SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue # 165 Vol. XV, No. 8 9 The World Beneath the Waves January 1991 Anchors & Arrows Thomas M. Kane Publisher 10 Prepare to ram! Naval rules for 1st Edition BATTLESYSTEM games. James M. Ward The Dragons Bestiary Tim Malto 16 Why a giant archerfish doesnt need a bow to bring down prey. Editor Roger E. Moore Undersea Priests Randy Maxwell 18 Can a merman cleric cast a flame strike? Nobut he can do better. Fiction editor Barbara G. Young OTHER FEATURES Assistant editor Dale A. Donovan The Role of Books John C. Bunnell 26 What if your computerized fantasy game became realand you were Art director Larry W. Smith trapped inside it? The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard Production staff 41 The admiral visits faraway places and meets many people who want Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz to kill him. Tracey Zamagne The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Subscriptions 47 Why your PC/MS-DOS game crashes, and how to run a railroad and Janet L. Winters not go broke. The Curse-maker fiction by Laurell K. Hamilton U.S. advertising Roseann Schnering 58 Who would curse a bard, and why? His friends would stop at nothing to find out. U.K. correspondent Role-playing Reviews Allen Varney and U.K. advertising 66 Mayfairs DC HEROES role-playing game: The universe changes, but Sue Lilley the game remains a winner. The MARVEL® Phile Dale A. Donovan 71 Four new villains who use their brains and their brawn. Maneuvering For Victory Cory S. Kammer 74 Give your fighters extra punch with 36 special maneuvers. Square Pegs and Round Holes Jerold M. Stratton 82 An SF module for a fantasy campaign using Wild West characters? The Game Wizards Timothy B. Brown 88 Giants and dragons-who needs em? The fiends have returned! Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 104 In space, no one can hear you blow up: a review of Iron Crowns SILENT DEATH game. DEPARTMENTS 5 Letters 34 TSR Previews 94 Dragonmirth 6 Editorial 35 Forum 96 Twilight Empire 30 Convention 91 Sage Advice 100 Gamers Guide Calendar COVER This months cover celebrates the wonderful world of fantasy sport fishing. Fred Fields shows a memorable moment that will no doubt bring smiles to the faces of the fishermans friends as they recall the one that didnt get away. 4 JANUARY 1991 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 02796848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States of America. The postal address for all materials from the United States and Canada except subscription orders is: DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone: (414) 248-3625. The postal address for all materials from Europe is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223- 212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax: (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223248066 (international). What did you think of this issue? Do you have tice shorie-ryu (they were the ones mentioned Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from a question about an article or have an idea for a in issue #160 who forced me to look at their game and hobby shops throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited new feature youd like to see? In the United plastic bug collection). I think martial-arts train- number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® ing would be an excellent idea for almost any trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, kid from about age eight on up. in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Send U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON But Im still not going to let my kid flail about orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 638- Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry in the house while Im trying to fix supper. 6460 toll-free except Alaska (call (800) 492-0782 toll-free Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom. in Maryland). Newsstand distribution throughout the United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: 01-733-4444. DRAGON® index! Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent Martial arts & to an address in the U.S. or Canada; £16 for 12 issues Dear Dragon, sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 kids In issue #112 was one of the most useful issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds things ever published in DRAGON Magazine. Im for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address; referring to the article index. Whenever I or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent airmail to any Dear Dragon, other address. Payment in full must accompany all I have just finished reading the editorial in wanted to find an article, I could just look it up. subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of issue #158, Mica Antelope: An editorial for Now that it is years later, Ive had to go back to payment include checks or money orders made payable searching for an hour and then either throwing to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA parents. In general, the article is helpful in credit cards; send subscription orders with payments to: explaining the approach gamers could take in my hands up in utter desperation or forgetting TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695. Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In calming their parents fears of role-playing, why I wanted the article. the United Kingdom, methods of payment include My point to all this is: WHEN IS THE NEXT cheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd. or whether those fears are media inspired or the charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send parents are just not enlightened to the fun of INDEX COMING OUT? subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd, as per that gaming. Michael McGuire address above. Prices are subject to change without prior Ridgefield WA notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription is But the reason for this letter is that Roger printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy of Moore displays a hypocritical side when refer- the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of ring to the martial arts. He displays the same We have two partial solutions to your problem: subscription copies must be received at least six weeks paranoia concerning the martial arts as do other 1. We have already purchased an article index prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure uninterrupted delivery. parents who object to role-playing. I understand for DRAGON issues #111-155 from a dedicated reader, Shannon Appel, and this index has been Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is that Rogers son is very young. But with the available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop correct supervision, there is no reason at all at a uploaded onto the GEnie computer network in (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from later date that his son couldnt learn karate, the TSR areas gaming library. Information on TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists GEnie can be found in The GEnie Unleashed, available back issues, write to either of the above kung fu, etc. My martial-arts training is fun, addresses. educational, and healthy. I am a keen gamer and in POLYHEDRON Newszine #56 (thats the Submissions: All material published in DRAGON practice kung fu. Neither of these subjects has November/December 1990 issue). If you access Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- this file, you can download it into your home lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary are had any negative effects on my personality made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes while growing up. Both have been fun, and I computer by modem. Because of the size of this unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; shall continue to practice them. index, we would rather not publish it in the however, no responsibility for such submissions can be If Mr. Moore would take time to look into the magazine at this time. assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission 2. Before we purchased this new index, your accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of martial arts, as he suggests parents who are sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. concerned about their role-playing children editors simply photocopied the Table of Con- We strongly recommend that prospective authors write should do, he would discover that the martial tentspages from every issue we needed, add- for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. ing extra notes to the pages for easy reference. In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, arts have been afflicted with the same hype, stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’ rumor, innuendo, and paranoia as role-playing. This worked well for many months. Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above David A. Daniel address; include sufficient American postage or Interna- Crewe, Cheshire, U.K. tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope.