Hooks & Rumours #4

It seems like last week's eclipse did its job and taught the sun a lesson, as this week has been less apocalyptic and our computer isn't screaming at me in agony every time I try to design a page. Who knows, if it holds we might actually get the next issue of the mag finished in time, might... Anyway, that does mean that I need to get on with laying features out rather than waffling about nonsense here, so on that note we'll cut this short this week (hurrah!) and just let you get on with discovering the good stuff below.

Till next week!

John

Waypoints

If you fancy some homework this weekend then Skeleton Code Machine have just started a new series (in fact part 2 is up as well now) on what is probably one of my favourite parts of fantasy culture, MAPS!

Thar She Blows!

There's been a few decent articles online recently looking at how all those mega-mega-successful TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns make their money (spoiler: it sure ain't selling $50 rulebooks) and this is another worthy addition to the canon.

The Wisdom of the Crowds

An interesting piece by Colby Dauch from Plaid Hat Games, who earlier this year abandoned their Kickstarter for their board game The Monolith a day into its campaign, despite hitting their target. They've since relaunched the campaign (to much greater success) and Colby here talks through what happened and what they've now done differently. An interesting addendum to Cannibal Halfling's piece above and more useful data were someone to be working on a large feature on the general state of crowdfunding in tabletop games and how it has shaped, good and very bad, this business over the past decade +.

Embracing The Void

As a further addendum, whilst it's clear that the gravity of Kickstarter has distorted the tabletop scene, it's always worth reminding yourself that actually you don't need any of those miniatures, plushies, or shitty plastic statues to play. Hell, you don't even need dice, overpriced or not, you just need an active imagination the the desire to play (and perhaps a magazine about games) as this post about playing a kind of D&D from memory in prison makes very clear.

Creature Comforts

I can't say I have any particularly fond memories of either of my two previous visits to Winchester. Still, I do of once going round for tea and cake at stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen's west London pad, so were I in the vicinity I'd be extraordinarily tempted to see if third time truly is the charm and visit the upcoming Ray Harryhausen: Myths in Motion exhibition at The Arc, which starts on Sept 26 and runs until Feb 16 and features more than 70 of the legendary creature creator's (he hated calling them monsters) mini marvels on display.

Performance Review

If it isn't obvious enough by now we are suckers for weird little small press zines. You make one, we'll probably buy it. And that was certainly the case this week when I stumbled across Outrages Press latest effort, Games Workshop Employees of the 1990s, a remarkably odd linen thread bound zine celebrating Big Plastic's riotous red era (you'll also want the accompanying pin badges), marvellous work all round and one to file alongside your copy of Lead Punk's first issue.

A Walk on the Wild Side

Talking of small press publishers, if there is one who is a constant beacon of light, inspiration and joy in this world it is Clint Marsh, the man behind Fiddler's Green. Fiddler's Green is a thing of understated beauty, a gateway into a world of magic, folklore and the imagination. Alongside that though he also publishes a range of smaller, though no less beautiful publications, that usually take the form of an essay presented in a beautifully presented zine. The latest has just gone up for sale and is an expanded edition of Kenneth Grahame's 1913 essay The Fellow That Goes Alone, that sees the author of The Wind in the Willows ruminate on the 'earthy and transcendent' power of rambling.

As is customary upon mentioning The Wind in the Willows it is now my duty to also suggest you stop what you're doing, get a brew on and take five minutes out of your day to read The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the sublime chapter where our furry friends escape the hustle and bustle of the river bank and encounter the great god Pan in all his rugged, terrifying glory. You may need a box of tissues handy too.

Anarchy In The UK

Ok, time for something completely different. If you've ever read Henry Rollins tour diaries you'll know what a miserable shitty experience Black Flag's first tour of the UK was for the band. Skint, cold, ill, Nazis, no accommodation, seemingly hated by everyone in every crowd, more Nazis, being pan handled by their heroes, fights, car crashes, loads more Nazis, just an absolutely awful time from start to finish but importantly from the comfort of 2026, absolutely hilarious. 6 months ago Rollins sat down with Fugazi's Ian Mackaye to talk about the whole shitty deal but I only just stumbled across it this week and now you can enjoy the horrors too. Well worth listening to whether you're a punk fan or not.

Route 666

Nice little feature on Portland's Dark Future. Looks like a super cool spot we'd love to check out some time.

A Square Deal

If you can't make it to Portland though you can always visit RPG Trader and another massive (108 this time) game bundle has just gone up there, this time focused on d6 based games. Buy the lot for $30, never have to spend anything on RPGs ever again, ponder the economics of this industry...

All We Hear Is...

And finally, what better way to lurch into the weekend than with a blast of good old heavy occult rock and right now no one is doing that better than the UK's Green Lung. With their brilliant new album, a tribute to London's supernatural secrets, out in September the band have just dropped another new video, this time for Black Magick Radio and once again they're putting their increased promo budget to good use...

That's All Folks

OK, that's it for this week, enjoy the weekend, maybe buy a magazine!