1973 Gygax/Stafford T-K Graphics item?

Posts: 2 · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 1:49 am

Hi --
I'm kind of new at this, but I was wondering if anybody might have an idea of the value of an item I picked up a couple of years ago... It's called "Victorious German Arms," written by Gary Gygax (which is why I bought it) and Terry Stafford - and published by 'T-K Graphics' of Baltimore Maryland, in 1973. It's an alternate universe/fantasy setting of the U.S. and Germany winning WWII. 76 page, saddle-stapled.
I've been looking for another copy for two years on the 'net, abebooks, Ebay, etc; but no luck.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Cass

Posts: 2938 · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 5:15 pm

I asked Gary about this over on the ENWorld boards. He provided some useful info. I'll dig up the link when I can (it's in the most-current or previous Q&A thread with him).

Posts: 2 · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:42 am

grodog wrote:

I asked Gary about this over on the ENWorld boards. He provided some useful info. I'll dig up the link when I can (it's in the most-current or previous Q&A thread with him).

Thanks

. I'd appreciate it. Tough book to find any info on at all...

Cass

Posts: 171 · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 2:53 am

One more reason to start including Charm City into my book collecting trips. Its usually pretty dry gaming wise when I hit the stores around there. I'll have to keep my eyes open for that one, since its in my neck of the woods.

Posts: 2938 · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 5:04 pm

Here's the tread: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/printthread.php?t=71486

and here's the relevant info:

Quote:

Quote:Originally Posted by grodog
Hi Gary---

A friend loaned me a copy of "Victorian German Arms: an alternate military history of world war two" by e. gary gygax & terry stafford (Baltimore, MD: TK Graphics, 1973).

It's 76 pages long, about the size of the OD&D manuals (octavo), has a lightweight, white card stock cover, with a German eagle facing dexter with a wreathed swastica in it's claws, while the back cover only has a swastica and the publisher's contact info.

Do you recall how many copies of this were printed? Did you used it in conjunction with Tractics? Who's Terry Stafford (any relation to Greg Stafford of RuneQuest fame)? Any other interesting tidbits?

As always, thanks Very Happy

Yuletide Greetings!

Grodog, you surely do manage to find some oldies. Next you'll be digging up my old "Baku" expansion for Avalon Hill's Stalingrad board wargame, my first boardgame, the Battle of Arsouf, or maybe the "Conanomacy" Dippy variant I did... Surprised

Terry Stafford was the commander of the British Far East Squadron in the Ad Hoc Committee for the Reinstitution of WW II, the game directed by a group of wargamers at Standford U. back around 1962. I was living in Chicago, met Terry through the International Federation of Wargaming (a society I co-founded with Bill Speer and Scott Duncan, and Terry Joined). Thus I became the commander of the Chinese Communist forces in the short-lived WW Ii recreation (Don Kaye was commander to the Nationalists, BTW). Anyway, Terry used to drop in during lunch hour when I worked for Fireman's Fund Insurance Company in Chicago, and we'd talk military history. One day we got onto the subject of alternate history and decided to write one where the Germans won WW II. Between us we did about 30 maps and the text you have in Victorious German Arms.

Ted Pauls was an active SF fan in Baltimore, published a fanzine, Kipple, to which I subscribed--as did folks like L. Sprague de Camp and Jack Chalker, then about as well-known as I was;) When Ted learned about the ms. Terry and I had done he asked to publish it, and we agreed. Sadly, the Good Mr. Pauls totally screwed it up, left out all the maps, lost them to boot! I think he printed 2,000 copies of VGA, maybe it was 3,000, and to the best of my recollection, I think all Terry and I ever received was a very small advance. My copies of that work are long lost.

About a year ago Lauren Wiseman from SJG emailed and inquired if we would be interested in having SJG republish it. I got ahold of Terry, and we both agreed it would be okay. that's the last I heard, so I assume that Steve Jackson changed his mind.

Terry Stafford is not related to Greg. Intersetingly, though, Greg Stafford was here in Lake Geneva for a time, a partner with another chap here and running a metal casting business doing 30 mm figurines. He left that enterprise about the time I moved back to Lake Geneva from Chicago, so I never met Greg here. His former partner hit is big with Bergamont Brass back in the 60s when large belt buckles were in vogue, and that company is still operating and doing well, having moved to Darien, Wisconsin where the rent is a lot lesds than spece in this tourist town.

So there's a long response to a couple of short questions Very Happy

Holiday best,
Gary