Fanzine Idea: Luxe Eternal

So,

Lots of people are making cool custom playbooks.
I have one finished, for example (The Grotesque, currently unreleased).

Lots of people are making cool setting hacks, rules tweaks, and the like. While some of them (Dungeon World, Monsterhearts) are big enough to be their own thing, some are smaller.

Some people have made cool maps, cool custom moves, and cool other stuff.

Would people be interested in a fanzine dedicated to collecting this stuff in print form? I know that some people did that with the custom moves thread over on Story Games, but I'd love to see a more open-ended project.

I'm thinking about starting a little fanzine, tentatively called Luxe Eternal. Sell each issue for enough to recoup printing, shipping and handling. Aim to put out four issues over the course of a year, and then reevaluate after a year.

If I did this, would you be interested in contributing stuff? What stuff? Would you be interested in picking up a copy for $2-3? What about a year's subscription for $10-12?

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes! I'd be delighted to contribute game stuff, hack stuff, illustrations, opinion pieces, theory pieces, whatever!

Hey that's a cool idea. You could definitely use any stuff I've made. World of Conan, for example.

I think $2-$3 is the right price for a single issue.

If I were you, I'd be cautious about yearly subscriptions, as that ties you to a regular output. In my experience, it's super easy to get burned out on projects like this, and they're always way more work than they first appear.

I'd be happy to help out with editing and stuff too, if that's required. Also opinions. I have plenty of those so I can give you as many as you want.

I'd be very keen to see this and support it. Happy to pay those prices or even more depending on the page count. Would be happy to put stuff I've done in (eg: Goblin World) if anyone is interested. I'd suggest starting quarterly as you don't want a millstone around your neck.

Should have said "I agree with starting quarterly".

This is an awesome idea. I won't make promises to contribute because I know how sporadic my free time is, but I'll try and get the playbook I'm working on finished off, (someone else will probably have to help with the imagery. I never progressed beyond MS paint.) and you're welcome to use that plus whatever other stuff I dream up along the way.

But I'm in Britain. I don't expect a paper copy, not really. I'd be more than happy to fork out a dollar or two for a .pdf.

Into it.

That's awesome.  I'd buy it. 

I'd be into it and I'd be willing to help in any way I can. 

Any ideas on scope and size? Will it be laid out in any fancy fashion? Consistency with AW as far as layout, especially playbooks? How many pages?  Playbooks, moves and hacks are obvious.  Fiction? Reviews? Mediography? GMing and playing tips?

Will there be any sort of review process? ie MCs and players given some sense of how balanced the playbook/moves are to the current game or will they just have to figure it out for themselves?

I honestly don't have any initial opinions yet.  I was just curious where your ideas were headed.  :)

Thanks in advance,
- Don

Awesome questions, Don.

Playbooks, Moves and Hacks are in. I'd love to have a column or two (like, a "Deconstructing Moves" column by John Harper, for example). Anecdotal reviews & mediography would be awesome: not cutting-edge journalism, but personal experiences interacting with the stuff.

One key thing to think about is this: with the internet being instant and unlimited, what gains value when it's in physical form? Full setting hacks do, and playbooks do, because ease of reference and having something physical to bring to the gaming table do.

Fiction would be interesting, if any good stuff was submitted. I'd be interested in GMing and playing stuff if it was about shifting paradigms, but not just "Top 10 Wasteland Encounters" type stuff. In other words: If someone were to construct a set of alternate GM Principles and Moves, in order to facilitate a different tone of game, I'd be all over publishing that.

Layout: I want to riff off the tri-fold playbook style, as much as possible.

Totally interested in this, would be happy to contribute in any way possible.

I am so very down. I'd pay 2-3 a piece, and I'd for sure subscribe to a year+ if such were an option.

I'd also contribute a few things: playbooks, mini-hacks and rules add-ons, and something I'm calling "frames" (after Hell For Leather), which are small-hack/add-ons for different things in the apocalypse or different types of apocalypses. These'd include some custom moves, some variant moves or additional choices for existing playbooks, and possibly new playbooks or gear.

Another idea I've been considering, after my good friend Jacob gave me an AW-themed Christmas card (such coolness!) was holiday-themed playbooks packaged with one or two card designs. So that's on the table too.

Anyways, I'm gonna keep track of this thread to see how it develops, but I'm open to the idea.

what gains value when it's in physical form?

Things that are hard to print.  Like, if your production values were really high -- glossy color pictures and stuff.  Or made-by-hand stuff.  Or not made on/of simple paper and have it matter.

Things that aren't available, even artificially, as PDFs.  I'd like to see playbooks where the PDFs aren't there to be traded over the internet.  I'd especially like them to be photo-copied and traded only to those with whom you play the game. 

Things that change over time.  I was thinking about the following project: make a few physical books for people who know AW well; each with a bit of intro about the project and then a single character playbook -- the same one in each copy.  When you pass them out, the person you give it to is supposed to get a sense of what's already there, add to the game and pass it on.  Etc.  Then you end up with several custom game-sets (or whatever) that all grew differently from the same seed and neat artifacts too.  But except for the neat artifact at the end, I guess that's not a great example of things that benefit from being printed.  But maybe something like that.

Would definitely buy this.

Absolutely. I don't have anything to contribute right now, but I'd definitely drop a few bucks on seeing everyone else's awesome stuff. Plus, I'm old-fashioned; I like the physical artifacts.