$6.50 Canada "' g.. .J ~ --' zffi w CD Featuring: VOL. 30, NO.5· GENERAL The Avalon Hill Game Company's GENERAL is dedicated to the presentation of authoritative articles on the strategy, tactics and variation of our games of skill. Historical articles are included only insomuch as they provide useful background information on current AH titles. The GENERAL is published by The Avalon Hill Game Company solely for the cultural edification of the serious ONTENT game aficionado, in the hopes of improVing the game owner's pro· ficiency of play and proViding services nof otherwise available to the game buff. The Avalon Hiil Game Company is a division of Monarch·Avaion Industries, Inc. The shares of Monarch-Avalon, Features Inc. are publicly traded on the NASDAQ System under the sym­ bol MAHI. For information about the Company, write Marshall Chadweil at the executive offices (4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, Achtung, MUSTANGSl S MD 21214). Publication is bi-monthly with mailings made close to the end 01 Adding Historical Dogfights • by Shamsher Sheikh February, April, June, August, October and December. Ail editor­ ial and general mail should be sent to The Avalon Hill Game Company, 4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214. One-year Rodeos, Rhubarbs, and Circuses 9 subscriptions are $18.00. Two·year subscriptions are $29.00. All domestic subscriptions sent via bulk permit. Domestic First Class Variants and Scenarios for MUSTANGS • by Michael S. Kass Delivery and all SUbscriptions to Canada and Mexico must pay an additional $18.00 per year postage charge. Ail overseas sub· scribers must add an additional $30.00 per year pos1age charge. The Last Roundup of MUSTANGS Strays 17 Send checks or money orders only. The Avalon Hill Game Com­ Optional Rules and More Aircraft • by Bruce Kohrn pany is not responsible for cash lost in transit. Those with a cur· rent American Express, VISA or MasterCard may cail 800-999­ 3222 toil free to renew subscriptions or order merchandise. Series Replay - MACHIAVELLI 36 Absolutely no complaints or questions will be handled on this extension. Any business other than a credit card purchase must The debut of the 1995 edition • by Steven Koehler, eta/. be handled by mail. Address changes must be submitted at least six weeks in advance to guarantee delivery. Paid advertising is not accepted, but news of importance to the gaming community is Churchill's Few 42 solicited. Convention announcements must be received at least six months in advance and contain information pertaining to The AFirst look at LONDON'S BURNING • by Ben Knight Avalon Hill Game Company's games in use. Articles from subscribers are considered for pUblication at the discretion of our editorial staff. For detailed information on how to MARCH MADNESS Revisited 4S prepare a manuscript, please send a SASE to us first, requesting Sports Special with new and revised cards • by Stuart K. Tucker a copy of our "submission guidelines." Online services: Avalon Hill has E-Mail addresses for the following Online Services: AGreat War Ending for HISTORY OF THE WORLD 46 Address: Genie: Avalon.HiII Add to the Suspense of Epoch VII • by Gory W. Grober AOL: AH General (Magazine) and AH Games (Company) CompuServe: 72662,1207 (computer games account) 72662,2443 (boardgames account) The Editor's Choice Awards 48 MANAGING EDITOR: Stuart K. Tucker ASL EDITORS: Gary Fortenberry and Multi-Man Publishing Winner for Volume 28 and Nominees for Volume 29 GRAPHICS: Chun Kim and Georgia Wilson PROOFREADER: Elizabeth Turner COVER ART: Kurt Miller Staff Briefing 49 PLANE DRAWINGS: John Liebl GENERAL Subscriptions: Kathleen Grazer An Interview with Billlevay • by Stuart K. Tucker Purchase of Games, Kits and Parts: Theresa Nairnaster FOREIGN DISTRIBUTORS: Readers are urged to make sub­ When Bad Things Happen to Good Weapons S1 scription arrangements with their appropriate agent (address shown where phone number not available): AUSTRALIA: Jedko ASL • Games LId. (Victoria) 555-1022; BELGIUM: SPRL Prolude (32 How Weapons Break in by Perry Cocke Ave. de Teruuren, Box 32, 1040 Bruxelles); CANADA: Lion Ram­ part (Ontario) 525-0733, Dractus (Ottawa) 744-5225, E&K Breaking Down the Numbers S2 Kroeger (Scarborough) 752-4382, L'Avenir (Montreal) 341-1561, Northwest Game Traders (Cambridge) 623-5282, TO Imports Odds of Disabling Weapons in ASL • by·Mikc..tiay·iiiid"M'iirgiiii..s·amuiiis··.... West (Calgary) 252-2006; DENMARK: Falner Games (Gento!le) #683833; FINLAND: Fantasiapelit Tudeer Oy (Vantaa) 872-5950; FRANCE: Jeux Actuels (Caillquet) 3226-2257, Jeux Descartes (Paris) 4648-4820; GERMANY: Das Spiel (Hamberg) 044-8687, Games In (Munich) #89555767, Welt der Spie (Frankfurt) 380· 8088; GREAT BRITAIN: T.M. Games (Littlehampton) 377-3170; GREECE: P. Mamalis Ludo (Athens) 293-2203; HONG KONG: Columns' Wargames Club (Hong Kong) 417-1587; ITALY: Fernando Ferrari (Verona) 8011659, Stratelibri (Milano) 295-10317; JAPAN: Post Hobby Company (Tokyo) 3351-0471; NETHERLANDS: 999 AH Philosophy #171. •••• e _ •• 4 Games (Amsterdam) 644-5794, Capful Books (Amsterdam) 625· New Subscriber Ofter · 31 5537; NEW ZEALAND: Unicorn 377-4248; NORWAY: AEH Hobby (Pilestredet 7,0180 Oslo 1); PORTUGAL: Frente Crt (PC Contest # 176. •••• · 32 Duque de Saldanha 20, RICO 1000, Lisboa); SINGAPORE: AS! Scenario DASL-C • . .. 33 Wong International (Singapore) 545-3995 SOUTH AFRICA: Gamma Games Ltd. (P.O. Box 2904, Capetown 8000), Wizards AS! Scenario U ..... 34 Warehouse (Capetown) 461-9719; SPAiN: Joc Internacional Convention Calendar. • (Barcelona) 345-8565, Naipe Juegos (Madrid) 544-4319; SWE­ ·. 41 DEN: Target Games AB (Stockholm) 611-9585. Letters •••••••••• ·. 53 Questions: All questions should be diagrammed. No questions can be answered which are unaccompanied by a self-addressed Opponents Wanted. ·. 54 and stamped envelope. Questions must be based on the current At the Kiosk •••• .... 55 edition of the rules of play (not historical or design matters). Ques­ tions on more than one title must be listed on separate pages and A.R.E.A. Ladders . 56 accompanied by a separate SASE for each game. Please, no phone calls regarding rules questions; such information will not be Tech Tips . 58 given without a written request. Question Box ••• •••••• 60 IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS: Inform us immediately! The Post Office destroys undeliverable magazines even if you leave Coming Attractions ...••• ·. 62 a forwarding address. The Avalon Hill Game Company Infiltrator's Report •••••••. .... 63 assumes no responsibility for issues lost due to an invalid address. Please state both your new and old address. Copyright 1996 ISSN 0888·1081 4 he Reader Survey con­ The Letters section (p. 53) of this ducted in Vol. 30, No. 3 issue contains a representative sam­ T has given me a very good pling of the written comments of idea of who is the "average" sub­ your fellow readers. The distribution scriber. of negative and positive comments He is 38 years old, male, with conforms to that of the overall two kids (if he has any) and has ~~lircg~g~~l response to the reader survey, but the been playing TAHGC games specific comments of each type have since his teenage years. He sub­ Part 171 been randomly selected. As you will scribes to 1.2 other gaming maga­ see, the positive and supportive com­ zines, owns a computer, splits his The Average Gamer ments outnumber the negative ones game spending evenly between 4-1. Nonetheless, negative com- boardgames and computer games, ments must not go unheard. We rarely plays collectible card or would hate to lose any current sub­ role-playing games, devotes scribers, and will attempt to please as about four hours per sitting to a many of you as we can. game and spends one-third of his playing time ent? Put in another way, which will dominate: On the other hand, we cannot stand still and at the computer. His favorite topic, without rebellion or mimickry? watch readership dwindle. The reader survey question is World War II. A distant second, but My five-year old, Vivienne, has given me doesn't gauge well how to entice new customers still popular, is the American Civil War. He ample examples of both trends. Her feminist into the hobby and to the magazine, but some­ shows some interest in buying modern warfare, mother and I continue to be taken aback by her how we must accomplish this. Of course, the Napoleonic, ancient and other 20th century fondness for wearing dresses. I have not yet "we" is you and us. Your enthusiasm for this warfare games. He has only mild interest in the been able to interest her in basketball, despite hobby and our products can be infectious. Most 17th-19th centuries, medieval, science fiction how much she has had to live and breathe it at people will not have the attention-span or atten­ and family games. He shows almost no interest times. Yet, the other day, I was floored by a tion to detail and history to become fans of strat­ in fantasy games and low interest in sports, most unexpected occurrence. egy games, but the resistance of some can be economics and politics. Interestingly, adult age As I typed away at my computer terminal, worn down with the right products. (I happen to group breakdowns show only a few deviations Vivienne asked me for scissors, crayons and think The GENERAL is one such product and from this pattern. paper (nothing new so far). Then, she proceeded urge readers to show non-subscribers the "new In fact, the striking uniformity of subscriber to color a large sheet completely in three base subscriber offer" on page 31 on the back of the interest in World War II inspired the form colors while cutting little squares of various col­ contest page in the middle of the magazine.) taken by this issue of The GENERAL.