Map and Counters

A PERSONAL ASIDE TO THE GAMING COMMUNITY: CELEBRATED HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR, JOHN KEEGAN, PASSES AWAY

2012-08-09T07:12:00.003-07:00

As yet additional evidence (not that any is needed) of the general uselessness of the American media, I did not learn of the death of one of my all-time favorite writers on military history, John Keegan, until the day after I returned home from the WBC Convention in Lancaster. Hence, this tribute is a few days late. Still, given Keegan's influence on the trajectory of contemporary military

I'M FINALLY BACK AND READY TO RESUME BLOGGING!

2012-08-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

NOW THAT THIS YEAR'S WBC CONVENTION IS OVER, I CAN AT LAST RESUME A REGULAR SCHEDULE OF NEW POSTS FOR "MAP AND COUNTERS" Man at Work Saturday Evening Post, by Norman Rockwell This has been a long and — at least for me — eventful summer. Unlike last year, during which health issues severely curtailed my blogging and other hobby-related activities, this year has been chock-full of competitive

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, 2012

2012-07-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

Because I was away from my computer all day yesterday, I am a bit late in offering a 4th of July greeting to my regular readers. Nonetheless, better late than never. Independence Day, 2012 Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. Yesterday was Independence Day; moreover, it was, in fact, the two hundred and thirty-sixth Independence Day since

TODAY, JUNE 14th, IS FLAG DAY IN THE UNITED STATES

2012-06-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

First official flag of the United States. June 14, 2012, marks a signal, but little noticed anniversary in the history of our Republic: In Philadelphia, on 14 June, 1777, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that the official flag of the new nation that, in time, would come to be known as the United States of America should display thirteen stars and thirteen stripes; in addition, the

THE D-DAY LANDINGS BEGAN 68 YEARS AGO, TODAY

2012-06-06T09:01:00.003-07:00

Originally, I had intended to post only a few brief comments about a pair of my relatives who, although they did not go in against the German-held beaches with the first waves of the "Overlord" invasion troops, nonetheless both came ashore at Normandy in the days following the initial landings. However, in surfing the internet this morning (I no longer watch television), it struck me that there

REFLECTIONS ON 2012 'MEMORIAL DAY' OBSERVANCES

2012-05-28T00:23:00.002-07:00

Today’s Memorial Day essay is, with only a few minor changes, a repeat of an earlier post that I first published on "Map and Counters" in 2009. I keep bringing it back each year because it conveys, at least insofar as my meager gifts allow, the essence of my thinking on the topic of Memorial Day; moreover, although I do occassionally revisit this topic, I have thus far found nothing in its core

ONLY 30 DAYS UNTIL THE START OF CONSIMWORLD EXPO/MONSTERCON

2012-05-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

JUST A REMINDER It doesn't seem possible, but John Kranz and company's 2012 Consimworld Expo/Monstergame.Con XII will begin only one short month from today. On June 25th, gamers from all over the world will again congregate at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in (very) sunny Tempe, Arizona, for an action-packed week (25 June to 1 July, 2012) of both organized and "open" gaming, playtest sessions,

MAY 13th IS MOTHER'S DAY

2012-05-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

The creative force behind the American version of Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, first began lobbying in favor of declaring a national holiday to honor mothers in 1908. In 1914, her efforts finally met with success; sadly, by 1920, she had become disillusioned with the rapidly burgeoning commercialization of Mother's Day, and actually reversed course, arguing for her own holiday's repeal.

THE START OF THE 2012 WBC CONVENTION IS ONLY THREE MONTHS AWAY

2012-04-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Because I have been embroiled for the last few months in several PBeM tournaments — while, I should note, also trying both to write for this blog and to conduct several informal online tutorials on the Avalon Hill "classics" — I am posting this convention reminder a bit later than is my usual custom. Nonetheless, although the 2012 World Boardgaming Championships Convention is fast approaching,

THE ROADS FROM SMOLENSK: SPI, DUNNIGAN, AND THE 'PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN' LEGACY

2012-04-26T13:01:00.015-07:00

Back in 1976, Jim Dunnigan's simple but wonderfully evocative simulation of the 1941 Battle of Smolensk, PANZERGRUPPE GUDERIAN, was one of several candidates in the "Best Strategic Game" category of the Charles Roberts Awards. Why an obviously operational-level simulation should ever have been nominated for consideration in the "strategic" game category, I have no idea; and apparently, neither

CLASSIC 'WATERLOO' ANYONE?

2012-03-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

Back on 11 November of last year, I posted an invitation for those of my readers who were interested to sign-up for the 'STALINGRAD' PBeM Tournament which was then being organized by a small group of this "classic" East Front game's 'devotees' over at Consimworld. I am pleased to report that the response to this first tournament announcement was strong enough that a few of us die-hard 'grognards'

SPI, THE NEXT WAR (1978)

2012-02-28T09:36:00.006-08:00

THE NEXT WAR is a hypothetical simulation of a Warsaw Pact offensive against NATO forces in Europe in the late 1970’s. THE NEXT WAR was designed by James F. Dunnigan and published by Simulations Publications, Incorporated (SPI) in 1978. THE NEXT WAR is packaged in the large soap box format that SPI reserved, during this period, for its "super-sized" monster games. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND"A shadow

REGISTRATION FOR CONSIMWORLD EXPO 2012/MONSTERGAME.CON XII IS NOW OPEN

2012-02-25T11:06:00.001-08:00

This year, the Cardboard Wars in Tempe, Arizona will begin on June 25th and run through July 1st, 2012 Last year, as long-time visitors to "Map and Counters" may remember, a lack of advance planning and unexpected health problems conspired to keep me from actively participating in the many exciting events that were offered By Kranz and company at the 2011 Consimworld Expo. Thus, instead of a week

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: A PLAYER'S AID FOR AVALON HILL'S 'WATERLOO'

2012-02-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

If it's not one thing, it's another. No sooner did I make the announcement on "Map and Counters" that I would shortly have a couple of new posts finished and ready to publish than my blog site "host", for reasons about which I am still unclear, took it upon itself to lock me out of the editing function of the "Blogger" dashboard. This meant that, not only could I not edit any of my existing posts

AFTER MY LATEST HOLIDAY FROM BLOGGING, I'M FINALLY BACK

2012-02-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Excuses, Excuses ...It has been more than a month and a half since my last post; which, to be sure, is not that long in geological terms, but is an eternity in the electronic world of instant "online" communications. Not unexpectedly, my protracted silence has led more than a few of my long-time visitors to inquire after my current and future plans for "Map and Counters". This is not an

HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND BEST WISHES TO ALL MY READERS FOR 2012

2011-12-31T07:57:00.000-08:00

Today marks the last day of 2011 and speaking for myself, its end and the arrival, now just hours away, of 2012 couldn't be more welcome. The year that is finally limping to a close has brought with it few, if any, real signs of economic improvement, either here in the US or abroad. And "wars and rumors of wars" continue, along with dire warnings of an impending worldwide financial Armageddon, to

BOOK REVIEW: 'THE FIRST WORLD WAR'

2011-12-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

The First World War; by John Keegan; Vintage Press (May 2000); ISBN-13: 978-0375700453 Second wave of British troops leaving trenches on the Somme The First World War, despite its name, was not the first "multi-continent" conflict in history — strictly speaking, that title could more accurately be applied to the The Seven Years' War (1754-63) — but it was, nonetheless, a truly

SEASON'S GREETINGS FOR 2011

2011-12-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

This is my second attempt at a post on the subject of the 2011 Holiday Season. The first version, my wife gently but firmly explained to me, was both too dark and too depressing. This is not to say, by the way, that she took exception to my overall view that the current times are hard and — after three long years of economic stagnation and high unemployment — still pose very real, and sometimes

TODAY, DECEMBER 7th, IS PEARL HARBOR DAY

2011-12-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

In the last few years, Pearl Harbor Day has taken on increased significance to me personally, not just because my father and many of my uncles served in the armed forces during World War II, but also because most of the veterans of that war that I grew up knowing have passed from the scene. It was an extraordinary time: rendered more so by the fact that Pearl Harbor and the events that followed

'STALINGRAD' ANYONE? PART DEUX

2011-12-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Back on November 16th, I published a brief description of what I understood then to be the preliminary details of a soon-to-start PBeM STALINGRAD Tournament. At the time of my initial post, the final format and rules for this tournament were still being sorted out among those members of the Consimworld STALINGRAD Forum community who were most interested in seeing this project actually get off the

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL IN 2011

2011-11-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, 2011! Another year is rapidly approaching its end and it is again time to take note of the onset of the Holiday Season. Unfortunately, another somewhat melancholy Thanksgiving post seems all too appropriate as we gather with friends and family to celebrate this year's holiday. Much has happened since last Thanksgiving, but regrettably, very little seems to have improved from

2011 WORLD BOARDGAMING CHAMPIONSHIPS TOURNAMENT RECAP

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

BPA Posts This Year’s WBC Tournament “After Action Reports”It’s that time of year again. Don Greenwood and his tireless (and largely unpaid) minions have at last made available the long-awaited — at least by me — event recaps from the 2011 WBC Convention Tournaments. For the many wargamers (like me) who, for one reason or another, were unable to attend this year’s WBC Convention, the recent

THE CURIOUS SAGA OF THE D10 "POSTAL" COMBAT RESULTS TABLE

2011-11-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

A question a few days ago from one of this blog's visitors regarding the D10 "Postal" Combat Results Table got me to reminiscing about the early days of "play-by-mail" gaming. It was, for those of us who were in the hobby at the time, an interesting, if occasionally frustrating period. And while I don't claim that the personal recollections that I am about to recount regarding this long-past era

'STALINGRAD' ANYONE?

2011-11-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes what initially seems like a "hare-brained" idea, upon reflection, doesn't seem "hare-brained" at all. Such is the case with the idea of a STALINGRAD PBeM Tournament. Many of us who were first approached about the idea were skeptical, but, after kicking the idea around for awhile, a lot of us former "skeptics" have decided to climb on board. Thus, after over thirty or so years and

A FEW THOUGHTS ON VETERANS DAY, 2011

2011-11-11T05:14:00.000-08:00

Up until a few days ago, I had planned on writing a completely new piece to commemorate the return of Veterans Day; however, upon reviewing the short essay on this little-understood holiday that I first published last year, I have decided that I really don't have anything new to add to the sentiments already expressed herein. November 11th: A Day of Remembrance and Thanksgiving World War I