From: Mark A. Siefert <cthulhu@c...>
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 00:25:31 -0400
Subject: Mark's Day Off (Off Topic... Just general gaming stuff.)
Hello All: I got an unexpected day off today, so I took the time to do a little bit of gamer-related shopping (mostly searching for B5 Wars minis). First I stopped off at a popular place called Napoleon's (Milwaukee's oldest gaming store) and I looked around there for a while. I don't really like Napoleon's because the staff always seem to be just a tad snooty for my taste, but I was in in the neighborhood anyway, soooo.... When I asked about B5 Wars stuff the clerk game me a blank stare and asked if I meant "The Babylon Project." After stifling the urge to beat this geek within an inch of his life, I explained what I was looking for. In a sudden flash of recollection, the clerk told me that his distributor (Chessex) told him that the game and mini's release date is in August. I told him that the minis had been already released and the game was due out in a couple of weeks. The clerk just shrugged and went about his business of rearranging the Magic cards. Despite the dunderhead clerk, I decided to peruse the store's "clearance" rack and I found a copy of Kryomek for $12.50. I couldn't pass this up. So I paid Einstein and went on my way. Later in the afternoon I stopped at usual haunt, Adventure Games Plus, to see if they had any luck tracking AoG merchandise down. Unlike Napoleon's, the staff at AGP is far more intelligent than the historical wargaming fops of Milwaukee's East Side. Like myself, the staff at AGP is also concerned that they haven't got any B5 Wars stuff yet. They also deal with Chessex. Hmmmmmm.... I notice a pattern appearing here. Anyway, I decided to browse around the store for a while when I get to the display of the Fantasy/Napoleonic miniature game Flintloque. Now I have never really been into historical wargaming myself, but my interest in Napoleonic history has been growing lately. It has mainly to do with a series of BBC-produced movies based on some novels about an English Lieutenant who came up from the ranks and fought with Wellington against the French in Spain.... What was it called again? Shaft? Shake? Sherman? ;-) When I ask a few of the patrons about Flintloque they told me that it was a very good and simple game. I had seen it played a couple of times and it did look very interesting. So I decided to plop down 36 bucks (Hey! At least it's cheaper than anything GW would come out with) and picked up the basic set. When I got home I had a chance to look at the rules and the fiction. Wait a minute: Sergeant Harpy? Major Wogan!? REKHART SHARKE!?!?!? WOW! Mr.Cornwall, meet Mr.Tolkein. I think I'm gonna like this game! I'll try it out tomorrow night when the AGP Flintloque group meets if I can digest the rules by then. Later,