| Liz Fulda 2004-10-22, 5:48 pm |
| Hi all-
Below is a copy of a letter that is going out to our customer base
that I wanted to make sure you didn't miss.
Thanks!
Liz Fulda
Avalanche Press
------------
Dear Customer,
This summer, we at Avalanche Press launched a new line of games,
Classic Wargames. These are very large, traditional games, the
old-fashioned kind that hard-core wargamers love. Second World War at
Sea: Leyte Gulf, perhaps the ultimate naval wargame, is nearing
production and we want to make sure everyone who's interested has a
chance to obtain this game. This will be the final word on the naval
battles at the climax of the war in the Pacific.
Under the Classic Wargames system, gamers commit to buy the proposed
games they like best, using their credit cards, via our phone ordering
system: 1-800-564-9008. Outside the United States, use 1-757-306-0922.
You can also fax us at 1-757-306-0923. Unlike the usual Avalanche
Press pre-order system, these cards will not be charged until actual
production of the game begins. Ordering online can be done at
https://www.avalanchepress.com/classics.php.
When a game proposal has enough pre-orders, we'll charge the credit
cards. The game will enter the final artwork and layout stages, and
then be printed. Once the charges are finalized, the production
process will probably take 3 to 4 months. There are two prices listed
for each game, "Commitment" and "Post Commitment." Once the game
begins production, the price goes up. Leyte Gulf's commitment price is
$150; after production starts, the price climbs to $200.
The print run will be limited to cover orders placed to that point and
a few extra (to make sure everyone who ordered will get one).
Otherwise, there will be no extras made. This is a "print to order"
exercise. These games won't be sold anywhere else, and after they're
gone, they won't be available from us, either.
Work on Second World War at Sea: Leyte Gulf is advancing nicely. Terry
Moore Strickland, who's done almost all our box covers over the last
couple of years, has finished Leyte Gulf's (see:
http://www.avalanchepress.com/prop_leyteg.php). We're going to a new
size, double that of our usual "deep" box.
The first counter sheets are being designed now. Thanks to the losses
of three years of war, the Japanese counter set is not much larger
than it is in Midway or SOPAC. We've given them some nice extras: the
third and fourth Yamato-class battleships, all six Unryu-class
carriers, a pair of B64-type battle cruisers, and a full division of
Shimikaze-class super-destroyers.
The American armada is vast. New classes for the SWWaS afficionado
include Iowa- and Montana-class battleships, Alaska-class battle
cruisers, Baltimore- and Cleveland-class cruisers, Independence- and
Essex-class carriers. All told Leyte Gulf should have fifteen counter
sheets and four maps.
Jim Sawruk and Kevin Canada are working away on the aerial orders of
battle, which promise to be huge. There are many new types on either
side, ranging from Judy dive bombers to F4U Corsair fighters. The
Japanese will get a whole set of new generation aircraft they never
actually fielded, but American intelligence could never be sure and so
the American player can't be granted the luxury of hindsight.
Players of earlier games in the series will note that almost every
ship has increased anti-aircraft values, some enormously so. Both
navies loaded their ships with automatic weapons, 20mm and 40mm for
the U.S., 25mm for the Japanese. And the Americans now wield the
awesome proximity fuse. New rules will cover kamikazes, night
fighters, radar pickets, Japanese auto-gyro ASW carriers and
air-dropped mines, to mention a few.
Scenario design is well underway, with the battles of Leyte Gulf and
the Philippine Sea the centerpieces. There will be a healthy selection
from which to choose, including the increasingly bloody kamikaze
attacks against the fleet.
When the orders are there, Leyte Gulf will be ready. Won't you join us
in this adventure? You deserve a Christmas present for yourself.
Sincerely Yours,
Brian Knipple
Designer of the Monster
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