The first issue of Daedalus was a resounding success. To date, readers downloaded the PDF version well over 2,500 times. I estimate a very rough readership somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 considering PDF downloads and web site traffic. I consider this an outstanding launch for an amateur publication!

The thanks is to all of you who contributed articles and content to Daedalus. I can't thank you contributors enough. I hope you found it worth while, and perhaps even received some feedback from readers.

If you're reading this and weren't able to write an article or otherwise contribute, I hope you'll be able to participate this time around! It's time to do it all over again, and this time I want to gain even more readership.

The Winter 2004 issue of Daedalus will feature a cover story package on science fiction in role-playing games. The editorial angle is how RPGs have handled the genre and whether RPGs live up to the literary tradition of science fiction. If you have content, articles, editorials, ideas, techniques or game reviews related to science fiction, please let me know!

That said, non-science fiction articles are more than welcome. In fact, they will likely comprise the bulk of the zine. (Think of the first issue -- HeroQuest and mythic role-playing was the cover feature, but we had many other articles).

So, this is me begging, again, for your support and content. I urge you to contribute another article (or a first article!) for the zine.

The deadlines is Dec. 31. I realize everyone is VERY busy during the holidays. If you absolutely cannot make that deadline, but still want to contribute, please get something to me in early January. I still aim for a Jan. 15 launch of the new issue.

If you are not able to contribute in this issue, I understand. Hopefully, you'll be able to share your ideas again in a future issue. Also, if you have an idea for another person who might be a good contributor, please let me know. I'm happy to track down leads!

Thanks very much,
Matt

P.S. Now that I have a rough estimate of readership, I'm prepared to offer advertising in Daedalus at a very reasonable rate. For those who are interested, visit this page:

http://www.chimera.info/daedalus/rates.html

Hopefully, with some success, I'll stop begging and start offering something, however meager, to you, the contributors!

I'm bumping this message to remind everybody about Daedalus articles. Please consider contributing articles! I'm really short content as compared to the previous issue.

If you have something to say about gaming, something that makes gaming more enjoyable, please consider writing for Daedalus. I'm looking for editorials on actual play, the industry, social networking.

I'm always looking for gaming material, like supplements (assuming they have persmission from the game's publisher!), techniques (ESPECIALLY TECHNIQUES!), and many more.

Get writing, get read. Get people gaming.

Get ahold of me: matt@chimera.info

Matt--I do a lot of writing for a lot of e-zines and web sites, and so I'm naturally interested in your pitch. My problem is, I can't seem to figure out from your post either what Daedalus is or what sort of material would be useful to you.

Can you clarify any of that? If you'd rather do it privately, e-mail me.

--M. J. Young

Sure! First off, the best way to understand what Daedalus is all about it to go read it! The first issue (it's a quarterly zine) is available as web content or as a full PDF download. Check it out:

http://www.chimera.info/daedalus/

Here in this post, I can tell you this, M.J. Daedalus is about supporting the HOBBY of role-playing. It's about making the hobby more adult, more well-considered by players and, indirectly, people who don't play RPGs. It isn't specifically about Indie rpgs, though that's certainly one aspect of the zine. It's about taking a serious-but-fun look at role-playing. It's about articles and opinions that really make people think about the quality and sophisticated fun-factor of the activity of role-playing.

I'm looking for any content that supports the above in any way. You don't have to write the New England Journal of Medicine equivalent for role-playing. You just have to write something that makes gaming 1) more fun and 2) betters the hobby. If you hang out regularly on the Forge, you probably have a darn good idea of what might "better" the hobby. I know you do, M.J.

Finally, one last note. I do have some great content lined up for the next issue, folks. It's not as though I have none. However, I don't have as many articles as I did for the first article, and I don't have that solid diversity I did for the first article as well. Keep the ideas coming, please!

heya matt,

just wondering how the issue was coming along... hope things are going well and all. if you've still got some time left before the next issue comes out and you desperately need an article, i guess i could write one up. should i submit an outline for it, or just go ahead and write the whole thing first and then send it?

laters,

-m

Daedalus is about supporting the HOBBY of role-playing. It's about making the hobby more adult, more well-considered by players and, indirectly, people who don't play RPGs.

Zathrayel --

I missed your query previously. Sorry! The issue is humming along. I had to set the release date back to Jan. 31 to get it all done. It's going to be a big issue (over 70,000 words!)

Mike --

Absolutely, that topic would be well-received in Daedalus. If you're interested, please contact me. I'd love to include it in the spring issue, which comes out in April ... which, coincidentally, is when my wife's due with baby no. 2!