Dragon Magazine #115
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Magazine Issue #115 Vol. XI, No. 6 SPECIAL ATTRACTION November 1986 9 THIEVES: Picking the pockets of the underworld Publisher 10 Lords of the Night Eric Oppen Mike Cook 14 A Den of Thieves Vince Garcia Editor 26 The Art of Climbing Walls Vince Garcia Roger E. Moore 28 Honor Among Thieves Eric Oppen and Robin Jenkins Assistant editor 32 Getting Up in the World Robin Jenkins Robin Jenkins 34 Tools of the (Thieving) Trade Vince Garcia Fiction editor Patrick Lucien Price OTHER FEATURES Editorial assistants 38 Hammer of Thor, Spear of Zeus James A. Yates Marilyn Favaro Georgia Moore Weapons of choice for clerics to choose Eileen Lucas Debbie Poutsch 42 Sharper Than a Serpents Tooth Ray Hamel and David Hage Why does it have to be snakes? Well, why not? Art director Roger Raupp 46 Airs of Ages Past Ed Greenwood Magical harps from the Forgotten Realms Production staff 48 Theres Something on the Floor. Reid Butler Linda Bakk Betty Elmore Kim Lindau Carolyn Vanderbilt Humorous and deadly things that lie underfoot The Ecology of the Harpy Advertising Subscriptions 50 Songs of beauty. Barbara E. Curtis Mary Parkinson Pat Schulz 52 . Songs of death Ed Greenwood 55 Elven Armies and Dwarves-At-Arms James A. Yates Creative editors Troops for demi-human lords Ed Greenwood Jeff Grubb 60 Door Number One, Door Number Two, or. Dan Snuffin Creative door design with a rude twist Contributing artists Denis Beauvais Joseph Pillsbury 62 Stayin Alive John J. Terra TOP SECRET® game advice for all agents Diesel Roger Raupp Jeff Easley Jim Roslof 71 The Role of Books John C. Bunnell Larry Elmore Richard Tomasic Whos that with the scarf and the police box? Jim Holloway David Trampier When Only the Best Will Do Kevin Marzahl Marvel Bullpen 76 Heckler & Koch weaponry for the TOP SECRET® game 85 An Interstellar Armory Gus Monter New weapons and defense systems for Knight Hawks gamers 89 The Marvel®-Phile Jeff Grubb A terminal solution to ultra-powered heroes DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 84 TSR Previews 99 Dragonmirth 4 World Gamers Guide 92 Gamers Guide 102 Snarfquest 6 The Forum 94 Convention calendar 82 TSR Profiles 95 Wormy COVER Denis Beauvaiss talent for capturing the essence of fantastic conflict is beautifully pictured in this months cover, The Antagonists. The eternal struggle of good and evil was brought to life without the use of models or props; the artists imagination and his brushes were his only tools. 2 NOVEMBER 1986 Hello, hello A week ago today in fact, ex- actly a week ago as I write this I suddenly became the editor for both DRAGON® Magazine and our new DUNGEON Adventures. Kim Komputer kudos having such nice people writing for you. Not Mohan has left TSR, Inc., for a new only are their reviews interesting and informa- career elsewhere, and we wish him tive, but they are even nicer in person, so to the best. The rest of us have lots to Dear Hartley and Pattie, speak. Be nice to Pattie especially! She deserves do. I enjoyed your introductory article, The Role it. We welcome Marilyn Favaro back of Computers, very much. One subject I would Marian Mel Viles to our staff. I shared Marilyns office like to see covered is on computer programs Altoona, FL which aid DMs of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & three years ago when I came to TSR, DRAGONS® games. For example, they might Inc. Her return means a lot to us speed up character or random encounter gener- and to me personally. Good workers ation (combat resolution is probably most fun to Dear Dragon, are hard to find! do by hand). In regard to the article, The Role of Com- For your own peace of mind, puters in issue #110 of DRAGON Magazine, one I know of a few commercial products in this DRAGON Magazine is rolling ahead area, but I suspect the real stars are home- excellent program for integrating computers with traditional role playing is Dragonfire. Ive as usual. We have a wide assortment brewed programs that few people know about. of special gaming packages planned Perhaps the best way to start this investigation used it in several campaigns with excellent for future issues. This issue presents is to include a call for programs from your results. I look forward to a review of any other readers in one of your columns. computer products that can be used while role- a special collection on the Thief, Thanks for your help. playing, especially another product by the same certainly one of my favorite classes Allen Cohn company called Handbook of Horrors. in the AD&D® game. We have a lot Millbrae, CA Martha Paulalis of other things planned, but Pat No address Price has pointed out that it is best Dear Sir and Madam: not to announce them yet.* I believe that Datasofts Alternate Reality As editor, I do have two favors to The City game would be a wise choice to review Though it is beyond the capacity of the editor ask of you, the readers. First, you in DRAGON® Magazine, as I feel that it lives up to give answers to some of these questions, can help expand our coverage of to its billing as the Ultimate computer fantasy perhaps they could be answered by the Lessers adventure. The game is for most micros and is games by writing articles on them. or by other readers in the Forum. The very We have a definite lack of material the first in a promised series of Alternate Real- strong response to our computer column has on the D&D® game, for example, ity games, all of which will interlock to form an been very heartening, however. Well continue entire world. our coverage of computer gaming in future particularly covering the Compan- S. Kunz issues of DRAGON Magazine as best we can. ion, Masters, and Immortals sets. Chicago, IL RM The BATTLESYSTEM game, Orien- tal Adventures, and Dungeoneers Dear Dragon, Survival Guide (and the soon-to-be- I loved The Role of Computers in issue #110! released Wilderness Survival Guide) I fervently hope it becomes a monthly feature! I have an IBM compatible (Leading Edge) and would certainly benefit from supple- have noticed to my disappointment that there is mental articles. Our coverage of an extreme shortage of really good games for TOP SECRET® and assorted science- IBM PCs. Of the nine games you listed, not one fiction games is good at present, but is available to me. If I want to do some role- coverage of non-TSR® games is not. playing computer-style, will I have to go out and Though we plan to devote the lions buy an Apple? share of this magazine to the Julie Belinski AD&D® and D&D games (as our Zimmerman, MN readers wish us to do), we like vari- ety (as do our readers). Though we Dear Sirs: cannot assign articles on these top- A couple of months ago, you published a ics, wed be happy to see them. review of The Bards Tale, a computer game. I Second, if there was ever a better was interested and attempted to track down Electronic Arts, the company which markets it. time to make your voice heard, this I called TSR, Inc., but no one could help me at is IT. You have a fresh team and that time. I did not pursue the problem very were ready to listen. Grab a pen long, having many other things on my mind. and send in your thoughts on This month (DRAGON issue #112), I noticed DRAGON Magazines future goals. the game again mentioned in the review You wont have another chance like column, and again tried to find where I could this one. get a copy. Many calls to Orlando later, I decided Until next month, aloha. in disgust that I was not going to find it in Florida, at least not locally. Hartley and Patti Lesser had put their address in the column. As a last resort, I called them. Pattie answered and was most gracious and helpful. She took the information and contacted Electronics Art for me, then called me back from California to be *By the way, we will have an April sure everything would work out correctly. I would like to compliment your magazine on Fools issue. D RAGON 3 The World Gamers Guide If you live outside the continental SF = STAR FRONTIERS® game; ST = other game-players who would be United States and Canada, you can be STAR TREK®: The Role-Playing Game; interested in corresponding about the included in the World Gamers Guide by MSH = MARVEL SUPER HEROES™ activities that they enjoy. Unfortunately, sending your name and full address, game; TS = TOP SECRET® game; T = we cannot extend this service to per- plus your gaming preferences, to World TRAVELLER® game; RQ = RUNE- sons who live in remote areas of the Gamers Guide, DRAGON® Magazine, QUEST® game; VV = VILLAINS & U.S. or Canada, or to U.S. military P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. VIGILANTES™. personnel with APO or FPO addresses. Abbreviations in parentheses after a The World Gamers Guide is intended Each eligible name and address that we name indicate games in which that for the benefit of gamers who live receive will be published in three con- person is especially interested: AD = outside the continental United States secutive issues of DRAGON® Magazine; AD&D® game; DD = D&D® game: CC and Canada, in areas where nearby to be listed for more than three issues, = CALL OF CTHULHU® game; GW = gamers are small in number or nonex- you must send in another postcard or GAMMA WORLD® game; istent, as a way for them to contact letter.