When I first became editor, my boss sat me down and explained the way things worked at AEG. I was ecstatic about my new position, but John Zinser wanted to instill a little caution in me. "We're a growing company," he said. "And there's going to be a time when you'll have to give up the magazine and help us with another project."

I smiled smugly at him and replied. "I'll stop editing SHADIS when John Elway wins the Super Bowl."

(Uncomfortable silence)

How was I supposed to know he meant it?

But that's the way things stand at Alderac World Headquarters. After eleven months and scores of death threats, I've been asked to step down as editor of SHADIS in order to work on the L5R role-playing game and other products. Jim Pinto, who's been working as assistant editor for the last few months, will be taking over the day-to-day operations of the mag starting next month.

This isn't a new trend; we've had three different editors in as many years and we're limbering up for a fourth. Needless to say, it's spooked the readership quite a bit. I hear people complain about it at conventions all the time - "Every time I get used to the magazine, somebody new takes the helm and changes everything around." That's a valid complaint, and it took a long time and a lot of thought before I could set it aside. But the cold hard truth of the matter is that Alderac is a rapidly growing company, and in order to stay in business, it has to keep expanding. That means that the work load must periodically be shuffled to accommodate new projects and new employees.

Usually, that's not a problem. A given book or game system has a set amount of time between design and publication; the author can completely focus on that project for three or four months, take a break, then jump into the next project. SHADIS, unfortunately, isn't like that. It's in perpetual motion, and needs to be done every month without fail. That makes it unique among the products this office puts out and periodically, it means that editorial duties will shift.

In the early days, SHADIS was the product of one man's vision. After Jolly left, things shifted quite a bit, but there was still somebody there tc make sure it all go done. Everyone at Alderac cares very deeply about this magazine. SHADIS was the first product this company put out, and everybody here has had a hand in it at one point or another But at the same time, it deserves someone at the helm who can devote themselves solely to it, to guide it the way jolly and D.J. did, and the way I've tried to do since I came on board. Without somebody working on this thing 24-7, all the care and dedication put into it won't matter. Over the past few months, it's become increasingly apparent that I can no longer do that. And SHADIS means too much to me to let it slip.

Which brings us to Jim and his impending ascension to this chair. Like all the assistant editors before him, Jim's slowly been shouldering more and more responsibilities since he got here, and it's time for him to start receiving some of the credit. He loves gaming like no one else I've seen. and the stuff he's worked on shines with that enthusiasm. He works hard and has devoted ever~ waking moment towards making SHADIS better, And he's been surgically altered to eliminate the need for sleep; he's the right man to take control.

(They actually brought another assistant editor in before Jim. His name was Larry and he lived under the sink in the bathroom. Larry's daily lithium shots eventually ran out and we had to shoot him before he could break loose and spawn. Be very glad that Larry isn't taking over.)

So it comes down to another good-bye. While I won't be completely disappearing, I'll no longer be around for the day to day stuff and you won't be seeing my incoherent rants on this page anymore, But SHADIS will go on as it always has, and I'm reasonably sure you're going to love what we've got coming up. I know both Jim and I do.

In the end, then, that's really what matters: having somebody here who can fill this magazine with all the energy and enthusiasm they can muster. In order to do that, we've been willing to dosie-do from time to time. We don't see it as changing; we see it as keeping things the way they've always been. I hope you agree.