As many people tend to do during that time of year, I went visiting at the Ancestral Homestead over Christmas. Among other traditional holiday activities (seeing relatives, reading submitted manuscripts, catching bronchitis), I ended up in the optometrist's chair with an ungainly multi-lensed '30's, mad-scientist-movie contraption pressed up against my face, being measured for new glasses. I'd noticed that things had been getting rather fuzzier lately, and had decided that my optical prescription needed, if not a complete overhaul, then at least some body and fender work. My eyes are so bad that I'm legally blind if I'm not wearing lenses of some sort, and this means that it isn't possible for me to just walk in off the street and pick up new glasses. For eyesight like mine, they have to send the lenses down from the Optometry Mothership. As a result, it was only a couple of weeks ago that a box arrived with my spiffy new glasses enclosed. I've been wearing them ever since, and it's a remarkable difference. Anybody who has gotten an upgrade in eyewear will know what I'm talking about; all of a sudden, it's as if you've turned some knob very slightly and everything you look at jumps into focus. By now most of you suspect I'm rambling incoherently and are considering turning to the comics, so I'll come to the point. The overhaul that we're giving SHADIS is like my change of prescription. The format which was perfect a couple of years ago is showing its age, and it's time to update things a a bit. (The tools are, of course, different; Quark Express and Adobe Photoshop instead of unholy face-hugging eyestrain-inducers and highlens grinders. On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to discover that Photoshop has a "Grind Lens" filter.) There's a a less happy portion of the parallel, too. The first day I wore my new specs, I had a splitting headache all day. I knew it was coming, but that didn't alleviate it any. I decided to ride it out until my eyes adjusted. Once they did, my headache went away. Similarly, there's going to be an adjustment period while the new format takes its shakedown cruise. (One anonymous correspondent referred to #22 as the "Under Destruction" issue. Whoever you are, you'd better sit down before you leaf through #23.) Take some ibuprofin and let yourself adjust. Back this issue are Fin and Joe, as well as several other features - you'll recognize them. Most of the things I talked about in last issue's editorial have come to pass, like the first "Edge" (starting on p. 65) and the first Strange Vistas story: "Mate in Three," a Lost Souls work of fiction by Greg Stolze. For more information about the Edge, I'll refer you to its opening pages, where all will be made clear. The synopsis of the content is the same as ever: news, reviews, and time-dependent material (like this month's Heresy: Kingdom Come contest). The layout, however, is a bit wilder than even the "New SHADIS Look". Sure, the bulk of the magazine has gone to two-columns-plus-sidebar, but it's still comparatively sedate. The Edge is under no such restriction. Hang onto the railings; they're there for your protection. Of course, we have standard SHADIS fare as well, like Roger Paul Spendlove's "Foundations of Civilization", a tour de force of RPG culture construction, and "Hail To the King, Baby", from Rob Vaux, John Wick, the covers of the supermarket tabloids, and the collective unconscious. Also check out "Bug Hunt", the first half of a two-part Battlelords adventure. Don't have Battlelords? No problem. As a subscription premium, we'll send you a Battlelords rulebook free when you subscribe to SHADIS for a year. Stay tuned - this is the first RPG core rulebook we're offering, but there are over half a dozen in the chute. Who knows what future months will bring? Even if I did know, I'm out of space. Enjoy the issue. Back to Shadis #23 Table of Contents Back to Shadis List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1996 by Alderac Entertainment Group This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com