Rules of the Game (Highlander zine)

Zine
Title:	Rules of the Game
Publisher:	Of Dreams and Schemes Press
Editor(s):	Catherine Schlein
Date(s):	1995-2000
Series?:
Medium:	print zine, fanfic
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Highlander
Language:	English
External Links:	flyers here
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Rules of the Game is a gen Highlander anthology. It was announced in November 1994.

Issue 1

Rules of the Game 1 was published in May 1995 and contains 140 pages.

cover of issue #1, Catherine Schlein

• Gates of Paradise by Ann Byassee ("In France, Richie Ryan meets a wonderful young woman who touches his heart. As their love blossoms, murder, an Immortal assassin, and a plot to take over a million dollar business complicates matters for Duncan, Tessa and Richie.") (3)
• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Tammy Croft ("A fortune-telling friend of Duncan's shares Christmas with Duncan, Tessa, and Richie. (37)
• A Little Bit of Luck by Catherine Schlein ("Years after Duncan went missing, Richie tries to accept his loss and move on.") (46)
• The Gift Unwanted by Maggie (63)
• Princes of the Universe by Sherry Magee ("There can be only one, but now it's down to two of our favorites. Which one will be the victor as they battle in the Highlands of Scotland? Can one old friend kill another? Or will one man sacrifice his life so his friend may claim the prize?") (64)
• Trading on Trust by Catherine Schlein ("Richie shows up outside the dojo badly beaten and injured, but with no memories of how it happened, or who did it to him. As his memories return, Duncan must help the young Immortal deal with the terror and catch the man who hurt him. But it's not so easy and makes Richie question just who he can trust in his new life as an Immortal.") (77)
• In Memory of a Lovely Lady by Maggie (112)
• Myths by Jan Wertz ("Story telling is an art and for many Indian cultures it is their best link with the past. Duncan gets a chance to meet the descendants of an old friend as he helps an Indian tribe touch its heritage. While there, he senses a member of the unique brotherhood he is in.") (113)
• Twelve Quickenings the Special Effects Department Refused to Do by Catherine Schlein and Elise Hill (127)
• Anne Reflects by Christina Kamnikar (128)
• A Fine Day by Rene Gibson ("Ramirez makes a late visit to Connor MacLeod. Crossover with Doctor Who.") (130)
• So We'll Go No More A-Roving by Christina Kamnikar (135)

Issue 2

cover of issue #2, Catherine Schlein

Rules of the Game 2 is 200 pages and was published in May 1996. Lucy Broadway, Tammy Croft, Sandy Van Denson, Catherine Schlein, Liza Osburn, Rene Gibson, Teri Sarick, more.

• Revelation by Sandy Van Densen ("Crossover with War of the Worlds. The aliens have discovered Immortals. Mac, Dawson, and Richie join forces with the War of the Worlds crew to keep the aliens from realizing their newest plan.")
• After The Bridge by Lucy Broadway ("Richie Ryan sits in a dirty hotel room wondering about what he saw on the bridge. He hopes he'll never see the mysterious men again--but then he gets an offer he never expected, and finds out just what he saw.")
• The Alchemist's Gift by Catherine Schlein ("Even the Immortals have legends. There is one about an ancient sword that a mysterious alchemist made for her son, a blade that would give him an edge. It was meant to be used only as protection, but it fell into the wrong hands and, for many years, wreaked havoc. A young Immortal named Darius buried the blade. Legends often have more than a grain of truth, and when Belcaith comes back into Immortal hands, it is almost the end of Duncan and Richie.")
• Anne's Child by Lucy Broadway ("After Mary is born, Dr. Anne asks Mac to come back into her life. His dream of a family is realized and he settles into home life. Anne asks that he stay out of the Game. But the Game intrudes upon their idyllic life when Mac begins to change after a Quickening.")
• other unknown content

Issue 3

Rules of the Game 3 contains 230 pages and was published in May 1997. Catherine Schlein did the front cover.

cover of issue #3, Catherine Schlein

• Siren's Song by Ellen Shipley—Exactly who is the enigmatic Rhea and what is she doing here, and now, in present-day Seattle? Mac is anything but happy to see her.") (3)
• The Sword by Teri Sarick (34)
• The Bloodgem by Sue Kelley ("Guilt and pain almost lead to Richie's death.") (35)
• Top 10 Things That Attracted Me to Highlander by Teri Sarick (70)
• Checkmate by Jan Wertz ("Methos finds himself in trouble when his friend, and fellow Watcher, witnesses an Immortal battle--involving Methos.") (71)
• Epitaph For Mikey by Liza Osburn (86)
• Wednesday's Child by Cindy Hudson ("A chance meeting with Richie Ryan changes a life--but how long can the friendship last?") (87)
• Traveling Companion by Rene Gibson (92)
• Fagin's Court by Catherine Schlein (94)
• Completing the Puzzle by Rene Gibson (130)
• One Brief Life by Maggie (133)
• Friends and Enemies by Jan Wertz ("Gwen Lewis returns in this story about changes. Gwen faces an old foe as assorted Watchers, Mac, and Richie are forced to stand by and observe.") (134)
• Death of a Friendship by Patricia Dunn (154)
• When I Was Death by Patricia Dunn (155)
• A Thousand Regrets by Patricia Dunn (156)
• Gifts of Magic by Lucy Broadway ("Mac's life with Anne and her daughter Mary is threatened when two FBI agents, an old nemesis, and several Immortals all add up to danger for the family.") (157)
• Renegade Watcher by Teri Sarick (210)
• The Memory of Her Smile by Catherine Schlein ("The years have rolled on and MacLeod has been forced to hide due to a murder charge. Now, he's in trouble and a ghost asks his one-time protege to help him.") (211)
• Immortal Pride by Teri Sarick (230)
• Pine Nut by Elise Hill (231)
• Regrets by Patricia Dunn and Diana Smith (234)
• Sonnet for Tessa by Susan MacDonald (237)

Issue 4

cover of issue #4, Catherine Schlein

Rules of the Game 4 was published in May 1998 and contains 180 pages.

Catherine Schlein did the front cover. The interior art is sparse, a cartoon by Leah Rosenthal, much Dover clip art, and a small uncredited illo.

From the editorial:

It's hard to believe that the final episode of Highlander will air this year. Cathy views its demise with mixed feelings. Like most series, the years began to tell, but only slightly But it's always afar, far better thing for a show to go out when near the top than when it has disintegrated into banality. Luckily, Highlander hadn't made the nosedive yet. But there were still so many stories to tell.... However, maybe that's good. It means fan writers still have yams to spin. Let's face it, a series that has a character that's 400 years old, and another who is 5000, has plenty of history to play with. Perhaps that single fact is what attracted me to the series in the first place. Okay, okay, so maybe it was this terrific looking guy with dark hair and his sidekick (young, annoying, with red hair....) and then later, this guy who was really, really old....but didn't look it came along.... Ahem!

So, that's why we're here, to spin the yarns about characters we're not yet ready to say goodbye to. You'll find stories about Duncan's past and his possible future. You can travel with Methos into the realms of horror, and with Richie into a past he doesn't want to remember. Come join us as our writers weave you a tale....

[...]

Rules of the Game #5 is already in the works. We have two stories already and a third on its way. So turn on your computers and get busy, folks! Since there's no more Highlander on TV, let's push the realms, visit new place, dance the ancient dances with our Immortal friends. There are many stories yet to tell. We welcome alternative universe stories (hey, in my world Richie Ryan never died!) and stories that feature any of the regular characters—Fitz, Darius, Richie, Methos, Amanda, Joe...oh yeah, and the two MacLeods. We also like stories about the side characters. Cross-overs are welcome, but we only feature one per zine. Poetry, filks, cartoons... We want it all! The deadline is December 31,1998.

[...]

Our thanks to our many readers and supporters. Without you, we wouldn't be publishing.

• Constant Craving by Rebecca Ann Brothers ("Adam Pierson meets an evil that is old, and very, very dangerous. As the evil spins a web around him, can he survive, or will Methos, the oldest Immortal, die?") (3)
• Archdemon by Patricia Dunn (14)
• A Stop Along the Road by Catherine Schlein ("It has been years since Mac and Richie met last. Ryan is on his way across country to his new home in Seattle when he hears a radio report about an Alastair Duncan. Since that was the last alias used by MacLeod, Richie gets curious and exits into the small town, what he finds is not the happy reunion he had hoped for.") (15)
• Kenny's Bad Day Rebecca Ann Brothers (36)
• Revenge of Darkness and Light by Sue Kelly ("When an invitation to Greg Powers' newest photo exhibition arrives, the memories it stirs up for Richie leads the younger Immortal, and Duncan and Connor into a maelstrom of emotional horror. (Adult theme).") (37)
• Declaration by Patricia Dunn (72)
• Whose Sword Is It? by Jan Wertz ("Lovejoy has had a bad day at the auction and it only gets worse when he ends up with a sword to sell--a sword that some very strange people want. Crossover with Lovejoy.") (73)
• Cartoon by Leah Rosenthal (84)
• Only This and Nothing More by Rebecca Ann Brothers ("Methos gets a letter and finds out just how much Don Salzer knew.") (85)
• The Winner by Maggie (88)
• Three Laments for a Comrade by Patricia Dunn (89)
• Echoes of the Past by Lucy Broadway ("Anne's daughter Mary is almost ready to go to college and to complicate the life of Anne, Duncan, and Mary, Methos arrives with memories of a very different reality, and a crystal with some unusual powers.") (90)
• Complexity by Maggie (133)
• A Story of a Lifetime by Patricia Dunn & Diana Smith ("Duncan MacLeod is the owner of a small paper, but when a young woman appears asking for a job, he has to reevaluate his thoughts on equality.") (134)
• Death Watch by Dana Bell (152)
• In Tasting Death We See Our Finest Hour by Catherine Schlein ("It is a year and a half after the demon caused Richie Ryan's death. MacLeod has learned to deal with his role in the death of his friend when he gets a surprise visitor. Has fate given him back Richie?")(153)

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Issue 5

Rules of the Game 5 was published in May 1999 and is 200 pages long. Catherine Schlein did the front cover.

cover of issue #5, Catherine Schlein

• The Corners of My Mind by Melanie Riley ("Richie's troubled nights are beginning to tell and Duncan is determined to find out the cause.") (3)
• Summer Storm by Teri Sarick (40)
• A Serpent's Tooth by Lucy Broadway ("Anne's daughter, Mary, is growing up, and Duncan MacLeod isn't sure he's ready for that. When an old nemesis tries to romance her, it leads to troubles. In the midst of it all, Mary finds love in an unexpected place.") (41)
• Choices by Tammy Croft (90)
• Aces and Eights by Jan Wertz ("Joe's niece is doing research on the old West. Adam Pierson is sitting in on card games with his fellow Watchers. The two incidents combine to give Methos a major problem.") (91)
• Chronicle 1889 by Catherine Schlein (102)
• Cartoon by Leah Rosenthal (103)
• Targeted by Dawn Cunningham ("Richie is nearly run off the road then is involved in several other nearly fatal accidents. Tessa and Duncan are worried, and begin to look for a cause.") (104)
• Who Wants to Live Forever by Ellen Shipley (119)
• Thief of Hearts by Ellen Shipley (120)
• Reflections in a Glass by Ellen Shipley (121)
• On Guard, You Fool by Ellen Shipley (121)
• Two Ways Through Time by Teri Sarick ("The years keep flipping by like a mis-timed movie and Sam Beckett keeps thinking he sees a familiar face. Duncan MacLeod, on the other hand, is sure he's seeing something...different. Crossover with Quantum Leap.") (122)
• Heart Half Empty by Tammy Croft ("A beautiful jazz singer walks into Joe's place and sets his heart on fire. But is she what she seems?") (130)
• The Bartender by Vonne Shepard (144)
• If I Die Before I Wake by Catherine Schlein ("Tales of a Celtic Knot. The thread of a Quickening stretches back through time and madness. When Richie takes the head of a friend of Duncan MacLeod, the nightmares start. Wizards and portals, and a far off land spell an adventure for the two Immortals as they try to save a world--or two.") (145)
• Job Profile—Highlander by Teri Sarick (199)
• You Know You've Been Watching Too Much Highlander When... by Teri Sarick (200)

Issue 6

cover of issue #6, Catherine Schlein

Rules of the Game 6 has a front cover by Catherine Schlein. It contains 160 pages and was published in May 2000.

• Never Again by Teri Sarick (4)
• Two Mites by Kat Parsons ("Joe thinks Richie may be into something he shouldn't be when the young Immortal begins to lose weight and suffer from low funds. He enlists Duncan's help in following the younger man in the "Zone". The results are touching and funny.") (5)
• Birthright by Lucy Broadway ("Duncan faces many changes as his life with Anne begins to slip into the last years. Mary's daughter, now the mother of two six-year old twins, faces another pregnancy and the breakup of her marriage. Set in Scotland, there are adventures along the way to healing.") (17)
• Who Wants to Live Forever by Dawn Nyberg ("Richie becomes a target for a Watcher who has his own agenda.") (64)
• Kate by Jan Wertz ("A Watcher finds her life forever changed as her paths cross two Immortals who know what she is--and what she is to become.") (82)
• Victory by Marg Baskin & Heather Bruton ("Tessa waits with Darius as Mac wrestles with demons after a Quickening.") (120)
• Thoughts on Life by Maggie (135)
• May the Road Rise Up by Susan Evans ("A trip to Ireland to help an old friend, pits Duncan against a deranged Immortal for a different prize--Richie's life.") (136)
• Home by Maggie (149)
• Death Be Not Proud by Catherine Schlein ("Richie's search for control over his fear of dying--even if not permanently--takes him to an unexpected source of information: Methos.") (150)