My First Game Report - Wargamers Newsletter Jan 1975

[Doug ex-em4]

I found a stack of Wargamers Newsletters during a recent tidy-up. For those who don’t know the title, it was a fanzine put out for many years by Don Featherstone.

Reading through them, I was delighted to find an AAR of mine in one issue. I’d forgotten all about this in the intervening 48 years. It may be of interest, if only to show how different these things were back then before online reports, loaded with photos, became possible.

The game was a sort of Imaginations naval, based on WW2 ships, featuring a "Meadowland" convoy running the gauntlet of a "Teutanian" commerce raider and using the Fletcher Pratt rules as published in Don Featherstone’s Naval Wargames book. The models used were Triang 1/1200, some of which I still have; I unearthed them yesterday. They’re pretty dirty but otherwise in good shape. Anyway, here’s a scan of the article - I hope someone finds it of interest.

Doug

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

I will read the PDF (which you sent me) fully, but a cursory glance reveals the name of one Captain Kurt von Snapper. Would this be the same individual who shortened his name from von Snapper und Hülle? I believe it was done as he had a brother fighting on the other side and here was some confusion in high command (isn’t there always?). Sounds like he was a distant relative of the Devonshire Snapcases!

Fascinating glimpse into your distant past, dear boy. An excellent AAR, even without the colour photos.

[FifteensAway]

Only read the first paragraph (so far, more later as its bed time almost) but was struck about the bit about 'playability' right at the time when the hobby was en masse abandoning playability for the holy grail of 'realistic simulation', that dread disease that inflicted itself on the hobby and is, thankfully, being innoculated against more and more often of late.  One day we will conquer it, I'm sure.

Good on you for spotlighting that games should be playable all the way back then.  If ain't fun, don't play it.  So say I.

[Doug ex-em4]

I will read the PDF (which you sent me) fully….

You better had - I’ll be asking questions

………but a cursory glance reveals the name of one Captain Kurt von Snapper. Would this be the same individual who shortened his name from von Snapper und Hülle? I believe it was done as he had a brother fighting on the other side and here was some confusion in high command (isn’t there always?). Sounds like he was a distant relative of the Devonshire Snapcases!

What a fascinating possibility - more research required

Fascinating glimpse into your distant past, dear boy. An excellent AAR, even without the colour photos.

There are colour photos of my distant past but not for publication.

Only read the first paragraph (so far, more later as its bed time almost) but was struck about the bit about 'playability' right at the time when the hobby was en masse abandoning playability for the holy grail of 'realistic simulation', that dread disease that inflicted itself on the hobby and is, thankfully, being innoculated against more and more often of late.  One day we will conquer it, I'm sure.

Good on you for spotlighting that games should be playable all the way back then.  If ain't fun, don't play it.  So say I.

It was a time when WRG was gaining a stranglehold on Ancients and was very influential in other periods. Although I was a keen player of their Ancients for a while, they eventually got so obscure and dense that I felt enough was enough. Although I tried various other "Ancients" afterwards, some of which promised "fast play" (invariably, they lied ), in retrospect that was probably the beginning of me moving away from Big Battle games to my present skirmish only preference.

Doug

[leadboy]

Fascinating AAR, Doug.

Pretty much all the old Wargamers Newsletters are now available online -
I posted a link on the blog sometime ago!

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2021/05/wargamers-newsletter.html

Oh, and for some (tongue in cheek) 1970's nostalgia (Battle Magazine front covers),
see here:

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2022/10/wargames-campaigns-on-dime.html

All the best!

[Doug ex-em4]

Fascinating AAR, Doug.

Pretty much all the old Wargamers Newsletters are now available online -
I posted a link on the blog sometime ago!

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2021/05/wargamers-newsletter.html

Oh, and for some (tongue in cheek) 1970's nostalgia (Battle Magazine front covers),
see here:

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2022/10/wargames-campaigns-on-dime.html

All the best!

Thanks, Clive. Wargamers Newsletter is a great read and not just for a nostalgia-fest. It has lots of thought-provoking stuff and items still relevant today. Worth a visit to the online archive, thanks for linking to it. I’ve still got a lot of original editions and they still get a read through from time to time.

Doug

[Easy E]

Those covers were epic!