Pyramid #4, thoughts?

[Taneli]

So, how have you all liked the newest iteration of Pyramid? Any thoughts or highlights of particular issues?

I've barely skimmed trough them all, but am really liking the short form stuff that has been missing since the Pyramid #3-122.

[ericthered]

I think my favorite article is supernatural energy, from pyramid 4/1. It has a lot of potential.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I think my favorite article is supernatural energy, from pyramid 4/1. It has a lot of potential.

YAY! Thank you for the compliment. I tried to address what I felt were specific needs with both articles and in the case of Supernatural Energy to help bring Powers based magic more inline with the other forms. But I also included stuff for other forms to cover as much as possible. The environmental source stuff was also something I have wanted to cover for awhile.

[Michael Thayne]

Let's see... Fantasy/Magic I had "The Demonic Temple of Felltower", which left me wanting to see the entire thing, and "Pandemonium", which is just a great premise, reminded me of the theory that in the Buffyverse the hell dimensions are just places the monsters won. Modern/Action had some cool location maps ("The Checkpoint" and "El Rancho Fin Del Camino"). And "Mind Over Time" was great as an example of how to do comic-book speedsters in a setting where powers are primarily psionic.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Let's see... Fantasy/Magic I had "The Demonic Temple of Felltower", which left me wanting to see the entire thing, and "Pandemonium", which is just a great premise, reminded me of the theory that in the Buffyverse the hell dimensions are just places the monsters won.

Which is weird, because I think those were in the bottom half of the fantasy issue for me. I'm glad to see someone liked them.



The vehicles article was really good. Perhaps it was low hanging fruit, but I'm glad to see it.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Perhaps it was low hanging fruit, but I'm glad to see it.

Writers try for the "low-hanging fruit" because most of what practically writes itself is stuff that many gamers – the writer included – want and constantly talk about, but that not everybody has the time to push across the line between talk and action. Taking a few hours out to give it the needed shove is relatively easy and guaranteed good reviews. It's a win for everybody: writer, readers, and publisher.

By contrast, things that are a puzzle to write are usually that way because they're hard to frame. With only a vague idea of what people actually want, it's possible for the demand you think you're meeting not to exist. You stand a real chance of doing a lot of work for nothing, of creating a solution in search of a problem. I admit to taking far too many risks here . . . I still have no idea if anybody really wants "Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes," "Putting Science in Your Fiction," or "Tactical Looting."

There are surprisingly few things that everybody wants but that are difficult to deliver. Usually, the difficulty is in winning the publisher's support for the necessary page count or format to deliver something that's ultimately pretty straightforward to write, and such things aren't suited to magazine articles. It's more about convincing the publisher to pay you for and then try to sell 200+ pages of stuff. Writing that many words is work, but not truly "difficult."

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I still have no idea if anybody really wants "Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes," "Putting Science in Your Fiction," or "Tactical Looting."

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I've had people privately tell me or tell me on the Discord for GURPS they liked it, but no "public" reviews or even stuff on the forums so I have no idea what folks thought about my stuff.

I know *I* had fun writing it. Being able to revisit some of my old articles (The Hunter's Reliquary and More Options For Metatronic Generators) and create something new (Fusion Alchemy and RPM Healing and Purification Spells) was really great.

As much as I have griped about the short format . . . and I have . . . it *DOES* focus you and sharpens the quill when it comes to writing. Overall, I liked a bunch of the stuff that got in and I really hope we get to do it again because it was a blast to read and to write.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I've had people privately tell me or tell me on the Discord for GURPS they liked it, but no "public" reviews or even stuff on the forums so I have no idea what folks thought about my stuff.

I know a few people didn't like at least some of mine. *shrug* I liked them. Particularly Fraxinetum.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I admit to taking far too many risks here . . . I still have no idea if anybody really wants "Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes," "Putting Science in Your Fiction," or "Tactical Looting."

For me of the three Putting Science in your fiction was the most inspiring and I can see it as good background material for character development and occasionally the main plot. Depending on the genre of course.
Play Stupid Games seems more like a bit to add fluff to a campaign setting and is less useful or likely to come up but still potentially useful.
Tactical Looting was also interesting to read but I doubt I'll ever use as it just does not fit my style as GM.

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I've had people privately tell me or tell me on the Discord for GURPS they liked it, but no "public" reviews or even stuff on the forums so I have no idea what folks thought about my stuff.

Speaking of reviews... I linked the ones I know about to my reviews.
I usually just describe and try for more an informative and "what is this for?" than a rating style review. Mailanka and I think its Blind Mapmaker do more rating styles, like a book or movie critic. What type do people find more useful?

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

I know a few people didn't like at least some of mine. *shrug* I liked them. Particularly Fraxinetum.

:/ Well at least you know . . .