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To the Masses;
I rated this issue an 8, excellent. In reality the issue is a 10, amazing. Why the eight? The lack of participation by the readership! It has fallen on the shoulders of a few to make this magazine go. It amazes me that it has lasted to issue 9. Nothing is more discouraging that feeling, no knowing, that you are going it alone. The 8 rating has no bearing on S&D staff. It should be a reflection on the rest of us and in hindsight, if that is the case, I should have given it a 5 for average, because it truth, this has been the lot of all those from have worked so hard to put forth a zine for the benefit of the masses. Lord knows it isn't for the money. So our hats off to C. Derbacher, D. Webber, C. Mulholland, C. Harvey & N. Palmer, T. Cale, B. McLain and the gentleman who edited the Nuts & Bolts of PBM out of Illinois way back when and others I have forgotten. Thank you!
No one is more guilty than I of failing to participate. In all the years that I read Paper Mayhem, and I was there at the beginning, I think I only submitted two game reviews. Shame on me. If you enjoy receiving S&D each month, then we need to participate in it's survival. If everyone submitted one article every six months, there would be plenty of copy to help fill the pages. After all, we are an army. You don't have to be a skilled wordsmith, just participate. To that end, I will commit to submitting an article every so often beginning with issue 10. Write a review, write an op ed, write your story line of the game you're currently playing, letters to the ed, whatever, participate. I don't want to speak for the staff, but I think they wouldn't mind if we took some ownership in S&D.
One thought, maybe we can include a section of the mag for player contact if there is some interest. Players who are playing in various games may want to contact other players in their game, exchange contact info, advertise, etc. "Hi, I'm Rockeater, playing High Elves in Alamaze game #999. Looking to contact XXXX or looking for allies. Contact me @ xxxxx."
Open ended games are especially good for this section.
Maybe the GMs could, like in the good old days, submit a blurb on their games each issue. If an open-ended game, maybe they can submit a general snapshot of the makers and shakers in their game at the time of printing and what's shaking up the game currently if anything. Maybe those who run closed ended games can give us a rundown on the current situation in each game that is currently active. This could certainly create interest in their games and possibly recruits for the game companies. Empires at War 1805, Alamaze, Hyborian War, as an example of closed ended games while BSE, Takamo, and Scramble for Empire as an example of open ended games.
Thinking out loud....... What would you like to see added?
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While I like reading and learning about new games and the game advertisments.
I would really like to see some 'retro' game memories; articles about Tribes of Crane, Heroic Fantasy, Can't remember the guy / co or game names but there was a guy that did games in the early '80's. One was a space game where to move you actually had to do the 3-D match as his game 'board' was a cube so not only did you have your X / Y coordinates but also the Z factor. He also did a hand modulated fantasy game and a test / short lived Detective game where you were a cop and give 5 cases to work on and you had to decide how to proceed on each (at the same time!) to close the case.
There are others that others played but I think you get the ideal.
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Just for the record, Eressea looks pretty, and the graphical GUI looks interesting.
They're in contact with you and are taking the time and effort to place advertising in
suspense and Decision. Their website says they've spent considerable time localizing the game into English from the original German.
Which leads me to the question of why, on their Home website, are just about all the links dead?
You can download something called Magellan, which is a GUI program that supposedly makes the game easier to play. But not the game rulebook or really anything about the game itself. What's the point of advertising and having you plug their game if there's no way for a new player to learn anything about it? Bah.
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Nebless: the guy you can't remember - was it Tom Webster? He ran a bunch of little-known (and little-played, unfortunately) games back in the early 1980s. Nice feller. Or maybe it was JF&L; they had a short-lived game called Private Eye.
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@Nazerth
I like your idea about PBM game moderators or companies submitting information about their current games playing (of course, sometimes the fog of war must be maintained). Interesting stories and background can generate interest.
![[Image: Front-Cover-Suspense-And-Decision-Issue-9.png]](http://playbymail.net/pbmwiki/images/7/7b/Front-Cover-Suspense-And-Decision-Issue-9.png)
