Dragon Magazine #166
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SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue #166 In Time For Tomorrow Vol. XV, No. 9 9 A special section on science-fiction games. February 1991 Wired and Ready Michael LaBossiere Publisher 10 Cyberpunk game worlds arent just differenttheyre deadly! James M. Ward Tricks of the Trade Mike Speca One Mech look like every other in FASAs BATTLETECH® game? Now Editor 16 Roger E. Moore they wont! A Clone of Your Own Edward Goldstein Fiction editor 20 Death is just a temporary problem in SJGs GURPS® AUTODUEL Barbara G. Young game. Assistant editor Dale A. Donovan DINO WARS! a bonus game by Tom Moldvay 48 Tyrannosaurs meet the 82nd Airborne in this fast-and-fun game of science-fantasy combat! Art director Larry W. Smith Production staff OTHER FEATURES Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz Tracey Zamagne The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser 31 The ultimate in space-fighter warfare: Wing Commander Subscriptions Janet L. Winters The Game Wizards Timothy B. Brown 39 Need more players in your group? Give a friend the new D&D® game! U.S. advertising The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard Roseann Schnering 41 What is reality, and how can you tell it from nightmare? U.K. correspondent Rest Stop fiction by J. W. Donnelly and U.K. advertising 58 The locals were quite primitive and strange, but they could certainly Bronwen Livermore make a visitor feel welcome. Arcane Lore Scott Waterhouse 65 More Pages from the Arch-Mages, with the final word in dueling spells. Role-playing Reviews Jim Bambra 74 How can you mix every role-playing game world into one? Here are two ways its been done. Novel Ideas Marlys Heeszel 79 Six authors views on how to create a world in a book. The Navy Wants You! Robert Rinas 88 The U.S. Navy: Its not just a job, its espionage! Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 103 Antagonists, fantastic and historic, with Doom Bunny for good measure. D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 26 Convention Calendar 94 Dragonmirth 6 Editorial 72 Sage Advice 98 Twilight Empire 26 TSR Previews 82 Forum 100 Gamers Guide COVER A casual encounter or a final one? Cover artist E. M. Gooch has created a haunting image of an alien hunter and his long-tusked mount, deep in a fog-shrouded forest. 4 FEBRUARY 1991 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); tetex: 818761; fax: (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from game and hobby shops throughout the United States, What did you think of this issue? Do you have room to carry eggs. Also, raptors cannot see Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited a question about an article or have an idea for a well in the dark. That is why a falconer puts a number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book new feature youd like to see? In the United hood over his birds head; without eyesight, the trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Send States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® bird goes into a state of calmness bordering on orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, stupor. Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 638- U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON The major problem I had with the article was 6460 toll-free except Alaska (call (800) 492-0782 toll-free Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry with the amount of damage a griffon can do. An in Maryland). Newsstand distribution throughout the United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom. average-sized hawk has enough strength in its Road, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: grip to cut off the circulation in a persons arm, 01-733-4444. so a griffon should certainly be able to do more Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent Word from Israel... than 1-4 hp damage per foot! (Damage of 1-8 or to an address in the U.S. or Canada; £16 for 12 issues 1-10 hp would be more likely.) Further, birds of sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 Dear Dragon, prey generally do not attack with their beaks, issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. funds which are used to cut up dead prey. for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address; In issue #152, you presented a god named or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent airmail to any Ramat Gan [in In Quest of Adventure, page Finally, even through their wings are made up other address. Payment in full must accompany all 54]. Well, it sounds nice, but it is the name of a mostly of feathers, the strength of a blow [from subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of a raptors wing] would be more than enough to payment include checks or money orders made payable city in Israel. By the way, the name means a to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA plateau of gardens. Doesnt ring like Light bowl someone over or even knock him out. credit cards; send subscription orders with payments to: Bringer, does it? These may seem like nitpicky details, but it is TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5895, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. in In issue #158, youve published an article just as easy to get things right as to get them the United Kingdom, methods of payment include wrong. Of course, it all depends upon just how cheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd, or called Also Known As . the Orc. In this charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send article, you mentioned a language called Jew- much like eagles you think griffons are. subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd, as per that ish. Im sorry to tell you, but there isnt such a Dawn Nelson address above. Prices are subject to change without prior St. Johns, Newfoundland notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription is thing as a Jewish language! The Jewish lan- printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy of guage is called Hebrew. the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of The above article didnt mention many He- A griffon is a mixture of eagle and lion, with a subscription copies must be received at least six weeks brew monster names, like the ones that follow: large dose of fantasy biology to boot. For exam- prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure ple, the Monstrous Compendium notes that uninterrupted delivery. Elf: Ben lilit (male), bat lilit (female) Back Issues: A limited quantity of back issues is Dwarf: Gamad, gamdaii griffons screech like eagles and live in prides available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop Faeries: Feyah, shafririt like lions, but they are also addicted to horse- (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from Gnome: Nanass flesh and can be trained by humans to be loyal TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists available back issues, write to either of the above Demon: Shedon, mezick mounts. I would say that griffons are as much addresses. Vampire: Arpad like eagles as the DM wants them to be. Submissions: All material published in DRAGON Skeleton: Shaeled Nonetheless, you do make interesting points Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- about the damage done by a griffons foreclaws lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary are Dragon: Derakon, leteah machonefet (ch as in made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes loch) and wing buffet. Most griffons are shown with unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; In spite of the above, the magazine is great. thin forelimbs (perhaps accounting for the low however, no responsibility for such submissions can be damage assigned to those claws), but the article assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission Shay Ceasry accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of Rehovot, Israel in issue #161 opts to make the forelimbs stronger. sufficient size will be returned if if cannot be published. A DM could create a new species of griffon (the We strongly recommend that prospective authors write I can't speak for the author of In Quest of royal griffon) that does 1-10/1-10/2-16 hp dam- for our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us. age, which seems reasonable. A wing buffet In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, Adventure (Greg Minter), so I'll simply guess that stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’ the choice of the deitys name in the articles could do 1-6 hp damage (like a club) per wing, Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above example had nothing to do with the Israeli city of with a dexterity check on 4d6 required for man- address; include sufficient American postage or Interna- the same name.