Dragon Magazine #142
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Issue #142 vol. XIII, No. 9 SPECIAL ATTRACTION February 1989 Publisher Insert ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Mike Cook 2nd Edition Preview: A 32-page look at the shape of games to come. Editor Roger E. Moore Associate editor Fiction editor O THER FEATURES Robin Jenkins Barbara G. Young Editorial assistant 12 This Means War! Dan Kretzer Kimberly J. Walter If 327 badders fought 294 androids and a mutant squirrel in a tank, who would win? Art director Lori Svikel 22 The Well-Educated Spy John C. Bunnell Do you really know how to role-play a spy? This book tells all. Production staff Paul Hanchette Betty Elmore 26 The Ecology of the Kech Tony Jones Kim Janke Carolyn Vanderbilt The most beautiful forest often conceals the most malign dangers. Subscriptions U.S. Advertising 30 Role-playing Reviews Ken Rolston Pat Schulz Sheila Gailloreto Warfare in miniature: two games made for everyones tabletop armies. U.K. correspondent 42 The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Lyn Hutchin Breath-taking adventure is just a keystroke away with these MS-DOS games. U.K. advertising Dawn Carter Kris Starr 56 Made-To-Order Clerical Orders Michael Harrison Temples and congregations, built from the ground up. 62 Arcane Lore The readers Fifteen more reasons why few monsters want to annoy druids. D EPARTMENTS 3 Letters 40 TSR Previews 72 Dragonmirth 4 Forum 52 Gamers Guide 76 SnarfQuest 10 Sage Advice 66 Convention Calendar COVER What you dont know can hurt you (if it doesnt simply eat you), as cover artist Fred Fields reveals this month. His painting also reveals the dangers of adventuring alone especially in a swamp when you have great confidence in yourself but little else. 2 FEBRUARY 1989 2nd Ed KOs TOC! Translated, the headline above reads: The inclusion of the AD&D® 2nd Edition game preview in this What did you think of this issue? Do you have The “Damage/Attack” for gelloudes should be issue of DRAGON® Magazine a question about an article or have an idea for a l-6/1-6/l-8/l-8. The “Damage/Attack” for the knocked out our original ideas on new feature youd like to see? In the United spirit-ghoul should be 1-3/1-3/1-6, as per the what to put into the table of con- States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® ghoul. tents. We had planned to devote Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, this issue to the AD&D Oriental U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON lands, with part two of Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Dear Dragon: Adventures David E. Martins The Marvel®- Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom. I really enjoyed The Ungrateful Dead article from issue #138, and I plan to use those mon- Phile as well, but well run them sters in my campaign. What are the experience both later (our apologies to all con- Hits & misses point values of these undead? cerned). What we are presenting Eric Robertson now is far more important. Dear Dragon: McMinnville OR Included in this issue of DRAGON Would you repeat Good Hits & Bad Misses Magazine is an in-depth preview of from one of the previous magazines? One of my The experience-point values for the monsters the coming revision of the AD&D friends had it and was showing it to me. I were not part of the original article. Because game system. Youll find information thought that it was a good thing. calculating experience-point values is very time- on why the revision was done, what Robert Collins consuming, we did not include them. Mollala OR it will look like, and what it includes (and what it doesnt include). The Carl Parlagreco’s “Good Hits & Bad Misses” Snarfed! designers and editors will tell you (issue #39) was, if memory serves, the only exactly what to expect. (It is obvious critical-hits article that this magazine has ever Dear Dragon: that you should only expect the run. It has also been requested a number of In issue #139, SnarfQuest was on [episode] best.) times by readers, and if we ever do another #62. In issue #138, it was on [episode] #60. What The AD&D 2nd Edition game will happened to SnarfQuest #61? Please respond! Best of DRAGON Magazine Anthology, we will change very little that we are keep it in mind. As a general rule, we do not Scott Shepard Cottoes NY already doing in DRAGON Magazine. approve of critical-hit or critical-fumble systems, The original and revised editions are as they annihilate opponents of the PCs too still the same game, though the easily (and often annihilate the PCs as well). No episodes of “SnarfQuest” are missing. The Many critical-hit systems are also in question- numbering system was fine through issue #138 AD&D 2nd Edition game is more able taste, being too graphic to be enjoyable. (episode #62). Issue #139’s episode was labeled carefully edited, better organized, #60, and issue #140’s episode was labeled #62 offers more options, and has again; the numbering system continues from improved game mechanics. (By the Grateful readers that point. The numbering system has been way, the revised Player’s Handbook corrected in this issue’s episode (#66). will be out in March of this year, Dear Dragon: and the will I was pleased to note the citation of several Dungeon Master’s Guide older works of literature in the article The The three best be available in May, with the mon- Ungrateful Dead by Tom Moldvay (issue #138). ster selections following quickly However, his reference to Samuel Johnsons Dear Dragon: thereafter.) As David Zeb Cook 17th-century dictionary is mis-stated. In fact, I felt compelled to compliment the following himself noted in DRAGON issue Dr. Johnsons A Dictionary of the English Lan- articles, which appeared in DRAGON issues #l2l (page 13), anything you liked guage was first published in 1755, which places #135 and 136: When Game Masters Go Bad, by in First Edition is legal in Second it well into the eighteenth century. A minor Sherri Gilbert; The Mix-&-Match Module, by Edition. Thus, nearly all of error, of course, but we in the profession of Marcus L. Rowland; and especially Fifty Ways DRAGON Magazines AD&D game English have to have to do. Now, to Foil Your Players, by Jape Trostle. Although something articles can be used with either does Jerry Garcia know about that title? all are fine articles, the last is probably the best James Campbell Ive seen in any gaming magazine. edition, so all players will benefit. Notre Dame IN Ideas such as foils move us away from psycho- Take the time to see where your pathic, greedy, and often moronic adventurers favorite game is going. And while who feel out of place above ground or out of youre at it, enjoy the rest of this Dear Dragon: the fray. This article is a shining example of how issue, too. I especially enjoyed the article by Tom Mold- to turn a campaign into interactive fantasy vay in DRAGON issue #138, The Ungrateful rather than wholesale slaughter. Dead. There was obviously many hours of These articles are also excellent due to their research put into it. It was also well written. compatibility with all FRPGs. Not all of your There were two errors in the final copy. I readers use AD&D® game material. These hope you will make corrections: articles make the magazine more universal. The stats on the gelloudes (page 30) list Mark Horsford Damage/Attack as l-4/1-4/1-6/1-6. In the text, APO NY claw damage is stated as 1-6 hp each, and talon damage is l-8 hp each. Which is correct? We enjoy running articles that are applicable The stats on the spirit-ghoul (page 31) list to a wide range of role-playing games. Many Damage/Attack as 3. Shouldnt this be a range? “generic game” articles are too vague to be of Phred Cain use, but we’ll look for those that have lots of Princeton IN specific and useful information. DRAGON 3 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States of America. The postal address for all materials from the United States and Canada except subscription orders is: DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone: (414) 248-3625. The postal address for all materials from Europe is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd, 120 Church enough to begin other low-level adventures End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United without the rest of his party suffering. Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223- 212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax: (0223) 248066 “Forum” welcomes your comments and opinions (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). Jason Kasper on role-playing games. In the United States and Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from Buffalo WY games and hobby shops throughout the United States, Canada, write to: Forum, DRAGON® Magazine, Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In About experience-points for treasure: Experi- number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book Europe, write to: Forum, DRAGON Magazine, trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and ence should be given as follows: 1) If the trea- TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd.