Dragon Magazine #175
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S PECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue # 175 Vol. XVI, No. 6 9 Trouble in Campaign-Land November 1991 Need creative solutions to adventure design? Here they are! Inventing the Instant AdventureArthur Collins Publisher 10 You can improvise with the best of DMsif you prepare for it. James M. Ward The perils of Prehistory Gregory W. Detwiler Editor 16 Dinosaurs could be the least of your problems in fantasy Roger E. Moore time-traveling. Creative Campaigns: A New Recipe Tim Schroeder Fiction editor 24 New histories, new magic, and new universes: three keys to an Barbara G. Young all-new adventuring world. Associate editor Dale A. Donovan O THER FEATURES Art director The MARVEL®-Phile Steven E. Schend and Dale A. Donovan Larry W. Smith 31 At last, for the first time, the incredible 3-D Man! (Who?) Production staff The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz 41 It all started with a Spanish-speaking halfling clown. Tracey Zamagne Uktenas Crest fiction by Kit Wesler 48 A rash promise breeds many outcomesamong them, death. Subscriptions Janet L. Winters The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser 57 Your goal is to build a castle or die trying. Your foes would prefer the U.S. advertising latter. Roseann Schnering Only the Best Will Do! The editors 72 What was 1990s best role-playing game or magazine? Check the U. K. correspondent ORIGINS Awards. and U.K. advertising Bronwen Livermore Role-playing Reviews Allen Varney 80 Evil biocomputers! Punk vampires! Cthulhu with a chain saw! On sale now ! Rhyme & Reason Scott Roach 87 The Riddle in Gaming, Part 1: Some uses and examples. The Answer is... the Riddle! Mark Anthony 91 The Riddle in Gaming, Part 2: . .and how to make up your own. The Role of Books John C. Bunnell 96 If you mix cyberpunk and high fantasy, you get Life on the Border. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 112 Tis the season to give: the annual holiday shopping-list round-up. D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 38 TSR Previews 102 Dragonmirth 6 Editorial 69 Forum 104 Twilight Empire 35 Convention 75 Sage Advice 108 Gamers Guide Calendar COVER In keeping with our issues theme of creative campaign design, we present Paul Jaquayss vision of a unique world called Bramble, composed entirely of thorn vines. It and similar worlds are found in the Thorn World sphere in the SPELLJAMMER setting (the world Briar is in the background). Who lives here, and how would you go about mapping the place? Thats for the heroes to worry about! 4 NOVEMBER 1991 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 of America and Canada except subscrip- on orders is: DRAGON® Magazine, PO. 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In the United full addresses of those whose letters are pub- trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® lished in DUNGEON® Adventures if the writer in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distribution Magazine, PO. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, asks this to be done. We can do the same for the to the book trade in the United Kingdom is by TSR Ltd. U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON Letters and Forum sections of DRAGON Send orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Magazineand, from now on, we shall. (800) 733-3000. Newsstand distribution throughout the Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: 01-733-4444. Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class Whats the record? nail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent Sci-Fi TV News to an address in the U.S. or Canada: £16 for 12 issues sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 Dear Dragon, issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds Dear Dragon, On April 15, 1984, my cousin and three of his for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address, A new cable channel is starting up, called the friends set a world record of 110 hours of or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent air mail to any playing the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game, as other address. Payment in full must accompany all Sci-Fi Channel, which pledges to present the subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of very best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. part of a fund raiser for the Muscular Dystro- payment include checks or money orders made payable Its address is: phy Association. Now, three of my friends and I to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA are wondering what the present-day record is credit cards; send subscription orders with payments to: The Sci-Fi Channel TSR, Inc., PO. Box 5695, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In 2255 Glades Road, Suite 237W for the longest time the D&D® game has been the United Kingdom, methods of payment include Boca Raton FL 33431 played. We would like to break this record and cheques or money orders made payable to TSR Ltd., or There is a “fan line” operating at 1-900-847-SFTV would probably do it as part of a fund raiser. charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send [calls are $2 for the first minute and $.95 for Any information you could send us would be subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd., as per that address above. Prices are subject to change without each additional minute]. The director of fan gratefully appreciated. prior notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription relations is Auriette Hahn. Jon Hughes is printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy Readers are encouraged to write for informa- Dubuque IA of the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of subscription copies must be received at least six weeks tion and urge their local cable systems to carry prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure this channel. Weve stopped keeping records on whos uninterrupted delivery. Pierre Savoie played the longest role-playing game and how Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop Toronto, Ontario long the session lasted. We are also not sure we want to recommend that anyone stay awake for (PO. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists My brochure on the Sci-Fi Channel says that it any period over 24 hours doing anything, even available back issues, write to either of the above will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, playing a D&D game. It isnt particularly good addresses. for your health. Weve received several letters Submissions: All material published in DRAGON presenting numerous science-fiction and fantasy Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- movies, television series (like Dark Shadows, over the years asking this same question (weve lisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are The Prisoner, Doctor Who, Flash Gordon, Space answered it before in this column, too), and the made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes 1999, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), best answer your editors have is that we cant unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; help you. But youve certainly picked a worthy however, no responsibility for such submissions can be and much, much more! I have no current assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission information on the channels starting date. Lets cause. Why not have a fund-raising tournament, accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of hope for the best! then donate the proceeds to your favorite sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. charity? We wish you all the best. We strongly recommend that prospective authors write And a final note: Dont dial a 900 phone num- for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. ber without your parents permission, if youre In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, living with them and want to avoid having them stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers wave the phone bill in your face. Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above TSR means... address; include sufficient American postage or Interna- tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope.