Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Shemeska_the_Marauder Nov 13, 2006 14:47:24	In the previews section of issue 350, the next one is going to be themed around the World Serpent Inn, with secondary articles in various other campaign worlds/settings such as Dragonlance, Darksun, Ravenloft, and one of them is going to be in Planescape. I'd say more, but it'll be another month before I can.
#2 taeldrin_laesrash Nov 21, 2006 11:43:52	I'm optimistic. Maybe it'll be more faction material. That'd be pretty cool, considering there's at least six left to cover. Do you know anything about it? (Are you the author?)
#3 Shemeska_the_Marauder Nov 21, 2006 11:52:38	I'm optimistic. Maybe it'll be more faction material. That'd be pretty cool, considering there's at least six left to cover. Do you know anything about it? (Are you the author?) Yes, I'm the author. However I can't really say what it's about for another month, at which point I'll be happy to discuss it. However from the issue previews, the theme of the issue is the World Serpent Inn, and places that the inn might temporarily connect to. So without saying where, I can say that I wrote about a location. I can however tell you which ideas of mine were passed over in favor of what ultimately was picked when I was asked to toss some ideas to an editor and see what stuck: It's not an article about Center / The City at the Center, in the Gray Waste It's not an article about the Pinwheel in Limbo It's not about a city of my own creation in Carceri's layer of Porphatys It's not about a city of my own creation in Carceri's layer of Colothys
#4 taeldrin_laesrash Nov 22, 2006 8:20:47	Cool. (And here I am, sending in queries of Class Acts and Bazaar of the Bizarre). I don't suppose it's about a city of your own creation on Caceri's layer of Agathys?;)
#5 zombiegleemax Nov 22, 2006 13:22:59	It is about a city. It is not on Carceri, Mechanus, the Abyss, Hades, Ysgard, Bytopia, Limbo, Acheron, the Elemental Plane of Fire, the Astral Plane, or the Elemental Plane of Kittens. Does that narrow it down enough for the guessers? :angelhide
#6 Shemeska_the_Marauder Nov 22, 2006 13:37:08	It is about a city. It is not on Carceri, Mechanus, the Abyss, Hades, Ysgard, Bytopia, Limbo, Acheron, the Elemental Plane of Fire, the Astral Plane, or the Elemental Plane of Kittens. Does that narrow it down enough for the guessers? :angelhide You see, normally that'd just be mean and taunting. But this time, for the first time, I'm in the know. It's still mean, but this time I heartily approve! Muahaha!
#7 zombiegleemax Nov 22, 2006 15:26:49	You see, normally that'd just be mean and taunting. But this time, for the first time, I'm in the know. It's still mean, but this time I heartily approve! Muahaha! Well I have been known to have a mean streak now and then... ;) You know the community better than I, Shemeska... should we give 'em more hints?
#8 Shemeska_the_Marauder Nov 22, 2006 16:06:35	Well I have been known to have a mean streak now and then... ;) You know the community better than I, Shemeska... should we give 'em more hints? I could give some overt hints, but I don't know if certain things were cut during the editing process or not. You've got access to the final manuscript presumably, so if you want to drop anything based on that, you're in a better position to say what is in fact there and what isn't. That said, and me being delightfully evasive, since I have a bit of a reputation for all things 'loth (and my attempt on the City at the Center pitch notwithstanding) I did try to wiggle something fiendish into the city in question in the article. I suppose I could also say that since I already have a writeup of Hopeless on Planewalker*, it's a safe bet that that's not what I wrote up for Dragon. Maybe what I wrote is even a wee bit far afield from my normal tendencies. *and Clueless is making me take a hatchet to the word count in that, just as much as I had to do for the Dragon article as well. God, I think I ended up initially overwriting by 2000 odd words on the first draft, finally trimming that down to within sight of the word limit before submitting a manuscript to Schneider.
#9 maldin Nov 27, 2006 0:00:31	It is about a city. It is not on .... the Elemental Plane of Kittens. Darn!!! I was really hoping! Well, since the Abyssal Plane of Eternally Vomiting Worms is not mentioned, there may be some hope! Denis, aka "Maldin" ============================ Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com With bonus Irongate info! (You'll see why I say that in a month)
#10 zombiegleemax Nov 27, 2006 15:39:29	That said, and me being delightfully evasive, since I have a bit of a reputation for all things 'loth (and my attempt on the City at the Center pitch notwithstanding) I did try to wiggle something fiendish into the city in question in the article. If you're referring to what I think you are, I'd say we were sympathetic to your idea and kept it in. I mean, it's a good city and all, but D&D is more fun with conflict. Makes players happy that way, you know.
#11 Shemeska_the_Marauder Nov 27, 2006 19:32:24	If you're referring to what I think you are, I'd say we were sympathetic to your idea and kept it in. I mean, it's a good city and all, but D&D is more fun with conflict. Makes players happy that way, you know. Makes me happy too.
#12 sarig_the_genie Nov 27, 2006 20:05:57	City of Glass! No, that's just optimism... Though I wonder, with Shemmy being the writer and all, will it be full of 'loth propaganda? ;)
#13 ripvanwormer Nov 30, 2006 20:21:23	It says 7 campaign settings. The other one is Ravenloft, represented by Lord Soth on the cover. So apparently they're not counting Planescape as a campaign setting.
#14 Shemeska_the_Marauder Nov 30, 2006 21:42:22	It says 7 campaign settings. The other one is Ravenloft, represented by Lord Soth on the cover. So apparently they're not counting Planescape as a campaign setting. Wierd. But I don't think that the settings listed on the cover are all of those that are part of the World Serpent Inn set. The issue said it has the first of a regular FR and Eberron article set, so perhaps they're just listed up there in general rather than saying they're part of the campaign classics bit.
#15 taeldrin_laesrash Nov 30, 2006 22:48:23	It is about a city. It is not on Carceri, Mechanus, the Abyss, Hades, Ysgard, Bytopia, Limbo, Acheron, the Elemental Plane of Fire, the Astral Plane, or the Elemental Plane of Kittens. Does that narrow it down enough for the guessers? :angelhide Hmm...Lemme guess. It's about a city...a gate-town, maybe Ribcage or Torch. Or it's about either Dis or that city on Maladomini. Mike discounted most of the other lower planes, and I wouldn't expect anything else from you, given your area of expertise. Nice cover...Except there's nothing about Spelljammer.
#16 ripvanwormer Nov 30, 2006 23:09:33	Hmm...Lemme guess. It's about a city...a gate-town, maybe Ribcage or Torch. Or it's about either Dis or that city on Maladomini. They said it was a "good" city. So I'm guessing Arborea, Beastlands, Elysium, Celestia, or Arcadia. Maybe the City of the Star.
#17 zombiegleemax Dec 01, 2006 1:15:34	It says 7 campaign settings. The other one is Ravenloft, represented by Lord Soth on the cover. So apparently they're not counting Planescape as a campaign setting. Planescape counts, as Shemeska points out... Wierd. But I don't think that the settings listed on the cover are all of those that are part of the World Serpent Inn set. The issue said it has the first of a regular FR and Eberron article set, so perhaps they're just listed up there in general rather than saying they're part of the campaign classics bit. This is correct. FR and Eberron aren't part of the classic campaign settings, because they're still active. The seven campaign settings, IIRC, are Al-Qadim, Dark Sun, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Kara-Tur, Planescape, and Ravenloft. There are also articles for FR and Eberron, but they aren't part of the metaplot of the issue. Hmm...Lemme guess. It's about a city...a gate-town, maybe Ribcage or Torch. You have entered the closest guess so far. Nice cover...Except there's nothing about Spelljammer. Nope. Alas, we can only fit so much into a 100-page magazine. No Birthright, Mystara, or Spelljammer this time. Maybe next year. (Well, except the Birthright part. :rolleye2 They said it was a "good" city. So I'm guessing Arborea, Beastlands, Elysium, Celestia, or Arcadia. Ah good. You picked up on my "clever" hints. This is a lot of fun. Too bad the magazine is only a couple weeks away. I'm really enjoying tormen—I mean—giving you hints!
#18 ripvanwormer Dec 01, 2006 1:47:22	You have entered the closest guess so far. Ah, so it's an upper planar gate-town. Tradegate, then.
#19 taeldrin_laesrash Dec 01, 2006 8:27:52	Ah, so it's an upper planar gate-town. Tradegate, then. I'm thinking maybe Fortitude, Ectasy, or Sylvania.
#20 zombiegleemax Dec 01, 2006 11:59:15	I'm thinking maybe Fortitude, Ectasy, or Sylvania.
#21 Shemeska_the_Marauder Dec 01, 2006 12:52:24	I'm thinking maybe Fortitude, Ectasy, or Sylvania. Well, pick one of those, and you'll have a 1/3 chance of being right. Yes, the topic is distinctly different from my usual habit of writing about the fiends, but it was fun place that deserved some detail and an update. The difference in tone also keeps me from sounding stale in concept too, and it was a break from the Chekhovian gloom of my other writing projects.
#22 ripvanwormer Dec 01, 2006 19:35:09	If it's Sylvania, is there any mention of Thrassos on the other side of the gate? Or, uh, to phrase this in a way that you can maybe actually answer, is there any detail on what's on the other side of the gate?
#23 Shemeska_the_Marauder Dec 01, 2006 20:22:59	Or, uh, to phrase this in a way that you can maybe actually answer, is there any detail on what's on the other side of the gate? Without saying which of those cities I worked on.... I do mention what's on the other side of the gate, but it's not a giant amount. Ideally I'd have liked to do more, but the word limit was already biting me and so I had to pick my priorities. I had some fun speculating on the hinterlands beyond the city however. And for what it's worth, once the issue is out in stores, I'll post up anything that I'd written but which got cut from the final piece.
#24 taeldrin_laesrash Dec 01, 2006 21:29:49	So it is Sylvania. Sweet. I always loved Arborea, though it's gate-town never got as much love. And Chekhovian gloom? I take it you had very few sources for this project?
#25 zombiegleemax Dec 04, 2006 12:11:13	Well in theory the issue is in transit to subscribers, so you should know shortly if your guess is correct. In fact, someone might even receive the issue this week. I know I would like to receive the issue this week.
#26 taeldrin_laesrash Dec 22, 2006 9:58:00	Well, great article, Shemeska. I suppose I jumped to conclusions about Sylvania (Maybe I'll do something). I also really liked the stats for the Simpathetic, as well as making the Philosopher King Felthis ap Jerran from your SH. Way cool.
#27 zombiegleemax Dec 22, 2006 14:22:12	Well, great article, Shemeska. I suppose I jumped to conclusions about Sylvania (Maybe I'll do something). I also really liked the stats for the Simpathetic, as well as making the Philosopher King Felthis ap Jerran from your SH. Way cool. When we were editing the simpathetics, MSWord kept auto-"correcting" them to "sympathetics" instead. *sigh* So we had to go through and manually change all the ys.
#28 hazhar Dec 31, 2006 21:27:19	When we were editing the simpathetics, MSWord kept auto-"correcting" them to "sympathetics" instead. *sigh* So we had to go through and manually change all the ys. um... ever heard of the replace tool?