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mj12games.com/forum → Game Design → Periodical...
So, I'm jealous of game companies that have their own dedicated "journals".
Why shouldn't there be one for MJ12?
Anyone think this is a good idea? Anyone willing/able to contribute content?
we've tried this before, haven't we?
We decided that there wasn't enough interest to dedicate the time and money to an actual print book, maybe an online PDF would work?
What would it cost to produce such a thing?
Who are the subscribers?
Where are my pants?
Well, at the moment, I'm seeing how much interest there would be... which will then determine what is possible.
I don't think we'll ever do a monthly hard-copy thing, but a quarterly PDF might be doable.
Well, at the moment, I'm seeing how much interest there would be... which will then determine what is possible.
I don't think we'll ever do a monthly hard-copy thing, but a quarterly PDF might be doable.
I would like to see a quarterly periodical. If people get excited enough to contribute enough material, then maybe doing it more often could be warranted. I contributed to the Great Machine that was more or less a Babylon 5 Wars vessel, and it motored along well enough until some of the principles got caught up with more profitable endeavors. Since MJ12 has a true stable of games to draw interest to and material from I think it would be well supported. If you're looking for a vote I say "Aye". If you're looking for contributors as well, maybe 
Stick with a PDF, it's a whole lot easier for people to come by anyway. Stick it up someplace like RPGNow and maybe it attracts interest from people who haven't tried your games yet.
My vote would be a very big NAY.
Trying to put something out like this, even quarterly, is probably going to take way more time than what you're going to want to devote to it. Just ask Mark Theurer how much time it takes to put together an issue of Fictional Reality.
If you want more exposure, simply start sending him articles on MJ-12 games.
Kevin
My vote would be a very big NAY.
You're always so negative.
I'm..... ambivalent.....
I think that it would cool for a quarterly summary of stuff posted on the forum would be nice, maybe a game idea that won't be making it to 'print', maybe some artwork (Hey, I'm "da art guy"...) would be cool.
I also realize it would be work to put together....depends on whether you plan on charging for it, how much if you do, and how much creative input you get.
Quarterly PDF, if anything. And even that will take considerable time.
Charge for it? Depends on how much and what content. If it's meaty with rules and such, people would pay for it. If not, they won't want to.
What kind of content? Scenarios? AARs? Rules options? New units (like ships for the Imperial Terran Navy)? Previews of upcoming games?
Just some thoughts.
underling wrote:My vote would be a very big NAY.
You're always so negative.
Yeah, I'm such a hater.
Well, except for my Bill O'Reilly coffee mug, t-shirt and doormat, and my Sean Hannity and Ann Colter bobblehead doll collections.
Oh, and I can't forget my Glenn Beck plushie.
I listen periodically - as I'm able - to Hannity. O'Reilly is on at work if I'm on shift with the right people (One's a Canadian), and I can understand why Beck's no longer on CNN. Conservatives are just people that have grown up some, we're not 'haters'.... BUT.....this isn't a political forum.
I'd suggest we make a quartely semi-amateur looing freebie if we're going to do this. Just grab the stuff off the forums.
If that gets good feedback, we can talk about something more 'substantial'....
The Castles & Crusades Society is trying to revive their quarterly periodical PDF...so far the latest issue is about 2.5 months behind schedule due to life and trying to get content submitted. But if folks have time and pitch in, doing an MJXII Games quarterly publication wouldn't be half bad. Costs are mainly time and hosting fees as applicable.
I'd say yes...it might be a good idea, if nothing else than that it will likely increase the exposure of MJXII Games.
The issues I see are in what content to include, page count goals, artwork submissions if any, and making sure it's printable so it can be shared offline.
I suppose it's worth a try tho I'd suggest making it as low maintenance operation as possible. Pretty much Thedugan said about just grabbing stuff off the forums. Of course my Defiance army lists are also available if there's lack of material, at least those that don't break copyright laws (unfortunately, a lot of them do and are thus best left "unendorsed" by MJ12).
Well, I personally don't think the amount of work that it would take is worth it.
A model that might work though is more of an online article-based periodical, one that is user-submitted but "edited" by the powers that be.
Nothing as fancy as a quarterly PDF but the articles could be made available in that format as well. If users submitted material, and the editor posted that material online (after editing of course, that's what editors do). it wouldn't need to be a quarterly thing, it would be truly periodical as it could wait until there was enough submissions to fill out 2-3 "issues".
Not quite a forum, not exactly a magazine, it's a MAGNUM.
Not quite a forum, not exactly a magazine, it's a MAGNUM.
Ooh... I like that!
Heh......
I wouldn't say "once oevery quarter" either - just whenever we've got 10-20 pages worth of stuff, depending on contributions.
Magnum, eh? Not a Perizine...(we'll have prescription holders instead of subscribers getting their game fix) 
I would think this could really be interesting. Do 6-10 pages of "articles" with maybe 4-6 filler pics as available/needed and then another 3-6 scenarios for various MJXII Games. This helps support the games out, reduces the 'article' meat needed, and could set things up for something bigger and better in the future if desired.
Maybe call it "Nike" (goddess of victory) or such, for an early spitballing... :geek:
Perhaps include a "Fleet of the month" and an ongoing story written in the starmada "new universe"?
I think this idea, but I think a quarterly event would be a rough undertaking. I mean, I read Fictional Reality, Harbinger and Ragarok and they all have had setbacks due to some outside issue.
Personally, I'd like to see more articles of MJ12 games in the above stuff. Why not use their mags and established readers to promote the games...
-Bren
I think this idea, but I think a quarterly event would be a rough undertaking. I mean, I read Fictional Reality, Harbinger and Ragarok and they all have had setbacks due to some outside issue.
Personally, I'd like to see more articles of MJ12 games in the above stuff. Why not use their mags and established readers to promote the games...
So, what you're advocating is that instead of making our own house rag, we publish articles in OTHER periodicals?
Not a bad idea, actually.
If the point is to support MJ12 games by providing content, then it's not a big improvement over what we're doing now. If the point is to expand our 'readeship', then it's a winner - maybe. It assumes that the reader base of those periodicals is interested in anything MJ12 produces, I don't know anything about them.
Got URL's for them? Are they free?
jygro wrote:I think this idea, but I think a quarterly event would be a rough undertaking. I mean, I read Fictional Reality, Harbinger and Ragarok and they all have had setbacks due to some outside issue.
Personally, I'd like to see more articles of MJ12 games in the above stuff. Why not use their mags and established readers to promote the games...So, what you're advocating is that instead of making our own house rag, we publish articles in OTHER periodicals?
Not a bad idea, actually.
If the point is to support MJ12 games by providing content, then it's not a big improvement over what we're doing now. If the point is to expand our 'readeship', then it's a winner - maybe. It assumes that the reader base of those periodicals is interested in anything MJ12 produces, I don't know anything about them.
Got URL's for them? Are they free?
Jeez...
This just goes to show how much I'm listened to around here.
I suggested this same thing, at least with respect to Fictional Reality, almost a week ago.
Problem I see with a lot of the other mags is that they tend to focus only on their own games...any other stuff they accept seems to get lost in the clutter. Admittedly, I've a minor exposure to many of these...just seems the trend.
If we were to do our own...maybe a bi-annual rather than quarterly.
Problem I see with a lot of the other mags is that they tend to focus only on their own games...any other stuff they accept seems to get lost in the clutter. Admittedly, I've a minor exposure to many of these...just seems the trend.
If we were to do our own...maybe a bi-annual rather than quarterly.
If we do a bi-annual, we may as well just publish games as we are now.... 
Jeez...
This just goes to show how much I'm listened to around here.
I suggested this same thing, at least with respect to Fictional Reality, almost a week ago.
Yeah, but if we'd have quit the conversation at that point, we would not have gotten the input that we did....
...not that either of us dictate anything around here.
FWIW, I can see both sides of this, hence my 'ambivalent' response.
Decided to do a little screwing around this morning while waiting for the rest of the household to wake up...
These are just my goofin, so don't take any of it to heart and enjoy...
http://www.angelfire.com/or/FireHorse/Cover_Mock1.pdf
http://www.angelfire.com/or/FireHorse/Cover_Mock2.pdf
http://www.angelfire.com/or/FireHorse/Cover_Mock2.pdf
I like mock2 better than mock1 -- but why "Eris"?
Goddess of Discord and Chaos... (and I was watching the animated Sinbad movie recently)
Was thinking Eris & Nike.... Chaos & Victory but just shortened it to Eris. Trying to just think of something that would generically cover battle (as in describing) over any era. Did that using CorelDraw3.0 which I've still got a long ways to go in learning.
Wanted to include the MJXII logo too...but for just screwing around. The artwork on Mock2 is another of Ian's pieces.
(Side Note: Eris is simply the name I'm using for my own goofing around and has not been blessed, finaled, or in any otherway made official by anyone.)
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