Megagame
Makers
Newsletter
Issue 22, Autumn 2000
Editorial
Another
Autumn Newsletter, another new Megagames programme, taking us into 2001.
A modern
day crisis in Africa with a re-run of Jim Wallman’s successful game, yes its Another
Crisis in Binni
Starship
Marines take on those remorseless robots, perhaps this time it will be the Revenge!
Long time
Megagamer Dave Boundy gets his designing feet wet with a game set during the Washington
Conference of the 1920’s when the balance of power is up for discussion
along with the question of why everyone else’s navy should be smaller than
yours.
Another
established megagamer, Richard Hands is also taking the plunge with a game of
religion, treachery, intrigue and perhaps the odd battle set in the Third Crusade
as Richard the Lionheart and Saladin clash.
Finally
the chance for a second go at changing the history of the 20th
century when Bernard Ganley lets ideological conflict rip in the Russian
Civil War.
Five very
varied games, there must be something for everyone so return the Interest
Form soon as possible, particularly if you want to take part in More Dreams
of Empire.
Brian
Cameron
Editor
Game Programme 2001
|
Date |
Title |
Notes |
|
24TH February 2001 |
Washington Conference |
Set at the Washington Conference in the 1920s held to sort out the balance of power in the post (WWI) war world |
|
7th April 2001 |
REVENGE! |
Starship Marine verus Killer Robots – its maximum
carnage in this tactical game |
|
9th June 2001 |
ANOTHER CRISIS IN BINNI |
Set in the fictional African state of Binni, this is
an opportunity to tackle the problems which hit the headlines today |
|
29th September 2001 |
CITY OF GOD |
The fate of the ‘Holy Land’ will be decided by the
clash between the forces of Christendom and Islam. The 3rd Crusade. |
|
24th November 2001 |
RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR II |
Its Reds v Whites v Greens as the revolution sweeps
across Russia. |
For information on other forthcoming Megagames, check out the
Megagame Makers' web site on
HOW THE ADMIN PROCESS WORKS
Most
of the interest in the games comes via the Megagames Newsletter which we send
out twice a year, in the autumn and the spring. Obviously we also pick up interest from the web site and particularly
by word of mouth from those who have played and enjoyed themselves and then
kindly recommended our games to friends.
If
you send in the interest slip enclosed with the newsletter we note your
preferences against an interest list for each game. To save on costs we don’t acknowledge receipt of your interest
slip. (In passing its worth noting that
players often send in an interest slip after the autumn newsletter and the
spring issue with different preferences – we take the last preference expressed.)
You
won’t hear from us until we send out the acknowledgement letter for a
particular game. This is about 7 or 8
weeks before the game. Obviously they
go out just after the game is cast and roles allocated. While we are always happy to accept bookings
up until the last minute before the game (and even on the day!) it is worth
noting that once the game has been cast that it is very difficult to fit in
group bookings where the group wishes to take part as one team – it would mean
that we would have to ask players already allocated to change teams so that we
had a complete team free. The moral is
that groups should book early!
The
acknowledgement letter allocates you a role and asks you for your game
fee. We offer a discount if you reply
by the deadline (usually a few weeks before the game). This helps us feel more confident about who
is coming and what roles are filled so that we can allocate late-comers to
teams which need making up to strength.
A
word about the roles allocated. In some
cases the role may be quite vague, e.g. ‘Jacobin’ or ‘Noble’. We don’t specify this more exactly to help
designers ensure they fill key roles on the day. It can cause a problem if we allocate exact roles and then player
don’t show on the day – designers are then faced with asking players to change
roles at the last minute.
Once
we receive your acknowledgement letter and game fee the game list is updated
and you’ll be sent the briefing material for the game, usually two or three
weeks before the game.
After
that all you have to do is turn up on the day and, hopefully, enjoy yourself!
There
is one final bit to the whole process.
At the end of games we hand out a questionnaire which asks you for your
opinion on various aspects of the game.
We get very useful feedback both in terms of the ratings you’ve placed
against each question and the additional comments, so we would ask you to
please take the trouble to fill in the questionnaire and hand it back.
Washington Conference -
1921
It was not long after the end of the "war to end
wars" that tensions manifest themselves in a number of different spheres.
The internment of the German fleet meant that the centre of attention shifted
to the Pacific, where a clash of cultural and economic views was becoming clear
between the USA and Japan. At the heart of the problem was the relationship
with China and the immediate sign was a naval arms race between the two
countries. In Europe, the French and Italian positions were also causing
concerns and the fleet strategists in those countries were considering their
options carefully should conflict arise in the Mediterranean.
The
backdrop to all of this was the huge British fleet and its global network of
naval bases. The Anglo-Japanese naval alliance was due for renewal and was the
subject of much discussion in Imperial meetings as well as in the US
administration. No power could afford to be without a massive fleet and yet no
power could truly afford a massive fleet in economic terms.
The
US government invited delegates from the great powers to a meeting in
Washington DC. The intention of the meeting was to agree a policy to reduce
tension in the Pacific and, at the same time to agree relative levels of naval
armament, in terms of ship sizes and numbers. Each participant saw advantages
and problems for themselves and our game will present you with the same
challenges. The game is set in November 1921, with the start of the conference.
It is a game of diplomacy and negotiation.
Many
commentators believe that the development of the problems in Japan can be
traced to the Washington Conference and therefore they place the conference
firmly at the beginning of the road to war.
Teams
will represent the interested parties from the British Empire, from the USA,
Japan, France, Italy, the Netherlands, China and the American press. There will
be about 30 players who will take the roles of the chief political (very senior
political figures) and naval negotiators (government defence ministers or very
senior naval
officers)
and their staff.
ANOTHER CRISIS IN BINI:
UN Peacekeeping during a humanitarian crisis
The
changing and often near-impossible role of the United Nations has been much in
the news in recent years. In this megagame players are tested to the full in a
UN aid crisis. This game has
everything from gangs of unruly rural militiamen to aircraft carriers full of
US Marines. What more could anyone
want?
The
players in the game take on roles as members of the Binnian Government, local
Binnian Warlords, UN Negotiators, UN Protection forces, and other key political
figures in Binni.
See
http://www.pastpers.co.uk/pp-cib.htm for some background information on
Binni."
REVENGE:
The War Against the Mad Computer
The
domed city in Stickney Crater was the jewel in the crown of human achievement
in the solar system. Run by a unique
arificial intelligence city management system it was an example of well-run and
perfectly managed urban environment.
The people were happy, the street clear, the rapid transit system ran on
time. That was until the AI decided to
change its allegiance.
Suddenly
the casualties from rogue city machine because serious - ten of thousands are
dead, and there seem to be no way of dealing with this sudden crisis - except –
the only military force capable of penetrating to the heart of the city's
administrative centre and disabling the Mad Computer are the Starship Marine
Corps - ready for anything, the elite troops of space have only a few hours to
shut down the rogue AI, before the city is completely wiped out.
A
tactical megagame, with the majority of players representing Marine commanders
using the Starship Marine wargame rules, and a small number of players
representing the evil mad computer. For
more background on the game system, visit
http://www.pastpers.co.uk/universe/military/marine-acad/smarine.htm"
RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR II
“Lenin on the Wire”
The Russian Civil War was a titanic
struggle between the “Reds” under Lenin and a host of opponents ranging from
the Czarist officer dominated “Whites”, a variety of independence movements
such as the Cossacks, Finns and Ukrainians called “Greens” and foreign interventionist forces such as the
British, Germans, French and Japanese.
The war came out of Russia’s defeat
during the Great war and was fomented by the world revolutionary ideology of
communism. The Red Bolshevik’s rapid attainment of power in November 1917 was
almost at once threatened by these other colours and the bloody fighting soon
stretched across all of Czarist Russia.
The game will again portray the
stirring events of the creation, or possible demise of the first modern Socialist state. The
Russian Civil War was thus a key event in world history and largely shaped the
twentieth century. The break-up of the USSR has again focused attention on the
foundations of the Soviet system and how it came about and whether it had to
lead to Stalinism. These issues and more will be covered in this game which
will cover the years 1917-20.
The “Reds” too were not a unified
group, but were heavily split by ideological divisions ranging from the extreme
of the “Blacks”, the anarchists, through the rural Social Revolutionaries to
the Bolsheviks themselves and on to the more moderate Mensheviks.
The theatre of war was massive,
occupying 1/6th of the worlds land
surface, but due to war weariness and poor organisation of both sides, minute
forces could decide the fate of regions as large as European states.
It is thus classic Megagame material
where organisation, preparation and the ability to delegate will probably bring
success, but that as befits a civil war this was very much
a war of each again all.
CITY of GOD:
The Third Crusade
In 1169, a Kurdish
mercenary general in the pay of Nur ed-Din, the Emir of Damascus, was made
governor of Egypt on the death of his uncle. Five years later, with his master
the Emir dead, this general took the throne of Damascus from the Emir's
squabbling relatives, and thereby uniting Egypt and Syria - the two great
states of the Muslim near east - for the first time in centuries. He preached a
message of vengeance against the Christian states; an Islamic Crusade; a Jihad.
By 1183 he had retaken the Christian principality of Aleppo. In 1187 he conquered
the Kingdom of Jerusalem and retook the Holy City for Islam, ending 100 years
of Christian rule there. His name was Salah ad-Din - The Will of the Faith -
known to the west as Saladin.
The news of the loss of
Jerusalem sent a shock through Europe. Pope Urban was so surprised that he
dropped dead upon hearing of it. It jolted Europe out of its complacent
ignorance of events in Outremer. A major effort to rectify the military
situation in Palestine was organised, and all of the great princes of Europe
would have to play their parts. A galaxy of stars made ready to set out for the
East; King Richard of England - a military genius if occasionally an incautious
politician. Philip II 'Augustus' of France - the political web-spinner who
created a unified France from a collection of petty fiefdoms. And most of all,
Emperor Frederick 'Barbarossa', a hero King who had succeeded in imposing his
will on the fragmented states of Germany, and who now saw that the reconquest
of Jerusalem would be the crowning achievement of his already long and
distinguished life.
It is now 1189, and the
fate of the land of Christ (and of course Mohammed) will be decided by the
greatest men of their time.
As well as the Crusaders -
English, German, French, and Sicilian - and the opposing Abbasid Empire of
Saladin and his relatives, the game will also deal with the fractious princes
of Outremer, many now looking to regain their lands, with the disputed
succession to the throne of Jerusalem, and with the various other powers of the
region: the wealthy but weak and divided Empire of Byzantium; and Kilij
Arsalan, warrior king of the Seljuk Turks. Finally, the Knights Templar and
Hospitaller, the rival Italian city states of Pisa, Genoa and Venice, and the
feared Assassins will also be played.
The game will span several
years, following the path of the Third Crusade from its starting points in
Europe in 1188-9 through to its attempt to reconquer the Holy City of Jerusalem
in 1191-2. It aims to reflect not just the military and logistical difficulties
facing the participants, but also the complex and shifting political situation
in the region. Crusaders must raise and maintain an army and shepherd it
halfway across the known world, from Europe to Palestine, deciding between the
slow but sure land route, or negotiating for sea passage with the grasping
Italian merchant cities.
Although the fighting to
regain Jerusalem forms the core of the game, equally if not more important for
the locals will be how to achieve a political and military settlement for
Outremer which will last once the Crusaders have returned home.
Megagames
in 2001 remain unchanged at £20 for players, or £10 for game control (umpires)
and the unwaged.
Pay
the game fee in advance, by the specified deadline, and you pay only £15 if a
player (or just £7.50 if game control/umpire or unwaged).
There
is a NEW discount for players attending their first megagame, of 50% (so if you book in advance, that is a
megagame for just £7.50! ). The First
Game Discount cannot be applied in conjunction with Group Booking.
Any
group can make a Group Booking to claim a substantial discount. To claim a group booking, the group must
book in advance, and pay by the pre-booking deadline for the
game.
Five
players booking together and paying by a single cheque pay only £60 (a
massive 20% discount on the pre-payment price). The Group Booking Discount cannot be made in
conjunction with any other offers or discounts.
ADMIN
Please return your acknowledgement
slips as soon as you receive them. There are some
very good reasons for asking for your game admin. fee up front, mainly because
the overheads can be pretty steep.
Megagame ID Number
It
is helpful, if you remember your ID number, to quote it on all correspondence -
there are now quite a few people with the same names on the database, and it
makes things easier if we know which one you are! (and it also speeds up
searches on the database).
Notice for Internet Surfers
Watch
the Megagames Newsletter Homepage
on www.megagame-makers.org.uk
We
can be reached by email on 101453.2005@compuserve.com If you are on the net, don’t
forget to let me have your email address, and I will accept megagame bookings
and confirmations by email.
Telephone Messages
Just a hint to those leaving
messages on the answerphone. Please
leave messages that do not necessarily require us to ring back. A good example would be; “I haven’t yet
had my briefing for Crisis in Bosrovia 3, if it is on the way, no
problem, otherwise could you send it?”
Please do not say “Ring me
on 123-4567”. This is unlikely to
be answered.
There are
usually spare places available right up to the last minute so this will allow us a chance of getting a
briefing or letter in the post immediately.
Contact
We
can be contacted by post at 36 Barrow Road, London, SW16 5PF. Telephone Messages can be left at 020-8677-3005
Email
address is : 101453.2005@compuserve.com
INTEREST SHEET - Autumn 2000
Return this sheet to: Megagame
Makers, c/o 36, Barrow Road, London SW16 5PF
Feel free to copy it and
pass it on to friends who may be interested
If
you are interested in a particular game, select your preferred role from the
options provided. A number in the box
indicates your priority, 1 = top priority.
An ‘x’ in the box means “under no circumstances give me this role”. Just tick the boxes if you have no
particular preference or priority.
|
THE
WASHINGTON CONFERENCE 24th
February 2001 |
o Political Delegate o Military Delegate o Press o Umpire |
o Chinese Delegate o Any role o Great Britain/Empire o USA |
o Japan o France o Italy o Netherlands |
|
REVENGE! 7th April
2001 |
o Marine
Tactical Command (Lieutenant) o Marine
Higher Command (Major & above) |
o Evil Mad
Computers o Game Control |
o Any Player role o Any role at all |
|
ANOTHER CRISIS IN BINNI 9TH June
2001 |
o Binnian
Government o Binnian
Militia o UN
Military |
o UN
Political o World
media o Game Control |
o Any Player o Any role at all |
|
CITY OF
GOD 29th
September 2001 |
o Christian o Muslim |
o Umpire |
o Any Player o Any role at all |
|
RUSSIAN
CIVIL WAR II 24TH
November 2001 |
o Red o White |
o Green o Umpire |
o Any player role o Any role at all |
FROM: MM ID No:
ADDRESS:
E-MAIL: