Usenet 1994 October/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicoctober1994disk1.iso/answers/sf/robert-jordan-faq

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From: [e-mail] (Joe "Uno" Shaw)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
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Date: 30 Sep 1994 07:32:39 GMT
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Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions (and
    their answers) about the author Robert Jordan, his Wheel of Time series
    of books, and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan.
Keywords: Robert Jordan Wheel of Time FAQ
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Archive-Name: sf/robert-jordan-faq
Posting-Frequency: biweekly

[Changed release info for the paperback TFoH (it's out),
added pointers to online role playing games.]

 *** See Section II for LORD OF CHAOS Release Date and similar information. ***

               A compilation of
           FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
        for rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan

Welcome to rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan.  Before you rush off to
post, we request that you peruse this small document, which attempts
to answer the most Frequently Asked Questions about Robert Jordan, The
Wheel of Time series and the rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan newsgroup.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.   History and Charter of this Group
    - Where this group came from and what its purpose is

II.  Who is Robert Jordan and What has he Written?
    - Who Robert Jordan really is
    - What books he's written
    - When the next book is expected
    - How many books in the Wheel of Time series

III. General Courtesy
    - How to post so that you don't look like a fool or upset people

IV.  Common Abbreviations
    - How to decipher the cliquish jargon the veterans use

V.   Newsgroup Resources & Archives
    - Getting the Wheel of Time FAQ (long)
    - FTP archives & WWW homepage

VI.  Other Areas of Robert Jordan Fandom
    - Snailmail fanclub
    - Online Role Playing (MUSH/MOO)

                * * *

I.  HISTORY AND CHARTER OF THIS GROUP

This newsgroup, rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, was created in July
1994 for the discussion of books written by contemporary author Robert
Jordan (actually a pseudonym for James Rigney, see next section).  In
particular, this newsgroup is concerned with his ongoing "Wheel of
Time" series, but also covers past and future works by him.  Fandom is
specifically included within the purview of this charter.  The group
is unmoderated.

The discussions in this group originated in rec.arts.sf.written (the
general group for discussion of all science fiction and fantasy books),
where they were carried on for upwards of two years before this group
was created.


II.  WHO IS ROBERT JORDAN AND WHAT HAS HE WRITTEN?

"Robert Jordan" is actually a pseudonym for James Oliver Rigney, Jr.,
under which he has written the "Wheel of Time" fantasy series as well
as several books of the "Conan" series.  Other pseudonyms are Reagan
O'Neal ("Fallon" series), Jackson O'Reilly ("Cheyenne Raiders"), and
Chang Lung (contributions to various periodicals including Library
Journal).  [Source: Contemporary Authors vol. 140]

The books in "The Wheel of Time" series are:


    The Eye of the World
    The Great Hunt
    The Dragon Reborn
    The Shadow Rising
    The Fires of Heaven

The first five are available in both hardcover and paperback.  All are
published by Tor Books in the US.  UK/International versions are published
by Orbit.  Coming out in November 1994 (expect to see it in October) is
the sixth book of the series:

    Lord of Chaos

If you want a more specific date, the best information we have (from
our favorite online TOR editor) is that TOR intends to ship the books
on October 10, which means they should be in stores sometime during
the middle or end of that week, or later, in the U.S.  But that is
not an official promise, so don't if you can't find the book then,
'be steadfast'.

Check the Tor Books page of the panix gopher at gopher.panix.com
for the schedule of Robert Jordan's Lord of Chaos booksigning tour.

Word from the publisher and from the author himself is that the
series will probably finish after eight volumes.

Is Robert Jordan on the Net?  As best as we know, No.  If you
want to write to him, send a letter in care of Tor Books:

    Robert Jordan
    c/o Tor Books
    175 Fifth Avenue
    New York, NY 10010


III.  GENERAL COURTESY

Before you post, read the newsgroup for a while.  This is the best
way to see how things are done, and you'll probably find that whatever
question/point you wish to pose has already been discussed before.
You'll want to take this into account if and when you bring it up.

We urge all readers to following the following few points of
"netiquette" to avoid irritating people and to increase the
likelihood that people respond to your ideas:

   1) Keep quoting to a minimum. Only keep as much of the previous
   post as is necessary for people to know what you are talking about.
   Summarize wherever possible (i.e. instead of 20 lines of included
   text, summarize it in a sentence). Make sure you attribute the right
   things to the right people, and ALWAYS DELETE .sigs WHEN QUOTING.

   2) Use descriptive subject headers.  If you want to discuss the
   intermarriages of the royal houses in Andor, use a subject line like
   "Royal Lineage in Andor".  Threads (lines of discussion) often drift
   from their original topic.  When this happens, subject lines might
   have little to do with the content of the articles.  Try to avoid
   this situation by using a new title when you start a new thread, and
   try not to drift from the topic too much within a thread.  Drift is
   inevitable, though, and when it happens, it's often appropriate to
   rename the thread.  To continue the example above, if the topic
   shifts from royal lineage to Rand's parents to intermarriages in
   the Two Rivers, you might rename the thread "Two Rivers Genealogy
   (was Re: Royal Lineage in Andor)" or simply "Two Rivers Genealogy".

   3) Avoid incendiary language and unconstructive criticism.  Words
   like "rip-off," "crap," and "semi-literate, brainwashed fools" are
   likely to irritate people, even if that was not your intent.  If
   you disagree with someone, tell the group why you disagree; don't
   just call that person names.

   4) Before posting your brilliant new idea (e.g. "Hey! I think
   Shaiel = Tigraine," or "Hey! Maybe Slayer = Luc + Isam!"), make sure
   it has not been discussed to death months before. The collected wisdom
   of the jordan discussions is available in the form of the Wheel of
   Time FAQ.  It is a huge document, and even if you don't feel like
   reading it all at once, you should read it at some point, and at
   least search it for keywords before bringing up something that has
   already been discussed.  Details on how to get this lengthy FAQ are
   found in section V.

   5) When a new book comes out, some people obtain and read it before
   other people do.  People who've read parts of the book want to talk
   about them, but people who haven't gotten that far don't want you
   to spoil the surprises for them.  When not everybody has read what
   you want to talk about, be sure to include the keyword "SPOILERS"
   in the subject line along with the title of the book you're talking
   about.  For example, "LoC: Padan Fain (SPOILERS)"  Just be sure not
   to spoil the book with the title!  Spoiler warnings are really
   important for the first few months after a new book comes out and
   becomes less important after that time.

   6) It is inevitable that there will be threads that do not directly
   pertain to the books, and it is inevitable that this sort of thing
   will annoy some people.  In order to keep things civilized, it is
   suggested that such discussions be labeled "TAN:" for "tangential."
   For example: "TAN: Warder Applications, TAN: Plot Contest,
   TAN: What did Lanfear give Roy for his birthday?"


IV.  COMMON ABBREVIATIONS

You may note that there are many strange and arcane acronyms and
abbreviations used on this group. Here are interpretations of the most
commonly used:

TWoT         = The Wheel of Time
TEotW        = The Eye of the World
TGH          = The Great Hunt
TDR          = The Dragon Reborn
TSR          = The Shadow Rising
TFoH         = The Fires of Heaven
LoC          = Lord of Chaos
r.a.sf.w     = rec.arts.sf.written (also just "rasfw")
r.a.sf.w.r-j = rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan (also just "rasfwrj")
AOL          = Age of Legends
AS           = Aes Sedai (or Amyrlin Seat)
BA           = Black Ajah
DO           = Dark One
DF           = Darkfriend
DFS/DS       = Darkfriend Social
Eg/Egw       = Egwene
El           = Elayne
Mo/Mor       = Moiraine
Ish          = Ishamael
LTT          = Lews Therin Telamon
Mog/Moggy    = Moghedien
MPS          = Mad Passionate Sex, (c) Mike Macchione
Ny/Nyn       = Nynaeve
OP           = One Power
RJ           = Robert Jordan
SG           = Shayol Ghul
SS           = Siuan Sanche
T'A'R        = Tel'aran'rhiod
WCs          = Whitecloaks
WOs          = Wise Ones
YKYBRTMRJW   = You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Robert Jordan When...

And a few of the most common Usenet-wide acronyms:

IMHO         = In My Humble Opinion (also IMNSHO, where NS = Not So)
FWIW         = For What It's Worth
YMMV         = Your Milage May Vary
AFAIK        = As Far As I Know (also AFAIR = As Far As I Remember)
RTFF         = Read The Flaming FAQ!
ROFL         = Rolling On the Floor, Laughing


V. NEWSGROUP RESOURCES AND ARCHIVES

This FAQ isn't even the tip of the metaphorical iceberg of Robert
Jordan fandom accumulated on the Internet and other venues.  We
strongly suggest that you download a copy of the Wheel of Time FAQ,
a much lengthier collection of questions, discussion, humor, and
fandom.  We guarantee you'll enjoy the series much more after
reading the Wheel of Time FAQ.  Your money back if not satisfied!
[WARNING: the WoT FAQ contains spoilers for the first five books.]

Pam Korda <[e-mail]> maintains the Wheel of Time FAQ
and posts it to rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan as her schedule
permits, which is roughly once every month and a half.  You can always
obtain a copy by sending Pam email or by downloading it via anonymous
ftp from faser.cs.olemiss.edu, directory /pub/jordan.

That ftp site is also an archive for rasfwrj (formerly rasfw).  In
addition to this FAQ and the extended Wheel of Time FAQ, it contains
other creations such as the Dark One's Dictionary, results of various
plot submission contests and surveys, and archives of lots of discussions
from America OnLine and Prodigy as well as UseNet.  All of the archive
is available via World Wide Web (WWW) client:

    http://faser.cs.olemiss.edu/jordan/jordan.html


VI. OTHER AREAS OF ROBERT JORDAN FANDOM

Carolyn Fusinato is coordinating a fan club called The Wheel of Time
Club, "a forum bringing together science fiction and fantasy readers
for an unbridled discussion of fictional realms, particularly Robert
Jordan's Wheel of Time world."  You can receive a free copy of their
newsletter, "The Chronicles", by sending a SASE to:

    The Wheel of Time Club
    P.O. Box 223022
    Chantilly, VA 22022-3022

For more information, email Carolyn at <[e-mail]>
or <[e-mail]>.


There are at least two online roleplaying games on the internet that
have Wheel of Time themes or areas.   I haven't tried them out myself,
and I don't yet have contact addresses for who you should contact
for help.  Hopefully next time around.  Basically, just telnet to the
site (e.g, "telnet sarcazm.resnet.cornell.edu 9000")  and follow the
directions on your screen.

Angreal MOO:  sarcazm.resnet.cornell.edu 9000 (or 128.253.150.10 9000)

The blurb, courtesy of Paul Colbourne:
   "We are just opening, and looking for players to lead IC (in character)
    areas, as well as those who want to just come and play!  This MOO will
    be primarily roleplay based, though there will be a combat system, and
    we wouldn't be at all surprised to hear about bands of Trollocs attacking
    the odd village or two...

   "Come in and take a look around.  The 'news' will help you get going a
    little.  Feel free to page any of the staff for help."


There is also a MUD that claims to have "one or two WoT Areas", although
the majority of it is non-Wheel of Time based.  If you want to give it
try, it is called Sanctuary, and is at 128.153.32.10 9000.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This FAQ was written by Bill Garrett, Pam Korda and Joe Shaw, and is
maintained by Joe Shaw.  The authors wish to thank the many people
whose contributions comprise this FAQ.  This document was prepared
under strict supervision by the Secret Usenet Cabal and has been
brought to you by the letter U.