D RAGON 1 Publisher: Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief: Kim Mohan We’ll say it again Editorial staff: Marilyn Favaro Contents From time to time in the past, this Gali Sanchez Vol. VII, No. 8 January 1983 Roger Raupp magazine has proclaimed its editorial Patrick L. Price independence. “We’re not a house or- SPECIAL ATTRACTION Business manager: Debra Chiusano gan,” we have stated before, beginning Office staff: Sharon Walton in a time when many of our competitors ARRAKHAR’S WAND. 45 Pam Maloney in the field could justifiably be called Product design: Eugene S. Kostiz that. We pointed this out because it Finders aren’t always keepers: Layout designer: Ruth M. Hodges A new fantasy boardgame seemed the point needed to be made. Contributing editors: Roger Moore We haven't talked about the subject Ed Greenwood OTHER FEATURES National advertising representative: lately because there didn’t seem to be a Robert LaBudde & Associates, Inc. need to. What we did backed up what we A special section: 2640 Golf Road said, and the turn of events in the gaming Glenview IL 60025 industry made the topic unimportant for Runes — in history . 6 Phone (312) 724-5860 Runestones — in fantasy. 12 comparative purposes; no sense beating Be Quest — and in fiction. 16 This issue’s contributing artists: a dead issue. Clyde Caldwell Jim Holloway Which brings us to the recent past — Castles by Carroll . 19 Roger Raupp Larry Elmore DRAGON™ issues #65 and #66, wherein II: Wawel Castle Mike Carroll Phil Foglio some opinionated remarks by E. Gary Jeff Easley Dave Trampier Gygax appeared. We got a lot of letters Everybody Eats Everybody Timothy Truman about those articles. Those that have the On Sunday’s Planet . 24 most impact on me, as the editor of this DRAGON Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is pub- You’II devour this story lished monthly for a subscription price of $24 magazine, are the ones that berate the per year by Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR magazine for being a “mouthpiece” (one Charting the classes. 31 Hobbies, Inc., P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. of the tamer adjectives I recall) for Mr. A point-by-point comparison Gygax and TSR Hobbies because those DRAGON Magazine is available at hobby articles were printed. Caped Crusaders stores and bookstores throughout the United States and Canada, and through a limited number Gary Gygax, the individual, is the fore- and Masked Marvels. 38 of overseas outlets. Subscription rates are as most authority on the two most popular Superhero role-playing games follows: $24 for 12 issues sent to a U.S. or Cana- dian address; $50 U.S. for 12 issues sent via fantasy role-playing games. As the crea- surface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via air mail tor of those games, he writes rule addi- Ready for anything! . 63 to any other country. All payments must be in Take along a few of these advance. tions and explanations and offers them A limited quantity of certain back issues of to DRAGON Magazine for publication. More Pages from the Mages. 67 DRAGON Magazine can be purchased directly I’ll print everything he sends us, just like from the publisher by sending the cover price any editor of any gaming magazine with Elminster offers magic lore plus $1.50 postage and handling for each issue ordered. Payment in advance by check or mon- a similar opportunity would. Weapon statistics . 75 ey order must accompany aII orders. Payments Gary Gygax, the president of TSR cannot be made through a credit card, and TOP SECRET® facts & figures orders cannot be taken nor merchandise re- Hobbies, Inc., is one of the preeminent served by telephone. Neither an individual cus- figures in the gaming industry. His opin- REGULAR OFFERINGS tomer nor an institution can be billed for a sub- scription order or a back-issue purchase unless ions are important to others in the field. I prior arrangements are made. want those opinions, whenever they are Out on a Limb. 3 The issue of expiration for each subscription published, to appear in this magazine Letters from readers is printed on the mailing label for each subscrib- — again, just as any editor in the same er’s copy of the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of subscriptions must be received position would not turn them away. From the Sorceror’s Scroll . 20 at least 30 days prior to the effective date of the To suggest that DRAGON Magazine is The thief-acrobat change in order to insure uninterrupted delivery. a “puppet” (that’s a little worse than Ail material published in DRAGON Magazine “mouthpiece”) of TSR on the basis of Deities & Demigods becomes the exclusive property of the publisher these two articles is to ignore the rest of of Greyhawk . 27 upon publication, unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior to publication. the evidence. Nothing that appears be- DRAGON Magazine welcomes unsolicited sub- tween these covers is approved prior to Featured Creatures. 36 missions of written material and artwork; how- More fungus monsters ever, no responsibility for such submissions can publication, by Mr. Gygax or anyone be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any else, unless it came out of Mr. Gygax’s submission which is accompanied by a self- Leomund’s Tiny Hut. 54 addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size typewriter. We’ve printed lots of articles The entertainer classes will be returned to the contributor if it cannot be that were anything but complimentary to published. a TSR™ game. We’ve printed articles that Convention schedule . 74 DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish- Mr. Gygax has said — afterward — he ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rights on the contents of this publication are reserved, didn’t agree with or appreciate. But he Reviews: and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole has never even suggested exercising United Nations . 78 or in part without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright ©1983 by TSR any prior restraint or approval privileges, Jasmine card game. 78 Hobbies, Inc. That’s not the kind of magazine he wants The Role of Books, Pt. II . 81 Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, — and that’s good, because that’s not the Wis., and additional mailing offices. kind of magazine we’re making. What’s New . 88 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva Wormy . 90 WI 53147. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED D&D, and TOP SECRET are registered trademarks owned by TSR Hobbies, Inc. ™designates other trademarks owned by TSR Hobbies, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. 2 JANUARY 1983 ouldn’t it be nice to have a magic item that would keep us from breaking our New Year’s resolutions? What a different place this world would be. Come to think of it, C. C. Stoll did mention to us that some of the powers of Arrakhar’s Wand have yet to be discovered; maybe that’s one of them — and maybe the forces of good will prevail in their quest to regain Cant see the point both the local language and the local slang. the wand. You won’t know for sure until Finally, there is never a good reason to you’ve played the game in the center of Dear Editor: invent a sophomoric pseudo-language, which this issue of DRAGON™ Magazine. Issue #66 (October) was very informative does nothing but waste the learner’s time. If Arrakhar’s Wand is the second game and entertaining. Of special interest were the you must have language, why not use some- from C. C. Stoll we’ve published; this articles on the origins and designs of fantasy thing that will be of use outside the game? one is more complicated, and perhaps languages. Esperanto is one of many easy-to-learn lan- more challenging, than Flight of the However, I take exception to the article on guages that would be perfect for this use. It Thieves’ Cant. There is no evidence in fantasy Boodles (from issue #60). Tell us what has a German/Spanish flavor that is guttural fiction, historical parallels, or in any of the enough to be a street jargon, yet universal you think. AD&D™ books to suggest that Thieves’ Cant enough so that non-thieves will be able to Just about everybody who’s inter- is anything more than a complex jargon. I understand words here and there. At the same ested in fantasy role-playing or fantasy equate Thieves’ Cant to the kind of conversa- time, the learner will be gaining a usable lan- literature knows what runes are — but tions that gamers often get into. Sometimes guage that actually has literature and a perhaps not why they are what they specialization words get so thick that those society. Don’t you think that a playing aid are, and how they can be used in a listeners who aren’t gamers can’t make heads should give the gamer a real-world edge? I campaign. All you need to know to use or tails of what’s being said. thought that was what gaming was all about. runes accurately and imaginatively in Why would thieves bother developing their Scot Fritz own grammar system? Naturally, they would Allentown, Pa. gaming is summarized in a special borrow the grammar and vocabulary of their package of articles leading off our fea- locale. Most importantly, Thieves’ Cant would ture section. be very contemporary, and fluid, easily assim- Spelling if out EIminster the sage, an old friend of ilating words and phrases brought in by contributing editor Ed Greenwood, was migrating thieves, and connections with for- Dear Editor: in a talkative mood the last time he eign traders.