Knights & Knaves Alehouse

Good idea? Bad idea? I have some skillz to help make it happen..some of you do, too.
For the premier issue, the following content would be nice!

A longish article
A second (shorter) article
An adventure scenario
A dungeon or campaign consideration
One or more new monsters
One or more new magic items

Ok!

If K&KA launched it's own Rolling Stone, I get to be its Hunter S. Thompson.

I'm always behind something like this. What seems to always throw things off is:

1.El General -finding someone to agree to be in charge (make sure submissions are in on time and are of 1E/0E early TSR style) -this is tuff as no one wants to hurt feelings, and I'm as guilty as the next guy of occasionally making something thats either rehash or 2E/3E in feel (it isn't easy). The key is to not be picky, just net out the grossly 2E feeling stuff, or something thats a gross rip off. This would have to be gently done. (Myth was our guy in charge with Monsters of Myth and along with others helped keep submissions original (ie. no recreated goblins) and "1Eish" (would it fit in with the MM world), he was also kind in his approach).

2. proofers who can give the time to correct bad to terrible writing (like mine),

3. someone to agree to do layout for free, put the thing together so it prints out correctly.

4. artists and cartographers (for maps, cover and interior stuff). If we charged how would you divy up any profits (personally I'd be happy to give my share to the K&K fund).

4. Contributors (I think we could get contributors, but I'm not sure of how many of us with RL stuff going on could be counted on. Plus, how many of us want to give up our "best" original stuff).

What I think would be cool is a Dungeon Magazine clone (but done as if the original module writers at TSR were writing them). I'd be happy with primitive maps and artwork (that had the correct flavor). If you had 10 people agree to spend 5 hours a month on this, that would be 50 hours, I think enough to get a 50 page publication done. Of course, I'm probably grossly underestimating that. And you'd have to understand, there would be a very small market for something like this (it wouldn't be glossy, 3tardish, Pathfinder-esque dribble, what seems to be in vogue these days).

The reason I've always wanted to see K&K do something like this is because I think we have more guys who "get" early 1E AD&D/0E then any other place on the web.

I would be happy to help anyway I can.

I'd buy it, but it would have to feature a glossy, full-colour Dungeon Grrrl centerfold wielding the most fashionable weaponry available.

It would be really cool to get a magazine going with creative content from the members of this board.

But why start a new one? Why not put a shoulder to the wheel that is Knockspell, and help Matt get out more issues of that publication?

EOTB wrote:It would be really cool to get a magazine going with creative content from the members of this board.

But why start a new one? Why not put a shoulder to the wheel that is Knockspell, and help Matt get out more issues of that publication?

Agreed.

History has shown that I suck at motivating myself to create content but project managing/wrangling and artifact control is a thing that comes easily. I can volunteer to help with that: Alehouse magazine or Alehouse team for Knockspell submissions, whatever.

I went over to the S&W forums, and volunteered my services for Knockspell. I still quite like the idea of a free magazine produced by this forum, and if it doesn't detract from efforts to reboot Knockspell, would like to see it happen.

I'll volunteer to help manage the project, and do some editing and proofing. Perhaps I can work with deathanddrek. A good summary above of other jobs: proofers, lay out guys, artists. Anyone good at these things?

Most importantly, does anyone have any material they'd like to submit? I set up a gmail account where submissions can be sent:

knightsandknavesalehouse at gmail dot com.

Art's always the biggest problem with ideas like this! I've already asked our artists for help with Dangerous Dungeons (and received some very generous donations).

I'm perfectly happy for K&KA to host a free magazine. It would need to support the site's objectives as set by Jerry Mapes: Gygaxian Dungeons & Dragons, Traveller, Call of Cthulhu, Boot Hill, BRP-based systems (including Runequest), the K&KA-specific retro-clones (being OSRIC and Swords & Wizardry), and certain miniatures-based or hex-and-chit wargames----a scenario for ASL or Panzerblitz per issue would honour Jerry nicely?

I will contribute a cover, it might not be great but hey its free . Also some interior artwork (maybe put a list together of artist who can contribute a few pieces per issue and that would be enough I'll bet. Ditto cartographers and layout and proofers. Maybe a sign up list would be helpful.

What would this magazine be named? Is there anyway to work Jerry's name in (MAPE'S DUNGEON MAGAZINE?). Still I'd rather see this done as a Kick Starter. Give fans a chance to put some skin in the game (if they can't actually do work for it). Give the PDF for free if you like, but let people order a hard copy (with no profit to ourselves, not unlike the way you handled OSRIC with Lulu, except if we have a big enough pre-order you could go offset). Knowing how many orders you have upfront 1. motivates you to get the thing done and 2. cuts costs down for physical copies (or hand over physical copies to Black Blade and let them take a small profit for there time). Its a waist of time if its not good and it doesn't have a following (ie. no one wants it). Kickstarters build their own sense of excitement, their own positive energy you get from crowd sourcing. Personally I'd focus this on 1E/OSRIC and at the same time help Knock Spell out with a focus on 0E/S&W.

AxeMental wrote:Personally I'd focus this on 1E/OSRIC and at the same time help Knock Spell out with a focus on 0E/S&W.

Knockspell is already focused on 1e/OSRIC (much moreso than Fight On! was, anyway), so if we want to drive toward supporting an AD&D print magazine, I suggest sticking with KS, assuming that

a) Matt's still going to be doing it, and
b) Matt's not thinking of shifting the focus of KS more toward OD&D/S&W vs. AD&D/OSRIC in order to capitalize on the vacuum left by Fight On! ceasing publication

I've been doing maps and short OSRIC dungeons for & (And) Magazine. I can easily start doing the same for K&KA or KS (the dungeon for And #5 (Shrine of Hecate) originally was supposed to appear in KS, but Myth never published that issue).

I'll contribute a Panzerblitz scenario to the first issue.

Grodog, I'm down with Knock Spell as well (assuming it covers 1E as much as 0E and Matt is OK with the idea).

I'd contribute an India/jungle themed mini-dungeon, I want to use that damned funky ape-naga thing Tony made for MoM..Hauna-Naga (for that matter I'm going to unload MoM as much as I can in it). Does 4 or 5 pages sound about right?