The next SHADIS special issue is on Small Press, so if you like Zine Scene, you'll get a lot more to peruse. Not only will I present ten worthy zines for your consideration, but it looks as if we'll have quite a bit more material for you. I'll be submitting two articles, one on how technology influences small press, and another that's a lexicon of small press ter- minology - from APA to zine. jolly said he may have an article or two, as well as some from other well-known magazine writers. By the way, I should mention that Morningstar Rising is ceasing production soon. Current subscribers will get all the issues they paid for, even more in fact, but we aren't accepting new subscriptions or advertisements. If you have any questions, please write to me at the address below. I may have a new project in the works. If it comes to fruition, Zine Scene readers will be first to know. This issue of Zine Scene, I've brought together three "zines" that are printed like newspapers. The Garner's Connection has been overviewed before, but it's significantly different from the previous version. The Crucible Publisher, Editor: Loyal G. Parsons Frequency: Bi-monthly Talislanta has been sold from Wizards Of the Coast to Daedalus Games, who also produce the roleplaying game Nexus: The Infinite City. I believe the only fanzine for the Talislanta line is The Crucible. The Crucible began as a free, tiny, four-page newsletter announcing the licensing of Talislanta. The third issue was eight pages, and I hope its growth will be constant. The writing is commendable, and the layout superb. Knowing little about the Talislantan landscape, I can't explain the material much; I can't tell the difference between an Arimite and a Cymrilian. The "Kang Civil War" article was an insight to a roleplaying session from the GM's perspective. It was fairly useful, with specific suggestions taken from experience. Both of Stephen Michael Sechils bits, on the Stryx and the Ahazu, were entertaining, but not filling, since they were so short. You have no idea how many times I've seen such humble beginnings blossom into fantastic magazines. Fanzines that focus on one game are frequently very good! Watching one grow from a diminutive newsletter to a full-fledged magazine is a big part of the joy of fanzines. The Crucible is off to a remarkable start. Get in on what could become a great magazine now. Write to The Crucible, c/o Loyal G. Parsons, PO Box 4039, Irvine, CA 92716. Re: Quests! Publisher: Mensa Coordinator: Mary H. Kelly Frequency: Quarterly This digest-sized gaming fanzine produced by Mensa, the high-IQ organization. Now on issue #37, it's mainly a Special Interest Group discussion forum. The majority of each issue is composed of letters between members. The Letters column full of people writing back and forth to one another, and the Magic Mouth Discussion Forum is for people to respond to special themes or topics. If this sounds familiar, it's because this how online services work. Services like America Online and CompuServe have bulletin boards (like SHADIS's in AOL, Game Company Support: Publications area), in which you can post messages, answer questions, or rant about whatever you feel like. Most of Re: Quests! is exactly like that, minus the "flame wars." The open Letters section is something you have to get into over time, like walking into the middle of a conversation. One started with, "Alan Clark: Stoneskin? Argh!" Insects: don't you just love 'em?" On the other hand, the Magic Mouth section is more organized and enjoyable to read. About a quarter of Re: Quests! is composed of short articles on roleplaying. Solitaire Adventure Starters, spells, silly monsters, strange fiction, and occasionally a game review. You can contact them by snailmail Re: Quests!, c/o Mary H. Kelly, 4030 Valley View Lane #233, Farmers Branch, TX 75240 5029, or at 70656.1115@compuserve.com. The Gamer's Connection Publisher: Gold Rush Games Editor: Mark Arsenault Frequency: Quarterly I'm biased. I've known Mark Arsenault, the editor of The Gamer's Connection for a few years now, we both write for SHADIS, and I've written for TGC. But even if I never heard of him, I would still print an overview of TGC. In content and policy, I find The Gamer's Connection to be one of the best all-around roleplaying fanzines on the market. It's high time that TGC gets recognized, rather than the same ones that get nominated every year for the Origins Best Amateur Gaming Magazine. TGC has a wealth of different articles' from reviews to original RPG material. The writing and editing have steadily improved over the years, as has the excellent layout. The industry news is unparalleled! Unlike some major magazines, who put only a few entries in their column, one of which is always their own production schedule, I've seen TGC put out a news column with sev, eral dozen tidbits and a list of 75 conventions! Issue 22 of TGC heralds the entrance of the "new" TGC. It used to be 20 normal sized pages, but now it's 16 tabloid-sized pages, an increase of 60%. It's also jumped up to 2,000 copies. TGC stands out as one of the best-rounded zines on the market. Subscribe by writing to: The Gamer's Con- nection, PO Box 2531, Elk Grove, CA 95759-2531. Cons Unlimited Publisher: Andon Unlimited Editor: Gary E. Smith Frequency: Quarterly Cons Unlimited is probably the biggest game newspaper, with 20 tabloid-sized pages and a distribution of 15,000. The magazine is essentially free, since Andon hands it out at its conventions and other conventions can ask for it. You can also subscribe to it if you can't get to a con. Here's the big picture: Andon Unlimited is a convention management company. They produce game conventions across the US, including the GAMA Trade Show, Origins, and AndCon - some of the biggest. Recently, they were purchased by Wizards of the Coast, so we can expect them to be hosting more cons, and those they currently manage should be even more extravagant. Their newspaper is, of course, mainly about conventions. Unlike other magazines that only spare a back page for convention listings, Cons Unlimited is all about cons. They have announcements, rating forms, classifieds, a game club listing, and even entire pre-registration listings. You can find out how to volunteer at Origins, what cons are located near you, and how to go to cons on a budget. I trust Cons Unlimited to keep an eye on the subject of game conventions for me. A periodical that focuses on conventions is necessary. Fortunately, Cons Unlimited does it better than anybody. Write to them at: Cons Unlimited, PO Box 1740, Renton, WA 98057-1740. Entertainment Exchange Publisher: Asay Publishing Editor: Ben Rodriguez Frequency: Monthly This newspaper is fresh on the stands and in the mailboxes. Entertainment Exchange is an "advertising forum" for games, comics, japanimation and cards. It doesn't have articles on how to improve your gamemastering or reviews of new products, only advertising. (I should mention it has a small cover price and subscription rate.) You can place classifieds in the Entertainment Exchange if you're looking to buy, sell or trade. There were about a dozen comic classifieds and seven classifieds for advent~re games in the latest issue. Most of the newspaper is commercial advertising, though. I would prefer more game entries to thumb through. However, my local game store manager pointed out that I've never lived in a rural area, so the commercial advertising is a desperately-needed means to get games. Unlike mail order catalogs, you get a wider variety of outlets in Entertainment Exchange. Several of the advertising retailers use toll-free 800 numbers, some have electronic Bulletin Board Systems you can dial up, and all include their addresses of course. For retail stores with a mail order side, Entertainment Exchange is probably one of the few venues to get your name out. With a distribution of 7,500, they have a wider audience than most fanzines. Get a hold of them at: Entertainment Exchange, PO Box 670, Joplin, MO 64802-0670. Back to Shadis #20 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1995 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com