Meanwhile....In A Back Alley, Somewhere In Frankszonia

Those who noticed him passing through the Frankfurter countryside thought that he was a well to do farmer. Most didn't even consciously register his presence at all, and that was just the way Erwin von Mack "The Knife" liked it. The whole idea was to blend in so well that no one would recall his features or clothing, so an accurate description would be difficult. For the life of him, he never could understand why any one who didn't want to be noticed, would dress in an all black outfit that fairly screamed, "Look at and remember me!". A dark, sober brown was just as good at night, blended in better in the day, and the occasional unavoidable bloodstain was much easier to hide.

God! He hated amateurs. They always gummed up the works and forced professionals, such as himself, to take extraordinary measures; like the one he was taking now. Hans Rottenbrat, a Stagonian Agent Provacateur, had escaped from the City of Frankfurt, and was lying low in a small town outside of the Frankfurter capital, but he had not escaped von Mack. There he was now! Just like clockwork, slinking along the alley way, all in black.

Mack the Knife waited until Rottenbrat had slunk by, then he stepped out behind him. One smooth, swift, practiced blow from a shot-filled leather blackjack, and Hans fell to the ground without a sound. A moment later he was trussed up, gagged, hidden in a haycart, and on his way to the Felsigburg. Erwin wondered what kind of song the canary would sing, once he was in the cage.

As the cart move out of the alley, he didn't notice a heavy lace curtain fall back into place. Milady de Winter turned to her cloaked and spurred minions. "Should we kill him and recover Rottenbrat?", one of them asked.

"No", she said after a long pause. "Mack the Knife has killed more people than smallpox, and he would not go easily. I can't afford the losses and the ensueing inquiries. His Vileness would not be pleased. He'll not get much out of Hans that concerns us!"

She turned back to the window and said, "And that is why we use 'Cut Out' Agents."

And now for something completely different. Does anybody know what's going on with the DPC website?

Oh No! Not Another Period And Ruleset!

Those evil trolls over at, "The Perfect Captain" keep tempting me with new periods and rulesets. I've already fallen victim to their "Battlefinder" campaign system and "Hoplomachia" - Hoplite fighting in Ancient Greece. Democrates, the leader of my City/State of Indiepolis has been having quite a time going up against opponents like Slago the Carthaginian, Philanderer of the Meander, and the local Persian Satrap, Arses The Extremely Ill-Tempered The Fourth. It wouldn't be so bad, but those equally evil trolls over at Zvezda also keep churning out good looking figures that paint up well and are easy on the ol' warchest. (Must resist purchasing Polish Winged Hussars until after thePrussian SYW Grenadiers come out!)

TPC's latest offering to catch my wandering eye is their "John Bull/Patriots" rules - small unit actions that can stretch from the French and Indian War to the War of 1812. One of the neatest things about this timeframe is that I can visit some of the actual battlefields and get a feel for the terrain and the combatants. Fallen Timbers, Fort Meigs, and Tippecanoe come to mind, but one that really caught my fancy was, "The Battle Of Blue Licks", August 19, 1782.

One can make a good arguement for it being the last battle of the Revolution. (Cornwallis who?) It's a small engagement. One hundred and eighty Kentucky Militia against three hundred and fifty Indians and Loyalist Rangers. It has it all: a well-known hero, Lt. Colonel Daniel Boone of the Fayette County Kentucky Militia, a well-known baddy, Simon Girty of the British Indian Department, infamous troops from Butler's Rangers, warriors from blood thirsty tribes like the Shawnee, Mingo, Ottawas, etc. against Sharpshooting pioneer indian fighters. WOOF! I see a road trip looming in my near future to catch the annual reenactment just a little bit North of Lexington, KY. Then I've got to find where I put those 1/72 scale Accurate Am. Rev. Militia and the Italeri Eastern Indians....I think I can get my 25mm Scruby Prussian Fusiliers to stand in for Butler's guys.....

Von Mack Rides Again

Erwin Von Mack, Chief (and Only) Intelligence Agent for the Markgraaf of Raubenstadt, found himself late at night on the road to nearby Frankfort Am Main, with a message from the Margrafin to her second son, the Ritter Andrew Von Meltzer, who was currently accompanying the Grand Tour of the Reich Duke Wilhelm Von Beerstein. She had received vague warnings from her sources in Stagonia, that there was a foul plot underway in Frankzonia involving the Grand Tour and the Frankfurter Herzog, but no further specific details as to who, how, and when were forthcoming.

Von Mack thought that if the Stagonians had grown so bold as to antagonize the Frankfurters, they were due for a rude awakening. Could this new agressive stance be the influence of the Duchess of Sachen-Vindow? If so, she did not know the Frankfurters as well as she thought. Bitterly gained personal experience had taught Von Mack that underneath the bland and somewhat bumbling facade Stanken showed the world, there lurked a mind that could have taught Machavelli a thing or two about ruling. He mentally winced at the memories, and wondered what it would be like to be on the same side for a change.

Sachen-Vindow. Sachen-Vindow. His failure at that damnable Inn, "The Crooked Kobold", had haunted Von Mack for months now, and if events had just gone a little different, he probably wouldn't have found himself on the road to Frankfort Am Main at such an ungodly hour, with a full moon lighting his way along the well known track. The grim setting did nothing to improve his mood. Von Mack was determined that this time there would be no failures.

Justice and Death, personally delivered in the form of Erwin Von Mack, were coming closer to Frankfort with every plodding hoofbeat of his horse....

(Hi Guys,

Sorry about not posting in a while, but things have been awfully busy around here for the last three weeks. However, progress has been made. The wiring, drywalling, and painting of the living room and hallway has been done, and the air conditioning system has been brought up to date and turned on. You would not believe how humid it has been around here. I hope that there will now be a little more time for hobby stuff.

Hope you had a Happby Birthday Jeff! Long may the Blue Bear lead this merry band!

A. J. ! Here's to you and your Bride! May you both live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live!

Hey Stokes! All kidding aside, congratulations on the impending arrival!

Given the outcome of current events in our Imagi-Nations, I just couldn't resist sticking a big ol' Raubenstadter thumb in the eye of this particular Stagonian plot!)