John Kettler Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) Guys, Found some very good info from the current owners of the series. Great article. What it says is the original Soviet Vehicle Guide was released in 1984. Given production lead times, especially for custom artwork running many, many full color plates, this means it had to have been written well before then, particularly given that there was another for the US, never mind the other nearly 30 modules, all sporting full color covers. This is a most informative article, translated from Russian, covering the FST-1 and FST-2 stories. It includes a wealth of material, including numerous drawings. one from Newsweek, and illustrations. Further checking (in a Global Security article written by our own James Warford) shows the Newsweek drawing and article weren't published until 1988! Defense News, I believe, got it's even scarier piece out a bit before the civilian newspapers and magazines started sounding off. Given these realities, how did GDW steal a march, a very long one at that (4 years minimum), against both open source defense journals and civilian newspapers and magazines? Regards, John Kettler Edited June 17, 2017 by John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 GDW have a history of doing such things, the one they totally missed was the IT revolution, very few saw that one coming TBH.....I blame the nerds! Still, not an AVLB, but closer: Probably the best picture of a T-95 that's currently out there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 2 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Alien technology and even zombies in some of the scenario packs! LOL, that does not sound very grounded in real life 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Sigh multiple post... Edited June 17, 2017 by IanL 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: . Edited June 17, 2017 by IanL 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: . Edited June 17, 2017 by IanL 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 (edited) Blimey Ian, you've developed a virtual stutter! The crazy stuff was in various add-ons for the game, especially "Twilight-Nightmares" IIRC. It later spawned a pseudo-cyber-punk game, Dark Conspiracy: I've got that one too. Edited June 17, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 6 hours ago, John Kettler said: Given these realities, how did GDW steal a march, a very long one at that (4 years minimum), against both open source defense journals and civilian newspapers and magazines? They had a reputation of doing very serious and thorough research. Their Europa series for instance. If they didn't get something exactly right the first time, they would come back and try again. I think I had more respect for them than almost anybody else (except Yaquinto) back in my boardgaming days. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 5 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Wow, I remember that picture. It was in some advertising I got from them. I was never into their tabletop stuff, and that image convinced me that I was definitely on the right track even though the chick was hot. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Michael Emrys, Seems to me GDW would've needed to be reading Russian military journals from many years before where phrases such as "foreign military experts say" were a way to moot new ideas for discussion sans boom crashing down for all manner of reasons, but poring over tons of stuff. For example, long before we ever saw either, articles in the main Russian naval journal were talking about 60 knot (not sure they did that, but the Alfa could do a still blazing 43, as reported in open source) subs and 200 knot torpedoes (Shkval, anyone?)! It would've also needed to do DEEP research into many nation's tank tech and tech testbeds, anything on the Russian end along those lines, maybe consult specialists, too. Nor would I rule out unseen well-informed "little birdies" singing in their ears. Lots of little birdies out there! Knowing what I know, I'd be surprised if GDW didn't have at least some search cueing (likely, a great deal more) from small avians. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 2 hours ago, John Kettler said: Nor would I rule out unseen well-informed "little birdies" singing in their ears. Lots of little birdies out there! Knowing what I know, I'd be surprised if GDW didn't have at least some search cueing (likely, a great deal more) from small avians. That's plausible. They had their fans and it does not strain credulity to imagine that some of them might have had inside dope and were willing to drop hints where they thought they would do the most good. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUCASWILLEN05 Posted June 18, 2017 Author Share Posted June 18, 2017 3 hours ago, Michael Emrys said: That's plausible. They had their fans and it does not strain credulity to imagine that some of them might have had inside dope and were willing to drop hints where they thought they would do the most good. Michael I used to play Frank Chadwick's Command Decision rules for many years right up to 3rd Ediion, I parted company with these rule with 4th Edition fir various reasons although I still play the occasional game with 3rd Edition http://www.waynesbooks.com/CommandDecision.html 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 1 hour ago, LUCASWILLEN05 said: I used to play Frank Chadwick's Command Decision rules for many years right up to 3rd Ediion, I parted company with these rule with 4th Edition fir various reasons although I still play the occasional game with 3rd Edition You have piqued my curiosity; what was it about the 4th. Edition that turned you off? Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUCASWILLEN05 Posted June 19, 2017 Author Share Posted June 19, 2017 (edited) On 6/18/2017 at 8:30 AM, Michael Emrys said: You have piqued my curiosity; what was it about the 4th. Edition that turned you off? Michael A couple of small things really. First I was not willing to pay the asking price. Second and more importantly I didn't like the change in the time scale from 15 minutes to half hour turns which I did not feel appropriate for armoured warfare. I was happy with the 15 minute turns in second and third editions, copies of which I already have. Finally, by this point I had largely switched to other rule sets, in particular Battlefront WW2 which do a similar job and have online support for moderns up to the end of the Cold War. http://www.fireandfury.com/ This set Command Decision is a good set of rules for regimental/brigade evel gaming and I have enjoyed playing them a lot over the years. I have just moved on now for the most part, though I may still play the occasional CD game from time to time, probably with 3rd edition Edited June 19, 2017 by LUCASWILLEN05 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUCASWILLEN05 Posted June 19, 2017 Author Share Posted June 19, 2017 I also tend to be more interested in gaming small unit actions these days (company to battalion level (strongly influenced here by CM games :-) ) so tend to be more attracted to rules like Battlefront WW2, Battlegroup Kursk, Sabre Squadron and 3rd Generation Warfare. So I guess the real answer to your question Michael is that I have simply moved on and that my interests approach has changed :-) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 We've come a long way from AVLBs gentlemen.....Maybe we should create a 'Tabletop Wargaming Nostalgia' thread? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 6 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: We've come a long way from AVLBs gentlemen... I've been thinking the same thing for a couple of pages now, but it's been a fun ride. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Hmm, it's kind of tough to bridge the two topics. I'll be here all week. Try the veal. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 10 hours ago, c3k said: Hmm, it's kind of tough to bridge the two topics. I'll be here all week. Maybe not. Accidents can happen, you know. Like all the hydraulic fluid leaking out of your brake system... Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUCASWILLEN05 Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 14 hours ago, c3k said: Hmm, it's kind of tough to bridge the two topics. I'll be here all week. Try the veal. Somehow we managed it - but was it a Bridge too Far? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUCASWILLEN05 Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 On 6/19/2017 at 11:24 PM, Sgt.Squarehead said: We've come a long way from AVLBs gentlemen.....Maybe we should create a 'Tabletop Wargaming Nostalgia' thread? Might bean idea there Sarge! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinophile Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 On 2017-6-22 at 2:41 PM, c3k said: Hmm, it's kind of tough to bridge the two topics. I'll be here all week. Try the veal. LOL perfect 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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