International Wargamer, vol. 2 no. 10 (October 1969)

[scribe]

Title: International Wargamer, vol. 2 no. 10, October 1969
Type: Wargaming Club zine
Copyright: The INTERNATIONAL WARGAMER is publisher monthly by the International Federation of Wargaming. All rights reserved.
Articles and General Editor: Phil Pritchard
Managing Editor: Bill Hoyer
Department Editor: Len Lakofka
Society Editor: Gary Bley
Committee Editor: Wm. McDuffie
Ads Editor: Tony Morale
Contributing Editors: Lewis Ritter, Tony Morale, Gary Gygax, Terry Stafford
Illustrators: John Bobek (cover)
Typists: Bill Hoyer and Len Lakofka
Mailing Staff: Bill Hoyer, Len Lakofka, Chris Schleicher, Mark Nyderak, Bill Belke
Regional Directors: Randy Smith, Bob Hickson, Paul Cote, Bob Reuschlein, Charles Pearson, Tom Webster, Mark Spencer, Scott Duncan
Design Bureau: Scott Duncan --Rules; Mike Carr --Award;Tom Webster -- Convention; Jim Barber -- Tournament; Wm Mcduffie -- ratings
Place of Publication: n/a
Printer: n/a
Cover Price: $.50
Mass: 94g
Dimensions: Height 27.9cm, Width 21.5cm, Depth .3cm
Format: Full sized, 40 pages including light cardstock front cover printed front and back (light blue), 3 staples. The copy shown is missing the membership list which totals 6 pages and was stapled on the back of another copy I own. Missing from both copies is the apparent game that was included as an insert.

Contents:
ARTICLES:
VIETNAM GUNSHIPS. by Smith
OTHER TYPES OF MOVEMENT. by Mansfield
ARTILLERY RULES FOR WWII MINIATURES. by Valentine
VICTORIOUS GERMAN ARMS. Part X. by Gygax and Stafford
GERMAN DEFENSE -- D-DAY. by Menyhert
AZTEC FIELD ARMY, part II. by Lundstrom
ANCIENT MINIATURE RULES -- Knights. by Gygax
GAME REVIEW. by Ritter
FORT ZINDERNEUF.
SCUTTLEBUTT. by Morale

FEATURES, DEPARTMENTS, & BUSINESS
President's report. by Hoyer
Membership (new)
REAR GUARD. by Hoyer
Paid Ads.
COWS CORNER. by Ogden
WARGAMING NEWS, (society reports). by Bley
COMMITTEE REPORTS, (Matching+Rating). by Jewett + Reuschlein
REGIONAL NEWS
ELECTIONS
CONSTITUTION BALLOT
Miscellaneous Announcements
IFW OPEN TOURNAMENT

SPECIALS:
VICKSBURG--complete game. by Duncan
MEMBERSHIP List

Advertisements of interest:
PACIFIC WORLD WAR II GAME (naval society ad. Contact is Tony Morale in Little Neck, NY)
ARMOR PRINTS OF WORLD WAR II AFV'S (prints from Lamo-Lem Battle Prints. Contact is in Del Mar, California)
PANZERFAUST (Described as 'the best neutral gaming 'zine around'. monthly magazine subscription offer. Contact is Don Greenwood in Sayre, PA)


Rear cover (digitally altered):

=====================================

Scribe's Musings:

Of interest in this issue is Gygax's article titled THE KNIGHT IN RELATION TO THE PLAY OF MEDIEVAL MINIATURES. Perhaps this is the seed to what became CHAINMAIL? It would seem to be the 5th installment regarding Ancient Medieval wargaming rules published in a run of IWs.

In this article, Gygax cites works (unspecified, just says 'two books') by Donald Featherstone as material to ground one in ancient medieval warfare. Gygax goes onto to suggesting C.W.C. Oman's HISTORY OF THE ART OF WAR IN THE MIDDLE AGES as a reference for researching medieval military history. He recommends studying the Crusades, the Hundred Years War, or War of the Roses as examples of historical medieval warfare. He goes on to cite an article, THE MEDIEVAL BATTLE GAME AND WHY THIS ARTICLE DOESN'T TELL YOU HOW TO DESIGN ONE. by John E. Dotson (S&T, Vol. II, No. 5). Gygax spends a bit of the article making a response to this other published article and discusses how unpredictable fighters were during this period in history.

Gygax references many different historical warfare situations ranging from English vs Scots, English vs. French, Swiss as fighters, Crusades in Jerusalem. He describes possible rules considerations for these types of battling. At one point, he says "Just as in any Avalon Hill game, the ingredients of the historical situation are given, and the players become the "chefs" creating new history in the oven of battle."

Eventually, he settles into rules and reasonings for miniature gameplay with knights specifically. At one point, he uses the term "saving throw" to describe one of the bonuses charging knights should enjoy because of their heavy armor and shields. I am uncertain how often and for what reason saving throws had in early wargaming. But it deserves to be mentioned. Of the various games and articles Gygax is involved with, it would appear as if he is quite a bit interested in this period for wargaming. At the end of the article, he was lobbying to get more space for articles in the zine devoted to Ancient Medieval wargaming.
_________________