Hey Folks,

So here's the deal. I'm going to go through the memberlist and get rid of anyone that's never posted in this forum and, from the look of things, isn't really interested or simply doesn't have time to play ball with us. I'm sure that they're all wonderful, fantastic people (in fact, that's why I invited them in the first place), but they're not into this. So they go. I will send them a PM explaining what the heck happened and offer the chance to sign back on.

Secondly, I'm going to try to put together a short post in Connections explaining a bit about what we're about, specifically telling people that this is about joining a team of people who are interested in hardcore thinking and, perhaps more important, hardcore writing about roleplaying. And then we'll see if we can find people who might be interested in putting something together for issue #1. I don't think we need too many more actually. Just a couple more people who are into writing articles and have something to say.

I imagine that it'll probably be like with Smerf, that they'll propose an article, send me a few paragraphs or an outline, and then I'll add them to the group and we can put them through the same gauntlet as the rest of us. People who aren't into that group process business can wait until Issue #2 when we do the Iron Chef thing.

Anyway, there's the ole plan.

So, why aren't you doing any more of personal recruitment? I'm curious, because what you're proposing is basically how I run fanzines: let them know it's happening, and fuck you if you're not interested. I don't need you bastards, it's a privilege for you to work with me, not the other way around. This was one of the major disagreements when I was the editor of Alterations: the people were used to the editor personally begging for participation, while I happily wrote half the material myself and laughed disparagingly at anyone who dared to suggest that I'd need a couple more writers. "Need? Ha ha haa, me and my double-size issue'll show you need..."

Anyway, this is sounding a little like my editing strategy, is that what you're looking for? You see, I don't think that you'll get too many applications with that strategy. If that's OK with you (like it was with me and Alterations), it can be a good idea: only people with real interest will contact you. But if you really need those additional people, I would imagine that personal approach would work better.

As for people to ask personally... well, I know the Nordic scene better, really, would it bother you to ask another Finn? For example Ville Vuorela, the premiere Finnish rpg publisher, could maybe write a fascinating piece. He's one of those old-school types, and has spent great amounts of energy on polemizing against all kinds of roleplaying theory. Check out his English blog on his home page I would imagine that an article about "Why theory destroys roleplaying" could be interesting. Or then there's Mike Pohjola, did you ask him? Or Emma Wieslander or any other progressive larpsmith.

And I'm sure that there are people in the English speaking world who'd fit in the issue, too.

Part 2 of this plan is ixnayed, I think. Check out my new sticky on Issue #1.

P.S. "ixnayed" is a verb from a language that doesn't exist (Pig Latin), made past-tense in the normal fashion. If you understand that, Eero, your English has surpassed all possible expectations. My apologies for the slang invasion, but it happens when I get energized about something.

Jonathan Walton wrote: Part 2 of this plan is ixnayed, I think. Check out my new sticky on Issue #1.

P.S. "ixnayed" is a verb from a language that doesn't exist (Pig Latin), made past-tense in the normal fashion. If you understand that, Eero, your English has surpassed all possible expectations. My apologies for the slang invasion, but it happens when I get energized about something.

This is weird, because I'm not a member of this forum, but I see it. (I see all by default because of being the administrator.)

So, um, I'm sort of humbled at the thought of writing alongside you guys, but I have an outline of something that could become a full-fledged article here. If you're not interested, that's cool, too. I've brought up the same ideas before and they got the same response, which is "very little."

Apologies. I didn't see the new sticky. Please disregard the above.

Dude, Clinton, if you wanna do it you should do it. I mean, I don't know how long of an article you were expecting to pull out of that, considering that you seem to have hit most of the main points in about a page there, but I'm sure there would be no problem squeezing you in. Just because we have enough doesn't mean we don't want more good stuff.

Of course, the big point that I'd be interested in would be: okay, say we've figured out what we're looking to get out of a given roleplaying session; how does that inform play? Also, being complex people, I'm sure we want ALL those things at various times and, to a certain extent, can choose to focus on one or another, right? So do you try to write games aimed at specific combinations? Do you try to leave that open? What if it changes over the course of a session or in the space of five minutes?

Eero: I apologize for ever underestimating your English mastery. I insist that we co-write a mini-article about the untapped potential of freestyling in roleplaying.

Once upon a time t'was a man named Eero
I can't pronounce his name, prob'ly rhymes with "Hero"
But outta fear o' Eero dropping bombs like Bush
I leave the flow to him and steal his skillz for Push
Straight outta Finland, crazy mother named Tuovinen
He sends me power metal and Timo Rautiainen
I can't compete with him when it comes to rhymin'
He goes on American Idol and gets hailed by Simon
...uh, I think I'm done.

So much easier to rap in Chinese where everything rhymes.

去哪儿人都盯着我
不知道他们在看什么
怎么有那么多人都觉得
这个人他长得很有意思 etc.

Yeah, don't mess with these crazy Finns. You know they can cause storms? British sailors used to refuse to sail with Finns aboard, or at least grumble about it.

Yes, I know this is irrelevant, but I'm feeling all weak because I could only get about 1/2 of that Chinese poem without reaching for some dictionaries, and that sounds suspiciously like work.

Jonathan Walton wrote: Dude, Clinton, if you wanna do it you should do it. I mean, I don't know how long of an article you were expecting to pull out of that, considering that you seem to have hit most of the main points in about a page there, but I'm sure there would be no problem squeezing you in. Just because we have enough doesn't mean we don't want more good stuff.

Of course, the big point that I'd be interested in would be: okay, say we've figured out what we're looking to get out of a given roleplaying session; how does that inform play? Also, being complex people, I'm sure we want ALL those things at various times and, to a certain extent, can choose to focus on one or another, right? So do you try to write games aimed at specific combinations? Do you try to leave that open? What if it changes over the course of a session or in the space of five minutes?

Sounds good to me Clinton. Why don't you post what you've got so far in a new thread and talk about where you wanna go from there? Then people can give you feedback and you can jump straight into writing the piece when you can find some time.

Mmm... nailing to crosses... yum!