We have a unified vision — well, mostly unified.

The Cylons have taken over the Planets Magazine. Thanks to their revolutionary Resurrection Ship technology, the venerable magazine has been brought back from the dead, and now… No, seriously: We may be back, but we’re not Cylons.
(Although…would we really know? -G) (Speak for yourself. -T)

But it’s true that we have a plan. Well, a sort of plan…OK, we’re really just winging it, but we’re doing so with a goal of sorts more or less in mind — to get rich and famous as writers, and to…

…no, that’s not it. “Rich and famous as writers” — HAH! (Shoulda been a lawyer. -T) (Better you than me. -G)

(Ok, Gnerphk, put the pen down. This is getting out of hand. -T) (Well, that IS what happens when you put the pen down. Fine; you take over, and I’ll kibbutz. -G)

Your new Planets Magazine editors are working very hard to bring you helpful content and create some more positive excitement about Planets Nu. Most likely, we have ignored all our current game commitments to get things started. (I may have also misplaced my kids. -T) We have many head-in-the-clouds ideas and also some down-to-earth projects in motion, and we’d like you to know about them in advance.

Here’s some things to expect in the coming weeks as we get under way:

• New Raceguides:  Some of these are tougher to write than others, just as some races are harder to master. Over the past two or three years, much has changed at Planets Nu, so any new guides will include helpful tips on working within the context of the new Standard rules. If you’re a Crystal or Privateer expert and you’ve written one, let us know and we’ll give you space. We don’t want to beg, but we will if we have to.
• Inside Scoop, Part 2:  In this episode, we’ve got Joshua talking about Leagues and the next Championship. We’re still waiting on the answers to some of our questions, but then again some of the decisions probably aren’t final yet, so that’s natural. (I think Joshua prefers to take you in small doses. Hehehe… -T) (Like a fine whisky. -G) (In that case, he may not speak to us again for twenty years. -T)
• Gnerphk’s next guide, which might well be, depending on whim, “Axioms of Ethical Diplomacy” or “A Sharp Knife.” (I imagine a rebuttal from me is coming after this one gets published. -T) (Or maybe we should talk about Cave World. -G) (What’s the first rule of Cave World? -T)
• Talespin’s next guide, tentatively entitled “The Disciplines of Military Intelligence: Planets Nu Information Gathering.” Also, I’m looking at doing a series of Nu-Noobie Guides. (As the humbler – at least in my head – of the two editors, I think new player guides are closer to my station. -T) (Did I ever tell you about the time I got an award for my humility? It was a medal…well, no, it was for humility, so it was more a lapel pin. But they took it away because I wore it. Cheek! -G) Furthermore, on its way is an article on the analysis of the Gorbie and its presence in the galaxy with its newfound Galactic Power.
• Planets Con in the Age of COVID-19 — This one should be out very soon. Keep your eyes peeled — and your imagination should start working right now. (Plus side: It’s a *heh* novel way to eliminate the competition. …Too soon? Too soon. Forget I mentioned it. -G)

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The other part of the plan involves how we intend to use any donations that come in. It’s your money, after all, and so you deserve to know.

Any money that comes in through Facebook and any donations on the CoffeeLink with a Planets-related note attached will be designated Mag Money. We’re not a nonprofit, so the first person that gets it is the tax man; after that we pay hosting expenses. These aren’t huge, but we want to be sure the site’s prepaid for a couple of years just in case something should happen. We’re nowhere near that point, but a couple hundred more dollars should see us secure for the immediate future.

The laborer is worthy of his hire; this is true even of volunteers. If enough comes in, we may possibly disburse a small amount to each of our editors to help keep them in coffee and computer equipment. All things being equal, if you starve the writer, you get a lot less writing.

We also have some projects in mind, including the next Planets Con. I don’t want to spill the beans on that too early, though; there’s a whole article coming out (see above) and you’re going to have to read it to find out. We’ve also discussed hosting some decent sax music as background, and there’s some technical work on the site that we’d like to have done. But that’s all for the future.

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As always, the Planets Magazine is a labor of love, created by and for the community. It’s a place where anyone who writes a Guide worth reading should be able to post it, and where discussion of anything to do with Planets should be free and open. If you have any ideas about content, please send us a Private Message in-game.

Sincerely,

Talespin and Gnerphk

(Good call on the not-quibbling through the part about the money. Think it’ll work? -G)

(Talespin? Talespin? Now where did he go… -G)

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