New Chronicles - Issue 1

IFIS editorial

Welcome to the Institute for Impure Science (IFIS). The Society has existed for several years and it exists for these reasons: 1) To provide a Science Fiction (SF) lending library for use by members; 2) To organise trips to SF-related events (eg conventions); 3) To hold meetings where members can discuss SF (though in practice members discuss anything but SF).

THE LIBRARY The IFIS library currently consists of over 700 books. These have been acquired piecemeal over the years the society has been in operation. Over the summer the commitee have been scouring the secondhand shops for new titles which are likely to interest members. This year we plan to keep most of the library in 5, Penrose Court (across the footbridge from the campus). Some less popular titles will be stored elsewhere. Books will be available from the second IFIS meeting onwards. There is a catalogue stored on the VAX, which we will try to give you all access to.

MEETINGS IFIS meets every Thursday during termtime. The first meeting of the year will be on Thursday Oct 6th at 8.00pm in Penrose 5. It will then doubtless move to the Ascot! The library will not be open for this meeting, but should be by the following week. Please try to make it to the first meeting, as this will enable us to decide on a programme for the year.

TRIPS Dave has been heard muttering something about a con. in Oxford later this term. We will try take a minibus to this if there is enough interest. See Dave at IFIS/Gamesoc meetings, or in the Ascot, c10pm most evenings.

BRITISH SF ASSOCIATION We are in the process of affiliating to the BSFA. The London group holds monthly pub meetings, which are well attended by fans and authors. Dave and Jeremy will be going up to these as soon as the organisers pull their fingers out and arrange a regular time and place. Previous meetings have been moved or cancelled without notice.

SECOND HAND BOOKS This area is blessed with numerous excellent secondhand bookshops. Blacklocks, in Victoria Road, Englefield Green, is under new management. The owner seems keen to attract student custom and is helpful. He will accept "wanted" lists free of charge. Word People, Egham, has a vast stock of SF at cheap prices. The emphasis is on quantity rather than quality. They also stock F/SF art. Owner obnoxious, but staff very friendly. Crouch Oak Books, Addlestone, is easily accessable by car or train. The stock varies in quality and quantity from week to week, and it is more expensive than both the above two. In London secondhand shops are concentrated on the Charing Cross Road. Start at Trafalger Square and work up past Leicester Square tube to Tottenham Court Road. Don't miss The Book Inn, on Charing Cross Road, Orc Nest games shop, just off Cambridge Circus, or Forbidden Planet, who have just moved to new premises on New Oxford Street.

T-SHIRTS It has been suggested that the socities produce a run of joint T-Shirts. Proposals for the design should be given to Jeremy by the end of November. The design on front of this newsletter has already been put forward: let us know what you think. The chances of your favourite design being chosen will be affected by the number of beers purchased in the Ascot for the committee.

We hope that this will be the first of many joint IFIS/Gamesoc Newsletters. But to continue it we need your contributions. Apart from advertising events we would like to include more items of "chat", campaign write-ups, (short) book reviews etc. Scandal will appear of it's own accord..... The length and frequency of the Newsletter will depend on the amount of contributions recieved from YOU, but it would be nice to get something about this twice a term. Hand copy to any member of the committee.

GameSoc editorial

And now..... GAMESOC. The purpose of this society is to, er, play games. In addition to the regular weekly meetings we also coordinate the various Role-Playing (RPG) campaigns on campus. The society owns a vast number of games, only a mere selection of which are brought to meetings in the distinctive turbo-charged shopping trolley. Sean has a complete list (I think...).

MEETINGS Due to competition with the Union GMs Gamesoc will be meeting on TUESDAY evenings (not as advertised in the Student Handbook). Meetings start at 7pm and are held in the Lecture BLock. Popular games last year included Diplomacy, Risk, Cosmic Encounter, Talisman, Illuminati, Battletech and Civilisation, as well as the classics such as Go, Trivial Pursuit, and Apocalypse. If you have a favourite game bring it along and we will play it.

RPG Campaigns Here is a list of the campaigns that we know about at the time of going to press. Many of these are already full, but come along to the first Gamesoc meeting to track down the GMs.

If anyone else wants to run a campaign this year, come along to Gamesoc to recruit players. Or alternatively write up what you plan to do we will publish it in a future issue.

THIEVES' WORLD MULTI-GM campaign. What better setting for a multi-GM campaign than a well known multi-author world. Tim Barnes will be trying to set this up during the first few weeks of term. The system to be used has not been decided, although a few gibberings about Dragonquest have been heard in smoke-filled corners of the Ascot. See Tim at Gamesoc/IFIS meetings. If you haven't read the books, you can always borrow them from IFIS.

MULTI-GM WORLD See Tim Barnes. Aerial manoeverability class X.

AD&D MARATHON Dave and Jeremy have started writing their third annual 48hr AD&D marathon. This will be held one weekend next term. Sponsorship of players is encouraged as proceeds go to Rag. The number of players is likely to be limited to 10. Watch this space for further details later in the term.

FIGURE PAINT-IN Many RPGers spend hours lovingly painting metal miniatures for their games. None of us is so good that they could not do with a few tips from someone else. So why not join our figure paint-in? Just bring along your paints, brushes and a few figures to the Lecture Block THIS SUNDAY, 9th Oct at 2pm. Show us what you can do and meet some of the college RPGers. We might even manage to lay on some tea to warm those fingers!

CHESS The college chess club became extinct last year, however the Union still has several chess sets left over from it (I hope). Anyone interested in playing chess within the framework of Gamesoc, see Jeremy at IFIS/Gamesoc or come along and buy him a beer in the Ascot.

IFIS and GameSoc.: The First Two Weeks

The Committees

Dave Barlow (Physics 3) IFIS Chair Gamesoc Treasurer	Sean "I wish for a very magical longsword" Newman (Biology 3) Gamesoc Chair	Jeremy Packer (Biochem PG) IFIS Treasurer Gamesoc Publicity
Lee Gamesoc Secretary	Elaine Owen (Chemistry 3) IFIS Secretary	Dan Celano (Electronics 3) IFIS Librarian Gamesoc Idiot