PCP Magazine

[rcantor77]

In the early nineties I used to buy all my PC Engine games from Dreamware (VideoGameImports.co.uk, Dream Machines or what ever you want to call them today) and spent many an hour sitting on the phone to Lee chatting about the latest PC Engine games and which ones I should buy and which ones we both enjoyed playing. My only regret of those chats was not taking Lee up when he offered me his personal Laseractive for £200...

Anyway, at some point during that time, as a regular customer I got put on the mailing list of a home made PC Engine Magazine named PCP. I recently dug it out from my loft and wondered if anyone on here knows anything about it...who it was that created it, how many issues there were etc. I think there might have only been one issue as I also have a letter from the editor stating that they were stopping the magazine.

Cheers.

[kazekirifx]

Dude, scan it.

[esteban]

I love stuff like this!

Dude, scan it.

DUDE, totally scan it and I'll host it. I'll put up a page with the info from your post + any additional anecdotals you can share.

This is the forgotten history of PCE (the local fanzines) that I'd love to make available.

[esteban]

I just remembered that someone (LMS?) scanned The Complete PCE Guide Book by Richard Gibbs. It's available as 96 page .pdf at the Archives.

LOOK: Anyway, I wonder if PCP is also by Richard Gibbs? The giveaway is the "PCP" logo using the same lettering/font as the "Complete PCE Guide Book" (yes, look at the images).


Also, I'm not 100% certain about the author's name. Ha!

Anyway, I love the UK fanzine action!




I haven't had a chance to dig up the old threads (if someone finds them, there were 2-3, IIRC) we can get more information about Richard Gibbs/Complete PCE Guide Book and I'll make a page dedicated to UK PCE fanzines.

Thanks.

Also, shame on folks for not expressing more interest in this. BASTARDS.

[rcantor77]

You're right, the logo looks identical. Not sure about the name though, as I have just looked through the Editorial and the people behind it were:

Editor: Karin Stowe
Art Editor: Ivan Watkins / Karin Stowe
Staff Writer: Rick Peck
Cartoon Artist: Alistair Day
Reviewers: Karin Stowe / Ivan Watkins / Rick Peck
Japanese Reporter: Ichi Mishama / Ivan Watkins


Anyway, I will do my best to get it scanned for you this week... 

[LMS]

Awesome news... I knew this would surface sooner or later.

Here's the previous three threads covering Richards Guide and PCP Magazine...

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6644.0
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6658.0
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=7482.0

I for one would be very keen to get another look at the contents of that initial promo issue of PCP. It's a real shame a proper issue never saw the light of day. If you want any assistance making a decent compressed pdf rcantor77 (or even want to mail it over this way and have me scan it too) I'm be more than happy to help out.

Thanks for posting, you've made my (Birth)day

[rcantor77]

Well I thought I would crack on with and scan it in, so here they are...

PCP Magazine - Issue 1 (41.0 MB)
Let's Be Friends Registration Form (863.2 KB)
Offical Notice of Magazine Termination (238.5 KB)
PC Engine Universal Game Guide (11.9 MB)

Sorry about the file sizes... that was the best compression my PDF Printer would do. 

[esteban]

Well I thought I would crack on with and scan it in, so here they are...

PCP Magazine - Issue 1 (41.0 MB)
Let's Be Friends Registration Form (863.2 KB)
Offical Notice of Magazine Termination (238.5 KB)
PC Engine Universal Game Guide (11.9 MB)

Sorry about the file sizes... that was the best compression my PDF Printer would do. 

(1) Awesome work 

(2) Crap! I meant to PM you about this.

(3) Hopefully you still have the raw files...can you create .pdf's with minimal compression? The ones you provided already we'll call "LITE" for folks on mobile devices.

(4) BUT, I would love to host both HEAVY (high quailty, huge file size) and LITE (compressed) pdf's at the Archives...

(5) Thanks again

(6) Do you mind if I host the files you create at archives.tg-16.com?

(7) I had to add "UK" (and a little flag icon) to the region column! And I have to create a "fanzine" tag so folks can filter by "fanzine". This is a nice development I didn't expect when originally starting the Archive.

[esteban]

Awesome news... I knew this would surface sooner or later.

Here's the previous three threads covering Richards Guide and PCP Magazine...

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6644.0
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6658.0
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=7482.0

I for one would be very keen to get another look at the contents of that initial promo issue of PCP. It's a real shame a proper issue never saw the light of day. If you want any assistance making a decent compressed pdf rcantor77 (or even want to mail it over this way and have me scan it too) I'm be more than happy to help out.

Thanks for posting, you've made my (Birth)day

Thanks for the links to those three threads, because I'm going to use all that info when I write up a proper page on UK fanzines.

Holy snap, I forgot about Electric Brain fanzine.

Anyway, LMS, I have the same request (YEARS LATE, SADLY) as I made in the prior post:

By some miracle of God, do you still have the original scans? Also, could you create a .pdf with higher quality images (file size be damned!).

I want archvies.tg-16.com to be the source for high-quality scans... I'll keep the old pdf's around for folks who have mobile phones.

I am afraid you're going to tell me that you don't have the original scans anymore....

[rcantor77]

Answers to all your questions.... 

1. No problem, I have been meaning to do it for years. So sorry it took this long.  O:)

2. Oops. 

3. I'll PM you about that shortly. 

4. As above 

5. See No.1 

6. Not at all man, that's why I scanned them for you. 

7. Cool, nice that our little isle will have it's own section. 

[SuperPlay]

Thanks for sharing :-)

Looking forward to reading these

[LMS]

rcantor77,
thanks so much for doing that man. I'm looking forward to having some time to sit down and go through that initial issue again. I just quickly reread the cancellation letter and it's as loony as I remember. What was all that about? very odd.

esteban,
I just had a little dig for you and I do have the original pdf made directly from the original scans. It's just under 200MB but it really isn't any better quality to be honest. The compression I used was mostly effecting the (lack off) colour palette and not the resolution. The problem is that the original mag was printed in really low resolution in the first place and then Richard was just photocopying it to produce copies for sale. there was never any kind of real print run.

If you want the 200MB version to have a look for yourself then you're very welcome to it. I'm going away for a couple of days tomorrow but I could upload it for you at the weekend if you like. If I disappear just send me a pm to remind me.

[esteban]

esteban,
I just had a little dig for you and I do have the original pdf made directly from the original scans. It's just under 200MB but it really isn't any better quality to be honest. The compression I used was mostly effecting the (lack off) colour palette and not the resolution. The problem is that the original mag was printed in really low resolution in the first place and then Richard was just photocopying it to produce copies for sale. there was never any kind of real print run.

If you want the 200MB version to have a look for yourself then you're very welcome to it. I'm going away for a couple of days tomorrow but I could upload it for you at the weekend if you like. If I disappear just send me a pm to remind me.

Comrade, I will certainly set things up so you can upload the 200MB version, even if it sucks .

I was worried that the original suffered from quality issues...it often was the case with fanzines.

Thank you

[Keranu]

Did this magazine serve as some sort of black market tool for distributing certain dissociatives?

[rcantor77]

rcantor77,
thanks so much for doing that man. I'm looking forward to having some time to sit down and go through that initial issue again. I just quickly reread the cancellation letter and it's as loony as I remember. What was all that about? very odd.

no worries mate, yeah I read the letter again the other day.. very strange. 

I just had a little dig for you and I do have the original pdf made directly from the original scans. It's just under 200MB but it really isn't any better quality to be honest.

so after all that scanning I did, you already had a scan...  oh well, be good to see what you have too... 

[esteban]

so after all that scanning I did, you already had a scan...  oh well, be good to see what you have too... 

Forgive me if I'm being daft, but LMS was referring to this specific item (which you don't have):

The Complete PCE Guide Book by Richard Gibbs

[LMS]

Esteban's correct, I was referring to the original Richard Gibbs guide. My copy of the pcp stuff went awol sometime in the late nineties which is the last time I saw it.

[RegalSin]

So it is official then, everything in the future sucks, and we need a time machine fast. No excuses for any recent births.

[esteban]

So it is official then, everything in the future sucks, and we need a time machine fast. No excuses for any recent births.

Yes. The future sucks. Officially.

Esteban's correct, I was referring to the original Richard Gibbs guide. My copy of the pcp stuff went awol sometime in the late nineties which is the last time I saw it.

I've lost too many things over the years with every other move, it seems. I just remembered I have lots of stuff in storage in a *HOPEFULLY* dry garage loft. 6 years this month it's been there.

What will make me motivated to unearth it? Well, I'm sick of all the CD's I've been listening to for the last 6 years. Half my library is up in the loft.

[rcantor77]

So it is official then, everything in the future sucks, and we need a time machine fast. No excuses for any recent births.

i'm afraid so matey...