Stellar Reaches

Good Morning, All,

Or Good Evening, as the case may be. For me, it’s very, very late, and I’ve spent the last seven and a half hours finishing up Issue #3 of the Stellar Reaches fanzine for your enjoyment. Now that it is finally done and ready, I have sadly discovered that the final file size is just too big for me to upload onto the website, being as how it is sitting at ~9 megs, most of that being images. I will need to find a way of optimizing the file to greatly reduce its size (and since I’m using Acrobat 5.0 instead of 6.0 Professional, I don’t have access to the “reduce file size” option.)

If any of you have any suggestions, please feel free to share!

With Thanks,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp

Good morning, All,

It is the morning of the last day of November, and I still have to put the final touches on Issue #3 of Stellar Reaches. Tonight, I have my weekly gaming session, so unfortunately, the work cannot be done tonight. Tomorrow evening, however, I can get it done and hopefully have the issue posted by Friday morning. If there are any further delays, I’ll be sure to let you guys know, but I’m excited because we are so close to its release. Once it’s up, I’ll post something to the Stellar Reaches website and to the COTI boards as well.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp

Good morning, All,

Work proceeds well on Issue #3 of the Stellar Reaches fanzine. It looks like it will be the biggest issue yet, even though I am reserving a few submissions for future issues. I still feel that I am on target for a release before the end of November. Again, my apologies for the wait, and I hope that you enjoy the end results.

This issue will introduce two new columns:

Alternate Universes will be a column that allows contributors to present a brief one-to-eight page summary of their alternate Traveller campaign settings. We’ll be starting with Omer Golan’s “Solar Triumvirate” setting, and if the column proves interesting enough to the readers, I hope that others will submit summaries of their own ATUs.

Empty Quarter Echo will become a regular column submitted by Jeff M. Hopper. It is a “travelogue” style of regular column, presenting items of the Empty Quarter background from a first-person viewpoint, that of a free trader merchant who is travelling across the sector. They are intended to provide a bit more personal experience and flavor to campaigns run in the Empty Quarter sector. I’ve read the first two submissions, and I have enjoyed them immensely. I hope you do, as well.

You’ll also be able to read some of the outstanding submissions to our 76 Ethical Patrons contest, from way back in June.

Hope you have enjoyed this update. Check back with us later for more news.

Yours In Service,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp
Editor, Stellar Reaches fanzine

Good Afternoon, All,

I have started working on Issue #3 again this last weekend, with the intention of having it ready and published before the end of this month (if not sooner). I’ll try to post weekly updates on my progress, both for your edification and for my motivation to get it done. There will not be a central adventure in the upcoming issue, for which I apologize, but I hope that the other material (including a nice handful of Patron Encounters from our contest this last summer) will make up for that lack.

Thank you, One and All, for your understanding and support,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp
Editor, Stellar Reaches

Good Morning, All,

My father, who has not been in the best of health in the last few weeks, passed away at 3:22am Saturday morning, October 29th, 2005, in Amarillo, TX, at the age of 58, from complications due to toxemia. I was en route from Austin, hoping to get there in time, when we got the cell phone call.

My family and I have decided on a simple cremation and a funeral service to be held in the Bethany Chapel located on the property of Cox Funeral Home, 4180 Canyon Drive, Amarillo, TX, 79109. The service will be held at 11am on Tuesday, November 1st. Flowers are welcome, if such is your custom.

My father was instrumental in getting me into role-playing games such as D&D and Traveller. I will dedicate Issue #3 of Stellar Reaches to his memory, as a small tribute to him. I hope you will understand.

If you are of the persuasion as to send thoughts, prayers and warm wishes, or light a candle in honor or memory, I would be appreciative if you wouldn’t mind doing such for my family during this trying time.

With Love And Friendship,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp

Good Afternoon, All,

As you can tell, the delays still continue. I’ve either been out of town or I’ve been working every day, including weekends, since Labor Day weekend. I have not forgotten about the fanzine. I am just in a position where I don’t have the time to focus on completing Issue #3. I appreciate everyone’s patience, support and understanding, and I look forward to completing the project at work so that there’s time to work on Stellar Reaches again.

In the meantime, I figured everyone appreciates updates, even if they do not contain the best of news, over hearing nothing at all. Hence, I thought I’d take a minute or two to post something here for the Traveller fans who support this fanzine through their interest and contributions.

Yours In Service,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp

Good evening, All,

Things have been, and remain, quite hectic with the end of one fiscal year and the beginning of the next at the state agency where I work. Obviously, this has caused a delay in the release of the Summer issue of Stellar Reaches. I have not given up on the fanzine, but alas it must take second place to concerns related to work and family. You have my most sincere apologies on failing to deliver on time, and I will do my best to get this to you as soon as I can. I will continue to give semi-regular updates as I can, and I hope that the quality of the next issue makes the wait worthwhile.

Yours In Service,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp

Good morning, All,

Issue #3 of the Stellar Reaches fanzine will be released on Sunday, September 11th. An official announcement will be made both here on the fanzine’s website as well as on the COTI boards, once the file is available for download.

Looking forward to it,
Flynn

Good morning, All,

I just wanted to give you guys an update on the upcoming release of Issue #3. Preparations for Gen Con 2005 were more complicated than expected, and now as the deadline of September 1st approaches, I am not certain that the next issue of Stellar Reaches will be ready in time. However, I am working diligently on it, and should the date slip, I have the extended Labor Day weekend to devote to getting the PDF ready for release. It should not be too much longer, my fellow Travellers.

With Regards,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp
Editor, Stellar Reaches

Good morning, All,

I am no longer accepting submissions for Stellar Reaches #3, Summer 2005. Instead, I am now accepting submissions for Stellar Reaches #4, Autumn 2005.

Due to Gen Con Indianapolis this month, I will have Stellar Reaches #3 posted by September 1st. If I get it out earlier, I’ll let everyone know. However, for now, I think it best to set the expectations for a reasonable release date.

In Service To The Dream,
Jason “Flynn” Kemp
Editor, Stellar Reaches