2 3 till SPAEE GAmER WHY SCIENCE FICTION DRIFTS: progress or innovations after coming FEEDBACK ON YOUR FEEDBACK AN EDITORIAL under control of its non-gaming credi­ The feedback on issue #1 TSG arti­ tors. SPI, that's James Dunnigan, Anyone who's been a s-f fan for a cles showed a few things we didn't Issue #2 BO~ started big in 1970, and has made all quite expect. It's clear that at this number of years is aware of the limited the real change and growth in the con­ range of products for the science fic­ time the main differen-e between our flict gaming hobby for five years. readers is science fiction versus game THE SPACE GAMER is published tion enthusiast. Since s-f is a signi­ Conflict gaming went, SPI still is, quarterly by Metagaming Concepts, ficant, imaginative aspect of many peo­ interests, not game inexperience versus through two periods of rapid progress game experience, as we'd supposed. As Austin, Texas. ple's lives, the limited material is when dominated by two entrepreneurs who ~ a serious frustration. S-f fans have can be seen in the tabulation, the four Copyright 1975@by were themselves deeply involved in the game-related items rated highest and Ccn::eps. All rights reserved. little more than a few magazines, an hobby. Science fiction, despite con­ occasional movie, and books for their had a markedly lower number of 1,2, Printed inU.S.A. siderably broader appeal, has drifted and 3 scores. The non-game material enjoyment. And for those with suffi­ and languished. The difference, I cient commitment, time and money there had significally more low scores which think, is in the people who run the shows a definitely favoring of game­ CONTENTS are conventions. Events like "Star product production. No s-f fan con­ Trek" and "Space 1999" are welcome mass related material on the average. But, trols a s-f literature company, so the note in the table that the Eldon Tan­ 2 ..• Why S-F Drifts: An Editorial t.v. fare, but sporadic. And that's s-f hobby drifts; while two indivi­ the way it's been for several decades-­ nish fiction piece had the second high­ 3 ... Feedback on Your Feedback duals deeply involved in conflict est number of "g" scores. And, Letters science fiction drifts as the hobby of gaming account for two periods of 4 ••• Where We're Going a small minority. and Wantads were necessarily weak in 6 .•• S-F /F Game Ratings rapid growth and change. the magazine's first issue. A large Why? The reasons are absurdly I believe a s-f oriented magazine 7 ... S.-F Gaming News/Plugs simple. S-f products, almost entirely could achieve a one million circulation minority of readers do like both 9 ..• Reviews of Dungeons & Dragons printed words, come from firms for with promotion and innovation. It science fiction and science fiction 10.• From You••. which s-f is only a portion of the games. Another, slightly smaller, could be done by an entrepreneur of minority like games, s-f or not, and n .. Wantads business. ANALOG, the s-f magazine ability and money who enjoys s-f him­ with widest circulation at 110-120,000 definitely don't like s-f. One reader 14•. A Diversion: Eldon Tannish self. None of the existing publishers said, "I feel that sci-fi short stories accounts for a minescule fraction of can hire an s-f editor, put up a bank­ 18. • The Intangibles Headache Conde Nast's total revenue. One page etc. should be left to magazines and roll for promotion and do it. ANALOG's books, not a gaming sheet, which of advertising in Conde Naste's VOGUE circulation might be doubled, but must bring in more than all ANALOG's probably-$ums up that point of view employees can't achieve what an indi­ pretty well. ads for ayear. ANALOG is a smallsi de vi dua 1, persona lly commi tted to the activity to them even though it's big For us the issue is clear. We hobby, can. Science-fiction is the need both s-f gamers and games-only in the world of science fiction. GAL­ hobby of imagination about the future AXY is just another pulp magazine in fans to survive. The problem lies Editor: Howard Thompson and alternative existences. Yet, with the fact that s-f fans will find Contributors this issue: the UPD stable. THE MAGAZINE OF FAN­ science-fiction's powerful, imaginative TASY AND SCIENCE FICTION is somewhat TSG more enjoyable with science fiction Tim Waddell concepts have been scratched in no pieces and perhaps man-in-space type different in that it's apparently owned more than a drab, commercial fashion. Andy Pudewa by a family firm with some interest science articles. The games-only group S-f as a big-time experience is an clearly finds s-f games an enjoyable Thomas Drake in the hobby, but FANTASY AND SCIENCE alternative future who's time may never FICTION has been a small operation for extension of their gaming, but have come in our worldline. But, it's a no liking for science fiction. It may Cover: Black and white repro­ years. potentiality that has to dazzle the Book publishers tend to see s-f as be that different or better-written duction of the new Stellar Conquest imagination of frustrated science fic­ science fiction will strike the games­ cover sheet by Kelly Freas. a modest, if profitable, part of their tion fans. business. Donald Wollheim, Roger El­ only group less negatively, but we rea­ wood and a few other editors are making l ize that for the mas t pa rt they'd some headway in establishing separate prefer the space be devoted to more lines of s-f books, but are operating game material. Subscription Information: more as upgraded profit centers for a 6 issues for $3. $4 after larger general publisher. 12/30/75. Subscription Thus, science fiction products for U. S., Canada, A. P. O. , are controlled by people who view s-f as a type of fringe-appeal and not be TSG Issue #1 Feedback Results (242 responses) F. P.O. only. those who've had the s-f experience themselves. Book and magazine editors, Article Rati ng #1, 2, 3's !L2.2. the most influential people in s-f who have an s-f involvement, with the S-F Gaming News/Plugs 7.26 4 53 FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION exception, Where We're Going 6.90 3 24 are employees of larger organizations. SC Strategy 6.83 g 37 When you compare the growth of S-F Gaming Survey 6.80 8 26 conflict gaming to science-fiction, A Diversion 6.32 31 45 the evolution has been totally dif­ Editorial 5.90 24 14 ferent. Avalon Hill, that's really Hugo for Games 5.87 19 15 Charles Roberts, the founder, started Letters 5.51 29 5 the whole hobby which grew rapidly Wantads 5.39 40 16 until Roberts lost control in the ear­ ly sixties due to a financial liquidi­ ty crisis. The company made no real II 5 I This type of dichotomy is inevi­ 4 For the future, we hope to go to Some name suggestions appear in our table when trying to blend two dif­ WHERE WE'RE GOING bi-monthly publication as soon as we questionnaire. One option for us is ferent pastimes into an enjoyable have sufficient volume of material. A to get permission to use the name whole. We will continue with s-f ma­ The first order of business is a quarterly schedule is appropriate for "Dragon Masters" that went with the terial because our whole effort folds big THANK YOU to all those who have learni ng the "how to" of thi s type of Jack Vance novel that originally used if we lose our s-f fans. If we lose subscribed to THE SPACE GAMER. Within venture, but more frequent is better. the Gaughan illustrations. The game our games-only group we fold too, so the first six weeks TSG was out we The number of subscribers enters into is only loosely related to concepts in we need some understanding from both received the minimum number of sub­ this consideration, since economies the novel, but a s-f novel may be a sides. We aren't asking that you scribers to survive. And, it looks of scale are involved. Suffice it to way of insuring greater sales. There score high an article you don't like. like the number of potential sub­ say, we can do many more things with will be some preview information on If you don't like our s-f pieces, or scribers is large enough to insure an 2-3,000 paid subscribers than with the game next issue after we get the any piece for that matter, score it expansion of our quality and quantity 500. These early issues will be THE YTHRI successfully launched. low. But understand that many may of s-f gaming material for several somewhat experimental to give us a Our big news this time is, of enjoy it and we need their support. years. That potential puts the burden feel for what you like and what we can course, THE YTHRI, as detailed in our We'll do our best to increase the qua­ of growth on us, right where it learn to do best. Before committing advertisement. It should be well lity of all material and continue to belongs.