Dragon Magazine #161
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SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue #161 Vol. XV, No. 4 Why Is the DM Smiling? 9 Four ways to enliven your fantasy-game campaigns. September 1990 Inside Information David Flin Publisher 10 Stop listening to tavern rumors and get the real story! James M. Ward Romance and Adventure! Tom Schlosser Romance? In a fantasy game? Youre kidding, right? Editor 15 Roger E. Moore Its sort of like a wand... Gary Coppa 21 You dont have to tell the players everything. Just tell them enough to Fiction editor get them into trouble. Barbara G. Young The Classics Campaign Marc Newman Assistant editor 32 Old dungeons never die, but novice player characters do. Dale A. Donovan Editorial assistant O THER FEATURES Joseph M. Nowak Role-playing Reviews Jim Bambra Art director 34 Glorantha and Krynn: Two worlds of high adventure! Larry W. Smith The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard Production staff 41 How can you land on the South Pole when your world has none? Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Tracey Zamagne 47 Warfare, from the BattleMechs cockpit to the gold dragons saddle. Subscriptions The MARVEL®-Phile David E. Martin, Chris Mortika, Scott Davis, Janet L. Winters 55 and William Tracy Two leftover Marvel heroes make their gaming appearance: Dakota U.S. advertising North and Stick. Jim Atkiss Roseann Schnering Shadow Play fiction by John P. Buentello U.K. correspondent 58 Assassins arent paid to ask why, but sometimes they do. and U.K. advertising Sue Lilley The Role of Books John C. Bunnell 64 The space Legionnaires are looking for a few good men; the not-so-good ones join Phules Company. Scouting For New Options Kim Eastland 71 If you dont trust thieves, you need a scout! A character class for AD&D® 1st Editon games. The Ecology of the Griffon Christopher Kederich 90 Rule Number One: Never leave one behind to guard your horses. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow, Jay Clenndenny, 103 and Ralph Cooper A method to your Mech madness: Campaign rules for FASAs BATTLETECH® game. DEPARTMENTS 5 Letters 68 Gamers Guide 85 TSR Previews 6 Editorial 76 Forum 94 Dragonmirth 88 Sage Advice 80 Convention Calendar 96 Twilight Empire COVER Jim Holloway had a lot of fun with this months cover, which he has named Butch and Sundance: The Early, Early, Early, Early, Early, Early Years. The elf and halfling have discovered that their DM decided the campaign should be more excitingfrom the DM’s point of view, of course. 4 SEPTEMBER 1990 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), 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 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), 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 End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223- 212517 (international); telex: 818781; fax: (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from What did you think of this issue? Do you have these classes into character kits for AD&D 2nd game and hobby shops throughout the United States, a question about an article or have an idea for a Edition campaigns. Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited new feature youd like to see? In the United To aid your search, here are as many of these number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® previously published NPC classes and variant/ in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Send Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, nonstandard PC classes as we could find (includ- orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON ing once-official PC classes from Unearthed Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 638- Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry 6460 toll-free except Alaska (call (800) 492-0782 toll-free Arcana and PC classes not used in the AD&D in Maryland). Newsstand distribution throughout the Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom. 2nd Edition game), with the issues in which United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton these classes have appeared. We’ve also added Road, London SW9 7AG. United Kingdom: telephone: references for articles that might be of interest 01-733-4444. Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class Why the psi? to those playing such characters. Note that all of mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent these classes were created for the AD&D 1st to an address in the U.S. or Canada; £16 for 12 issues Dear Dragon: Edition game. Many are not suitable for use as sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds In DRAGON issue #155, I noticed that you are player characters as they lack the statistical for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address; still using psionics with your elven god charac- information and innate game balance to play or $90 in US. funds for 12 issues sent airmail to any ters. Why didnt you change those abilities to them properly—but have fun anyway! other address. Payment in full must accompany all subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of magical abilities? Why dont you include Mon- payment include checks or money orders made payable strous Compendium sheets with The Dragons Alchemist: 2, 45, 49, 130 to TSR. Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA Bestiary articles? Im sure that many readers Anti-paladin: 39 credit cards; send subscription orders with payments to: would be thankful to have them. Archer: 45, 66 TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In the United Kingdom, methods of payment include Andy Mandiak Archer-ranger: 45 cheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd, or Rochester NY Assassin: 22, 64, 96 charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send Astrologer: 45 subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd, as per that Bandit: 63 address above. Prices are subject to change without prior Only one of the four deities in “The Elfin notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription is Gods” had psionic talents, and these talents Barbarian: 63, 65, 67, 72, 148 printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy of were noted as applicable only to campaigns Bard, variant: 56 the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of Battle dancer: 159 subscription copies must be received at least six weeks using the AD&D* 1st Edition game’s psionics prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure system. No exact magical analogs for psionic Beastmaster: 119 uninterrupted delivery. attack and defense modes exist in the AD&D Berserker: 3, 133 Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is Bounty hunter (three): 52 available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop game, though you might use the mind flayer’s (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147. U.S.A.) or from mental blast (formerly psionic blast or mind Bureaucrat: 74 TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists blast) from the Monstrous Compendium as a Cavalier: 65, 72, 125, 148 available back issues, write to either of the above substitute for psionic attacks, with the mind Cavalier elven: 114 addresses. Charlatan: 120 Submissions: All material published in DRAGON blank spell for psionic defenses. Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- We usually don’t put monsters on full pages Cleric, barbarian: 109 lish& unless special arrangements to the contrary are when using Monstrous Compendium format Cleric, cloistered: 68 made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes Death master: 76 unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; because we cannot be sure that each entry will however no responsibility for such submissions can be fill the page. We have a large number of mon- Dreamer: 132 assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission sters left in our files that we are slowly convert- Duelist: 73 accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of ing to AD&D 2nd Edition game format (which Entertainer: 69 sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. Escrimador: 124 We strongly recommend that prospective authors write fits well in any AD&D 1st Edition campaign). for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. When possible, we will place monsters on full Geisya: 121 In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, pages—but don’t hold your breath! Genin: 121 stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’ Gypsy: 59, 93 Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above address; include sufficient American postage or Interna- Halfling guardian: 129 tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope. In The NPC lineup Healer: 3 Europe, write to: Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Hopeless: 96 Magazine, TSR Ltd; include sufficient return postage or Dear Dragon: Huntsman (anti-ranger): 102 IRCs with your SASE. Advertising: For information on placing advertise- I really wish that you would republish some of Idiot: 3 ments in DRAGON Magazine, ask for our rate card.