Another Double Issue

This is the second 96-page issue of TEM. The first was last year's issue #38/39, which was very well received. Its success proved both that GR/D could sustain physical quality at 96 pages, and that a double issue, if well done, would not automatically elicit a chorus of complaints.

Making this issue a double was a necessity given the size of the Grand Europa 1943 Linking Scenario. We expect occasional double issues to appear in the future, the results of long scenarios, several longish articles, or to catch up our publication schedule.

Quarterly Issues and Increased Page Count

The first issue of TEM in magazine format (#5) was a mere 24 pages. Issue #6 ballooned to 36 pages, #7 inched to 40, and by issue #11 the magazine was a more robust 44 pages. In TEM #14 the page count reached its peak at 48 pages, and has remained there ever since. So when will we go to 52 or 56 pages? Sadly, this is not feasible without additional resources. The 288-page annual total (6 x 48) is currently all we have the time to do.

However, there is a way to get 5% more content out of these 288 pages: go to a 72-page quarterly format. This format has several additional advantages; it provides the space to do longer articles and scenarios, and would help maintain a more punctual publication schedule.

Where does the 5% increase in content come from? Each issue has a certain amount of "wasted pages" or, to be more charitable, "non-article pages." These are the masthead pages (pages 1 and 2) and the ad pages (pages 45-48). Although these serve an important function, they do detract from the meat of each issue. There are 36 (6 x 6) such pages in the six issue format. In a quarterly format, this would drop to only 24 pages (4 x 6) out of the same 288-page total. This would, in effect, yield 12 additional pages of articles per year, for a 4.8% increase.

In case you are wondering how a quarterly format would help the magazine arrive more punctually, consider this. The work load at GR/D is such that there are frequent peaks and valleys (or, perhaps more accurately, peaks and higher peaks). When a big peak comes along, the magazine usually suffers a disruption.

For example, publication of a boxed game almost always causes the magazine to be set aside for some length of time. Normally this means the issue is delayed six weeks or so, which creates a gap in the publication schedule. However, in a quarterly format, the magazine could absorb such a delay and still stay on schedule-adding an extra month to the time available to produce each issue would help assure it came out consistently on time. This is not to say that we wouldn't still have fires to fight behind the scenes due to disruptions, but just that they wouldn't be as apparent to the reader watching his mailbox and waiting for the next issue.

When Winston asked last year what you thought of going to a quarterly publication schedule, the message came through loud and clear: you preferred the six issue format. People just didn't like the idea of receiving their favorite magazine less often.

However, mull over the points made in this column. There really are tangible benefits from making TEM a quarterly. Consider that over the long haul you would get more Europa stuff each year. And hear me now and believe me later: this simple change would allow an on-time delivery schedule.

Note that even if the magazine doesn't officially go to a quarterly format, we may end up with much the same thing by having a double issue appear every third or fourth cycle.

If you have an opinion on this subject, please send in your comments.

Back in the High Life Again

Despite all the twists and turns of eight years, as of this moment the magazine is back on schedule.