Where to next?
7October 1, 2013 by Bret Kramer (aka WinstonP)
Things are progressing well well on the first regular issue of the gazette; I’m currently working on our two (yes, two!) scenario submissions, editing the text and working with the authors. I don’t want to share too much, but they’re both really great, one more traditional, the other a bit more experiemental, but both wonderful additions to Arkham.
I’ve been asked, once this issue is out, what will be our topic for issue #2? At this point, focused as I am at getting this issue ready, I am undecided. I thought perhaps we might visit another of Lovecraft Country’s towns, say Kingsport or Dunwich (Innsmouth seems too limiting) but I was wondering what others think. Feel free to use the comments section to make suggestions for our next issue’s topic. I’ll pick the ones I think work best and make an official poll once the first issue is unleashed.
I look forward to seeing what piques your interests.
Sentinel Hill Press 
I would not go for a location. Maybe for an archetype. Librarians? What about the Antiquarians’ world? Characters, places, associations, meetings (gone wrong!), items of interest…
While the idea of moving on to another specific location (which you mentioned) does have some appeal can I put my vote in for an issue that is focussed on something that is a bit more “big picture” covering the whole of Lovecraft country?
The way I figure it we have seen lots of extremely detailed views of particular snippets of this fictional region, but we outside those very particular locations it’s all a bit of a blank. We don’t know much about the history of the region as a whole, the extent to which a rail network exists, what the Miskatonic river is like at different points along its length (is it navigable by boat? do people use it to transport goods?), how does the weather vary across the region. I feel that the Gazette is a great opportunity to tackle some of these bits of fictional “invention” … but by focussing only on locations where authors have been to lots of time already, you miss out on the chance of painting some of the “big picture” that would assist people who want to set stories in places that are further afield.
I love the idea of fleshing out the infrastructure of the area. The coming Island of Ignorance book from Golden Goblin has a section about hobos in it. An article that details railways would go well with that.
The Miskatonic River is also a choice topic.
Mmm…the railways and the Miskatonic river might both be interesting. A train ride might be an interesting meta-setting for a dreamlands adventure, with real world events waking the characters from their dream every so often. After all, the dozing jolting sleep you get when your utterly exhausted, but travelling is really weird and unpleasant stuff.
I also really like the idea of looking at Kingsport.
I was going to say Kingsport, and I’d still vote for an issue to cover this setting in more detail, but I find myself swayed by the call for more “big picture” coverage. LC Libraries is an interesting idea, though it seems a bit wonky for a whole issue. Maybe a series of articles about the classic professions?
I suspect it is possible chad. I mean; two scenarios, a look at library related careers and a technical essay on how libraries work in the 1920’s, and Bret would have an issue easy.
Actually we have a scenario set in the Orne Library in our first issue!
Thanks for the feedback so far.