An MRQ2 Fanzine?

[Ultor]

I mentioned elsewhere, and have the go-ahead from Matt to develop, a Fanzine dedicated to MRQ2.

At this early stage, my immediate concern is to put together an editorial team. So if you're interested in helping to develop this product, please PM me. Being part of the editorial team would require one article or piece of art as a contribution per issue, or contribution in kind like copyediting or layout. As the initial release schedule I have in mind is quarterly, this should not be too big a commitment.

My model for the fanzine would be the excellent OSR fanzine Fight On!, but I'd suggest a rather more organized set of regular content. This is an example of ideas for the regular content:

Runerites: (in honor of the great White Dwarf column) New rules ideas or general concepts
The Coliseum: new monsters
Foes: Fully developed NPCs with tactics and motivations
Plunder: Magic items, unique or generic
Elder Secrets: New spells and magical abilities
Cults: Fully developed cults
Blood and Souls: Specific items for the Elric setting
God Willing: Specific items for the Deus Vult setting
Major Arcana: Specific items for the Wraith Recon setting
Njallsaga: Specific items for the Vikings setting
Cameos: A selection of quick adventure seeds or short adventures that can be used to drop in between or to complicate existing adventures
Quests: At least 4 adventures per issue

I still haven't ascertained whether this could include Glorantha, but I'll work on that.

I'd also like to do things for Clockwork and Chivalry but need to talk to Ken and Pete. I have ideas for an American setting, and for a French variant based on the classic RPG En Garde!

In any event, if I can get enough interest in this, I will go ahead and work out the business side of things. I imagine the first issue at least will be free to download to gain interest, but there will be costs and those will need to be addressed. Having said that, I'm an MBA so I should be able to deal with that.

The main thing however, is to assemble an editorial team. Please PM me or post here if you're interested.

The other thing we'll need is a title. Very grateful for ideas for that!

Finally, I understand some of you may be skeptical. I don't think this thread needs that. I can be skeptical enough about the realities of this to kill it if necessary. So positive contributions only, please!

 

[Simulacrum]

Well you can count me in for what it is worth. I'm also fine with Age of Treason setting being included under an occasional Treasonous Thoughts column/section, but I'll personally have to focus on getting some support stuff for that into S&P first. Would be up for digging out any old material that could be of use, but in short term maybe I could be most help doing some copy editing or Runerites type stuff.

 

[Dan True]

I've also sent a pm regarding support.

As for a name, it should be something easily identified with runequest (and easily found), for people from all settings. RuneQuest2.com is a free domain, so it should perhaps be associated with that.

- Dan

 

[Simulacrum]

I agree - nothing too obscure and certainly not Gloranthan. Also something that old timer RQ players not familiar with the new line will find if they are web trawling, even without a blackbelt in google fu.

 

[Dan True]

We should also include reviews of RQ products (and perhaps RQ blogs and online ressources).

- Dan

 

[ThatGuy]

Maybe...

RuneQuests

Simple and descriptive.

There are other simple deviations: The Missing Rune, The Undiscovered Rune, Rune Pages, etc. But for straight forward I think "RuneQuests" might be the best.

If you want to get cheeky you could invert the s to make it a 2, or some such non-sense.

 

[Deleriad]

Another option might be to treat it as a fanzine for all versions of RQ (and possibly BRP-based fantasy in general). I don't know how much interest there is previous editions of RQ but there will still be people who play them and the more energy you can tap with the zine, the better.

RQ (and BRP in general) is refreshingly free of edition warfare. It would be nice to be inclusive in the zine and pragmatically the greater the range of content the more likely you are to have submissions.

Personally I'm going to have no time to contribute in any meaningful way for the rest of this year but I'll certainly be reading it.

On the name front. Arku (or Arku2) appeals to me. As would "The Lethal Trollkin" (providing Trollkin as a name isn't an IP issue).

 

[Fabian]

I posted to your blog, but I would definitely be interested, as both a reader and contributor.

I liked "Red Moon Rising", but that might be too Gloranthan.

 

[PhilHibbs]

I liked "Red Moon Rising", but that might be too Gloranthan.

There won't be a Red Moon in Glorantha for quite a long time in the MRQ Second Age setting.

 

[danskmacabre]

If this is to Include MRQ2/Elric, I'd be willing to contribute as well.
I know next to nothing about Glorantha, so can't help out there I'm afraid.

 

[Fabian]

I liked "Red Moon Rising", but that might be too Gloranthan.

There won't be a Red Moon in Glorantha for quite a long time in the MRQ Second Age setting.

I know, but the 3rd Age is more familiar to many. In any case, any hint that Glorantha was the main thrust of the 'zine could but some people off, even if it's not the case.

 

[doomedpc]

Sounds a most excellent idea to me!

Peter Cakebread

Cakebread and Walton
Purveyors of Fine Imaginings

 

[carandol]

Sounds a most excellent idea to me!

Peter Cakebread

Cakebread and Walton
Purveyors of Fine Imaginings

And me!

 

[Deleriad]

I liked "Red Moon Rising", but that might be too Gloranthan.

There won't be a Red Moon in Glorantha for quite a long time in the MRQ Second Age setting.

I know, but the 3rd Age is more familiar to many. In any case, any hint that Glorantha was the main thrust of the 'zine could but some people off, even if it's not the case.

It is more familiar but it's fairly unlikely that rights to publish RQ 3rd age Gloranthan material would be granted beyond more than a reference or two. Anyway, Glorantha 3rd age is already well catered for and I think what RQII really needs to do is to show how versatile it is for other settings. I reckon a fanzine is a great way to do that.

 

[Fabian]

Yes, exactly. I agree. That's why it shouldn't be called that. I think people are getting the wrong end of the stick from my post. Good start for me!

 

[Dan True]

An area for regular content could also be: "d20 conversions", where we bring spells, items, monsters or pointers to using d20 stuff in RQ.

- Dan

 

[PhilHibbs]

I know, but the 3rd Age is more familiar to many. In any case, any hint that Glorantha was the main thrust of the 'zine could but some people off, even if it's not the case.

I know what you mean, that's why I'm keen to get a bit of non-Gloranthan visibility on the wiki.

 

[tarkhan bey]

What about 'The Rune Quester'. That's pretty simple and fairly self explanatory.

I reckon this is a great idea. I would certainly read it and would try to offer occasional submissions about eternal champion stuff.

 

[Fabian]

That's nice, or "Rune Questor"

 

[Akrasia]

Perhaps Runes of Wonder for a title? 8)