Planning Thread: Issue 5 - 2012

I'd say we work through all that remains and try to assemble it in one number. If we want to continue on a 2 numbers a year instead of 4, they should be at least decently big, and we have time to assemble content for another number before December.

Agreed - if we can land two this year and work on org and getting our inflow rates tuned up then I think there's no reason not to keep it going.

For what it's worth, I think the core group we have here can form consensus. So it looks like we do have enough to keep going. Just hit me up if you guys need something done that isn't already in your capability.

What is our current outstanding need for I5? Art / editing / someone to hit up layout in InDesign?

Got no art, sorry. The sources article could easily accept some images from the films and videogames, should be quite easy to find in a google search. Beyond that, maybe taking some ilustrations from the core book or such could work. If not, well, won't be the prettiest number, but I wouldn't delay the release much due to lack of art.

BTW, I'm already working on some things for the next number. Are we planning on going on with the two numbers a year idea?

What is a pull list?

FWIW I'm watching another fan zine project taking off on another site I'm at. I'm taking notes for this one so we can re-vitalize it.

Pull List for Number 5:
Ready to Publish:
-Playing the Superman (Nezumi): fourth wall
-The Wait (Hewhocutsdown): short fiction
-Squid Pro Quo (Nezumi): scenarios
-Shell Game (Nezumi): scenario
-Character: Julianne Ferguson (Sepherim): plug-in (people)
-Additional Sources of Inspiration (Sepherim): non-decided
-Faction: Industrialists (Sepherim): rules exposed
-Venus Anomaly: Fortuna 1 (Nezumi): plug-in (places)
-Ex! News Bytes (Quincey): non-decided
-Alien Relic Report: Magic 8 Ball (Nezumi): plug-in (things)
-Full Index (Sepherim): non-decided
Editor Queue:
-A Blink (Sepherim): short fiction
-News Pieces (Sepherim): plug-in (things)
-Plot Hooks (Sepherim): scenarios

In the works:
I can only add here my own, so you guys will have to quote this all to add more if you have more:
-A Story of Economics and Politics (Sepherim): scenario
-Character: Wilhelm Novatross (Sepherim): plug-in (people)

As it currently stands, we certainly seem to have enough material ready for number 5 to come out as soon as riastradh finishes layout. And quite diversified, with scenarios, fiction, things, people...

Hope this is what you meant with pull list. :?

Yes, that was exactly what I meant by a pull list. If that's the list we have ready to roll, then I think we may actually have more than enough content for this issue with some spare for next.

Now we need art.

For the moment: One piece per is our ideal. I don't know where layout stands, but usually I'd aim for quarter to half pages.

So: Task for the thread - let's go through each piece on the list and put together an at request to go with it. If you know of a location to get art (observing the CC rules) - then link to it as well. Putting together the art on this issue is going to be a little less formal, I think the art system in the past proved more than a little unwieldy.

----
Other updates:

I'm currently in the middle of a lot of launches at work (the new job this year is a lot more like drinking from a firehose than I'd expected ).

I could really use a second-in-command, someone confident enough that they know what they're up to that they feel they can call consensus on the project and lead for a bit. It feels to me a little like it's waiting on me? Which may be true, may not. Either way - for the most part my answers to your "Can I?" is "Yes! Go forth and make it so!".

If anyone wants to officially take the helm while I beat down some of the real life stuff that's trying to eat me - please send me a PM and I can coordinate.

As for the second in command thing, I'm in if you explain what I need to do and if no one else sees themselves as better fitted for the task.

I'll try to start looking for art, but that's a thing I'm not too good at, I get bored of it quickly. xD Still, I'll do what I can.

As for the "can I" question on the .doc, the idea was to use that instead of going through the whole process now that it is quite... slow, if not halted even. That's why I believe there needs to be some consensus on the issue.