busman
Level 6 Magician
Playing OD&D, once again. Since 2008!
Posts: 448
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Post by busman on Apr 20, 2008 14:57:18 GMT -6
I finally had a chance to complete a good solid read through of the 'zine.
Overall, I was fairly impressed. For a first issue of a fanzine, the total quality was good.
High marks for art. Even the old school art was really well done. The content was generally thought provoking, and there were even a few gems that I plan to incorporate in some manner into my own campaign. The format of the book is clean and easy to read.
Some suggestions on the layout is to come up with bigger, more obvious titles for the different articles to help set them off more. I know artwork was an issue, but having a quick cool title hand drawn for each of the campaigns would be very cool, imo. I'd also start thinking about coming up with specific columns you plan on having regularly, and getting titles for those, at the very least (think Baba Yaga's Hut, or Out on a Limb, or Sage Advice, etc. these all had distinct titles and artwork, that let brought you into the articles from the word go.)
My favorite art piece was the one on the top of page 11, very old school feel, I loved it.
For the non-campaign articles I found "Flexible Sorcery" to be the high water mark. The idea of the Spontaneous Magic and Counterspelling seem like great additions to help further differentiate the Magic-User class without overpowering them. I'm not so sure I'll use the Magical Duels, but it did get the juices flowing.
Multiple dungeons/campaigns! That blew me away. Each had something that generated an Ah-ha! for me. Although there were some problems with verisimilitude, I'm ready to run James' The Ruined Monastery with only very light touches. It feels like a great classic Megadungeon in the making! I could see this as an ongoing feature where you expand both the above world and below world on a regular basis.
Closing notes:
- Was the choice to use Rank, Wound Dice, and Wounds some attempt to not be hassled by WotC? I'd say use Level, Hit Dice, and Hit Points. It was ever so slightly off-putting, and I don't think WotC has any claim on these terms in particular (not a lawyer).
- Let me harp on my old saw again, I found the use of pseudonyms for authors (and editor) to be offputting. You can see already that this 'zine is reaching beyond just our tight-knit group, and having real names (or pen names that at least sound like real names) will add a sense of legitimacy to the effort (huge IMO appended to this).
- A very silly addition: if we want to capture the feel of an old school mag, we're going to need a goofy re-occurring comic. It doesn't have to be Wormy, or even Fineous Fingers, but they ALL have something in there somewhere.
- Price: getting the overall price down is important. I didn't mind dropping a 10-spot on it, I would hesitate to drop $40 a year in perpetuity.
Cal, overall, amazing job. Huge Kudos for bringing this together.
I'd suggest you check out Kobold Quarterly, if you haven't already done so. It obviously has WAY more pro-level support than our fanzine, but it's basically one person pulling it all together, layout, etc. It's a d20 based magazine, so the content isn't as directly applicable, but there is a lot of style, layout, professionalism, that could be pulled from what is effectively a very similar product, and they come in a few bucks cheaper (after shipping). Note: all real (sounding) names! =)
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Post by calithena on Apr 20, 2008 15:44:56 GMT -6
Thanks for the thoughts, Busman!
One question: did you think that the content ratio was about right? I'm leery of too many variant rules, some in every issue are a must, but too many and it gets kind of heavy. Whereas dungeons/adventures seem like you can never have too many, at least to me. But I'm curious what our readers think about balance.
The comic, yes, totally, if someone has a good fantasy comic that they'd like to do, we'd snap that up.
If people want to design cool titles for their articles, esp. with recurring columns like "The Devil's in the Details", I'm all for it, just send them in with the articles.
As to the abbreviation choices, there's a long discussion there, the choice we made was safe and had precedent but I'm not sure it's right, I'll get back to that when I get through this mountain o' work here at home.
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Post by murquhart72 on Apr 20, 2008 16:11:51 GMT -6
Um, how do I get a copy?
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jrients
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 411
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Post by jrients on Apr 20, 2008 16:19:57 GMT -6
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busman
Level 6 Magician
Playing OD&D, once again. Since 2008!
Posts: 448
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Post by busman on Apr 20, 2008 20:06:59 GMT -6
One question: did you think that the content ratio was about right? I'm leery of too many variant rules, some in every issue are a must, but too many and it gets kind of heavy. Whereas dungeons/adventures seem like you can never have too many, at least to me. But I'm curious what our readers think about balance. I thought the balance was very nice. I think KQ is wanting for a nice adventure or two in each issue. 3E has the "advantage" that everyone is making new classes/kits/builds, so they can fill up columns on that. I personally love that Fight On! is a sort of a combo Dragon and Dungeon together. Too much of one or the other and the mag would be lacking. |
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Post by makofan on Apr 20, 2008 21:09:12 GMT -6
I am a bit worried about the "feel". I did a cheesy JG-type module, and some people may not appreciate that type of humor (like my Room 7 - BORING ROOM)
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Post by Zulgyan on Apr 20, 2008 23:45:33 GMT -6
LOL, gotta love the illustration in page 29! Great!  |
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Post by Melan on Apr 21, 2008 1:56:21 GMT -6
I am a bit worried about the "feel". I did a cheesy JG-type module, and some people may not appreciate that type of humor (like my Room 7 - BORING ROOM) Are you kidding us?! Bring it on! Have something like Killer Kitchen? Bring it on! ;D Continuing on that line... Wounds are so White Wolf. HTK is where things are at. I concur, although I can understand someone who wouldn't do this. I don't have tha magazine yet, but... the Internet is filled to the brim with rules. Really, if you throw a brick out here, you will hit someone's house rule document. On the other hand, adventures are surprisingly rare. So it is a very nice change of space that I and the DF gang aren't the only ones to write and distribute amateur old school adventures. This isn't to say new rules or magic items or whatnot are unappealing... just that I really really really appreciate adventures and "gameable" campaign material (a fortified outpost, a small town, a segment of wilderness... something that isn't just background). |
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Post by James Maliszewski on Apr 21, 2008 5:51:40 GMT -6
Although there were some problems with verisimilitude, I'm ready to run James' The Ruined Monastery with only very light touches. It feels like a great classic Megadungeon in the making! I could see this as an ongoing feature where you expand both the above world and below world on a regular basis. Ironically, that's at least partially what I hope to do. My planned submission for Issue 2 is a collection of wilderness encounters in the area around the monastery. The link to the first adventure will be tenuous, but I enjoy establishing connections so that if anyone wants to do so, they can string things together into a coherent whole. And, yes, I also planned for the Monastery to be the basis for a megadungeon, although I wasn't sure (until now) that I'd ever take up that project. |
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Post by James Maliszewski on Apr 21, 2008 7:09:45 GMT -6
On the price issue, which seems to keep cropping up in various places, my response is that, adjusting for inflation, Fight On! is much cheaper than the supplements to OD&D by a long shot  |
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Post by Zulgyan on Apr 21, 2008 7:39:30 GMT -6
Calithena: was the use of non-justified text intentional? Were you trying to achive a style with that?
Hey, I love the way james' dungeon map looks!
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jrients
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 411
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Post by jrients on Apr 21, 2008 7:52:43 GMT -6
I am a bit worried about the "feel". I did a cheesy JG-type module, and some people may not appreciate that type of humor (like my Room 7 - BORING ROOM) makofan, I want to see that dungeon! |
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Post by makofan on Apr 21, 2008 7:59:48 GMT -6
BTW, since it bothers people, I will use my name if I make more submissions. The fact that the writer's credibility, rather than the content, is being judged, is a sympton of what is wrong with our society.
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Post by calithena on Apr 21, 2008 8:18:59 GMT -6
The magazine has no policy about pseudonynms, Makofan. Do what you feel is best for you, we'll take more cool content from you either way.
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Post by James Maliszewski on Apr 21, 2008 9:07:44 GMT -6
Hey, I love the way james' dungeon map looks! Thanks. I hadn't drawn a dungeon map by hand in years, so I tried to remember how I did them back in the day. Looks like it turned out pretty well. |
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Post by Zulgyan on Apr 21, 2008 9:31:29 GMT -6
Calithena: was the use of non-justified text intentional? Were you trying to achive a style with that?
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busman
Level 6 Magician
Playing OD&D, once again. Since 2008!
Posts: 448
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Post by busman on Apr 21, 2008 9:59:45 GMT -6
BTW, since it bothers people, I will use my name if I make more submissions. The fact that the writer's credibility, rather than the content, is being judged, is a sympton of what is wrong with our society. I wouldn't say I was judging the name rather than the content, but rather that like it or not that using a pseudonym does affect how someone takes something in. And I'm not saying that people need to use their real names, just that the pseudonym needs to SOUND like a real name. Heck, it was good enough for Mark Twain to use a pen name. For what it's worth, I rather enjoyed your grotto. In fact, I enjoyed each of the adventures quite solidly. They were my favorite part of the magazine, each and everyone of them. It's why I specifically mentioned the part that was my favorite non-adventure portion of the issue. What I especially liked about the grotto was that it was just the right size to have as a stumble upon side quest as a party was making it's way from town to dungeon or back. I love having a collection of these little bite-sized one-shots to spice things up. Again, it seems like a possible reoccurring article to me. |
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Post by coffee on Apr 21, 2008 10:09:05 GMT -6
LOL, gotta love the illustration in page 29! Great! Thanks! That was me. I thought I'd signed it, but apparently not. It was supposed to be the cover, back when we were still calling it Revenant Runes. Someone (I think it was Calithena, but can't swear to it) asked for specifically that image. I thought it was cool (and, better yet, something I might be able to draw), so I did it. I just got my copy today, but I'm at work so I won't be able to read it until lunchtime. Looks good, though! |
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Post by calithena on Apr 21, 2008 11:15:15 GMT -6
I always use non-justified text, so no, not intentional in the sense of making a stylistic pronouncement.
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Post by kesher on Apr 26, 2008 17:04:16 GMT -6
I just got my copy today. I love it! The cover's nice and glossy, the interior printing is sharp, the layout's clean and it's easy to read. So far, I've only had a chance to skim the contents (I'm saving reading for later tonight when I'm away from distractions), but it looks solid. Stefan's illos really stuck out: atmospheric, very textured. I love the hand-drawn maps, too.
Cal, I did read "In the Time of the Broken Kingdom"; that was, I think, an essential coda, and summed up the labor of love this publication obviously is (helped in no small degree by coffee's skeletal handful of dice...)
Kudos to all who contributed, encouraged, evangelized, purchased. Fight On!
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Post by calithena on Apr 27, 2008 6:40:34 GMT -6
Thanks, Kesher. I agree that the first issue is very cool, but oh man, wait until you see the second...
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jrients
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 411
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Post by jrients on Apr 29, 2008 10:37:15 GMT -6
I finally got my copy last night and I read it from cover to cover while cooking supper. I am humbled to be in such great company. Each article was like a breath of fresh air.
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ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
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Post by ant on Apr 30, 2008 5:00:10 GMT -6
Great review! In fact it was so great I ordered a copy of Fight On! #1 -- let's hope it makes it down here to Australia. |
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Post by dekelia on May 1, 2008 7:20:47 GMT -6
I haven't gotten it yet (though I will), but I wanted to chime in on the name thing. I fully understand the desire to put real names in, but I'm actually on the other side completely. It would be nice if somewhere (and you can hide it if you want) you included the "online" name of the person doing each article. When I read things, I'm better able to comprehend it when I already understand the point of view of the author. Since many (all?) of the contributors post here and/or at Dragonsfoot, knowing, I have alot of background on your points of view, biases, etc and it would be nice to be able to match that with the material.
I would suggest real names on the articles, but also the online name either in parenthesis next to it or at the front of magzine have a mapping.
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Post by greyharp on May 1, 2008 7:46:42 GMT -6
Great review! In fact it was so great I ordered a copy of Fight On! #1 -- let's hope it makes it down here to Australia. I ordered mine on the 22nd and it was shipped three days later on Anzac Day. I'll let you know how long it takes ant (assuming mine arrives first, hmm Tassie mail, you never know  ) |
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ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
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Post by ant on May 1, 2008 8:07:30 GMT -6
I ordered mine on the 22nd and it was shipped three days later on Anzac Day. I'll let you know how long it takes ant (assuming mine arrives first, hmm Tassie mail, you never know ) Thanks, greyharp. I don't think Brisbane's mail is that much better.  |
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Post by calithena on May 1, 2008 8:40:06 GMT -6
Just to clarify one more time on the names thing:
Fight On! will publish people's articles under whatever names they choose. For example in the first issue we had:
Makofan (a pseudonym only)
Kesher (an online pseudonym which is also one of said contributor's real names)
Gabor Lux (a real name, for the legendary Melan, but unaccompanied by the nom du internets)
Tomas Banzas "Germille" Illa (all the names together)
and that's all OK.
The magazine staff does in fact have a preference for the real name or real name + pseudonym, but only a slight one. Since "Calithena" is the name of one of my characters and my on-line handle, I can hardly be too picky about this, even though Ignatius sometimes leans on me to use my real name (Sean) instead.
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Post by greyharp on May 15, 2008 23:29:26 GMT -6
I ordered mine on the 22nd and it was shipped three days later on Anzac Day. I'll let you know how long it takes ant (assuming mine arrives first, hmm Tassie mail, you never know ) Thanks, greyharp. I don't think Brisbane's mail is that much better. Well, my copy finally turned up in Tasmania today - three weeks exactly after it was sent. My postie decided not to leave it in my letterbox (mistakenly believing it needed to be signed for), so I had to make the 54 kilometre round trip to town to pick it up.  Firstly I have to say that it was the best packaged parcel I've ever received. I was expecting an envelope and got a box. I don't know how they managed to mail it to Australia for only $4.30 - I wish some of the items I've bought off ebay in the past had such low postage rates. The magazine looks great and I'm glad I got the print job and not waited for the pdf. I've only had a quick flick through and can't wait to bury my nose in it. So, I haven't even read this one and I can't wait for number 2 to be released. ;D |
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Post by calithena on May 16, 2008 8:56:45 GMT -6
Awesome, Greyharp. Issue 2 has more content at the same level and slightly better production values, so I think you'll like that one too!
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ant
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 243
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Post by ant on May 19, 2008 3:38:32 GMT -6
So, I haven't even read this one and I can't wait for number 2 to be released. ;D Mine just arrived today so that's another one for Australia. I've only had a quick flick through myself and I totally agree with greyharp -- bring on Issue #2! So far Issue #1 looks beautiful. Better than I could have hoped for. Thanks to everyone who contributed! |
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