The Squad Leader enthusiast may be familiar with ‘SEP’ as a series of scenarios published in On All Fronts magazine. It published twenty-eight SEP scenarios within sixteen issues over five years, beginning with issue 5, April 1983 and finishing with issue 66, May 1988. Perhaps many enthusiasts are unaware exactly what was SEP because the magazine only elaborated in three of the sixteen issues. This article will attempt to provide a history of SEP, a list of scenarios they designed, original materials from back in the day and some hitherto unpublished scenarios.
The Scenario Exchange Program (SEP) was an informal nationwide organization which developed playable, historically accurate scenarios for exchange and possible submission to the Avalon Hill Game Company (Avalon Hill) for publication. Founded by Brian Martuzas, the first of ten SEP Updates was published February, 1980. There were twenty members as of March 4, 1980, growing to two hundred within two years. Members periodically received an SEP Update and a package of scenarios to playtest, evaluate and comment upon. Communication was through the SEP Update which provided information on scenario playtest results, evaluations, changes and historical resources. Squad Leader products and news were also included. Scenarios were designed and developed by members until balanced and articulate. The final version was then published and distributed to members in packages of six to eight scenarios.
All told, forty-five scenarios were exchanged of which thirty-six were published in On All Fronts or in the related Walker Files. Seven are hitherto unpublished SEP play-test scenarios and two are lost to time. The twenty-eight published include eight for Cross of Iron (COI), eight for Crescendo of Doom (COD) and twelve for G.I.: Anvil of Victory (GIA). The eight published in the Walker Files were in varying states of development and, it was hoped, awaited a community member(s) to take over development and complete. A hope that endures to this day.
After five years of exchanging scenarios, SEP ceased operating and issued its final SEP Update in On All Fronts issue 19 in June of 1984. No doubt the administrative burden alone caused sufficient time constraints and a ‘wrapping up’ of scenarios and their publishing in subsequent issues of On All Fronts was promised. Also mentioned was the rise in popularity of low density scenarios by designers such as Jeff Cebula and Michael Balsai, something which SEP was out of step with. Perhaps foreshadowing the future of board wargaming, Up Front was recommended as the newest release for the Squad Leader enthusiast, unusual in that it was a card game.
Notable members included Bob McNamara, Bryan Bullinger, Dirk Fischer, Lee Lasky, Bill Wilder and Mike Balsai.
Administrators were Bryan VanNortwick, Lee Lasky.
Following are original update letters and other materials and then a list of scenarios. I do not know if these were the final scenarios or drafts and in many cases they are obviously unfinished. In some cases, the OAF version is used and others the original and still other have several revisions of a single scenario. I cast a wide net around the available resources in attempting to provide as much information reasonably possible.
I hope this article brings to light another piece of the Squad Leader story and the reader finds it interesting. There are doubtlessly errors and inaccuracies which I hope to correct as they arise. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any additional information or corrections for inclusion herein.