+-+ +-+ +-+ +-+--+-+--+-+ VOLUME ONE NUMBER ONE | | ========================================== +___________+ FFFFF SSS FFFFF N N EEEEE TTTTT | ++ | F S F NN N E T | ++ | FFF SSS FFF N N N EEE T | | F S F N NN E T |_________| F SSS F N N EEEEE T /___________ ========================================== | | BITNET Fantasy-Science Fiction Fanzine ___|___________|___ Edited by 'Orny' Liscomb (NMCS025@MAINE) <>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<> Well, here is issue number one of FSFnet, and I hope you all enjoy it. Since the first mailing, I have had a great deal of positive response, and about half a dozen submissions. In this issue you will find a scattering of reviews, an amusing story I whipped off, and something I'd like to continue in future issues, a featured author. I would like to thank those who have contributed, and Lord Hagen for designing the header. A reminder to those who did not respond to the first mailing: this is the last issue you will receive unless I hear from you that you wish to remain on the mailing list. Also, people whose ids have changed over the semester break, please notify me. A reminder, FSFnet will come out as often as I have enough material for it. This means I need submissions and ideas and feedback to make this zine what it ought to be. Please try to submit something, and try to spread the word about FSFnet to people you think might be interested. Anyone interested in a game of Diplomacy over Bitnet, please contact me. I will be running a game which will begin rather soon. Maps and rules will be sent out. Well, enough of the editorial, on to the real stuff. Read on! + Orny + <>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<> Have you ever heard of the micro-games Wizard and Melee? If so, then you may know about the way they do ready-made modules. I am working on a labyrinth for FSFnet, but am limited by disk space at the present time. I have requested additional space, and if I get it, I will be able to send the dungeon by electronic mail. It would be geared to people making choices, but not to dice rolls. In any case, as soon as it is finished, I will be willing to send it to anyone who sends me a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Lord Hagen Silverskull (VM00D4 @ WVNVM) DUNE (This review is directed at people who have read and liked the book) The movie Dune opened last Friday and I saw it over the weekend, I never believed that Frank Herbert's novel could be faithfully reproduced in a two hour movie, and I was glad to see I was right about something this year. There were some minor flaws in the movie such as the 'Weirding devices' that House Atreides had developed that were used as the secret weapon by the Atreides instead of the Fremen, in the book Duke Leto is planning even before leaveing Caladan to use the Fremen against the Imperial Sardaukar. When they decided to make the movie they could have decided to be true to the book or to really cut the book to make the screenplay work but they tried to do both and the result is a mediocre movie from a great book that would have made an excellent mini- series. The most drastic change from the book was they didn't take the time and give us the history of the feud between the Atreides and the Harkonnens, but they still had to get the audience to hate them so they made the Baron into a diseased sadist, instead of just leaving him as a mean, ruthless, power hungry, aristocrat. For all the Police fans out there Sting played Feyd-Rautha almost exactly as i pictured him in the book however he should have had more dialogue with his uncle the Baron. Mike Foley (ACPS1060 @ RYERSON) Ornathor's Saga Once upon a time there lived an errant knight, and his daring life of gallantry and chivalry had won him a considerable reputation among those realms he had journeyed in. He was tall and dark, with deep, piercing eyes, keen as the sword which hung on his baldric. His armor and weapons were all of silver, and his huge stallion was a tarnished grey. On his shield was his coat: suspended in a black night sky, a constellation of five stars in a rough diamond shape. It was the most prominent group of stars in the sky - the Southern Cross. The name of the realm was Bukharim; it was a pleasing and comfortable kingdom of green, rolling hills and cool evergreen forests. The silver knight was on an errand to Kulac, the central keep and city of Bukharim. The world was strangely quiet as he approached the city on the plains. As he passed the iron gates, he saw a guard poised to strike a wench with the back of his mailed fist. The knight yelled out, a strange sound in the quiet of the city; neither figure moved. He examined them, and saw that they stood as still as if time itself had stopped for them. He led his horse along the street, and he saw many frozen figures. A guillotine hung impossibly, having travelled halfway down its lethal course. An irate- looking peasant woman held a young urchin by the hair. A man and a woman were climbing the stairs to the second story of a brothel. Three veterans toasted one another. Perhaps they were recently reunited, and surprised to see one another still alive. Perhaps on the morning they were to be off to the next battle. None could ever read their faces. He came to the keep, and entered. The great reception hall was a scene from some warped painter's fantasies; the lord of Bukharim pointed an accusing finger at a figure who seemingly was no longer there. On a stone platform lay a woman, the most beautiful woman the knight had ever seen. She was, without doubt, the lord's daughter, no less than a princess. As the knight approached his vision, he heard a sound... this woman was not captured in timelessness, but merely sleeping. He could not help but feast upon the sight of her, her beautiful golden hair, her fair skin, her perfect lips. His body longed to hold her and his mind reeled with the desire to kiss her. He fell to his knees, knowing that a single kiss could restore normality to this ghost realm, that he would marry the princess, and, in time, become lord of Bukharim. He recalled the guard, poised to strike the wench, the guillotine about to fall, the woman berating the urchin, the man and the whore, the battle-weary veterans. He silently cried as he lay down beside the princess and was overcome by sleep, never to be seen again beyond the dream-gates of Ilek-vad, upon which he had stumbled in conscious dream. Orny (NMCS025 @ MAINE) Brisingamen, by Diana Paxson This book came out recently in a mass-market paperback. The cover says: "The magic is back. But can California handle it?". The heroine, Karen Ingold, is a grad student in comparative literature. The book begins with her lover of two years, Roger, leaving to go back to his wife, and telling her in the morning as he leaves, claiming he didn't want to spoil their last night together. Karen goes in to her job in the comp lit office. A package arrives from Sweden for her boss, Walter. It proves to contain a wedding chest and pieces of a necklace, which we know (from a prologue) goes back to the old Norse religion and had to be hidden away from the Christians. The book depicts Karen's gradually learning to deal with the fact that the necklace does have power, enabling her to invoke the Goddess Freyja (whether she wants to or not), while putting her personal life and career back together. The people in it are real, as is the magic. There are references to the Neopagan community, in particular a (presumably invented) group that works in the Norse tradition, and Paxson seems to be deriving her theories of magic from that source as much as from the old myths. She is conscious of how much we don't know about Norse religion, and uses that instead of trying to hide it. Vicki (ROSVICL @ YALEVMX) Featured Author: M.A.R. BARKER Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker, creator of the world of Tekumel and author of the Man of Gold, is currently a full professor in the Department of South and Southwestern Asian Studies at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is best known for his work with Tekumel, particularly the roleplaying game the Empire of the Petal Throne. Recently revived interest in the wonder of Tekumel has spurred a new roleplaying game, Swords and Glory, and the full-length novel the Man of Gold, with more novels to follow. Tekumel first was introduced to the general public in the form of the Empire of the Petal Throne roleplaying game, published by TSR in 1974. It was expensive for it's time, and was considered the 'Cadillac' of RPGs during its time. It was heavily influenced by the developing Dungeons and Dragons RPG. Today EPT is a collectors item. Swords and Glory/EPT is a brand new roleplaying game, also by Barker, also set in Tekumel, an alien world of magic and wonder. Published by Gamescience, the S&G/EPT will contain three volumes, each costing about $25; the first two volumes are already in print and available. Tekumel Games, Inc. (1278 Selby Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104) also publishes several Tekumel- related products, including an official ongoing history of the world. However, the great amount of attention the games have received obscures the real reason for Tekumel's existance. Says Barker: 'The idea of Tekumel came first, plus a desire to write fistion about it. EPT was secondary.' The Man of Gold, published by DAW, is an excellent look into the violent nature of life in Tekumel's fantastically alien environment, and an excellent book. It is the tale of a young man who suddenly finds himself confronted with being the focus of the attention of the powers of the Tsolyani Empire. The book is very interesting and well-written and enjoyable, although the conclusion is very weak and leaves one wondering exactly what has gone on. Barker is continuing his writing. A second Tekumel novel, Flamesong, is already in DAW's hands, and a further work has been begun. An excellent interview with Barker, discussing the games, his books, and himself can be found in the Space Gamer number 71. Tekumel is a place that once visited, cannot be forgotten. It's compelling alienness intrigues and captivates us, and I am looking forward to the publication of further Tekumel-related novels. Orny (NMCS025 @ MAINE) <>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>X<>