Trades & Occupations - December 2019

Aug 26, 2026

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December 2019 issue of Trades & Occupations, featuring analysis and interviews centered on worldbuilding, prompts, and storytelling theory. The showcase interview with Jay Howard explores the Future Front universe, including its historical arc, intergalactic superpowers, and the role of Unit-1. An exclusive interview with Sean Fallon of Smunchy Games is paired with story selections and craft-focused sections, plus staff picks, an artist showcase, and editorial content.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages60

Reading Time1 h 32 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Showcase Interview: Jay Howard's Future Front

Thinking Sideways About Exploration

Prompts

Exclusive Interview: Sean Fallon of Smunchy Games

Thirty-Three Tales Of War | Stories Five Through Seven

The Profession of Adventuring

Artist Showcase: Kevin Catalan

Staff Picks

Blood For Money: The Origins And Evolution Of The Mercenary Profession

Ask Us Anything

Letter from the Editor

Meet the Staff

December 2019 With special guests Sean Fallon, CEO of Smunchy Games, and Kevin Catalan, Illustrator and Concept Artist. Analysis • Art • Interviews A Community Publication Prompts • Stories • Theory CONTENTS 04 SHOWCASE INTERVIEW: JAY HOWARD'S FUTURE FRONT 10 Thinking Sideways About Exploration 19 Prompts 20 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SEAN FALLON OFSMUNCHY GAMES 28 Thirty-Three Tales Of War | Stories Five Through Seven 33 The Profession of Adventuring 36 ARTIST SHOWCASE: KEVIN CATALAN 41 Staff Picks 42 Blood For Money: The Origins And Evolution Of The Mercenary Profession 54 Ask Us Anything 57 Letter from the Editor 58 Meet the Staff: Ahmed ElGharabawy Cover: deïficat Logo: Tristen Fekete The fonts Adobe Garamond Pro and Futura PT are used with permission. December 2019: TRADES & OCCUPATIONS SHOWCASE INTERVIEW: INTERVIEW JAY HOWARD'S FUTURE FRONT Interviewed by Aaryan Balu ay Howard has been creating Future Front, a JfutsciureenceTh-fiistsiohnouwnhvedrse sescrt tbeshohusaimsnedlfsaofnydeahirssinworokur Hello! I'm Jay Howard, I am the author of Unit-1 , a story that takes place in the Future Front universe. This is a universe that I've been working on since I was 7 years old, so it’s about 20 years in the making. Future Front is a large world, taking place around and about the Virgo Supercluster, the patch of space our Milky Way galaxy inhabits as a sort of intergalactic neighborhood. It starts in the 3600s [CE], following a nuclear apocalypse on Earth, therebuilding of society, a Fourth World War, and eventually war with an alien race known as Varrocks. Though, after a galactic collapse and dark age, the Terran Soviet Union forms out of areconstruction effort across the galaxy. What are the Big 8? The Big 8 are the major intergalactic superpowers that formed and gained power following the end of the Evon war and the Markone Crusade. Unit-1 [the titular character] figures out how she was made and makes trillions of "children" based off of her own DNA. Initially, she wanted to just live in peace, but mental health problems, and the fact the Evon swarm was making gains against the Virgo Alliance, prompted her to launch a crusade. She was so brutally effective that she slaughtered the Evons' queen, freeing them, but she continued the killing. The other four powers that rise out of this are descendants of differing A-unit models that Unit-1 made and of Evons who survived Unit-1's hate-fueled crusade against them. Who is Unit 1, and why do they have such a focus in the world/story? Unit-1 is an A-unit, a human based life form that mimics just about every conceivable facet of human biology, but with strictly inorganic components. This cybernetic biology was developed by the Terran Soviet Union to be an ace in the hole against the allorganic Evons. Evons can assimilate just about any form of life that is organic, and their developmentsin countering robotic lifeforms have made repelling the invasion very difficult. Unit-1 was designed to solve this problem, which she did. Ruthlessly. Her actions alone change the course of intergalactic history forever. The other A-unit models she creates also develop galaxy-spanning civilizations of their own. Unit-1 is responsible for about half of all major historical events after her activation. 1 The American empire forms after the American people resist and repel European occupation. However, Europe is gearing up for a full scale invasion. Siberia is invaded by a rogue generalfrom the confederacy of China, and the Western Pacific is getting worried. Japan and Manchuria side with Siberia for security. The Middle Eastern states are on their own side, and the African Union is desperately trying to maintain the peace with banking muscle and giving Europe phosphorus. But it allfails and the world descends into war. During this war, Kitov makes a name for herself as a premier armor general against invading C

FAQs

What does the Jay Howard showcase interview focus on?

It explores Jay Howard’s Future Front universe, including its timeline, major intergalactic powers, and the character Unit-1’s origin and impact on history.

What theme is used to describe the Varrocks in Future Front?

The Varrocks are framed as “primitive people thrust into a stellar civilization,” with inspiration drawn from nomadic and religious/cultural elements such as the Mongols, Polynesian influences, and Indian culture.

What other sections are included in the December 2019 issue besides interviews?

The issue includes prompts, themed stories, staff picks, an artist showcase, an article on the mercenary profession, an Ask Us Anything section, and editor/staff features.

Aug 26, 2026

Upload by Connor