There must be something wrong with me: Forge's strict moderation is a perennial topic for bitching, but I for one cannot think of anything to discuss outside the usual forums. I'm just trying to decide when I have time to write about Ars Memorativa and start translating Urbs Aeterna; one goes to theory, another to indie design, and now that we have the birthday forum here again I have nothing to write about here. On the contrary, I should be doing my math exercises.

Hopefully someone else starts something interesting come Monday. It just seems I'm a dull partygoer, when all is said and done. Not really surprising, being that I avoid parties in RL too.

To avoid being a total partypooper, here's the index from the last Alterations for academic perusal. If you are like me, you read things like this just for curiousity.

Alterations is a Finnish rpg fanzine here in Helsinki, and I've been the editor from January. This first issue at least grabbed the attention: it's been called too academical, and my own attitude of "the one who does the work decides the direction" has gained some negative feedback.

The Index for our erotic theme issue:

Secretary-General's column from our new chairman
"Sexuality as an element of roleplaying", article based on personal experience
A review of the Solmukohta 2004 book, "Beyond Role and Play"
"Life and the erotic", a column about bravery and confidence in larping
"The role of erotica in roleplaying", a more analytic article about the matter
A column about the role of theory in the scene
"Merchants of Love", a full roleplaying game about courtesan life and erotic visions.
An article about the sociological model of sword and sorcery -literature
A short story (or a fairy tale more properly) about a Norwegian girl and her encounter with the deep ones of lovecraftian myth
Editor's column



Well, I hope that this was sufficiently OT for you ;)

Thanks, Eero!

Is there (an English language) site for the zine?

--EC

Not yet. I've been considering one, but it'd be largely self-gratification as far as the purpose of the 'zine goes. Any real content would have to be translated, a work in itself.

The Finnish pages are under the club's site, behind the link "Alterations". They are by my hand, so feel free to look around a bit. If you catch a link called "Isännän aika", you've found our My Life with Master project, which is right now generating some actual play for a review in the next issue. There's some other interesting bits, like that "Merchants of Love" ("Lemmen kauppiaat", which has a nice looking page at least, if you find it), but they are terribly and irrevocably in Finnish.