Crusader Feature Requests

[serleran]

OK, this thread is designed to help James Ward know what we, the people who actively use Crusader, would like to see in its pages.

What would you like to see - now is your chance!

James Ward wrote:
I would like your comments on the following ideas:

1) one-page board game reviews to help people buy fun games

2) a series on how to become a successful game designer

3) a series on how to become a successful novel author

4) The magazine going to 36 pages

1) Absolutely - there are so many great games like Zombies!!! and Zombie Fluxx that don't get enough attention.

2) Sure - but I would rather it be on how to make a game successful.

3) Sure, if each articles comes from a different perspective - I like the sort of point/counter-point argumentative series.

4) As long as it is not filled up with fiction - I don't want to read 8 pages of that - then that is great.

I would absolutely love to see a "classifieds" section - gamers looking for gamers. C&C (and LA) is a niche game, with people spread so far across the globe that it can be hard for them to locate others of like nature, and, because most of them don't come to the boards.... they have no real way of finding each other. This would make it easier, and be a way to promote Trollish (and sponsor) gatherings.

There should also be something in every issue regarding the C&C Society.

[Moderator - please make this a sticky.]

[Fiffergrund]

Stickied. Good idea!
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Sir Fiffergrund, Lord Marshal of the Castle and Crusade Society.

He Who Hides Behind The Elephant's Back

[Omote]

Boardgame reviews - I love it, check (though Zombie Fluxxx is not that great IMO ).

I am somewhat interested in what it takes to become a successfull game designer and/or novel author. Those would be of less interest to me then other, more directly gaming releated articles.

I know it's usually tough, but I'd like to see an adventure section in the mag. Small, one-shots or a series of adventure and plot hooks, and/or ideas. Possibly having some of the adventures linked to a specific setting, and or linked to other adventures in previous issues.

How about just an ENCOUNTER section? A section where the article just details a single, unique encounter that can be dropped into any campaign.

How about a picture page of the Troll HQ showing Steve and the gang "working."

Gamer interviews?

A Society page that lists all the members, and/or new members added.

An article on the Society community game world project.

-O
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> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[seskis281]

I'd also like to see more one-short short adventures (ps I am submitting two myself Jim so shamelessly self-promoting here lol).

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John "Sir Seskis" Wright

Ilshara: Lands of Exile:
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[dachda]

Quote:
I would like your comments on the following ideas:

1) one-page board game reviews to help people buy fun games

2) a series on how to become a successful game designer

3) a series on how to become a successful novel author

4) The magazine going to 36 pages

Thanks for asking for opinions/ideas. I have some different thoughts than Serleran I see. Here's my two copper:

1) not interested in reading board game reviews, seems like there must be other places/magazines devoted to such games, and it would seem like an afterthought in Crusader. I get Crusader for RPGs and the Troll games in particular.

2) Great idea, though I might modify it to have an RPG focus, especially how to best write up adventures, campaign settings and the like.

3) There is a whole industry dedicated to teaching how to write novels, with tons of magazines, websites, workshops and fine art degree programs, anything here just couldn't compete with all the many and varied other sources, and would detract from the RPG focus of Crusader.

4) bigger is always better if you have the articles to fill the pages. Much rather see quality over quantity though.

I love Serleran's classified section idea. I've had trouble finding C&Cers here in Portland.

also once Star Seige is released I'd love to see some material for that game.

Others will have different thoughts but I hope this helps. Thanks again for asking for reader input.
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Sir Dachda McKinty,

Margrave and Knight of Portlandia
Castles & Crusades Society

[Greg Ellis]

I'd be interested in the board game reviews, as long as they're somewhat relevant to the general tone of the mag, and kept fairly brief.

Encounters is a great idea; I'd love to see material that can be used in games, especially:

new treasures (esp. magic items)

new monsters

new monsters guarding new treasures

you get the idea

Ideally, I'd prefer these to be for the LA game, but I would understand if you had to give some coverage to that other TLG thingie, what's it called?
Along the same lines, I might like to read things like:

generic bard songs or sailing songs or poems and similar (to drop into my game for color)

merchant stalls or shops with wierd stuff for sale

new puzzles and traps suitable for dungeons and similar

floorplans for castles and similar fortifications, either new or ruined

unusual places that might be used as adventure locales, or mere stops along with way

All of these should be short and sweet, maybe a sidebar, or one page, or at max a two-page spread, so they don't chew up too much of the mag.

[Greg Ellis]

ps - I also enjoy the "trials and tribulations of the industry" articles, like Joe Goodman's in issue #7.

"How things came to be in the ancient past of gaming" is always an interesting read as well.

[seskis281]

Greg Ellis wrote:
ps - I also enjoy the "trials and tribulations of the industry" articles, like Joe Goodman's in issue #7.

"How things came to be in the ancient past of gaming" is always an interesting read as well.

I second this - listening to Steve, James Mishler and others discuss the ins and outs of the RPG industry (mostly as we sucked down beers at Fat Cats) and its history was one of the highlights of LGGC for me this year. To me, this was like gaming "school"....

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John "Sir Seskis" Wright

Ilshara: Lands of Exile:
http://johnwright281.tripod.com/

High Squire of the C&C Society
www.cncsociety.org

[Yamo]

Personally, I'd stick to RPG stuff.

[Jackal]

Ugh, I totally missed this thread..so I'll re-post this here:

I like both the "gamers looking for gamers" and house rule ideas. Those would be fantastic.

Board game reviews wouldn't be bad either but I'm not sure about the game designer or novel bits. Might be an interesting article or two but I don't personally see a series. I love the idea of 36 pages though.

Do we have any idea what will happen to subscription rates, etc when it goes monthly?

All in all, good stuff and I'm looking forward to it!

[Omote]

An AGP / Wilderlands section.

A good, old fashioned Map of Mystery.

-O
_________________
> Omote's Advanced C&C stuff <
Duke Omote Landwehr, Holy Order of the FPQ ~ Prince of the Castles & Crusades Society

[Treebore]

How about a dedicated, or somewhat dedicated, house rules column. Start using the house rules some of use have posted, and then ask readers and other members to send in rules variations they use. Also use the article to encourage people to visit the forums to share more ideas, etc...
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[Julian Grimm]

I'm in on board game reviews. I'd like to see new classes, spells, monsters and magic items. A section for expanding Yggsburgh, Airdhe and the Haunted Highlands. (i.e., flavor, fluff and maps) An AGP section is a must as well. Though the above could be in a rotating format. Pull out games like Whamgammon. And yes 36 pages is great.

What I think should go out is, the convention blogs. This can be done on the website. Fiction should be reduced or used for short issues or saved for a later publication. ( A TLG version of Amazing Stories?) That's the only two things I would like to see lessened. Also I am on the fence about the product preview. I'm not sure I liked it.

The editorials must stay!
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My blog

[Indigo Rose]

I'd love to see Crusader expand to 36 pages, in order to give us room for some of these additional articles. I think a "Letters to the Editor" page would be a good thing, perhaps sharing space with Classifieds to begin with until Crusader gets enough reader mail to fill up a page on its own.

I like the idea of game reviews, not just board games; I wouldn't want Crusader to be considered nothing but a "house organ" and only covering TLG stuff. For us to have a shot at filling the void Dragon magazine left behind, some versatility in our offerings would be a good thing.

I enjoyed the adventure which was included with issue 9, and would like to see more of those and other game inserts in future issues. Anything by Tom Wham is to be pursued diligently and printed, IMO!
Finally, I'd also like to someday see a comic strip section in the back of the magazine with a couple of pages of one-shots or continuing sagas a la "Fineous Fingers" or "Wormy". Again, get cool Tom Wham stuff whenever possible...

There's my two cents! With any luck, one day Crusader will be a whopping 48 pages chock-filled with gaming goodness!
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Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.

[sieg]

Another vote for game reviews....prefer RPG but some boardgames would be good too. One thing I liked about the old Metagaming/Steve Jackson Games _The Space Gamer_ was the large section given to reviews of products. You just don't see that kind of review coverage nowadays!

Oh, and another vote for cartoon strips. Any chance we can get Phil Foglio to do up more "Whats New"?
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[serleran]

Write him and find out:

Studio Foglio, LLC

2400 NW 80th St. #129

Seattle, WA

98117-4449 USA

[tylermo]

Where to start? I do like board games from time to time, but I'm not certain I'd spend a lot of page count on it. An overall rpg focus might be the way to go. I'm not sure if this is a great idea, but how about keeping half(or, slight over half of the magazine) as is, and adding a Dungeon magazine element with some adventures? I realize the saddle-stitched modules cover that somewhat adequately, but just a thought. Continue to run the G. Gygax series of articles until they run out. Other stories from gaming yesteryear would be fine. Articles from S. Chenault, and other TLG'er's is also a good thing. And, I agree with whoever suggested a letters to the editor section.

[Tadhg]

Indigo Rose wrote:
I'd love to see Crusader expand to 36 pages, in order to give us room for some of these additional articles. I think a "Letters to the Editor" page would be a good thing, perhaps sharing space with Classifieds to begin with until Crusader gets enough reader mail to fill up a page on its own.

I like the idea of game reviews, not just board games; I wouldn't want Crusader to be considered nothing but a "house organ" and only covering TLG stuff. For us to have a shot at filling the void Dragon magazine left behind, some versatility in our offerings would be a good thing.

I enjoyed the adventure which was included with issue 9, and would like to see more of those and other game inserts in future issues. Anything by Tom Wham is to be pursued diligently and printed, IMO!
Finally, I'd also like to someday see a comic strip section in the back of the magazine with a couple of pages of one-shots or continuing sagas a la "Fineous Fingers" or "Wormy". Again, get cool Tom Wham stuff whenever possible...

There's my two cents! With any luck, one day Crusader will be a whopping 48 pages chock-filled with gaming goodness!

Agreed (Wham, Wham & Wham!).

And I don't have any particular requests. I like that the Crusader has such different stuff every issue. A real good mix, as it were and that appeals to me.

Oh, one other thought for the Crusader and the LGGC/Winter Dark . . .

for Jim Ward, Indigo and/or the Trollies ~

if there is any chance to get some of the TSR gang to write articles or show up to the LG CONS that would be spectacular.

I know Harold Johnson and Mike Carr have appeared. I'd love to see them attend again.

And I got the impression at Gary's funeral that many of the TSR folks still live in the area -

Jim & Laura Roslof

Doug Niles

Stephen D. Sullivan

Margaret Weis

Jeff Easley (showed up at Gary's porch last summer)

Lester Smith

others, I can't recall at the moment

Thanks for listening!
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"Enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!" ~ Gary Gygax

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[Greg Ellis]

Julian Grimm wrote:
What I think should go out is, the convention blogs. This can be done on the website. Fiction should be reduced or used for short issues or saved for a later publication.

I like the convention logs, although I agree that they could be shorter; less page-count.

Ditto for the fiction; I often skip over the longer stories, although I'll definitely read fiction if it's short. There were some very good one or two-pagers in the early issues. Chris Clark has some great short stories, if you're searching.

[tylermo]

The fiction is fine, but I don't normally seek it out. I'd keep the page count low for that sort of thing. Convention blog might be best left to the website. Don't get me wrong. I've had my name in a handful of Savage Worlds convention reports, and it would be cool to see my name in print, but I'm not sure if posting in the mag and website is prudent.

[Fiffergrund]

Speaking as a fan and not as a contributor (I am both), I really don't like the heavy fiction content that the magazine has carried so far. I'm sure it's all well-written and imaginative stuff, but I don't look to Crusader for fantasy fiction. I look to it for C&C/TLG support.

I've yet to read a single short story in Crusader since issue #1. Some of the fiction has been rather lengthy, cutting down the space available for useful material in the magazine.

If I want a magazine with fantasy fiction, there are alternatives out there that contain nothing else. This mag should be chock full of gaming goodness. As Crusader ramps up, hopefully there will be more gaming content available (of good quality), and less filler in the form of fiction will be needed.
_________________
Sir Fiffergrund, Lord Marshal of the Castle and Crusade Society.

He Who Hides Behind The Elephant's Back

[dachda]

Fiffergrund wrote:
Speaking as a fan and not as a contributor (I am both), I really don't like the heavy fiction content that the magazine has carried so far. I'm sure it's all well-written and imaginative stuff, but I don't look to Crusader for fantasy fiction. I look to it for C&C/TLG support.

I've yet to read a single short story in Crusader since issue #1. Some of the fiction has been rather lengthy, cutting down the space available for useful material in the magazine.

If I want a magazine with fantasy fiction, there are alternatives out there that contain nothing else. This mag should be chock full of gaming goodness. As Crusader ramps up, hopefully there will be more gaming content available (of good quality), and less filler in the form of fiction will be needed.

As in the other thread I agree with Fiffergrund. I love the idea of fiction as a way of fleshing out Aihrde, but I must admit I too have yet to read any of the fiction peices. I do however pour over the gaming articles, usually a couple of times. Perhaps the Airhde stories could be collected and sold as a special collection, the "Stories of Aihrde" or something of the sort.
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Sir Dachda McKinty,

Margrave and Knight of Portlandia
Castles & Crusades Society

[danbuter]

I'd prefer no reviews. If I want them, there are a ton of websites who post more reviews than I could ever read.

I'd really like more monsters, more classes, "alternate" classes, short adventures, etc. Some of this is already being done, but more is better.
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-------

Dan
http://home.comcast.net/~danbuter/candc.html - my Castles and Crusades webpage

[James M. Ward]

People,

Thank you for all of this input. I am working toward giving you what you want. I will try to do some game reviews that aren't just boardgames. Steve is only writing 3 pages for his fiction and the monster in his story is the feature monster in the magazine.

I just want you to know we do listen and what you say is important to us.

James M. Ward

Managing Editor

CRUSADER

Please subscribe to the magazine, it really helps to keep it going.

[jaguar451]

James M. Ward wrote:
Steve is only writing 3 pages for his fiction and the monster in his story is the feature monster in the magazine.

Sounds like it has promise, integrating material from the issue into the fiction. And I agree with short fiction.

I'm a rule tinkerer, so articles such as Casey's Setting series are of interest to me -- both for design and his house rules. I like lower-level low power magic, so ideas around that would be esp. interesting to me. Plus rule-light customization options (like Casey's fighter ideas in issue #12.)

And some of the other comments about encounters, floorplans, shops or buildings one could drop into a setting, ....

I still plan to introduce my kids to RPG, so maybe ideas on bringing newbies / kids into the game, with a some dedicated resources ('G' rated mini-adventure once in a while -- no undead, for example, or adventures with the latest in tricks & traps. Although definitely need a chance to swing a sword.)

James M. Ward wrote:
Please subscribe to the magazine, it really helps to keep it going.

Done!

[Frost]

Just a quick 2 cents... I like the fiction in the magazine. I think it's currently at the perfect length too. Short and sweet is best for a magazine of this nature.
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Lord Frost

Baron of the Pitt
Castles & Crusades Society
The Dungeoneering Dad

[Christina Stiles]

Please throw out some more ideas of what you'd like to see the writers tackle in Crusader. I've got another setting piece on the way to Jim soon, and I have a few small adventure ideas percolating, but what else might you guys want to see?
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Christina Stiles

The Misfit Troll Word Wrangler
www.christinastiles.com
www.misfit-studios.com
www.trolllord.com

[serleran]

The defense of the donkey and didjeridoo... or why every gamer needs to think outside the box.
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Serl's Corner

[Christina Stiles]

serleran wrote:
The defense of the donkey and didjeridoo... or why every gamer needs to think outside the box.

That sounds like one for you to write, Serl.
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Christina Stiles

The Misfit Troll Word Wrangler
www.christinastiles.com
www.misfit-studios.com
www.trolllord.com

[gideon_thorne]

Christina Stiles wrote:
Please throw out some more ideas of what you'd like to see the writers tackle in Crusader. I've got another setting piece on the way to Jim soon, and I have a few small adventure ideas percolating, but what else might you guys want to see?

*chuckles* Well. Once upon a time Jim wrote this fantasy novel. In it, a ranger created a magical bow for his daughter by polishing the wood with a pair of ioun stones.

An article on the how too's and some neat variations on what ioun stones could do when used in the craft of magical items would be cool.
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