there, but was all of meeting with anyrhing approaching common naval power to defend them. The two foremost badly misused . Our purpose here is to create a usage. Paper counters and unmounted mapboards powers on Earth faced again the foe they had variant for the regular PANZER LEADER game. arefast becoming a thing of thepasr. A game worthy defeated twenty years before. And just six weeks A few extra rules will beaddedas required and, with ofone's time these days almost has to hchde die-cut later, how it all changed! The French armies had the addition of a few extra 1940-vintage weapons, counters and orher physical accouterments to been routed, most of France had been occupiedand the decisive battles of 1940 can be fought again. attract your attention. Therefore, we've backed up Britain was now alone, seemingly defenseless in the Mr. Cruz's application of the PANZER LEADER face of imminent attack. And lookaround now. The gamesystem to the I940 Bartie for France with aset two powers facing the krnans that tenth of May of full color, die cut pluyingpieces. This sheet of I92 took part in the final victory, despite their initial 518" counters can be obtained from the AHparls defeats, but not without crippling themselves in the Dept.