March 1982 Dragon 1 Dragon Vol. VI, No. 9 Vol. VI, No. 9 March 1982 There are a lot of nice things about product worth its price. That decision is Publisher.. Jake Jaquet writing for a magazine that’s read by a up to the customer. In this case, all we Editor-in-Chief.. Kim Mohan Editorial staff . Bryce Knorr few hundred thousand people. One of can really do — and should have done Marilyn Mays the less obvious “nice things” is this: If four issues ago — is to let you know all Gali Sanchez we make a mistake, it doesn’t go unno- the facts when there’s a choice to be Sales.. Debbie Chiusano ticed. At least one of those hundreds of made. Circulation . Corey Koebernick thousands of people will let us know we I’m far from convinced that SPELL- Office staff . Cherie Knull goofed, and then we get a chance to set BINDERS is “an attempt to reap obscene Roger Raupp things straight. profits from ignorant gamers.” Orisek Contributing editors. Roger Moore Case in point: Lauren Kingman of Industries is a small company that pro- Ed Greenwood Hyde Park, N.Y., wrote us to unmask duces relatively small quantities of its This issue’s contributing artists: what he called “an attempt to reap ob- products. When you don’t manufacture James Holloway Roger Raupp scene profits from ignorant gamers (and very many copies of something, each Joe Lee Larry Elmore to successfully con the DRAGON’s editor- one costs quite a lot to make. The com- Bruce Whitefield Phil Foglio in-chief).” panies that make “normal” easel-back Steve Peregrine His gripe is with SPELLBINDERS, a binders presumably have a much larger product of Orisek Industries. The set of market for their product, and can afford DRAGON magazine is published monthly by Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR Hobbies, notebook/binders was one of several to produce more copies at a much lower Inc. Subscription orders and change-of-address new game-related accessories reviewed price per unit. Lauren has a right to com- notices should be sent to Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. Tele- by yours truly in issue #55 of DRAGON™ plain about the price, in a comparative phone (414) 248-8044. Magazine. The largest of the set, bearing sense, but not the right to accuse any- an $8.95 price tag, is, in Lauren’s words, DRAGON magazine is available at hundreds body of making “obscene profits.” of hobby stores and bookstores throughout the “neither original, new, or unique.... I can Surely other readers reacted the same I United States and Canada. and through a limit- detect no difference between SPELL- way as Lauren when they read the review ed number of overseas outlets. Subscription rates are as follows, with all payments to be BINDERS and what are known in the sta- of SPELLBINDERS. I assume that to be made in advance: $24 for 12 issues sent to a U.S. tionery trade as ‘easel-back presentation so, even though he was the only person or Canadian address; $50 U.S. for 12 issues sent via surface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via air binders.’ ” who called the mistake to our attention. mail to any other country. Lauren chides me — and rightfully so (If the stationery store in Hyde Park, — for characterizing the product as A limited quantity of certain back issues of N.Y., is the only place easel-back bind- DRAGON magazine can be purchased directly “original.” Honest, I never heard of an ers are sold, I’ve just made a fool of my- from the publisher by sending the cover price easel-back presentation binder until I self twice over.) To Lauren and the oth- plus $1.50 postage and handling for each issue ordered. Payment in advance by check or mo- got his letter. And now that I know, I ers like him, I apologize for my ignor- ney order must accompany all orders. Payments cringe when I scan the part of the review ance. And this “ignorant editor” owes a cannot be made through a credit card, and orders cannot be taken nor merchandise “re- that says, “Orisek Industries is a com- greater apology to all “ignorant gamers” served” by telephone. Neither an individual cus- pany that makes ‘How come nobody out there who might have been misled by tomer nor an institution can be billed for a sub- thought of that before?’ products.” what was said, or not said, in the review. scription order or back-issue purchase unless prior arrangements are made. Apparently, somebody had thought of that before, and it was presumptuous of The issue of expiration for each subscription is printed on the mailing label for each sub- me to suggest that the concept of the scriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes of ad- easel-back binder originated at Orisek dress for the delivery of subscriptions must be received at least 30 days prior to the effective Industries. I hasten to point out that the date of the change in order to insure uninter- company made no such claim. rupted delivery. Secondly, Lauren takes issue with the All material published in DRAGON magazine price. “These binders have made my becomes the exclusive property of the publisher DMing easier for a long time,” he writes. upon publication, unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior to publication. “They can be bought at most stationery DRAGON magazine welcomes unsolicited sub- stores for about $4.... I suggest that (a missions of written material and artwork; how- ever, no responsibility for such submissions can DM) buy an easel-back presentation be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any binder and take the $5 he just saved and submission which is accompanied by a self- apply it towards a game accessory whose addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned to the contributor if it cannot be price is justified by development and published. production costs.” DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish- Since I’ve never seen an easel-back ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rights binder in a stationery store, I don’t know on the contents of this publication are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole what Lauren’s getting for his four-dollar or in part without prior permission in writing investment. Maybe the SPELLBINDERS from the publisher. Copyright 1982 by TSR notebook is significantly stronger or larg- Hobbies, Inc. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848. er or more durable than the average Second class postage paid at Lake Geneva, easel-back binder. Maybe the differen- Wis., and at additional mailing offices. ces, if there are any, make the Orisek 2 March 1982 Dragon his issue of DRAGON™ Magazine is specially for We don’t need a fortune teller to be sure that A.D. Rogan’s those of you whose versions of “fantasy” have more article on gypsies will be well accepted by AD&D gamers. The to do with planets than planes of existence, more historical and legendary characteristics of gypsies combine to with lasers than longbows. Counting the cover make a potent and playable new character type. Speaking of painting and a spread of 23 pages inside, this maga- potent, check out the Demonic Knights of Doom, as described zine has more science-fiction material in it than we’ve ever used by Rob Kuntz in the debut of a new regular feature about in a single issue before. happenings in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK™ Fantasy Setting. Our center 16 pages are filled with Exonidas Spaceport, a When one of these guys asks you whose side you’re on, you’d setting described in meticulous detail by author Jeff Swycaffer better have a quick answer — and it better be the right one. and designed for use in Traveller™ games. Rather than present- Following in the format of his articles on dwarves in our last ing one narrow situation for characters to figure their way into issue, contributing editor Roger Moore presents “The halfling and out of, Exonidas is a package of opportunities, an environ- point of view” and “The gods of the halflings.” Just in back of ment from which dozens of different sorts of adventures could that seven-page section is a detailed story on particular poi- spring. Everything we and Jeff could think of is included in the sons from Larry DiTillio’s campaign that we hope you’ll find package, all the way from a diagram of the entire solar system easy to swallow. down to where everyone sits in the offices of Torman and Son. Making up monsters is easy. Making up good monsters is Jim Holloway and his talented airbrush (or maybe that something else altogether, as Lew Pulsipher points out in should be “talented Jim Holloway and his airbrush”) provided “Make monsters, not monstrosities.” After you’ve read about this month’s cover, a portrayal of the climactic scene from Lew’s guidelines, turn to the Bestiary and see how well you Skitterbugging, a science-fiction tale which precedes the Exon- think this month’s monster makers have done. idas section. Between the story and the spaceport is a page A quintet of characters from famous fiction, ranging from the devoted to descriptions of the people and things from the story (almost) ordinary to the extraordinary, are offered for your in Traveller terminology. Further connections are left for you to edification in Giants in the Earth. make: Could the skitterbuggers prosper in a place like Hori- Reviewer Tony Watson gives his evaluations of Starfire III: theur? Are there mist wasps holed up in the hills of Theury? Empires and Demonlord in Dragon’s Augury.