S PECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue #157 Vol,XIV,No.12 9 Fighting the Good Fight May 1990 A legend returns, and BUCK ROGERS® games lead the way. Into the 25th Century! Kim Mohan Publisher 10 The future awaits you inside the XXVc science-fiction role-playing game. James M. Ward Buck is Back! Brad Munson Editor 14 Books, games, comics, and more-the world of Buck Rogers. Roger E. Moore Buck Rogers Flies Solo Ed Greenwood 18 Solitaire rules for the BUCK ROGERS: Battle for the 25th Century game. Fiction editor Barbara G. Young O THER FEATURES Assistant editor Dale A. Donovan For the Greater Good Carl Sargent 22 New powers for Jedi in West End Games STAR WARS® game. Art director Larry W. Smith Where There is One Sumotori... Stewart Wieck 32 Stronger than a mountain: the sumo wrestler for AD&D® Oriental Production staff Adventurers games. Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz ...Theres Bound To Be Another! Len Carpenter 33 And an alternate view of the mightiest unarmed fighter of all. Subscriptions Janet L. Winters The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard 41 A meeting with vultures . and the ruins on which they feed. U.S. advertising Sheila Gailloreto Tammy Volp The Ecology of the Wemic J. F. Keeping 48 They can fight, but will they fight for or against you? U.K. correspondent and U.K. advertising Official Ballot for the Origins Awards 1989 Sue Lilley 51 Last chance! Use this ballot and vote for the best games of the year! The Dungeon Alone Tom Little 58 One player, one DMand a whole lot of problems and fun. Next Stop: Eveningstar Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb 64 A crossroads of adventure in the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign. Keep the Heroes Flying! Carleton Tsui 71 What makes the Fantastic Four so fantastic? Teamwork. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 80 A monstrous compendium of miniature monsters, with cyberpunks and silver dragons to boot. The Role of Books John C. Bunnell 88 Weve heard of haunted space stations, but this is ridiculous. The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser 96 You want computer-game clues? Heres a ton of clues! D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 56 Editorial 86 TSR Previews 2 4 Sage Advice 6 8 Gamers Guide 94 Dragonmirth 28 Forum 84 Convention Calendar 104 Twilight Empire COVER Earth is in ruins and enslaved by a soulless megacorporationbut theres one hope left for freedom, and thats Buck Rogers. Artist Jerry Bingham offers his vision of the futures greatest hero (and some of the problems he faces) on this issues cover and on page 9. 4 MAY 1990 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) 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.), 44-223-248068 (international). What did you think of this issue? Do you have Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from the AD&D® 2nd Edition game has warrior kits game and hobby shops throughout the United States, a question about an article or have an idea for a and role-playing notes that anyone playing a Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited new feature youd like to see? In the United paladin should consider (see especially the number of other overseas outlets, Distribution to the book States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® cavalier kit, though others are applicable). trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Send Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, As far as fantasy novels that include paladin orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON characters, you could try Three Hearts and Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 638- Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Three Lions, by Poul Anderson (Holger Carlsen 6460 toll-free except Alaska (call (800) 492-0782 toll-free Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom. is probably the archetype, in fact, for the whole in Maryland). Newsstand distribution throughout the United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton class of paladins). The paladin Agrivar, who Road, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: appears in DCs FORGOTTEN REALMS comics 01-733-4444. (scripted by Jeff Grubb), is another example. Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent Agrivar, a recovered alcoholic who tries too to an address in the U.S. or Canada; £16 for 12 issues Time traveling hard to be good, is a striking member of the sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 class. And any number of Knights of Solamnia issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds from the DRAGONLANCE® saga could be used for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address; Dear Dragon: or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent airmail to any In your editorial in issue #155, you mentioned as templates for a paladin character, such as the other address. Payment in full must accompany all that readers might try to find an old copy of the doomed Sturm. subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of TIMEMASTER® game or its supplements to get payment include checks or money orders made payable to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid Mastercard or VISA some interesting ideas for alternate-history role- credit cards: send subscription orders with payments to: playing. Our company has acquired the rights Miniature making TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60678, U.S.A. In to, and a substantial inventory of, TIMEMASTER the United Kingdom, methods of payment include Dear Dragon: cheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd, or game products, and we are selling the products charges to a valid ACCESS or VlSA credit card; send by mail order and at various game conventions. Concerning the letter from Mr. Enge (issue subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd, as per that Readers wishing to follow your suggestion can #152) in which he asks for information on the address above. Prices are subject to change without prior get a copy of our order form by sending a self- sculpting of miniatures: Several years ago, The notice, The issue of expiration of each subscription is Grenadier Bulletin, a newsletter put out by that printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy of addressed stamped envelope to 540° 40 the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of Orphyte, Inc., P.O. Box 2108, Naperville IL company, gave some advice on that subject. It subscription copies must be received at least six weeks 60567-2108, U.S.A. Alternate-history gamers can advised sculpting the original miniature from prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure also sign up for the RPGA-sanctioned TIME- epoxy plumbers putty, a two-part substance uninterrupted delivery. Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is MASTER scenario scheduled for the 1990 GEN consisting of putty and hardener that can be available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop CON® games fair, and get the chance to save the purchased in most hardware stores. It also (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from history of rock & roll. commented that since no magical shrinking TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists ray had yet been invented, the miniatures must available back issues, write to either of the above Donald J. Bingle addresses. Naperville IL be sculpted in the actual sizes you wish the Submissions: All material published in DRAGON finished products to be. I myself created several Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- miniatures in my college days and found that I lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes Paladin playing preferred epoxy glue to the putty, as the latter unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; dries rubbery while the former become hard, however, no responsibility for such submissions can be Dear Dragon: lending itself to greater detail in carving though assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission I find it very difficult to find many role- it is also more difficult to mold before it dries. accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. playing aids for playing the paladin character in For those interested in gaining more informa- We strongly recommend that prospective authors write AD&D® games. It seems to be treated like an tion, the logical place to write would be one of for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. NPC rather than a playable character. Also, the many miniatures companies whose ads can In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, be found throughout this magazine. stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’ novels offering various examples of paladins Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above would be very helpful.