Upon a little more reflection, I think the thing about missing page numbers, for me, is that without them I find myself distracted by a missing sense of orientation. You're absolutely right that most readers provide that in one way or another; but (at least with the reader I use) that information is only visible on demand. I found myself wondering where in the mag I was, missing the page numbers, then clicking to invoke the information from the reader, and I found that to be a distraction from enjoying your 'zine.
Discussion
Another percolating thought about this...
You might think of page numbers as somewhat akin to the "You Are HERE" orientation kiosks in a shopping mall. I like to know where I am relative to everything else, or I'm left with a nagging sense of dislocation. I had a wild thought I'll pass along FWIW, just in case you're in an experimental mood...😜🤣
Picture a thin row of colored rectangles across the bottom of each page, or perhaps every other page... Each rectangle represents one of the articles in your magazine; it's color matches the primary color of the article, and it is a hot-link to the article itself. For orientation, the rectangle for the "You Are HERE" article simply flows into/connects with the current page because it's the same color, perhaps with an asterisk or arrow...
Just spitballin'...🙏🏻😇😆