The people who know my partner and me know that we aren't the guys with the "sexy" jobs here at AEG. I get to make sure the bills get paid, track down past due accounts and balance creativity against profitability. Dave has discovered why people spend years in school learning how to do accounting. Two years ago, we helped launch Shadis into the gaming mainstream, and we had dreams of spending our days at the conference room table playing games and spending our evenings designing them. Well, it's almost three years later and Dave and I play a limited role in the creative division at Shadis. We're answering phones and stuffing envelopes and balancing books while the other side of the office is doing the fun stuff. But then, the opportunity to handle "The Edge" section came up for bids. I snatched it. It was my chance to be creative with the knowledge I've gained in the last three years of playing Phone jockey. I knew the industry better than anyone else in the office, so this was going to be my baby. And so, it is my privilege to welcome you to The Edge. It's okay, don't be frightened, you can step up and look over. Matt Staroscik and I have secured the guard railings ourselves, and for your information, we haven't lost a tourist yet. Of course this is our first tour, but we won't worry about that. You, of course, want to know what The Edge is and why you should read it. In a nutshell, The Edge is all the industry news stuff that used to be spread out all over Shadis. We put it in the back where it's easy to find and where we can have a little more fun with it. You'll find reviews, industry news and buying and selling tips for retailers and consumers. You'll quickly notice the staff's opinion on these subjects is pretty diverse (Nerf wars break out regularly in the office), and when one of them writes a review or has a comment to interject, You'll be able to recognize who it is by their icon. Shadis presents itself as the magazine you want to take with you to the gaming table. The Edge is the section you take with you to the throne. If it's happening in the gaming world, this is where you will find out about it. It's also our reminder to game store owners, distributors, manufacturers and ourselves that we got into this business because we love games and we wanted to share our hobby with others, but (most of all) we all wanted to have fun. In order to do that, we need your help. The Edge is looking for strange-but-true gaming stories, top ten lists, and "So you want to be a game designer?" horror stories. Anything you feet would help out The Edge is welcome. Send in your ideas and we'll see what we can do about getting your name in print. Finally, with the help of Matt Wilson and Matt Staroscik (the layout crew who gave The Edge and Shadis this nifty new look), I want to direct your attention to the Subscription Ad on the next page. This is the beginning of the Shadis Core Rules Give-Away Specials. Subscribing is the best way to help support the future of Shadis or any other magazine. Sure it's a gamble, but so is taking the Steelers +15 in the Superbowl (outcome yet to be determined at the time this was written). So, what is this guy trying to say? Subscribe! You get a cool game and we get to raise our distribution by one more loyal reader. By the way, have you got something to say about The Edge? Comments, criticisms, and especially shameless praise can be sent directly to the office or SHADIS2@aol.com. I will answer them promptly and I may even use them in our letters page. Till next month... More Than You Need to Know: Cans of Mountain Dew Consumed During Production of Shadis 23: 112 Number of Secret Right Wing Messages in this issue: 5 Number of Secret Left Wing Messages in this issue: 4 Average Number of Office Trips to Brooklyn Deli Each Month: 5 Length of John Wick's Ponytail: 8" Pounds of Review Material Received from TSR Each Month: 12 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