Magazine Issue #118 Vol. XI, No. 9 SPECIAL ATTRACTION February 1987 8 COMPETITION & TOURNAMENTS: Games within games Publisher 8 The Fighting Circle Dan Salas Mike Cook Gladiatorial combat in the AD&D® game 22 Surely, You Joust! Leonard Carpenter Editor The game of cavaliers: jousting combat and tournaments Roger E. Moore 30 A Day at the Faire Eileen Lucas Assistant editor Fiction editor A brief visit to a medieval jousting festival Robin Jenkins Patrick Lucien 34 On Target Leonard Carpenter Price The ultimate test of archery skills for AD&D game characters Editorial assistants 43 NIBARS KEEP C.C. Stoll Barbara Young Marilyn Favaro A boardgame of arena combat for two players Eileen Lucas Georgia Moore Art director OTHER FEATURES Roger Raupp 38 ARRRGH!!! Christopher Wood Production staff Some painful problems for AD&D game characters Gloria Habriga Carolyn Vanderbilt 48 Across the Fog-Gray Sea Lois Tilton Kingship was Aarns curse and destiny, but his will was still his own Advertising Subscriptions Mary Parkinson Pat Schulz 58 Sage Advice Michael Breault and Penny Petticord Tackling Dungeoneers Survival Guide and Unearthed Arcana Creative editors 59 A Heros Reward Leonard Carpenter Ed Greenwood Jeff Grubb Rewarding skill and role-playing with hero points Contributing artists 62 Out of the Stone Age Jack R. Patterson Denis Beauvais Roger Raupp Neanderthal player characters in the D&D® game Larry Elmore David Trampier 64 The Dragons Bestiary The Readers Paul Jaquays Stephen Fabian Wont you come into our parlor? said the spiders. Diesel Francis Mao Bruce Simpson Richard Tomasic 68 The Game Wizards David Zeb Cook Joseph Pillsbury Dwain Meyer Possibly the most horrifying column weve ever run Marvel Bullpen 72 Unfriendly Fire Thomas M. Kane War, revolution, and TOP SECRET® game agents 78 The Warlock Redux Jon D. Martin Three against Thanos and a special surprise 82 The Role of Computers Hartley and Patricia Lesser Gettin down with OrbQuest, Roadwar 2000, and World Builder DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 7 0 TSR Previews 9 6 Snarfquest 4 World Gamers Guide 9 0 Gamers Guide 9 9 Dragonmirth 6 Forum 3 3 Convention Calendar 101 Wormy COVER The final piece in a series of fantastic chess paintings makes its appearance on the cover of this issue. Denis Beauvaiss The Draw is actually a self-portrait; Denis is wearing one of his (quite real) fantasy costumes in the role of the Black King. The intense rivalry that one feels between the Black King and the onrushing viewer perfectly symbolize the theme of this issue: the competition within games themselves. 2 FEBRUARY 1987 Editorial psychosis Lets see. In the first week that I came back from Christmas vacation, the computer broke down twice, the film processor jammed, the H&J- print machine burned out, and I might welcome it, and he might (given a few 3-D thinking months) alter his old campaign to come back accidentally blew a fuse when I into line with what the players want. I had the turned on the photocopier. Then Dear Dragon: same problem that your DM has, and getting a Carolyn Vanderbilt (one of our be- Recently (in issue #116), I read an article on berserk campaign back into control is hard to loved typesetters) regretfully said Chaosiums ELFQUEST® game. Are there more do but it can be done. RM that she would be leaving us, and Chaosium game articles in the works? I would shortly after that, I received a ran- really enjoy a couple of CALL OF CTHULHU® som note for $1,000,000 from two of game articles now and then. my co-workers, or youll never see I especially enjoyed your castle kit which Some suggestions appeared a while back (issue #86). I hope to see your Mr. Potato Head again! At- more of this type of feature in the future. Dear Dragon: tached to the note was one of my Maybe a special game crafts section could be I just received issue #116 of DRAGON Maga- Mr. Potato Heads little plastic ears. integrated into DRAGON® Magazines current zine, and it was refreshing to see articles on Now I hear that MTV isnt renew- monthly features. Patterns for castles, carts, other role-playing games instead of just TSR ing Martha Quinns contract. Oh, ships, siege machines, etc., could be printed, products. I hope that you will keep this up, and cruel fate! How can an editor func- along with construction ideas using household maybe Ill even get to see an article or two on tion in such chaos? the RUNEQUEST® game. It would be nice. items (such as washers for portholes or modi- The only wonderful thing that fied spoons for catapult arms). I understand the Maybe there even might be room in heavy cardboard in the center of the magazine DUNGEON Adventures one day to include happened in the whole week was probably costs a lot more to produce, so maybe modules from other role-playing games. that we hired Barbara Young as our this could be reserved for precolored patterns, I also hope that you will be bringing back newest editorial staff member. Bar- while most features could be traced from stand- some of the miniature reviews to the pages of bara is now the assistant editor for ard paper patterns to balsa wood or similar your magazine. I think that is what I miss most DUNGEON Adventures, just as material. from the older DRAGON Magazines (a cross Robin Jenkins is the assistant editor Chris Ewich between a miniatures magazine and the publica- for DRAGON® Magazine. Barbara Tacoma, WA tion it is today). Though you are a more profes- spends most of her free time reno- sional magazine, I do miss that miniatures- vating her hovel, as she calls it, and At the moment, we dont have any CALL OF magazine charm of the old wargame magazines CTHULHU game articles but we wouldnt (like the Armchair General and Wargamers offering me advice (Dont deal with mind seeing a few from our readers, hint hint. I Newsletter) that gave you a kind of intimacy terrorists; make them bring Mr. like the game, myself that I cant quite describe. Potato Head back in one piece.) You were correct in saying that we wouldnt Until this issue, your publication really didnt Lest anyone fear that we finished be able to run special cut-out-and-fold-up cater to my interests or really seem to care. Not making our changes in DRAGON® sections very often because of cost, but we are one of many letters that I had written has ever Magazine with the return of Sage interested in suggestions from readers on the been answered, and I really dont expect this Advice, the Bazaar, the Bestiary, and kinds of cut-out sections that would be the most one to be answered, either. However, I do hope fantasy fiction, be warned that this useful in gaming. We also have a few of these that you will be covering more aspects of the was only the start. Other new offer- planned out ourselves. RM hobby than TSR publications and material, such as the articles on other role-playing games, ings are in the works, though we reviews of miniatures, and reviews of other want to keep our doings secret for products that come out. the moment. Out of control Herman Liebson On a different topic, this issue is Valois, NY on competition in gaming but not Dear Dragon: the sort of competition in which I have a friend who is, to say the least, not a Weve pointed this out before, but we do not players themselves are rated. I con- very good DM. He was okay once, but now he is receive a great deal of material on role-playing fess that Ive never tried to be rated getting out of hand. For example, a friend of games other than those produced by TSR, Inc. mine has a character in this persons campaign; This isnt our prejudice; please note that the as a gamer or a game referee; that in about a month (and he only plays him a few ARES Section covered an enormous variety of sort of thing seems to defeat the times a week), he has become a deity. He got science-fiction games (many of them NOT pro- purpose of gaming (which, to my this by the use of a wish. He also got his duced by TSR, Inc.). We run the best of what we mind, is socializing and relaxing). strength raised from a 16 to the equivalent of get but non-TSR games are in the minority. Worse yet, I suspect that I am not Thors strength, and along with it he got Thors This particular issue reflects this problem. always a very good gamer, and Id hammer (also with a wish). This DM has a few DUNGEON Adventures will remain strictly for rather not advertise that! other people in his campaign, and we would like the D&D and AD&D games for the time being. No, the competition in this issue is to get him back to being a partially good DM, You might find some interesting modules that between characters and no one but we havent the slightest idea how. I decided could be adapted to almost any other fantasy to write you to find out if there is any way we role-playing game in DUNGEON Adventures, really minds if their characters go can get him to be a more reasonable DM. however. toe-to-toe in the arena or on the (Name and address withheld by editor) We arent considering miniatures reviews at jousting field.