DRAGON 1 Publisher: Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief: Kim Mohan One little word Editorial staff: Roger Raupp Patrick Lucien Price Those of us who work with words are Mary Kirchoff seldom surprised by instances where one Vol. IX, No. 3 August 1984 Roger Moore Subscriptions: Mellody Knull little word makes a lot of difference. Thats SPECIAL ATTRACTION Contributing Editors: Ed Greenwood the way it is with words, we say knowingly. Katherine Kerr But we got a letter the other day that was Ken Rolston surprising. ELEFANT HUNT. .45 Advertising Sales Administrator: It came from Eric Dott, president of Safari, so good: The latest game Mary Parkinson Monarch Avalon Industries, Inc., and the from Tom Whams imagination This issues contributing artists: body of the letter goes like this: Please be James Holloway Keith Parkinson advised that from this date forward, every Jeff Butler Brian Born reference to The Avalon Hill Game Com- OTHER FEATURES Roger Raupp Kurt Erichsen pany in your publication MUST be stated Tom Wham Dave Trampier as The Avalon Hill Game Company and Falling damage: a matter of gravity Mark Nelson Larry Elmore nothing else. It is important that the defi- nite article The precede the words Avalon Physics and falling damage. .12 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly for a subscription price of $24 Hill Game Company. Any deviation from The argument in favor of velocity per year by Dragon Publishing, a division of the full phrase The Avalon Hill Game TSR, Inc. The mailing address of Dragon Company or any use of the word Avalon Scientific facts behind the system. .13 Publishing for all material except subscription orders is P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147; other than as part of the full phrase The Kinetic energy is the key . .19 the business telephone number is (414)248-8044. Avalon Hill Game Company is improper and may result in further litigation. The ecology of the rust monster . 22 DRAGON Magazine is available at hobby . stores and bookstores throughout the United All of the hubbub over the word The It chews what you want to use States and Canada, and through a limited and the word Avalon came about when a number of overseas outlets. Subscription rates company named Avalon Industries, Inc., Beyond the dungeon . 28 are as follows: $24 for 12 issues sent to an address in the U.S., $30 in Canada; $50 U.S. for 12 filed suit against The Avalon Hill Game The great outdoors, part 2 issues sent via surface mail or $95 for 12 issues Company, apparently contending that the sent via air mail to any other country. All game company was infringing on the other Key to Ramali. 58 subscription payments must be in advance, and should be sent to Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box companys possession of the trade name A story about Camelot, sort of 72089, Chicago IL 60690. Avalon. The agreement reached between the two parties is summed up in the require- Index to advertisers . .87 A limited quantity of certain back issues of DRAGON Magazine can be purchased from the ments spelled out in Mr. Dotts letter. Dungeon Hobby Shop. (See the list of available The whole thing would be none of our issues printed elsewhere in each magazine.) Pay- business, except for the fact that this maga- ment in advance by check or money order must accompany all orders. Payments cannot be made zine (or any other publication) could be REGULAR OFFERINGS through a credit card, and orders cannot be taken liable for a lawsuit if we dont help uphold nor merchandise reserved by telephone. Neither the agreement. And the issue may not mean an individual customer nor an institution can be Out on a Limb . 3 billed for a subscription order or a back-issue anything to you as a reader of this maga- Letters and answers purchase unless prior arrangements are made. zine, except that it points out the impor- tance and the sanctity of names that identify The issue of expiration for each subscription is The forum . 6 printed on the mailing label for each subscribers companies or the products they market. For Opinions and observations copy of the magazine. Changes of address for the the same general reasons, this is why we at delivery of subscription copies must be received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of the TSR, Inc., have to be eternally watchful Gods of the Suel pantheon. .8 change in order to insure uninterrupted delivery. over the trademarks and other properties Part 3: Syrul, Fortubo, and Wee Jas that this company owns. It may seem harm- All material published in DRAGON Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the less, for instance, if another game company Off the shelf. .26 publisher upon publication, unless special ar- puts out a product identified as for use Reviews of fantasy & SF literature rangements to the contrary are made prior to with AD&D, or words to that effect. But if publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes unsolicited submissions of written material and the company that owns the AD&D® trade- Convention calendar . .40 artwork; however, no responsibility for such sub- mark allows this to happen, unintentionally missions can be assumed by the publisher in any or otherwise, then were running the risk of ICE can stand the heat. .64 event. Any submission which is accompanied by having the ownership of that trade name Reviewing the Rolemaster series a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. taken away from us. Its going to be awkward if we ever have The ARES Section. .69 DRAGON is a registered trademark for to refer to a product as a The Avalon Hill 16 pages of SF gaming articles Dragon Publishings monthly adventure playing aid. All rights on the contents of this publication Game Company game, but well find a are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced way to deal with that, because it would be a Gamers Guide . .86 from it in whole or in part without first obtaining lot more awkward to get up in front of a permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright ©1984 TSR, Inc. judge somewhere and explain why we Dragon Mirth . .88 didnt do it. After all, we shouldnt need a Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, court of law to tell us that one little word Wis., and additional mailing offices. Wormy............................89 does make a big difference. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Snarfquest . .93 Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147, USPS 318-790, ISSN 0279-6848. DRAGON, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, AD&D, TOP SECRET, BOOT HILL, and GAMMA WORLD are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. designates other trademarks owned by TSR, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. 2 AUGUST 1984 ave you ever wanted to be a big game hunter? If so, youll have to keep on hunt- ing, because we dont have enough space to give you a big game. But in the meantime, youll like the little game inside this issue. Elefant Hunt is Tom Whams latest exercise in purposeful silliness, which is a big-word way of saying that he makes good game designs that are also fun to play. Although he didnt know it was going to work out this way when he painted it, Jim some limits had to be set on what creatures could Holloways cover art ties in pretty well Who wrote it? be included, based on who was or wasn’t likely to with an article thats also purposeful but “duke it out” with player characters. Of course, Dear Editor: DMs can come up with their own statistics for definitely not silly. If the damsel with the I have a problem that I think other DMs might creature types not on the list. — RM dagger falls from the safety of her perch, also experience at one time or another. One of the shes going to get hurt by the fall. And players in a dungeon had an argument with thats where Physics and falling damage another player. I dont remember the exact comes in. Arn Ashleigh Parker, who has a situation, but one of them said, Lets send it to Why no numbers? degree in physics as well as a lot of gaming Dragon for the answer. I truly dont believe that experience, applied her knowledge in both a letter was ever sent to your offices. However, Dear Dragon: areas to come up with yet another system after about two months he showed us a letter that In issue #87, you showed us the plant/animals of Hortus, but you didnt tell us their attacks, hit for calculating falling damage. Is it the was supposedly written by Gary Gygax stating that he was in the right. The letter was not signed dice, armor class, etc. Will you please either send ultimate system? Well, as with so many and it was typed on normal typing paper. me these facts, or put them in the next issue of other things, that probably depends on My question is this: If a letter is not printed in the magazine. your point of view. Steve Winter, who your magazine, will it still be answered, and if so Eric Stauffer delved into physics before becoming a will it be typed on Dragon letterhead? I would Chadds Ford, Pa. game editor for TSR, Inc., offers a rebut- greatly appreciate any information you could give tal to Ms. Parkers proposal in Kinetic me about this. “The legacy of Hortus” was not presented as a energy is the key.