Alchemy is derived from the Arabic word al-kimia , and is, as Yeats points out, both a philosophy and an ancient practice focused on the attempt to change base metals into gold, investigating the preparation of the "elixir of longevity", and achieving ultimate wisdom.

I am an alchemist, and so are you. I regularly perform the transformation of wine into water myself.  I like to think pickling myself (albeit slowly) is in some way investigating  the "elixir of longevity", despite the warnings of the medical profession. Like all good wargamers, I also indulge in the transformation of gold into lead with my purchases of little men and tanks, and the fruitless search for the perfect rules set may be likened to a quest for ultimate wisdom.

Whilst on holiday in Ireland earlier this month, accompanied by wife and 5 year old son,  I moved a step closer to alchemical enlightenment. We were based in the former Viking settlement of Cork, a charming city with many excellent (and child friendly) restaurants.  The weather was less than fair one day and I pointed out to my nearest and dearest that the Prince August figure manufacturers were, according to tourist information, a short bus ride away in the small town of Macroom and open to the public (courtesy of an EU tourist development grant). So off we set by the bus, ostensibly to show the son and heir the manufacturing process at work. On arrival in Macroom, and a phone call later, we  discovered that the factory was in fact in the hamlet of    Kilnamartyra, a 4 mile trek way.  When we explained our lack of transport to the nice lady at Prince August, she got in her car and came and collected us! Truly, going the extra mile (or four) for a customer! A very pleasant couple of hours were spent looking around the factory and trying our hand at casting. Older readers may remember Prince August self-casting kits from the 70’s and 80’s. These are they, and the range has grown!  Needless to say, Euros changed hands and I am now the owner of some rather nice 40mm Vikings and Skraelings (native Americans) moulds from their Viking Discovery of America range. Although I bought some metal there, my plan now is to recycle all those unwanted extra figures from half used packs that I’ve accumulated over the years and produce a whole new skirmish game. Prince August  have an intriguing range of moulds and a brilliant attitude to customer service. Check them out, and turn your lead into lead (again).

Somewhat to my surprise, and after a mere five year delay, Wessex Games have released my Geheimkrieg rules set as a PDF available from Wargames Vault (www.wargamevault.com ). The rules are WWW2 (Weird World War 2), so expect zombies, werewolves, and assorted odd science.  Unlike other sets of rules for this genre, Geheimkreig is designed to accommodate big (company sized) battles,  not just half a dozen figure skirmishes. The game also uses area movement from foot square area to area, so you don’t even need a ruler, and you can put on the board as much terrain as you like without slowing up the game. So if you want to face off a hundred strong zombie horde, without the rules turning you brain dead,  give Gehiemkrieg a go. The rules also include and extensive (and impressive) background written by Steve Blease.

Finally Steve and I will be running an (all-new) Aquanef game; “Raid of Le Vengeur” at Salute 2010 this Saturday (24th) at the Excel Centre, London. There is a fiendish French plot to sink the British surface fleet with an undersea assault. Can a plucky Royal Aquanef squadron save the day, or will the Fleet be in the merde!  It’s a participation game, and we will always try to accommodate players. We’ll be at stand GA 21 (the SFSFW stand), so feel free to drop by for a chat, a game or to buy us a beer!

Matthew Hartley
April 2010