Dragon Magazine

May 1980 The Dragon feature a module, a special inclusion, or some other out-of-the- ordinary ingredient. It’s still a bargain when you stop to think that a regular commercial module, purchased separately, would cost even more than that—and for your three bucks, you’re getting a whole lot of magazine besides. It should be pointed out that subscribers can still get a year’s worth of TD for only $2 per issue. Hint, hint . And now, on to the good news. This month’s kaleidoscopic cover comes to us from the talented Darlene Pekul, and serves as your p, up and away in May! That’s the catch-phrase for first look at Jasmine, Darlene’s fantasy adventure strip, which issue #37 of The Dragon. In addition to going up in makes its debut in this issue. The story she’s unfolding promises to quality and content with still more new features this be a good one; stay tuned. month, TD has gone up in another way: the price. As observant subscribers, or those of you who bought Holding down the middle of the magazine is The Pit of The this issue in a store, will have already noticed, we’re now asking $3 Oracle, an AD&D game module created by Stephen Sullivan. It for TD. From now on, the magazine will cost that much whenever we was the second-place winner in the first International Dungeon Design Competition, and after looking it over and playing through it, we think you’ll understand why it placed so high. Also helping to Contents make May a special month is Mapping the Dungeons II Update, the last word (for now) in our ongoing search for players and DMs the world over. AD&D MODULE The Pit of The Oracle— Stephen Sullivan. ............. M1 In another debut, we’re opening up Eye of The Dragon, a look at FEATURES what’s happening now and what the future holds in the game-hobby From The City of Brass to Dead Orc Pass— Ed Greenwood . .... 4 industry—another big step in the right direction, as TD strives to That’s Not In The Monster Manual!— Arthur Collins ........... 6 cover all aspects of gaming and the people involved in it. Campaigning in the city Step-by-step urban encounters— Jeff Swycaffer ............ 8 Instead of one main feature this month, we have three. From the Cities help make characters “real”— Paul Leathers. ......... 9 City of Brass to Dead Orc Pass is Ed Greenwoods literary look Sorcerer’s Scroll— Gary Gygax on Greyhawk ................ 10 at the use of gates to move from plane to plane. If you’d rather stay Sage Advice— Jean Wells. ................................. 12 right where you are and battle some new dragons, then Arthur The History of Elfland— G. Arthur Rahman .................. 13 Collins article will fill the bill. Or, if a more “civilized” campaign is Simulation Corner— John Prados .......................... 14 your cup of tea, Jeff Swycaffer and Paul Leathers present ways to Leomund’s Tiny Hut— Lenard Lakofka ..................... 16 make an urban atmosphere more exciting. The Miniature Spotlight— Fantasysmith ..................... 17 Up On A Soapbox— Kristan Wheaton ....................... 18 Gary Giants in The Earth— L. Schick & T. Moldvay ................ 29 There are the usual batch of regular columns inside, led off by Gygaxs glimpse at the soon-to-be-released (yes, really!) World of Mapping the Dungeons II Update ........................... 40 From the Sorcerers Scroll. Bazaar of the Bizarre . 47 Greyhawk in Just in time for Origins '80. John Prados looks at the Charles Roberts Awards in his Dragon’s Bestiary— Vulturehounds ......................... 48 Simulation Corner. Giants in the Earth Jasmine— Darlene ......................................... 51 Instead of more this month, Lawrence Schick and Tom Moldvay provide a look at VARIANTS how their offerings are prepared. Lenard Lakofka presents The Squad Leader scenario #2— Bryan Bullinger ................ 20 Monties, certainly an ungodly group of deities, in Leomunds Tiny Spell research, the hard way— T. I. Jones .................... 22 Hut. Divine Right designer G. Arthur Rahman continues the Libraries— Colleen Bishop ................................. 25 Minarian Legends with an examination of Elfland. Jean Wells has Lankhmar: Combat in the compromise game— F.C. MacKnight 31 more answers to your questions in Sage Advice. Fantasysmiths Miniature Spotlight takes a short look at the long lance, and HISTORY/BACKGROUND Kristan Wheaton goes Up On A Soapbox with a thesis on the Armies of the Renaissance— Nick Nascati .................... 19 theory of magic. A trio of new treasures awaits you in Bazaar of the Bizarre, and the Vulturehound is lurking in Dragons Bestiary. REVIEWS Pearl Harbor— Bryan Beecher ............................. 44 Magic Wood— William Fawcett ............................. 44 And there’s more! Bryan Bullinger offers number two in his series Belter— Roberto Camino .................................. 44 of Squad Leader scenarios. Tim Jones shows how hard he thinks it ought to be to develop a new magic spell. Colleen Bishop presents DRAGON MIRTH an appropriate companion piece on Libraries, and F. C. Clarence the Cleric— L. Blankenship & L. Boelman . 49 MacKnight describes a complex combat system for his hybrid Inert Weapons— D. Patric Shaw ............................ 49 game based on Lankhmar. Nick Nascati takes us back in the past How to tell if you’re in or out of love— Kevin Hendryx ......... 50 once again with another installment of Armies of the Renaissance. NEWS/VIEWS Dragon Rumbles ......................................... 2 Out on a Limb ........................................... 3 In the “broken promise” department, we should say that the rules Convention schedule and other news ....................... 26 for the second International Dungeon Design Competition are not to Eye of The Dragon ....................................... 28 be found in these pages. We’re doing a facelift on the contest which has proven to be more complicated than we originally imagined— so, rather than make some hasty decisions just to keep the promise If your mailing label says TD 37 we made last month, we’ll beg your indulgence for another month. If we can’t do it right, we’d rather not do it at all. Okay? Okay! Now, this is your last issue. .resubscribe start reading!— Kim 1 Vol. IV, No. 11 By the time you read this, many of you money than we make is the day we close will probably have already learned of the our door, just like any other business. Vol. IV, No. 11 May, 1980 departure of Tim Kask from TSR and THE Now, as to the allocation of space for DRAGON. To squelch any rumors and articles in THE DRAGON, again, finance Publisher hearsay, let me give you the straight scoop: enters into the picture. Obviously, the way E. Gary Gygax Tim, after more than four years at TSR (he to sell the most magazines is to provide subject matter that appeals to the most peo- Editor was the first person hired when the com- Jake Jaquet pany was formed) has resigned. The rea- ple. D&D and AD&D are the hottest-selling sons for his resignation are his own, but as games on the market at this time, so we Assistant Editor his friend and as the person now taking his devote a lot of space to them. Traveller, for Kim Mohan example, is another very popular game, place within TSR Periodicals, I know that Editorial Staff the decision was not an easy one. I, too, and we ran five Traveller articles in the Bryce Knorr hear the siren song of mainstream publish- March magazine. The company that pro- ing, yet am bound somehow, by forces I duces the game has no bearing on whether Circulation & Sales myself do not fully comprehend, to this or not we devote space to the game—the Corey Koebernick fledgling creature, THE DRAGON. Tim game’s popularity does. Office Staff brought the magazine to where it is today, Popularity of a game discussed in an Cherie Knull and I will continue to nurture its growth, but article, however, is not the only criterion by he will be sorely missed. which we select material. Runequest and This month’s * * * Tunnels & Trolls are examples of a couple contributing artists: of other popular role-playing games, but Jeff Dee We have a new addition to the editorial Darlene Pekul you won’t find articles about them in THE Melody Pena Jim Roslof staff this month, in the form of Bryce DRAGON. Why? Because we just plain “B.A.” Knorr. Bryce hails most recently Kenneth Rahman Erol Otus don’t have any! 95% of all our material is Dave LaForce from Vero Beach, Florida, and brings submitted by freelance writers, and for another seven years of journalism experi- some reason, no one bothers to submit RQ THE DRAGON is published monthly by TSR ence to our staff. His primary function will or T&T articles to us. We can’t print what Periodicals, a division of, TSR Hobbies, Inc., P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147. be assisting Man of Many Talents Mohan in we don’t have. It’s as simple as that. Not Phone: 414-248-8044 the production of THE DRAGON. Another that we would necessarily print just any RQ recent addition to the TSR Periodicals staff or T&T article we might receive; we would, THE DRAGON is available at better hobby is secretary/receptionist Cherie Knull, late of course, apply our usual criteria for quali- shops and bookstores, or by subscription. The subscription rate within the U.S. and Canada is of the TSR Hobbies shipping department. ty and clarity of writing. But at least we’d $24 for 12 issues. Outside the U.S. and Canada, Let’s have a nice round of applause for the have a choice. rates are as follows: To European locations, $50 new kids on the block! Other game magazines may make it a per 12 issues for surface mail, $82 for 12 issues point of covering only one game or line of air mail, or $45 for 6 issues air mail; To Australia, * * * $40 per 12 issues for surface mail, $70 for 12 games.

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