FRAG! Newsletter September 2006

FRAG! Newsletter - Sept. 2006


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FRAG! The Newsletter of Shrapnel Games, Inc.
www.shrapnelgames.com The Art of Wargaming [TM]

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~ Issue 63, September 2006 ~

In this issue:

1. The September Editorial Introduction
2. News Direct from the Frontlines of Shrapnel Games
3. Trivia Time
4. Interview with Dan Ackerman, Sword of the Phoenix Direct
5. Sizzling Sellers and Those Special Offers
6. Link O' The Month
7. The Crystal Ball


(1) The September Editorial Introduction

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Last month we talked about the fact that E3 was downsizing.
Shortly after that news was made public GenCon, one of
the oldest and arguably best known (although Origins probably
ties) North American gaming conventions announced that
they would be *expanding* their electronic gaming. So in the
end everyone wins, right? E3 may be smaller but GenCon is
picking up the slack. Hurrah for gamers everywhere!

Well Chuck, I don't think so. First, there's the fact that if I
agreed this would be a very short editorial. Beyond that
though is what I perceive as a "kitchen sink" problem.

GenCon has always been synonymous with role-playing
games, and with good reason. GenCon and Dungeons and
Dragons went together like barbarian chicks and chainmail
brassieres. Over the years coverage has expanded to more
gaming elements, but overall the focus has always been on
role-playing, and products that support/enhance the RPG
experience. If you wanted boardgames you could go to Origins.
If you wanted miniatures you could hit one of the miniature
cons.

Computer gaming has occupied a fringe at GenCon for some
time, but it was never more than that. Companies of course
could recognize that gamers typically play more than just one
type of game, but also realized that it wasn't a computer game
convention. When you go to an auto show you don't expect
to see aircraft. If you go to a hunting show you don't expect
to see hot tubs. If you go to a RPG-heavy con you shouldn't
expect to see Madden '07 or whatever the latest Command and
Conquer clone is.

So what's happening is instead of a focused convention it's
about to turn into a generalized gaming convention, which
at first doesn't sound like that bad of a deal. Like I said, most
gamers don't just stick to one type of game so cross-exposure
surely isn't that big of a problem, right?

Here's the problem. Right now you have a huge number of
folks supporting the RPG industry who are scraping by. You
have a situation where the choice is not quality over quantity,
but rather quality *and* quantity. There are a lot of really good
products and publishers out there. Far too many, in fact. One
could go broke simply buying every single cool book, module,
gaming accessory, miniature, and so forth available.

Yet these folks aren't living in ivory towers and driving their
very own manticore-pulled flying carriage. These are small
publishers and product producers, indie in scale and indie in
the way they do business. So what happens to all these folks
when a megacorporation like EA starts throwing millions of
dollars into GenCon?

Suddenly the cost of exhibiting shoots up and the little guys
get squeezed out, and what does GenCon care, they're going
to be making money hand over fist thanks to the mainstream
computer/video game publishers, right?

Sure, perhaps it won't go down like that. Maybe next year
instead of four computer game related booths there are six.
Maybe GenCon won't lose its identity. But here's an idea
to the mainstream publishers that would make sure that never
happens...

Start your own con. Got sick of E3 for whatever reason?
Instead of co-opting some other con, do it yourself. Make
your own rules. You got the money. People will follow.

Just let other cons be other cons!


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(2) News Direct from the Frontlines of Shrapnel Games

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So Labor Day has come and gone, marking the unofficial end of
summer. Unfortunately no one has told Mother Nature, and so
it's still FREAKING HOT. At least we haven't had a dozen
hurricanes as of yet. You know of course why we haven't,right?
Some may say this year's hurricane season hasn't been that bad
due to the current atmospheric state and global water temperatures.
Truth of the matter is that the hurricanes are being kept away by all the
folks playing our titles. Yes, that's right, not only are our games
entertaining and addictive, they keep hurricanes away. So if you
live in coastal regions we suggest you buy our entire catalog and
make sure you're constantly playing them. You too can save the
environment!

The big August Shrapnel news was of course the fact that
the much anticipated ( this isn't just PR fluff, we really mean much
anticipated) Dominions 3: The Awakening has gone gold! The cheer
that erupted around the globe on that day may have been responsible
for sonically displacing the Earth's moon a few thousand kilometers.

And yes, we hear you, "Great, but when do *I* get my grubby
little hands on the Dominions CD?" Barring unforeseen
circumstances it will be shipping the first week of October. Due
to the massive volume of pre-orders the Shrapnel elves will be
quite busy that week, but fear not, we'll make sure they have
extra gruel to get everything out promptly.

Now, in case you don't know what Dominions 3 is and have no
idea why you should be excited here's a rundown of what it is,
and why you should be ordering it right after you finish reading
this newsletter!

* Sequel to the awesome Dominions II: The Ascension Wars!
* Turn-based, fantasy strategy!
* Twenty-one players!
* Fifty nations, three eras!
* Random map creation!
* 1500+ units, 600+ spells, 300+ magic items!
* PC, Mac, or Linux!
* Mod-friendly!
* Hurricane prevention!

Thousands and thousands of hours of play value, all for only
$54.95. When you break that down in an hourly rate you're
practically getting all that fun for free! And if that doesn't convince
you let's take a look at what else $54.95 could possibly buy
you, and how long it would last...

For around $55 you could:

*fill up a SUV with premium, which will last with their gas
mileage what, 60 miles?

*pay for one month of cable, which would duh, last one
month!

*eat Ramen noodles all three meals for one hundred and
twenty-two days.

*buy Dominions 3 and play every day for the next ten years
and still want more!

The choice is clear! Order Dominions 3 at:

www.gamersfront.com/xcart/home.php

Other August news includes the wrap up of the Shady O' Grady's
Rising Star contest, which asked for musicians around the world
to submit their songs for possible inclusion on the upcoming
musical RPG from Gilligames, Shady O' Grady's Rising Star.
The contest ended August 25th so expect to see more news on
it in the near future.

Finally, Pat Proctor gave a shout out on the current status of
the next ProSIM title, Air Assault Task Force. The projected
release date is December (gold in November), which will make
this the perfect Christmas gift. And remember, it will also
prevent those December hurricanes.

Air Assault Task Force is the next evolution of the ATF series of
games, and is shaping up great. Taking more of a survey approach
(sorta like how the old EA Jane's titles did for flight sims) the
game will cover decades of airmobile operations. The interface
has been overhauled and will be much more friendly.

For more information visit the blog, at:

www.shrapnelcommunity.com/blog/

Th-th-th-that's all, folks! See ya next month!!


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(3) Trivia Time

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The air war waged against the Third Reich during the Second World
War was one of the most fascinating, if ultimately pointless, campaigns
ever waged. Hundreds of thousands of airmen perished, along with
countless number of civilians, for very little negligible effect on the
German war effort (although one could argue it did have the effect
of draining the Luftwaffe). A prime example of one particular raid
that embodied the fascinating but actually pointless going-ons of the
air war was the "Dambuster Raid" of May 16th, 1943 carried out by
RAF squadron No. 617 with nineteen Lancaster bombers. The raid
was meant to hamper German industrial effort by destroying four
key dams: Mohne, Eder, Sorpe, and Schwelm.

Destroying the dams, especially at night as was the usual method of
attack carried out by the RAF, carried with it quite a challenge.
Conventional bombing, with accuracy measured in the miles, would be
out of the question. A torpedo could do the trick, but the Germans had
already thought of it and all the dams were protected by torpedo nets.
No, to destroy the dams something less conventional had to be used.

In 1941 a Vickers Aircraft Company employee, Dr. Barnes Wallis, wrote
a hundred page paper entitled "A Note on a Method of Attacking the
Axis Papers". In it he described several unique methods of destroying
German infrastructure from the air, including huge bombs that would
penetrate the earth and using the surrounding terrain (whether it be land
or ground), literally shake the target to pieces like an earthquake.

One such bomb he envisioned would weigh ten tons and needed to be
dropped from a height of 40,000 feet...something rather unfeasible at the
time. It would then penetrate the earth to nearly 135 feet before exploding,
leaving no topside crater but creating a massive earthquake effect. Perfect
for destroying underground bunkers, sub pens, and the like.

While considered rather outlandish at the time one aspect of his paper
did attract significant attention; the idea of using some sort of bomb to
fracture German dams, and so later that year the Air Attack on Dams
Committee was formed.

The Committee determined that the primary target would be the Mohne
Dam. Huge, it was 130 feet high and 112 feet thick at the base, tapering
to 25 feet at the summit. A 1/50th scale model was created at Watford
(England) to study the possibility of destroying the dam, with early
projections proving to be quite negative. It would take a fifteen-ton bomb,
denoted within fifty feet, to breach the dam. Again, consider that accuracy
was often measured in miles for bombing, and then throw in it would be
night, there would be flak, and night fighters. In July 1942 the Committee
came to the conclusion that it would not be possible to attack the dam, or
any other, with existing weapons. Existing weapons.

Wallis went to work on creating a new weapon for just such a job.
Codenamed "Upkeep", the dam-buster was a rather ingenious piece of work.
The bomb (or mine as it is often referred to) weighed 9,250 pounds, of which
6,600 pounds was high explosive. Fifty inches in diameter and sixty inches
long, it looked like a large smooth barrel rather than a conventional bomb.

Carried by specially modified Lancasters, the bomb was cradled by two
V-shaped arms. A small motor was attached to the assembly, allowing the
bomb to be revved up to about 500 rpm in the cradle, as the bomb had to be
spinning to be successful. The idea was, just like skipping a stone, the bomb
would be rotated backwards and dropped, skipping over the water and then
hitting the dam. It would then bounce off the dam's wall and then rotate
forward, hitting the wall again. The bomb would then sink and at a depth
of thirty feet would explode due to a hydrostatic fuse. The resulting
explosion would tear a hole into the dam, helped along by the pressure
of the built-up water behind the dam.

Already that may sound like quite a challenge to pull off but it only gets
more complicated. There were a number of variables that all had to come
together, otherwise it simply would not work. The bomb had to be released
at 220 mph, sixty feet above the water. Not 215 mph, not 225 mph, not fifty
or seventy feet, it had to be exact. It also had to be released with 425 yards
of the dam, with a plus or minus of twenty-five yards (so 375 to 450
yards, although it would only take one-quarter of a second to cover that
twenty-five yards, meaning the bombers couldn't dally).

While today GPS equipment and night-vision gear can make nap of the earth
flying easy (or at least easier than zooming along at treetop level in a WWII
four-engine bomber) it was more British ingenuity that allowed the Lancasters
to pull off the maneuvering needed for the attack run. The bombers could
determine height by a pair of spotlights mounted on the underside of their
bombers. The lights shone down at angles, and when the altitude was
exactly sixty feet the spots of light would link to form a figure eight.

Determining range to the target was done by the use of a simple piece of
scrap wood with two nails and a peephole. The bombardier would peer
through the peephole and when the nails lined up with towers on the dam,
would release the bomb. In testing this jury-rigged bombsight proved accurate
to within four yards!

With the technology created all that was needed were the aircraft and men to
fly the mission, and so in March 1943 squadron No. 617 was formed under
Wing-Commander Guy Gibson. Gibson was then allowed to recruit the
crews himself, with the only stipulation being that the squadron had to be
made up of men who had served two tours already, or close to (which for the
RAF meant thirty apiece, or sixty sorties total). Squadron No. 617 then began
training and just a short time later, in May, the attack took place.

The mission was named "Chastise" and consisted of nineteen bombers in
three waves attacking the dams, with the primary target being the Mohne.
The Mohne was attacked with five mines, and was breached shortly before
one in the morning. The Eder dam was attacked with three mines, and it was
also breached. The Sorpe dam was hit twice, although it held. The Sorpe
was made from packed earth with a concrete core, different from the other
dams, which provided more protection from the dambusting bombs. The
Schwelm dam was hit by one bomb, but it was also not smashed.

Of the nineteen aircraft only ten aircraft made it back. Of the first wave
three bombers were shot down on the Mohne run. One bomber was downed
on the run after being damaged by its own bouncing bomb, and another
Lancaster was shot down near Dorsten.

The second wave had two bombers go missing, and two that had to abort
(one flew too low and lost its mine when it struck water, and the other was
damaged by flak). The third wave had two Lancasters go missing, one
exploding in air near Tilburg.

While a great victory for technology and British know how, the actual effects
on the war effort were minimal. The Mohne dam flooding killed twelve-hundred,
although half were captured Eastern European women in a labor camp.
The Eder flooding caused the suburb of Bettenhausen to be evacuated, but
that's about it. Within a week nearly twenty thousand workers worked to repair
the dams, and by fall it was as if the dams had never been bombed.


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(4) Interview with Dan Ackerman, Sword of the Phoenix Direct

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If you've lived in Atlanta more than a couple of years and are a gamer
chances are you're familiar with Sword of the Phoenix, which recently
shut its doors. But like the legendary bird whose name graced the
shop for almost three decades, Sword of the Phoenix has once more
arisen as Sword of the Phoenix Direct. Frag! talked with Dan Ackerman,
owner of the store, to learn the details of what it's like to be behind
the counter of a game shop, and how can we, the gamers, stop the
steady decline of local shops.

FRAG (FG): Please introduce yourself and the history of Sword of the
Phoenix.

Dan Ackerman (DA): Dan Ackerman, Owner and President of Sword
Of the Phoenix. We just finished a 28 year run as Atlanta's first and
foremost game store.

FG: What interested you in opening a game store?

DA: Back in 1978 I wasn't interested in gaming at all. I came from a
business background. I thought my brother- in- law was crazy when he
told me about his plans for opening a game store. It was his idea. Bill
Green. He started with a little shop in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. That
was O.K., but when he decided to open two stores in major shopping
malls, that's when I really became concerned.

This was 1979. Dungeons and Dragons was just starting to pick up
steam. Wargames were only being sold at hobby and toys stores, and
miniatures were a specialty item to say the least.

The original concept was very ambitious. We spent a lot of money on
design and construction. The Lenox Square store had a brick dungeon
incorporated into the design. The idea was to go upscale and offer
expensive imported chess sets and high-end pewter sculpture in addition
to the boxed games and miniatures.

Soon after I took over the operation of both stores we somehow
began generating enough sales to pay the bills.

Within a couple years, we branched out into game manufacturing. We
also bought a miniatures manufacturing company and even opened a
wholesale game distributorship.

It was really a great era for gaming. In the early 80's, everyone was
tuned into the same vibe, whether you were a historical gamer or a
role-player. Everyone was running around with dice and maps and books
on them. Computers were only visible as simple video game machines
or word processors, so everything was being done on paper. You had
to have a source to get all the stuff, and we were it.

FG: That's interesting that a FLGS got into actually putting out
miniatures. How did that play out?

DA: We bought out a local casting operation called "Broadsword
Miniatures". I remember we had the only miniatures in the industry
that truly were 25mm scale. They look more like what you see as
today's 15mm figures. We had this great idea to do the "War of the
Phoenix" series, and pretty soon we were cranking out army packs and
the quality went out the window. We shut down the operation shortly
thereafter.

FG: There seems to be three "eras" in gaming. The 70s and 80s
were dominated by wargames and RPGs, the 90s became known for
collectible card games, and then from 2000 on it's now back to wargames
and RPGs. What has it been like being a retailer during these periods?
Did you feel you had to chase the latest trend?

DA: I didn't see them as trends. People got into a lot different things
as they became available. Diversification was the key to our success. We
never crossed over into comic books or toys. We felt it was important
to keep our distinction as a game store. Collectable Card Games simply
became too big of a craze. In my opinion, it warped the industry. The CCG
boom of the 90's set the table for the demise of role-playing that came later.
It was the birth of the impatient gamer. It's a nifty way to play a fantasy
theme game, but it was never an extension of true role-playing. Now, online
RPG's have come into their own, and gobbled up a lot of potential
pen & paper gamers.

FG: When you talk about the demise of RPGs you don't feel that d20 OGL
has revitalized the hobby? It seems like there are now more pen and
paper RPGs out then there have ever been and Gen Con is huge, and just
keeps getting bigger.

DA: Years from now they may trace the cause of global warming to the
d20 system and OGL. Back four or five years ago, so many companies
were putting out stuff that was inferior. Just filling up the pipeline.
I think the lesson learned was that you can milk something till it goes dry,
but you're going to pay a price. Role-players resented the glut of material
and simply backed off. Overall, role-playing had a rough couple of years.
In 2003, 2004, the sales numbers dropped considerably.

FG: Obviously online retailers have changed the entire FLGS scene
and now Sword of the Phoenix continues as an online-only retailer. In
hindsight, do you wish you had gone this route earlier?

DA: We actually did get started fairly early with an online storefront,
but we sold at full retail so as not to compete with ourselves. Everybody
was getting into the game and discounting like crazy. It's a little more
stable now, but I don't see anyone really making a killing out there with
a high profile online game store. That's really the problem. There's no real
Amazon for gamers. You end up going to ten different websites.
Everybody's got their fingers in the pie, and that's why more and more brick
and mortar game stores are closing. Customers end up chasing the bargains
and pre-pub specials. They don't realize how it hurts their local store's
bottom line. Game companies are saying "Hey, we won't even print this
game unless you buy it directly from us".

FG: Atlanta is a large city, with a good sized gaming population, and yet
unlike other major cities game stores have always been few and far between.
What is it about Atlanta versus places like Boston or Seattle that makes
having a game store such a risky proposition?

DA: Atlanta's a great place to live. Lots of trees and fancy homes. But
we don't have neighborhoods like other big cities. It's just sprawl. You go
thirty miles in one direction and it looks just like where you came from.
Comparatively speaking, the traffic is not that bad, but it's certainly no
picnic driving across town. A specialty retail store needs to have enough
of a localized customer base. That's the key. We're extremely spread
out around here and people prefer to shop closer to home.

Also, due to the wonders of the Internet, the gaming hobby has become
fragmented and highly specialized. The customer has the same
information at his fingertips that the shopkeeper does. The gaming
enthusiast is keeping up with things on a fanatical level. Where does the
retailer fit in to the picture? The folks who visit their local game
store are doing it for the shopping experience. So, you've got to come
up with something to bring them in. You've got to have a lot of product
on hand and some interesting events going on.

FG: Can the Sword of the Phoenix be reborn as a FLGS or are the
days of FLGS truly numbered? And if they are numbered, is there
anything that can be done to save them?

DA: People loved shopping at Sword of the Phoenix and I really
appreciate that. It sounds like a cliche, but you have to support your
local retailer or they will go away. I think term "full line" game store
is the key to your question because there still are a few "game stores"
left in town. Yet, a true, full line game store like Sword of the
Phoenix might be a relic as far as this area is concerned. When you
consider the inventory costs and also the need to be located in a fairly
decent shopping center, it's almost prohibitive. Wizards of the Coast
had a mall store here in Georgia. The Game Keeper had a half dozen mall
stores in the area at one time, but they're gone too. The popular mass
market board games are sold mostly in discount stores. You're
talking about a fringe market when you get into wargames and RPGs.
For years, that's where Sword of the Phoenix fit in. But recently, the
average price of a box game went way up and role-playing took a
nose-dive. It was something we didn't plan for.

FG: Sword of the Phoenix at Park Place at one time allowed gaming
to go on upstairs, a trend that many retailers now do (in fact, it seems
like stores specializing in Magic: The Gathering pretty much solely exist
to provide kids a place to play). It seems like though retailers end up
with a lot of people hanging around all day, buying the occasional soda,
and not really buying much. Is letting people game in-store worthwhile,
or is it just a big headache?

DA: I wish I had a dollar for every person who claimed to have been
present for those legendary Friday nights upstairs. I think in-store
gaming is a dammed if you do, damned if you don't, proposition. Some
form of in store play is probably essential, but it doesn't necessarily
enhance the atmosphere for the everyday shopper. What you need to
offer is a connection to the gaming community and a pleasurable shopping
experience at the same time.

FG: What are your fondest memories from operating Sword of the
Phoenix?

DA: Strangely enough, I thinks doing the radio call-in role playing
show on WRNG was one of the highlights, but I do remember one day
back in the summer of '86. We had scheduled a "Game Day" in the vacant
store next to us. Well, a couple hundred people showed up and they were
jammed into this space and the air conditioner broke down. You can
imagine a room full of that many sweaty gamers getting more than
upset when the door prizes were handed out and we somehow drew
the same name out of a hat three times in a row!

Thanks Dan for the interview! So there you have it folks, the key to
keeping the FLGS around is to support it! Make it your "Cheers" and
hopefully it will be around for years to come.

Sword of the Phoenix Direct, Dan's new online store, is a tad different
from other online shops. He has no website. Instead, you can simply
email him with whatever you're looking for gaming-related. It can be
everything from boardgames to miniatures to dice to mats. He also
sells at cost the same catalog that retailers get, so if you do feel like
browsing you can check out practically every single gaming item in
current existence. Best of all, *everything* at Sword of the Phoenix
Direct is 20% off, not just select items like some online retailers.

You can contact Dan at dansword@mindspring.com for an order
request, and/or to be added to his weekly mailing list of new releases.


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(5) Sizzling Sellers and Those Special Offers

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The order may have shifted slightly, with Dominions 3 battling
for second position with WinSPWW2 (makes you wonder how a
Tiger II would fare against a god...probably wouldn't fare too
well...), but overall it's a case of deja-vu.

Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Dominions 3: The Awakening Pre-Order
WinSPWW2
WinSPMBT

Space and infinity in Weird Worlds:
http://www.gamersfront.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16138&cat=0&page=

Dominions 3, now with more fireballs:
www.gamersfront.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16166&cat=0&page=

World War II is still kewl beans in WinSPWW2:
http://www.gamersfront.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16169&cat=0&page=

Blow up stuff in WinSPMBT:
http://www.gamersfront.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16163&cat=256&bestseller

And this month's specials can be found at:
https://www.gamersfront.com/xcart/home.php

For September Dominions II: The Ascension Wars is still on sale (hmm, it's
almost like a new Dominions is coming out soon), along with Combat
Command 2: Danger Forward Gold and Coliseum. All these games can
be had for the following low, low prices through the end of September:

Dominions II: The Ascension Wars - Only $34.95!
Coliseum - Only $14.95!
Combat Command 2: Danger Forward Gold - Only $25.54 (Download only)

Quality games for great prices, with plenty of shipping options! Stop
by the Gamers Front today!

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(6) Link O' The Month

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Sure, machine guns, tanks, and thermonuclear weapons can be cool beans, but
it's important for wargamers to remember their roots: smelly men with bad teeth
bashing each other with sharp pointy sticks and blades. Enter the website
for the De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History.

Articles, links, scholarly magazines, and even a blog are featured on this
site, home of an "international scholarly association established to foster and
develop interest in the study of military affairs and warfare in the Middle
Ages and the Early Modern Period."

Simple in design (which, when the key for a site is scholarly information is
definitely a plus...and let's face it, how many scholarly associations would be
able to keep their rep if they looked like a MySpace site) the site
provides readers with some tidbits you won't glean from playing Medieval: Total
War.

Visit it at:

www.deremilitari.org


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(7) The Crystal Ball

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Dominions 3 - The Awakening: October 2nd 2006

Shady O' Grady's Rising Stars: November 2006

All American: The 82nd Airborne In Normandy: 2006

ForeSight: 2006

ETO: 2006

Galley Battles: 2006

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FRAG! is the official newsletter of Shrapnel Games, Inc. To subscribe
or unsubscribe, please visit our homepage: www.shrapnelgames.com.

To visit our blog please go to: www.shrapnelcommunity.com/blog/

Godlove and rest my soul/With this sundown neverending

Copyright 2006, Shrapnel Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

The FRAG! Newsletter Team
Shrapnel Games
www.shrapnelgames.com