From the Editor's Deskby Rodger B. MacGowan

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C3i Magazine Special Gift: For thosejoining the ranks of the C3i Immortals wehave a fabulous Premium FREE GIFT offerfor you — the new Italia mapsheets of theentire Italian peninsula plus Sicily publishedby Tom Oleson, which are compatible withthe long out-of-print Avalon Hill classicgame Anzio. These Italia maps are a realknock-out, and I think they will quicklybecome a true collectors item. They areyours FREE for joining the C3i Immortalswhile supplies last.

Please follow the easy instructions belowand help support YOUR magazine, C3iMagazine, now and into the future. And,receive your FREE GIFT from C3iMagazine before they are out of print.The time has come to join the ranks!

To sign up for the C3i Immortals.

1. Send an e-mail to gmtoffice@aol.com, or

2. Call our office toll free in the USA at800-523-6111 or 559-583-1236, or

3. Send a fax to our office 559-582-7775 or

4.Mail a note to GMT Games, PO Box1308, Hanford CA 93230

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GMT Games LLC

At Monstergames.con, in Phoenix Arizona,we made the following announcement tothe convention on 20 May 2004:

GMT Games has filed its paperworkand fee for incorporation in the Stateof California as a Limited LiabilityCorporation. We are now officiallyknown as GMT Games LLC.

The ownership of GMT Games LLC issplit with 70% of the firm owned by MaryBillingsley, and 30% of the firm owned bythe four voting directors, Tony Curtis,Rodger B. MacGowan, Andy Lewis, andMark Simonitch. Final decisions, ifnecessary, on operational matters rest

with the four voting directors (above).

We welcome Gene Billingsley back asa salaried employee of the corporation,responsible for marketing, office manage-ment and automation. We are very gladto again have access to his knowledge,experience, and enthusiasm.

As you know, we have always operated asa team. We look forward to the future as

GMT Games LLC. Thank you for all yoursupport and understanding.

CSW Monstergame Con 2004After Action Report

by Mark Kaczmarek

Last year's 4th annual Monstergameconvention, hosted by John Kranz ofConsimworld (www.consimworld.com),

was held May 19-23 at the beautifulMission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona.Rapidly gaining in popularity as one of thepremiere gaming events of the year, thisconvention is truly a must attend event forall dedicated wargamers. As a testament ofthis, attendance has been on a steadyincrease of around 25% annually, with lastyear's total topping out at over 200 gamers.

GMT Games LLC pulled out all the stops

From the Editor's Desk: News and Information

for 2004's event by sending in the A-Teamof Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan,Andy Lewis and Mark Simonitch to notonly represent the game Company, but toalso show support for our hobby.

A special award was handed out at theopening night ceremony which perhaps bestexemplifies GMT LLC's commitment tothe production of quality games. In frontof a capacity, standing room only crowd,a Lifetime Achievement award was presentedto Rodger B. MacGowan, who is one of thetrue giants in the hobby. For Rodger'sdistinctive award winning packagingdesigns for hundreds of games fromAH's Squad Leader to Paths of Glory, hisinnovative graphic design work on gamecomponents like SPQR/Alexander and theDown in Flames series, his magazinecreations like Fire d Movement andC3i Magazine, and many other outstandingachievements in our hobby, now spanningover three decades, earned him a resoundingstanding ovation. Rodger's acceptancespeech was delivered with a distinctlywarm and genuinely humble prose.

Representation at the convention did notstop with company executives, as severalnotable GMT LLC designers also appearedto showcase their considerable talents.

Theirs was not a quest for new awards, butrather an opportunity to display fresh gameprojects and thus generate some excitementand anticipation for participation on theupcoming P500 lists. I think Richard Berghauled his entire design closet along withhim! Prototype and playtest versions weredisplayed for Alesia (Vol. XI of GBOH),Carthage (the next installment in theAncient World Series), Dynasty (a game onwarring factions in Ancient China) andTurning Point (an American Revolutionarygame on the battle for Freeman's Farm atSaratoga). Not to be outdone, Vance VonBorries unleashed his latest design Roads toLeningrad that is actually two divisionsized battles between the Germans andSoviets during the summer of 1941. Thisgame was presented with oversized mapsand counters and saw brisk game play allweekend, garnishing two big thumbs upfrom everyone who participated.

The list goes on and on. An enthusiasticcrowd played Wray Ferrell's new card-driven game Sword of Rome almostcontinuously the entire weekend. TedRaicer's latest effort Grand Illusion,simulating the western front in 1914, wasalso on hand. And Mark Simonitch quietlyunfurled a copy of Successors II, which willexpand your gaming pleasure by including

the campaigns of Alexander the Great aswell as those of his successors, all in onepackage. Lastly, Andy Lewis enlightenedsome of us sleep-deprived garners on theproper way to maneuver in a classic beer &pretzels design appropriately calledManoeuvre. This game is a gem justwaiting to be discovered. Players choose1-of-8 Napoleonic era armies and then gohead-to-head over geomorphic terrainmapboards. The fast and furious gameplayis governed by each side's own unique deckof cards. With the average battle lastingabout 1-hour, Manoeuvre should beperfectly suited for tournament play.

The real purpose and main attraction of theconvention however was the opportunity toplay some of those Monster wargames thathave been languishing in our closets foryears. Judging by the amount of differentgames set up and the crowds that huddledaround them, I would say there is a seriouspent-up demand for this type of monstergame convention. GMT held more thantheir fair share of the market in this venuewith examples such as the lofty BarbarossaEastern Front Series Campaign in all itsglory, to some lesser known (but equallyfascinating) items such as Austerlitz,1805.Rick Young, "Mr. Enthusiastic", waspersonally seen directly playing, or maybejust offering advice on, multiple games ofEurope Engulfed Co-designer Jesse Evanswas also in attendance to enhance the EEexperience. The American Civil War waswell represented by an Across theRappahannock (Glory II) full battle, whileWorld War II attracted the most attentionwith titles like A World at War andTyphoon. To the best of my knowledge, allthese games were played to some kind ofconclusion by the end of the weekend.

In terms of sheer devotion, and I mightadd enthusiasm, no title could match theexcitement level generated by the Downin Flames WWII Air War Series. DiFGamemaster Mike Lam never ceases toamaze his audience with his boundlessenergy and playing skill, to say nothing ofhis organizational ability and attention-to-detail. If you've never participated in oneof his DiF run tournaments, you are trulymissing out on a richly rewarding gamingevent. The DiF tournaments had at least adozen players fully engaged all weekendearning their Ace credentials, as well asspecial recognition for top performersgiven by the Gamemaster himself.

News and Information

(From left to right) Frederic Bey Pours de Gloire series designer and Trophee du Bicentenaireorganizer), Nicolas Stratigos (Vae Victis Editor-in-Chief), Denis Sauvage (Trophee du BicentenaireLeader and winner in 2003 & 2004, 5th place in 2005), Thierry Dretzen (WINNER in 2005), PaulBaratou (2nd place in 2005, winner in 2000 & 2002), Arnaud Stachnick (3rd place in 2005), PascalDa Silva (Canons en Carton). (Photo by Ingrid Bey)

While monster wargames were the primaryfocus of the convention, the open gamingarea was just as busy. GMT game titleswere in evidence everywhere. Perennialfavorites and award winners such as Pathsof Glory, Napoleonic Wars, and For thePeople seemed never at a loss for eagerparticipants. A good portion of the rest ofthe GMT product line also saw a good dealof play. I witnessed games of WildernessWar, Reds!, Clash of Giants, Gringo!,Sweden Fights On, Rise of the RomanRepublic, Simple GBoH, and Ukraine'43to just give you a flavor. A special note ofthanks also goes out to Steve Carey andKen Tee who spent some extra timeteaching new players in the subtletiesof play for several of the above titles.

This convention is truly a wargamer'sparadise. Each day started with an earlymorning, all you can eat buffet, andaccompanying seminar during breakfast.This was followed by engaging game playthroughout the day, with a slight pause forthe afternoon all you can eat munchiebreak, followed by more hardcore gaminguntil the wee hours of the morning.Attendees also had ample opportunity tosell their wares at the local flea market tablesor to bid on rare out of print titles at theSaturday night game auction. Opportuni-ties were available each day to browsethrough the game company/dealer's bazaarin order to pick up the latest releases. If thiswas not enough, raffles were constantlyoccurring to give away free wargames (orother goodies) to lucky winners. Last yearalso featured a special Battle of the Bulgegame seminar wherein a handful ofdesigners held a round table discussion(including audience participation) on theirlatest Bulge creations.

My hope is that this after action reportprovides a snapshot into what was a greatweekend of wargaming. It was a memorableexperience that I will never forget, an eventthat all true grognards would do well to puton their calendars for the future. I will lookforward to meeting and playing wargameswith some of you at the 5th annualMonstergame convention scheduled for June8-12, 2005. Until then, good gamingeveryone.

The 8th Trophee du Bicentenaireby Frederic Bey

The 8th Trophee du Bicentenaire took placefrom January 15th to the 16th, 2005 inVanves (near Paris, France). The biggestEuropean wargame tournament gatheredtogether sixty competitors, playing threegames Saturday on the battle of Elchingen(Canons en Carton) and three more Sundayon Austerlitz south ( Vae Victis #58).Thierry Dretzen won the 2005 tournamentwith four victories and two draws. Winnersreceived wonderful tournament prizescontributed from GMT Games LLC andRodger B. MacGowan, along with

autographed RBM Studio poster printsfrom Rodger's artwork collection.

124 players are now ranked in the Tropheedu Bicentenaire classification, only sixhaving played in all eight tournaments sofar. Denis Sauvage keep his number oneplace despite placing only 5th this year.There are now eleven Trophies to be playedin the Jours de Gloire series before the end ofthis Napoleonic era story, in the year 2015for the Battle of Waterloo bicentenary.

For more information and pictures:http://fredbey.club.fr/jdg_va.htm

Playtesting session at 2004 CSWMonsterGame Convention in Tempe, AZ.(From left to right) Rodger MacGowan,

Richard Berg, Tony Curtis and Andy Lewis.