If any of you are thinking of subscribing to DGP's new MegaTraveller
Journal, put away your checkbooks, I can save you the trouble.
I won the random drawing back in Traveller's Digest issue #18 readers
survey, which was a free 1-year subscription to the magazine (4 issues),
starting with issue #19. Since it only ran through issue #21, my 'forth'
issue was actually the first issue of the MegaTraveller Journal, which
just arrived today. Included with the magazine was this notice (which I
re-print below verbatim, without permission):
"PLEASE DO NOT RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
TO THE MEGATRAVELLER JOURNAL
Sorry, but we are not taking subscriptions on the new magazine. So why
not? There are several reasons.
First, the magazine has always been the least profitable thing we produce.
We make our money from cover price, since we have few paying advertisers --
most of our ads are provided as a service, or we'd have no ads at all in
the magazine. To make our magazine more profitable, we have several changes
in the wind, and trying to offer subscriptions during this time of great
change is not a good idea. One immediate change is the Journal's increase
in cover price to $5.95 per 52-page issue.
Next, we are dropping our concept of the Journal being a magazine, and
thinking of it more as a product. We are viewing it more as a semi-regular
resource book. Consistent with that philosophy, all issues of the Journal
from 3 and beyond will be double-sized (104-pages) and cost $12.95 -- just
like a product. This Journal will have minimal ads (no more convention
notices or fanzine ads), and it will appear twice a year (more or less).
Finally, few good writers are coming forward to write TRAVELLER articles
for us. That means we have to fill the space ourselves. Not that we don't
enjoy doing that, but we are spread pretty thin as it is already. We want
the freedom to be able to produce a Journal when we have enough material to
fill it -- thus no required release frequency and no subscriptions."
Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I have real mixed emotions
about this. On the one hand, I think it's probably a very good idea, and
issue quality, which is already excellent (more on this later), will almost
certainly get better. On the other hand, I don't know whether I can stand
the wait between issues! :-) Recent issues of Challenge have been so
scattershot, contents-wise, that I'm really beginning to question it's
usefulness as a MT information resource. Lately, I only buy it for the
Traveller News Service articles (Chorus: "Yah, sure! Go ahead, pull the
other leg!!") Okay, okay, so I'm an MT junkie. We'll just have to see
if I can last between these drawnout issues of MT Journal.
As for the first issue, well it's everything Steven Fellows described and
then some! As he mentioned, it's cover price is $5.95 and issue 2 should
be the same. Then (according to the above notice), issue 3 and later will
cost us $12.95. Oh well, as long as it's only twice a year, sigh. :-)
The cover art is as good or better than any Traveller's Digest has ever
had, and includes a creature referred to in the credits as "a Khethss
from Giranima". I can't find a reference to this race anywhere in my
MT stuff. Maybe our esteemed Traveller Historian can help out (how
about it, Metlay?).
The Domain of Deneb pull-out map is very sharp. It actually includes
all of the Spinward Marches, Deneb, the Trojan Reach, and Reft Sector,
on a single page. It includes X-boat routes, borders, allegiance codes,
names and starport types for all listed systems. Everything but the actual
UWPs are listed.
If this issue is a typical sample of following volumes, then we all have
a lot to look forward to. It is definitely a "use everything, waste nothing"
magazine. Articles include a very complete planetside adventure on Wardn
(1727 Spinward Marches), and A Concise History of the Rebellion (as Steve
already mentioned) with a detailed rebellion time running from 1103
(Dulinor's elevation to Archdukedom) to 1120. There is also a detailed
guide to both the Domain of Deneb circa 1120 (hence the pull-out map),
a world guide to Enaaka (Deneb 0203), an interview with Norris (ala Rebel
Reporter), and finally (my personal favorite), a lengthy article on the
niceties of battledress (what can I say; I'm a hardware junkie, too).
The illustrations in that article alone are worth the price of admission
(if you ever wondered how somebody gets into one of those things, this
will answer your questions).
Finally, in the back of the issue, there's an article on a subject
near and dear to all of us (well, MOST of us, anyway): "Shareware:
MegaTraveller Computer Aid Directory". It explains why DGP doesn't
offer MT software gaming aids (low return-on-investment), but how
they're going to start reviewing some of the better software they
receive from MT buffs, and how you can lay your hands on the stuff.
Since some of you may entertain thoughts of writing and selling your
own MT computer gaming aids, here's the ideal forum for "free advertising",
assuming, of course, that your application makes the (subjective) quality
cut line.
Anyway, check this first issue out for yourself. And then be prepared
to wait a while for number 2.
"Wait a minute. They're selling us replacement
parts AT COST?!? Something stinks here. LSP
NEVER sells *anything* 'at cost'!"
Later,
Mark F. Cook
USMail: User Interface Technical Support
Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
[address removed]
INTERNET: [email removed]
[email removed]