Vintage UK RPG Fanzines: Update May 7th, 2004
Brian Christopher Misiaszek
This ongoing project to alphabetically list all vintage UK RPG zines,
fanzines and now prozines, has increased to about *300* different
titles by last count.
Special thanks to Brett Easterbrook, Vivienne Dunstan, Paul Mason,
James Wallis, Nick Middleton, Brian Duguid, and all others who have
written to me with their additions and their corrections for this
current update.
Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their help so far, and
would appreciate any further corrections, additions, clarifications,
helpful advice, etc. that you can provide, especially for those titles
for which nothing is known other than their name.
Finally, I'm always on the lookout for example fanzines (original or
photocopies) for personal review. If you can help out, please drop me
a line!
::Brian::
***************************************************
**********Vintage UK RPG Zines************
*******Updated as of May 7th, 2004*******
***************************************************
*Fanzines*
The Acolyte [ed. Pete Tamlyn; initially Southhampton University
club-zine under the name The Apocalypse for the first 5 issues before
the name change (note separate zine of same name]; FRP and diplomacy
zine; 60 issues (Jan 1980 – Aug 1985).
Adventurer's Anonymous [ed. Richard Stitson]
Aerial Servant
Alice [ed. Richard Campbell; re-launch of This Way Up]
Alien Star [ed. D.W. Hockham; Traveller zine; 9 issues beginning 1981]
Amulet [ed. Richard Henderson with Alex Bardy]
Angel [ed. Brian Duguid; one issue (see Blue Shaboo)]
The Apocalypse [ed.?; different zine than the one that eventually
became The Acolyte]
The Arbalest [ed. Paul Slusarewicz; Stormbringer, Call of Cthulhu, Dr.
Who RPG, and other RPGs covered; not to be confused with the anarchist
zine of the same name]
ArgleBargle [ed. Simon Lindsay; started of in LSD as a sub-zine then
became a zine in its own right before evolving into The Brothers Grim]
Aslan [ed. Andrew Rilstone & Martin Wykes,13 issues, with many
sub-zines; RPG theory
philosophy, speculation & commentary; highly regarded]
Atu XVIII [ed. Trevor Mendham; FRP, discussion and dip-zine]
Backstabbers United Monthly [BUM] [ed. Malcolm Cornelius; started off
as an En Garde! and Diplomacy gamezine, with other RPGs added; 1988-]
Balrog Banter [ed. Paul Evens; hardware RPG zine with a supplement
each issue to accompany the scenario]
The Bat
Beaumains [ed. Gareth Jones; devoted to Pendragon RPG and things
Arthurian; 6 issues]
The Beholder [ed. Guy Duke & Mike Stoner, later Nicholas Scales; A5
format, very slick, 1979-?; later revived into The New Beholder]
Black Freighter [ed. Paul Williams]
Black Mole [ed. Ian Creasey]
Black Knight [ed. Angela Times]
Black Rider [ed. Gavin Carver]
Blood Guts & Beer [Runequest]
Blue Shaboo [ed. Brian Duguid; chat, perzine and "rolegame" zine;
sequential issues had new names in alphabetical order, with issue #1
(A) really being called Angel, issue B being Blue Shaboo , C being
Centurian. Then it went with D with Dear Whoever; E was Everything You
Always Wanted To Know About Shaboos but Were Afraid to Ask; F was
Finale; issue G (title unknown) ; issue H was L Ron Hubbard Fanclub
Newsletter, issue I was If In Doubt; there were further in the series
but increasingly detached from the original zine concept]
Bohemian Rhapsody [ed. Malcolm Smith; RPG and dipzine]
Bone of Contention [ed. Steven Rawlinson & Fergus Selby]
A Bolt from the Blue [ed. Ken Bain]
The Booklet of Many Things [ed. Mark Beresford]
Boris [ed. Dave Murray & Chris Preist]
Borkelby's Folly [ed. Ray Gillham; Jorune RPG zine]
Brick in the Face [ed. Fergus Selby]
The Brothers Grimm [ed. Simon Lindsay]
The Bubonic Plagiarist
Carnel [ed. Robert Rees, 1994- current as of 2004; one of very few
active UK RPG zines today]
Cassandra [ed. Anthony Bourke & Damien Maddalena; RPG chat zine with
diplomacy waiting lists; 8 issues, Sept 1985 - Aug 1986]
Centurian ["sequel" to Blue Shaboo #2]
Cerebreton [ed. Alex Bardy, mostly SF RPGs]
Chimaera [ed. Clive Booth; highly respected diplomacy zine that also
ran postal En Garde! and D&D; 103 issues, May 1975 to July 1983]
Citizens of Grenada [ed. Andrew Meek]
Codpiece [ed. Ralph Horsley, 10+ issues, originally Convert or Die]
Conflict of Chaos
Controversial Repertoires of an Alcoholic Prat [ed. Bob Topley;
1985-?]
Crimson Steel [ed. Andy Warner, one issue]
Cruel Worlds [ed. M. Donkersley; 1985-?]
Cult of Anubis [ed. N.J. Booth]
Cut and Thrust [ed. Derek Wilson]
Dagon [ed. Carl T. Ford; Call of Cthulhu; 27 issues, 19??-1990,
special revival issue pending 2004; first issue available online as a
pdf]
Danse Macabre [ed. Rik Rowe, Horror RPGs]
Dark Elf
Dark Star [ed.?; Traveller zine; 5 issues]
Daughters of Dool [ed. Bob Jackson; RPG and perzine]
Dead Elf [ed. Andrew Fisher; hardware and ideas for an Asterix RPG;
also included "Isozine", a perzine]
Death's Dance Taken Slowly [ed. Brian Dolton,?13 issues, RPG theory]
Delusions of Grandeur [ed. Nathan Cubitt, with Mike Blake & Paul
Duncanson; 1988-1995, 4 issues plus a one shot, compilation "Best Of"
published in 2002 and edited Robert Rees of "Carnal"]
Demon Issue
Demon's Blood [ed.?; 5 issues]
Demons Drawl [ed. Jeremy Nuttall & others including Dave Robinson and
Nick Edwards; RPG & PBM, covered material about their campaign world
Galadra, later split away and renamed Telegraph Road]
Descending Darkness [ed.?; 3 issues, Call of Cthulhu]
Destiny [ed. E. Rackstraw; SF RPGs]
Dig My Dogma [ed. Mark Wisher]
Dimension Zero [ed. Bryn Thomas]
Dispatch It [ed.?; Windsor & Maidenhead RPG Groups clubzine]
DOOL [ed. Bob Jackson; formerly Daughters of DOOL]
Doombook of Chaos [ed. Jonathon P Irwin (Des) & Brandon Bennett
(Brad)]
Doomed Dwarves Journal [ed. Gavin White]
Dragonfire
Dragonlords [eds. Marc Gascoigne, Mike Lewis & Ian Marsh]
Dragonlore [Alexander Hildyard, at least 6 issues]
Dragon's Breath [ed. Warren Barnes]
Dross
Drune Kroll [eds. Justin Horrell and Iain Bowen, RPG hardware, 3
issues]
Durin's Bane [ed.?, 1986-?]
Eh? [ed. Alex Bardy]
Eidolon [ed. Mark Jones; Cthulhu & PBM Sopwith, etc.; successor to
Sacrificing the Goat]
Elsewhere [ed. Mark Wadey; RPGs, PBMs, books, films & comics]
Exeunt [ed. Ben Goodale]
Explorer [ed. Brian Cowan, 1985-?]
Explosive Rune
Eye of All Seeing Wonder [ed. Dave Morris, then Steve Foster; Tekumel
& Empire of the Petal Throne]
Fantasia [ed. Gerard Birkhill; RPG reviews]
Fantastic Scenarios (ed Guy Duke; TBH Fanzine Supplement, 5 issues ?;
reprinted scenarios from The Beholder zine)
Fantasy Tomb [ed. Andrew Thompson; ?1 issue]
Fat Knite [ed. Steve Blincoe; cost 70p]
The Fiery Cross [ed. Tom Stacey; RPGs & films]
Fire and Water [ed. Andrew Hill]
First Strike [ed. M. Clarke]
FIST [ed.?; short for *F*anzine L*ist*]
Flames of Albion
Floating World [ed.?; FGU RPGs]
Fusions [ed. Warwick University SF&F Society, thoughtful RPG
discussion]
Games Gazette [ed. Chris Baylis; A4, 32 pages, cost 60p]
Glamdring
Glarg [ed. Steven Hampson]
Grav Gauss and Pods Rifles [RPG clubzine of York U. SF&F club; renamed
"Grave Podes and Grouse Trifles" after issue 3]
Greatest Hits [ed. Pete Birks; 122+ issues; chat, review, games]
Grimlord
Grim Reaper [ed. Geraint Davies; Tunnels & Trolls]
Grimtooth's Friends [ed.?]
Green Goblin [ed. John Breakwell; chat zine]
Ground Zero
The Guilder
Hacking Times [ed. Dylan Harris]
Harvest Time [ed. Martin Veart]
Hellfire [ed. A.S. Lilly]
Hits To Kill [ed. Domenic de Bechi]
Hocus Pocus [ed. by Paul "Pum" Holman, three issues, starting #0]
Holy Avenger [ed.?, 1986-?]
Hopscotch [ed. Alan Parr]
Horse Manure [ed. S. Cooper, 1986-?]
Hounds of Avalar
I Don't Wanna go Back in the Box [ed. John J. Smith; ? first issue #5]
Illusionist's Vision
Imazine [ed. Paul Mason, ?-2003, and still published/available online;
game theory, reviews and thoughtful articles; archived at British
Library; highly regarded]
Immoral Minority [ed. Peter Wilkinson]
The Impaler [ed. Mark Stockton; "systemless fanzine"]
Inflammatory Material [ed. Simon Billenness, perzine with some RPG
content]
Instant Karma [ed. James Wallis]
Intellect Devourer [ed. Dave Hughes; A5, 48 pages, cost 70p; issue 6
is Prisoner special; covered W40K, Paranoia, CoC, Judge Dredd and
Runequest]
Into the Darkness [ed. Nick Price]
Iron Orchid [ed. Nick Edwards, 8+ issues, RPG & PBMs]
Iskra [ed. Tom Conway, music and RPG zine]
IT
It's Clobbering Time [eds. Andrew de Salis, Steve Weekes; superhero
RPGs; 2 issues]
Ivory Tower [Geoff Dean, Yasser & Akram el Gabry, ? 8 issues, Golden
Heroes, Runequest, and Traveller hardware, modules and articles; issue
6 team up with "Sound and Fury" #5]
Ivory, Peacocks and Apes [eds. Pete Lindsay and Gavin Greig started
mid 1990s, 2 issues, probably on permanent hiatus]
The Jester [ed. Alex Mosley; A5, 42 pages, 50p; described as "A games
zine by gamers for gamers"]
Journal of the Senseless Carnage Society [ed. Simon Hartley; 1983-?,
17+ issues]
Kirkwood [ed. Adam El-Badini]
Lac Ta [ed Tim Eccles; Farscape RPG Zine 2003]
Lankhmar Star Daily [LSD] [ed. Rob Nott; 28+ issues; RPG / Chat /
Music / fiction - incl interactive RPG Fiction "Hurry on a Sundown"
which continued in The Brothers Grim.]
Living the Orclife [ed. C.E. Nurse; less of a zine than a serialized
RPG]
Lokasenna [ed. Brian Dolton; long running zine, mostly dipzine; 22+
issues; 1982-?]
Mad Policy [ed. Richard Walkerdine; started life as hardcore dipzine]
Making Moves [ed. ?; Warhammer FRP, Call of Cthulhu and other RPGs]
Manic Depressive [ed. Nick Edwards]
The Martian Chronicles [ed. M. Wall]
Miser's Hoard [ed. John McKeown; 6+ issues]
Monsterus Perversion
Moronica Ripsnore [ed. Gordon Mclennan, Scottish]
My Father Killed a Man [ed. Jez Keen; one off zine, contains the
Dreamscape-like RPG "Carnations and Razorblades"]
Mystic Crystal [? ed Jason Kingsley]
Nemesis [ed. Tim Hyde]
The New Beholder [ed?; A4 format when revived from the ashes of The
Beholder]
New Fusions [University of Warwick SF & Fantasy Society clubzine]
News From Bree [Ed Hartley Patterson, 20+ issues, started as a Tolkien
fanzine in pre-D&D days]
Next Stop Jupiter [ed. Jez Keen; gaming and perzine]
Nightflyer [ed. Tim Harford, and various others; Oxford University RPG
Society clubzine]
NMR! [ed. Ken Bain and Brian Creese's; primarily a dipzine, but
articles about magic in D&D, postal D&D, etc.; very long running
1979-1992 and over 137 issues before being turned over into pure
dipzine Spring Offensive]
Norst Claw
Now Eat the Rabbit [NERTZ] [ed. William Whyte; mostly personal & PBM
Irish zine with some RPG famous for it's unusual formats (infamous
"Moebius strip" issue, and another one wrapped about a plastic spoon);
at least 76 issues, last issue ~1993]
Obscurity Inc [ed. Tony Keen to issue 6, then Alexei Macdonald]
Obsidian Rex Quarterly [ed. P. Adams]
Ode [ed. John Marsden; dipzine & gaming perzine]
Oracle of Almost All Knowledge
Orc's Revenge [alternatively ed. Gavin Cameron and/or M. Hanson]
Orc Torc
Origin of Tree Worship [ed. Tim Eccles; WFRP zine 2002-]
Outlore [eds. Neil Watson & Richard Gaskill; first issue 1987]
Out of the Mist [ed. Jason Kingsly; merger of Shadowfire/Mystic
Crystal]
Palantir
Pandemonium [ed. Matthew de Monti; horror, comics, roleplaying]
Pavic Tales [ed.?; Runequest 3rd edition fanzine]
perChance [ed. Jim Johnston; Irish]
Pink Elephant [ed. Andrew Bonwick]
Polaris [ed. Simon Prest; 1 issue, 1987, Call of Cthulhu]
Prisoner's Of War [eds. Wallace Nicoll & Doug Rowling]
Protoplasm
Punt & Pass
Psychobabble [Irish]
Quasits & Quasars [ed. David Hulks]
Rage in Eden [ed. Richard Mumford]
Rapscallion [ed. Steve Norledge]
Raven [ed. Gaven Ewing]
RCM [ed. Simon Ford, 1986-?]
Read Pheasant Throughout [ed. Nick Eden; Runequest, roleplaying and
comics; 2 issues]
Red Giant [eds. Thomas Haine & Toby Branfoot; mimeographed, RPG
modules and articles; not to be confused with the short lived RPG
prozine of the same name from the early 1990s that lasted a couple of
issues only]
Red Shift [ed. Jez Keen, more of a perzine with creative writing and
RPG ideas, one issue]
Roleplaying [? ed. Joe Deckchair]
Die Rubezahl [ed. Pete Blanchard, sequel to Monstrous Perversion)
Runeriter [ed. Neil Smith; Runequest RPG]
Runestone [ed. Bill Lucas and Nick Edwards]
Runezine [ed.?]
Sacrificing the Goat [ed. Mark Jones; succeeded by "Eidolon"]
Sarceen's Knowledge [ed.? 1 issue, Sky Realms of Jorune]
Sauce of the Nile [ed. Malcolm Smith; rebirth of Bohemian Rhapsody,
published in Antwerp Belgium]
SCAN
School for Scandal [ed. Trevor Mendham; RPG hobby-news zine]
Secrets of the Koan [ed. Trevor Mendham?; University of Warwick
clubzine]
Seventh Sin of the Salamander [ed. Jonathan Laidlow]
SEWARS [ed. Chris Baylis]
Shadowfire [ed. Richard Lee]
Shatter [ed. Peter Wainwright; 1990-]
Shire Talk [ed.?]
Skullcrusher [ed. Richard Langrish and others; RPG hardware and other
crunchy bits]
Slave [ed. Sheldon Bayley; reviews other zines]
Snot Rag [ed.?, 1987-?]
Sound & Fury [ed. James Wallis; "Sound & Fury" #5/"Ivory Tower"#6
team up issue]
Space Operations [ed. Brian Scott, Space Opera & other FGU games]
Spawn of Chaos
Spectral Vision [ed. Mark McLean]
Spit 4 [ed. D. Evens]
Spitting From the Battlements
Starquester [ed. Mark Oswin]
Starships, Starports and Vehicles [ed.?; Traveler zine, 12 issues]
Start up [ed. Ian Lacey, PBM zine]
Stielkrieg
Storm Lord [ed.?; 15 issues]
Storm Ruler [Storm Lord v.2]
Superhero UK [originally ed. Simon Burley, and later Jonathan Clark;
RPG articles and modules which covered mostly Golden Heroes (created
by Burley) and Champions; 20 issues]
Superzine [ed. Matt Williams; 1 issue?, super hero zine]
Swansea With Me [v1, ed. Matt Williams, sequel to "Tales from
Tanelorn", not to be confused with...Swansea With Me [v2, ed. Alex
Zbyslaw, chat zine, published at the same time as the above]
Swordplay
Take That You Fiend [ed. J. Harrington, Kevin Warne; Tunnels & Trolls]
Tales After Dark
Tales from Tanelorn [ed. Matt Williams]
Tales of the Reaching Moon [ed. David Hall; emphasis on Glorantha
rather than being a Runequest zine, 20 issues; 19??-2003]
Telegraph Road [ed. Jeremy Nuttall, formerly Demon's Drawl]
The Team Up [A5, 40 pages; fanzine to highlight the following fanzines
(Fat Knife by Steve Blincoe, Dig My Dogma by Mark Wilsher & Pink
Elephant by Andrew Bonwick)]
Tempestuous Orifice [ed. Chris Davies]
The Thing that Came from the Dungheap [ed. Michael Duggan]
This Way Up
Thunderstruck [ed. Tim Kalvis, RPGs & related media]
Thunderwind [ed. John Dalziel & Paul Dawson; first issue #0]
Tome of Horrors [ed. Gordon Moir]
Tortured Souls [ed. A & J Hickling and J Barrett, 12 issues, 1983-86,
adventure modules (D&D/AD&D/RQ) and solo adventures using unique
mapping system]
Tortured Souls [ed,?; small sized, 2 issues; not to be confused with
above Tortured Souls Mag 12 issues large size)
Torturers Apprentice [ed. Andrew Robinson]
The Torturer's Apprentice 2
Totally Zane [ed. Linda Little, mostly perzine, with some PBM and
RPGs]
Tragsnart [ed. Jon ?; subzine in Dool, and others; and also an online
version with reviews of other vintage zines]
Trizine
Trojan Horse [ed. Andy Evans, diplomacy zine with D&D chat]
Tunnel Talk [ed. Simon Hanks, T&T Zine, Team up Tunnel talk 4 and
Pandemonium #14)
20 Years On [ed. Simon Billeness, Ian Shaw; reviews of many UK RPG
zines, dubbed "The Fanzine Buyer's Guide"]
Twinworld [ed. Mike Straaten, AD&D and Traveller]
Ultimatum [ed. Thomas Lynton; A5, 32 pages, cost 50p; issue 5 SF
special]
Underworld Oracle [ed(s) Lou Nisbet & Phil Alexander; 7 issues, the
first 6 are small, the 7th is magazine sized (it also seems the issues
1-6 were reprinted as a pocket sized editions??)]
Utter Drivel [ed. Ben Goodale; chat postal RPG zine; #7 is a team up
with Tome of Horrors #7 & Moronica Ripsnore #3; #12+1 is a team up
with Moronica Ripsnore]
Vacuous Grimoire [ed.?; more than one issue?]
Verbal Diarrhoea
Vollmond [ed. Andre Paine]
Voom Vat
The Wanderer
Warped Sense of Humor [ed. Julie Glig]
Wereman [ed. James Wallis; 9 issues, 1982-84, RPG hardware]
The Westron [ed.?, news of a D&D postal campaign]
The Whisperer [ ed. Mike Mason; devoted to all things Call of Cthulhu,
~1999-2000;? More than 2 issues]
White Elephant [ed.?; Irish, sequel to The Guilder]
White Rabbit [ed. Maurice Thomas]
White Shadow
The Wild Hunt [US APA-zine, with UK contributors]
Wolvesbane [ed. Jon French, AD&D]
Wotsit [ed. Paul Mason, nickname applied to a series of one off titles
that eventually evolved into Imazine by the seventh issue in the
series; previous titles included #1 'The Pete Tamlyn Fanclub
Newsletter', #2 'Brian Dolton's Book of Flower Pressing', #3 'Ian
Marsh's Adventure Gaming Ideas(Novice Edition)', #4 'Rolegaming', #5
'Wanderings of This Stupid Imbecilic Twit' (to take advantage of the
nickname), and #6 is the Imagine parody]
The Writings of a Converted Wraith
Wyrm's Claw [ed.?; Glorantha zine; at least 16 issues]
Yardsticks and Yarns [ed. Guy Robinson; online version, ? one issue
~2000]
ZadragorZette [ed. Michael Jacobs; covered editor's "Zadragor" fantasy
campaign; ten year run]
***************************************************************************************************************
*UK Prozines/Semi-Prozines*
Adventurer [ed. Ste Dillon and published by Mersey Leisure Publishing
from April 1986 to June/July 1987, often bimonthly, but issues 6-10
came out every month, from January through to May 1987; 11 issues;
evolved into The Scribe]
arcane [ed. by various, with Dan Joyce as final editor, Future
Publishing; glossy prozine, 19 issues from December 1995-June 1997;
broad RPG coverage, and other games including CCGs; many articles
translated into the French RPG prozine Backstab, which was a licensed
version of arcane]
Concepts
Diceman [ed.?; interactive comic book containing several
fighting-fantasy type adventures; 5 issues,]
Elsewhere
The Excellent Prismatic Spray [ed. Jim Webster, published by Simon
Rogers and Pelgrane Publishing; irregular adventure supplement devoted
to Pelgrane's Dying Earth RPG; at least three issues, elegant
non-glossy format]
Fantasy Chronicles [Irish prozine; 8 issues]
Fantazia
The Fugitive [ed.?; published by Fugitive Games; 8 issues]
Future Roleplaying
Gamesman
Games and Puzzles [glossy prozine with some RPG content/coverage (ie.
one article/issue)]
Games International [ed.?; mostly (German) board-games but with a
monthly column on RPGs written by Paul Mason]
Games Master International [GMI] [ed.?; publisher?; 15 issues]
Games Review Monthly
GM [ed.?; publisher?; dubbed itself "The Independent Fantasy
Roleplaying Magazine"; at least 17 issues, from September 1988- ?
1990]
Imagine [ed. Keith Thompson and Paul Cockburn; published by TSR UK
Ltd; glossy, April 1983-September 1985, 30 issues + 1 special
"Pelinore" issue that came out in 1984]
The Last Province [ed.?; 5 issues]
Interactive Fantasy [IF] (initially INTER*ACTION)[ed. Andrew Rilstone;
published by James Wallis; RPG theory and commentary; highly
recommended]
Mektek [ed. Ashley Watkins; Glossy card cover, and dubbed as
""Quarterly Zine of
Battle Suit Warfare"; covered Battletech and its Mechwarrior RPG
offshoots; at least four issues, 1988-1990+]
Polyhedron UK [8 issues]
The Power
Proteus [ed.?; publisher?; another magazine like Diceman, with a solo
adventure in each issue; 20 issues]
Que [ed.?; 1 issue only; mostly RPG reviews]
Red Giant [ed.?; glossy prozine, 3 issues only]
Reviewer [ed?; 1 issue only]
Role Player Independent [RPI] [ed. David Renton; issues 15 and 16
edited by Lynne Patterson; published by Chris Hankins, Sybiosis
Publishing Ltd; early 90s glossy prozine]
The Scribe [editor Caroline Stuckey; glossy bimonthly, devoted mainly
to LARPS; ? active]
Signs and Portents [ed. Ian Barstow; published by Mongoose Publishing
and covers their RPGs only (Slaine, Judge Dredd, Conan, Babylon 5,
etc.); 2003-ongoing, at least 9 issues]
White Dwarf [ed. Ian Livingstone et al., & published by Games Workshop
(GW); 1979- ongoing; early RPG prozine and GW house-organ that grew
out of the news-sheet Owl and Weasel; personal ads were an early
postal internet for the UK zine hobby until they were unexpectedly
stopped by editorial policy in 1987; issues 1-100 are considered to be
canon to RPG enthusiasts as GW stopped covering RPGs and concentrated
on covering their own miniatures games at about that point,
essentially turning the magazine into a monthly figures catalog;
reprints exist of the rare first two issues, caveat emptor…]
Valkyrie [ed.?, published by Partizan Press; 28 issues; long running
British RPG glossy magazine published at irregular intervals; ? still
being published]
Visions
Warlock [ed. Peter Darvill-Evans, then Steve Williams (subsequently
assisted by Paul Mason), and when GW moved to Nottingham, Marc
Gascoigne took over as editor. Published first by Penguin and later
by Games Workshop; glossy, devoted to game-books and Fighting Fantasy,
but also covered some RPG material and reviews; 13 issues in English
language edition, and 50 issues for Japanese]
Warpstones [ed. John Foody & John Kean; Warhammer Fantasy Role
Playing; £4.50 per issue, three issues yearly; semi-prozine which was
later distributed by Hogshead Publishing (~ issues 9/10) and a "best
of" issues also published by them; editorial staff also put out an
irregular newsletter called "Legion"]
***************************************************************************************************************
*ApaZines*
Alarums & Excursions [A&E] [ed. Lee Gold, aka "A&E", monthly US
APA-zine with many UK and other international contributors, started in
1975, and active as of 2004 having missed only *one* month during this
extremely lengthy run; at least 20% UK submitted content each issue]
drunk & disorderly [ed. Pete Lindsay; RPG APA-zine; 33 issues,
1979-88]
Hyperactive [ed. Nick Edwards; APA Zine aimed at helping "Newcomers"
to zine editing]
Lion & Lamb Chronicles [ed. Ragnar Fyri; Norwegian APA-zine with UK
contributors]
Trollcrusher [ed. David Row & John Baillie; APA-zine; 29 issues]
***************************************************************************************************************
*Mail Order newsletters*
Black Sun [ed. Steve Williams; Games Workshop mail order zine A5,
unstapled]
Fallout [ed.?, Ground Zero Games, A5 format; producers of SF vehicles
and accessories]
Owl & Weasel [eds. Ian Livingstone & Steve Jackson; February
1975-1977, 25 issues, forerunner of "White Dwarf"; newsletter
published by Games Workshop for their mail order business, with game
reviews and notes]
***************************************************************************************************************
Abbreviations used:
APAzine=Amateur Press Association fanzine
Clubzine=games club fanzine
dipzine=Diplomacy fanzine
perzine=personal fanzine
prozine=professional magazine
subzine= smaller submission inside a compilation zine
Paul Mason
Misiaszek) wrote:
>Games International [ed.?; mostly (German) board-games but with a
>monthly column on RPGs written by Paul Mason]
Oops, should have mentioned it: Ed. Brian Walker. And that monthly
column was _edited_ by Paul Mason. I wrote as little as I could.
Cheers
Paul
Pookie
"Brian Christopher Misiaszek" <mis...@mcmaster.ca> wrote in message
news:89021c84.04050...@posting.google.com...
> Vintage UK RPG Zines: Update May 7th, 2004
>
> This ongoing project to alphabetically list all vintage UK RPG zines,
> fanzines and now prozines, has increased to about *300* different
> titles by last count.
>
3 issues.
> Sarceen's Knowledge [ed.? 1 issue, Sky Realms of Jorune]
edited by Alexander Blair
Brian Christopher Misiaszek
Does anyone have *any* information on the following UK Prozines and Semi-Prozines?
> Concepts
> Elsewhere
> Fantasy Chronicles [Irish prozine; 8 issues]
> Fantazia
> Future Roleplaying
> Gamesman
> The Power
> Que [ed.?; 1 issue only; mostly RPG reviews]
> Reviewer [ed?; 1 issue only]
> Visions
::Brian::
Phil Masters
<t...@timellis.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>> Concepts
>
>A4, held together with one of those triangular clip thingys, lasted
>around 3-4 issues. The man behind it was, IIRC Max someone, who
>apparently vanished without trace when the thing folded
Long as that? I took out a sub after picking up issue 2 in a shop, and
it promptly vanished without trace, never to be heard of again.
Contributing greatly to my cynicism about the stupidity of giving RPG
magazines one's money on any basis of trust, I'm afraid.
Credited editor was "Max Van Owen", which was later claimed in my
earshot to be the name of the real editor's Traveller PC.
Did have one quite promising cartoon strip...
>>> Fantazia
>
>Unless I am confusing this with another similarly named magazine, I
>thought this was a more general SF/Fantasy media magazine with Nesstand
>distribution (eg WH Smiths)
Yes, and it was never great and slumped very badly quite quickly. But
it included a certain amount about superhero RPGs, mostly but not all
drawn from the pages of the by-then-defunct *Superhero UK* - and it
carried some articles of mine in its early issues...
>>> The Power
Published by Hobbygames Ltd. circa 1997. I'm not sure if it lasted
more than a couple of issues. Editor rumoured not to know anything at
all about games, tried to make it into some kind of mutant
geek-lad-mag. Despite the sterling efforts of one or two respected UK
professionals (not me this time), is best remembered as the magazine
which had not only to be given away free, but to be inserted in
victim's shopping bags by stealth or force.
>>> Visions
>
>This was the last freat hope for a "traditional" prozine, after Arcane
>folded. It was put together by someone involved in one of the home
>computer magazines (Atari?) and was going to have news stand
>distribution. It ceased publication very rapidly (I'm not sure it made
>it as far as two issues, I'm sure it never reached 3!)
Lasted two issues, and the second didn't achieve much circulation.
Shame; this one was genuinely quite good, but grossly misjudged in
marketing terms.
--
Phil Masters http://www.philm.demon.co.uk
Consternation: RPG Convention, Cambridge, 2005:
http://www.consternation.org.uk/
Tim Ellis
>On Sun, 16 May 2004 14:38:29 +0100, Tim Ellis
><t...@timellis.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> Concepts
>>
>>A4, held together with one of those triangular clip thingys, lasted
>>around 3-4 issues. The man behind it was, IIRC Max someone, who
>>apparently vanished without trace when the thing folded
>
>Long as that? I took out a sub after picking up issue 2 in a shop, and
>it promptly vanished without trace, never to be heard of again.
I thought it made it at least as far as 3, but I may be misremembering
>Contributing greatly to my cynicism about the stupidity of giving RPG
>magazines one's money on any basis of trust, I'm afraid.
I was beginning to suspect that the rule was that a magazine would last
just long enough for me to subscribe rather than buy over the counter...
>
>Credited editor was "Max Van Owen", which was later claimed in my
>earshot to be the name of the real editor's Traveller PC.
>
I did think I had heard that there was something about a psedonominous
(is that a word?) editor, but I didn't recall the details. I also have
a vague feeling that it was midlands based, but that may also be a
faulty memory
>Did have one quite promising cartoon strip...
>>>> The Power
>
>Published by Hobbygames Ltd. circa 1997. I'm not sure if it lasted
>more than a couple of issues. Editor rumoured not to know anything at
>all about games, tried to make it into some kind of mutant
>geek-lad-mag. Despite the sterling efforts of one or two respected UK
>professionals (not me this time), is best remembered as the magazine
>which had not only to be given away free, but to be inserted in
>victim's shopping bags by stealth or force.
>
Oh yes, I'd nearly managed to forget that. It made "Games Unplugged"
look alike a good RPG magazine...
--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tim Ellis EMail t...@timellis.demon.co.uk |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Phil Masters
<t...@timellis.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>> Concepts
> ...
>I thought it made it at least as far as 3, but I may be misremembering
If it did, I neither saw it nor received my sub copy.
>>Credited editor was "Max Van Owen", which was later claimed in my
>>earshot to be the name of the real editor's Traveller PC.
>>
>
>I did think I had heard that there was something about a psedonominous
>(is that a word?) editor, but I didn't recall the details. I also have
>a vague feeling that it was midlands based, but that may also be a
>faulty memory
"Pseudonymous". (Possibly in breach of company law, according to
someone to whom they owed money, I seem to recall.)
Editorial address in Birmingham. Credits to a Sheffield Uni RPG
society. Tres Midlands.
I could trawl through my unorganised boxes of old RPG mags and answer
more of these questions, I guess, but frankly, even this much effort
has proved too depressing (as well as a bit boring). Like political
careers, the stories of UK RPG magazines all end in failure; when one
looks back at the damned things, one can often see exactly why.
H. Barker
On 16 May 2004, Brian Christopher Misiaszek wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Does anyone have *any* information on the following UK Prozines and Semi-Prozines?
>
> > Elsewhere
Hi Brian,
As an assistant editor at the time it was in press (all four or five
issues of it!), I might be able to give you some info. I wish dearly I
still had the issues, but alas I think they went the way of Tunnels &
Trolls (only not quite as popular!).
H