"TSATF" Topic

Are they still around? Dec 11,2024 I ordered from the Sgts 3 website, a copy of TSATF. PayPal charged and received,from me, $28.00 USD. Lori From,,'s name was associated with the PayPal purchase. I think I read she passed away Dec of 2024. I didn't know that at time of purchase. Hopefully someone from Sgts 3 or the Brom family will see this and help me out. Perhaps the email contact at Sgts 3 needs updated, too, since it is her email address showing. Thank you for any and all help.

Al

Oops hit button too many times

Things are a little scrambled. Lori Brom is dead. This leaves her sister Christie with the business, and Christie doesn't seem to have a lot of business experience. Hopefully someone with access will read this thread, but I'd say give it another 30 days before worrying. Small family-owned businesses are a little prone to rough patches.

Based on the repeated failures of the company, I would file a PayPal dispute now.

Done. Thank you. These three threads can be deleted.

My apologies. I should have thought of PayPal dispute and didn't.

Get your money back through PayPal and look for a different rule set. I don't see TSATF as being supported in the future and frankly it is pretty dated.

Hmpf. I'd have bet on TSATF being available again later this year, and probably outliving me, but it would be hard to collect on that one.

While a change to the Sergeants3 front page should have been put into place after Lori died in January of 2023, there was a notice placed by our dear editor on the 'Sergeants3' entry in the TMP Manufacturers Directory TMP link that reads "Company is currently inactive. Do not place orders through their website until further notice."

And several of us are working on producing an update to TSATF. Unfortunately I personally don't know when or how it will be available.

Jim

Coming to this forum was my last thought of finding answers. The web page the first. I really don't think you should have posted that scolding

Scolding???

"frankly it is pretty dated."

Says who? It is a classic that will outlive all of us. It is one of the most popular sets of rules ever written. It will always be my go to rules for Victorian era colonial skirmish gaming. It is ashame it isn't in print. Essentially it is being held hostage.

+1 Old Contemptible

I held a game of The Sword in North Africa just last month. I feel lucky to have gotten my rules books and variants when I did, long before the business troubles and family tragedies struck. I first played these in 1980 and with some slight modifications (and keeping period variants and spin-offs in mind), I expect to be playing these rules for the rest of my gaming life. They have proven themselves and provide an excellent toolbox for game designers to tinker with (my latest long-term TS&TF project is to craft a variant for King Phillip's War, which seems a perfect scale and conflict for these rules. Needs a catchy name now. The Sword in New England seems dull, plus not really many swords!)

King Phillip's sword ? The Sword of King Phillip ?

Old Contemptible , John the OFM, Al Amos

You have your opinions, I have mine.

"The Tomahawk and the Flame" perhaps? I doubt that particular King Philip had a sword.

Fitzovich raises a fair question, though. Are wargame rules sometimes outdated? Or just unfashionable? I'm thinking a bit of both, but that probably calls for a different thread.

TSATF is my only British Colonial rule set. It has served me well.

In many ways, I view, TSATF like Monopoly. Dated, not supported, and great fun to play. It doesn't have the shiny of new rules, but I haven't found any suitable replacement since I purchased the first edition.

They have proven themselves and provide an excellent toolbox for game designers to tinker with…

I've used TSATF for many "out of period" games. Notably FIW and AWI. I dislike rules (hello Empire!) where there are about a dozen morale grades from "give a peasant a stick" up to Imperial Guard. TSATF has decent Regulars, grubby Regulars and militia.
Muskets get Carbine range. You have 3 types of Indians, charging, shooty and in-between.
Setting aside classifying troops, I like the basic mechanics of the rules. Let's face it. SOMEONE always moves first. Ditto shooting. And I like varying the move rate.

+1 to RP. Piper, ZP, Col D and the OFM. Change is not always progress. Game on TSATF!

Another vote for "The Tomahawk And The Flame." RP beat me to it!

There it is! I had thought of "The Tomahawk & the Flame" too, but then, I thought, "Where's the 'Flame'?" I suppose it doesn't make much sense, but at least it sorta works! So "The Tomahawk & the Flame" it shall be.

The "flame" could be when the Indians fire those colonial settlements, I guess!

There's already a TSATF variant for the Plains Wars called; The Tomahawk and the Flame.

I guess Peace Pipe and the Flame doesn't have the right ring to it!

John OFM I also use TSATF for my FIW & AWI. Working on a western ACW scenario using TSATF.

piper, it was not unknown for native settlements also to be burned, but the duplication of title with a Plains Indian Wars set is troubling. Is "The Matchlock and the Flame" still available? Or "The Hatchet and the Flame?"

It's all become more problematic than anticipated! Didn't know about "tomahawk" already being taken. Phooey. There's nothing that really locks in, is there? Matchlocks, warclubs, tomahawks (and tomahawks wasn't really a Plains thing so much, they should have chosen something else).

TSTAF is the most flexible set of rules ever written by the hand of man. So much enjoyment from such a simple and elegant design.

I eagerly await the expansion "Jenkins Ear and the Flame".

I once ran a small game of "The Haggis and the Flame". Guess who?

OFM: Bonnie Charlie & the Flame!

Or "My Fair Laddie"