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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 7957808" data-attributes="member: 27780">TSR RPGA No. 3: Winter 1981-2part 1/432 pages. Erol Otus manages to evoke more sympathy for the monster than the adventurer, despite it having altogether too many limbs and fangs. (also, nice trainers on that half-orc) A nice reminder that we're still firmly in weird fantasy territory here, and a raygun's as good a treasure as a sword +3 to an adventurer. Exactly how much of that we'll see in the tournament adventures I'm not so sure, since they're forced to be more conservative than home campaigns, but it's a fun image that reveals more with close examination. Let's see if the contents of this expanded issue are just as inspirational for our actual play. Official Notice: They're not just organising the roleplaying community here, they're giving back to it as well by setting up a scholarship fund. After all, the average age of gamers at this time is in their teens, so there'll be plenty of suitable candidates to choose from. And if you help them get educated, they're more likely to get good jobs, and spend more on gaming in the future. It's just a win-win investment all around. I definitely approve of this idea. Did any of you benefit from it back in the day, or apply and get turned down?White Rabbits: 1981-2 indeed. That's basically admitting they intended to bring this issue out in December, but they're running late. They're also running late on the modules they had planned. Always the way with creative sorts. You need to learn your limits and how to set realistic goals if you want to run a big company with detailed schedules planned well in advance. Better to under promise and over deliver than the other way around in the long run. I strongly suspect we'll be seeing more of this in the near future, as once you fall behind, it's extra hard work to get back on track. Notes From HQ pt 1: Frank spins what Initially seems like a humorously presented actual play story, that turns out to be a case of monsters trying to catch Father Christmas as he delivers. Yeah, that's an epic level opponent you're not going to beat any time soon, and if, like Jack Skellington or Tim Allen, you somehow do, you'll come to regret it. I know it's tempting, especially in a system where you get XP for treasure, but you've just got to accept some things will always be beyond your CR. Go for incomprehensible squamous gods of madness or the IRS instead, as at least people'll be pleased if you do manage to kill them. Where I'm Coming From: Despite all the lateness, their sights continue to be set high. Their membership is growing pretty quickly, so they're already planning to shift from quarterly to bi-monthly. Let's hope they've got the budget to increase the staff commensurately to keep up then, as many of the current ones are so busy they're leaving the newszine to concentrate on their work in other TSR departments. This reinforces that it's still a bit chaotic behind the scenes here, but they are making progress. Eventually they'll find their groove. Just got to stick it out and keep practicing and improving. Letters: Our first letter reminds us that people always wanted more crunchy toys for their characters, and asks for a column on new spells. Dragon had one, so it seems likely a fair few will appear here as well over the years. The second delivers a whole slew of ideas in quick succession. As the newsletter is only small, these definitely aren't all going to be implemented. The third wants minis painting advice, which they don't really feel is their remit, and is covered more than enough in other magazines anyway. And finally, a letter from someone annoyed their membership hasn't arrived yet. Yes, we've already apologised for that, what more do you want, blood? The postal system only works so fast, especially when you wait a bit so you can send stuff in batches to save money.</blockquote>

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