[Fanzine Focus XXX] Meanderings Issue #3

On the tail of the Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showed another DM and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will be compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry. Another choice is the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game.

Published in the Spring of 2018, Meanderings Issue #3 is a fanzine for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. Where previous issues both had themes, this one comes without any theme. The issue opens with the introduction and acknowledgement—of Goodman Games as well as a host of other fanzines—but gets underway with a full review of Hubris – A World of Visceral Adventure in ‘Review Corner’. This is decent enough, but not as full a treatment given in Mutant Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game – Triumph & Technology Won by Mutants & Magic in Meanderings Issue #2. The actual gaming content begins with ‘Tools of the Trade: What are Thieves’ Tools?’, which lists all of the tools to be found in a set of thieves’ tools, from basic sets to expanded and master’s tools. This is a quick and easy breakdown and useful for the Thief, whatever retroclone is being played. Disappointingly, a few magical items are suggested rather than given. Hopefully that will be addressed in future issues.

Also included in Meanderings Issue #2, ‘Dungeon Crawl Classics Weapon Styles – Weapons Tables for Two-Weapon Styles’ which inspired by Steel and Fury, this added weapon styles for sword and shield, Florentine, Twin Handaxe, and Twin Dagger, plus Deed fumbles and criticals too. Meanderings Issue #3 continues this with ‘Bladed Weapon Styles’ which covers ‘Clock & Blade plus Sword & Scabbard’. Again, this is part of the ‘The Dungeon Crawl Classics Weapons Project’ and adds options with much in the way of complexity and given the various weapon styles, some flavour too, as well as making both Player Characters and NPCs stand out a bit more in their use of these styles. The two options have a much more cinematic feel than the standard rules, but will add complexity in play as well as flavour.

‘Reeling in Clerics: By the Gods! House Rules for Clerics’ suggests ways in which the Cleric Class can avoid being abused—or rather a particular aspect—and that is the ‘Lay on Hands’ ability as well as other rules. The issue is that ‘Lay on Hands’ can be used over and over, so when this occurs with these rules, it earns levels of Disapproval, which penalises the Cleric on spell checks. Options are included for empowering spells, including sacrifices—with blood sacrifices mostly for evil or Chaotic Clerics—and converting others to the Cleric’s faith. Also included are guidelines for handling sins and even non-believers gaining Disapproval too. Again, more options for another Class, opening them up and adding depth.

‘In Defence of Luck: Using Luck Defensively’ is a more general article, which suggest alternate ways of using Luck in the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game. The options suggest using its modifier to adjust Armour Class, burning Luck to temporarily boost Armour Class, to modify a Critical Hit, to burn for Damage Reduction, and to burn to gain a Lucky Escape. These offer lots of flexibility and the Judge is free to pick and choose from them. The suggestion is that whichever ones the Judge does include, the players are encouraged to narrate their use in a cinematic style, much like the other options in the issue. 

The weapons theme continues with ‘Magical Weapons: Unique Magical Weapons tables with Millstones’ which makes magical weapons interesting. Not mere +1 longswords or the like, but weapons with flavour and detail that grow and get better the more successful a wielder is with them. For example, ‘Flamebrand’ starts with a three-sided die as its effect die and an eight-sided die for its damage. When the wielder rolls the maximum on the effect die and kills an opponent, he achieves his first milestone with ‘Flamebrand’. This grants the weapon a +1 bonus to hit, increases the effect die to a four-sided die, and illuminates an area ten feet in radius. The weapon—and all three weapons in the article—has three milestones which the wielder can achieve and improve its abilities. Consequently, these weapons have lives of their own and they grow and change as they are wielded in anger. Of course, the three sample weapons are easy to add to a campaign, but the other use is as templates that the Judge can base designs of her own upon.

‘Breathing Life into Your Game: Crowd Surfing – Judge Tips for Bringing a Crowd to Life’ does exactly what it says. It suggests ways in which the senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste—can all be used to help bring a location and its massed occupants to life. It is a short article for the Judge, but to the point and worth reading.

Although Meanderings Issue #3 is a general issue, it returns to the publisher’s campaign setting of Bastion, introduced and explored in the first two issues of the fanzine. ‘Occupations of Bastion – Zero Level occupations for the City of Bastion’ in Meanderings #2 enabled the creation of Zero Level Player Characters for Character Funnels or low Level, ordinary NPCs in the Bastion setting for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game, but it left the question what Classes there were for the Bastion setting. Meanderings Issue #3 provides the first answer with ‘Classes of Bastion – The Graft’. This is a cyber-samurai Class, primarily a mercenary, able to make use of the biological grafts mentioned, but not detailed in the previous issue. Instead, they are given in the following article, ‘Umbral Market – Bioarcana Grafts: Grafting Bio-organic parts’. Grafts can be bioarcana or technoarcana, the former alcemically treated body parts of other races, whilst the latter are enhanced mechanical devices. The options include weapon grafts, enhancement grafts, and utility grafts. However, bioarcana has a Warp score, which adds up as the Graft adds further modifications. If the Warp score exceeds the Graft’s Personality score, then he can suffer from Warp Shock and lose his humanity. However, the Graft can also temporarily push his grafts to their limits granting better bonuses. The effect of the Warp Surge is to increase, at least temporarily, the Graft’s Warp Score and so pushing him towards a loss of humanity. The Graft as a Class is a sub-par Warrior, so really needs to install the various bioarcana or technoarcana to improve his capability. However, this gives a degree of modularity and options in terms of what to select and so design a member of this Class. 

Physically, Meanderings Issue #3 is decently done. It is clean and tidy and the artwork good. It does need a light edit in places. The issue has a pleasing sturdiness due to the ‘Zeroes to Heroes – Paper minis for Zero Levels’ which presents seventeen or so paper minis on light card. Designed for use with the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game, these are rather fun.

Meanderings Issue #3 is for the most part, a selection of options for the Judge to add to her campaign. This is in the main an issue for the Thief and Warrior Classes. The limiting of Bastion-related content from the publisher’s to just two articles means that there is more general content to attract the Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game Judge, although the issue still feels as if it could done with more Bastion content rather than leave the reader wanting. Overall, Meanderings Issue #3 is decent issue with lots of things for the Judge to think about adding to her campaign.