Thought you might find this interesting...

PM from Clarence to Barry, March 6, 2006:

Any sign of the Napoleonic rules' release?

I was wondering if you need illustrations, maps, graphic borders, or anything else for the game. I'd be willing to contribute just for an advanced copy of the ruleset.

Reply from Barry to Clarence, March 7, 2006:

You can have a copy anyway but I am interested in your offer of some kind of graphics assistance. I am about to commence serious Napoleonic painting but probably in 15mm.

I have a busy week coming up but after that we could maybe chew over some ideas, whadya think?

My inquiry was sparked by Barry's release of ULB as a free PDF and notes on this forum about an unreleased Napoleonic set. That was followed by a frantic exchange of e-mail that led to the complete reworking of ULB into the version of BLB you can now get your hands on!

Aaaah!
so that's how I got into this!