It has been another good month for the rules bank. Over thirty new sets of rules have appeared and most seem to be of an unusually high standard. This brings the total number of rulesets held in the bank to around 130 which is a staggering figure considering how long the bank has been in existance. Thanks a lot to everyone who pulled out fingers and to those who are working on or tracking down further translations even as I write. Exciting stuff huh?
As a result of the latest effort the wants list would have seen its first reduction in numbers, but I didn't reckon with forty-odd new requests which is obviously a sign of healthy interest. These new ones aside, there does seem to be a hard core of difficult to find rules which isn't moving. I can't believe someone out there hasn't got Die Tour or Ballon Rennen. Any suggestions? Also, Essen is on the horizon and promises, I hope, record numbers of overseas visitors (even Alan Moon may be coming) and the English rules required will undoubtedly zoom up again. So, please try and keep those translations coming in.
Bowing to public pressure, I have compiled a list of rules I have in the bank as at 15th June '90. This took an age to type in and just about fits onto one page so I don't intend to run it every issue. I am not really sure what this achieves apart from preventing duplicated effort but several people specifically requested it and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Some of the rules listed have two or more versions available (especially Greyhounds for which I have at least four different sets) and I will try and send the 'best' set unless specifically asked for, say, the 'Webley', 'Green' or 'Walker' edition. By the way, Affenfelsenspiel is a bit of a mystery. I can't remember who sent it to me and I have never heard of the game - as a guide, Ernst Knauth doesn't list it in his 'substantial' game collection. Advice anyone?
Thanks are again due to the depositors: Arnold, Mr & Mrs Challinger, Dagger, Green, Moon, Owen, Herr Ruhle, Scherer-Hoock, Valkyser and Webley. Apologies to anyone I've forgotten.
Withdrawals by Messrs. Arnold, Bloomfield, Daglish, Green, King, Moon, Owen, Ruck, Scherer-Hoock, Uhl and Vasey. Apologies for the delay in getting stuff out this time, but I had a rather busy period last month.
The idea behind the rules bank is to provide, for the cost of an SAE, photocopied English rules to anyone who needs a set. I figure that if there is a central resource to store and distribute rules (me) it will be useful to people like myself who actually want to play these games. Needless to say, I will also benefit from the service by getting access to the rules I need. Basically, I hope to obtain rules for most of the games currently available in the UK plus some of the rarer ones. If I haven't got the set you are after, and there are many that I don't even have listed, I will do my best to track down a set for you. If all else fails, I will add your request to the list for the next issue. There is no reason that this shouldn't also apply to old English game rules that you may be missing (Subbuteo Angling or Regatta anyone?)
If anyone feels able to do short translations from German or French (they are often just a page or two), please let me know so that I can co-ordinate efforts. I don't expect a massive surge of support here, it must be said. Corny as it sounds, this venture is mainly dependent on the readers. So, if you have any of the English rules on the list, please send them to me as soon as possible and let me know if you need any rules copied. Simply tell me the title and publisher of the game, enclose an SAE and I will see what I can do. As long as I have the set, and I'm not away from a photocopier, you should get them back within the week.