Notes from Hades

e are currently in the midst of the worst natural disaster in United States history. Hurricane Katrina has essentially wiped a major U.S. city off the face of the map. The human toll alone will dwarf the attacks four years ago in New York. We are likely to see nearly 100,000 dead in New Orleans alone – much less the rest of the Gulf region. Plus, aside from the human cost, the economic waves will ripple throughout the world economy. We are already seeing a spike in the prices of crude oil, natural gas, and gasoline. The longer the Mississippi port stays shut down, the greater will be the impact on world trade. There is currently a minor shortage in worldwide grain products. If the Midwest grain harvest cannot be gotten to port and shipped, it could result in famine in several areas around the globe. We will be seeing the after affects of this catastrophe for months to come. The best thing to do in the short term, is to donate to the Red Cross. They are the best equipped to handle emergencies of this nature.

I recently received a copy of a new postal zine – a rarity at this point in the hobby. It is called “Who do you Trust?” and is published by Timothy Haffey. He currently has openings for Dip and several Dip variants. His address is in the addresses section. Contact him if you are interested.

We have a winner in the Kremlin game Guard Dog. Congratulations to Chris Geggus on his third Kremlin victory in S.O.B. He is clearly the one to beat in this game. This allows me to start a new game, which I will do despite the fact that I am currently running 11 games and I wanted to get down to 10. That one extra game does not involve that much extra work, and it fits my current 14 pages better than 10 games do. So, Dog Chow will be starting up next issue.

The next deadline is Tuesday, October 11 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Please do not call or fax orders after 10:00 p.m. Pacific time. My wife and I tend to retire early. Also, if you want to fax in orders, call first. We hang up on unannounced faxes.

Game Openings

Doberman. Industrial Waste. This game will start after Junk Yard Dog ends. Have Eric Brosius, Dave Partridge, Richard Weiss, and Michael Longdin. This game is closed, but Dave and Eric are willing to defer to anyone who is not in Junk Yard Dog.

Dog Chow. Age of Renaissance. Have Bob Robles, Cary Nichols, Caleb Cousins, Steve Koehler, Paul Bolduc, and Dennis Cain. Starts next issue!

Outlaw Dogs. Gunslinger. A game of shootouts in the old West. The exact scenario to be determined. Have Chris Geggus, Paul Bolduc, Dave Partridge, Andy Lewis, and Mike Scott, need up to 2 more.

Jackal. New World. A game of colonization in the Americas. Have Dave Partridge, Andy Lewis, Bob Robles, Andy York, and Brendan Whyte, will take up to 1 more.

Sled Dog. Kremlin. Have Chris Geggus, Bill Scharf, Andy Lewis, Dennis Cain, Bob Robles, and Mike Scott.

Sirius. Merchant of Venus. We will use the Fast Setup, Lost ? Box, Own Species Bonus, Customized Spaceships, and the Agents, Bases, and Second Ships optional rules. Victory will be $4000. Have Chris Geggus, Dave Partridge, Andy Lewis, Dennis Cain, and Bob Robles, will take up to 1 more.

Wish List

Dune. We will use the optional Lansraad, Ixians, and Bene Tleilaxu powers. Have Kevin Wilson and Bob Robles, will take up to 4 more (5 if one player plays the Bene Tleilaxu).

Silverton. We will play the advanced game with the Hiring and Advancement optional rule. Have Dave Partridge, Bill Scharf, and Andy Lewis, will take up to 3 more.

Outpost. Dave Partridge, Bill Scharf, Kevin Wilson, Andy Lewis, Michael Lowrey, Andy York, and Eric Brosius, will take up to 3 more.

History of the World. Have Andy Lewis and Kevin Wilson, will take up to 5 more.

Seafarers of Catan. We will be playing the Oceans scenario. Have Mike Scott, need up to 5 more.

Machiavelli. Rules determined by player vote as usual. Have Kevin Wilson, Lee McConnell, Bob Robles, and Dale Horsley, will take up to 4 more.

Age of Renaissance. This game will start when Dog Chow finishes. Have Michael Longdin and Bob Robles, need up to 4 more.

Kremlin. This game will start when Sled Dog ends. Have Michael Longdin, Bob Robles, and Brendan Whyte, need up to 3 more.

In general, game ownership is recommended, but not required.

Note that a subscription to S.O.B. is not required to play in a game run by flier, but that a game fee will be charged to non-subbers.