It has been a few months since our latest issue of The Arkham Gazette (#3, all about witches and witchcraft) and since then I have been working on fulfilling the remaining items from our Kickstarter including revamping our first two issues, a bonus scenario and an article, some other bits and bobs (like 7th Edition conversion notes and custom illustrations).  I hope to post an update to our Kickstarter backers soon… In the mean time I realize I should stoke the fires, so to speak, for our next issue, in hopes to getting it done at some point this summer.

I had put out a call last summer for submissions for future issues of the Gazette, focusing on three different topics selected by backers of our Kickstarter for issue #3 – Kingsport, Dunwich (and the Hyperboreans), and Law/Crime in New England.

Based on the weight of submissions so far, I have selected Kingsport as the topic of issue #4 of Gazette, which probably is not a huge surprise considering I posted an extensive Kingsport bibliography on Tuesday.  We have a good volume of submissions already, but as I have often said, the more items we have on hand, the faster we can produce future issues.  With that in mind, let’s look at how things are shaping up for issue #4…

What We Have So Far:

(There are articles we have on-hand that are effectively finished, at least textually.)

• A short scenario – “The Bones of Contention”, written by Kevin Ross (author of H.P. Lovecraft’s Kingsport).  A draft version of this scenario was a stretch goal for our Kickstarter backers.  This new version will have new art and some minor revisions.
• An article about the author and philosopher Ibn Shacabao, providing not only his biography but a discussion of his Mythos works.
• An annotated bibliography of Kingsport scenarios.

Articles in Development:

(‘In Development’ means that someone has proposed writing a piece on the topic.  I may have seen an outline or incomplete draft, but I’ve not had a draft submitted.  As such, these pieces may never see the light of day, but I am optimistic we will get many of these.

• A wide-ranging article about the Kingsport artist colony.
• An overview of new places in Kingsport from previously published scenarios.
• A history of the practice of gibbeting in New England.
• An article about the worship of Tulzscha.
• A tome write-up.
• A new location of interest to the Kingsport artists colony.
• An overview of piracy in New England.
• Something about the Terrible Old Man.
• A discussion of particular elements of law enforcement in Kingsport.
• A scene wherein a scientist comes to Kingsport to conduct a test.
• A collection of notable shipwrecks and phantom ships in the region.
• A short scenario set near Kingsport.

What we are looking for:

(Based what we have on hand or hope to include, what would best complement this issue…)

• Useful NPCs – did you invent a useful NPC (or discover some actual historical figure) who might show up in Kingsport?  Share them!  (500-750 words)
• New locations – while H.P. Lovecraft’s Kingsport covers more than 100 places in Kingsport, Keeper may have found it helpful to fill in certain gaps (as I did in creating the Florentina Theater for “The Ghosts of the Florentina”).  We’d love to see them. (500-1000 words)
• Scenario seeds – Keepers love scenario ideas, as do we.  Share yours.  (50o-100 words)
• Historical articles – One of the hallmarks of the Gazette is our goal of making use, as much as possible, as the real-world inspiration for Lovecraft’s fictional New England as possible.  There are a lot of historical sources that could be explored in connection to Kingsport most profitably – the Underground Railroad, for example, was active in Marblehead.    (750-1500 words).
• Pseudo-historical articles.  Want to write a fictional history of the Battle of Marblehed during the Revolutionary War?  A family history of the Hoag family?  That would be most welcome 🙂 (500 words+)
• I posted a collection of links that might prove inspirational; take a look at those for some real-world ideas from Marblehead to spur your imagination!  (For example, the ghostly Shrieking Woman of Lovis Cove)  The Kingsport bibliography mentioned above does the same for inspiration from Kingsport fiction.

Beyond issue #4…

Should Kingsport be outside of your interests, we are still looking for submissions for issues #5 and beyond.  In particular I am very much interested in scenarios set in Lovecraft Country, especially those set (at least partially) outside of Arkham.  There are, at the latest count, about 120 scenarios for Call of Cthulhu set at least partially in Lovecraft Country, and only about 1/3 of these are set entirely or largely outside of Arkham.  Take a look at our submissions guidelines – we’re interested in anything connected to Lovecraft Country.

For consideration for issue #4, please submit a draft by May 1, 2016. Email questions, proposals, and submissions to arkhamgazettemagazine at gmail dot com; to help keep me sane, put “submission” in the header.