Those of us who work in the RPG industry

Lucya Szachnowski

unread,

Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/10/97

to

Having just read the recent thread about the UK RPG industry and the
problems that freelancers have etc., I was wondering whether it might be
a good idea for us UK-based RPG designers, publishers, freelancers etc.
to actually get together (over email possibly) and share our opinions,
experience, advice etc.

In my experience, convention seminars on 'How to work in the RPG
industry' tend to be aimed at people who don't yet work in the industry
and are extremely basic. The ones at Gencon in the past have also tended
to only cover TSR's policy towards freelancers - which is/was different
from a lot of other companies.

I believe that we could do more to help the UK RPG industry by getting a
bit more organised ourselves, sharing advice (such as which banks are
the best to pay dollar cheques into etc.) and maybe even increasing
people's awareness of the talent that exists in the UK.

What do other people think?

--
Lucya Szachnowski

Philip Masters

unread,

Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/10/97

to

In article: <+NKjtDAd...@achlys.demon.co.uk> Lucya Szachnowski

<lu...@achlys.demon.co.uk> writes:
> I believe that we could do more to help the UK RPG industry by getting a
> bit more organised ourselves, sharing advice (such as which banks are
> the best to pay dollar cheques into etc.) and maybe even increasing
> people's awareness of the talent that exists in the UK.
>
> What do other people think?

I don't want to seem negative, and I'll join in if it actually happens,
but... Is there really enough to talk about?

Industry freelances generally get into all sorts of discussions on the
'net, but even with the American contingent included, these seem to divert
into routine state-of-RPGs chat of the sort that is actually pretty well
supported here and on the r.g.f.* hierarchy. It's also noticeable that
r.g.f.industry is probably the least busy unmoderated group in that
hierarchy. (Especially when one deletes assorted irrelevant flame-fest
threads which are only sustained by various people who should know better,
but who have clearly been hitting the orange smarties this month.)

So what's for UK freelances/industry semi-professionals to discuss? Banks,
who probably charge very similar fees to each other? The degree to which US
companies have the hang of e-mail, which is quite easy to determine
empirically? 'Plane fares to Milwaukee? Who to talk to at the latest UK RPG
magazine?

Using such a grouping to bring ourselves to the attention of potential
employers isn't a bad idea, but how exactly would it work? A private e-mail
list, say, wouldn't exactly achieve that... Perhaps we ought to set up a
"Society of UK RPG Creators", and spray a few business cards around GenCon
- give the US companies somewhere to call next time they need something
like *Isle of the Mighty* proof-read. But would it hold together?

Perhaps a small invitation-based e-mail list is the way to go. (Item of
Advice #1 for a UK-based wannabe-pro; get on the 'net.) I doubt that it
would see a lot of traffic, but it could be useful on intermittent
occasions. If such a beast comes into being, sign me up. I'll also happily
chat here, or for that matter meet for lunch in London for a mass grouse-in
(except that UK-based RPG freelancers are geographically dispersed and
often, in the nature of things, impoverished - and some of them, shock
horror, may not even *like* each other). But getting serious about this
sort of thing is going to require some kind of statement of objectives or
manifesto, and I'm not sure what it'd say.

--
Phil Masters
* Home Page: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Phil_Masters
* Note to news posters: I have kill-filed all "Multipart/Alternative"
postings. HTML is very nice, but not on Usenet.

David Chart

unread,

Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/10/97

to

In article <+NKjtDAd...@achlys.demon.co.uk>, Lucya Szachnowski
<lu...@achlys.demon.co.uk> wrote:

[snip]

>
> I believe that we could do more to help the UK RPG industry by getting a
> bit more organised ourselves, sharing advice (such as which banks are
> the best to pay dollar cheques into etc.) and maybe even increasing
> people's awareness of the talent that exists in the UK.
>
> What do other people think?
>

I agree with Phil. This is a good idea in principle, but I'm not entirely
sure what purpose it would serve. The RPG industry is fairly fragmented,
and while I can tell you about the extreme usefulness of learning Medieval
Latin if you want to write for Ars Magica, that is unlikely to be of great
interest to many other people. Similarly for experiences working with
various companies.

Still, a general "keep in touch" thing would be good, even if it only
serves to warn of companies that don't pay, and steer towards ones that do
and are desperate for submissions.

--
David Chart
Replace number words by digits to get my email address

Antony Johnston

unread,

Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/10/97

to

David Chart <dconet...@cam.ac.uk> wrote:

> I agree with Phil.

seriously, if one's set up, count me in, but as dave and phil have
pointed out, there may not be much to say that we can't [and don't]
already say here. although an evening round the pub is a bit of a
problem for those of us who live north of the watford gap...

--
antony johnston
http://www.mostlyblack.demon.co.uk/

PS: the man in the orange shirt is not really here.

Lucya Szachnowski

unread,

Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/10/97

to

In article <659117...@philm.demon.co.uk>, Philip Masters
<Ph...@philm.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article: <dconethreetwo-1...@illahun.trin.cam.ac.uk>

>dconet...@cam.ac.uk (David Chart) writes:
>> Still, a general "keep in touch" thing would be good, even if it only
>> serves to warn of companies that don't pay, and steer towards ones that
>> do and are desperate for submissions.
>

>Indeed. Actually, does anyone in the UK with industry connections have
>access to a viable mailing list server? A small, invitation-based
>UK-RPG-Ind-L list would seem like a worthwhile idea.
>

A friend of mine who runs such things professionally has just emailed me
to say she would be able to set us up a small, mailing list for about
100 members.
--
Lucya Szachnowski

Philip Masters

unread,

Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/10/97

to

In article: <dconethreetwo-1...@illahun.trin.cam.ac.uk>
dconet...@cam.ac.uk (David Chart) writes:
> Still, a general "keep in touch" thing would be good, even if it only
> serves to warn of companies that don't pay, and steer towards ones that
> do and are desperate for submissions.

Indeed. Actually, does anyone in the UK with industry connections have
access to a viable mailing list server? A small, invitation-based
UK-RPG-Ind-L list would seem like a worthwhile idea.

--

David Chart

unread,

Sep 11, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/11/97

to

In article <p$JrkHAtq...@achlys.demon.co.uk>, Lucya Szachnowski
<lu...@achlys.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>
> A friend of mine who runs such things professionally has just emailed me
> to say she would be able to set us up a small, mailing list for about
> 100 members.

100 members? That should be, ah, adequate. While I may have underestimated
the size of the UK industry by a bit, I don't think it's that big.
Although I'd be happy to be proved wrong.

Simon Luff

unread,

Sep 12, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/12/97

to

On Thu, 11 Sep 1997 17:25:55 +0100, dconet...@cam.ac.uk (David
Chart) wrote

Working in the RPG industry seems to be based more on who you know,
rather then straight ability. Any seminar which introduces you to the
people able to help your career is better then no seminar at all.
Personally I think arranging informal meetings between the industry
and those wanting to work in the industry would also help. You could
get a list of people interested from the seminars.

This would work more like inviting X number of people in the know to a
nice little pub etc. in London. Finding a group of people interested
in work or in future enterprises, charging each of them for a ticket
(Expensive ticket as the cost would have to cover the travelling
costs, drink, food of your guests and the locaton cost.) Making it
free for the guests always leaves a far greater impression.

At Gencon Hobby games gave a free partly to the traders, and people
involved in the RPG/Games business. This is an example of people
promoting themselves with no immediate come back. If people want jobs
their going to have to sell themselves first.

If your looking for work approach APC and CPC the two promotion
companies at Gencon. If you can get work for them and do well your
chances are prob higher then trying the industry directly.

TIM

Philip Masters

unread,

Sep 12, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/12/97

to

In article: <3419fe33...@news.tcp.co.uk> dos...@tcp.co.uk (Simon

Luff) writes:
> Working in the RPG industry seems to be based more on who you know,
> rather then straight ability. Any seminar which introduces you to the
> people able to help your career is better then no seminar at all.

This is dangerously close to stock failed-writer paranoia. ("I'm as good a
writer as Them; therefore, They must be conspiring to keep me out.") I'm
sure that Simon isn't suffering from such a condition, but no-one should
encourage those who are.

Actually, David Chart has already done a pretty good job of explaining How
To Get Into The Business. The only thing I'd say is that opinion is divided
as to the usefulness of writing for magazines. It has launched a few
careers, but the hassle and delay involved, and the chance of getting
properly noticed, *may* be disproportionate.

However, published magazine articles do give you something to enclose with
the proposals you send to publishers. Yes, these do get read. The people
reading them may be slow to get around to it, hasty while reading, and
prone to arbitrarily binning anything that pushes their personal buttons
(which rarely includes split infinitives), but they really would like to
discover a proposal for the Next Big Thing. It's a moderately long shot,
but you won't get into the craft many other ways.

These days, the 'net may provide an alternative route to getting noticed,
if you can construct a really *good* 'Web page or something. (That's good
as in "well-written", not "stuffed full of gimmicky animations".) I'm not
sure how reliable a trick it'd be, but it could well work with some of the
more computer-literate publishers out there.

Now the bad news; I'm told that the RPG-writer market may be approaching
saturation. That is to say, if company X needs a new project or someone to
work on a joint effort, they have a long list of *proven* writers on their
files, and in the worst case, another list of people whose work for other
companies they have liked. I'm afraid it may be getting tougher for the new
bugs. I've no great desire to see the ladder pulled up behind me, but it's
only fair to warn people.

> Personally I think arranging informal meetings between the industry
> and those wanting to work in the industry would also help. You could
> get a list of people interested from the seminars.

You'd need an incentive for the publishers to attend. Buying them drinks
might be a start.

> This would work more like inviting X number of people in the know to a
> nice little pub etc. in London.

"People in the know"... Ooooh... That way, paranoia lies.

Lucya Szachnowski

unread,

Sep 13, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/13/97

to

In article <dconethreetwo-1...@illahun.trin.cam.ac.uk>,
David Chart <dconet...@cam.ac.uk> writes

I have been trying to send private email replies to you, David, but they
keep bouncing back to me as undeliverable. Can you let me know what I am
likely to be doing wrong?
--
Lucya

BlackIce

unread,

Sep 13, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/13/97

to

Absolutely.
I couldn't agree with you more James.

I don't expect everyone I meet (and myself) to be 100% correct in their
spelling or grammar, however, there are times when it really matters, I
don't think there should be any margin for error.

I mean, writing off to a company requesting a company broshure
(deliberate), may not
be such a heinous crime, but sending them your Curryculum Viteye should
set the alarm
bells ringing in the Human Resources Deptartment.

I just couldn't believe the "Free Lanse Writer" though. I mean, first
impressions count, and
getting your own business card wrong (for any business person, let alone
a "writer") is seriously disturbing.

File 13 eh ? Good on you James.

Regards,

BlackIce

*********************************************************************
* Some people will believe anything if you whisper it to them...... *
*********************************************************************

James Wallis

unread,

Sep 13, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/13/97

to

In article <341AA1...@enterprise.net>, BlackIce

<esse...@enterprise.net> wrote:
>I just couldn't believe the "Free Lanse Writer" though. I mean, first
>impressions count, and
>getting your own business card wrong (for any business person, let alone
>a "writer") is seriously disturbing.

He hadn't actually got "Free Lanse Writer" printed on his business card
-- I dare say his manager at the Large Games Company he worked for might
have had something to say about it if he did -- but I watched him write
it there in red biro. And winced.

--
James Wallis, Director of Hogshead Publishing Ltd (ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk)
Publishers of WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLEPLAY (wf...@hogshead.demon.co.uk)
Warhammer is a registered trademark of Games Workshop PLC, used with permission
"Brevior vita est quam ut futumentibus negotium agat"

James Wallis

unread,

Sep 13, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/13/97

to

In article <dconethreetwo-1...@illahun.trin.cam.ac.uk>,
David Chart <dconet...@cam.ac.uk> wrote:
>True. By using the correct form of "they're", for example. And no, I'm not
>being pedantic and picky. That sort of misuse in a query letter or
>submitted manuscript (more than once or twice (literally!) in the latter:
>perfection is not required) would probably get you filed away in the big
>round filing cabinet. As Hogshead Games is wont to say "Life is too short
>to do business with fuckwits".

We do say that, quite a lot (and, in fact, thanks to David, we now also
say it in Latin). And we do reject proposals from people who can't
spell; and we don't send writers' guidelines out to people who make
egregious errors in the letters or emails they send us. Typos are just
about okay. Spelling errors are not. And it's easy enough to spot the
difference.

Two cases in point: someone in a major company in the industry who, at a
convention two years ago, gave me his business card with the words "Free
Lanse Writer" written on the back; and the person who emailed me asking
if Hogshead had any "editting" work going. The two of of them are high-
ranking entries on Hogshead's list of People We Will Never Employ, Not
Even To Lift Boxes.

M JOHNSTON

unread,

Sep 15, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/15/97

to

In article <N5C0KZAZ...@hogshead.demon.co.uk>, James Wallis <Ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk> writes:

|> Two cases in point: someone in a major company in the industry who, at a
|> convention two years ago, gave me his business card with the words "Free
|> Lanse Writer" written on the back; and the person who emailed me asking
|> if Hogshead had any "editting" work going. The two of of them are high-
|> ranking entries on Hogshead's list of People We Will Never Employ, Not
|> Even To Lift Boxes.

You have a list like that? so do we....

More painful are the "Really Bad Artists Who Are Convinced They Are The Next
Da Vinci". I don't think I have the heart to break their wee shells...

M.

Crucible Design
--

BlackIce

unread,

Sep 15, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/15/97

to

David Damerell wrote:
>
> Inability to master something as simple as posting IN 80 FUCKING
> COLUMNS, even when told repeatedly, is a flare-lit tip-off too.
>
> [Tho', admittedly, something else seems to wrap our good buddy NaffIce's
> lines for him after he's finished fucking them up...]
> --

unread,

Sep 16, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/16/97

to

David Damerell wrote:
>
> BlackIce <esse...@enterprise.net> wrote:
> >David Damerell wrote:
> >>Inability to master something as simple as posting IN 80 FUCKING
> >>COLUMNS, even when told repeatedly, is a flare-lit tip-off too.
> >Repeatedly ? By Whom ?
>
> Me, for one.

Can't remember old bean....

> >Any old excuse for a personal pop eh David ?
> >Take your childish anger elsewhere...I'm not game for it.
>
> What do I have to do to make you format your posts properly? Abseil into
> your office and paint you blue? [1]

Er, well, when I usually reply to a post (or write a new one), I tend to
increase the size of the reply / new mail box. Sometimes, I maximise it,
sometimes I just drag the box to a larger size. Then I start typing.
This reply, I have done neither. When I read people's posts, I always
maximise full screen...
Gee, I didn't realise there was a set way of writing things.
I mean, at work, some users compose and read full screen in Exchange,
others leave the box as it is, and use the scrollbars to scroll left and
right. Who's right ? Who's wrong ? Does it really matter ? To whom ? Why
?

> [1] This practice is (c) Sexbat World Enterprises 1996.

huh ?

Regards,

*********************************************************************
* Sage to Cap'n Brennan, greatest Pirate ever to have lived........ *
* Currently trying to turn him and his crew away from Eris......... *
*********************************************************************

David Damerell

unread,

Sep 17, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/17/97

to

BlackIce <esse...@enterprise.net> wrote:
>David Damerell wrote:
>>What do I have to do to make you format your posts properly? Abseil into
>>your office and paint you blue? [1]
>Er, well, when I usually reply to a post (or write a new one), I tend to
>increase the size of the reply / new mail box. Sometimes, I maximise it,
>sometimes I just drag the box to a larger size. Then I start typing.
>This reply, I have done neither. When I read people's posts, I always
>maximise full screen...
>Gee, I didn't realise there was a set way of writing things.
>I mean, at work, some users compose and read full screen in Exchange,
>others leave the box as it is, and use the scrollbars to scroll left and
>right. Who's right ? Who's wrong ? Does it really matter ? To whom ? Why

Had you bothered to search for some information on USENET before merrily
posting away, you would have discovered news.announce.newusers.
In news.announce.newusers you would have found the following articles:
A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community:
Limit Line Length and Avoid Control Characters.
Try to keep your text in a generic format. Many (if not most) of
the people reading Usenet do so from 80 column terminals or from
workstations with 80 column terminal windows. Try to keep your
lines of text to less than 80 characters for optimal readability.
If people quote part of your article in a followup, short lines will
probably show up better, too.

Rules for posting to Usenet:
In preparing an article, be aware that other people's machines are
not the same as yours. The following is a list of things to keep
in mind:
* Keep your lines under 80 characters, and under 72 if possible (so that
the lines won't get longer than 80 when people include them when
responding to your postings). Most editors have a fill or format mode
that will do this for you automatically. Make sure that it
actually puts ("hard") newline characters into the file, rather
than just wrapping the displayed lines on your screen.

You might also have considered that something was wrapping lines in your
postings to 80 columns (presumably because someone somewhere is not
entirely braindead), and this was why when you posted with longer lines
they came out like this.

blah blah first original line of 100 columns blah blah first original
line of 100 columns blah
blah blah second original line of 100 columns blah blah second original
line of 100 columns blah

>>[1] This practice is (c) Sexbat World Enterprises 1996.
>huh ?

... and never heard of SWE. What shall we do with him?
--
David/Kirsty 'Gotterdammerung' Damerell. dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk
CUWoCS President. http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~damerell/ Hail Eris!
|___| "Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc." Confessed Mecrediphile? |___|
| | | Or, in Klingon: "belDaq maH nucharghbogh chaHvetlh DISop maH." | | |

Jared Earle

unread,

Sep 17, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/17/97

to

In article <5vj79n$b...@bcrkh13.bnr.ca>,
mjoh...@bnr.ca (M JOHNSTON) wrote:

>More painful are the "Really Bad Artists Who Are Convinced They Are The Next
>Da Vinci". I don't think I have the heart to break their wee shells...

They're simple... give them a test breif. Something like "Man running
through the water of a blocked drain, the reflections of a passing car
shattered into shards of recognisable image on the broken surface of the
water" and see how far they get. Also, specify media and say "No biro..."

The other trick I used was to tell them that I'm not the guy they want to
show as I'm the most brutal bast@£$ they've ever met as I'm a failed
illustrator (true) who has a jealous grudge (false) against the less than
perfect and then pick up their portfolios and be really critical. If they
get upset, say you're no worse than any art director you've ever worked
for... ;-)

--
ja...@wizards.com - http://web.ukonline.co.uk/jared.earle/index.html
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth. No truth-handler, you.
Bah! I deride your truth-handling abilities..." Sideshow Bob

Kipper The Heavily Armed Fish

unread,

Sep 17, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/17/97

to

In article <ubx*QR...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>
dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk "David Damerell" writes:

> ... and never heard of SWE. What shall we do with him?

How much does he weigh?

- Aidan

NP: Billy Idol : Dancing With Myself
--
Kipper The Heavily Armed Fish - Bringing Flaming Death To A Spammer Near You
We will win not because of our superior cunning, intellect and wisdom, but
because, while you have lawyers to threaten sysops, we *are* sysops.
Heil the Cabal! Bring on the jack-booted dancing girls!

Rhodri James

unread,

Sep 17, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/17/97

to

BlackIce <esse...@enterprise.net> wrote:

> Gee, I didn't realise there was a set way of writing things.

It's called nettiquette. You did read news.announce.newusers when you
first started reading Usenet, didn't you? Unless, as seems all too
depressingly likely, Exchange doesn't do something as basic as subscribe
you to the required reading automatically.

> I mean, at
> work, some users compose and read full screen in Exchange, others leave
> the box as it is, and use the scrollbars to scroll left and right. Who's

> right ? Who's wrong ? Does it really matter ? To whom ? Why ?

For a start, I wouldn't use Exchange for anything other than internal mail
from other people who only use Exchange. When I do have to use a PC, I run
PINE, which may have a number of bizarre habits but does at least not
render my deathless prose completely unreadable by the rest of the
universe.

Here are a couple of lines showing roughly what
the rest
of us see your posts coming out like (apologies
for the
abysmal English, I've always been bad at padding).
Of
course, your posts hit the full 80-column width of
the
average window. After more than a couple of lines
of this
I'm not usually very inclined to carry on reading
without
the temptation of lucid and well-thought-out text.
Guess
what....

--
Rhodri James *-* Wildebeeste herder to the masses
If you don't know who I work for, you can't misattribute my words to them

... My other car is/was/will be a DeLorean

James Kemp

unread,

Sep 19, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/19/97

to

In article <34235B...@dial.pipex.com>, david <xh...@dial.pipex.com>
writes

>David Damerell wrote:
>>
>> Inability to master something as simple as posting IN 80 FUCKING
>> COLUMNS, even when told repeatedly, is a flare-lit tip-off too.
>

>Dear David
>
>Here is a simple procedure that I have discovered for adjusting those windows
>where the text doesn't wrap
>around quite to my satisfaction. It took me a lot of tries to get right, but I
>think I'm proficient enough now
>to share my expertise.
[..]
>4) After a bit of practice you should be able to make even the most reluctant
>window change size to suit your
>own personal requirements and preferences.

Well my window is maximised & it gets 78 characters on it. Your line
length is longer than that. Therefore I can't read your posts easily & I
don't want to have to scroll at the end of every line.

In being so bloody minded about it you are failing to communicate
effectively with those having lower res screens.

HTH

--
James Kemp
"The penalty bad men pay for failing to participate is to be put out
of the room so they can't even watch" - Kath

BlackIce

unread,

Sep 19, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/19/97

to

Arrrrgh. Stop ! No more! Please!

Crikey....I didn't know it was that bad...yuk.

Apologies to ALL for inducing lucid rabidity when reading my posts.

Just a question....

This is a line of text that will shortly reach the end of the popup wind
<RETURN> ow. Should I press return after the "d" in window ?

How about this little beauty, which I shall allow to wrap around, as
much as it likes, with no RETURNS, or anything iffy.

Which if the two is the RIGHT way ?

Thanks in advance.

--

david

unread,

Sep 19, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/19/97

to

David Damerell wrote:
>

>
> Inability to master something as simple as posting IN 80 FUCKING
> COLUMNS, even when told repeatedly, is a flare-lit tip-off too.

Dear David

Here is a simple procedure that I have discovered for adjusting those windows where the text doesn't wrap
around quite to my satisfaction. It took me a lot of tries to get right, but I think I'm proficient enough now
to share my expertise.

Upon being faced with an offensive window:

1) If you look to the side of your keyboard, you will find a small piece of smooth plastic with some buttons
and a wire attached. This is called a 'mouse'. Take this firmly in one hand.

2) When you move this 'mouse', you will notice a small pointy thing on your computer screen moving around. If
you don't, turn your computer on and try again. This is the 'pointer'. After a while you should be able to get
it to move in the direction which you want. If you can't, call technical support. They should be able to help.

3) Move this 'pointer' to the edge of the window and press the left hand button on the 'mouse'. You should find
that if you move the 'mouse' around whilst holding this down, the window grows and shrinks.

4) After a bit of practice you should be able to make even the most reluctant window change size to suit your
own personal requirements and preferences.

Good luck!

david

David Damerell

unread,

Sep 20, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/20/97

to

david <xh...@dial.pipex.com> wrote:
>David Damerell wrote:
>>Inability to master something as simple as posting IN 80 FUCKING
>>COLUMNS, even when told repeatedly, is a flare-lit tip-off too.

>Here is a simple procedure that I have discovered for adjusting those windows where the text doesn't wrap

[blah]

>3) Move this 'pointer' to the edge of the window and press the left hand button on the 'mouse'. You should find
>that if you move the 'mouse' around whilst holding this down, the window grows and shrinks.

Fine. Now tell me how to do that on a vt320.

[Or, indeed, why I should perpetually be resizing my
windows to read posts by fuckwits who don't read
standards when I can just killfile them?]

*plonk*

--
David/Kirsty 'Gotterdammerung' Damerell. dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk
CUWoCS President. http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~damerell/ Hail Eris!

|___| IV - A Discordian shall Partake of No Hot Dog Buns, for Such was the
| | | Solace of Our Goddess when She was Confronted with The Original Snub.

Kipper The Heavily Armed Fish

unread,

Sep 20, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/20/97

to

In article <34235B...@dial.pipex.com> xh...@dial.pipex.com "david" writes:

> Here is a simple procedure that I have discovered for adjusting those windows

Windows? <confuzled look>

- Aidan

Rob Lally

unread,

Sep 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/21/97

to

In article <T7z*om...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>,
dame...@chiark.greenend.org.uk (David Damerell) writes:

>
>david <xh...@dial.pipex.com> wrote:
>>David Damerell wrote:
>>>Inability to master something as simple as posting IN 80 FUCKING
>>>COLUMNS, even when told repeatedly, is a flare-lit tip-off too.

>>Here is a simple procedure that I have discovered for adjusting those

>windows where the text doesn't wrap
>[blah]
>>3) Move this 'pointer' to the edge of the window and press the left hand
>button on the 'mouse'. You should find
>>that if you move the 'mouse' around whilst holding this down, the window
>grows and shrinks.
>
>Fine. Now tell me how to do that on a vt320.
>
>[Or, indeed, why I should perpetually be resizing my
>windows to read posts by fuckwits who don't read
>standards when I can just killfile them?]
>
>*plonk*

If you have had the killfile facility all along, then why didn't you just
killfile Blackice to start with and avoid this long tedious bicker-fest ( a
new word, add it to your dictionaries folks).

If I had to guess, I'd say that you were taking out the frustration you
feel at your vt320 on the world in general.

Also if you were following correct nettiquete then I believe that you
should be posting under a different thread (either a TAN or a WAS) because
your posts bear not even a smidgeon of relevance to : Re:
Those of us who work in the RPG industry.

Another point, this group is directed at those of all ages, in future
please try to moderate your use of obscenity, foul mouthed (foul typing
fingered?) statements do not impress anyone or help to get your point across.

Rob

david

unread,

Sep 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/21/97

to

Rob Lally wrote:

>
> Another point, this group is directed at those of all ages, in future
> please try to moderate your use of obscenity, foul mouthed (foul typing
> fingered?) statements do not impress anyone or help to get your point across.

seconded.

david

Marcus L. Rowland

unread,

Sep 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/21/97

to

In article <slrn629m9t...@azaal.dircon.co.uk>, Andy Leighton
<an...@azaal.dircon.co.uk> writes
>See the problem? Some people still do read on text based displays.
>I would guess unix text-based news readers still make up a reasonable
>percentage of news readers.

Don't forget all the WebTV users, who must presumably be using 40
columns or less; I don't think 80 columns would be readable on an
ordinary TV set.
--
Marcus L. Rowland
http://www.ffutures.demon.co.uk/
"We are all victims of this slime. They... ...fill our mailboxes with gibberish
that would get them indicted if people had time to press charges"
[Hunter S. Thompson predicts junk e-mail, 1985 (from Generation of Swine)]

david

unread,

Sep 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/21/97

to

Philip Masters wrote:

>
> This is dangerously close to stock failed-writer paranoia. ("I'm as good a
> writer as Them; therefore, They must be conspiring to keep me out.") I'm
> sure that Simon isn't suffering from such a condition, but no-one should
> encourage those who are.
>
> Actually, David Chart has already done a pretty good job of explaining How
> To Get Into The Business. The only thing I'd say is that opinion is divided
> as to the usefulness of writing for magazines. It has launched a few
> careers, but the hassle and delay involved, and the chance of getting
> properly noticed, *may* be disproportionate.

Very true.

If you can't get anything published in magazines, resign yourself to one
of two things; you can't write, or you are going to have to risk losing
your own money to prove your worth. That's right! Self Publishing is
risky, and should only be tried if you genuinely believe that you have
something that is *very* good and will sell. After all, nothing looks
worse than BIGRpg co. asking what you've done in the past and you having
to mention some stuff that didn't sell and is sitting in the remainders
shops around the country for 50p

If you think you cut it, be brave. It might just pay off.

david

Sandra Bond

unread,

Sep 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/21/97

to

In article <EFa2FXA9...@hogshead.demon.co.uk>
Ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk "James Wallis" writes:

> In article <5vj79n$b...@bcrkh13.bnr.ca>, M JOHNSTON <mjoh...@bnr.ca>
> wrote:
> >
> >You have a list like that? so do we....
> >

> >More painful are the "Really Bad Artists Who Are Convinced They Are The Next
> >Da Vinci". I don't think I have the heart to break their wee shells...
>

> In my experience, you MUST break their little shells, or they will
> pester you on a yearly basis about whether you've got a project they can
> work on yet. Before I look at an artist's portfolio I always tell them
> that if we can't use them then I'll tell them at once. And I do. No
> messing; less painless for both of us.
>
> I mean, when an artist has talent you can recognise it. Ten years ago
> Ralph Horsley was doing cartoony stuff for fanzines but you could tell
> he understood what made artwork work. These days he's a god.

Ralph Horsley a god? Ralph Horsley as in "Convert Or Die"?

Jeez.

Sandra
--
# "He never ever learned to read or write so well, but he could #
# play a guitar just like ringing a bell..." -- Chuck Berry #
# "Pity he couldn't play it like a guitar..." -- Ian Gunn #
################# -- San...@ho-street.demon.co.uk -- #################

James Wallis

unread,

Sep 21, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/21/97

to

In article <3425E1...@dial.pipex.com>, david <xh...@dial.pipex.com>
wrote:

>Self Publishing is
>risky, and should only be tried if you genuinely believe that you have
>something that is *very* good and will sell. After all, nothing looks
>worse than BIGRpg co. asking what you've done in the past and you having
>to mention some stuff that didn't sell and is sitting in the remainders
>shops around the country for 50p

Actually you're wrong. There is one thing that looks worse than
admitting that you tried and failed to produce a successful RPG; and
that's being asked what RPG work you've had published in the past and
having to say "Nothing".

Better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all. Or: the
funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you
have done than to regret something you haven't.

James Wallis

unread,

Sep 22, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/22/97

to

In article <874832...@ho-street.demon.co.uk>, Sandra Bond <Sandra@ho-

street.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <EFa2FXA9...@hogshead.demon.co.uk>
> Ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk "James Wallis" writes:
>
>> In article <5vj79n$b...@bcrkh13.bnr.ca>, M JOHNSTON <mjoh...@bnr.ca>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >You have a list like that? so do we....
>> >
>> >More painful are the "Really Bad Artists Who Are Convinced They Are The Next
>> >Da Vinci". I don't think I have the heart to break their wee shells...
>>
>> In my experience, you MUST break their little shells, or they will
>> pester you on a yearly basis about whether you've got a project they can
>> work on yet. Before I look at an artist's portfolio I always tell them
>> that if we can't use them then I'll tell them at once. And I do. No
>> messing; less painless for both of us.
>>
>> I mean, when an artist has talent you can recognise it. Ten years ago
>> Ralph Horsley was doing cartoony stuff for fanzines but you could tell
>> he understood what made artwork work. These days he's a god.
>
>Ralph Horsley a god? Ralph Horsley as in "Convert Or Die"?

Yup, that Ralph. Now inking comic books and doing some of the most
gorgeous cartography you have ever seen. He also has some very lovely
piercings these days.

Oh, and he has an email account. So he may be reading this.

(Why does nobody ever say "James Wallis as in 'Sound and Fury'?", eh?
Eh?)

ASHLEY JOHN SOUTHCOTT

unread,

Sep 22, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/22/97

unread,

Sep 23, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/23/97

to

In article <nCVk1bA6...@hogshead.demon.co.uk>,
James Wallis <Ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> (Why does nobody ever say "James Wallis as in 'Sound and Fury'?", eh?
> Eh?)

Because the obvious response is "James Wallis, who?"

Much better to be the "James Wallis who republished Warhammer Fantasy
Roleplay". Some of us, however, do remember what was in you smalls (ads,
that is, in WD).

Ian

Ian Marsh
or...@hotmail.com
It's 2359, I'm in Chene Ho, and it's raining.

Ian Marsh

unread,

Sep 23, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/23/97

to

In article <xP4xmQAO...@hogshead.demon.co.uk>,
James Wallis <Ja...@hogshead.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> Better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all. Or: the
> funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you
> have done than to regret something you haven't.

Now there's a man with a lot of experience in the matter.

Ken Walton

unread,

Sep 23, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/23/97

to

In article <3426A4...@aber.ac.uk>, ASHLEY JOHN SOUTHCOTT
<ah...@aber.ac.uk> writes

>James Wallis wrote:
>>(Why does nobody ever say "James Wallis as in 'Sound and Fury'?", eh?
>> Eh?)
>

>Because everyone's forgotten it? Well, it was a long time ago - and

>besides, is being universally known as James 'Sound and Fury' Wallis
>isn't such a claim to fame as James 'Bizarre Magazine' Wallis...

But both are more snappy than James "GM's Screen and Reference Pack"
Wallis...

--
Ken Walton

Rhodri James

unread,

Sep 25, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/25/97

to

rho...@wildebst.demon.co.uk (Rhodri James) wrote:

> Going to email, since we're getting needlessly technical :-)

That worked well, didn't it. :-(

--
Rhodri James *-* Wildebeeste herder to the masses
If you don't know who I work for, you can't misattribute my words to them

... TANSTAAFL