Editorial: Welcome to Threshold: The Mystara Magazine
by Giampaolo Agosta from Threshold Magazine issue 1As the editor of this first issue of Threshold, it is my pleasure to welcome you, dear reader, to the new magazine for the world of Mystara. Whether you came to Mystara through the Expert Set, the Gazetteers, or the AD&D 2e boxed sets, chances are the Grand Duchy of Karameikos was your gateway to the Known World and beyond -- thus, what better start for a new magazine than Karameikos? A land of adventure, with dangerous borderlands teeming with hostile goblinoids, giants, and dragons but also magical realms, treasures and relics of distant ages, as well as towns and cities posing their own challenges, the Grand Duchy of Karameikos is, after more than 30 years from its original appearance, still the starting point for many adventurers.
The first issue of Threshold showcases the stated aims of the magazine:
to provide a venue for community members to present material
to promote the Vaults of Pandius and the material there
to increase the exposure of existing and new articles
to encourage authors to revisit and revitalise existing articles
to motivate interest in Mystara in general
As such, you will find that this issue contains a mix of new articles and revised “gems” from the Vaults of Pandius, such as the Return to the Ice Wall.
We wish especially to underline that the issue of what is “canon” is not relevant and will not be touched upon by Threshold. Rather, Threshold supports diversity, as shown by the two very different takes on the history of Karameikos presented in this issue: whereas The Hidden Years presents Traladara as a Duchy of the Thyatian Empire ruled by the Karameikos dynasty since 900 AC, the History of Karameikos assumes that Traladara is, in that time, a Province of the Thyatian Empire ruled by a series of Imperial Governors not related with the Karameikos family, while the Karameikos family rules the Grand Duchy from 970 AC.
Threshold aims to promote each individual's personal version of Mystara, through the My Mystara column. In this issue, we are glad to present Thorn’s Karameikos.
We also aim to enhance community cohesion, and will interview a different member of the community in each issue. For the joy of Mystara fans, we debut with an interview with one of the fathers of the setting, Bruce Heard.
To round out this first issue, we present you with a selection of articles detailing Karameikan non player characters and organizations, as well as geographical essays.
Two very different adventures are also presented: the outline of the mega-dungeon of Koskatep, and city-based whodunit Guild Wars.
To complement this offering, we have included new maps, art1, and the first installment of a comic strip column, Mystara 2300 BC: Time’s Travels.
So without further ado, let’s plunge into the Borderlands!
Giampaolo Agosta (Agathokles)
Editor-in-chief, Threshold Issue 1
Pseudo legal blurb in sidebar or footbar:
Threshold: The Mystara Magazine is a non-commercial, fan-produced magazine. There is no intention to infringe on anyone's rights, and in particular not on those of Wizards of the Coast, which holds all rights to the original material on which the magazine is based.
1 Both original works and appropriate copyright-free art.