The Unspoken Word is heard again!

From: Mark Galeotti <mark_at_galeotti.fsbusiness.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2005 16:42:50 +0100


Comrades!

Now that the Issaries Fan Publication Policy has been released and we have agreed our license with II, we are delighted to be able to let you all know the shape of the future for UW.

It's going to mean some changes, both to the nature of our products and also how we work on them, but this is by no means a bad thing: not only is this necessary for II to protect its intellectual property rights, but also, as you'll discover, this means that we can offer some features that we have not been able to offer before...

First of all, UW is returning to its original concept, a (semi)regular magazine rather than standalone books. We loved producing such works as Sons of Kargzant and In Wintertop's Shadow, but not only do they raise thornier IP issues but they also require a disproportionate commitment of time, time which neither Simon and I can always be able to devote. By shifting to a magazine format, we can ensure a more timely production schedule and also put out much of the great material we have which might otherwise languish for too long if awaiting its own book.

It also means we can be a little more eclectic, covering not just mainstream Glorantha, but other uses of the HeroQuest system including, needless to say, Mythic Russia!

Secondly, we are shifting to PDF rather than print format. This will allow us to be more flexible in terms of the size of individual products and also, joy of joys, to be able to use colour throughout, something we would love to have been able to do in our print books but which would have been outrageously expensive. We do appreciate that many people -- ourselves included -- enjoy the tactile pleasures of an actual rather than virtual product, so we will be selling our products through a PDF house which also offers a reasonably priced print-on-demand service, too. Full details will be announced as soon as arrangements and negotiations are concluded.

Of course, those of you who are still in credit with UW will not lose out, and we will be contacting you in due course with information on how this will be handled.

We will be letting people know about the first issue of the new format UW as soon as possible through our news yahoogroup (Unspoken-Word-News), as well as details of the PDF house we will be using. Likewise, we are looking to some exciting extensions of old lines and new ones, too, so keep listening for more Unspoken Words! All in all, we are looking forward to exploring Glorantha and beyond in this new age for HeroQuest.

Mark & Simon
The Unspoken Word


Powered by hypermail