Printed gaming fanzines have somehow
found their place again in this electronic Internet Age. When many
gamers share their game creations on blogs some go one step further,
creating or compiling content in print versions that still reach
others through the post, sit on desks or gaming tables for reference,
and tempt readers by their basic yet compelling physical presence.
The vast range of material offered in gaming fanzines remains a
testament to the imagination the adventure gaming hobby inspires and
the dedication of those who engage in it.
Long, long ago – in the days before
desktop publishing, near-ubiquitous internet access, and blogs –
gamers got their information from a handful of sources: gaming
friends, Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS), and periodicals. For many
who immersed themselves in Dungeons & Dragons the
venerable Dragon Magazine remained the font of new source
material, adventures, and hobby news (even if mostly gleaned from the
advertisements). A handful of other periodicals came (and some went)
catering to readers’ diverse interests within gaming.
I’ve lamented the near-extinction of gaming magazines before; few can survive in print in an age when a
massive galaxy of content – both free and paid – exists in blogs,
forums, websites, and PDFs on the internet. So I’m encouraged when
I hear news of print materials returning to the collective gamer
consciousness (as evidenced on that same print-killing internet...)
through such endeavors as Gygax Magazine and numerous fanzines
available through the post in printed format.
Now, in all fairness – and to head
off contentious debate on pesky details – many “print” fanzines
remain available in PDF format, a necessity in this electronic age
where most people get their information on smart phones and tablet
devices. The fact that their creators still make them available in
print format and mail them to readers remains remarkable. I like
having material in print for easy reference (for those Luddites like
me who aren’t glued 24/7 to their electronic devices); I have a
tendency to download PDF zines into a folder deep within my hard
drive, then forget to give them more than that initial cursory
glance. I’ve seen some dedicated gamers who print particularly
useful PDF materials (including zines) and meticulously bind them for
reference and archiving. A physical book or zine maintains a presence
both in matter and mind. For some of us it’s easier to find, flip
through, digest, and reference at the gaming table. Every gamer has
their own preferences regarding print and electronic books, much like
every fanzine has a potential to satisfy different gaming preferences
in content and style.
Many fanzines that make their way to
print cater to those of the “old school renaissance” (OSR) style
of gaming, a movement that recently emerged to emulate (to varying
degrees and tastes) the play experiences of the earliest fantasy
roleplaying games. The zines fittingly cater to a nostalgia for the
days of yore in both content and form. I’ve dabbled with OSR games
before, being thoroughly susceptible to material evoking my earliest,
halcyon days in the adventure gaming hobby, so I’m naturally drawn
to the concept of a print gaming zine.
Having recently received a generous
paycheck for a writing job, stingy old me decided to spend a precious
few dollars to order a few zines I’d heard about that might offer
some fantasy roleplaying material for inspiration and amusement. Some
catered to specific OSR systems and others took a more system-neutral
approach; readers can easily port materials to their favorite
mechanics or just use them as inspiration. Like any periodical, even
those with a very specific focus, each has its own style, flavor, and
level of quality. Each of the three I ordered proved worthwhile for
inspiring new ideas in my approach to gaming.
The Manor #6:
Published by Tim Shorts, who hosts the Gothridge Manor blog, The
Manor #6 offers 24 pages of OSR goodness, including a location
piece and adventure written and mapped by Matt Jackson, a trio of
puzzle rooms from Ken Harrison, and a guard class article and list of
typical sentry greetings by Tim himself. This issue contains some
mature content (a brothel location and a topless spider werespider
drawing) which the “Warning Boobs Ahead” note inside the cover
makes explicitly (and almost humorously) clear. Overall the material
could easily fit into any fantasy setting as it caters to a broad
slice of OSR interests without getting too specialized. While I’m
not one for new character classes, I particularly liked the “Guard
Greetings” article since several seemed perfect for provoking
encounters, if not entire adventures.
6 Iron Spikes & A Small Hammer #2:
Publisher John Yorio is already on my internet radar for his interest
in solitaire gaming, so I was pleased to see him publish the second
issue of his zine named for one of original D&D’s oddly
iconic yet more interesting bits of equipment. It serves up an
amusing buffet of juicy tidbits for use in any OSR-style game: two
entries in a “Very Small Bestiary of Dungeon Helpers” series, a
simple random trap generator, some tables for generating random yet
inspirational dungeon chamber names (such as “Laboratory of the
Demonic Dwarves”), a random dungeon generator, a feature on a
village near a dungeon (great as a support location), a few magic
items, and two brief, low-level adventures (one even using the name
generator). While Yorio provides most of the content, Jeff Huddleson
contributed a short and useful gamemaster tip piece. I’ve used one
of Yorio’s very streamlined random dungeon generators before, so I
found the inclusion of other random generators in the zine quite
entertaining. The 24 pages offer something useful for any fantasy
roleplaying game, particularly for those who enjoy random tables to
help adventures along.
Secrets #1: Nathan Irving
compiled the best of certain topical posts from his Secrets of the Shadowend blog in the first issue of his fanzine. The 24 pages
contain a horde of innovative spells and devious magic items easily
adapted to most any fantasy roleplaying game, as well as a handful of
monsters and the shaman, a druid class variant. A while ago –
during one of my occasional laments that gaming magazines seem headed
down the road to extinction – I suggested that bloggers collect and
revise material from their posts in “blog annuals,” so I’m
happy to see someone actually doing that, and publishing it in print
to boot.
This by no means serves as a
comprehensive overview of gaming zines currently available, merely my
impressions based on buying a few zines that looked interesting. Most
zine websites include a table of contents for each issue, some simply
with titles, others with a one-sentence teaser for each article. It’s
enough to help decide whether to check out a print-only zine; many
offer free or paid PDFs, and some offer both print and PDF purchase
options. Reader tastes vary across a wide spectrum – whether for
gaming magazines or other mundane periodicals – so buying one issue
remains the best way to check out the content and see if the coverage
is right for you.
For a good source articles about gaming
zines, check out Gothridge Manor and Tim Short’s glimpse into the contents of his “zine box,” a surprisingly abundant trove of
gaming goodness enough to send anyone curious about the OSR zine
scene in the right direction. He also recommends Rendered Press’ “Old School Zines” page, which lists gaming fanzines across genre
and system, print and PDF, paid and free.
Schweig’s Fanzine
Postscript
I am guilty of having once produced a
gaming fanzine. It was one of my first activities way back when I
discovered the adventure gaming hobby during the “Golden Age of
Roleplaying Games” of the early and mid 1980s (for me, anyway).
Between running games for neighborhood kids, devising and mapping my
own scenarios and settings, and creating other games for myself, I
published a zine called The Sword, obviously trying to emulate
TSR’s popular Dragon Magazine in my own humble, amateurish
way. Like many of my earliest gaming endeavors compared to my later
professional involvement in the hobby, the zine was truly awful. It
ran anywhere from five to ten pages each issue, with a cover I
colored by hand and a host of articles typed on my good old Smith
Corona portable typewriter, photocopied, and sold to gaming friends
for a pittance. Articles included reviews of miniatures and games I’d
purchased, game rule variants we used, new treasures, monsters, and
equipment, cartoons, word searches, and truly horrible filk parodies
of the tasteless gaming song of the month. Every now and then I look
through the box with my remaining issues and other editorial ephemera
and cringe. As atrocious as it was, it’s a good (and sometimes
embarrassing) reminder of where I started and how far I’ve come.
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