In the new Buffy magazine, in an interview with Joss, he says something like "Fray is really going to be out soon -- your grandchildren will love it."

Bwah! Good to know they at least forsee its publication before the storyline's events are proven historically inaccurate.

The last I heard was that Karl Moline had most of Fray #7 and part of #8 pencilled, but they were waiting until he had #8 finished before they would make the big push of promoting the final two issues. I have heard that Karl had some health problems recently, and I did notice that his last issue of Route 666 (which I think is a pretty good horror comic, BTW) had shared pencilling duties with Cliff Richards (who is the main penciller on Buffy comics at this time).

Rob, what do you think of the magic system in the Buffy rpg? I'm cool with the loose-and-fast combat system (I tend to prefer faster-paced combats, and I think it will capture the feeling of the show), but, as we've all learned from Willow, playing loose and fast with magic is often a very bad idea. I can't quite get a feeling for the magic system.

I have one player rounded up - any folks here who live in Northern Virginia and want to play, let me know.

Raquel, where are you in NoVA?

CaBil, I'm in Vienna (technically Ffx, but right next to the Vienna Metro).

Oh, the very end of the orange line? Urgh, I am at the very opposite of the network, the MD end of the green line.

Beats driving. But still. I may have a player in DC, in which case we could meet in the middle. My profile addy is good, if you want to zap me offline.

Rob, what do you think of the magic system in the Buffy rpg?

I don't have any memory of it at all, but it's been a few months since I read the book. So I guess I couldn't have thought it was too good or too bad.

I thought this was somewhat interesting. It's from an article about TV show tie-in novels in the Dec 23 issue of Publisher's Weekly.

Now in it's seventh season, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has become an unalloyed phenomenom that's spun off nunerous licensed products. And with more than three million books in print, it has set a new standard for branded series of original novels. "Buffy has its own life as a license separate from a TV tie-in," said Borders's media book buyer Michael Garza. "Usually, interest in tie-ins dwindles over the life of the series, but Buffy has had a longstanding sales picture and a tremondous fan base." Even rival publishers admit "it has really set the bar for where these books can go," as Ballantine's v-p director of sales and marketing Anthony Zaccardi commented.

"The storyline is really rich with characters and mythology," said Clancy. "People feel involved in the growth of the characters in a way you can't be with half-hour sitcoms or even some dramas." The series has also inspired a communal sensibility among its fans. According to Clancy some have even hosted charity parties that were promoted via the Internet, and sometimes even attended by cast members.

As the charity events suggest, Buffy is snagging an audience far older than you might expect. In fact, Buffy used to have separate teen adult tie-in lines, but they're merging into a single series that's accessible to everyone. "The readers range from age 8 to 68 based on the letters we get," said Clancy.

Note: Edited many hours later, because while interest in tie-ins might dwindle, it doesn't swindle.