Dragon Magazine #102
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D RAGON 1 12 20 SPECIAL ATTRACTION 43 Valley of the Earth Mother Designed by Lise Breakey An AD&D® game adventure for 4th-6th level player characters 43 Publisher Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief Kim Mohan OTHER FEATURES Editorial staff 8 Realms of role playing Gary Gygax Patrick Lucien Price In favor of a different style of gaming: less acting and more action Roger Moore Art director and graphics 12 All about the gully dwarf Roger E. Moore Roger Raupp The lowest rung on Krynns demi-human totem pole Subscriptions 20 A collection of canines Stephen Inniss Irene Swan Changes and additions to the AD&D worlds roster of dogdom Advertising Mary Parkinson 30 Nine wands of wonder Ed Greenwood Distinctive new magic items from the Realms Contributing editors Ed Greenwood 38 Now thats firepower! Desmond P. Varady Katharine Kerr Machine guns and missile launchers for TOP SECRET® play This issues contributing artists Dean Morrissey 56 Creating a cast of NPCs Jim Dutton Larry Elmore How to populate your campaign world quickly and coherently Bob Maurus Roger Raupp 58 Passing in the Night Rob Chilson Jim Holloway A story of combat in outer space with an unseen enemy Marvel Bullpen David Trampier Joseph Pillsbury Richard Tomasic Lance Foster Edward Wagner DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 86 Convention calendar 92 Dragonmirth 4 World Gamers Guide 88 Gamers Guide 94 Snarfquest 6 The forum 90 Wormy COVER The Pillage of Tantlin is another in a long line of paintings weve published that illustrate the imagination and artistic skill of Dean Morrissey, whos being doing art- work for us since these gnomes were knee-high to a kobold. What will the guy in the foreground do when he runs out of rocks to step on? Well, hell cross that bridge when he comes to it. 2 OCTOBER 1985 Is the press doing its best? Youd think that after all these years, newspaper journalists would have a better grasp of the subject theyve been covering (The figures we used to assemble our playtest set you know, the thing thats loosely Training a-gain would have cost more than $100 if they were referred to as the D&D phenomenon. purchased individually) Wed have to produce It bothers me more than a little bit to Dear Dragon: components for a board that would be both big read (as I did a couple of weeks ago) a There was a sort-of omission in Only train and strong. (The ¼-inch plexiglass we used for newspaper account of a GEN CON® when you gain (issue #97). I liked the article; each board level seemed like it would be sturdy convention that was obviously written by however, there was a question that arose in my enough, but it developed a permanent sag in the someone who didnt really know what he mind after reading it: How does a character gain middle when all the pieces were arrayed on it. was covering before he went and didnt levels between those periodic training sessions? And the raw materials we used for our board cost Kirk Thierbach about $25 not including the cutting that had to make a wholehearted effort to understand Novi, Mich. be done and the holes that had to be drilled.) what was going on once he got there. It Of course, it would be possible to mass- troubles me to see photo coverage limited If you accept the premise of the article and produce playing pieces and board components for to a group shot of the people who entered want to use the system it sets forth, then you have substantially less than what it cost to make our the conventions costume contest, which to abandon the concept of between levels at the playtest set. But I think wed still be talking about implies that you have to dress up like a times when training is not mandated. All thats a product that would carry a pretty hefty price druid, a wizard, or a half-orc to get in the required for a character to gain a level in such a tag. too hefty, I fear, for us to consider foisting door. case is to simply amass the requisite number of on you. KM experience points. However, experience points Has anyone ever taken pictures of a earned during an adventure are generally not bunch of normally dressed people sitting actually awarded by the DM until the adventure around a table having fun playing the is over, when accumulated points are doled out to The missing number game? Has anyone with any experience in each member of the party This prevents a char- playing the game and the ability to de- acter (and properly so) from going up a level in Dear Editor, scribe it accurately ever been assigned to the middle of an adventure, and does build in I began reading DRAGON way back in issue cover a convention, or does the duty al- some sort of between levels period even if #64. Recently I was sorting through my stack of ways go to the guy who loses the coin flip? its only to get a good nights sleep and stock up issues and discovered something strange. Issue Or is it possible that conventions are on supplies before heading out again. #65 bore the marking Vol. VII, No. 4 while sometimes covered by knowledgeable Is this fair to a character who starts a long issue #64 was labeled as Vol. VII, No. 2. reporters who write good stories, only to adventure needing only a few points to make the Whatever became of Vol. VII, No. 3, and next level? Well, maybe not but who said the does this revelation go down as the longest undis- have them watered down by an editor who next adventure had to be a long one? It might be covered mistake in the history of the magazine? assumes people wont understand, or care possible, and would certainly be in the best Matt Bandy to know about, the details? (Ive been interests of the party, to undertake a brief expedi- Cortez, Colo. both a reporter and an editor. Believe me, tion intended to earn enough points to boost the it happens.) character to the next higher level. By the way you worded your final question, For obvious reasons, those of us who No matter how you handle this, the rule in the Matt, I think you already know what became of make our livings in the gaming industry DMG should still apply: Once a character has Vol. VII, No. 3. We goofed up the numbering want the public to understand and appre- accumulated enough points to qualify for the next sequence when we made the transition from Vol. ciate what we do and the products we higher level, he is not able to officially record any VI to Vol. VII, and since we couldnt go back in more XP until that level is actually attained in time and fix the mistake, we did the next best make. Sure, Ive got a vested interest in other words, until the acquisition of the new level thing and corrected the numbering in #65 by wanting news coverage of conventions to is officially logged between adventures. KM skipping a digit. be more informative and less superficial. No, this isnt the longest undiscovered mis- But I also care about the principle in- take, because its not undiscovered any more. volved here. The public does have a right For the record, the oldest mistake weve ever to know, and people are smarter and more No set plans made that hasnt yet been noticed was back in inquisitive than the press sometimes . naaah, that would be telling. KM thinks they are. Dear Editor, If you have kept a newspaper story My friends and I are very interested in DRA- gonchess (issue #100), and we are wondering if a about a game convention, or anything else set will soon be on sale in hobby shops or other London paradox involving role-playing games, that you stores. consider an example of accurate and thor- Greg Della Rocca Dear Dragon, ough coverage, please send me a copy of Castleton, N. Y. I really enjoyed The City Beyond the Gate it, Ill give credit where credit is due in a (issue #100). I did notice, however, that one future column, and Ill even eat my words minor detail was not included. Since it must be Im sorry to report that, as of this writing, I if that seems like an appropriate thing to know of no plans to produce Dragonchess for sale admitted that the AD&D game exists in London do. It sure wouldnt be the first time thats as a separate product. We talked about it when on June 1, 1985, and it is readily available, it is the rules were being produced for publication in not possible for PCs to find and read AD&D happened. #100, but decided pretty quickly that we wouldnt products such as the Players Handbook? This be able to have the board and the pieces manufac- would definitely result in confusion, fear, or tured for anything less than a small fortune identity crisis. A very touchy situation indeed! which means wed have to charge you a medium- Please comment. sized fortune to buy it. Matthew Morse To do it right (which is, I hope, the only way St. Paul, Minn. we would consider doing it), wed have to include 84 specially designed metal miniatures and Okay. If the PCs decide to make a side trip you know what it costs to buy one or two figures.