Looking back on ZineQuest 3

ZineQuest3 is officially over. Zines funded by the initiative are counting their cash, revising their project plans, and, in a few cases, starting to ship PDFs of their product. Going into ZineQuest3, I knew I wanted to back it at a higher level than the previous year. In 2020, I backed three zines, two digital, one in print. I loved getting the print zine – the Zine of Wondrous Power #3 – and once I had it in hand, I regretted not getting print copies of the other zines.

IN 2021, I wanted to go bigger, so I squirreled away some birthday cash and decided that I’d be going print+PDF for everything I backed. In total, I backed 8 zines. They’re scheduled to arrive throughout 2021, with the first ones showing up in April, and the last coming in October 2021.

Here are the zines I signed up for:

Thru-Hiker: A Journaling Game of Long-Distance Hiking – Published by Daniel Perez, publisher of the aforementioned Zine of Wondrous Power, this is a solo journaling RPG about long-distance backpacking. As someone who’s going to spend 12 days backpacking in the backcountry of New Mexico this summer, it appealed to me greatly. Plus, Daniel produces great content, so how could I not get it?

E.V.O.L.V.E – An RPG zine about a rapidly evolving artificial intelligence. Think WarGamesTron, and Terminator and you get the vibe.

Glimmers Rim – A zine that describes itself as a “hyper-weird systemless hexcrawl”, which seems like a nice complement to my lunchtime Scales of Truth campaign.

The Void of Thrantar – A post-apocalyptic science fantasy RPG zine and more idea fodder for Scales of Truth. This is now the most tragic zine on the list; not long after it was funded, one of its primary creators passed away. It’s unclear what the future holds for the zine, but I’m happy to give them as much time as they need to figure out if there’s a path forward for it.

Agents of BAMF – Billed as a “an RPG Zine about super-agents in a world of weird science, mystical threats and super-villainy”. I’ve been kicking around the idea of a Savage Worlds-powered G.I. Joe-style one shot for a while. This might get me motiviated enough to do something about it.

Last Orders! Craft Ales for Fantasy RPGS – Fantasy beers inspired by their real-world equivalents, with plot hooks and backstory built into the brewing process. Given that the Blackrazor Guild has their own brewery, this was a no-brainer.

The Vast in the Dark – Exploring Ruins in an Infinite World – An RPG zine about exploring colossal, brutalist structures in the vein of Aliens.

Hope is Not a Plan – “a solo journaling RPG about the existential dread of professional project management”. Sounds like managing projects during COVID. I’m in.

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The official logo for Zinequest 3. Credit: Kickstarter

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