Dear SHADIS, Just had to write and tell you that SHADIS #8 was the best issue ever! My only complaint was the implication that the Alderac Anthology may be dropped or moved to another zine of its own. I love the gaming articles, but it's the fiction and great stories that keep me coming back to SHADIS. You are making a terrible mistake if you follow through with your threats! The anthology was unique and a great hook for readers. I know you are constantly trying to shape SHADIS into a magazine with broad appeal but some things just need to be left alone. Look what happened to Coke when they changed a good thing. Have you found Joe Genero? What a tragedy if this comic strip is lost. It was really a bright spot and a favorite of mine. Keep up the search! Can't wait for the full color SHADIS. Even now I am eagerly staring out my window waiting for the postman. "What no Shadis today?" Oh well, guess I'll go back to bed and see what tomorrow brings. Tony Watts Charleston, SC Editor - The subject of keeping the anthology in SHADIS has been hotly debated both here at the SHADIS offices and among leaders. The survey we ran last issue ran roughly 50/50 in regards to those opposed and in favor of keeping the Anthology. The problem may have a solution As this issue goes to press, we are discussing the possibility of expanding SHADIS to nearly 100 pages next issue. If this actually happen, then we could possibly justify 10-15 pages for the Anthology. As far as Joe Genero, we are still looking. We did receive a hot tip and actually located a person who knows a friend-of-a-friend - but to date nothing has come of it. For those of you who are just joining us - JoeGenero was a comic strip donated to SHADIS that proved to be highly popular The problem? The artist has apparently dropped off the face of the earth and we do not have his name. His work was forwarded to us through a third party. Dear SHADIS, Congratulations on an excellent article! My big pet peeve with game magazines is that they are usually geared toward younger audiences. How refreshing to find an indepth article that spoke on my level and actually educated me on something I thought I knew quite a bit about! The Criminal Justice article was a real gem. Mr. Blackburn expertly balanced a solid historical subject with gaming elements so that the end result was a piece of work of interest to the history-buff as well as the avid gamer. If I were not a gamer at heart, I would still be tempted to subscribe to SHADIS if there were more historical-type articles presented. Enough praise - I just wanted to commend you. Are there any other articles of this nature in the works? Richard Hobbs Sarasota, Florida Editor - Yes you will undoubtedly see more in-depth articles such as the Criminal Justice piece. Currently, we have a campaign setting/mini-game in the works which is based on Roman Arena Combat and draws heavily on historical data. I also have a verbal promise from one of the country's foremost authorities on medieval weapons and armor for a historical deal artical which blasts many of the popular FRPG's for inaccuracies. I am always in search of these type of articles so if anyone out there is sitting on one, send it in! Dear SHADIS, Your magazine is a waste of time! Get a real job and stop living in a dream world. I don't understand half the articles and I think it's priced entirely too high. Name Withheld by Request Editor - Awwww Mom, cut it out! Dear SHADIS, The Bob Hobbs cover on #8 was FANTASTIC!I Of course, I m a big fan of George Vrbanic and I surely hope he continues to do covers as well. Can you tell me more about Bob Hobbs? What other work has he done? While I am on the subject of artists - I also love Janet DuPuy's work and David Dixon's cartoons. I hope all of these talented artists become a permanent fixture at SHADIS. Troy Goff Seneca Rock, WV Editor - Bob Hobbs is the first featured artist in our new Knight Gallery column. Bob has also agreed to do a full color cover for a future issue of SHADIS! As for George, he has honored us with our first full color cover (and I hope we can convince him to do more.) We will do everything possible to keep our artists happy and busy! I hope to get some more Dixon cartoons in shortly and Janet has agreed to grace our pages with more of her work as well. Dear SHADIS, I've been a big fan of SHADIS since the begnning and I've always noticed you run a listing of your competitors in the Market Place. I think this is very commendable, especially when you consider that your competitors do not return the favor. I suggested to the editor of another magazine that he run a similar list of gaming publications and his response was "Why would I shoot myself in my foot?" His answer betrayed more than he could possibly know. I won't get up on a soap box and berate such attitudes but I will commend you on taking a positive attitude and being a good example. There has been so much feuding in the gaming community lately, it's refreshing to find a safe harbor where a gamer can weigh anchor and just enjoy his hobby. Michael Greene Portland, OR Keep those letters coming. Remember - SHADIS thrives on reader response! Back to Table of Contents -- SHADIS Issue No. 9 Back to SHADIS List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by Alderac 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