[Freelance Traveller] Seeking New Material

[FreeTrav]

Freelance Traveller is looking for articles for our magazine! If you have an idea that you want to share, we have space for it - so put it into electrons and send it off to us. If you don't feel you write well, that's not an obstacle; we'll help you get it into publishable shape. Do you feel that the idea is incomplete? That might be a problem, but we're willing to try to help you formulate it and complete it, and get it into shape for publication. Not sure if the idea is "good enough" to share? Let us be the judge of that.

Or perhaps your talent lies more toward artwork than writing? That's good, too - we can always use art as well - cover art, interior art, "fake ads", et cetera.

ANYTHING Traveller is fair game - reviews of published products, fiction, house rules and rule mods, general background information from your campaigns or your "vision" of the Traveller universe, starship designs, vehicle designs, weapon designs, descriptions of things that a character might want to buy (or not!), NPCs, PCs, animals, adventure ideas... whatever. We're interested.

Our submission guidelines are at http://www.freelancetraveller.com/infocenter/subguide.html - but it's more important that you get the material down on "paper" first.

Your contributions are important to us - they're our reason for existence!

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Is there a theme for the next issue?

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Is there any specific topic that needs to be addressed?

Adventures (Mini-quests, serial quests, nuggets, epics...)
Characters (PC and NPC, characters of note...)
Encounters (Animals, patrons, enigmas...)
Equipment (Weapons and armor, comms, sensors...)
Ships (Deckplans, operations, events...)
Worlds (buildings, neighborhoods, towns, cities...)

Or the rationale behind "Why I do what I do IMTU"?

 

[PathfinderAP]

More rumours and adventure hooks would be good

 

[Dragoner]

I could re-write my Entropic (Blue) Darrians for you if you are interested, including a mini-adventure called Entropic Corrosion on Zeta 2 a Corrosive atmosphere world in the Vilis Subsector. I want to change the woman on the cover.

 

[stealth]

I would like to make two submissions:

The problem is, you have to do some editing.

The Cryogenic Superfluid Thermodynamic Munchkin (a monster):

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=18837

I admit I have no idea what it's stats might be, other than ZZZ000. It just needs a final writeup. But the description leaves litte doubt. And it does make a simple adventure all on its own.


"The Sketzelbrang", an adventure:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=20686

I could do the writup for Mr. Mannon and the island. The super-evolved island life needs a write-up as well.

What do you think?

 

[PathfinderAP]

And you can still use the gun images from the "Pimp my Gun" thread if you can get someone to stat them out

 

[FreeTrav]

Is there a theme for the next issue?

There is not; I think it's still a little early in the life of the magazine to be thinking about theme issues beyond "Yeah, that's a good idea, and we'll be doing them in the future".

I am thinking that one of next summer's issues - July seems to be a logical choice - might be a themed issue, with the theme being "The Vacation Cruise" - more on that later, though.

 

[FreeTrav]

Is there any specific topic that needs to be addressed?

Adventures (Mini-quests, serial quests, nuggets, epics...)
Characters (PC and NPC, characters of note...)
Encounters (Animals, patrons, enigmas...)
Equipment (Weapons and armor, comms, sensors...)
Ships (Deckplans, operations, events...)
Worlds (buildings, neighborhoods, towns, cities...)

Or the rationale behind "Why I do what I do IMTU"?

Any or all of the above will do it nicely.

About the only thing I don't need specifically for next issue - but which are fair game for future issues beyond that (and I'm looking to accumulate as much material in advance as I can get, as well as current/immediate-next issue material) - would be product reviews.

So, the short form is "Got an idea? Write it and send it! Got half an idea? Write it and send it, too, and we'll help you find the other half of the idea!". Et cetera.

That, incidentally, includes more columns like ShannonA's Fifth Imperium - if you wanna do multiple "Why I do what I do" articles, it's grist for a periodic column.

About the only constraint I put on things is that articles - especially ships or weapons - must be more than just stat-outs and pics; there should be color text as well - otherwise, it's too easy to flood a section with software-generated stat-outs that are just '<shrug> Meh. Another Free Trader. Big deal.'.

 

[FreeTrav]

More rumours and adventure hooks would be good

I agree. Write 'em, and send 'em on!

 

[FreeTrav]

I could re-write my Entropic (Blue) Darrians for you if you are interested, including a mini-adventure called Entropic Corrosion on Zeta 2 a Corrosive atmosphere world in the Vilis Subsector. I want to change the woman on the cover.

Go for it! I will ask, though, that you think carefully on what some of the participants said on the long thread about them here on CotI. Some very good points were made, and some choices you made really need to be explained, both in terms of what you were trying to accomplish (meta-gaming discussion) and in terms of How It Came To Be within the game framework ('in-character' discussion). Do you need to conform to the Holy Canon? No - but to the extent that you break it, you need to be clear about what you're doing and why. But that's a discussion that would be better held in editorial e-mail, rather than here. Go ahead - do the rewrites and send 'em in!

 

[FreeTrav]

The problem is, you have to do some editing.

The Cryogenic Superfluid Thermodynamic Munchkin (a monster):

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=18837

I admit I have no idea what it's stats might be, other than ZZZ000. It just needs a final writeup. But the description leaves litte doubt. And it does make a simple adventure all on its own.


"The Sketzelbrang", an adventure:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=20686

I could do the writup for Mr. Mannon and the island. The super-evolved island life needs a write-up as well.

What do you think?

Go for 'em, by all means! You don't even have to stat out the CSTM; just change it from being a life form to being a Weird Phenomenon, or maybe "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it!" (and wasn't THAT a stupid line... if it's not life as we know it, how can we know it's life?). I seem to recall several Pulp-Age SF stories where the Protagonist was trying to deal with something that SEEMED to be alive, and in a couple of cases maybe even intelligent - but turned out to be Natural Phenomena In Unusual Conditions, Explained By Science. The CSTM could well be something similar, without necessarily changing much about it...

And yes, it looks like you could possibly get several interesting articles out of The Sketzelbrang - and I encourage you to do so!

 

[FreeTrav]

And you can still use the gun images from the "Pimp my Gun" thread if you can get someone to stat them out

I believe I've already gotten one gun out of that thread, and also posted IN that thread that if people stat 'em out, I'll take 'em for the magazine. I don't know from guns, other than to be able to recognize which end of one I'm on in most cases, and where NOT to put my uneducated fingers in most cases, so I have to leave the details to others. And I think I said as much over in that thread.

 

[PathfinderAP]

I believe I've already gotten one gun out of that thread, and also posted IN that thread that if people stat 'em out, I'll take 'em for the magazine. I don't know from guns, other than to be able to recognize which end of one I'm on in most cases, and where NOT to put my uneducated fingers in most cases, so I have to leave the details to others. And I think I said as much over in that thread.

But you know the games right?, just make a guess,

 

[PathfinderAP]

I agree. Write 'em, and send 'em on!

Dude if I had the time I would

 

[Dragoner]

Go for it! I will ask, though, that you think carefully on what some of the participants said on the long thread about them here on CotI. Some very good points were made, and some choices you made really need to be explained, both in terms of what you were trying to accomplish (meta-gaming discussion) and in terms of How It Came To Be within the game framework ('in-character' discussion). Do you need to conform to the Holy Canon? No - but to the extent that you break it, you need to be clear about what you're doing and why. But that's a discussion that would be better held in editorial e-mail, rather than here. Go ahead - do the rewrites and send 'em in!

Great!

What is the deadline? I am just finishing another game related project so I will be more than able to work on this, re-doing the artwork will take some time though (as well as adding some more).

I did try to answer all questions that were posed in the thread, though I think the science part went over some people's heads a bit, not much I can do about that. Though if you have specific concerns and a format you would like for me to submit it in, we can discuss that in e-mail. They do stir the pot a bit, but if you don't, things have a tendancy to get burned on the bottom.

-Robert

 

[FreeTrav]

What is the deadline?

"As soon as you can get it to me." Basically, I'd like to have things in hand by the fifteenth or thereabouts of the month before the cover date - so December 15 for the January issue, January 15 for the February issue, and so on. But if you miss that date, it might still be able to get into the next issue, or, if not, it will be held for the following issue - the farther in advance I can fill an issue, the better, but the priority is to fill issues in the order they're published.

I did try to answer all questions that were posed in the thread, though I think the science part went over some people's heads a bit, not much I can do about that. Though if you have specific concerns and a format you would like for me to submit it in, we can discuss that in e-mail. They do stir the pot a bit, but if you don't, things have a tendancy to get burned on the bottom.

The thread often sounded like you were trying to defend against what you perceived as a personal attack, and that detracts from both the defense itself and the readability of the defense. It also leaves the reader with a less coherent picture of what you were trying to do. When you do the rewrite, incorporate the information directly into the article, rather than leaving it for people to ask about or dismiss as unreasonable.

 

[FreeTrav]

But you know the games right?, just make a guess,

It's not that easy. Like I said, I can generally recognize which end I'm on, and where not to put my fingers, but beyond that, the limits of my knowledge is "that's a pistol; that's not". On a good day, I might be able to pick out a revolver from a non-revolver. Beyond that? I wouldn't necessarily know carbine from three-bean, or rifles from Ruffles. And any color text I try to make up in my disknowledge is likely to be laughable.

On a topic where I have sufficient knowledge, I won't hesitate to apply it. This is not such a topic, though.

 

[Dragoner]

"As soon as you can get it to me." Basically, I'd like to have things in hand by the fifteenth or thereabouts of the month before the cover date - so December 15 for the January issue, January 15 for the February issue, and so on. But if you miss that date, it might still be able to get into the next issue, or, if not, it will be held for the following issue - the farther in advance I can fill an issue, the better, but the priority is to fill issues in the order they're published.


The thread often sounded like you were trying to defend against what you perceived as a personal attack, and that detracts from both the defense itself and the readability of the defense. It also leaves the reader with a less coherent picture of what you were trying to do. When you do the rewrite, incorporate the information directly into the article, rather than leaving it for people to ask about or dismiss as unreasonable.

A month is ok, I guess. lol

Actually I got what I wanted out of the thread, thus why I offered to re-write them. Maybe I was a little too direct, I've run into that before, I think it is a cultural difference. Though I was stuck by the irony of gmo's being thought of as unreal versus Darrians being defended as real, which are pure fantasy. :rofl:

I have developed them more, one reason I did post them was for the critique to give them more depth of character. They are now modelled more like the Sinti/Roma socio-politically. The rest we can discuss in e-mail, here is an preview for everybody else:

"Clearly pure Darrian blood is superior, growing up on Entrope, this was self-evident." Said a haughty looking Darrian spacer to a couple of Imperial norm fellow crewmembers as he stopped his monologue to drink another gulp of his Darrian Reisling. Obviously he didn't care that he was attracting attention to his table by shouting over the house music at the downport dive bar, generally a symptom of too much wine...
"The Solomani halfcastes didn't survive as well after the Maghiz, while those of us of pure Darrian blood, we prospered." He continued to bellow.
"What about the Blues?" One of the other crew members interjected with a slightly mischievious grin, betraying his intent.
"GOBBLEDIGOOK!" The Darrian shouted, apolectically spraying wine from his mouth as he stood up. "FANTASY! A MYTH TO SCARE CHILDREN AROUND THE CAMPING LANTERNS!" His countenace now turning to a derisive sneer.
"I've heard different." Now the other crew member spoke up, getting in on the game. He nodded their attention to a Entropic Darrian (Blue being the derogatory slang for them) woman plying the oldest profession amongst the bar patrons.
"A CHARADE!" The Darrian erupted, one could see veins standing out on his neck as he shouted. "PROBABLY DYED BLUE BY HER PIMP TO SCARE UP MORE BUSINESS AMONG THE OVERSENSITIVE SOFT BRAINS WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT ANTI-DARRIAN MYTH!" Which with he almost took a step to grab the woman and the bartender nodding to security, the other crewmembers noticing this, grabbed their companion and sat him down again. The night's entertainment may have included goading their crewmate, but not getting ejected from the establishment.
All this was not lost on the woman though, at each turn when the Darrian howled, she winced visibly, and turning away she looked to the patrons standing by the bar. A wan smile with a certain sadness in her eyes, with sorrow for her own condition and the plight of her people.
The bartender happy the situation had been diffused, went on drying his glasses and said not unsympathetically:
"Yeah, well, she's somebody's daughter..."

Here is a little theme music to go with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GjW0lkFT_M