'Goldfarb's Good News' Gathering

[Peverell]

I, Loremaster Peverell Goldfarb, hereby announce my intention to host an official gathering to celebrate the publication of the first issue of Goldfarb's Good News, and to aid the production of the second issue. Those who have already contributed are invited to join the celebrations and discuss their future involvement with the paper. The invitation is extended to anyone who wishes to contribute to the Good News, in any capacity, and those who wish to learn more about the paper itself.

The gathering shall be held in the Vault of Sages in Silverymoon. There you may also pass the time reading from one of the many tomes and scrolls contained therein, and perhaps feel moved by inspiration. The gathering shall start at [OOC: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/f ... c=0&p1=136]. I understand that not all those who wish to attend will be able to at that time, and that some may be travelling far, so I intend to spend several days in the Vault of Sages, lest anyone seek me at a time more convenient to themselves [OOC: I should be around for several hours before AND after the start time. If anyone really can't make that day, PM me or leave a message here and we can work around it]. Zelar of Tymora, whose help and advice during this project has been much appreciated, has also offered to make himself available to answer questions and accept submissions.

We are open to any ideas for regular columns, as well as one-off pieces of interest, but some suggestions are included below which we hope shall inspire you:

* Notices of intentions to wed, as well as reports on wedding ceremonies.
* Reports of births, and memorials to the dead.
* Wizarding news, such as the development of new spells or equipment.
* Politics, war and armed conflict.
* The establishment of new businesses, reviews of shops and taverns.
* Offers of trade, information on travelling merchants.
* News regarding trades such as smithing, woodworking, and the like.
* Offers of service as a bodyguard or travelling companion.
* News regarding farming and agriculture, including gardening tips.
* Offerings of apprenticeship from masters.
* Open letters from those seeking apprenticeship themselves.
* Biographical information on bards of the realms.
(Especially young bards who are just making their way in the world)
* News on recently published books, and recommendations on such.
* Upcoming festivals and gatherings of all kinds.
* Tournaments, athletic competitions and combat displays.
* News concerning the knightly orders, such as squiring ceremonies.
* Advancements in healing, and tips on how better to heal others.
* The establishment of new guilds, proposals for new schools et cetera.
* Job opportunities for young adventurers.
* Riddles.
* Food recipes, or recommendations of good places to purchase ingredients.
* Astronomy and astrology.
* The latest trends and fashions in the cities.
* Publication or performance of new musical pieces, theatre, ballads et cetera.
* Tips on navigation and travelling.
(Including information on forests of the realms and the adventure or dangers contained therein)
* Advances in weapon design and new fighting techniques.

Please remember that we welcome news from the non-human community and news from outside of Waterdeep. All are welcome and all ideas shall be heard in a respectful and non-judgemental atmosphere.

By attending this meeting, you are under no obligation to produce any work. It is perfectly acceptable to come only to ask questions. Refreshments shall be provided.

May inspiration guide you,
Loremaster Peverell Goldfarb
Servant of the Binder and Editor of Goldfarb's Good News

[Alvirin]

As it couldn't be otherwise Zelar will be there

[Ramirus]

Unfortunately, I am not around that entire day. Sorry!

[Peverell]

Ramirus - how about 24 hours later...?

[Kienva]

Sadly, Kienva will not be able to make it. My entire weekend is busy. Hopefully, we can go to the next one

[Peverell]

Official start time in just over half an hour from this posting.

Hope to see some people there. I have tarts, you know!

[Peverell]

In an attempt to get the "Good News" on something of a regular schedule, the deadline for submissions for Issue Five will be http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixed ... sec=0&p1=0 (that's Friday the 6th of March, 8pm GMT).
Peverell will be in the Font for at least an hour beforehand to receive hand-delivered submissions, talk to people interested in reporting, and take any last-minute requests for publication. (Of course, Peverell is happy to talk about the paper at any other time as well)

[Peverell]

Loremaster Peverell Goldfarb invites submissions for Issue Five of
Goldfarb's Good News.

In particular he would be interested to receive:
A report on the Knighting of Alfrid Orvinson.
A report on the Emprise of the Boar joust.
A report on the Investiture Ceremony of the new Lords of Waterdeep

Anyone who is planning a faith gathering or similar event is welcome to
advertise within these pages. There is no charge for such advertisements.

Adventurers are also encouraged to share accounts of their heroic exploits,
so that we may record them for posterity and let others learn from their example.

Peverell shall be available in the Font of Knowledge in Waterdeep on
[OOC: Time as above http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixed ... sec=0&p1=0 ]
to accept submissions, or answer questions.

Anyone with news on weddings, engagements, pregnancies or births should contact
Heartwarder Paige Dranigar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Right, so far I have tried to do all my "commissioning" ICly, but this has caused problems with organisation, and people being unwilling to write anything because they assume someone else has got it covered. So this time I have asked for some *specific* reports I would like to get.

I think I've already asked Briek to cover the joust for me... If anyone is willing to write about the knighting and the ceremony (plus riddle contest) for the new Lords of Waterdeep that would be great. You can reply to this thread, PM me, or talk to me about it in-game if you're interested.

The Good News is a not-for-profit paper. We don't charge anyone to advertise, we don't charge for the finished product and - sorry - we can't pay contributors. But you DO get to see your work in print, and recorded forever in the Kingdoms Journal XD

As for adventurer's exploits... I have tried to encourage people ICly to submit stories of their heroics but no one has taken the bait so far. One of my original thoughts behind setting up the Good News was to include things that would help build up "background knowledge" of other characters - eg A paladin's heroic works written about, so that when people meet him/her in-game they can go "Oh! So you're Lord/Lady so-and-so, who rescued PC X's corpse from the dragon's cave! Aren't you noble and brave?" These are things that you may not consider important enough to write a book about, but will help generate RP and give "texture" to a character. The sort of things people could realistically hear about you through tavern gossip and the like... This should be obvious, but I'll make it clear: giving away quest information is a no-no. (And may I nudge people towards this thread viewtopic.php?f=77&t=9174&p=66318#p66286 as well...)

Submissions do not have to be long - honestly, 10 lines is plenty for announcing a gathering or advertising a service. If you are worried about your writing skills DON'T BE. You can always submit the bare bones and Pev will flesh it out for you. (You don't need to worry about formatting or colour codes either.) The Good News would be nothing without contributions, I really appreciate those of you who take the time to write reports for the paper, and I am continually impressed by the imagination, initiative and good writing displayed by certain players

Thanks in advance.

[Peverell]

Issue Five has hit the streets!

Deadline for Issue Six will be approximately http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixed ... sec=0&p1=0

Watch this space

[Peverell]

I should be able to get Pev on a bit earlier... About this time
http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixed ... c=0&p1=136

He'll be in the Font of Knowledge to receive submissions, answer questions, etc.
Young and aspiring bards are especially encouraged to attend

Is there anyone willing to do a write-up of the tournament Skaes organised? (http://www.forgottenkingdoms.org//board ... =72&t=9325). Peverell wasn't there, neither was Briek, so it is yet to be covered.

[Peverell]

Hohum, just realised that the 10th of April is Good Friday. I imagine a lot of people will be doing Family things, so lets push this to the following week...

Friday 17th of April, same time.

And I should be available for at least 3 hours from that point, more if anyone requests it

[Skeas]

If you'd like to get together and compile a summary of the tournament event sometime in the near future, I'd be happy to. When's good for you?

[Peverell]

That would be really useful, thank you I should be free all weekend... If you see me in the chat and I'm not on Pev, just give me a nudge and I'll log him on.

[Skeas]

10-4 good buddy ;D

[Peverell]

A reminder... This is now Roll on Issue Six.

[Peverell]

Issue Six is now available for public consumption on the message post and in the Kingdoms' Journal.

The deadline for Issue Seven will be a few hours after this time:
http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixed ... c=0&p1=136

Pev shall be in the Font to collect submission, answer questions and field enquiries about new articles.

Some starting points:
Religious News
Has there been a gathering of your faith recently? Write a piece to let us know how it went! Are you seeking a more senior member of a church to learn from? Print a letter requesting information. Maybe a member of your faith is planning to build a new temple or shrine to your deity? Has a new priest recently been appointed? Spread the good news in the Good News!

Education
Have you recently been accepted into a school of some kind - eg a Bardic College or a School of Wizardry? Why not share your new-found knowledge with others by telling us a little about your lessons, which teachers are bad-tempered, and your personal favourite dish from the kitchens? Perhaps you have been apprenticed to a great teacher. Why not write about your experiences so others may learn more about this path, and perhaps inspire them to follow it themselves? Did you attend one of the Waterdeep Sponsored Education lectures? (viewtopic.php?f=72&t=9466) Who was teaching? Who attended? What did you learn?

Books
The publishing industry goes from strength to strength. If you have a new work for sale, contact the Good News to let us know and we may review it for you. Or have you spotted a book you think everyone should read? Share your passion with us!

Craftsmen
Do you make weapons? Armour? Jewellery? Ethnic carvings? Advertise in the Good News, free of charge!

Feel free to approach Pev at any time if you are interested in writing an article. Please note that - at this stage - the Good News is a not-for-profit paper, paid for out of Pev's pocket and through the kind donations of others, and contributors cannot be paid.

[Peverell]

Something's come up, and I might not be around at that time now.
Let's push it a few days, until after the joust has finished, so we can get that into Issue Seven.

[Peverell]

To clarify... The deadline is Monday the 18th of May.

[Peverell]

I was too tired to work out the timeanddate.com link :p

Pev will be in the Font, ready and waiting for submissions, for a few hours after this time:
http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixed ... c=0&p1=136
(That's 6pm GMT on Monday the 18th of May 2009!)

[Peverell]

Issue Seven is on the message posts, and has been submitted to Kingdom's Journal.
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a slight layout change. I've decided to be more relaxed with the presentation, rather than stressing myself out trying to line up all the borders.

Issue Eight is nearly ready to roll. I won't be holding a "gathering" for this one, but if anyone wants an article included I'm planning on getting it out at the beginning of next week, hopefully Monday (3rd of August). Please PM / Magical Post me if you have something ready for print.