Convention Announcelllents

Convention Announcelllents

OCTO BER FANTAS Y RBVBL or call: Michael Duran t at (219) 422-9964 . $12 until Oct. 31, and $15 thereafter . Tickets for O ctob er 3 1-Nove mb er 1 the banque t are $19 if purchased befo r e Nov. 30. Come to the Paradise Village Inn in West Bend , NO VOCO N 3-D, Novem b er 21 Write to: SFSFS Secretary , P.O. Box 70143 , Ft. WI. for the Halloween weekend. Featu red will be Thi s one-day gaming event , which is sponsored Lauderdale FL 33307. several RPGA events , including AD&.D Feature by the Ohio Gamin g Association, w ill be he ld from and Mas ters tournaments and Chill, Call of 10 A.M. to midnight at the Un iversit y of Akron in U NIV ER SE 88, Janu ar y 1·3 , 1988 Cthu lhu , Boot Hill and MechWarrior tourna­ Akron , Ohio. Numerous role-pla ying games and This game convention will be held at the Airport ments . The conventio n also will host a Saturday miniatures competitions will be sponsored , along Hilton and Towers in Los Angeles, Calif. Featured evening Halloween party and raw liver toss . Cos­ with an auction , a dealer s' room , and various events will include over 150 game tow-naments (fan• tumes are encouraged. Special gues t: Jean Rabe . other activities . Member ship fees are $5 for the tasy role-playing games , board games, war games, Other activities inc lude several role-playing and day, with no additional event fees. Wr ite to: NEO· and family games), an exhibition room , films, semi­ boa rd games. The gaming hall will open the eve­ GS, Box 412 , Cuyahoga Falls OH 44222. nars , and more. There will also be a full program of ning of Oct. 30. Pre-reg istration is $5 a day or $10 science fiction and fantasy events . Admission is for the weekend. On-site registration is $6 and D AL LAS FANTAS Y FAJR, Nove mb er 27 -29 $19.50 until December 5, and $25 at the door. Write $12. Admiss ion to the Halloween party is $6. All Sponsored by Bulldog Productions , this comic to: UNIVERSE88, Dept. D, P.O. Box 2577, Anaheim RPGA members ca n re ce ive a $2 discount on reg• book , science fiction , and film supershow ta kes CA 92804; or call: (213) 867-4140. istratio n costs. For m ore information contact place at the Mar riott Park Centra l, 7750 1-635 at Keith Polster , 1812 West Morgan Drive , Apt. 6, Hwy 45 , in Dallas , Tux. Guests include Carole Nel­ CHI MB RA CON V, Januar y 29-3 1, 1988 West Bend, Wl., 53095 For hotel reservations , call son Dougla s, Steve Erwin, Kerry Gammill, and This science fiction and fantas y convention will 414·334-2256 , and mention you are a gamer to re• many others. Other fea tu res include a huge deal­ be he ld at the Univers ity of North Car olina cam­ ceive a room discount. ers' room , a professional art show , an art contest , pu s in Chap el Hill, N.C. Guest s of hono r include an art auction , video rooms , a masquerade , nu­ Nancy Spr inger , Hugo and Nebula Awar ds winn er SAN DI BGO GAMIN G CON VEN TION me rous workshop s, previews of upcoming mo­ Or son Scott Card , Colleen Doran , Allen Wold, Lisa Nov emb er 6-8 tion pictures , and a var iety of gaming events and Cantrell , and Mark van Name. Events include a This three-day gaming convention will be held at open gaming competition. Tickets for thi s event costume works hop and contest (costumed guests the exquisite Hotel San Diego, 339 West Broadway are $20 thro ugh November 1 and $25 thereafter. receive $1 off admission for Saturday registra• Street in San Diego, Calif. Events will include a wide Write to: Bulldog Productions, P.O. Box 820488, tion), an Outer Limits Cantina Variety Show , filks• variety of role-playing, board , and miniatures game Dallas TX 75382; or call: (214) 349-3367. inging , gaming, pane ls, and more . Admission tow-naments, along with a large dealers ' room and a prices are $6 per day, $11 for two da ys, and $15 host of open games . Registration is $15 until October D RAG O NMBET BALTIMOR E for all three da ys. Preregistration for all three 30, or $20 at the door. Special two-day and one-day Nov emb er 27 -2 9 days is $,12.50. Write to: 15·A University Gardens, registration fees are available at the door. Write to: Sponsored by Games Workshop U.S., this sci­ Chapel Hill NC 27514 ; or call: (919) 933-3003. SAN DIEGO GAMING CONVENTION, P.O. Box ence fiction and fantasy gaming convention will 881424, San Diego CA 92108; or call: (619) 569-1685 be held at th e Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel in Bal­ GENG HI S CON IX, Febr ua r y 12 - 14, 19 88 between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M. timore , Md. Events include all ty pes of games, Jo in the Horde as GENGHIS CON 1X move s lo with an extensive miniatures gaming schedule winter qua rters at the Airport Hilton in Denver , ROC K-CO N XIV, Novemb er 7-8 taking place over the lengt h of this three -day af­ Colo. This co nvention is sponso r ed by the Denver This year's ROCK-CON gaming convention will fair. Gaming eve nts are sponsored around the Gamers Association and the Colorado Military be h eld at the Wagon Whee l Reso rt in Rockton, LU. clock , with a program of films and videos showing Historians. Events includ e all varieties of board , Special gues ts include Gary Gygax , Jim Ward , Tom concu r rently . A miniature s painting workshop is miniatures , computer , and role- playing games. Wham , and Lou Zocchi. Special features w ill in• also held at no additional expense to reg istrants. The ever-popular game auctio n will make an­ elu de over 60 different gaming events, along with T his wo rkshop features artists spotlighted in the ot her app earance this year. Special gaming events a dea lers' room with over 40 exhibitors. Other "Tobletop Heroes " section of White Dwarf maga­ include competitions in VICfORY IN THE PA· even ts include a miniatures painting con test zine. Registration for th is even t is $20. One -day ClFIC, TITAN, CIVILIZATION, KJNGMAKER, and (prizes awarded) and various miniatures competi­ registration is $7.50 at the doo r. Write to: Timothy ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER. The Colorado Mill• tio ns. Admission for both days is $5, w ith no addi­ D. Olsen, Games Wor kshop, 231 Park Avenue , Bal• tary Historians will also sponso r one of the first tional gami ng fees. Conve ntion hours are 10 A.M. timore MD 2120 1; or call: (301) 752-1493. qualif ying round s for the WRG Ancients National to mid nigh t Saturday and 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Sun­ Champ ionsh ips. Registra tion is $12 until Janua ry day. Wri te to: ROCK-CON XIV information or P ELI -CON '87 , Nov e mb er 27- 2 9 31, 1988 , and $15 thereafter. Write to: Denver Game Schedu ling, 142250 Hansberry Road, Rock­ This convent ion will be the first comics and Gamers Assoc iatio n , P.O. Box 2945, Littleton CO ton 1L 61072 . Please make all checks payab le to gaming convention spo nsored in the New Orleans 80161. Black Haw k Distributors . ar ea. Held at the Clarion Hotel on historic Canal Street in Downtown New Orleans , PELI-CON '87 OR CCO N 11, Febru ar y 12- 15 , 1988 XAN AD U IV, Nove mb er 13-1 5 will take place just block s away from the ever• Brought to you by STRATEGICON, the people who This science fictio n convention will be held at popular French Quarter . Guest artists from sev• also brought you ORIGINS' 86, this gaming conven· the Ramada Inn on Music Valley Drive in Nash­ era! comic book publi shers will be present for lion will be held at the Lost Angeles Airport Hyatt ville, Tonn. Poul Anderson will be guest of honor. panel discussions and autograph sessions. Oth er Hotel. Role-playing, wargame , compute r game, and A sm all numbe r of RPGA'" Netwo rk tournamen ts guests will inc lude Ned Dameron , George Alec Ef• family board game tournaments are offered , as well will be fea tured , along with a few events spon­ finger , Pat Adkins , David "Zeb" Cook , Mike Curtis , as various seminars and demonstrations, a flea mar • sored by D.A.G.R. Membershi ps are $15 until Oc­ and Kirk Alyn. Game events feat ured include an ket, a game auction , and an exhibitors ' area. Write to: tober 1; $20 thereafter. Wr ite to: William 1racy , AD&.D®game tournament , an AD&.D game triv ia ORCCON 11, c/o DTI, P.O. Box 8399, Long Beach CA c/o XANADU SF Con, P.O. Box 2328 1, Nashv ille TN con test, Pente , BATILESYSTEM'", and BATTLE· 90808; or call: (213) 420-3675. 37202-3281. TECH®game competitions , and a variety of minia­ tures , board , and role-playing games. Prizes will CON T EMP LATIO N 88 PBN TA CON m, Novemb e r 14 be awarded for most events. Other features in• Fe bru ar y 2 6-28, 1988 This one-day gaming conventio n will be held at elude a film and video room , a dea lers ' room, and Th is science fiction , fantasy , and gaming con­ the Whistle r Ballroo m and Grand Wayne Gallery a 24-hour gaming room. Registration fees for the vention will be he ld at the Ramada Inn in Colum• in the Grand Wayne Center locate d at 120 W. Jef• weeke nd are $12 until Octobe r 1. Write to: PELI· bia , Mo. Guests of honor include Je r ry and ferson in Fort Wayne , Ind. An RPGA'" Networ k CON '87 Conven tion Committee, 5200 Conti Rober ta, Pournelle , and Larry Niven . J.R. Daniel s AD&.D®to urn ament is featu red, along with other Street, New Or leans LA 70124. is the ar tist guest of honor , and Keith Ber dak is fan AD&.D®tournaments Sample, minia tures battles , fantasy guest of hofilenor. Events include an ar t show and and science fiction ro le-playing games , a flea mar• T ROPI CON VI, D ece mb e r 4-6 auction , nume r ous pane ls, a masquerade , a video ket , a miniatures painting contes t, and the award­ This science fiction conve ntion will be he ld at room , a huckster's room , gaming event s, and ing of door pr izes. A dealers ' and man ufacturers ' the Holiday Inn Oceanside in Ft. Lauderdale , Fla. more. Membership fees are $10 until December room are also available . This convent ion runs Guests of honor include George R.R. Martin an d 16; thereafter , fees are $14. Wr ite to: CONTEM• fro m 9 A.M . to m idnight. Wr ite to : NIGA/ Gail Bennett . Panels , mov ies, trivia, videos , filks­ PLATION, P.O. Box 7242, Columbia , MO. 65205 . PENTACON, P.O. Box 11 133, Fort Wayne IN 46856; inging , and gaming are featured. Registra tion is POLYHEDRON .

Sample file Contents

Special Module Feature

9 Pilgrim's Pool - by Robert]. Blake, Anita B. Franlc, and Rex A. Zinn. This conclusion of the Maiden of Pain seriesis an AD&D adventurefor 6 to IO characters,levels 8 to I 0. Features

25 On The Road to The Living City - byJean Rabe and HaroldJohnson . It won't be long now beforethe gates of The Living City are within sight. But thereis still a sectionof road that must be traveledto reachit . And the road is not deserted. 28 A Case for Cultures - by Randal S. Doering. Culturesplay an integralrole in many AD&IP game campaigns.Randal illustratesa few ofhis campaign'.r cultures and includes suggestionshow to developyour own. Departments

5 Notes From HQ- byJean Rabe Abo ut the Cover 6 Lette rs to the Editor This issue 's cover illustrates Loviatar's 8 Arcane Academe - byJeff Martin. A cleverlook at clerics. Ladie s, clerics in the featured modu le 31 The C ritical Hit - by E"ol Fars/ad. A reviewof the AD&~ game OrientalAdventures. P ilgrim's Pool. Cover ar t by Network 33 RPGA Network Tournament Winners List member Gary M. Williams. 34 Classifieds

POLYHEDRON"' Newszine (the official newsle1- are $20 per year (surface mail) or $30 per year material copyrighted by TSR, Inc., 10 such an 1cr ofTS R , Inc.'s ROLE PLAYING GAME (ai r mail). All prices arc subject to change with­ extent as 10 make ii impractical 10 separate those ASSOCIAT ION"' Network) is published bi­ out notice. Changes of address for the delivery of materials from the submission, TSR will retain monthly by TSR, Inc. The mailing address for membership materials must be received at least copyrigh t ownership of the anicle upon submis­ all correspon den ce is: P.O. Box 509, Lake Gene­ 30 days pr ior to the effective date of the chang e to sion for publication. va, WI 53147. Telephone : (4 14) 248-3625. insure uninterrupted delivery. However, ifTSR make s use of the materials POLYHEDRON Newszine is mailed free to all POLYHEDRON Ncwszinc welcomes unsolicit­ contai ned in the anicle for any product or com· RPGA '" members. US membership rates are $12 ed submissions of wriucn material and an work. mercial purpose beyond RPGA'" Network use, per year (bu lk mail deliv ery only); foreign rates No responsibi lity for such submi ssions can be TSR will pay the author the then current fee for assumed by the publisher in any event. No such product or purpose . submissions will be returned unless accompanied All letters addressed 10 the RPGA"' Network or .-01, 111-:n1un by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of suffic­ 10 TSR, Inc ., will be considered as submissions ient size. and may be printed in whole or in pan al the NEWSZINE Unless special arrangements to the contrary arc discretion of the edito r unless the sender specifi­ made prior 10 publication, materials submiucd to cally requ ests otherwise in writing. Volume 7, Number 3 the Publish er for publication in POLYHEDRON Un less otherwise stated, the opinions expressed Newszine are accepted solely upon the condit ion in POLYHED R ON Newszine are those of the that the materials may be edited and published in individual aut hors, and do not necessarily reflect Issue #36 POLYHEDRON Newszine or used in RPGA"' the opinions ofTSR , Inc., the RPGA Network, Publisher : Mike Cook Network sanctioned tournaments, conventions, or its staff. Editor: Je an Rabe and events without cost to the Publish er. All other DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D , publication rights may be reserved by the author ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Production : except that, upon publication, the Publisher is ADVANCED D&D , AD&D, BOOT HILL, Sylvia Deering granted a first right of refusal to purc hase any GAMMA WORLD, TOP SEC RET , DRAGON, Harold Johnson and all such publication rights offered for sale by and STAR FRONTIERS arc registered trade­ Kimj ankc the author. Solely for purposes of submissions for marks owned by TSR, Inc. "TM" designates Roger Raupp publication in POLYHEDRON Ncwszinc and other trademarks ow ned by TSR, Inc., unless Mary R yan upon prior wriuen agreement, authors may be otherwi se indicated. ROLE PLAYING GAME Contributing Artist : granted a non-exclusive right 10 use TSR copy· ASSOC I ATION, RPGA , and GEN CON are Ray VanTilburg righted material with proper acknowledgement ; service marks owned by TSR , Inc. MARVEL SampleMichael Lach however, any use of such copyrig hted material in SUPER HEROEfileS, SECRET WARS , and all the submission beyond the newszin e without Marvel characters are trademarks of the Marvel Director Gamer Servic es: TSR 's funher prior wriuen approval is prohib ­ Comics Group. THE ADVENTURES OF Haro ld John son ited. INDIANAJON ES'" Game is a trad emark of In the event an aniclc submiu ed for publica· Lucasfilm , Ltd. o 1985 TSR, Inc. All Rights tion in POLYHEDRON"' Newszine contain s Reserved.

188Ue #3 6 Notes Froio HQ

A City By Any Other Name of the Manual of the Plan es, which were auctioned to benefit the J oe Martin Fund. Several other convention attendees auctioned The entrance sign to the Liv ing City was going to read items and donated money to the fund. "Ravensgate ." More than $500 was raised. Besides honoring J oe Martin, the That name received the most votes in our Name-T he-Living­ Evansville group demonstrated to the public that gamers and the C ity-Contest announced in issue no. 32 of the POLYHEDRON"' gaming hobby are respectable, caring and deserving of a good image. Newszine. It was a wonderful name that hinted at mystery. And it Also at the convention, Network member Gary M. Williams, whose fit because there will be plenty of mystery and adventu re awaiting artwork graces the cover of this issue, drew a poster that was auctioned characters who en ter throu gh the bustling city's gates. Unfortu­ to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital. T his has become an annual nately, we can't name the city Ravensgate. That is the name of a labor of love for Gary, who at each Glathricon draws gamers' charac­ prod uct published by R agnarok Enterprises. So, we could have ters on the poster for a $1 donation. The proceeds from the auctioned selected the next highest vote-getter in the Nam e-The-Living-C ity­ poster and all the $1 donations are always given to a children's charity. Cont est. But no matter what that name was, it wouldn't have fit This year more than $100 was raised. eithe r. You see, the map for the Living City is finished, and it has Networ k HQ urges other gaming clubs and conve ntion comm it­ ravens throughout it. So since we have to stay with the rave n tees to consider sponsoring benefit tourname nt s for causes in their theme, a panel of exper ts at HQ are looking over Ra ven­ areas. There are few better things a conventio n committee can do something-or-o ther names. We will print the name of the Living than to hold an event which shows gaming in a good light. The C ity in a future Notes From HQ column . RPGA,. Netwo rk has estab lished a "c harity category" in the point However, if you are a fan of con tests, don't despa ir. We will have system to help promote this idea. All R PGA,. Network tourna­ anot her Living City contes t annou nced in next issue's Notes From ments held to benefit a charity are worth doub le the stan dar d HQ column. And the same thing won't happen with that contest amo un t of experie nce points. However, we hope the members plays that hap pened with R avensgate. in these tourname nt s for the causes rather than the points. Network member Reynolds J ones in Schenectady, NY, has pro­ Where is the City? moted AD&D® Game tournaments to benefit AIDS research. T he Living City is located in the Forgotten Realms a little south Th ere probably are other bene fit tou rnaments, but they have not of the city of Tantras and on the Fire River. The Livin g Ci ty is on been brought to the attention of the RPGA,. Network. The Dragon Rea ch, an inlet of the Sea of Stars. Th ere are moun­ tain s nearby, and there is so much land to explore. Thank You RPGA"' Network HQ is striving hard to make sure the For Joe POLYHEDRON"' Newszines get back on schedule by the end of the I attended Glat hr icon in Evansville, In., a convention which I year, to get tournaments to conventions and to implement the new am a little partial to since I used to be on the conven tion staff. point system . This is all being accomplished throu gh many people's However, the convention is special to me for many reasons, among efforts, and these people should be recognized for their work. them being the charity benefi ts the conve ntion staff org aniz es. I Nancy K rakofsky, a comp ut er programm er/analyst for TSR, want to share with you a few of the even ts held this year at that Inc., is respo nsible for develo ping the prog rams which will keep conventi on in the hopes it may inspire other convent ion coordina ­ tr ack of all the players' and judges' points under the new and vastly tors to sponsor sim ilar activities. improved system. Nancy, who has worked for TSR, Inc., for Jess Joe Mart in of Henderson, Ky., was a very active memb er of the than a year, ha s been "wor king out the bugs," in the new system RPGA,. Network and worked very hard with the convention staff and care fully scanning the "tou rn ament histori es" of Network to help put on Glathri con. Even when he kne w he was dying of members. Nancy says almost all of the bugs have been dealt with, cancer he would show up at car washes that were being held to and members should be receiving their membership cards with ra ise money for the conve nti on, shamin g other club members who updated point totals and levels within the next few weeks. thoug ht they had better things to do with their time. HQ thanks members Errol Farstad for his cont inuin g "The For many years Joe worked at a local television station, and Cr itical Hit " reviews and J eff Martin for his thoug ht -provoking promot ed the RPGA "' Networ k, local conventi ons and gamin g "Arcane Acade me" series. Keep up the good work! hobby by taping interv iews of gamin g pros which were broa dcast Thanks must also go to game designer James Ward, who has been th roughout Western Kentucky and Southern Indian a. working on various aspects of Rave nsgate. James is the author of the Joe died of cance r a few days before GEN CON® 19 Game Fair, first Living City tournam ent at GEN CON® Game Fair 20 and is an a conve ntion he had frequented. H is dea th leaves a void in the energetic creative force behind the entire Living City project. Network. He is missed very muc h. Several of our memb ers have been writing RPGA,. Network This year to honor him the Evansvi lle Ga ming Guild at Gla thr i­ tournaments for use at conve ntions thro ughout the country. HQ con sponsored the Jo e Martin AD&D® Game Tournament for the thanks the m very much for their efforts and the good times they are America n Cance r Society. provid ing those conventions' attendees. H owever, there rema in s a Samplegreat need for more tourname nts. Networkfile members wan tin g Each ent rant pa id $5, with all proceeds going to the local chapter of the American Ca ncer Society. Several people played in the tour­ guidelines for tou rnamen t writing shou ld write to HQ . nament twice. The tournament, " In The Village of Martinburgh," The POLYHEDRON"' Newszine also remains in need of more was written by one of our regional directors, Rembert Parker, a submissions. There continues to be regular writers for the newszine, former Evansville resident. but there must be many more talented people out there who can dust In addition to the tourna ment, T SR , Inc., donated a few cop ies off their typewriter keyboards and warm up their word processors.

POLYHEDRON 5 Letters suggestions RPGA in the last issue of the I hope these ideas are helpful to you at POLYH EDRON"' Newszine. I think the HQ in the expansion of the RPGA. In the recent POLYHEDRON"' Newszine RPGA could go furthe r by having different Dr ew Martin issue you mentioned in Notes from HQ some levels of internal manageme nt, each having Rockville, MD new programs that are being developed and well-defined purposes. At the top could be also hinted at some new directions for the the Global HQ. This Global HQ would Thanks/or your interestin the directionof the RP GA"' Network. You said that in later issues take care of th e process ing of new members, RPGA"' Network. I will try to answer as many you'd be asking the membership to solicit the membership packages , and the neces­ points in your letteras possible. their comments on these developments. I am sary legal matte rs. The Glo?al_ HQ wou_ld First I don't believethe RPGA centersaround sonv but I cannot wait that long considering .. ,, G "' also be responsible for pubhshmg and dis­ tourn:ments. Tournamentsare onry one aspectof the current problems facing the RP A tributing PO LYHEDRO N"' Newszine. our Network. However, it is perhaps the most Network and POLYH EDRON"' Newszine Below the Global HQ could be the Regional visible aspect, and an ever increasingnumber of due to recent events. H Q, which would take care of gam ing gaming, comic and sciencefiction conventionsare conve ntions and regional tournaments. requestingan increasingamount of RPGA­ I began gaming nine years ago. Even Th ese Regional HQs should have directo rs sanctionedtournaments. Some ofthese tournaments though I knew about th e RPG A"' Network, responsible for sta tes ( or the equivalent in have receivednews coverage.And, unquestionabry, I was un able to join until last year. The foreign countri es). There should also be one the presenceof tournaments at traditional(;,non­ reasons why the RPG A appealed to me Regional Dir ector totally responsible for the gaming conventionsis increasingthe public's were that I' d be finding out what TSR, Armed Forces. Below the Regional HQ knowledge ofth e gaming industryand the RPGA"' Inc., was doing, that I would be able to get could be the Local HQ, which would take Network gamin g suppli es at a discount, ~nd be able care of local gaming fairs, local tourname nts As the RPGA"' Network embarkson more to tell fellow gamers about my ideas on role· and help ( or be responsible for) the estab­ projects, I believeyou will see thereis much more playing games. In time I discovered tha t the lishmen t of gaming clubs and group s. The to the Network than tournaments.For example, as RPGA centere d around tourn aments and local HQ should be in charge of an area the Ravensgate, The Living City, evolves a~d the conven tion s. So much so, that when I size of a county ( or the equiv alent in foreign newsletter becomesavailable, I am certainth e joined I discovered your gamin g abilities countries), so as to be able to work mor e RPGA"' Network becomesknown for this project. and ideas on gamin g were judged by how efficiently with local community agencies In addition, the POLYHEDRON"' Newszine, much you parti cipate in Official RPGA and offices in obtaining the permission to anothervital aspectof the organization,is getting tournaments and attending conve ntions. use public (or school) property for holding back on schedule and will stay on schedule. Thi s is an aspec t of the RPGA that has gaming clubs/groups/fairs . Ytiusay the RPGA"' Network does little to never app ealed to me. As one of my gaming As for gaming tourname nts or "turn ies'_' stimulategaming. This is changing. The Net­ buddies points out, "Ju st because someone as my friends call them, I always thought 1t work's visibility at sciencefiction conventions is does not pa rticipate in tournaments does might be better if the RPGA had levels of making non-gamersmore aware of the hobby, and not m ean they're a bad gamer." As I have competit ion like that of high school or col­ publicity we are receivingin book store newsletters interpreted from material on the RPGA, lege sports. Startin g at the bottom you and in TSR, Inc.'s new bi-annual newspaperthat the curr ent purpo se of the RPGA was to could have club tournaments done by a will be availableat hobbyshops and otherlocations keep role-playing game enthu siasts in touch gamin g club. Then the winners of the~e is helping. In addition, many Networ~ members with one another so as to share idea s, com­ tournamen ts would go on to compete m the and clubs within the RPGA are working to interest pete in competition and expand on existin g local tournament done by the Local HQ . others in gaming and to put gaming in a good light role-playing games. This is a grea t purpose The winners of the local tournament would (pleaserefer to Notesfrom HQ). indeed, but I have noticed that aside from then go on to compete in a state tourna­ And as for helpingpeople find places to game- establishing gaming tournaments and pu b­ ment. And then on to a regional tourn a­ ... UHi, that is a difficult matter, but one we will lishin g POLYH EDRON"' Newszine (even ment and then possibly on to a global be addressingin future issues of the though these are not bad) the RPGA seems to ur;ame nt. Th e tourname nts could judge POLYHEDRON"' Newszine as our club program to do little in actual stimu lation of gaming. and awar d prizes accord ing to the rules develops. J# will be making suggestionsto clubs I have always felt tha t the RPGA needs to established by the RPG A to the following about hew tofind places to play and how to attract go out into the comm uni ty and encourage participants: judges, players and teams . more members. this purpose. It is true that we can no t force As for funds for these programs and Ytiursugg estions about Regional Directorsand people to play, but the RPGA should at activities, I have always believed that local your proposedvarious levels of internalmanage­ least help gamers by finding/providing stores which sell role-playing gam es, along ment are interestingand well thoughtout. How­ spac e for gaming (if needed), pro~iding with the producers, like TSR, Inc., would ever, the RPGA"' Network current(;,does not have information where these role-playmg games not mind contr ibuti ng monies to the enoughmembers to warrant such a sy~tem. Ytiur can be pu rchase d and encoura gin g gam_ers RPGA , since the RPGA would be encour­ ideasabout variouslevels of competition - local, to play new role-playing games ( or vers ions Sampleaging gam ers to play the games and stat e and regionalfilehave merit. Along that line now, like AD&D® Game Oriental Advent ures) produc ts they sell. In this way, the memb~r­ the Network has variouslevels of tournaments · and m odule s. As I see it, TSR, Inc., makes ship will not have to pay for most of the bill. Regula1,Masters and GrandMasters : J_or~lay~s the games, DRA GON® Ma gazine expand s I have not iced in the pas t that most gamers who ha.ve reachedcertain lev els by participating in them, local stores sell them and the RP GA like to play role-playing games, but when severaltournaments. attracts the garners. they have to pay to play, their purse strings You m ention ed R egional Dir ectors for the get tight. Jean

Issue #36 6 On The Living City work literallyon the map. However, the successof we can do. If we really want to see excel­ this entireproject will dependon how much the lence in role-playing, let's become vocal. David Axler's ideas on the Living C ity Network membersgel involved. i:% will be pub­ Write the manufacturer of your favorite (prese nt ed in POLYHEDRON"' Newszine lishing guirulinesfor submissionswithin the next game, or encourage your favorite gaming no. 32) are interest ing. Th e presence of few issues. magazine to support something besides limestone cliffs and caves ove rcomes a Fantasy Role Playing. Or better yet, write major problem I was worried over. A jean articles. And best yet, talk to your friends coastal city must have a very high water and local hobby store, shar ing your interest table or the third level of any dungeo n On A Soapbox and increasing sup port for other gam es. would be flooded. Giving us a chance to go I hate to sound preachy, but this topic is H ere's a specific camp aign to fight. sideways and down make for a tremendous close to my hear t and it seemed to be some­ The GAMMA WORLD® game is back­ amount of room to put in dungeons. thing you should hear. ... the game rated the most popular science But there are some major problems as In recent years, we have all gotten a lot of fiction game in a recent DRAGON® maga­ well. The most serious is that we are trying enjoyme nt from the role playing game zine surv ey. You asked for the game, and it for a generic city here, one that can be used industry. There are fantasy games, super­ was returned. But since its release, the core in most any campaign. When we give it hero games, science fiction, horror, espio­ of fans have remained silent. If you like the unique features like high cliffs right on the nage and hum orous role playing games. game and want to see more or better sup­ coast on a major river, we are in danger of H owever, despite this wide range of themes port, you have to tell the company and making it unusable in many campaigns. We that we can enjoy, the topic th at still gets the gamin g 'magazines! should really stick to a normal, flat coastal most attentio n is Fantasy Role Playing, and A recent review of sales shows that 62 city. one game in part icular. A major reason is percent of those who bought the GAMMA And the geography would almost certain­ that the suppo rters of Fantasy Role Playing WORLD® gam e also bought subseque nt ly send any geographe r into convulsions. A are a very vocal lot and write letters, art icles adventures. Th at is a full 20 percent higher major river that flows at a rapid rate cuts and answer magazine surveys. In general, support than for any other role playing through even ha rd rock at a rap id rate. the fans of othe r themes and games do not. game. But total sales remain low. Obvious­ Through limestone, the rate would be all T he result of this is often the demise of a ly, there mu st be a loyal followin g out there. the faster. Thus we find that all major rivers favorite role playing game, because the But we have received almost zero corre­ flow through nearly flat gro und. We are not com pany does not see any customer interest spondence. talking about any Mississippi here either. or support. Look, Fantasy Role Playing games grew My guess is that with a drop of 3 to 500 feet Two cases in point. Several fans of STAR from fans introducing friends to the game in th ree miles, a Mi ssissipp i would carve FRONTIERS® game have complained and throug h those fans' written support, out a mile of rock every year, down to the recently about the lack of new produ cts. magazine articles and tourname nt part icipa­ sea level in short order. Frankly, TSR, Inc., has no plans to crea te tion. Still, we do not need to change that much more products in the future since there If the role playing marketplace is ever to make it reasona bly possible and retain seemed insufficient fan interest. There have going to grow to encompass new themes, it the advan tages of those cliffs. our model been few letters, sparse articles or requests will only happen when fandom gets it would be a city on the Red Sea with a trade submitted to your favori te gaming maga­ together and starts writin g and offering the route connecting it to the Nile. Instead of a zines, and a recent DRAGON® magazine same supp ort given to Fantasy Role Play­ maj or river, the river would be a relatively survey showed a decided lack of interest in ing. minor one, augmented for travel purposes anything not fantasy oriented among those by canals and dams. M ost boats would have H aro ld John son who took the time to respond. to unload in the harbor. A few small ones Director, TSR, Inc. Consume r Divi sion Case two. The GAMMA WORLD® could manage to go upriver a ways beyond game was revised and returned to the mar­ the city, but m ost travel at tha t point mu st ket after a year hiatus when enough be on land to a major river system which demand was heard from the public for the has no easy conn ection to this body of game . However, now that it was released in water. 1986, response has been decidedly lackluster On the legal system, we will want a - and frankly we can all antic ipate its fate if pretty wide open town. A town with a response and int erest doesn't pick up. strong legal system is dull and prec isely Now it seems to me that these games do what we don' t want. We want a situat ion not really suffer from lack of fans. I have where the PC can provide the law, or lack received dozens of calls and inquiries and of it. T he better parts of town will have frankly more than 1,000 (yes, I keep count ) stronge r law, of course, but the legal system messages of praise for the new GAM MA will be weak. Nor do we want ha rsh punish­ WORLD® game system. However, those ment for captu red criminals. The PC is qu ick to offer a word of support are slow to going to be that (accused) cri minal all too pu t it in writing, or to respond to surveys, often, and we don't want to kill him off in or to encour age their friends. We don't see some dull trial when he can be eate n by a new articles supporting these non-fantasy dragon instead. role-playing gam es frankly because no one David Carl Argall takes the time to write them or letters La Puente, CA requ estin g their presence in a favori te mag­ azine. Thank you for your thoughtson The Living City. I like fant asy role playing. It is still the The city is located in the ForgottenRealms. The easiest type of game to get into. But I really precisegeography Sampleand legal system is being_ruvel­ enjoy science fiction, pulp heroes and hor­ file oped. In addition to the city itself, therew ill be a ror adventur es when I can find a game. But consirurableamount of land the RPGA"' Network there j ust isn't the sup port produ ct for these can ruvelop. This is going to be a very exciting games, because we the consumers don't let projectfor the Network, and one - which in the manufacturers know of our interest. many respects- will help put the RPGA"' Net- Enough harranguing. Here's someth ing

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