The Ghosts of APAs Past

"Rack & Rune", written for The Wild Hunt APA - Summer 1991 through July 1994

Rack & Rune #1 - Summer 1991 (annotated 04/2003)

My first zine. 2 pages. Created with PC-Write and printed on a dot-matrix printer (and they were lame in 1991), it looked incredibly crude; the only "graphic" was a much-reduced copy of a poster I'd made for a roleplaying club/concept. This version was completely re-typed for posting here. I tried to reflect the general look of the original but keep it legible. If you want to see a scan of the virtually illegible original, click on the link below.

This issue contains my self-introduction, some of my background and gaming history, and other stuff; I have to admit, it's better than I remembered (which isn't necessarily saying much).

Rack & Rune #1 - scanned

5 pages. A very early offering, and my first DTPed zine (the first R&R was made with an ASCII text editor; I physically cut and pasted in the one graphic). Includes Dragonewt Effects (available separately in the Alternate Rules section), D&D=Nazism, a gaming Horror Story, and a writeup of the difficulties we had with the amateur video contest at Arisias in 1990 (which was the first Arisia) and '91.

3 pages. Includes my first comments, RQ III Fixes, RQ III Character Design, The Death of First Comics, Draconic Effects Errata, RQ3 Magic Point Regeneration Table, and Alternate RQ3 Slash/Crush/Impale rules. Do you think I was into RuneQuest at the time?

This one is heavily annotated, by the way.

7 pages. Includes RuneQuest advice aplenty for the new RuneQuest Czar, a review of the mega-scenario Horror On The Orient Express for Call of Cthulhu, Gaming with a Temperature, the MATTMARK disaster, comments aplenty, an introduction to the long-running sheetless Nereyon campaign which was also chronicled in many later issues), etc. Re-DTPed for your reading pleasure.

10 pages. Includes an Arisia 1991 Con report, The IFGS, comments aplenty including my thoughts on Death and Romance in roleplaying, Pat Robertson on Gaming (I saw an "expose" on the 700 Club), a review of the Amber Diceless system, Gargoyles (a store), and Zanzibar, aka Bastard Prince Charlie, my unfortunate character for the IFGS.

9 pages. Includes tons of comments, Propaganda Warning! (Heroes Now! review), Experience, Nereyon: Recapitulation II, and HeroQuesting. Visually crude, thanks to the crash of my DTP moments before the 1992 deadline.

8 pages. Annotated and posted on June 6, 2002. One of the crudest zines I ever produced, to look at; Publish-It crashed and wiped out the DTPed version less than an hour before the deadline, so I had to format the text with PC-Write 2.5 (which was an ancient DOS program, even then). There were no images. I've taken the original ASCII and reformatted it to look much like the original, with a bit of minor editing to fix some mistakes. This 8-page issue features extensive annotation. Topics include "A Weekend With NERO", "Fusion: The Mix of Live-Action and Table Games", "The Demonization of Dungeons & Dragons", "Nereyon: The Sands of Time" (campaign writeup), "Passing of a Giant" (a tribute to Isaac Asimov), and Comments. Extra: A lost ninth page was discovered, annotated, and added to the zine on 05/20/2003: a GURPS writeup of Teuton, a Dreadstar-inspired superhero.

11 pages. Note the large time difference between the annotation and posting of the previous issue and this one; #7 was posted out of order. This issue includes "Fear and Freezing at NERO", "The New Look", "Belle, Book, & Candle", "Random RuneQuest", a review of the novel Fallen Angels, "Star Trek: The Frugal Generation", "The Very First Time" (my first GMing experience), electronic sources for RuneQuest material (in 1992), Comments which contain an extensive writeup of the disasterous "Foundation and Destiny" LARP which was run at Arisia '92, and "Nereyon: Horror in the Basement" (a campaign writeup).

"Remember SPI!". 10 pages. After a lapse of nearly five years (!) I finally got a scanner and started converting old paper zines to PDFs. Since it's a scan, the text is, unfortunately, not searchable.

Contents:

• "From the Closed Shelves", including reviews of Lord Dunsany, The God Box by Barry Longyear, Superstoe by William Borden, Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Kim by Rudyard Kipling
• "Random RuneQuest"
• Review: Sun County (RQ scenario pack)
• A critique of TSR
• Computer Problems
• Comments (to Collie Collier, Mark Swanson, Glenn Blacow, Dana Derryberry, Dana Erlandsen, Doug Jorenby, Matt Keller, George Phillies, Robert Plamondon, Bob Butler)

"All Heads Turn As The Hunt Goes By". 16 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "From the Closed Shelves"; reviews of Sam & Max, Freelance Police Color Reprint by Steve Purcell, Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen, and The Incredible Umbrella by Marvin Kaye
• Game design theory: systemic fluidity
• "RuneQuest Reviving" - RQ4 playtest comments
• RuneQuest: new damage bonus system, new magic skills (Magic/Spirit/Rune Lore)
• STNG comment and plans to film "The GM's Hall of Shame"
• New RQ campaign writeup: "Trapped In A Chained Troll Body (Bait & Switch)"
• Computer Problems
• Assorted stupid light bulb RPG jokes
• Comments to: Mark Swanson (including my experience with anti-gamer religious prejudice), Dana Derryberry (including my most memorable nightmare), David Dunham, Dana Erlandsen, Tom Harlen, Doug Jorenby, Steve Marsh, George Phillies, John Sapienza, Mark Willner, Bob Butler, Glenn Blacow, "Peacable Demeanor", George (no last name), Woodson (no first name)

"Bite Me!". 12 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "My First Murder" - killing PCs
• "United Federation of Scumbags" - why does the Federation suck?
• "Life Imitates Art?" - STNG and Clinton/G.H.W. Bush
• "Review: The Primal Order"
• "Nereyon: Goodbye to Big Hill" - sheetless campaign writeup; the PCs leave home
• Comments #175: to Mark Swanson, Dana Derryberry, Dana Erlandsen, Doug Jorenby, George Phillies, Bob Butler, Bill Ricker, Collie Collier, and "Bates" (first name unknown)
• "From the Closed Shelves" - reviews of Shadow On The Land (an incredibly obscure and rare made-for-TV movie), and V for Vendetta (the graphic novel) by Alan Moore
• "RuneQuest: Newtling Life Cycles" - the biology of fantasy lizards

"The Fool On The Hill". 13 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Fool On The Hill", a writeup of the IFGS LARP Piper On The Hill. In costume and waving boffers in the woods, we encountered some real not-fantasy state police.
• "Escape From the Lot" - how I was trapped in the parking lot after the game, and how I escaped. More exciting than it sounds.
• Comments #176: Mark Swanson (character retirement), Glenn Blacow (a bad roleplaying group and Dragonewts), Dana Derryberry, David Dunham, Dana Erlandsen, Doug Jorenby, George Phillies, Collie Collier, Steve Marsh
• Philosophy Corner: Build Systems: About Face!

"Adventures of a Glass Eye". 16+3 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Space Rangers: WHY?" - a review of the awful SFTV show Space Rangers
• "Deep Space 9" - a review of the first episode
• "GM's Hall of Shame: The Video" - the story of how we made The Gamemaster's Hall of Shame into a video
• "Arisia '93" - an extensive writeup of one of the most eventful and exciting conventions I've ever attended. Include the story of how we broke into the backstage area of the Masquerade, and an explosive showdown at the Arisia gripe session
• "Random RuneQuest" - reviews of King of Sartar and the River of Cradles scenario pack for RuneQuest III
• Comments #177: Mark Swanson, Glenn Blacow, Bob Butler, David Dunham, Dana Erlandsen, Doug Jorenby, George Phillies, Bill Ricker, Collie Collier
• "Runic Sorcery for RuneQuest" - an early and oddly incomplete version of the article later posted on this site

Supplement: A Visit From A/K/A Dara (a zine by Lois F.) - January 1993

3 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• The Dot (a Nereyon mystery)
• "Do You Think You Could Close The Portal Now?" (a Nereyon disaster)
• GM Hall of Shame: Mr. Apathy

"Unicorn Bait". 18 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Twice In A Blue Moon" - a writeup of an indoor IFGS LARP adventure
• "Random RuneQuest" - The Daily Digest and my Runic Sorcery mistake
• "Philosophy Corner" - Gaming and literacy
• "Those Who Read" - a general letter to lurkers on The Wild Hunt
• "Army of Darkness" - a review
• "The Big Glass Eye" - a review of the first episodes of Babylon 5 and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
• "A Gaming Horror Story" - the most ridiculous and extreme PC and campaign I've ever encountered
• "The Trouble with GURPS" - why I didn't like the system
• "The Censor Never Sleeps" - censorship of the White Wolf supplement Clan Brujah
• Comments #178: Mark Swanson, Bob Butler, Dana Erlandsen, Doug Jorenby, George Phillies, Scott Ruggles, John T. Sapienza, Marc Wilner, Dana Derryberry, David Hoberman

12 Pages. Includes a longish writeup of a rather unique game world, a statement by Steve Jackson, and lots of other historical documents! Touched up a little since the print issue.

9 pages. Includes more legalese from the Palladium vs. Wizards of the Coast, the announcement of their settlement, some RQ ideas, a CD and book review, and comments galore! Plus my own modern-day annotations, of course.

"A Paler Shade of Gray". 18 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Changes" - my roleplaying malaise
• "Random RuneQuest" - ongoing problems with RuneQuest IV
• "The Grey Company" - a lengthy party origin scenario
• "From the Closed Shelves" - author reviews: Fredric Brown, Anthony Boucher, Ron Goulart, Nuts by Gahan Wilson
• "Army of Darkness" - a review
• "Notes from Nereyon" - sheetless campaign writeup; a music contest (and a player goes crazy)
• Comments #181: Mark Swanson, Dana Derryberry, Loew (no first name), Dana Erlandsen, Doug Jorenby, Patten (no first name), George Phillies, Scott Ruggles, Collie Collier, David Hoberman, Bob Butler, Scott Ruggles, John Fast

Supplement: Rack & Rune Guest Columnist: Lois F. - July 1993

2 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "An RPG/the CB" (a Nereyon radio play)
• "Nereyon: Sam and the Water Elemental" (a Nereyon writeup)
• Comment to Dana Erlandsen

"A Many-Splintered Thing". 17 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "I Do Declare" - a snarky mock-declaration of candidacy for a position on the board of the New England IFGS LARP organization - or was it NERO?
• "The First Time" - is roleplaying like cooking?
• "Death Online" - the end of my online Grey Company RuneQuest RPG at the Argus BBS
• "From the Closed Shelves" - reviews of The Portmanteau Book by Thomas Rockwell; Emperor of Space by Tom Allum; Olias of Sunhillow (CD) by Jon Anderson
• "Wither The Wild Hunt?" - Speculations on the future of The Wild Hunt APA, and plans to promote it
• "Review: Elric!" - a review of the Elric! RPG by Chaosium
• "Review: Dorastor, Land of Doom" - a review of the RuneQuest III supplement from Avalon Hill
• "Random RuneQuest" - RuneCzar Ken Rolston's announcement that he is going freelance
• Comments #182: Mark Swanson, George Phillies, Scott Ruggles, David Dunham, Dana Erlandsen, Bill Ricker, David Hoberman, Bob Butler

"The Ghoul of My Dreams". 30+1 pages! Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Sheer Hell" - a ridiculous series of computer problems
• "Stop the Changes!" - internet access problems
• "I Am Incensed" - the use of incense and smell in general in roleplaying games
• "The Magic Omnibus" - numerous short topics, including (among other things) the rescheduling of RuneQuest Con 1, some undeserved rage at NESFA, and a farewell to Joel of MST3K
• "Wanderlust" - I develop a taste for international travel
• "Review: Maps Book I: Cities" - a review of the generic RPG supplement by Flying Buffalo
• "Review: Heroic Worlds" - a review of a unique history and guide to the entire field of roleplaying games
• "Random RuneQuest" - The Grey Company, Borderlands, RQ Con
• "There Can Only Be [x-1]" - a review the new Highlander TV show (in 1993)

(continued)

(continued)

• "From the Closed Shelves" - reviews of The Golden Turkey Awards by Harry and Michael Medved; The Teddy Bear Habit by James Lincoln Collier; Mack Reynolds (author profile); Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
• "Dicing Rats: Beating the Cheating" - how to cope with cheaters in RPG, and some memorable cheaters I have known
• "The Light, At Last" - announcement of a new fantasy roleplaying campaign called "Wonder"
• "Philosophy Corner: Non-Directed Campaigns" - the conflict between GM control and player freedom in roleplaying games
• "Tragedy of Horrors: My First IFGS Game" - or, how not to run a LARP on Newbury Street in Boston. Or, what do you do when 40 paying customers are staring at you and the plot is broken? Plus, the subway ride home after: GANG MEMBER SLASHES CONDUCTOR'S FACE IN SUBWAY RIOT, PASSENGERS & ROLEPLAYERS TRAPPED!

(continued)

(continued)

• "Art Explosion" - a new secret source for art
• "Pushing TWH" - attempts to publicize what turned out to be a dying APA
• "Strange Interlude" - why do weird things always happen during outdoor LARPS in public? Why the tuxedo? Wherefore the raccoon?
• "Lucky At Cards" - type-specific Luck as a GURPS advantage/disadvantage
• "Nereyon: The Showdown" - a player loses his mind; I try to help him find it through roleplaying. A recipe for disaster!
• Comments #183 (mislabeled "182" in the zine): Mark Swanson (the use of physical props in tabletop RPGs), Collie Collier (censorship), Dana Erlandsen (the horror of resurrection), Steve & Win Marsh (RQIV problems), Hero Games (new genres), George Phillies (is Sandman's Death a virgin?), John T. Sapienza (The TSR/SPI affair), David Hoberman (end of the Hegemony campaign)

"Recursions & Recidivism". 15+1 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "What's Going On" - is The Wild Hunt reaching an end? I announce a new APA, Interregnum, just in case it is
• "A Top-Notch (RQ) Con" - an extensive 9-page writeup of RuneQuest Con I, the first RQ con in America. Includes a writeup of the "Home of the Bold" Gloranthan LARP, a live Trollball event, and many other events
• "Now It Can Be Told" - my secret art source: Dover clipart books
• Comments #184: Mark Swanson, George Phillies, Bill Ricker, Scott Ruggles, Collie Collier, Curtis Taylor, David Hoberman, Scott Ferrier
• "From Abroad" - an insert from inter*action, a scholarly journal about roleplaying (insert not included in file)
• "Not Just Another Net Change" - more email address and ISP changes
• "The Last Laugh" - we give the MST (Mystery Science Theater 3000) treatment to the BBC's radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, and I nearly laugh myself sick. A short transcript
• "A New Voice" - a promotional flyer for my new APA, Interregnum

"YOW!". 10 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• New computer & software, Interregnum #1 announcement & free samples
• "The Fairy" - shooting yet another video for the Arisia Amateur Video Contest; we run into a nasty manager at the Super Stop & Shop at midnight. Plus, special effects using food and stuff around the house
• "Arisia 1994" - writeup of the Arisia convention. Includes the Regency Dance, Keezer's used formal wear, the Masquerade (a costume competition), and more
• "Quarterly Sales Report" - sales of The Wild Hunt, plus the rudeness of the manager of The Games People Play in Harvard Square
• Comments #185: Mark Swanson, David Dunham, George Phillies, Bill Ricker, Marc Wilner, Scott Ferrier, Collie Collier

"Tempus Fugit". 4 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "In Memoriam: Glenn Blacow" - the passing of the co-founder of The Wild Hunt
• "Interregnum Report" - the new APA gains steam
• "Review: Keeper's Compendium" - a supplement from Chaosium for their Call of Cthulhu RPG
• Comments #186: the final comments. Mark Swanson (condolences, Pendragon), Scott Ruggles/Collie Collier (political correctness),Curtis Taylor
• A RuneQuest/Glorantha rant: revising history for the sake of revising history

"The Log That Flies" and editorials from the Interregnum APA - March 1994 through April 1997

Additional Interregnum stuff

Some odds and ends that might be of interest:

Interregnum #16 front cover - October 1995
Interregnum #1 Table of Contents - March 1994 Interregnum FAQ - February 1996
Interregnum #1 - March 1994 - the complete issue! Thanks to Joe Teller, Kiralee McCauley, and Curtis Taylor for making this rare issue available. 4.8 MB
Interregnum #2 - April 1994 - the complete issue. Thanks again to Joe and Kiralee. 4.6 MB

The Log That Flies #1 - March 1994 (annotated 09/02)

10 pages. My very first zine for my own APAzine. It was an exciting time. Includes "Bar Wars", which I later rewrote a bit and presented as "Party Origin Stories" on this site and elsewhere. Also "RuneQuest In Ruins", an assessment of the state of the RQ system at the time.

The Log That Flies #2 - April 1994 (annotated 12/02)

15 pages. Illusions, The Trap (a truly killer illusion), The Grey Company (which later appeared in rewritten form on this site), Unchill (a short story) plus the story of my horrible experience with a "writers" group, and comments aplenty.

The Log That Flies #3 - May 1994 (annotated 01/2003)

10 pages. The Jungle (my idea for a cool LARP), Star Trek: The Last Generation, Nothing But Net (my guesses on the future of RQ online), Review of The Primal Order - Chessboards: The Planes of Possibility, Dreams, The Old Thing (an original story by yours truly), and comments aplenty.

The Log That Flies #4 - June 1994 (annotated 03/2003)

8 pages. "Technology", 5 Encounters, a review of Dragon's Lair on CD. And comments aplenty, of course.

The Log That Flies #5 - August 1994 (annotated 04/25/2003)

13 pages. Includes "An Introduction to Live Roleplaying", "Human Nature", Scenario Hooks 2, and a negative review of the movie "The Mask". Plus comments aplenty, as always.

The Log That Flies #6 - September 1994 (annotated 05/20/2003)

13 pages. Includes TSR vs. the Net, The Two Steves (Steve Jackson vs. White Wolf, with SJ's permission), The World's Shortest RQ Scenario, Wonder (a very cool RPG campaign concept), and comments, comments, comments.

The Log That Flies #7 - October 1994 (annotated 06/19/2003)

16 pages. Includes "Roleplaying As Art", FBI Raids Tri-Tac, a generic 5-page scenario: "The Ice Ruins", an original short story "In the Box", and possibly a few comments.

The Log That Flies #8 - November 1994 (annotated 7/11/2008)

7 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "The Gaming News" - a battle between Steve Jackson Games and White Wolf (press release)
• "Haiku for You" - 11 roleplaying and science fiction haiku (and a puzzle - can you guess which game system each haiku is based on?)
• "Wonder of Wonders" - can an ad for a roleplaying campaign look too good?
• Comments on #7: George Phillies (the TSR/SPI incident), Doug Jorenby (hopeless situations in roleplaying), Curtis Taylor, Gil Pili, Scott Ferrier (my growing disenchantment with Glorantha), Virgil Greene (vampires, Babylon 5 and Deep Space 9)
• "Haiku Puzzle Answers"

The Log That Flies #9 - December 1994 (annotated 7/21/2008)

10 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "I Wonder As I Wander" - a player's guide to Wonder, a fantasy RPG campaign setting inspired by the works of Lord Dunsany and H.P. Lovecraft
• "December Theme: Resurrection" - resurrection is common in some campaigns. But how often do we consider the horror behind the concept?
• "A Tirade" - an ongoing battle with Factsheet 5, who reviewed Interregnum without reading it
• "Arisia Panels" - my panels (or panels of interest) at Arisia '95
• "Comments On IR #8": David Hoberman, Gil Pili (SF TV), Dale Meier (Star Wars), Doug Jorenby (Orphan's Thanksgiving), George Phillies (female vs. male body images), Curtis Taylor (RQ, IFGS), Virgil Greene (TWERPS, roleplaying cartoons), David Dunham (childbirth), Bob Butler
• "Laser At Last" - new technology for IR: a laser-like printer

The Log That Flies #10 - January 1995 (annotated 07/22/2008)

10 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "The Interregnum Sampler" - a new project: assembling a short promotional version of IR to distribute at conventions
• "Arisia '95" - writeup of Arisia 1995. Includes amateur video issues, promoting IR, the breakfast buffet at the Cafe Rouge in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, my first panels as a program participant, the Regency Dance, the Masquerade (costume competition), more
• "FS5: New Outrages" - the editors of FactSheet 5 strike back
• "Postal Day of Judgement" - trouble with a clerk at the Malden Post Office, and the trouble gets resolved
• "Comments On IR #9": Rich Staats, Doug Jorenby (Jhereg), George Phillies, Curtis Taylor (post office problems), Virgil Greene (the Republicans take Congress), Scott Ferrier (review of Boston-area game stores), Collie Collier, Jenny & Tara Glover (gender and age bias in American roleplaying groups), Gil Pili
• "The Gamemaster's Hall of Shame" - DTPed version of a top-ten list of the worst types of GMs

The Log That Flies #11 - March 1995 (annotated 07/31/2008)

8 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Topic #11: Love" - love as a subject of roleplaying
• "Review: Space Ace" - an extensive review of the Space Ace CD-ROM game
• "Alone to Boskone" - my first (and so far only) trip to the Boskone science fiction convention in Framingham, Massachusetts
• "Cordwainer Smith" - discussion of the works of Cordwainer Smith, and reviews of three NESFA books by or about Smith
• "FS5 Follies" - more madness from the editors of FactSheet 5
• "...With Love?" - I recognize a cameo voice appearance in From Russia With Love
• "Comments #10": Doug Jorenby, George Phillies, Curtis Taylor, Chris Aylott (my lengthy recommendations for his new SF/mystery bookstore), Tara & Jenny Glover (Moria computer game), Dale Meier, Mark Sabalauskas

The Log That Flies #12 - April 1995 (annotated 08/05/2008)

3 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Mechanical Chaos Rules!" - how many things can break simultaneously to cause a really short zine?
• "F5 Fracas Continued" - more fun and laughs with the editors of FactSheet 5 - in this case, I am interviewed for an article in San Francisco Weekly
• "On the Verge of Wonder" - getting closer to actually running the campaign, plus a discussion of systemless roleplaying

The Log That Flies #13 - June 1995 (annotated 08/06/2008)

8 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Romeo and Juliet" - preparing for my first role in a non-school play
• "A Plea!" - Gene Roddenberry's Spectre
• "Wonder: The Beginning" - the campaign finally starts, with a writeup of the first session
• "The Barbed Hook: Sacrific Play" - one of the most fiendish and gripping plot hooks I ever saw
• "Comments #11 & #12" - Rich Staats, Virgil Greene, Gil Pili, David Dunham, Michael A. Lavoie (one of my odder PCs), Doug Jorenby, George Phillies, David Hoberman, Tara & Jenny Glover, Curtis Taylor, Chris Aylott, Dale Meier, Scott Shafer, Mark Sabalauskas, Elizabeth McCoy

The Log That Flies #14 - July 1995 (annotated 08/11/2008)

11 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "Demon Programs" - big problems with Windows
• "The Play's the Thing" - my first-time acting experience in a friend's production of Romeo and Juliet
• "PC or NPC" - creating memorable NPCs, and one particular NPC of note
• "Ed Wood" - review of the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie
• "Wonder, Act I, Sc. II" - more from the Wonder campaign
• "Comments #13" - Rich Staats, Virgil Greene (domestic terrorism), Scott Shafer (St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians), George Phillies, Michael A. Lavoie, Chris Aylott, Gil Pili (filming Cthulhu), Jenny & /-\ntara Glover, Curtis Taylor (the Glorantha/RuneQuest troubles), Joseph Teller & Kiralee McCauley (game publishing), Cynthia Shettle

The Log That Flies #15 - September 1995 (annotated 08/14/2008)

"Tonight's Episode: A Mighty Short Issue"
4 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "The Horror of It All" - Main Board Computers of Waltham, MA sucks
• "The Horror of It All" - part 2, a roleplaying horror story: killing Holly Frost (player grudges)
• "I Wonder Where It Went" - the end of the Wonder campaign

The Log That Flies #16 - October 1995 (annotated 08/18/2008)

"Tonight's Episode: When Giants Sneeze, Duck & Cover!"
14 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "A Growing Addiction" - Babylon 5, and a trip to see the final four episodes of season 2
• "From the Closed Shelves" - reviews of Assignment In Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein, and Anthology by The Vapors (music CD)
• "The Game" - SoloQuest (not included in the zine, since it's available online here)
• "The Topic Is Tools" - useful tools for roleplaying games or the real world: computer, notebook, air compressor
• "Review: The Book of IOD" - review of "The Eater of Souls and other tales" by Henry Kuttner, published by Chaosium
• "Review: Secret Societies" - review of "Secret Societies: Sourcebook of Occult Organizations for the Nephilim Gamemaster" by Kenneth Hite, published by Chaosium
• "Comments #14" - Scott Ruggles, John Kratman, Elizabeth McCoy, Virgil Greene, Jenny & /-\ntara Glover, Gil Pili, Dale Meier, Andrew R. Howes, Joseph Teller & Kiralee McCauley, Michael A. Lavoie, Scott Shafer, Dave Dickie, George Phillies, David Dunham, Dale Meier (again?).
• "Comments #15" - Rich Staats, Scott Shafer, Mike Lavoie, Virgil Greene, George Phillies, Gil Pili, Dave Dickie, Scott Shafer
• "Sam & Max, Freelance Police" collection announcement

The Log That Flies #17 - December 1995 (annotated 08/20/2008)

"Tonight's Episode: Fools Rush In!"
4 pages. Scanned PDF.

Contents:

• "The Postal War" - Dealing with postal clerks who don't want to mail your stuff, and other problems
• "Topic #17: Settings" - Non-standard fantasy settings, including two specific settings: The Floating Isles & The City (both created by Geoffry Walker Dale)

The Log That Flies #18 - January 1996 (annotated 09/11/2008)

"Tonight's Episode: Ch-Ch-Ch-"
13 pages. Scanned PDF. 1.2MB.

Contents:

• "Changes"
• "Three Micro-Reviews" - reviews of Gold by Isaac Asimov, The Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1996 edition) and The Mounains of Majipoor by Robert Silverberg
• "Arisia 96" - a nine-page writeup of the Arisia 1996 convention. Includes the Regency Dance, panels, an encounter with a lunatic, and a lengthy insert from Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski (quoted with permission) on the topic of "Babylon 5 vs. Star Trek"
• "Comments #16" - Rich Staats, Elizabeth McCoy, Virgil Greene, Jenny & /-\ntara Glover, Chris Aylott, Gil Pili, Dale Meier, Joseph Teller & Kiralee McCauley, Michael Lavoie, Mike Dumais, Scott Shafer, Dave Dickie, George Phillies, Mark Sabalauskas

The Log That Flies #19 - March 1996 (annotated 10/17/2008)

"Tonight's Episode: Dark At The Edge Of Town"
6 pages. Scanned PDF. 0.7MB.

Contents:

• "Topic #18: Future Imperfect?" - guesses on where the roleplaying hobby is headed
• "Topic #19: Struck By Structure" - a discussion of three different types of roleplaying campaign structure
• "Comments #17" - Rich Staats, Virgil Greene, Joseph Teller & Kiralee McCauley, Mike Lavoie, David Dunham, Scott Shafer, Dave Dickie, George Phillies, Tim Emrick, David Hoberman

The Log That Flies #20 - April 1996 (annotated 10/20/2008)

"Tonight's Episode: Puns Can Be Bad For You"
2 pages. Scanned PDF. 0.2MB.

Contents:

• "DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!" - Will Babylon 5 be renewed?
• "Comments #18" - Rich Staats, Virgil Greene, Joseph Teller & Kiralee McCauley, Gil Pili

The Log That Flies #21 - May 1996 (annotated 01/13/2009)

"Tonight's Episode: a feast in time of famine"
12 pages. Scanned PDF. 11.2MB.

Contents:

• "TV Update" - Nowhere Man ends
• "The Wednesday Game" - the PCs in a new(ish) RQ campaign played and run by some Interregnum regulars
• "Three Flowers" - a fairly extensive RQ scenario (also available in HTML here)
• "From the Closed Shelves" - review of the short stories of H.G. Wells
• "Comments #18 (continued)" - George Phillies, Mike Lavoie, Scott Shafer, Tim Emrick, Andrew Howes, Curtis Taylor
• "Comments #19" - Rich Staats, Gil Pili, Mike Dumais, Mike Lavoie, George Phillies, Joseph Teller & Kiralee McCauley, Dave Dickie, Tim Emrick

5 more zines to go...

Odds and Ends

Zine Without A Name #1 - July 2000

My first zine for Kiralee & Joe's iteration of the Interregnum APA. I couldn't think of an appropriate pun name by the time I went to press, so I took the route of least resistance. This issue includes updates (including my engagement announcement), Neat Stuff, Con Survival 101, and Timmy, an unusual and unusually fun PC of mine.

Special Honeymoon Issue. Also, probably the last print zine I'll ever do, since IR is no more. Oh well. At least I have this site! Includes: Publish-It Dies, Re-Vamp!, The Wedding, The Honeymoon (in which we end up in a Really Strange Place), and a Poem. Plus footnotes galore. 12 pages. Annotated & posted August 2002.

2 pages. Scanned PDF.

I'd completely forgotten that I'd written a zine for a Babylon 5 APA until I stumbled across it in my archives. This appears to be the only issue I ever wrote, and probably was.

Contents:

• "An Inauspicious Start" - my evolving opinion of Babylon 5
• "A B5/RPG Connection?" - the similarity of B5 to traditional roleplaying games
• "Change for the Worse" - the new actress who plays N'toth sucks
• "A Prediction" - I make a fool of myself
• "Random Bits" - assorted B5 thoughts
• "Whither B5?" - is the show in trouble?

In the summer of 1990 I was looking around a game store in Cambridge, Massachusetts when I saw something odd on the magazine rack. It was an "APA" (whatever that was) called The Wild Hunt. It looked like a home-made magazine, with many different sections by different writers, photocopied with unsophisticated black & white cover art and fastened with heavy-duty staples no less! I'd looked past this odd thing on past visits, but three facts drew me to it this time: One, it was about roleplaying; two, it was cheap; and three, the "APA" looked thick. I was out of reading material again.

That happens to me a lot. I've got the reading monkey on my back, and I've got it bad. I read in the elevator, in line for the ATM, and in my car in the fast-food line. I read in bed, in front of the television, and in front of the computer. I read while eating, drinking, and I'd read while sleeping if I could. To my mind, a truly civilized bathroom is one that has a well-stocked bookshelf. :)

A used bookstore is my idea of heaven, and when I buy my own house a library is one of the first rooms I'm going to set up - although it's going to be hard making enough bookshelves for the thousands (ten thousand? Twenty?) of books that I currently have in storage. Plus space for the collection to grow, of course. Lots of space to grow. Update June 2008: I bought a house six years ago. But it's too small to display all of my books. So we're looking to move.

Anyway, as a result of that fateful day I ended up with the APA bug. I wrote a zine that I called "Rack & Rune" for The Wild Hunt for several years, and when TWH folded I started my own APA, Interregnum ("IR" for short). IR still exists, although I went through APA-editor burnout after several years (it happens) and passed the reins over to Kiralee McCauley. UPDATE: IR ceased publication in 2002. RIP.

The zines that I wrote for Interregnum (which I called "The Log That Flies" for obscure reasons) were on the Interregnum site as part of giant PDFs which contained whole issues of the APA for a while. But "Rack & Rune" wasn't available anywhere for a long time. Some of the stuff in those issues was later developed and put up on my web site, but a lot more material was never used again.

And so, I'm converting the old issues into PDF files and putting them up here one by one. New issues should appear here fairly frequently. Ha ha! Peter of 2002 butting in. I never managed to find the source files for those old zines, so I'm going to have to dig up my book of back issues (I kept them all together in a binder), and scan them in instead. Sometime soon, but who knows? UPDATE AUGUST 2002: Since the Interregnum web site has been discontinued, I'll soon start posting my zines from IR here, along with the editorial for that issue. The PDFs should go up monthly. Update March 2003: I found the collected hard copies of every zine I wrote for The Wild Hunt while going through some of the boxes we just moved out of storage and into our basement. I'm not sure whether I'll scan or re-type them, but one way or another, they'll be going up on this site. With annotations, of course. Update June 2008: After nearly five years of inactivity, I've bought a scanner and have resumed posting zines. Never trust a webmaster to do anything on time.

Notes:

• The zines are much as they looked when originally published. In a few cases I've fixed egregious errors, and sometimes when I'm converting them I'll add or change something small on a whim, but for the most part they haven't been changed.
• Along the same lines I've left in the Comments section, a traditional part of APAzine writing in which each author comments on other people's zines in the previous issue. The comments don't always stand alone, but I think that they'll make sense more often than not. If you get really curious, you may be able to find some of the authors (or even their zines) online. And if you're the author of one of those zines, hi! Drop me a line and I'll add a link to your site!
• It's fun for me, reading these old issues. In some places I couldn't resist commenting. So when you see the tiny yellow notepad, click on it for a word from the modern world! And who knows? Maybe, in ten or twenty years, I'll end up annotating the annotations!