Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Slingshot 333 is with the printers ...

 ... and should be posted out to you all in the next few days!  Here is the cover picture, together with a list of the contents and a short summary of each article.

Slingshot 333 cover

Editorial

The view from the editor's chair but also, again (I suspect, though he hasn't actually said it), a plea for more articles!  Maybe it'll be OK.  Maybe lots of members are scribbling, typing, sketching, researching and so on, but I doubt we've refilled the bucket yet. Gosh, I mean, the editor has even asked me so he must be desperate.  I fobbed him off with an excuse but the guilt is getting to me.  Ah me, where's my quill and parchment?

Guardroom

Not this issue!  The Guardroom antipasti is held over to issue 334 to make room for all the 'carne' (or should that be carnage) to be found in the main articles, which are ...

Over the Top - by Nick Harbud

Nick Harbud analyses the last battle of the Hundred Years War, at the very end of the Society’s historical period, and discusses how to game it with some popular rulesets.

Does Armour Matter? - by Mark Wilson

Armour is important, obviously, but just how useful were the different pieces of armour as fighting men with more means were better encased? Do rulesets accurately represent this? And do they accurately represent anything about warfare at all? And should they? And...

Once More into the Breach! - by Ray Briggs

Wargamers, naturally, cannot help themselves when it comes to not liking everything about their favourite ruleset. And fixing it. And turning it into a new ruleset.

Seleucid Elephants in 150BC - by Jim Webster

The Seleucids are commonly believed to have had no elephants between 162BC and 145BC. Jim Webster brings forward evidence that this was not the case and suggests tweaks to DBMM army lists for the Seleucid Empire that could be adapted to other rulesets.

Absent Generals - by David Kay

Creating an authentic fog of war joined to an equally authentic command structure has always been a big problem for wargamers. David Kay comes up with a creative solution, producing a trial scenario that got a thumbs up from his playtesters.

Characene - by Jim Webster

Characene, as a distinct and sometimes independent political entity, existed for three and a half centuries and was an important regional power. Jim Webster suggests some amendments to army lists that better reflect its capabilities, especially its naval strength.

How to Use Elephants in Tactica 2 - by Simon Watson

Before Xanthippus used them as a steamroller at Bagradas, elephants were usually deployed by Indians and later by the Successor States as an infantry screen. Simon Watson looks at why this was so, using Tactica 2 to demonstrate the efficacity of the elephant screen.

And just like the Guardroom antipasti, the Formaggi e Frutta and the Dolce of...

Slingshot Figure Reviews

along with the Caffe e Digestivo of ...

Slingshot Book & Game Reviews 

... are also held over to issue 334, probably to make room but maybe just to remove these temptations to wargaming extravagance and take the pressure off your finances following Christmas!