S PECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue # 160 The City Never Sleeps Vol. XV, No. 3 9 A special feature on urban lifeand urban lowlife. August 1990 The Enemy at the Gates James R. Collier 10 How can a city defend itself from dragons and umber hulks? Publisher James M. Ward The Last Call Inn Willie Walsh 15 At last, a tavern for everyoneeven the half-orcs have their own bar! Editor Roger E. Moore The Touch of the Black Hand Matthew J. Iden 24 This thieves guild wants peace and quiet (and will steal to get them). Fiction editor Barbara G. Young AD&D Trading Cards Insert Pocket-size pictures of 17 heroes of the AD&D® game! Assistant editor Dale A. Donovan O THER FEATURES Editorial assistant Joseph M. Nowak Up, Away, and Beyond Bruce A. Heard 38 If the Princess Ark can fly into space, so can your D&D® game PCs! Art director Larry W. Smith The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard 41 A daring maneuver begins a journey that leaves the world behind. Production staff The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz 47 Beware the Black Knight as you gain glory in Conquests of Camelot. Tracey Zamagne The Ecology of the Gibbering Mouther Nigel D. Findley Subscriptions 55 The thief had to disarm a trapbut it didnt want to be disarmed. Janet L. Winters Thief on a String fiction by Dean Edmonds U.S. advertising 58 He was a master with thieves tools, but when he fell into a wizards Jim Atkiss trap, his only hope was the spoken word. U.K. correspondent There Are No Generic Black Belts Mark E. Smith Does your TOP SECRET/S.I. game agent know tae kwon do? and U.K. advertising 70 Sue Lilley Super Jobs For Super Talents Marcus L. Rowland 74 The United Nations wants your super hero for an unusual mission. Novel Ideas J. Eric Severson 79 New from the BUCK ROGERS® universe: the Inner Planets Trilogy! The Game Wizards Andria Hayday 80 That cold chill you feel is the RAVENLOFT boxed set saying Hello. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 103 Gaming clubs arent built in a day, but the results are worth the effort. D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 36 Forum 86 TSR Previews 6 Editorial 68 Convention Calendar 94 Dragonmirth 32 Sage Advice 84 Gamers Guide 96 Twilight Empire COVER It isnt Halloween, but that isnt going to help the three adventurers in Ken Widings cover for this issue. Our theme is on city life and city lowlife, as noted abovebut one should pay attention to a citys un-life as well. 4 AUGUST 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: 818761; fax: (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). What did you think of this issue? Do you have state that punching damage is 1-3 hp damage Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from game and hobby shops throughout the United States, a question about an article or have an idea for a per hit. What causes the vast difference in Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited new feature youd like to see? In the United damage results, or is this a printing mistake? number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® Also, what is the meaning of the Special trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Send Magazine, P.O. 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We’ll keep an eye sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 on that in the future. issues sent to an address in Europe: $50 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address; Dear Dragon: Special maneuvers are extraordinary actions or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent airmail to any My parents are very skeptical about allowing explained in the AD&D 1st Edition volume other address. Payment in full must accompany all me to play the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. Oriental Adventures, on page 102. subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of payment include checks or money orders made payable Although I play several other RPGs, they still to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA will not allow me to play this one. My sister, her credit cards; send subscription orders with payments to: boyfriend, and I had been playing for two Everyone knows... TSR, Inc., P.0. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60678, U.S.A. In weeks when my father said we could not play the United Kingdom, methods of payment include cheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd, or any longer. Even after reading the editorial Dear Dragon: charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send Equal time in issue #134, we are still not In DRAGON Magazine articles and in subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd, as per that allowed to play this game. I have written to you DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game material alike, address above. Prices are subject to change without prior Ive noticed something about a certain perspec- notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription is hoping you could provide me with more facts printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy of about this matter, thus allowing us to play. tive from which this material is written. It the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of Name withheld by editor seems that TSR always assumes that the active subscription copies must be received at least six weeks Stephenville TX DM in a gaming group is the only one familiar prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure uninterrupted delivery. with the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Mon- Beck issues: A limited quantity of back issues is You didn’t mention the reasons why you are strous Compendium. TSR assumes that the all- available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop not allowed to play the D&D® game. I’m aware powerful DM has a knowledge of the game that (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from goes beyond the average player in the group. TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists that some parents feel it is a bad influence, but available back issues, write to either of the above perhaps that’s not the issue here. If it is, and This isnt so! Everyone I know who plays the addresses. your parents are agreeable to reading other AD&D® or other games has a basic working Submissions: All material published in DRAGON Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- material on gaming, you could show them the knowledge of the gaming system and has both played and DMed an equal amount of times. lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary are editorial in DRAGON issue #158, “Mica Ante- made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes lope,” and the editorial in issue #151, “Laying the Honestly, anyone who plays is definitely going to unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; blame.” The two articles by Tracy Hickman and want as much gaming material as he can get his however, no responsibility for such submissions can be hands on. Am I missing something? Is there assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission Frank Mentzer that are cited at the end of the accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of latter editorial would make excellent reading. supposed to be a permanent acting DM while sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. But perhaps you should also read the second players are forbidden to buy new DM material? We strongly recommend that prospective authors write point I make in issue #151’s editorial, on page It seems inevitable that players will see a lot of for our writers‘ guidelines before sending an article to us. DM info. What fantasy fan wouldnt want to? In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, 86: Be reasonable.