The cover of the July 1997 issue of Other Hands, No. 18 in the series, featured spectacular artwork (an unsigned piece titled “The Knight Wives”). Charles Watteyne assisted publisher Chris Seeman with editing. Bridget Buxton, Fredrik Ekman, Gen Larson, Bernie Roessler, Jason Vester, Marco Navarette, and Jasna Martinovic contributed articles. David Salo and Arden Smith (his name is mis-spelled as “Adren”) contributed linguistic materials. Quentin Westcott handled layout and design. Artwork was provided by Bridget Buxton, Jerry Johnson, Arden Smith, and Quentin Westcott.
EDITORIAL: SUMMER OF MERP
![Other Hands Issue 18 Issue 18 of Other Hands Gamer Magazine was published in July 1997.](http://me-archive.xenite.org/files/2011/12/other-hands-issue-18-231x300.jpg)
Well, summer is here and I’m already up to my ears in MERP projects; and somehow, through all the chaos, Other Hands continues. In fact, this journal is swiftly approaching it’s FIFTH anniversary. Now that’s something that calls for a celebration, and we are already beginning to lay plans for a January ‘98 issue (#20) of truly epic proportions.
My current goal is to publish (in this and the next issue) all of the remaining submissions which I have been accumulating over the past year, and to begin considering “bids” from writers who would like to have their work appear in the anniversary issue. Ideally, I will be looking for an exemplary assortment of the many different kinds of material we have over the past half decade brought into print: a scholarly essay, an adventure scenario, a game mechanics idea, etc. So if you want to reserve a place for your contribution, please contact me as soon as possible. (I am going to be plodding through the jungles of the Far South with Captain Rastarin this December, which means that all of the submissions for Issue 20 must be edited and ready for text-setting by the end of November.)
You have, of course, noticed that OH has undergone a few changes this issue — like having full-blown cover art. I’d be interested to hear whether people prefer this more art-intensive format. (We’re hoping on producing a color cover for the anniversary issue.) And, as always, if you have any suggestions about how to make OH better, by all means let’s hear them.
On to the intros for this issue. Jason Vester starts us off with a rather substantial background and stat piece for an order of Gondorian “shield-maidens” (some of which will probably be making its way into the Northern Gondor modules, whenever they get written). Jason is supposed to be authoring a MERP sourcebook on the Nine Nazgûl. Hopefully his present contribution will get his Tolkienian mojo pumping again.
Next up we are proud to present yet another fine background/research essay by Bernie Roessler (who by now must be contending for first place as our most frequent contributor). The topic for this month is how to handle horses and ponies realistically in a MERP game. Very useful stuff.
Following on the tailcoats of last issue we get the first installment of a dramatic summary of a MERP campaign set in T.A. 1640 (some elements of which were meant to play-test ideas for the forthcoming Paths of the Dead and Northern Gondor modules). The narrator, Bridget Buxton (alias the Dread Pirate Rastarin of Kin-strife fame), is also one of our new artists for OH, and her “Captain’s Log” will hopefully be adding a much-needed dose of humor to this and future issues.
Finally, we continue to offer all our regular features (sans “Communications,” as nobody has written me of late). Fredrik Ekman, our computerist extrordinaire, has brought us an engaging interview with Philip Mitchell, author of many Tolkien related computer games. (Lately I’ve been thinking— I know, it’s a bad habit—that it would be neat to find someone to start up a new regular column in OH devoted to the Middle-earth card games, especially as more and more bridges are being built between those products and MERP. Any volunteers?)
Oh yes; I almost forgot to tell you the best news of all: OH finally has an active web-page on the Net. Hopefully this will help spread the word and pull in new subscribers. You can check it out at http://squid.ucsb.edu/~jhgowen/Tolkien/Other-Hands.html (Thanks a million, James.)
So, without further adieu, your humble patience pray, gently to hear, kindly to judge….OUR PLAY!!!!
Chris Seeman
July 30, 1997
You may download Other Hands Issue 18 for free either from Other Minds’ Other Hands archive or MERP.Com’s Other Hands archive.