Issue #201 Vol. XVIII, No. 7 January 1994 SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Publisher TSR, Inc. Cities Never Sleep 9 Explore urban opportunities for magic and mayhem. Associate Publisher Brian Thomsen 10The City of Lofty Pillars — Steve Kurtz Editor-in-Chief Can you find the lost city of the AL-QADIM® setting? Kim Mohan Turkey’s Underground Cities — Associate editor Read about Allen’s Amazing Adventure; learn about Dale A. Donovan 16 these real-world dungeons. Fiction editor Barbara G. Young The Evolution of a Castle — Thomas Reid 24Building a castle requires more than a pencil and Editorial assistant graph paper. Wolfgang H. Baur Seven Steps to a Successful Castle Art director Larry W. Smith — L. Richard Baker III 33Use these expanded castle-construction rules to build Production staff your PCs’ ultimate abode. Tracey Isler Angelika Lokotz

Subscriptions Janet L. Winters FICTION U.S. advertising Cindy Rick The River Children — Peni R. Griffin 88Three lost children are the key to entering the afterworld. U.K. correspondent and U.K. advertising Wendy Mottaz

Editorial Contributions Janis Wells Lisa Neuberger

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2 JANUARY 1994 REVIEWS Eye of the Monitor — Sandy Petersen 57 Do computers actually role-play? Role-playing Reviews — Allen Varney 64 Two new game products blaze their way into your stores. The Role of Books — John Bunnell 72 Young-adult fiction isn’t just for kids anymore. Through the Looking Glass — Robert Bigelow 112 Taking a look at the new WARHAMMER* 40K game. FEATURES The Dragon Project — Sandy Petersen 46 Introducing Rofocale of Hill Marlyprig for Chaosium’s PENDRAGON game.

The Game Wizards — Roger E. Moore 50 History can be fun with Roger of Mooria! Spice up your campaign with the AD&D® Historical Reference series. COVER We discovered the painting by The 10 Commandments of Tournament Writing Mark Pool that graces this month's 76 —Jonathan Evans cover at the ® Game Fair. It's Thou shalt write good tournament adventures. detail and majesty convinced us that it was perfect for this issue. Undiscovered Treasure Troves — James Patrick Serendipity is a wonderful thing. 99 Buchanan The library is a cornucopia of gaming ideas. DEPARTMENTS 4 Letters 95 Libram X 6 Editorial 102 Dragonmirth 44 Sage Advice 104 Twilight 54 Forum 108 Gamers Guide 83 Convention Calendar 120 TSR Previews

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DRAGON 3 What did you think of this issue? Do you contact with scores of bright, friendly, clever have a question about an article or have an Adventures in people whom I'm proud to have met. I've idea for a new feature you’d like to see? In made more friends through this hobby of North America, write to: Letters, DRAGON® ? ours than I can count. I consider several of Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI those people among my dearest friends. In 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, Dear Dragon, my opinion, those are some pretty good DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church I’ve always had a great interest in the benefits from "playing a game." End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, culture of India. This interest was heightened United Kingdom. by Michael J. Varhola’s article on Indian weapons and armor in DRAGON issue #189 TSR on-line [Rhino's Armor, Tiger's Claws]. Now that I D&D® gamers have Indian equipment, I’m hoping to see a Dear Dragon, in which to use them. Has TSR, Inc., ever considered putting up a abandoned? Robin Dunning BBS (bulletin-board system) that was solely No address given for the discussion of role-playing games? Dear Dragon, P. Matra DRAGON issue #197’s “Known World Gri- Hmm, that sounds to me like a challenge to New York NY moire” contained the very disturbing news all the writers in our readership. We haven't that the D&D® game’s ™ setting will accepted any more East-Indian articles, but While TSR does not have its own BBS, we become an AD&D® game world in 1994, and we will certainly entertain proposals. Article do have a presence on General Electric's I have to voice my protest. possibilities include—but needn't be limited GEnie system. The TSR Roundtable (page 125 Why in the world is TSR making the to—an East-Indian campaign setting, East- of the system) has a bulletin board, monthly MYSTARA setting a new campaign world for Indian spells, monsters, and magical items. Be TSR guest speakers, weekly games, an on-line the AD&D game? Does the AD&D game need sure to get our Writer’s Guidelines before RPGA™ Network club, and four on-line con- another setting? you submit any material to us. You can re- ventions each year. The Roundtable is fre- What will D&D players do for a game ceive a copy of the guidelines by sending a quented by several TSR staff members world? Yes, they could use the new business-sized SASE to: Writer’s Guidelines, including DRAGON's own Skis Williams (of MYSTARA material, but all the details will DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Gene- "Sage Advice" fame) and our Fiction Editor have to he changed to fit the D&D rules. I va WI 53147, U.S.A. (and the Editor of DUNGEON® Adventures), suggest D&D players buy up all the currently Barbara Young. GEnie is accessible in most available D&D accessories and supplements areas with only a local phone call. Call GEn- now. A gift for ie's customer-service line for the number you It seems that TSR is neglecting the game should use: (800) 638-9636 (voice). that started the role-playing industry. By storytelling revising the MYSTARA setting, TSR is putting too much emphasis on the AD&D system. I Dear Dragon, Fiction queries know there are a lot of D&D players and An essay that I wrote for my freshman DMs who feel the way I do. “If it ain’t broke, English course was returned to me recently Dear Dragon, don’t fix it!” with a comment from the instructor that got Do I need to send a query letter before Eric L. Artis my attention. The comment was that I had a submitting a piece of fantasy fiction to U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln gift for making the reader “see” and “feel” DRAGON Magazine? Should I send a cover what was happening in the essay. I had never letter along with the completed story? The I began role-playing with the D&D system before received such a comment, except magazine’s guidelines are unclear on these 13 years ago. Also, I edited and enjoyed occasionally from people I served as a DM points. Bruce Heard's D&D columns about the for. I can attribute my ability only to some Known World since 1 came on staff four talent, refined over two years by acting as a years ago. I'm a of the MYSTARA setting, DM. People used to ask me, “What do you and I'm glad that the setting will continue to think you’re going to learn from playing a Authors do not need to send a query letter receive support, regardless of the rules game?” It’s obvious to me that I learned to tell before submitting a work of fiction to us. framework used. I don’t know of any DM a good story. Writers should accompany every submission who uses a published game setting exactly as Kenneth I. Shirley with a cover letter that contains the submit- written. Some modifications always are Storrs CT ter's full name, address, and phone number. made. Besides, the D&D game and AD&D Cover letters serve to introduce the author to 2nd Edition core rules are not so dissimilar Your ability to communicate well is just one those who'll read the submitted work. You that conversions from one to the other of the benefits possible from playing role- needn't give your life story, but some intro- should unduly strain any DM worthy of the playing games, Kenneth. From my playing of ductory information is helpful. title. RPGs, I know gaming promotes cooperation, Also, never submit any article, story, or Several innovative ideas are being applied problem solving, and organizational abilities. artwork without including an SASE as large to the “new” MYSTARA setting, not the least Over the years, gaming has improved my as the one you used to mail the submission. of which is use of audio CDs as part of the reading ability, vocabulary, math skills, atten- Without an SASE, we cannot reply to you role-playing experience. The first product, tion span, and imagination. The games have regarding your submission. designed by , is Karameikos: King- increased my interest and knowledge in dom of Adventure. This boxed set will be mythology and history. More important than available in August. all that, gaming has brought me into 4 JANUARY 1994

Responsive and accessible

Before I get to the body of this editorial, African-based articles, and have published particular order, I’d like to publish: I think some introductory information several. (We’ve got more coming up, too.) 1. More “Ecology” articles. may be relevant. I’ve been on staff for If you missed them, we ran African arti- 2. More articles on how to be a better over four years, but most of you know cles in issues #189 (two articles, in fact), RPG player (such as the theme-section little or nothing about me. And, since this #191, #195, and #200—check them out. If pieces in issue #188). editorial is about my personal tastes re- you haven’t yet, please let us know what 3. More articles on how to be a better garding this magazine, perhaps I should you thought of those articles, and whether game master (such as the theme articles in introduce myself. your gaming group is making use of them. issue #196). Without boring you to tears with my Issue #189 is an issue I’m particularly 4. More articles featuring imaginative life’s story, here goes: I’m 27, divorced, and proud of. That magazine’s “Exotic cul- collections of spells, monsters, and magical a lifelong resident of the state of Wiscon- tures” theme expanded a lot of gaming items. (The “Bazaar of the Bizarre” in issue sin I graduated from the University of horizons, and that is one of this magazine’s #200 is just the type of article I’m looking Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in primary goals. People pick up this maga- for; that article took mundane, everyday Communications. I grew up on Dr. Who, zine in order to expand their campaigns items-keys-and made them magical.) Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and comic into new areas, to take their game in new 5. More articles on popular nonTSR books. I’ve been playing role-playing directions. Whether it’s an article on an games. games (RPGs) since 1981. I still own the exotic culture to add to your campaign, or 6. More articles on painting and using purple Basic D&D® box with the red- a group of new spells or magical items for miniatures in gaming. covered rulebook that opened my eyes to the ® setting, if an 7. More articles that detail how magic this wonderful hobby of ours. Among my article adds enjoyment to your campaign, affects daily life in game-setting worlds favorite RPGs are: the AD&D® game, the we have done our job. (such as “The Enemy at the Gates” in issue ® system (first and fourth Several new features of the magazine #160). editions), Chaosium’s CALL OF CTHULHU* made their debuts in 1993. One of them, 8. More material that can be applied to game, ’ * “’s Notebook: debuted in issue games in general, not just one rules system system, and White Wolfs * #200, and sprang from the minds of Ed (such as “Making the Most of a Module” in game. That’s enough about me-let’s Greenwood and Gary Williams. Depicted issue #200) switch to a much more interesting topic: as excerpts from Elminster’s logs and 9. More races, classes, and kits for the the magazine you hold in your hands now. diaries, this series provides useful plot AD&D and D&D games. Since this is the start of the new year, hooks and characters for any fantasy 10. More “campaign based” articles: now is a good time to discuss what campaign, not just those gamers who the pieces that detail a relatively small area DRAGON® Magazine is, and what it can FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting. Give us that gamers can use as a base from which be. Having been on staff for some time, your feedback on this recurring series. adventures can be created (such as “Seeing I’ve some definite opinions on the matter. Both the “Campaign Journal” and “Drag- the Sights of Skullport” in issue #172), or What I’m going to do in this column is look on Project” features were reactions to articles that expand campaigns into new at what we’ve done with this magazine feedback we received, either from letters areas (such as “The Dark Continent” in recently, and propose some thoughts on or from responses to the surveys we ran a issue #189). what we can do in the future. My reason while back. Campaign Journal began when 11. More articles on giving personalities for this is as follows: No matter who is readers said they wanted material on to NPCs and villains (such as the theme listed at the top of the masthead, DRAGON TSR’s published game settings. We created articles in issue #184). Magazine truly belongs to the readers. It’s the column to answer that need. Similarly, 12. More articles on creating your own the people who lay down their hard- many readers requested more coverage of campaigns; or articles detailing how to earned money that the staff has to answer nonTSR games in the pages of DRAGON customize a published game setting to to. While it is impossible to incorporate Magazine. Our answer was the Dragon your gaming group’s tastes (such as the every suggestion that every reader makes, Project. This miniseries is possible due to theme section in issue #175). we are swayed when a topic has a strong the cooperation the game companies we In other words, I’d like to publish more reader response. contacted gave to us. What do you think material that is immediately usable in One example of a strong response (both of those two columns? Let us know. gaming campaigns; material that is, in a from readers and from TSR staffers) was The topic of nonTSR games is one that word, accessible. the letter, “No Africa?” from issue #176. merits further discussion. Our survey Happy New Year! This letter posed the question why there responses showed that science-fiction and was little or no published game material horror role-playing games are quite popu- based on the history and of Africa. lar with our readers. Fantasy RPGs aren’t As far as DRAGON Magazine was con- limited to only the AD&D and D&D games, cerned, we said at the time that we can’t either. DRAGON Magazine has always ac- publish what writers don’t submit. (Al- cepted well-written, imaginative articles for * indicates a product produced by a company other though, we did publish a large collection game systems other than those published than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks of African-based beasts and monsters in by TSR. We’ll continue to do that. owned by the companies producing those products. The use of the name of any product without mention issue #122.) Well, since that letter was What else do we want to see? Well, I’ll of its trademark status should not be construed as a published, we’ve received numerous give a dozen broad suggestions. In no challenge to such status.

6 JANUARY 1994

It is said that, in the most ancient of bard’s songs, where jeweled trees still lean days, a proud king named Shahraknazi the over honey streams, and high, ruby Tall, the Smile of the Gods. After returning columns still glow with the rising sun. home from his youthful adventures, Thus ends the sad tale of Iram, which Shahraknazi became dissatisfied with his explains how the City of Lofty Pillars was own domain, which seemed bland and or- built and lost for a king’s glory and pride, dinary after all the wonders he had seen and why one must never laugh when deal- throughout Zakhara. One day, he called ing with the genies or their kin. Some say together his 100 most trusted sheikhs and that the genies are still searching for the viziers and ordered them to find the great- city they helped create, while others claim est architect of the enlightened world. that they have found it already, and live After a year and a day, his vassals re- there now in unparalleled delight. If the turned with Kerbelai, the master architect genies know where Iram lies, they have of all genies. In the Sultan’s throne room, never revealed it to mortals, who shall not Kerbelai presented his plan for a fabulous walk in its streets until the Destroyer of city, unparalleled in all Zakhara, surpassing Delights, the Sunderer of Societies, comes even the City of Delights in its grandeur, to claim them. All the architect required for his service was the king’s leave to materials of Reaching Iram the highest possible quality for the project. When the genies enslaved Shahraknazi, The honor and satisfaction of building the the Gods were offended, for he was a rare most glorious city in Zakhara would be supporter of Enlightenment in the early, enough payment for the genie, The Sultan difficult years after the first Grand Caliph hastily accepted Kerbelai’s generous pro- started the religious revolution that posal. changed Zakhara forever. To punish the In a year and a day, the architect con- genies-especially the architect Kerbelai, structed a city beyond mortal comparison, who had deliberately misled Shahraknazi with golden palaces supported on ruby as to the ultimate price for his service—the pillars, and jeweled trees leaning over riv- Gods lifted Iram from Zakhara and placed ers of flowing milk and honey. He called it in a secret, mystical land. the city Iram, meaning “jewel” in Jannti. Iram now lies in a mysterious realm of the After he was finished, Kerbelai presented spirit—perhaps on a demi-plane of dreams in Shahraknazi with a scroll, inscribed with the Ethereal mists, or in a secret pocket of the staggering cost of Iram. Upon reading reality hidden from Zakhara. The legendary the parchment, Shahraknazi laughed out city still can be reached from the Land of loud, for the final price was far above the Fate, however, for a number of desert no- genie’s original estimates, and quite beyond mads and explorers have described seeing the contents of his treasury. Iram’s ruby pillars in the uncharted expanse Shaking his head with regret, Kerbelai of the wilderness. The scant number of tales called his cousins among the dao and vary widely, however. Some describe wander- seized everyone in Shahraknazi’s realm— ing around Iram’s outer walls but never find- including the king himself. To pay off his ing an entrance; others remember open city debts incurred while building Iram, Kerbe- gates, admitting them to an empty city guard- lai sold the Sultan and his people into slav- ed by mysterious white-robed maidens. ery in the land of the genies, where their There are a number of ways to reach the descendants toil to this day in the vast and City of Lofty Pillars from Zakhara, but terrible mines of the dao. none of them are easy. Perhaps the most After Shahraknazi vanished from common entrance lies through a journey of Zakhara, Iram the Golden, the City of Lofty the spirit, or in dreams. The most disci- Pillars, also disappeared mysteriously from plined and holy men and women of the the face of the world. Iram has never been wilderness can sometimes reach Iram, seen by mortals again, except in a desert seeking some sort of spiritual guidance or revelation. After days of fasting and medi- “Sleep of Bliss” lasting 2-8 hours. The future can be frightening. Like most tation in the forbidding heat of the desert, poison’s onset time depends on the victim’s maskhi, Cha’id tends to be shy and reclu- the City of Lofty Pillars appears to them in size: S (1 round), M (l-2 rounds), L-H (2-5 sive, only revealing herself when visitors a vision, and the priests can talk with the rounds), or G (3-12 rounds). After waking try to enter Iram. She commands unques- elusive beings that inhabit Iram. Wounded from the poison-induced slumber, most tioning respect among members of her heroes or starving travelers, stumbling victims remember happy, dreamlike vi- race, and she is the leader of the Thirteen and dying in the parched wastes of sions that they long to re-experience. Maidens that comprise the court (see below). Zakhara, have sometimes happened across In rich circles, indolent nobles or mer- Cha’id the Farseeing (maskhi/fP/hk/9): Iram and nourished themselves from the chants often deliberately poison them- INT exceptional (15); AL CN; AC 2 or - 3; city’s fabled streams and orchards. Who selves with dreambliss, but the addictive MV 9 as animal, or 0; HD 9; hp 56; THAC0 can say whether these visits are real or poison quickly drains its victims of all 16; #AT 2; Dmg l-3/1-3, by weapon, or imagined? Since these travelers receive wisdom (permanent loss of one point per spell; SA surprise, detect truth, discern only knowledge, healing, or sustenance, month of repeated use) and wealth before true station, detect illusions and mirages, there is no way to know whether their long. The poison’s effectiveness against reveal enchantments (as hakima); SD physical bodies or their winged hamas even large creatures and monsters makes shape shifting; ML 13; SZ M; MC13; S 15, receive the benefits of visiting Iram. it popular among adventurers in the D 14, C 12, I 16, W 18 (19), Ch 17; XP It is far more difficult—but still not North. More information about dreambliss 5,000. Magical items: ring of protection impossible—to reach the physical City of can be found in the A Dozen and One +3, pearl of wisdom, rod of terror (40 Lofty Pillars from the . A Adventures sourcebox. charges), potion of human control, oil of number of permanent, one-way gates still obedience, scroll of protection from gen- exist to Iram, established by fell, ancient The realm of dreams ies. Spells: bless, command (×2), cure light sorcerers in the most secluded regions of Iram is but a small portion of the Realm wounds (×2), faerie fire, light, barkskin, Zakhara. These uncommon portals are of Dreams, which consists primarily of a enthrall, hold person (×2), obscurement, almost always guarded by hideous fiends hauntingly beautiful wasteland, dotted withdraw, call lightning, dispel magic, or deceiving genies, left behind to thwart with bizarre rock formations and small, protection from fire, speak with dead, pursuit into the Golden City. hidden oases. The valley is bordered on all cure serious wounds, protection from evil Powerful heroes can reach Iram from sides by lofty, unsurpassable mountains. 10’ radius, protection from lightning, the lands of the genies, although this is All means of travel beyond these peaks is reflecting pool, rain bow. rare and difficult. The djinn arrive from effectively blocked by terrific winds and The Court: Cha’id is advised by twelve the Citadel of Ice and Steel via unstable ominous storms. Attempts to teleport or allies, who make up a loosely organized portals, which appear as a cyclones or plane shift beyond the mountains fail, body of friends and confidantes. This sand storms springing up in the surround- although a wish or teleport without error court is collectively known as the Thirteen ing desert. The marid rarely visit Iram, spell will launch the caster into the Ethere- Maidens. Akila the Falcon, a skilled wind and when they do they enter through al plane. mage, carries the most clout among the whirlpools that suddenly appear in the Time flows strangely in Iram, compared Maidens after her sister, Cha’id. Openly city’s streams and fountains, flooding its with the rest of Zakhara. Roughly ten contemptuous of other species, Akila’s streets and plazas. Efreet from the City of years pass in the Land of Fate for every speech is laced with riddles and threats. Brass are common and unwelcome visi- year spent in the City of Lofty Pillars. The Akila the Falcon (maskhi/fW/wm/7): tors, though they must wait for braziers temporal shift corresponds to the ten-year INT Exceptional (15); AL CN(E); AC 5 or 0; or hearthfires to travel through. Only dao cycle of the Great Conjunction, when Iram MV 9, as animal, or 0; HD 4 + 1; hp 33; are barred from the city as punishment appears in Zakhara. THAC0 18; #AT 2; Dmg 1-3/1-3, by weapon from the gods. After leaving Iram, beings immediately or spell; SA surprise, wind spells inflict +1 Finally, approximately once every dec- revert to their natural age. For those who hp/die of damage (as wind mage); SD ade, when the two wandering planets have spent a long time in Iram, this may shape shifting, +2 bonus on saves and associated with Iram enter the Great Con- prove fatal. For instance, consider a man -2 hp/die of damage against wind attacks junction, Iram appears in a deserted re- who spends a year in the Realm of (as wind mage); ML 13; SZ M; MC13; S 14, gion of Zakhara. The position of the Dreams. Ten years pass in Zakhara, but D 11, C 15, I 16, W 12, Ch 16; XP 5,000. legendary city varies with each visit, fore- the full weight of these years is only felt Magical items: staff of thunder and light- told and preordained by the timing of the once the man returns to the Land of Fate. ning (16 charges), ring of avian control, stars and the motion of the heavens. The City of Lofty Pillars itself rests in an potion of clairvoyance. Spells: alter normal Then—for one night only—the Realm of enchanted, bowl-shaped valley, populated winds *, charm person, magic missile, wall the Dreams brushes against the Land of chiefly by creatures of the spirit, which of fog, ray of enfeeblement, web, wall Fate, and Iram the Golden may be entered are drawn to its sheltering domain. The against noise*, slow, wind wall, wind and explored by the courageous. valley’s primary inhabitants are the no- blade*. Spells marked with an asterisk (*) madic maskhi, shape-shifting beings who are from the Arabian Adventures book. Inducing dreams are deeply in tune with their physical The only nonmaskhi among the Maidens While some rare magical potions (such surroundings and their own spirituality. is Razikah of the Four Winds, a kind and as the potion of dreaming from the Land The most gifted members of that race benevolent simurgh. Unlike the other of Fate boxed set and the sleeping potion learn to travel between Zakhara and Iram Maidens, who prefer the animal forms of from Assassin Mountain sourcebox) can through meditation (using the psionic eagles, owls, and falcons, Razikah likes the artificially induce dreams that might re- talent of Dream Travel). Sometimes shape of a brilliant golden swallow, with veal visions of Iram, the city is more often maskhis, sensing the desperate need of feathers that shine like the sun. She bal- glimpsed (however briefly) by unfortunate travelers in the Land of Fate, will trans- ances Akila’s presence among the Maidens. victims of dreambliss, a potent sleep- port other races to and from Iram, causing Razikah of the Four Winds (a si- inducing poison most common in the Free almost all unexplained arrivals in the City murgh): INT genius (17); AL LG; AC 1; MV Cities, where it sells in tiny quantities for of Lofty Pillars. 3, Fl 48(A); HD 10 + 10; hp 63; THAC0 11; 200-500 gp per dose. The venom is availa- #AT 2; Dmg 2-16/2-16; SA dazzling tail ble elsewhere in Zakhara for more exorbi- The city (creatures in 50’ radius must save vs. tant prices. Ruler: The most influential leader in magic or stand transfixed until 2-5 rounds Victims struck by a dreambliss-coated Iram is Cha’id the Farseeing, a maskhi after she folds up her tail); SD see below; weapon must save vs. poison to resist its hakima with strange mental powers. Her SZ G (20’ wingspan); ML 14; MC13; XP potent effect. If the victim fails his saving wisdom is vast, her awareness of the past 10,000. Magical Abilities (at 10th level of throw, he falls into a deep, euphoric seems eternal, and her knowledge of the experience, l/round, at will): detect invisi-

12 JANUARY 1994 bility, know alignment, infravision, shape brings a night of contented slumber. Tall, hidden secrets, so it should be easy for the change (small bird or human forms only), verdant palms and fruit trees stand beside DM to place the City of Lofty Pillars just speak with animals/monsters (birds and these streams, ever-laden with ripened about anywhere in the Land of Fate. While avian creatures only). fruit, more succulent than any found in wandering near the withering border of the In the past, a few wizards and fugitives Zakhara. Great Anvil, a party of explorers might from the Land of Fate have visited the City Iram contains a thousand exquisite pal- notice the tall spires and jeweled palaces of of Lofty Pillars, though usually only for a aces, pavilions, and gazebos. Even the Iram gleaming along the horizon, hazy and short time. Only one has remained, a sad, smallest of these tall, airy structures has a indistinct, like a beckoning mirage. Perhaps decrepit old man named Yahun bin Khalid vaulted electrum roof, supported by bril- they stumble into the Realm of Dreams al-Hahiri, who has spent so much time in liant columns of ruby and chrysolite, from during a frightening sandstorm along the this changeless realm that were he to which the city derives its name. The pal- Genies’ Caravan. They could discover Iram return to Zakhara, his body would crum- ace interiors are a fragrant delight, for nestled in the uncharted northern reaches ble into dust within a few minutes, The they are perfumed with tiny balls of musk, of the World Pillar Mountains, far beyond former grandfather of a holy-slayer fel- ambergris, and incense embedded in their the corrupted valleys of the insidious yak- lowship, Yahun fled to Iram to escape marble floors and walls. A few of these men. The remainder of this article explores “retirement” by his ambitious and ruthless incredible palaces are even built on tall, how the DM might weave an entertaining underlings. jasper columns, soaring far above the adventure around the dream city or build an Yahun bin Khalid al-Hahiri (hmT/hs/ city’s fountains and gardens. Their intri- entire campaign around the quest for Iram. 14): AC 2; MV 12; hp 51; #AT 5/2 (scimitar) cate carnelian balconies lean over the or 1; Dmg by weapon (scimitar 1d8 +6, streets and streams, affording an incredi- A brief sojourn jambiya ld4+ 1); S 11, D 15, C 12, I 17, W ble view of the city. When first discovered during a short 16, C 14; SA specialized in scimitar, back- Products: Aside from information, adventure, Iram appears abandoned, its stab -5; AL N; THAC0 14; XP 11,000. healing, and sustenance, the city’s obvious towering, iron-bound gates magically Rogue Abilities: PP 45%; OL 70%; F/RT riches are tempting plunder to any adven- warded against mundane intrusion. With 60%; MS 90%; HS 90%; HN 70%; CW 90%; turer. Jewels hang from the trees, the persistence and some carefully selected RL 70%. Magical items: bracers of defense palaces are lined with gold and silver, and spells (or magical items), a well-equipped AC 2, fez of invisibility, slippers of levita- even the humblest city garden is littered party of adventurers should be able to tion, scimitar +4, jambiya +1, +3 vs. with pearls and semiprecious stones. Even pierce the forbidding outer walls and regenerating creatures, dust of sneezing if a party could devise a way to transport wander about Iram’s deserted bazaars and and choking (six packets remaining). it back to Zakhara, the wealth of Iram columned palaces. Sparrows, starlings, Population: At least the Thirteen vanishes if taken from the realm of and mockingbirds dart around the high Maidens dwell in Iram, (in addition to the dreams. Only there do such riches have reaches of the lonely parks and towers, reclusive Yahunl). Those Maidens residing substance. Magical items, however, if peering down at the new visitors with in the city’s parks and gardens choose a transported out of Iram, retain their en- detached, alien interest. Throughout the type of bird as their animal form, They chantment in Zakhara, city, the explorers discover hundreds of ignore uninvited visitors, polymorphing Forces: The Thirteen Maidens, each a inscriptions, carved on walls and irides- into their bird forms to evade contact, so sorceress or priestess of 5th-8th level, are cent pillars. Written in Chun, the dead the total number of their race in the vicini- the most active guardians of Iram. Cha’id, language of the Haunted-Lands, these ty is unknown. the Maidens’ leader, could raise a legion of ancient runes chronicle the tragic history In addition, Iram and its arid environs maskhi and other faeries from the coun- of Shahraknazi’s doomed capital and give are inhabited by a variety of faerie crea- tryside surrounding the city. However, the DM an opportunity to share some of tures, including ashiras, buraq, desert such a defense is a needless consideration, the city’s lore with the players. During centaurs, , sakina, simurgh, and, for who can lay siege to a city in one’s dreams? their explorations of the ruby-pillared of course, the occasional genie. Mosques: Each of the major Enlight- towers and palaces, the adventurers soon Features: From the outside, Iram ened gods (Hajama, Haku, Hakiyah, Jisan, discover glittering hoards of treasure seems impregnable. Lofty onyx walls, Kor, Najm, Selan, and Zann) has a magnifi- heaped beside the silent, skeletal remains flecked with silver and shot with veins of cent and hauntingly empty mosque dedi- of Iram’s former inhabitants, some of gold, surround the city, their polished cated to their worship. whom perished in battle, rather than surfaces smooth and unclimbable. They Lore: Most inhabitants of Iram remain serve the pitiless dao as slaves in the Great are tall and thick enough to repel a host of hidden to the casual observer, but few are Dismal Delve, giants. Four sets of titanic portals lead into willing residents of the city. The fugitive A few incidental encounters should keep h-am, strong enough to withstand even a Yahun bin Khalid is not alone in seeking to the party on their toes and prevent the genie’s fury. These massive, iron-bound escape some dark past or mysterious adventure from degenerating into a loot- gates are always closed and barred from background in the Land of Fate. gathering and plundering expedition. Per- the inside by nine sturdy beams of iron- Not only is the fabled city almost impos- haps the explorers discover a paranoid old wood. Each requires an elephant’s sible to reach, it is even more difficult to man named Yahun in one of the golden- strength to budge. escape. Of course, the Thirteen Maidens domed, white towers. In his dementia, The black battlements are interrupted can send home anyone they choose, but Yahun mistakes his visitors for assassins, sent by sixteen towers of white Marble, each they rarely decide to provide transport for by his former brotherhood. Though his l00' tall and a keep in its own right. The anyone they did not summon in the first strength and reflexes have flagged some- towers are crowned by enormous domes, place. A number of hidden gates exist in what over the years, Yahun has still main- covered with sheets of gold and set with the valley beyond the city walls, but these tained most of his deadly abilities. The party jewels. Reflected sunlight makes these portals are always guarded, and lead to will have a difficult and dangerous time domed towers shine with greenish flame. the genie realms of Wind, Sea, and Fire, as convincing him of their true identities. They At sunrise, their brilliance can be spotted well as to the Land of Fate, Once one has may gain a valuable ally in the city if they for miles, burning like giant lamps, spent enough time in the Realm of are successful. Past its daunting defenses, Iram is a Dreams, however, all that a return to At some point during their explorations, delightful paradise, Even the city streets Zakhara brings is an immediate, withering perhaps if the party becomes too greedy, are strewn with pearls and garnets for death from old age. the benevolent Razikah (shapechanged gravel. Wide channels, lined with gold and into a beautiful woman with golden hair) silver bricks, contain cool flowing water, Adventure hooks pays them a visit, warning them to depart One drink from these streams washes The vast, impenetrable wilderness of Iram before the other Maidens form a war away all fatigue and pain. A second drink Zakhara is home to countless wonders and party and forcibly evict them. If the party

DRAGON 13 rebuffs her advice, a punishing contingent them legends about the city. The bard Dreams. First get your hands on a copy of of the Thirteen Maidens, led by the merci- reveals that he has heard rumors of a wise the Arabian Nights, and start with the less Akila, should force a hasty retreat. woman named Setara living in the hills delightful stories: “The Tale of the City of Even if the explorers manage to transport nearby. According to the local shepherds, Brass,” “The Keys of Destiny:’ and “Tale of some of the treasure out of Iram, their Setara claims to have visited a magical, The City of Many-Columned Iram.” Locat- jeweled riches melt away the following walled city many times in her youth. He ing these might be more of a challenge sunrise, revealing their adventure to be tries to convince the party to help him than it at first appears, since these ob- perhaps nothing more than a fondly re- investigate this rumor, promising to share scure stories probably will not be found in membered dream. the wealth of Iram should they succeed in the limited anthologies of the Arabian The party may yearn to return to the locating the fabled city. That night, before Nights sold today in bookstores, which mysterious city, but a search of its former they arrive at Setara’s village, Tahir takes typically only focus on the most popular location only reveals a deserted valley. Of his last dose of dreambliss and falls into tales, like “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” course, if the adventurers were especially the usual drug-induced stupor. and “Aladdin and his Magic Lamp.” The resourceful during their brief sojourn in Entering the Realm of Dreams, the bard original compendium of A Thousand and Iram, a kind DM may let them retain a finds someone waiting for him outside the One Arabian Nights, translated by Burton, magical token of their visit. Once they walls of the city, someone who is not is over twenty volumes long. The library is return to civilization and have the talis- pleased that Tahir has spoken with a your best bet for locating one of these man identified by either a powerful wiz- group of strangers and invited them on multi-volume anthologies. While Burton’s ard or knowledgeable sage, this enchanted their quest for Iram. An argument de- version will definitively have the tales item might help them on a new quest to velops between Tahir and the robed visitor (check the index), I don’t recommend it for rediscover the City of Lofty Pillars, or it outside Iram. Tahir loses. Back in Zakhara, a first-time reader, because the translation may lead them on new and more fabulous the sleeping bard lets out a horrific can be ponderous and difficult to read. A adventures in the Land of Fate. scream. Contorted on the ground in more recent translation is usually prefera- spasms of agony, he screams a second time ble. Even if you don’t find the stories you An epic campaign and lies still. Tahir manages to whisper a are looking for, the tales of the Arabian While Iram can certainly be used as the cryptic warning to a new friend among Nights are the best source material for any setting for a short adventure, the city is the party before he dies: AL-QADIM® campaign. also well-suited for a longer campaign. “Beware of my brother!” For more ideas in expanding the Realm This section should provide the DM with The bard’s mysterious murderer will of Dreams, I heartily recommend “The enough ideas to get an epic adventure off come after the party eventually. They have DreamQuest for Unknown Kadath,” a the ground. learned too much of Iram and might com- rather somber and chilling novella by H.P. During the early stage of the campaign, promise this stranger’s dark goals in that Lovecraft. Del Rey publishes this tale in the party first learns of Iram from a young city. The assaults need not begin right paperback, available in most bookstores. traveling bard named Tahir, native to the away, but the attacks should be furtive Also, the Dreamlands supplement for Free Cities. Tahir has been searching for and enigmatic when they come. The party Chaosium’s CALL OF CTHULHU* game Iram ever since he saw the city’s jeweled should feel as though a strange and hid- details a campaign setting that can be palaces in a dream. He has longed to re- den enemy now plots against them. The reached only through dreams. This sup- turn to that magical place, forsaking all his true identity and goals of this nemesis plement was inspired by “Kadath” and friends and former traveling companions should be slowly revealed during the Lovecraft’s other early works. In the to pursue this quest. Tahir discovered long campaign. Perhaps Tahir’s brother is a Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels ago that he could visit the City of Lofty powerful sha’ir, who seeks to gain seven (The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, Pillars by poisoning himself with dream- legendary genie prisons that were con- The Dragon Reborn, and The Shadow bliss, but the price has nearly exhausted cealed in the Realm of Dreams or Iram Rising), author Robert Jordan explores his finances and brought him no closer to itself by an ancient sorcerer, These iron (among other things) the idea of an alter- entering Iram. While the bard can see the bottles contain the most malignant and nate dream plane that can be reached and city in his dreambliss-induced visions, thus powerful of the noble genies, each capable traversed by talented individuals. These far he has been unable to pierce Iram’s of granting one or more wishes to the recently published books are also available outer walls and walk its gem-strewn clever mortal who releases them and can at bookstores. streets. In the morning, when the dreams withstand their initial fury after centuries In these stories, you will find the seeds fade and reality returns. Tahir swears that of imprisonment. Of course, wishes grant- of a thousand adventures that might take the next time he uses dreambliss, he will ed by genies can be extremely dangerous place in the City of Lofty Pillars. A recent discover the hidden key to entering Iram. for mortals, as detailed in the Secrets of short play by the modern Arabic poet and He couldn’t be more mistaken. the Lamp sourcebox. At first, the party’s scholar, Khalil Gibran, also examines the Tahir might join the party for a short nemesis can travel to Iram only in his legend of Iram (you are most likely to find adventure or two, if only so the rawun dreams, but he currently seeks a way to it in an anthology of his works at the can earn enough money to purchase more enter the physical city so he can uncover library). According to Gibran, the city is an dreambliss and further his quest for Iram. and depart with the genie prisons. ancient metaphor for perfection, an ideal Tahir is an experienced adventurer, and Throughout the campaign, the DM that can be sought but never reached. The his extensive journeys have made him should drop clues, which, if followed, will quest for this ideal brings personal growth knowledgeable in the lore and customs of eventually lead the party to Iram. For and development. You also may wish to Zakhara. The DM should make him of instance, the party might gain more develop Iram into a mythical paradise of comparable experience to the rest of the knowledge of the city from Setara, the your campaign, inspiring courageous party. Soon after Tahir joins their compa- wise woman Tahir referred to before he explorers to set aside their ordinary pur- ny, the party quickly notices that each died. She might know the secret to finding suits and seek a lofty ideal. May the kind night, the rawun takes a dose of dream- Iram, but probably will require a service hand of Fate guide you on your journey to bliss and falls into a deep coma, mumbling from the party in exchange for this valu- the City of Lofty Pillars, for we have no incoherently to himself for the entire able information. Fate, but that Fate which we are given! evening. He never awakens until dawn * indicates a product produced by a company other breaks along the horizon, regardless what Further inspiration than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks transpires during the night. There are many sources available to the owned by the companies producing those products. Once Tahir gets to know his companions, DM who wishes to launch an epic quest The use of the name of any product without mention of its trademark status should not be construed as a he talks about Iram incessantly, and tells for the city of Iram in the Realm of challenge to such status. 14 JANUARY 1994

Explore these real-world dungeons by Allen Varney

Photography by Allen Varney Cartography by Michael Scott Immense underground labyrinths, home during the hot summer days, and the re- to tens of thousands of people. Multiple verse during the area’s frigid winters. The levels reaching deep into the earth. Low, underground cities began in the same way, twisting passages leading to rooms stocked carved from the brittle, tawny-colored tuff. with treasure. The stuff of fantasy adven- But at first these primordial cities served tures? No! I have visited such underground a different purpose; not living space but cities in Turkey, and you can, too. This arti- storage. The Hittites—who, as every CIVI- cle chronicles my tours of two such subter- LIZATION* game player knows, occupied ranean cities, and follows with what these Asia Minor in the second millennium B.C.— places can teach dungeon designers. The carved the oldest rooms of the subterra- sidebar that accompanies this piece gives nean cities as granaries. The constant cool advice on traveling to this region of the temperature, 50-60° Fahrenheit, preserved globe. grain well. The cities under the ground lie in the After the Hittites came the Phrygians, central Anatolian (Asian) region of Turkey, their origin (around 1100 B.C.) as mysteri- 400 miles southeast of Istanbul and 100 ous as the Hittites’ disappearance. After miles north of the sunny Mediterranean four centuries, Phrygia gave way to the coast. This area, called Cappadocia (koppa- Greek culture of the Lydians, the first soci- DOE-kee-a), has hosted over a dozen civili- ety to coin money. Lydia’s last king had zations from ancient times to the present, plenty of it, too; we still remember the and each played its part in the history of wealth of Croesus. Cappadocia’s fertile the subterranean cities. The Turkish gov- plains brought wealth to all its rulers, but ernment has opened some of these ancient those plains proved hard to defend from labyrinths to the public, and almost 150 rivals. So history saw a long parade of over more lie unexcavated and unexplored, a dozen civilizations, each in turn adding their hidden secrets awaiting discovery. its influence to a rich mix of cultures: the Studying the largest of these cities, De- Persians of the Achaemenian Empire (546- rinkuyu, reveals plenty for dungeon de- 334 B.C.), Alexander the Great, the Se- signers to think about. Use this real-world leucids . . . model to give your fantasy labyrinths a Reading through this long sequence of new air of authenticity. debuts, conquests, and disappearances, we develop a strange, almost creepy sense of History history. These conquering kingdoms com- Millions of years ago extensive volcanic manded the greatest wealth and power in activity deposited three layers of rock their region, sometimes for much longer across Central Anatolia: first, a thick layer spans than the age of America. Their citi- of ash; above it, dust that gradually com- zens, people like you and me, worked and pressed into the stone that geologists call hoped as we do; no doubt they followed “tuff”; and finally, a thin layer of lava that every shift of their political fortunes as hardened into sturdy basalt. closely as we follow ours. But across the Eons of weathering removed much of gulf of 3,000 years, nothing remains of the basalt and carved deeply into the soft these but a few shards of pottery Luff, producing eerie, surreal rock forma- in museum cases and some stone inscrip- tions now called “ chimneys.” From tions full of odd names: Tawannannas, Zi- prehistoric times until just a few years ago, dantas, Wassukani. One name, at least, the region’s inhabitants carved homes in seems —Midas, a Phrygian mon- the chimneys, sometimes elaborate dwell- arch whose wealth became legendary. ings with many rooms on several storeys. But these early civilizations used their You can see the most beautiful of these underground chambers only to store grain fairy chimneys in Cappadocia’s Giireme and, perhaps, as short-term shelter from (GUHR-emma) National Park. The rocky invaders. The subterranean cities grew to homes’ built-in insulation held cool air in their immense size abruptly—historically speaking—during the first centuries after convenient crossroads, plundering lands retreat below with their livestock and the time of Jesus, when persecuted Chris- and pressing citizens into service on their possessions, where they could then hide tians sought places of worship hidden way to frontiers in Persia, Ethiopia, and or withstand weeks of siege. from the . In those three Africa. The underground shelters contin- No one today knows how well this centuries they carved deep into the rock, ued to be improved, for now the whole worked. Over two millennia from the adding to their cities everything they population of a town could evacuate below Hittites through the Byzantines, it must needed: bedchambers, water tanks, flour the ground and vanish. have helped sometimes, for each succes- mills, and stables, as well as other rooms Every home above the ground had ei- sive wave of invaders took over and en- equally important to them: churches, ther its own entrance to the city, or a thin larged the cities. By the same token, the confessionals, seminaries, baptismal fonts, air duct residents could use to talk with cities did not provide foolproof protection, and even wineries. those below. (We know of 15,000 air inasmuch as successive waves of invaders Secreted in these labyrinths, tens of ducts.) Perhaps residents then treated the took them over. thousands of Christians practiced their cities as some householders do now, stor- During the seventh century, the armies forbidden religion. After the Edict of Milan ing their possessions in a really, really big of spread from Arabia to conquer in 313 A.D., Roman persecution ceased. basement. In times of danger, the city Africa, Persia, and Asia Minor. After with- However, Cappadocians still hid in their maintained sentinels on the hilltops. A standing three severe campaigns, the underground cities. Armies from the scout who sighted unwelcome visitors Byzantines finally evacuated Cappadocia, Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire would blow a horn or otherwise signal a leaving the underground cities deserted. marched out of Constantinople across this warning to the city. Citizens had time to Their presence unsuspected by the Arabs, the forgotten cities fell into disrepair. In 1963, townsfolk in central Cappadocia rediscovered the largest labyrinth by accident. Other discoveries followed, and now we know of 150 underground sites, most still unexcavated. The Turkish gov- ernment’s Office for Ancient Monuments and Museums opened its first under- ground city to visitors in 1965, but only the recent explosion of Turkish tourism has brought the cities to wide attention. Turkey now has opened five of them, and travelers at last recognize these amazing places as authentic wonders of the world.

Exploration Not much would have drawn you, a tourist, to this particular spot in Turkey before it found its ancient basement. A small town of 5,000 people, 18 miles south of the central Turkish city of Nevsehir, it has many 16th- and 17th-century Greek Orthodox churches and, it claims, the world’s first lunatic asylum. Glories like these notwithstanding, this town offers little for you except the pleas- ant company of friendly Turks. Yet in Roman times this area must have hosted a huge population, for a few feet underfoot lies the largest, best-known, and most astonishing underground city of them all. In a past age residents called it Malagobia (Latin, “difficult existence”). It takes its modern name from the town overhead, a Turkish name meaning “deep well”: De- rinkuyu. Mottled gray-brown walls, curving and uneven ceilings low overhead, pillars of rock torturously hand-carved-Derinkuyu looks unassuming, to say the least. You crouch through hatchlike doorways and walk down steep steps seemingly cut as casual afterthoughts. Any given room makes a bland showing for this alleged wonder of the world. Yet it goes on and on and on. One ugly rock-walled room does not excite you, but many dozens, going deeper and deeper into the earth, carved from almost a square mile of living rock by the sweat of ten thousand brows, do. The cool (50° F) air remains fresh, and sometimes, fantasti- cally, you feel a cold breeze. Your excited

18 JANUARY 1994 imagination conjures giant worker ants for nean culture of the time treated slavery as nary. On these benches young mission- this stupendous anthill. From the collective a fact of life. Convicts, captured pirates aries heard the doctrine they would risk unconscious you synthesize memories of and brigands, children sold to pay parents’ their lives to spread. A couple of bed- the people who sheltered here: farmers, taxes, prisoners of war from the northern rooms open off the seminary. Nearby, a thin and prematurely aged with hard Black Forest frontier or from Arabia or rounded hole indicates the font where work. Huge rag-tag families, toothless and Ethiopia to the south—they all worked priests baptized the infants of 17 centuries louse-ridden, but with bright eyes and away their lives burrowing for their Byz- ago, quite possibly ancestors of some easy laughter. Arabian horses and hungry antine masters. Perhaps they, not their readers of this article. oxen munching hay in stone stables, You owners, christened Malagobia. Elsewhere, at the end of a long, scary think of tense times when their owners In wandering the twisting tunnels, you crawl down a sloping passage, in a part of must have hushed them, while families see many thick stone wheels. Big as Yap Derinkuyu that the government has not peered upward in nervous silence, listen- Island stone money, big as the wheels on a yet wired for light, you shine your flash- ing to a legion’s footsteps. monster truck driven by Fred Flintstone, light around a church as big as a basket- Before long, passing through weird cham- they rest on the ground or stand in ball court. It seems like a natural cavern, bers and down sloping tunnels, you become notches beside doorways. These wheels, but this area has no caves. To make this utterly lost. Red arrow signs point the way security doors, testify that invaders some- underground church, humans carried farther down, blue arrows upward, and you times discovered Derinkuyu, and that away every rock chip and speck of gravel trust to these like Robinson Crusoe trusted when they did, the residents could defend by hand. Friday. A compass might help, but the rises themselves. They carved each wheel out Several rooms in Derinkuyu remind me and plunging spirals still perplex you. Where of the floor of its room, then drove a hole of the early importance of sacramental do you stand in relation to that room you through its center. During a battle, a team wine to Christians. Some of the wineries saw five minutes ago? How far below the of men used a wooden pole to roll the near ground level have, or used to have, surface have you come? wheel down and block the doorway. After ceiling holes to the surface. Fresh grapes Every so often you find an airshaft, and those inside withdrew the pole, attackers from the vineyard, poured down the this answers the second question. The 52 faced a fearsome task in trying to push holes, fell into hollows in the rock floor. gaping square or circular holes, each back the immense wheel. Meanwhile, There people, presumably slaves, walked wider than a man’s height, plunge 175 feet besieged residents made spear thrusts the grapes into pulp. Holes in the bottom (55 meters) straight down to Derinkuyu’s through the hole. of some hollows let the juice flow down depths. Doorways and windows open onto into convenient basins in a lower room, the shafts at each level. Just below ground Sanctuary ready for the fermenting barrels. level you see the sun above and, below, a Stone wheels guarded the most precious These signs of devotion interest you in vanishing black perspective. Far beneath treasures of Derinkuyu’s inhabitants. passing, but deep on Derinkuyu’s seventh the surface, on Derinkuyu’s seventh and Gold? Jewels? No, although a duck-walk level you find the last and most breathtak- eighth levels, daylight has dwindled to a down a long, very low, spiralling tunnel ing sign of the ancient builders’ devotion. bright circle the size of a thumbnail. You leads to a treasure room where one or two Here you enter an enormous 100’-long would see a similar view inside a factory guards could hold off an army. Instead, hall, a one-time conference room and, smokestack. the ancient Christians rolled those stone some believe, a torture chamber. Two of Shafts like these seldom appear in fanta- wheels to protect their sacred ground. the hall’s three thick columns have candle sy dungeons, but they provided five vital Here, beyond the barriers, you find a sconces—or did the residents tie prisoners services game masters should recognize: large room with two long stone benches there? In a nearby room excavators found air, light, transport, communication, and carved straight out of the floor: a semi- a grave; apparently someone took the water. The shafts bring fresh air every- where in Derinkuyu, so efficiently that visitors can smoke cigarettes on the eighth level and watch the smoke swirl away toward the nearest shaft. They provide some light, and in ancient times the people may have used shiny metal reflectors to bring the light to their rooms. Many of the shafts have footholds that allow easy climbs between levels, although it must have taken courage! We almost can hear the echoes of Latin shouts ringing up and down the shafts, as in the courtyards of inner-city tenements. (“Have you got din- ner ready up there?“) Finally, unlike those of other cities, Derinkuyu’s shafts also reached fresh water, giving the city above its “deep wells,” and (even today) its water supply. The underground cities supposedly began with these shafts. As the first step in enlarging the ancient grain cellars, a city’s builders (excavators?) dug straight down, ensuring ventilation before all else. Then the workers dug each level of the city outward from the shafts. The way these workers connected their separate excavations to form each level remains a mystery. We do know why the workers dug. Their owners ordered it. Every Mediterra- Isometric view of the underground village of Kaymakli

DRAGON 19 skeleton found there to Ankara, the Turk- the higher population estimates (60,000 a long-lost city beneath the campaign’s ish capital, for study. people) probable. The likelihood of these base city, castle, keep, etc. (One published Other rooms open off this hall, including high numbers depends, I think, on connec- example of this type of campaign is The a huge cruciform church 80’ long and 30’ tions with entire new complexes, current- Ruins of Undermountain box (and The wide, with a 12’ ceiling. Some scholars, ly unconfirmed (as far as I know) but Ruins of Undermountain II set on sale in who believe the entire city predates Chris- suspected. Turkish researcher Omer De- March) for the FORGOTTEN REALMS® tianity, call this room clover-shaped, for mir writes in Cappadocia: Cradle of Histo- setting. the Hittites used the clover as an emblem ry, “The tunnels form connecting links Each room in most published dungeons of state. I have no idea how this unlikely with some underground cities near De- has neat corners, and high hallways con- theory explains the still larger room that rinkuyu so that the population could save nect them with the straight regularity of opens on the halls other side. This huge L- their lives by using these escape routes. graph paper. The real-world labyrinths go shape ends in a short, strange tunnel, tall We have reason to believe that one of the every which way, their rooms take on the as a man but barely wide enough to enter, tunnels on the third storey is connected oddest contortions, and ceilings and hall- that curves in a tight “C” from one corner with an underground city at Kaymakli 5.4 ways vary alarmingly. Low tunnels served of the room to the adjacent corner. miles away. The tunnel in question is wide a purpose, making vital rooms easier to You hardly could explain this odd tunnel enough for three or four people to walk defend. I can testify, having slid down a outside a Christian context, but after some upright side by side. The ventilation ducts claustrophobic spiral to Derinkuyu’s trea- thought about churches—or perhaps with of the tunnel, many of which have been sure room, that no one in plate armor, a clue from your tour guide—you realize filled with rubble or destroyed through carrying a torch and a sword (let alone a its function. A worshipper entered one the years, are expected to be opened in spear or pole arm!) could hope to get into end of the tunnel, a priest the other, and the coming years.” that room alive. I also have grave doubts they met in the middle in total darkness. Such speculation may, in the end, fall short that a fast-moving party could ever map Right: a confessional. of reality, but in Derinkuyu reality already these places well enough to avoid getting Other wonders still lurk undiscovered in takes your breath away. You think about it, lost. How does the last underground dwar- Derinkuyu. Archaeologists, scholars, and (I as you make the long climb back to the ven citadel you created or explored look in presume) local businessmen in search of surface-about cohorts and maniples march- comparison? greater tourist attractions continue the ing in bewilderment through deserted villag- Your fantasy dungeon diggers have excavation of this and the other under- es, while beneath their feet (in the magic that shatters the hardest rock. The ground cities. So far we know of eight 3rd-century A.D., when swamps covered ancients never could have carved their levels in Derinkuyu, but some writers Manhattan) the population density ap- underground cities in anything but vol- suspect as many as 27. “Levels” here does proached that of the World Trade Center. canic tuff, which conveniently remains not mean quite what it does in a fantasy soft during cutting but hardens when dungeon, but something more notional, Lessons for dungeon exposed to air. Perhaps dwarves would for these small and uneven levels merge designers consider carving their homes in such an imperceptibly. If they went much deeper, Every game master who plans an under- area to be beneath their dignity (no pun the hypothetical lower levels would hit the ground labyrinth can learn some lessons intended); but how about gnomes, half- water table. Still, the figures fire the from Derinkuyu and the other subterra- lings, , or ? imagination. With so much left to discover, nean cities. DMs can use the information The fantasy magic that spirits away we can believe the conservative estimates above to create or expand their own rubble seems less impressive than the of Derinkuyu’s population—around 20,000. dungeons and underground campaigns. logistical miracle the Cappadocians accom- Ultimately, excavation may make even Have the player characters (PCs) discover plished in disposing of a large hill’s worth

Cross-section of the underground city of Derinkuyu 1 Ventilation duct and deep well 2 Church 3 Stone door DRAGON 21 of excavated rock. They may have created a hill west of town called Sogdele, but more likely they dumped the rubble into a couple of streams nearby, where it eventu- ally washed away into the lakes of Anato- lia. Like the one-time rulers of this area, (evil) fantasy races such as the or duergar likely would use slaves to perform much of the mundane labor. Many underground-adventure designers seem unaware that if you dig deep enough, you hit water. You also need an air supply to reach that deep. Magic easily solves these problems, but the nonmagical approach offers plot hooks and logistical advantages. For instance, if the dungeon’s air shafts lead to the lowest level, the PCs may climb straight down. They may think they’ve bypassed intervening dangers, but in fact they play right into the villain’s hands. Any sensible occupants would set numerous guards, traps, and warnings in the areas surrounding the shafts. Similarly, water levels change. So what if the old dungeon corridors were well above the water table in the ancient past? A single earthquake in a distant region can re-route an aquifer, and now the adventur- ers must cope with lower levels that are now underwater. Only rarely do adventure backgrounds make use of historical context. A generic evildoer carves most generic dungeons so be can commit his generic evils. This ap- proach misses the flavor presented by a historical dungeon similar to Turkey’s underground cities. Their ancient origins and subsequent Christian expansion adapt well to any fantasy world that has seen empires rise and fall. This lets the dungeon bring the campaign world alive for the players in a whole new way. Two of the Historical Reference Campaign Sourcebooks for the AD&D® game should prove especially useful for this. HR5 The Glory of Rome and the upcoming HR6 The Age of Heroes (which details ancient Greece) both cover peoples who once inhabited this region. Combining the information in this article with your own campaign, or with one or more published works will bring a new realism and excitement to the dungeons and underground complexes in your game world. For more information on under- ground adventuring possibilities, seek out DMGR1 The Campaign Sourcebook & Catacomb Guide for the AD&D game. One last lesson from Derinkuyu: The showiest and most powerful spell cannot impress us as much as sheer dogged hu- man labor. The underground cities conjure that same disbelief we feel of the pyra- mids, the Great Wall of , the Berlin Airlift, the Alaskan oil pipeline, and other undertakings that mix pragmatism and craziness on a grand scale. In their sheer scope, they expunge all reservations about their merits. They transcend ordinary concerns by defining what the human race can achieve. Now that’s what I call magic. better deals by flying to London first and to Kaymakli the next day. This proved Getting there shopping its many fiercely competitive tricky, for the local buses in central Tur- However much you gaze at the pictures discount travel agencies. Check the Travel key do not run as often as you’d like. And and read the facts, nothing tells you as section of the Sunday New York Times for although the Turks I met proved resolutely much about the underground cities as a many bargains. Plan to go in late summer honest with money and services, I never visit. or early fall, unless you want to hit the once got a straight answer on when the I visited Derinkuyu and a smaller under- winter skiing season. It gets really cold in next bus would arrive. ground city, Kaymakli (KIGH-mock-lih), in central Turkey starting in mid-October. As it happened, I got to Kaymakli, had a October, 1992. At that time, the Turkish Rest up in Istanbul, a terrific city, before nice long visit, then ended up stranded in government had just opened the fifth city, heading into central Turkey. A clean and the middle of nowhere. After a pleasant if and by the time you get there they may vibrant city, Istanbul offers great food, uncommunicative visit with a Turkish have more ready. However, I suspect that cheap hotels and youth hostels, a hard- farm family-nobody speaks English in if you see one (make it Derinkuyu), you’ve working tourist office with a lot of inform- rural Turkey, although many people speak seen them all. The cities impress not by ative brochures, a couple of neat German-I hitched a truck ride to some- their individuality but conceptually, by the museums, and splendid sights—mosques, place where I could get a cab (a bus sta- mere fact of their existence. But don’t palaces, and riverboat tours up the Bospo- tion, I think). The ride cost 50,000 Turkish worry—Turkey offers much more to see, rus. Don’t miss the Dolmabahce and lire, about $7.50—a fortune! and you’ll find it an inexpensive and re- Topkapi Palaces, extravagant Ottoman Remember that Turkey follows Islam, at warding place to stay for two weeks or structures that define opulence. The least nominally. Prepare for early awaken- two months. world’s oldest surviving covered bazaar, ings by muezzins calling the faithful to Before you leave, read everything you the Kapalicarsi, offers terrific shopping if predawn prayer. Women should travel can. (I recommend the Lonely Planet you know how to haggle with the world’s with a partner. Don’t expect pork chops on guidebook, available in the travel section highest-pressure salesmen. the menu. That said, Turks show courtesy of better bookstores.) Get proper immuni- Bus fare to Cappadocia costs about $13 and hospitality to visitors, so don’t worry. zations, including cholera, tetanus, and (U.S.) one-way. You might haggle a dollar As a traveler you represent your coun- hepatitis A. For the hardy traveler, a mem- off the price if you look poor and pathetic; try and culture, so treat the people and bership in Youth Hostels of America or I speak from experience. Fair warning for the sights with respect. Tourism has Youth Hostels International pays for itself nonsmokers: Every man in Turkey smokes proved a mixed blessing in Turkey, be- quickly, because it lets you stay in inexpen- like a chimney (Marlboros) and the bus cause tourists have irreparably damaged sive but comfortable hostels in many coun- companies have never heard of nonsmok- some of its historical treasures. For exam- tries. (Write to: American Youth Hostels, ing sections. ple, after leaving the underground cities P.O. Box 37613, Washington D.C. 20013- After a lung-deadening trip I arrived in and taking up open worship, early Chris- 7613.) Buy a small flashlight, a first-aid kit, Goreme, stayed at a pleasant pansion tians carved many open-air churches in and, a compass (no kidding). You also called Turkish House among the weird the Goreme and Soganli regions. You could might consider iodine tablets to purify Daliesque fairy chimneys, and took a one- still see their remarkably preserved Byzan- water or a portable water filter. (Never day tour that included an hour or so in tine frescoes until a few years ago, when drink the water in Turkey.) Derinkuyu. I thought the tour well worth tourists searching for souvenirs peeled Airfare to Istanbul from America runs the $10, but I wanted more time in the them away a paint-fleck at a time. Go, and under $1000 round trip. You can find underground cities and went on my own do better.

The word “castle” conjures up images of recall the many-spired, gravity-defying soaring stone walls looming high upon home of Cinderella at Disneyland, modeled craggy pinnacles of rock, surveying the after an actual Bavarian wonder of archi- land below with an imposing presence. tecture. When we think of castles, we think of King Throughout history, the most lasting evi- Arthur and his knights riding forth from a dence handed down to us from the peoples magnificent castle of gold, with colorful of those times has been the fortified homes pennants flapping smartly atop the crenel- they built to withstand the attacks of their ated towers, while fair maidens wave from enemies. From the ancient peoples of the high windows. We see a brooding, mist- Fertile Crescent, who built the first walls covered stone gargantua vigilantly guard- around the first villages, to the Romans, ing a loch in the Highlands of Scotland. We whose legions brought engineering genius

Map #2 with them when they conquered the Gauls To understand how to create more real- than-usual taxes for a number of years, and Celts, to the Europeans of the Middle istic fortifications in a game setting, we and still be able only to construct a small Ages, who constructed over the span of need to learn more about how they devel- motte-and-bailey style home. Perhaps his decades massive stone homes to protect oped historically. The first part of doing son, the next lord, would accumulate their lands and their people from one that is understanding the technological enough wealth to add to the palisade wall, another—modern historians have learned evolution of castles. The massive stone or maybe even to replace the wooden much about our past from these architec- constructions that we think of as castles building at the top of the hill with a stone tural marvels. did not simply sprout one day from a one, but he certainly never considered Yet, when the typical DM sits down to feudal king’s imagination. The earliest starting from scratch with a new site and create an impregnable fortress, the result medieval constructions were nothing more a new plan. Adding onto the original de- too often falls woefully short. Too many than a palisade wall of cut timbers sur- fenses was typically the only option. As a times, a wonderful adventure is planned rounding it and a ditch surrounding that result, most castles grew in a sort of around a frontier stronghold only to have built on a hill. There were various forms “building block” fashion, one or two sec- that stronghold never develop beyond a few of this construction type, known as a tions at a time, rather than with a com- simple lines quickly scratched out on a piece motte-and-bailey construction, but it was plete architectural plan drawn up for the of graph paper, with no real feeling or fla- essentially the earliest recognizable form final product. vor. More than one new project has crossed of castle. As the years passed, knowledge Now that we have a better grasp on how my editing desk here at TSR with a castle or of the strengths and weaknesses of this castles developed over time, let’s look at walled fortress included that fails to inspire type of fortification were taken into ac- another consideration in castle design, any sense of grandeur. With all the source count with newer and better forms of namely, using natural features prominent- material that is out there to draw upon, this defense. The wooden palisade wall was ly in the layout of the fortifications. The does not have to be the case. replaced by stone walls; the curtain wall first of these is making certain that the This article is to help the DM plan and was developed; siege engines were con- castle has exclusive access to a water develop a castle, wizard’s tower, or even structed; square towers were eventually supply. Usually this is a well, but some- walled city with a better eye for detail and abandoned in favor of round ones; and so times the castle was built around a natural a better grasp of just how these fortified on. (For more information on the styles of spring. If neither of these was available, edifices function. Although this knowledge castle construction, see DMGR2 The Castle special pools were built on roofs and in can apply to any kind of fortification, such Guide.) courtyards to catch rainwater and store it. as walled cities and towns, Mediterranean The second fundamental concept behind This was not as reliable as a well or villas, or even secret jungle temples, I am castle development is financial in nature. spring, but it was better than letting the going to limit the discussion to medieval Because construction was such an expen- enemy dam or poison a stream. castles of Europe in order to keep the sive undertaking, it was rarely done all at The second way natural features were scope of this article manageable. once. A feudal lord might gather higher- used was, of course, as natural defenses. Why build an artificial hill when a natural one would do just fine? Why dig a huge ditch to slow up attackers and discourage heavy siege engines when a natural barrier, such as a river, is already there? In any book on castles worth its salt, you should be able to find plenty of photographs that show castles all over Europe and sitting on a high outcropping of rock, butting up against some water source, or both. There are two benefits from putting a castle on high ground and behind natural barriers. The first is to get a great view of the surrounding countryside. The farther away the enemy is when spotted, the better. The second advantage is making it as difficult as possible for that enemy to reach those massive stone walls. Having to scramble up a steep hill with bad footing or swim or boat across a stream or lake makes a besieging army very vulnerable to attacks from the castle. All this is common sense, right? Using natural obstacles rather than building your own also seems like a no-brainer, correct? Consider the last time you actu- ally saw a natural rock outcropping that was perfectly symmetrical in shape, sur- rounded on four sides with a perfectly symmetrical river, and ready for a castle with four walls and a tower at each cor- ner. I don’t remember seeing one, in either America or Europe, and I’ve spent a lot of time hiking around both continents. Yet I constantly see castles designed for AD&D® or D&D® campaigns that look exactly like that. Now we’ve broadened our understand- ing of just what a castle is and isn’t. Where 26 JANUARY 1994 Map #3 do we go from here? We go to the world thing that is both unique and realistic. with a lot of contours. I photocopied an of fantasy, of course. We’re ready to sit The first thing we want to do is select a area off my map, and then I reduced the down and design that impregnable for- site. We want a place that has hills, trees, scale by a factor of 20. (In other words, tress that we just know the PCs can’t stone outcroppings, lakes, streams—the each heavy contour line now indicates 10- infiltrate, or that their lord lives in, or whole gamut of geographical features. foot increments rather than 200-foot in- whatever. We already have a problem, One way to do this is to make them up. crements, and 1” now equals 80 feet though. This is fine, and can even be pretty cool, if rather than 1600 feet.) On a U.S.G.S. quad- In a game setting that sports powerful you know how to do it. Picture a place and rant map, the scale is actually bigger, but I magic and mythical creatures, some of the draw in some features. Just make sure used the enlarge feature on the copier to tenets of castle construction no longer that you don’t have rivers running over a adjust everything slightly. I decided to apply. A wizard with a transmute rock to high hill rather than around it, and that ignore tree cover for the purposes of this mud spell can do some pretty ugly things the place isn’t filled with more geological example, since I decided the lord who was to a castle. Even the teleport spell or the wonders than we find in all of North building this castle would just be cutting psionic ability Dimensional Door can get America. This method is good if you al- down the trees for other purposes any- around castle defenses. Attacks from a ready have some preconceived ideas about way. Map #l shows what I came up with. flying creature, such as a dragon, make the location of the proposed castle. Once I had my topographical map, I walls practically obsolete. These kinds of Another way to do this is to get some thought about why this was, strategically problems call for similar solutions. Still, United States Geological Service survey speaking, a good place for a castle. I decid- for the average petty lord, or in a low- maps. These things are great, showing you ed that the lake sat at the foot of a valley magic campaign, we can begin planning contours, rock outcroppings, water, trees, walled in on the other sides by fairly steep our castle. [Editor’s Note: For more on etc. Once you have one of those, picking a mountains. There is only one way around fortifications in a high-magic milieu, see likely place for a castle can be pretty easy. the lake, and that is via the road that “The Enemy at the Gates" in DRAGON® Just make sure you get a map that has the passes on this side of it—the mountains issue #160.] type of terrain that you need. Either way, I come right down to the shore everywhere As we discuss how to design our own suggest you stay away from graph paper, else. So, this point of mountain looks down castles, let’s use each step in an ongoing at least initially. All that grid is going to do on the only reasonable way into the valley, example. By the time we’re finished, we is lock your mind into the idea of rigidity and is therefore a great place to build our will have a complete castle that we can and symmetry. Use unlined paper instead, castle. plop down in practically any medieval to allow yourself the freedom to adapt to Once you have a topographical area set campaign world. We can then take these the terrain rather than the grid. up, it’s time to think about how a castle steps and, with only slight tinkering, de- For the example, I acquired a U.S.G.S. might start there. It’s a good idea to have velop any castle, city, etc., for any occasion quadrant map of an area in Colorado. I several photocopies of your area ready. that we need, and come up with some- wanted an area that was mountainous and This way, you can design the castle in

28 JANUARY 1994 DRAGON 29 several stages, allowing for the passage of Some of the original outbuildings have side on a piece of graph paper with a time and showing how the castle has been been torn down and the bailey has been pencil-thin line dividing them. How thick is modified over the years. It also will allow expanded. The palisade wall has been the wall? “It doesn’t really matter,” we say. you to work on a trial-and-error basis replaced by a stone wall, with a second Wrong. Walls designed to hold up several without destroying your only copy of the gate and flanking towers included. Again, storeys of stone tower or to withstand the map. Start off with something simple, like changes in the contour lines show how the pounding of heavy siege equipment were one of the motte-and-bailey plans. slope has been smoothed out, and in fact, built 10, 20, or 30 feet thick. Don’t over- In the example, I did just that. The lord dirt has been piled up on the inside the look the spatial requirements of huge load- of this area decided that a three-story wall closest to the lake to make the whole bearing and defensive walls when you stone tower (and one level of basement) courtyard even more level (any time you draw up plans for your fortress. would be about all that he could afford, so see contour lines merge into one line, it So what goes into the spaces between he built one on a spur of the hill, right at means a completely vertical surface exists. those massive walls? More than you might the edge of a steep slope that faces the At some places along the walls the contour think. Of course, there is a central hall. road (the red square building in Map #2). lines do this, showing higher ground on Every self-respecting lord had one, with a A little below that on the hillside, he set up one side of the wall than the other). big feasting table and walls high enough to the bailey portion. There are some From this point, continue adding new display all his spoils of war. In a tower- changes in the contour lines, reflecting the phases, pretending that changes and addi- type construction, the main hall was usu- fact that some of the hill was smoothed tions have been made to the construction ally two or even three stories high, with a down to a more gentle grade. Several over the years, taking into account new balcony running around its perimeter on smaller outbuildings (represented as out- technology and resources. If you are oper- the upper floors. That way, even people lined shapes) were built on this gentle ating within a high-fantasy setting, you who were upstairs could see what was grade and surrounded by a second pali- might include some anti-dragon features going on down in that main hall. sade wall. The stone tower has a very or some traps for infiltrators using magic Map #5 shows the ground floor of our common entry, an independent stair that to get in. Throw in whatever you can new tower. There are quite a few features is set 10 feet or so away from the side of think of to adapt the construction to the to pay attention to in this plan. First, no- the tower. A drawbridge can be lowered setting. You can do as few or as many tice that the walls are thick (typically 5’ for to the stairs, but when it’s raised, the phases as you think is appropriate for the the interior walls and 10’ for the outer drawbridge is very difficult to assault. setting. ones). There’s room within the walls for a This is not a major construction, but I For the example, I added one more fireplace in the kitchen, as well as the have assumed this particular lord is a phase. The Earl managed to marry his son secret spiral stairwell off the Parley Room. minor one, and that he rules a rather poor off to the king’s daughter, and it turns out Second, notice that the plan is far from area in an out-of-the-way corner of the that his grandson has ended up on the symmetrical, and that there are a variety kingdom. His tower is still more than throne. Since our castle is now the tradi- of different areas included. While far from enough to guard the little road that leads tional seat of the royal family, the new complete, this plan does manage to include into the fertile valley beyond the lake, king grants himself a charter to spruce up several distinct areas to make the castle though. At this point, a small-scale detail the place once again. Furthermore, he much more interesting. There are several map of the tower’s interior could be draws upon the royal coffers to do it, so more upper floors, as well as a basement. drawn. I decided, however, to wait and he can afford all the extras. This final (That spiral stairway going down from the draw my interiors after I am finished with phase is shown on Map #4 in purple (an kitchen leads to a wine cellar, for exam- the castle’s development. appropriate color for royalty). ple.) The rest of the castle can be designed For the second phase of development, The original tower has been abandoned in the same way, incorporating any unusu- think about how the castle could be ex- as the living area and instead is turned al features that seem interesting. While panded, both to gain more room and to into a gate tower. The lord now lives in a preparing this article, I decided that my take advantage of newer construction huge edifice constructed from four joined, water source for this castle was a decanter techniques. To minimize time, effort, and cylindrical towers seated near the very top of endless water set up as a fountain in expense, try to incorporate as much of the of the hill—an imposing sight, indeed. the fish pond-this place will never run existing structure as possible instead of Again, some of the outbuildings in what is out of water! tearing it down. Remember to utilize the now the outer courtyard have been re- When you get the palace developed and natural terrain to best advantage. moved to make room for the smaller circu- detailed the way you want it, you can In the example, I assumed that the original lar tower that serves to further defend make a larger, more permanent map that lords grandson has been recognized as the both the outer and inner gates. Round can be used as a base for all your future Earl of the valley, and has been given a towers also have been added to all the plans, sieges, expansions, etc. You will charter by the king to build a proper castle older stone walls. Once again the contour need a map of each level, the roofs, and to protect the region. The valley itself has lines are changed to reflect landscaping. the basements. You can use different col- become more populated and prosperous, Some new outbuildings have been added ors to key your map like we did. In the and the Earl has managed to raise sufficient to both the outer and inner courtyards. example, I decided that the original tower funds for the task. Hiring an architect, the Now that we see that a typical castle is was constructed of natural fieldstone Earl begins his expansion. anything but typical, let’s discuss just what taken from the valley (with the resulting Looking at Map #3, you can see all the might be found inside its walls. Recalling walls rougher and more uneven), but that changes that were made to the original some of those castles that I have seen the later two stages of work were built design. I have left the original phase in poorly designed (and yes, I have designed from granite blocks quarried higher in the red, while all the new construction is in a few myself), one thing that sticks out is mountains. The original tower also had green. First, a gate was built across the the amazing lack of creativity that went 6.5’ ceilings (that first lord was a short road leading into the valley, at a point into the interior rooms. Usually, that four- fellow), while the rest was at a more lofty where the land juts out a bit into the lake walled square castle had a roof that height. A curtain wall has been built that runs spanned the entire thing, and underneath If you have access to it, you can use down from the tower to this gate to com- it were five or six huge rooms connected several mapsheets that overlay (especially plete the defensive wall formed by the by doors from a central chamber. Along if you can get some clear acetate sheets) to steep hillside to the north of the castle. with this went one of the biggest castle show more detail than would look good on Now, the only way to enter the valley killers of them all, the wall without width. one map. At this point, you also can over- short of crossing the lake in boats is by Designers do it all the time, in most of the lay the whole onto some sort of graph passing through this gate. maps we draw. Dungeon rooms sit side by paper, just to give yourself some sort of

30 JANUARY 1994 scale. If you aren’t using the overlay meth- od but you have graph paper with lines that will reproduce when photocopied, photocopy a blank sheet right onto your map. Another option is to photocopy your map directly onto a piece of graph paper through a color copier, if you have access to one. As a last resort, you could draw the grid directly onto the map, but it’s easy to make a mistake and ruin several hours worth of work. You can apply these principles to other kinds of fortifications, too. Just take a look at a map of any of the ancient cities, like Rome or Istanbul. You will see that walls were expanded and centers of power altered and improved as the population increased. The secret is knowing that no fortification was ever built without regard for topographical features, and that no castle was built all at once.

DRAGON 31

Seven Steps to a Successful Castle Building a castle by the numbers

by L. Richard Baker III Cartography by John Knecht

Do you plan to build a castle soon? forlorn tower, every cleric her fortified If you have a D&D® game temple, and every warrior a castle to call character above 8th level, you should be his own. The challenge of designing and thinking about it. The castle is often the building a stronghold can add a whole new drowning point of a character's career, the dimension to a campaign. sign of prestige and power that marks her The castle-building system described in success. Every powerful wizard has his the following pages lest you decide just how to put your character’s fortress to- Tech describes the technological level 15’ X 15’ cellar. These chambers make gether. When you finish, you’ll have a required to build a castle module of that good storerooms or latrines. basic plan of your keep as well as an excel- type. Societies with crude stone-working Stone walls are assumed to be capped by lent idea of how much it costs and how capabilities will be very limited in what a parapet. This is an open-air, crenallated long it will take to build. Be warned: Even they can construct. Tech levels are rated battlement with an outer wall 2’ thick, the simplest castle design can cost 50,000 from 1 to 8: broken by merlons. This means that a gold pieces! Building a castle is a serious l-Early wooden construction stone wall is solid on the ground level, but financial proposition. 2-Advanced wooden construction part of the castle floorplan on its top. The construction rules expand on the 3-Early stone construction system found in DMGR2 The Castle Guide. 4-Advanced stone construction Stacking modules Having a copy of that book would be very 5-Early gatekeeps and hoardings Many castles are more than one unit helpful. Also, I’ll show you how to put 6-Advanced gatekeeps and machicola- high. For example, a stone curtain wall together five different castle designs, and tions module is 15’ tall, but a curtain wall 30’ or give you a good start towards customizing 7-Grand gatekeeps even 45’ tall can be raised. Towers can be your own designs from these basic tem- 8-Full concentric castles doubled in height by building one on top plates. This system also includes several of the other. Barbicans, gatekeeps, towers, new castle modules that allow you to build Time and gold requirements list how and walls can be stacked. smaller and simpler keeps, as well as add many man-days and how much money it When walls are stacked, they require defensive features such as weapons em- takes to build one unit of the listed castle additional bracing. For each 50’ length of placements and strengthened walls. module. A typical castle will have several wall, an additional wall module must be One more note before we get started: towers and hundreds of wall modules, so bought for each level to be stacked above it. These castles are based on historical forti- remember to multiply the listed figures by A 30’-high wall requires one additional fications found in medieval Europe, but the number of modules used. module per 50’ length of wall, a 45’ wall several fantastic variations have been Dimensions describe the feature’s size requires three additional modules, and a 60’ included to reflect common stereotypes and any notes about its composition. wall would require six additional units. found in fantasy literature and role- A tower may support a second tower playing games. Ahistorical options are Modules module of lesser size on top of it with no clearly marked so that the DM can cross Doors, windows, or arrow slits can be additional bracing, so a large round tower them out if he does not wish to allow them installed wherever the designer wants, but can support a medium stone tower. If the in castles built in his campaign. a good rule of thumb is that no more than tower is anchored to a stone wall, it can one opening of any kind can pierce a 10’ support a second tower module of equal Design guidelines stretch of wall or building. Stairs are as- size. Towers cannot be stacked more than This section summarizes the design rules sumed to be included in any multi-story four modules high. from DMGR2 The Castle Guide. In addi- building. Barbicans and gatekeeps can be stacked tion, several new castle modules (pieces, All towers are two storeys, (30’ tall and by simply stacking tower modules on top or “building blocks” of a castle) are intro- have a ground floor, an upper floor, and a of the towers that are included in the duced in Table I: The Expanded Castle roof. If desired, a one-level cellar equal to structure. A large barbican features two Modules table. The table lists four charac- the half of the internal measurements of medium round towers, so two small round teristics for each module: Tech, Time, the structure can be added for free. For towers can be stacked on it. Gold, and Dimensions. The various entries example, a stone tower with a 30’ X 30’ on the table are explained below. interior measurement can include a

34 JANUARY 1994 Definitions for easy destruction. one in stalled. Barbican: A barbican consists of two Building, stone: Stone buildings are Gatehouse: The gatehouse is a strong round towers with a building linking them assumed to have exterior walls averaging building that protects a set of gates. His- together above an open archway or pas- 2’ thick and whatever interior partitions torically, gatehouses were used to guard a sage. They are often used as outworks or their builders see fit. Small, medium and castle’s gates before barbicans and gate- to guard gates. The small barbican consists large buildings stand 15’ tall with one keeps became popular. They tend to be of two small towers 20’ apart, the medium level; the greater stone building stands 30’ weaker than a full gatekeep, but are also barbican consists of two medium towers tall with two internal levels, and the grand significantly cheaper. 20’ apart, and the large barbican consists stone building stands 45’ tall with three All gatehouses consist of two towers of two medium towers 40’ apart. The internal levels. The building dimensions with a narrow passage between them. A barbican is two storeys tall, and its towers are not required to be identical to those structure links the two halves of the gate- may include cellars or be stacked as de- listed-the building can have any shape house at their upper levels. Gatehouses scribed in the Construction guidelines conceivable, so long as the square footage are built as part of the wall defenses and below. All barbicans include a gate of the stays the same. do not project outward as do gatekeeps. appropriate size and a portcullis at no For an extra 25% in cost and building Gatehouses are assumed to come with extra charge. time, the roof of a stone building can be two of these features: drawbridge, port- Bastion: The bastion is a strong point in finished with standard battlements. cullis, or medium gate. Their towers may a stone wall designed to support a heavy Building, wooden: Wooden buildings are include cellars, as with other towers. war engine. It is basically a short, solid assumed to have walls averaging 3” to 6” The small gatehouse consists of two tower. Bastions are 30’ across and may be thick, and may be designed with any square towers with 5’-thick walls, measur- round, square, angular, or even D-shaped. shape or interior partitioning the builder ing 20’ × 20’ on the interior. The two tow- A bastion module stands 15’ tall, but they desires as long as the square footage re- ers are spaced 10’ apart. The medium may be stacked to bring them level with mains the same. Great buildings and grand gatehouse consists of two small square the surrounding wall. The bastion’s price buildings have the same dimensions as towers set 20’ apart. Lastly, the great includes hoardings or machicolations to their stone counterparts. gatehouse consists of two medium square match the surrounding walls, but does not Buttress/Turret: The buttress is a tower towers set 30’ apart. The medium and include the siege engine it is designed to with a 10’ interior dimension (10’ diameter great gatehouse towers can be stacked, if carry. for round buttresses, or 10’ × 10’ for the builder wishes to do so. Bridge/Causeway, stone: This is a stone square buttresses) and walls equal in Gatekeep: Gatekeeps are sophisticated or earthen roadway that is used as a road thickness to its host tower. It creates a defenses that enclose the castle entrance up steep hillsides, over lakes or wetlands, little extra room inside the tower, and also within a courtyard of walls and towers. or even over dry ditches. A causeway projects far enough from the tower’s side The attacker must pass within the gate- module is assumed to be 10’ long, 10’ to allow fire from the buttresses to affect keep to get near the fortress’s main gates. wide, and 10’ above the surrounding enemies standing near the base of the host Gatekeeps can be assumed to contain terrain. Causeways can be stacked to tower. medium gates and portcullises, if desired. create higher roadways, but cannot be The buttress is a supporting structure The tower portions of the gatekeep can be built more than 40’ tall without magical that is built into a tower to strengthen it. stacked or built with cellars. assistance. Buttresses may be round or square, and The lesser gatekeep consists of two small A bridge can span an unsupported gap are usually found on the corners of square round towers set 20’ apart, with a linking whose width is equal to its height, so a 40’ towers or evenly spaced around round structure like a barbican. It is set 20’ out causeway could span a 40’ wide crevasse towers. Buttresses can be stacked up to from the castle’s walls, with 15’-high stone with one arch. (This is a gross over- one unit higher than their host tower; if walls connecting the towers to the walls to simplification of medieval engineering, but the buttress rises above the tower roof, it create an enclosed killing ground before it works for game purposes.) A causeway is often called a turret. Buttresses can be the castle’s gates. has to be built from the lakebed or river- left unstacked or partially stacked, run- The greater gatekeep is built around bed up, so to create a causeway whose ning only part of the way up the side of a four medium round towers. The forward road surface is 10’ above a 20’ deep lake tower. pair of towers is 20’ apart and 20’ in front would require three causeway units to be Small towers cannot be buttressed. of the castle walls, and is connected by a stacked. Other towers cannot have more than four linking structure. The rear pair of towers Like a stone wall, one extra causeway buttresses. is built into the castle walls. Stone walls module must be allocated per 50’ section Ditch: Each ditch module is 10’ long, 10’ 15’ high join the outer and inner pair of for each level the causeway must carry wide, and 5’ deep. It is possible to build towers. above it. A 20’ tall causeway requires one deeper or wider ditches by doubling or The grand gatekeep uses large round additional module per 50’ section, a 30’ quadrupling the number of modules used towers in place of the medium towers. causeway requires three additional mod- for a 10’ length of trench. The outer towers are spaced 40’ apart, ules, and a 40’ causeway requires six Gate: Gates can be built into palisades, and are 39’ in front of the inner pair of additional causeway modules. wooden or stone walls, and wooden or towers. If the causeway will not leave dry stone buildings. They are assumed to be a Moat/Channel: Moats are nothing more ground (e.g., a road up a hillside or across part of gatehouses, barbicans, and gate- than ditches that are finished so that they a dry ditch), the embankment can be keeps. Light gates are made of 6”-thick will contain water permanently. A channel constructed from earth and reinforced wood, bound with iron, and protected by is a waterway built to connect the moat with timber and stone. The cost and time a sturdy bar. Medium gates are made from with the body of water that will be used to requirements are reduced to 25% of their 9”-thick wood sheathed in bronze, iron, or fill it. listed value if this is done. An earthen steel and protected by several barring Motte: A motte is an artificial mound causeway can be stacked two units high. devices. Heavy gates are made of 2”-thick that provides a castle with the advantage Bridge/Causeway, wooden: The same bronze or iron plate riveted to an iron of height. One unit of motte raises a 10’ considerations for a stone bridge apply, frame, with locks and heavy bars. square section of earth 5’ in height. Mottes but a wooden bridge can be stacked to A gate module is 10’ wide and 10’ tall. must be at least twice as wide and long as bridge a gap of 60’. If the builder wishes More impressive portals can be created by they are tall. to pay an extra 50% in cost and time re- doubling or tripling the number of mod- Motte modules also can be used to create quirements, the wooden bridge can be ules used. All gates come with a free port- artificial islands. The lakebed or riverbed rigged with a quick collapse framework cullis if the builder wishes to have cannot be more than 20’ deep. Artificial

DRAGON 35 islands double building times and costs of diameter of 60’. Round towers provide less angled skirt of stone at the base of the the motte. space than square towers, but are strong- wall that reinforces the wall against at- Palisade: A palisade is a wall of wooden er and use less stone. tacks by sappers or bores. A wall built posts about six inches thick. It is often Tower, square: Square towers are built with a glacis includes hoardings, if de- used on the defending side of a ditch. Each for the same reasons as round towers, but sired. Machicolations are very similar to palisade module is 10’ long and 5’ tall. are less desirable because they cost more hoardings, but are made out of stone. A Palisade modules can be stacked up to 20’ and are not as resistant to sapping or machicolated wall includes a glacis, if in height, but if the builder wants his bombardment. However, people learned desired. troops to have a catwalk to fight from, a how to build square towers before they A wall can be built to include a postern wooden wall module will have to be were able to build round towers, so the gate, which is a small doorway through bought for each stacked palisade module. designer may be forced to use square which defenders can sally to launch raids Reinforcement: It is possible to build towers. and counterattacks against their enemies. towers and other buildings extra-strong by Square towers can be stacked or built Add the postern cost to the wall’s normal thickening the bases and the foundations with cellars as described in the Construc- cost. to resist the effects of sapping or bom- tion guidelines below. Small square towers Wall, wooden: A section of wooden wall bardment. Reinforcing a structure adds are 30’ × 30’ on the interior, with 10’-thick is 10’ long, 15’ high, and 3” thick. It can be 50% to the building time and cost, but walls. Medium towers are 40’ × 40’ square, stacked using the same rules for stacking adds 25% to the building’s strength. and large towers 60’ × 60’ square. stone walls. Wooden walls also can be Walls cannot be reinforced, but they can Tunnel: Each tunnel module represents a used as flooring; each unit of wooden be built thicker than 10’ by building wall 10’ × 10’ × 10’ volume worth of under- flooring covers 150’ square feet. modules side-by-side. Each extra thickness ground chambers. Tunnel modules can be of stone wall adds 50% to its strength. bought to create dungeons, escape tun- Construction guidelines Tower, round: Towers are used to nels, or even as approaches to the castle. This castle-design process includes seven strengthen walls and provide the de- Wall, stone: A stone walls module is 10’ basic steps, from choosing the site to actu- fenders of the wall with extra cover and long, 10’ thick, and 15’ tall. Walls can be ally beginning construction. In regular better fields of fire. They also can be used stacked as described under the Construc- play, a character would be expected to go as free-standing defenses. Towers may be tion guidelines section. The stone wall is to extensive trouble to secure permission stacked as described under the Construc- assumed to include a walkway on its upper to put up a castle, find a suitable wilder- tion guidelines below, and may include surface, with crenellated battlements. ness to tame, and convince the locals to cellars at the builder’s option. Hoardings are wooden structures built aid him—but we’ll skip over that material Small round towers have an interior at the top of a wall to allow defenders to here. We’re only interested in showing you diameter of 30’, with 10’-thick walls. Medi- stand over the wall’s base and rain down how to design and build your castle. um towers have an interior diameter of missiles and other substances directly on The seven steps to building your castle are: 40’, and large towers have an interior enemies attacking the wall. A glacis is a

36 JANUARY 1994 1. Select a site. that site. keep as its donjon, or strongpoint, and 2. Choose a style of castle. Do this calculation as many times as you surrounds the tower with a sturdy pali- 3. Determine approaches. want to determine the best location. How- sade. An adjacent area known as the bai- 4. Customize design. ever, the DM is within her rights to charge ley was enclosed in a second stockade. The 5. Finish design and add details. a 100 gp survey fee for each site you “sur- bailey was often a small village, with sta- 6. Calculate cost and construction time vey” (perform the calculation for). After bles, barracks, armories, smiths, and of castle. all, someone has to go out and examine craftsmen. Usually, the gate to the castle 7. Build it! each site! led into the bailey, and a second gate led Each of these factors is discussed in into the donjon or centerpoint. The donjon By following these steps, you will be able detail in DMGR2 The Castle Guide. Table II was usually raised on an artificial hill to take your castle from untamed wilder- simply repeats the PM associated with known as a motte. ness to the drawing board to a polished each one. If there is any debate over what This design is stronger than a simple design just waiting for the first stone to be kind of climate, resources, or workforce tower and provides for a larger garrison. laid. Before you get started, you probably prevails at any given site, the DM gets the It provides good protection for the sur- will want to have a pencil, a calculator, final word. rounding lands, since the bailey can house some graph paper, and some scrap paper a number of people in time of war. Its handy. Choose a style downfall lies in the fact that its defenses Now that you have an idea of where this do not support one another. Select a site castle will be built, you should select a Refer to the Motte-and-Bailey Plan dia- Before you begin to lay out your castle, basic castle style. Most castles will fall into gram. Our design uses a stone tower as you should decide where you’re going to one of five different categories. These are: the donjon, but many historical designs put it. We will assume that your charac- the tower; the motte-and-bailey; the substituted a shell keep for a stone tower. ters have already won themselves a piece curtain-wall defense; the enclosed keep; The shell keep consisted of a curtain wall of land and are pretty sure that they want and the concentric castle. that boxed in several stone buildings. The to construct a stronghold there. Take note, center of this arrangement was an open Dungeon Masters: This is a big assump- The tower courtyard. To build a shell keep, you buy tion, and you should seriously consider The cheapest castle to build is one with as much curtain wall as you need for the orchestrating several important adven- only one piece. A simple stone tower can exterior keep dimensions, and then buy tures around the acquisition of a title and resist small-scale attacks and provide a stone buildings to fill the inside. Don’t land to build on. safe home for a party of adventurers. The forget a gate! The site you select should enjoy some tower provides no defense for any out- Our motte-and-bailey design raises the strategic relevance. If there is something buildings or surrounding land, cannot central tower on a motte 30’ high, while of vital importance in your domain, such house a large garrison, and has limited surrounding the entire castle with a ditch as a city, deep-water harbor, or natural stores. On the other hand, it’s cheap com- and palisade. The central donjon is exactly resource, you probably will want to locate pared with the other designs. the same as the tower described in the your fortress nearby to watch over that Inside the tower, it was customary to Tower Plan above-a medium square asset. The castle is useless if invaders design the entrance hall as a last-ditch tower stacked on a large square tower. As choose to bypass it to go after something defensive position. The room would have in the previous example, the builder gets a of greater value. only one exit, and sometimes was built free cellar 30’ by 60’ in size. You should refer to the article by Thom- with arrow slits or murder holes facing In the bailey, we will assume that the as Reid, “The Evolution of a Castle,” in this into it so that the defenders could attack designer needs to build two stone build- magazine concerning castle locations and invaders who made it past the front door. ings (an armory and a barracks) and three development before you actually select These features are optional. wooden buildings (stables, a mess hall, and your construction site. Take a look at Diagram #l, the Tower a storage building.) The entrance to the Once you have found a site you want to Plan. Naturally, this is a very simple layout. bailey is guarded by a small gatehouse and build on, you need to determine how easy Simply pick the place where you want to a drawbridge to span the surrounding or difficult it will be to build a castle there. build the tower, and place it there. Since ditch. The gates between the bailey and This is reflected by the Production Modi- this is the entire castle, we’ll assume you the keep are not protected by a gatehouse, fier, or PM for short. The site’s terrain; want to build a large square tower, with a and are considered light gates. geography, and climate all contribute to medium square tower stacked above it, for The ditch itself is 40’ wide and 20’ deep. the Production Modifier and have a signifi- a total of four interior levels plus a cellar Wooden bridges have been added to span cant effect on the castle’s cost and time of and the roof. the ditch between the motte and the bai- construction. The tower’s roof is assumed to open and ley, and from the gatehouse to the castle During this step, you will figure out battlemented. Each of the first two floors approach. your site’s PM. If you come up with an is 60’ × 60’ on the interior, and the 10’ Variations on this design may include: astronomical modifier, you may want to stone walls make the castle 80’ × 80’ at its adding a gatehouse between the keep and consider selecting another site and trying base on the ground. The upper two floors the bailey; increasing the size of either the again. are 40’ square. A 30’ × 60’ cellar is includ- keep compound or the bailey; adding To determine the site’s PM, refer to Table ed in the price of the large tower. buildings to the bailey; replacing the tower II: Production Modifiers table. A castle’s Some easy options to add to this design keep with a shell keep; adding a draw- cost will be influenced by the climate, in the next step include: surrounding it bridge between the bailey and the keep. geography, and ground cover of the build- with a palisade or ditch; adding turrets or You can save a lot of time and money by ing site. Another important consideration buttresses; changing the tower from finding a natural hill to build on, instead of is the location and quality of resources square to round; or building in a draw- creating your own motte. that will be used in the castle’s construc- bridge to help protect the entrance. Motte-and-Bailey components: large tion. Lastly, the workforce, society type, Tower components: large square tower, square tower, medium square tower, small skill, and morale also will be included. medium square tower. gatehouse, light gate, small stone building, Make a note of the figures listed in Table Cost: 25,800 gp. large stone building, three medium wood- II in each of the appropriate categories for Time required to build: 1,950 man-days. en buildings, 1,884 motte modules (200’ your castle’s building site. Multiply all the diameter motte, raised 30’, 2,321 ditch different factors together to determine the The motte-and-bailey modules (40’ wide and 20’ deep), 18 wood- Production Modifier for a castle built on This design uses a stone tower or a shell en bridge modules (two bridges 10’ wide,

DRAGON 37 20’ tall, and 40’ long), 145 palisade mod- is loosely based on the castle at Arques, along their outer bases, and hoardings— ules (1450’ long palisade, 5’ tall). France. Our plan takes some liberties with wooden fighting platforms along their cost: 108,490 gp. the proportions and the locations of the battlements. The small round towers are Time required: 12,422 man-days. towers and buildings. 30’ tall as well, with two interior levels The curtain-wall plan pinches pennies and a 15’ × 30’ cellar in each. The curtain-wall defense by making the donjon itself double as one The entire castle is surrounded by a The curtain-wall castle descended from of the towers defending the outer wall. ditch, crossed by only one set of draw- motte-and-bailey designs, shifting the This works especially well if the castle bridges. This is a fairly sophisticated castle defensive emphasis to the outer walls. Like builder can position the donjon so that it when all is said and done, and you’ll pay the motte and bailey, the castle is divided commands difficult terrain. The donjon dearly for this fortress. into two parts: a bailey and a keep. The consists of the same keep we’ve used in Variations on this design would include two parts of the castle do not support each the previous two designs, but we’ve added expanding the lower bailey to enclose a other. Despite this flaw, the walls them- two turrets to anchor the outside corners larger area, adding a barbican or outwork selves are quite strong and are often pro- of the keep and included an escape tunnel, to help guard the approaches to the gate- tected by flanking towers. Two stone buildings have been built adja- house, stacking the towers, replacing the Replacing a wooden palisade with a cent to the keep to add to the lords living wooden hoardings with stone machicola- thick stone wall and adding towers as space. tions, or replacing the barbican with a reinforcement vastly improves the castle’s The keep’s compound, or upper bailey, gatekeep. strength, but also makes the curtain-wall includes three small round towers to Curtain-Wall Defense components: large defense quite costly. provide flanking fire along the walls. A square tower, medium square tower, six The keep is still the center of the castle, medium gate guards the entrance from buttresses (stacked in two turrets), eight and may rest on a tall motte or natural the lower bailey. In the lower bailey, five small round towers, medium barbican, hill. A stone wall surrounds the keep, and more small round towers and a medium two bastions, medium gate, medium stone towers protect the wall. One gate leads barbican (acting as a gatehouse) complete building, four large stone buildings, one from the keep’s compound to the bailey, the castle’s defenses. A bastion (actually grand stone building, three medium wood- which is also protected by a stone wall and two bastions built back-to-back) helps en buildings, one large wooden building, small towers. The keep and the bailey guard the gate with two drawbridges. two drawbridges, 119 stone wall with share a common outer wall, but an attack- Several extra stone and wooden buildings glacis (hoardings included), 148 stone wall er who captured the bailey would still are thrown in to provide more living and modules, three postern gates, 3,264 ditch have to fight his way through the parti- storage space. modules (40’ wide, 20’ deep), 50 tunnel tioning wall to take the inner compound. The outer walls of the castle are stacked modules. Refer to the Curtain-Wall Castle Plan two modules high, and are 30’ tall. They Cost: 462,220 gp. diagram. In case you’re curious, the design are defended by a glacis, or stone facing Time required: 32,100 man-days.

38 JANUARY 1994 moat 40’ wide and 10’ deep. are protected by two lesser gatekeeps. The enclosed keep Options for customizing this design Beyond the inner wall lies the outer The enclosed keep is a design that saw might include: enlarging the keep by using bailey. The bailey is surrounded by a ma- very little historical use. However, it is medium or large round towers instead of chicolated wall 15’ high, with four small often found in fantasy literature and role- small towers; providing a barbican to round towers to protect and support it. playing games. While real-life castles usu- guard the gatehouse; adding turrets to the Ten bastions are added to strengthen the ally included open courtyards (or baileys) corner towers; stacking the entire castle wall even more. The outer wall is pierced between the outer walls and the inner another two levels high; or saving time by two gates, protected by medium gate- defenses or donjon, the enclosed keep and money by not building the moat. houses with drawbridges. Note that two actually roofs over this space. The castle Enclosed keep components: four medi- bastions are built jutting out on piers to becomes one huge building—even though um round towers, one large round tower, provide extra covering fire for the ap- it may still include towers, gatehouses, and medium gatehouse (drawbridge included), proaches to the gatehouses. The bailey other structures. two large wooden buildings, two medium itself is partitioned by battlemented walls The enclosed keep lacks the open spaces stone buildings, one small stone building, that ensure that an attacker who breaches of the bailey and can house only a limited one drawbridge, four wooden bridge the outer wall will be contained in one number of people before it becomes modules, five stone bridge modules, three small area of the castle. crowded. It is not good for area defense. light gates, 54 stone wall with machicola- Two stone causeways span the lake that However, it can be held with a minimal tions modules (glacis included), 191 stone surrounds the castle. garrison and is perfect for an adventuring wall modules, one postern, 1008 moat This design is extremely expensive, but party’s stronghold or a wealthy retreat. modules (40’ wide, 10’ deep), 100 tunnel would stand against a ground-based or “The Castle on the Moors” from DMGR2 is modules (100’ × 100’ dungeon), 506 wood- waterborne assault for months with a of this design. en wall modules. small garrison. If it has a weakness, it lies The enclosed keep has to be fairly small. cost: 303,011 gp. in the castle’s vulnerability to magical or If the outer walls are built to include too Time required: 24,622 man-days. monstrous attack—but none of the other large an area, the cost of roofing the space designs can accommodate those consider- between becomes astronomical. Another The concentric castle ations, either. disadvantage lies in the lack of a second Representing the ultimate in castle de- Variations on this design would include line of defense; once invaders are past the sign, the concentric castle uses two or changing its size by making the towers walls, they are in the castle. Even a motte- more curtain walls to create a layered larger or smaller or joining the defenses to and-bailey design forces invaders to pass defense. The outer wall and its towers are a small town and surrounding the town through the bailey before they can assault supported by an inner wall of greater with a curtain wall to protect it. It is possi- the keep itself. height, also reinforced by towers. The ble to save an enormous amount of labor On the other hand, there are advantages donjon becomes obsolete in this design, (about half of the time requirement) by to this kind of design, especially in a fanta- but may still be used as a central citadel. A building this castle on dry land or on a sy setting. Its roof makes airborne attacks well-designed concentric castle built on natural island, instead of building an is- difficult. Since it is small and concen- good terrain can be impregnable. land from scratch. trated, it is cheaper than a curtain wall or The size of the concentric castle allows it Concentric castle components: six large concentric castle, while it is stronger than to support a considerable army and house round towers, 12 buttress modules, 12 a simple stone tower. Its small ground area a great number of people. Frequently, the medium round towers, two small gate- also means that it can be built in places cisterns and storehouses of the concentric keeps, four small round towers, two medi- where larger designs aren’t feasible, such castle are the deciding factors in its um gatehouses, 10 bastions, six medium as small islands or steep hilltops. strength. If it can withstand a long siege, it gates, four heavy gates, three medium Refer to the Enclosed Keep Plan dia- may not be worth attacking. wooden buildings, two large stone build- gram. Our design features three small Refer to the Concentric Castle Plan ings, four medium stone buildings, 200 round towers and one large round tower diagram. This design is loosely based on stone wall with machicolations modules as the corners of the castle. An additional the castle at Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales. (glacis included), 122 stone wall modules, medium round tower is stacked on top of The entire castle is built on an artificial two posterns, 72 stone causeway modules, the large tower, and will rise two levels island in the middle of a lake, so the first 14,496 Motte modules (artificial island). higher than the rest of the keep. The order of business is to buy a gigantic Cost: 1,241,670 gp. curtain wall linking the towers is capped motte with the artificial-island option. We Time required: 113,726 man-days. by machicolations and is doubled in height will assume that the lake is 20’ deep and to match the towers themselves. that we want the island to stand 10’ above When you finish with this step, you A medium gatehouse controls access to water level. should have a castle plan of the appropri- the keep through a drawbridge and a We’ll begin our design at the center and ate style. You can copy the plan to a piece portcullis. A postern gate at the keep’s work outward. Although the concentric of graph paper in order to customize it in rear leads to a second drawbridge, guard- defenses have rendered the central donjon later steps, or you can leave the plans as ed by baffled walls. Inside the main gate, somewhat obsolete, we’ll still build an they appear here. the castle is partitioned into three areas by impressive central tower as a seat of gov- If you wish to generate detailed floor internal walls. Part of the castle consists of ernment. Two large round towers are built plans from these overviews, feel free to courtyards open to the sky, but most of side by side and buttressed; because they improvise. You can place doors, stairwells, the keep is roofed over with wooden wall support each other, they can both be windows, or arrow embrasures wherever modules. stacked three units high for a six-level you wish, but you should remember two Each of the medium towers has a cellar tower standing 90’ tall. We also will place things: first, a section of wall or building 20’ in diameter, while the large tower has several stone buildings and a wooden should not have more than one opening a cellar 30’ in diameter. We also will in- building in the inner courtyard, (door, arrow slit, etc.) per 10 feet; and clude an additional dungeon area 100’ The central courtyard is surrounded by a secondly, it’s a bad idea to put windows or square beneath the keep itself. high curtain wall anchored by four double- exterior doors on the ground floor, since Since the castle is two levels high, we stacked medium round towers 60’ in they can be stormed during an enemy will need to buy wooden walls for two height. The towers are joined by a stone attack. levels of flooring, plus a third section as a wall with machicolations, stacked two roof, for the space enclosed by the curtain modules high for a 30’ curtain wall. This Determine approaches walls. We will surround this keep with a wall is pierced by two heavy gates, which You now should take a look at the build-

DRAGON 39 ing site and try to imagine just how your to substitute pieces to make your castle design, but don’t be constrained by them. castle will be situated on this terrain. If stronger (and more expensive), or try to You may be able to alter the designs pro- you are building a castle on a plain where economize by settling for smaller and vided and re-calculate only the portions it can be attacked from any direction, you cheaper components. Stone and wooden you changed, but don’t be afraid to throw shouldn‘t worry about this step—you will buildings can be added to the courtyards them out and start from scratch. have to make certain that the castle can and baileys to provide for additional bar- defend itself equally well on all sides. racks, storerooms, and work areas. New Finish and add details Otherwise, determine the avenues of outworks can be used to guard the ap- In this step, you should add any final approach that enemies are likely to take if proaches to the castle. details to the design that you wish to in- your castle is assaulted. The most important consideration in this clude. Are there any magical or unusual Again, you may want to refer to Thomas step is the castle’s topography and how to features that aren’t covered otherwise, Reid’s article in this issue about castle take advantage of it. Does the castle sit on such as crocodiles in the moat or a stone evolution and placement. In addition to a natural hilltop? If it does, you probably golem gatekeeper? Are there any spells suggesting a plan for your fortress, a don’t need to buy a motte, but you may that will be used to add to the castle’s diagram of the surrounding area also can need to build a causeway to the castle’s defenses, such as a permanent wall of fog, be useful for determining siege lines and gates. Does one wall of the castle overlook wall of ice, wall of fire, or distance distor- artillery positions should your castle ever impassable terrain, such as a gorge or a tion? How about a landing platform for come under attack. body of water? You may be able to save hippogriff cavalry? In most cases, the DM If desired, the castle’s approaches can be money by skimping on the defenses there, will have to decide what a special feature altered by purchasing enough ditch, cause- since it is unlikely an attacker will be able will cost and how it must be constructed. way, or motte modules. Excavating is easy, to assault the wall in question. One special note on finishing the design: but the DM will have to judge any efforts Very few castles sit on a flat plain that is The times and costs for castle components to create ramps and roadways by moving equally vulnerable in all directions—look that appear in this article assume that the earth around. Mark these improvements for ways to channel attackers toward your designer is creating a typical castle that on a copy of your terrain diagram, and castle’s strong points. For example, by will be used as both a fortress and a living don’t forget to include this in the castle’s locating your castle on an artificial island place. The builder may skimp on all un- overall price. in the middle of a lake, you can guarantee necessary luxuries and build a spartan that the attackers will be forced to concen- keep that is suitable for use only as a Customize the plan trate their assault on the causeway that military base, or he may decide that his In this step, you can alter your design to bridges the lake. castle should be a work of art that is pleas- fit the exact terrain and considerations for You can use the generic castle designs ing to the eye. Spartan castles save the the castle you are building. You may want here as a guide in customizing your own builder 25% of the normal time and gold

40 JANUARY 1994 costs, while extravagant castles cost 50% cover the costs of hiring and equipping a To determine the workforce required to more than normal and require 50% addi- garrison, paying for any unusual hirelings build your castle, take the final tional construction time. or services such as spell-casters, or the construction time and divide it by 52. This costs of any sabotage or disasters, al- will give you the number of workmen Calculations though routine mishaps are considered to required to build your castle in one year Now, add up the costs and time require- be part of the building process. of continuous work. In our example ments of all the components of your cas- Take the new costs and times with over- above, Eric finds that his character will tle. This represents the fortress’s basic head included and multiply these by the need to find 938 laborers to do the job. cost. Don’t forget to increase or decrease Production Modifier mentioned above. Remember, the castle and overhead costs this figure if you are making your castle a This will give you the castle’s actual cost cover the worker’s wages for an average spartan keep or an extravagant work of and time of building. workforce. art. Once you have totalled the castle’s Example: Eric is building an enclosed You can increase the speed of construction basic cost and time of building, you will keep and decided that the basic plan was by hiring more workers. Each extra worker need to add 10% to both figures to reflect good enough for him. The enclosed keep costs 520 gp per year, including food, overhead costs. has a base time requirement of 18,932 Overhead costs cover the cost of recruit- man-days and a base cost of 254,712 gp. ing and training laborers, housing and The overhead increases these figures to Table II: feeding them while they’re on the job, 20,825 and 280,183 respectively. Eric Production Modifiers table putting furniture in the castle when it’s already calculated his Production Modifier finished, and paying any architect’s fees or to be 2.34, so his final building time is Climate other special charges. Overhead does not 48,730 and the final cost is 655,628 gp. Arctic: 4.00 Moderate: 1.00 Sub-arctic: 2.50 Table I: Expanded Castle Modules table Sub-tropical: 1.25 Name Tech Time Cost Dimensions Temperate: 1.25 Barbican, small 4 1,665 28,600 50’×120’ Tropical: 1.75 Barbican, medium 5 2,050 35,200 60’×140’ Barbican, large 6 2,880 49,500 60’×160’ Geography *Bastion 4 450 6,700 30’×30’ High mountains: 4.00 *Bridge/Causeway, stone 4 32 370 10’ × 10’ × 10’ Foothills: 1.50 *Bridge/Causeway, wooden 3 620 10’ × 10’ × 10’ Moderate mountains: 3.00 Building, small stone 3642,000 20’×20’ Rolling hills: 1.00 Building, medium stone 3 96 3,000 20’×40’ Low mountains: 2.00 Building, large stone 3 144 4,500 30’× 60’ Plains: 0.75 Building, great stone 4 300 10,000 30’×60’ Building, grand stone 4 600 19,000 40'×80' Ground cover Building, small wooden 1840 20’×20’ Jungle: 3.00 Building, medium wooden 1 12 60 20’×40’ Grasslands: 0.75 Building, large wooden 1 18 90 30’×60’ Dense forest: 2.00 Building, great wooden 2 40 200 30’×60’ Barren: 1.50 Building, grand wooden 2 75 375 40’×80’ Light forest: 1.50 *Buttress/Turret 5 360 6,000 30’×30’ Desert: 2.00 Ditch 1210 10’×10’ ×5’ Scrub: 1.00 Drawbridge 2 40 550 20' long Swamp: 2.00 *Gate, light 1 15 175 10’ × 10’ high *Gate, medium 285630 10’ × 10’ high Resource availability *Gate, heavy 3 225 13,800 10’ × 10’ high Distant and poor: 2.00 *Gatehouse, small 3 980 16,500 70’×30’ Distant and good: 1.50 *Gatehouse, medium 4 1,550 25,800 120’×50’ Near and poor: 1.25 *Gatehouse, great 5 2,040 34,800 150’×80’ Near and good: 1.00 Gatekeep, lesser 5 1,950 33,275 70’×120’ Gatekeep, greater 6 4,625 40,620 140’×140’ Local social structure Gatekeep, grand 7 6,410 110,800 200’× 190’ Nomadic: 2.50 Moat/Channel 3630 10’ × 10’ × 5’ Semi-nomadic: 1.75 Motte 1210 10’×10’×5’ Primitive agricultural: 1.25 Palisade 1510’ long, 5’ high Agricultural: 1.00 *Reinforcement (×1.5) (×1.5) Advanced agricultural: 0.75 Tower, small round 4 720 12,000 50’ exterior Tower, medium round 5 900 15,000 60’ exterior Workers’ skill Tower, large round 6 1,260 21,000 80’ exterior Very poor: 3.00 Tower, small square 3 840 14,000 50’×50’ Poor: 2.00 Tower, medium square 4 1,080 18,000 60’×60’ Average: 1.00 Tower, large square 5 1,440 24,000 80’× 80’ Good: 0.75 Tunnel 425100 10’ × 10’ × 10’ Very good: 0.50 Wall, stone 330500 10’ × 10’ × 15’ Wall, stone w/hoarding 4 36 600 10’ × 10’ × 15’ Workers’ morale Wall, stone w/glacis 5 44 720 10’ × 10’ × 15’ Very poor: 3.00 Wall, w/machicolation 653864 10’×10’×15’ Poor: 2.00 Wall, stone and postern 4 5 100 10’ × 10’ × 15’ Average: 1.00 Wall, wooden 1 15 l0’×15’×3” High: 0.75 Very high: 0.50 *New castle modules (explained in text).

DRAGON 41 housing, and skilled supervisors. If the count for a number of men equal to 5% of workforce is doubled, the construction their experience-point award if they are time is cut to 75% of normal. If the particularly suited for construction, or 1% Build the castle workforce is quadrupled, the time is cut to if they are useful but not especially so. Now you have a castle design, an idea of 50% of normal. The DM will have to decide which how long it will take to build it, and how You can save money by hiring fewer category any given magical item falls into. much it will all cost. You’re ready to begin! laborers, although this will slow Monsters also may be used as additional Of course, the campaign doesn’t construction time. Each man cut from the or replacement workers. If they are conveniently stop for your characters labor pool saves 10 gp per week of well-suited to the task, each monster does when they undertake a project of this construction. If enough workers are the work of a number of men equal to 5% scope. All kinds of trouble can find the removed to reduce the workforce to 75% of its XP award. Monsters that are only PCs while they’re building their fortress. of its normal value, the construction time moderately useful are only worth 1% of War may come before the PCs are ready is doubled. If the force is cut to 50% of its their XP award. for it, and the attackers may make a standard value, the construction time is Unfortunately, castles can’t be worked beeline for the partially-completed castle quadrupled. on all year-round in most climates. Cold to tear it down before it is finished. A war Example: Eric’s character is short on weather or torrential rains will put a stop on the other side of the kingdom may money and wants to cut the workforce to the building process until the weather arise, and the lord of the land may insist down to 75% of its normal value. He hires clear again. To determine the actual work on drafting some of the workers who are 704 men instead of 938, saving 2,360 gp season available, multiply the PM for erecting the castle. Monstrous incursions per week over two full years, for a total climate type and ground cover to generate may force the PCs to hunt down the savings of 245,440 gold pieces off the a Work Time Modifier (WTM) for the creatures troubling their workers. castle’s final cost! construction site. Eric’s castle, described Corruption and treachery also can slow In a role-playing setting, a group of PCs above, has a WTM of 1.875. Divide 52 by things down. also can save money by assisting in the the WTM to determine how many weeks While all of these things may sound like construction. The characters need not be an are available for work in a given year. In a tremendous pain in the neck, a actual part of the workforce, but are instead the case of Eric’s castle, the result is 27 resourceful DM can make the process of devoting their time to making sure that weeks per year. building a castle a series of exciting supplies arrive as scheduled, monsters don’t If the result is more than 52, then the adventures that can sustain a campaign trouble the workers, and so on. Each PC can work just goes that much faster—you’ve for quite some time. Most PCs have spent replace a number of workers equal to his found an ideal place to build a castle. years hunting down monsters or level, and spell-casting PCs replace an extra Since Eric skimped on his workforce, his participating in intrigues at the request of man per spell level that they can cast in a castle’s basic building time was two years, others—now they get a chance to see what day. A 5th-level wizard does the work of 16 or 104 weeks. Since 27 weeks of work can it’s like to defend their own people and men, by this calculation. be done in any given year, it will take his property against such horrible threats. Magical items used in construction can character a little less than four years to build the castle.

By Jon Carter

“Crud! I though it was just really far away. . . Well, so much for that castle raid.”

42 JANUARY 1994

by Skip Williams

If you have any questions on the games protection (see DMG, page 179). I’d allow What happens when the owner of produced by TSR, Inc., “Sage Advice” will magical bonuses to apply to all saves while a pouch of security (from the D&D answer them. In the United States and the victim is dancing. Note that the scarab game) dies? Does the pouch scream Canada, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON® has no effect on saving throw bonuses if someone picks it up, or does the Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI from ability scores. next person to pick up the pouch 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Sage become the owner? Advice, DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Exactly how much damage does Based on the item description (Rules Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge the defiling regeneration spell (from Cyclopedia, page 241), I’d suggest that a CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. We are no the ® setting’s Dragon pouch of security becomes unattached to longer able to make personal replies; Kings book) inflict on attackers? For any character after lying unattended for please send no SASEs with your questions example, if a 30th-level defiler is more than one hour. The pouch can be (SASEs are being returned with writer’s battling a druid, how much damage considered unattended if the owner is guidelines for the magazine). does the druid suffer for each point dead or more than 120’ away. This month, the sage continues his look of damage inflicted on the defiler? at magic in the AD&,D® and D&D® games. You seem to be confusing the damage I’ve noticed that all the goblinoid caused by casting a defiling spell with the deities in the Monster Mythology Is it possible for a character using hit points the defiler regenerates as result book are evil. Can PC sha- the third-level wizard spell wraith- of casting the spell. The druid in your mans and witch doctors worship form to use nonoffensive spells or example suffers no damage at all. Crea- human or demihuman deities psionic abilities such as clairvoy- tures protected by defiling regeneration instead? ance? Can a character using invisi- draw energy at the expense of the land, Of course they can! Most deities are bility use nonoffensive spells or not their opponents. They regenerate at a picky about their priests’ and worshippers’ psionics? flat rate of 2 hit points per round if dam- alignments, but very few are concerned Wraithform does not prevent spell- aged but still above 0 hit points, and 1 with race. If the deity’s description doesn’t casting or psionics of any kind, nor does it point per round if reduced to 0 hit points specifically mention a racial requirement prevent attacks. All the caster’s attacks, or less. Note that when the recipient for priests or worshippers, there isn’t one. however, must be directed at targets on reaches full hit points she is no longer Note that the priest in question must meet the Ethereal plane. Personal spells such as damaged and stops regenerating. the racial and ability-score requirements fly or infravision work normally on the The defiling regeneration spell produces for the priest class. Your goblin has to caster. Attack spells such as magic missile a minor defiling effect similar to what a have a Wisdom score of at least 9 to be a or fireball work, too, but, only when cast normal defiler spell produces, but the area priest of any deity. at ethereal targets. The DM must decide is very small-no larger than the protected about spells and psionic disciplines that creature’s feet. This is why a battlefield Would it be possible for two small fall in between. Clairvoyance, for example, where defiling regeneration has been used creatures to tear a magical cloak in cannot cross planer boundaries and I’m is littered with ashen footprints instead of half so each could benefit from it? inclined to suggest that a caster in great circles of ash. An opponent engaged Generally speaking, breaking or tearing wraithform can scry only ethereal loca- in combat with a protected creature does a magical item destroys the item. The DM tions. Likewise, fly spells can be cast, by not suffer any pain or initiative penalties might allow a tailor to carefully cut a touch, on creatures other than the caster, as she would if caught in the area of de- magical robe or cloak in half and use the but the DM might rule that only ethereal struction created when a defiler casts a material to make two garments, but there creatures can be touched. (After all, a normal spell. I suppose an opponent could should be a chance that the magic will fail touch-delivered attack spell would have to be hurt if a creature protected by this during the alteration. I suggest a base roll be used against an ethereal target.) spell was regenerating while in flesh-to- of 12 or better, modified for the item’s As “Sage Advice” has pointed out before, flesh contact (as might be the case during enchantment (see DMG, page 38), I suggest invisibility does not prohibit all spell- wrestling or overbearing combat), but the a +2 or +3 for a cloak of displacement, casting, only offensive spells. only effect would be non-damaging pain for example. If your campaign uses non- and the accompanying initiative penalty. weapon proficiencies, the tailor should A character affected by an Otto’s Defiling regeneration is a defiling magic, make a proficiency check, too. If the check irresistible dance spell must roll a however. The act of casting this spell kills fails, the cloak is ruined. If the proficiency 20 to make any saving throw. Do all plants within 3-30 yards (depending on check is very good, say the exact number saving-throw bonuses from high the terrain, see Rules Book, page 601, required, the cloak might get an additional ability scores or magical items ap- leaving an area of lifeless ash in their saving throw bonus. ply, or does the character have to place. Living animals, monsters, and peo- roll a “natural” 20? ple within 30 yards suffer ld6 points of I’ve been busy compiling a list of Judging from the spell description’s damage for every experience level the spells from various AD&D game wording (PH, page 190), I’d say the victim caster has gained over 20 (see DK, page products, and I’ve hit a snag. In sev- actually has to roll a 20 on the saving 44). The caster might inadvertently kill the eral places, different books give throw die, ability score and magical bo- creatures he is trying to protect with this different levels for the same spell, nuses notwithstanding. I can think of one spell unless he is careful to place them for example, dispel illusion is listed exception: if the victim has a scarab of outside this damage radius. at third level in the original Player’s

44 JANUARY 1994 Handbook and fourth level in Orien- worships such a deity, but my DM out a window and falls to the ground. Note tal Adventures. Which should I use? won’t let me because there are no that the character is protected from cave- Also there are a few spells that are community deities mentioned in the ins and avalanches, as these are situations so similar that I don’t know which Running the Realms book (from the where objects are hitting the character. to use, for example mummy rot new FR boxed set). Note also that magical attacks work from The Complete Wizard’s Hand- There are numerous local deities against the character no matter how the book and mummy’s touch from the throughout the Realms (see Running the spell delivers damage; magic missiles, FORGOTTEN REALMS® Adventures Realms, page 45, first paragraph). These lightning bolts, ice storms, and the various book. deities probably qualify as quasi-powers Bigby’s hand spells go right through Generally speaking, you should go with and the civic-deity rules from the CPH stoneskins. the most recently published material. would fit them nicely. Nevertheless, your Generally speaking, one of a stoneskin’s Other considerations sometimes take DM might not want to mess around with protections is negated for each attack roll precedence, however. In the case of dispel such deities, as the CPH itself points out. made against the character. A reasonable illusion, for example, you’re dealing with a Talk this over with your DM again; if the DM is going to call for one roll if a handful spell that has been written out of the DM still nixes your proposal, pick a main- of pebbles is thrown at a target because all current game. Illusionists in the original line deity for your character. the pebbles are released at about the same game got this spell as a third-level spell, time and all hit at about the same time, so and wu jen (who are generalists) got it as a Were rules for half-giant clerics this kind of attack should count against a fourth-level spell. In the current game, left out of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water stoneskin spell only once. Otherwise, a illusionists don’t get Abjurations at all, so I on purpose? My group and I assume character could blow down a stoneskin by recommend pegging dispel illusion at this is a mistake, because of the line hurling handfuls of sand or dust. Likewise, fourth level. on page 20 that says any Athasian an avalanche or cave-in negates one at- If you’re playing a FORGOTTEN race can become clerics. tack. Arrows, on other hand, come at their REALMS campaign, you probably ought to This was an editorial oversight. Half- targets one at a time. use mummy’s touch because it was cre- giants have no particular affinity for any ated for FR campaigns. If you use another one element and have an advancement You forgot to include Sune’s world, your decision depends on how nice limit of 12th level regardless of the type of spheres in your list of Tome of Mag- you want to be to spell-casters. Mummy’s cleric they become. ic spells for FORGOTTEN REALMS touch is generally more powerful than deities in issue #192. mummy rot, and is two levels lower to Is there any limit to the number of Oops, here they are: Major: Time, boot (magic on Toril tends to be potent). stoneskin spells that can be cast on Thought; Minor: None. On the other hand, mummy’s touch has a a single character? Our PC group save, and mummy rot does not (at least was recently set upon by a horde of What Tome of Magic spells can when the spell is used against a human, foes, each protected by more than druids cast? Your lists of spells for demihuman, or humanoid). You might 100 stoneskins. Will stoneskin pro- various specialty priests includes want to compromise and use one spell or tect a character from falling dam- some deities that grant spells to the other as a fourth-level spell. age? How may “attacks” will a druids, but the lists are never the protected character lose if an oppo- same! Can a character who is illiterate fall nent hurls a handful of small ob- The lists vary because each set of spells victim to a glyph of warding, explo- jects (rocks or gems) at her from is tailored to the deity and its portfolio, not sive runes, or symbol spell? What if close range? to druids in general. A druid who wor- the character is blind or his vision is The spell description doesn’t give any ships a particular deity gets access to obscured by magical darkness? limit to the number of stoneskin spells a whatever TOM spheres are listed for the When dealing with a glyph of warding, creature can enjoy at once. This, however, deity. For druids not dedicated to a spe- ignorance is not bliss. A glyph is a magical can lead to tremendous abuse. (One hun- cific deity I’d suggest the following: Major: ward that fires whenever the condition dred stoneskins each? Give me a break!) I Time, Wards; Minor: Travelers. the caster imposes comes to pass. It strongly suggest that you roll only once doesn’t necessarily have to be read, in fact, for the number of attacks a stoneskin spell Pantheon of the month it is seldom even seen. negates and that this number applies no These are unofficial suggestions for Explosive runes are another case entire- matter how many spells subsequently are using the optional spheres of priest spells ly. They are not triggered until the writing cast on the recipient. For example, if a from the Tome of Magic with the deities of they protect is read; a character who 20th-level wizard casts three stoneskin the Egyptian pantheon in Legends & Lore: cannot see or cannot read cannot trigger spells on a fighter, roll 1d4 + 10 for the the runes. number of attacks negated. If the roll is a Ra: Major: Law, Thought; Minor: Time, A symbol need not be read to take ef- “2” the fighter is protected from 12 and Wards. fect, but it must be seen. Illiterate charac- only 12 attacks. Once 12 attacks negate Geb: Major: Time; Minor: Wards. ters viewing the symbol are subject to its the spell the fighter can receive a fourth Nut: Major: Time; Minor: Wards. full effects. Creatures that cannot see the spell and can make a new roll. I also rec- Shu: Major: Time; Minor: Wards. symbol are never affected, no matter why ommend that you give stoneskin a maxi- Tefnut: Major: Time; Minor: Wards. they can’t see it: blindness, darkness (magi- mum duration of one day. This prevents a Osiris: Major: Wards; Minor: Thought. cal or normal if the creature does not have wizard with time on her hands from cast- Isis: Major: Numbers; Minor: Time. infravision), and something as simple as a ing stoneskin on every soldier in an army. Set: Major: Chaos; Minor: Time. blindfold all prevent a symbol from taking Stoneskin protects against physical at- Nephythys: Major: Numbers; Minor: affect. The illusory script spell also falls tacks in which something is hurled or Wards. into this category; the script need not be struck against the victim: cuts, slashes, Thoth: Major: Numbers; Minor: read, but it doesn’t work unless it is seen. blows, bites, claws, tail slaps, etc. Magical Thought. and energy attacks are not negated. One Ptah: Major: Travelers; Minor: Time. Is it possible for cities and towns could make a case for treating a fall as a Horus: Major: War; Minor: Wards. in Faerun to have community dei- blow, but I recommend against it. The Anhur: Major: War; Minor: Time. ties as described on pages 46-47 of recipient becomes something like a big Bast: Major: Time; Minor: Travelers. The Complete Priest’s Handbook? I’d statue, which is generally immune to like to run a priest character who blows, but it still can shatter if it’s pushed

DRAGON 45 the shortness of life and the imminent Rofocale of Hill Madyprig Second Coming. At last, Immanuel con- ceived his mad plan—to release the drag- ©1993 by Sandy Petersen on, Rofocale, to devastate the land and thus bring mankind closer to God. Artwork by Robert Lessl Now Brother Immanuel wanders the blasted land, calling on those he meets to We continue our miniseries of draconic repent, and shrieking curses upon those NPCs with this horrid creature for whom he believes to be wicked (any show Chaosium’s KING ARTHUR PENDRAGON* of doubt or resistance causes this madman game. This game of epic role-playing in to be convinced of your PCs’ evil). If he Arthur’s Britain is highly recommended. can, he’ll lead Rofocale to any party of However, the characters and situations knights. Unfortunately, killing Brother presented here are easily adaptable to Immanuel is rather difficult for good many fantasy role-playing games. Pages knights, because, mad as he is, he is still a cited refer to the game’s new 4th edition. holy man, and a significant loss of glory (not to mention honor) would be the pen- alty for murdering a monk. Buried beneath the Hill Marlyprig was and farther afield. Brother Immanuel’s statistics are identi- the evil dragon, Rofocale. There he lurked, Sooner or later, tales of Rofocale’s deeds cal to those for the “Christian Friar” in the sleeping on his golden hoard. He awaited are bound to reach the ears of adventur- PENDRAGON rules (page 269). However, the Last Trump, when the sky would roll ous player-character (PC) knights. “This he does not get the Christian Religion up like a scroll, and he would rise with the monster must be stopped ere he ruins all bonus, because his Forgiving and Merciful rest of Satan’s hordes and join in the war Logres!” runs the report. traits are both 1, owing to his long brood- of the Apocalypse. Unfortunately, he has Unfortunately, Rofocale’s lair is deep ing on the sins of mankind. In addition, he been awakened recently, long before the within his ruined dominion, and visitors has a passion of 30 in Obsessed with End appointed time. He has issued forth from must traverse his land for many days, of World. his foul lair and has blasted all the sur- seeking the monster’s lair. While doing so, rounding land. they are likely to meet Brother Immanuel Sir Gormond In the dragon’s territory, all is waste. and Sir Gormond. For all Brother Immanuel’s mania, the Streams are clogged with ash and filth. dragon would never have been released Trees are scorched and sere. The plant life Brother Immanuel were it not for the aid of Sir Gormond, is dry, crackling underfoot. Even the air Brother Immanuel, a crazed monk, once the lord of this land. Now—his castle, seems somehow poisoned. There are a few uncovered Rofocale’s existence through vassals, and peasants all destroyed—he ruined hamlets left in the area, their de- his readings in ancient forbidden works. wanders impoverished, seeking he knows struction mute testimony to Rofocale’s He read so many of these tomes that his not what. He will tell anyone he meets of fury. Worse, the dragon’s wasteland is not brain dried up, and he decided that his sad downfall through pride. fixed in size, but constantly grows as the Englishmen were too tranquil and passive. Once he was a good knight, with a lady, monster spreads his depredations farther They needed to be stirred up, reminded of lands, and vassals. But he was jealous of the accomplishments of famous knights such as Ttistram and Gawaine, and envied their fame. When Brother Immanuel told him of the presence of a dragon under the Hill Marlyprig, Gormond saw his opportunity. He would cooperate with Brother Imma- nuel to release the monster. Then he would kill the dragon and gain renown throughout the land as the slayer of the serpent! No doubt he’d be invited to Ar- thur’s court and be celebrated everywhere as the Knight of the Dragon. Sir Gormond knew that the dragon might prove difficult to master, so he brought 24 trained crossbowmen and, of course, his squire. When the tunnel broke into the dragon’s chamber, he and his men-at-arms were ready. Sir Gormond chokes and hesitates in describing the “battle” between his men and the horror in the hill. It was no more a fight than when mice face cats. The dragon, oozing slime, issued forth from the hill and wiped out his crossbowmen with a single vomit of dripping flames. In an instant it was upon his squire, dismem- bering him before Gormond’s eyes. Then it told Sir Gormond, “You, gentle sir, shall live, as reward for your part in setting Rofocale free before the Time!” With that, the monster fled its prison under the hill. Sir Gormond now suffers the full cruelty of the dragon’s “kindness” in permitting

46 JANUARY 1994 him to live. His people and family are dead. His tower was destroyed the night the dragon escaped, as Sir Gormond rode back from the hill. Now Gormond is home- less, hoping someday to meet the dragon again and die in combat against the mon- ster, thus redeeming a trace of the honor he lost to his overweening pride. If Rofocale encounters Gormond, it won’t kill him, not even if Gormond is accompanied by the PC knights. Instead, it mocks him, thanking him profusely for its release. If the monster is attacked by Gormond in the company of the PCs, it defends itself but refrains from striking back against Gormond unless in very dire straits. Sir Gormond’s statistics are those of the Notable Knight in the PENDRAGON rule- book (page 329).

The dragon Rofocale is heavily set and over 40 feet long. Its skin resembles the surface of cooling lava, black and corrugated, riddled with hotly glowing cracks. Its eyes are vast steaming pits, glowing orange with hatred. When the monster opens its mouth, a flaming glow as of molten steel emanates. Its obsidianlike fangs drip burning liquid— a venom of horrid power. The creature steams, even in the hot sun, and its hellish combustion gives off foul vapors that choke the air and kill small animals. The tip of the monster’s tail is a massive spike dripping flaming acid— anyone struck by it is infected by the monster’s corruption as surely as if he had been bitten. Rofocale has four twisted legs, a long neck, and two huge wings that are not membranous, but rather are vast armored plates. Dealing with Rofocale If the dragon encounters the PC knights, it won’t attack at once. Instead, it’ll land before them and speak to them. It will explain the nature of dragons. Dragons, it seems, are not as other be- ings. When a man is hungry he eats, and is sated. When he is sleepy he sleeps, and is rested. But a dragon’s passions feed upon themselves. When a dragon eats, it be- comes hungrier; and must devour more and more in a vicious cycle of frenzied destruction. When a dragon sleeps, it continues to sleep yet more soundly until it can stay comatose for centuries, unless awakened by outside forces. When a dragon gains gold, it needs more and more. Nothing satisfies it. “You see, good knights, I am forced to ravage and plunder. That is the way God made me. I am only carrying out my duty.” Any knight who succeeds at a Pious check can refute the dragon’s logic. Typical arguments might be: You were not made as you are, but became that way by serv- ice to the Devil; or, that we all have appe- tites contrary to the will of God, but we are expected to resist these, for the natu-

DRAGON 47 ral man is an enemy to God. Obviously, Rofocale cannot be brought Rofocale’s statistics to renounce its evil ways—it is a symbol of SIZ 70 Move 18 (fly) 9 (crawl) Major Wound 50 Satan’s power. It is not an insensate ma- DEX 15 Damage 14d6 Unconscious 30 chine of destruction at the moment, for it STR 70 Heal Rate 12 Knock Down 70 has gone without food for several days CON 50 Hit Points 120 Armor 40 (having eaten everything in the area), and so is no longer particularly hungry, using Avoidance: 0 the reverse logic that applies to dragons. Modifier to Valorous: - 10 The dragon is one of the most horren- Glory to Kill: 2000 dous monsters in England, and is nearly Attacks: Bite @ 25, two Claws @ 22 each; Tail Sting @ 20 (only does 7d6 damage); Drag- unkillable. However, clever knights proba- on’s Fire @ 20 (see below) bly can figure out a way to return the Notes: The Bite and Tail Sting each inject a terrible rotting poison. No wounds of a dragon to its eons-long lair under the Hill poisoned knight may heal at all until the poison has first been counteracted by magical Marlyprig. If some sort of holy relic could herbs (obtainable only on a quest, presumably carried out by the invalid knight’s be placed near the entrance to Rofocale’s friends). lair while the dragon was in residence, the The dragon’s fire affects everyone within a 30-foot diameter circle. Everyone within beast might be unable to leave until the that circle takes 3d6 damage, ignoring all armor. The dragon can vomit his fire while relic was removed. Of course, Brother flying overhead, out of reach of most weapons. There exists magical armor, shields, Immanuel will try to steal the relic to and even salves that can reduce the effects of the monster’s fiery breath. release the monster once more. It is possi- ble that, if the players were able to keep the dragon from eating anything at all The lair some of the treasure, he receives a curse (even a frog), for at least a week, it might Inside Rofocale’s lair is a huge mound of (chanted loudly by the hoard as the looter become quiet and return to its hill, no treasure. Alas, the hoard is enchanted and flees the cave). The exact nature of the longer susceptible to hunger. cursed. If any knight picks up or touches curse is best crafted by an individual game The dragon is vulnerable to holy relics, so much as a single silver cup, the hoard master to her players’ personalities and and cannot strike at or approach someone speaks shrilly, “Put that back!” If the their characters’ lives and goals. In addi- bearing such a thing. Mere holy symbols knight hesitates or refuses, the hoard tion, the amount of treasure stolen should such as crosses or icons, are nothing to shrieks, “Rofocale! Rofocale!” and the affect the curse’s deadliness (knights who the dragon—it must be a genuine relic, dragon, wheresoever it is, hears the steal less should get less severe curses). such as Saint Theresa’s Tears or something hoard’s cry and hurries home to protect it Let each knight cart off as many libra of similar. from despoilers. If the knights tarry, they golden candlesticks, plates, cups, crowns, are sure to encounter the monster. and jewelry as his STR × 10 (or less, if he If any knight manages to get away with desires), but the whole time they are pick- ing out goods, the hoard pelts them with invectives. If they take too long, of course, Rofocale comes. Some sample curses include: “That which you hold shall be your only riches!” When the knight returns home, he finds that his castle, home, lands, etc., have all been destroyed by a powerful enemy—the Picts, or some similar force— leaving him only the armor on his back and the gold he stole. “You shall do one of the foulest deeds that knight ever did!” At some point in the future, arrange things so that the knight slays a member of his immediate family, a lover, or his liege lord. This can be by accident or mistake, of course. Fumbles in the Recognize skill and accidental Critical Hits in combat can be used as needed to fulfill the curse. “You shall die a shameful death!” If the knight is killed in mortal combat, adjust the dice rolls so that he is merely incapaci- tated instead. Then have his enemy drag him off and hang him. Or, if he is fighting monsters or animals, have them eat him alive. “You shall never know love!” No member of the opposite sex can ever conceive an Amor for this knight. This curse should only be invoked if the knight does not already have an Amor.

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by the companies producing those products. The use of the name of any product without mention of its trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status. 48 JANUARY 1994

New worlds in sight— the AD&D® Historical Reference Campaign Sourcebooks!

by Roger E. Moore

Hi. Some of you may remember me from HR1 Vikings Campaign Sourcebook about A.D. 1650 (in HR4)—all in AD&D my past life as a magazine editor. These HR2 Charlemangne's Paladins Campaign Text game terms. Each sourcebook presents an days, I’ve moved into a very different field Sourcebook overview of the culture at hand, the major here at TSR, Inc., as the product-group HR3 Celts Campaign Sourcebook historical events that marked it, what the leader for the AD&D® 2nd Edition game HR4 A Mighty Fortress Campaign lives of the citizens of that time were like, core rules and accessories. This article is Sourcebook how they built their homes and fortresses, about some AD&D accessories that are HR5 The Glory of Rome Campaign and so forth. We also give you enough worth a closer look—especially it you love Sourcebook information in each 96-page book to run visiting or running new game worlds. HR6 Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook an AD&D campaign with the special flavor Over the last three years, TSR has pro- (on sale in April) of each culture and time, even giving you duced a territic series of softbound vol- HR7 The Crusades Campaign Sourcebook a poster-sized full-color map with each umes called the Historical Reference (on sale in November) book that shows the culture’s historical Campaign Sourcebooks (the “HR” series). territories and world view. You’ll recognize them by their distinctive As you can tell, we’re giving Europe and That’s all very nice—but what can you green covers and gold lettering. So far, vicinitv a thorough workup, from the do with this stuff? we’ve published five of them, with two earliest days of the Greek city-states (in Let’s get practical. Say, for instance, more due out this year: HR6) to the end of the Elizabethan Period, you’re a player in someone else’s AD&D campaign; you’re not the DM. Why would you want a sourcebook about Vikings? If you’re planning to start a FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign, whv would you want a book about Celts? And if you’re the DM of a ® or Outer Planes campaign, what use would you have for a book on the Roman Empire? The answer is that you’ll have lots of use for each of these books. In fact, you might even decide to invest in the whole set.

The training-ground world If you’re a player who wants to be the DM for a group of other players someday, and you have some friends who like Vi- kings, you have an excellent reason to get HR1. This is especially true if the current DM wants to take a break and be a player herself for a while, giving her own cam- paign a rest. HR1 offers what is probably the best “DM training” world, as most fantasy gamers have no trouble at all relating to longships, Norse gods, berserkers, looting and pillaging, slaying dragons, tussling with , and collecting piles of gold. You

50 JANUARY 1994 can get loads of experience in creating richly detailed settings, offering a vivid- history to add spice to the mixture—but adventures, crafting hostile monsters and ness that few “pure-fantasy” campaigns we’ll dress it up a bit. nonplayer characters (NPCs), and manag- can match. Historical novels are a terrific Let’s tour each of the worlds presented ing a live group of excited gamers. resource; search them out at your local so far and see what a mix of fantasy and Additionally, you will learn a lot about library or bookstore. history (and a even little science or science what goes into creating a game world. The However, if you’re an experienced DM fiction) can do to liven things up. HR books contain special alterations to the who already has a campaign world, the HR HR1: There is the little matter of standard AD&D rules, to give a stronger guides offer the rules and guidelines you Vinland, Markland, and the rest of that cultural flavor to the monsters, magic, and need to make existing cultures in your tempting North American continent. so forth that the characters encounter. campaign stand out from the rest. For Would someone dare found a colony This can be slow going for novice DMs, example, if you want to base a there, fighting or befriending the Native but it also challenges the DM to study the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign in the Americans, and perhaps meeting monsters basic rules more carefully—always a good Moonshae Isles, which have a distinctly and finding riches that would live in leg- practice. Celtic/druidic flavor, introduce the special end for all time? What if frost giants really If you decide to alter the basic structure rules for Celtic campaigns from HR3. If did live in Groenland and Helluland, or if of the Viking world—say, you wish to your campaign has a large island where Pleistocene mammals like mastodons, allow more character classes or races, or the people worship Roman gods and are sabre-tooth tigers, and big Ice Age horses you have some changes to make to the engaged in empire-building, you can intro- roamed the American plains? It isn’t the magic system—you can do so at your duce lots of material from HR5. America we know, but it’s an America that leisure. You have the happy knowledge You even can use the HR series to flesh Vikings would love! that your entire investment in the basic out parts of your campaign that you ha- If Vikings can use magic, why can’t the game world comes to less than $20 ($23 in ven’t been able to develop yet. What about skraelingar of the Americas? What if a Canada), and the changes you make to the a reference for building technologically Viking ship, blown far off course, encoun- world won’t throw off dozens of other advanced nations on a continent on the tered a Central American culture? (It’s modules, supplements, and so on. The other side of the world from your current easy to produce if one has the MAZTICA™ world is yours to shape as you please—the campaign? HR4 should fill the bill nicely, boxed set.) What ancient ruins and fallen very core of what being a DM is all about. and the heroes will have their work cut civilizations might Viking explorers find in If you need help in getting the campaign out for them at a later date when they go out-of-the-way places in the Americas, off the ground, we’ve provided some as- exploring overseas! Asia, Africa, and elsewhere? Could gates to sistance. Vikingophile Wolf Baur has writ- other worlds and places lie hidden in the ten up two adventures for Viking Planets & planes dangerous stone monuments left over campaigns in the pages of DUNGEON® You’ll also have no trouble at all in using from ancient Atlantis, somewhere in the Adventures (“The Whale,” in issue #35, the HR settings as parts of alternate planes Bermuda Triangle? And who built those and “The Fire Giant’s Daughter" in issue (reached by spells, magical devices, gates, statues on Easter Island? #39). These give an excellent idea of what cursed scrolls, etc.), alternate worlds for Additional material you can consult for a fun-loving group of bearded, brawling, the SPELLJAMMER setting (replacing the building up your game world can be found sword-wielders can expect. (Other Norse- Earthlike geography of the HR maps with in the Viking-style supplements for other style modules for the AD&D game from new terrain, if you want), or foreign lands role-playing games. TSR’s D&D® game, DUNGEON Adventures have appeared; that can be meshed with your own cam- ’ GURPS* system, issue #20 had “Ancient Blood,” by Grant paign (again, replacing the given geogra- Columbia Games’ HARNMASTER* rules, and David Boucher, and issue #43 had Lee phy with your own maps). One can never ICE’s * and FANTASY HE- Sheppard’s “King Oleg’s Dilemma.“) have too many new lands to explore in RO* games, the Game Compa- long-running campaigns, in order to keep ny’s RUNEQUEST* system and others have A world of difference freshness and excitement in the game. Viking rules supplements. You can consult Experienced gamers who want to run Being the DM for a SPELLJAMMER cam- your local library or bookstore for myths their own worlds but don’t want to do the paign means that you must have access to and legends of the Norsemen, with lots of standard Middle-Ages-with--and- lots of material with which to build whole diagrams on how they put together their wizards thing will find the HR series a worlds in short order, as the player charac- farms, ships, buildings, tools, and more. lifesaver. Vibrant, exciting campaigns can ters whip through in each session Your world can be as rich and complex as be set up with little trouble, each offering of game play. So why can’t there be a can be imagined. a fresh change to standard themes in SPELLJAMMER world culture modelled on HR2: If you feel like it, you can add fantasy gaming. the Roman Empire at its height, with its own dragons for Charlemagne’s paladins to Selecting a sourcebook that will appeal highly aggressive spelljammer fleet? Perhaps fight. Where there are dragons, there are to your gaming group is not difficult. it’s an empire made up of scro or ogres, but probably also dwarves, elves, and stranger Aside from the popular Vikings book men- the Roman reference is marvelous for giving folk. The entire folklore of Europe is at the tioned earlier, the Celts sourcebook could that world depth in game play. And picture a DM’s disposal. Evil sorcerers, faerie win many friends for its treatment of moon controlled by a Dark Ages empire mounds, megalithic structures like Stone- druidism and Irish myths. A Mighty For- modelled on the material in Charlemagne’s henge (which might be magical in this tress offers a world with both gunpowder Paladins —but with elves instead of humans! universe—one never knows), and crum- and spellpower, and nations embroiled in bling Roman ruins will challenge or tempt intense rivalry for power and glory. Age of Beyond the books the heroes. You do not have to stick too Heroes presents an extremely rich envi- You can see the value in having an entire closely to Dark Ages legends if you want ronment of Greek myths and legends, with gaming world in a single book. But can a to introduce an exciting adventure involv- the familiar faces of the Olympian gods world with a historical basis sustain an ing an island where a wicked necroman- appearing to stir up adventures. entire campaign? Some people think histo- cer is building a fortress manned by A historical-based campaign could be ry is pretty dry—even the Viking parts. skeletons. run full-time or as a sideline to an ongoing Well, whoever said history wasn’t excit- And what about the rest of the world? campaign, something to play when the ing obviously hasn’t been paying attention Note that the time periods covered by the main DM is tired or unavailable for gam- to it. Besides, this is the AD&D game we’re Vikings and Charlemagne’s Paladins ing. HR-series DMs who really get into the talking about here. We can fix up history sourcebooks overlap. Perhaps the DM can subject matter can research the historical just a little bit, make things a little wilder, use both books to produce multicultural period involved and produce even more more free, and more fun. We’ll keep the Dark Ages European adventures. (“So

52 JANUARY 1994 that’s a frost giant,” muttered Mathfrid the Plague threatens, the Spanish Armada is Imperial frontier. All you have to do it hold Fearless to his friend Rolf. “And I always massing, a rich New World has been it against a few thousand Germanic bar- thought you were kidding me.“) As noted found, and war is always in the air. Tech- barians due by in the spring. Or, you’re earlier, the DM should be able to develop nology is on the rise, and magic and elves searching the library at the Pharos of many more adventures and a deeper sense and dragons are in full retreat (at least in Alexandria, and you discover a scroll with of Dark Ages society by doing some basic Europe!). It is a chaotic, violent, colorful a tale of a strange island and its lost trea- research in a local library or bookstore. world without parallel. sures. Or, you’re the commander of a (The ages may have been dark, but they Fantasy still plays a strong role here, how- Roman military force sent into Africa to sure weren’t dull.) ever. Ruined castles are haunted by ghosts, find a new sort of monster to bring back HR3: This books wealth of Celtic folk- battlefields by ghouls, and sorcerers’ towers to the Emperor’s zoo—and you find a lore and legend will supply a thousand by skeletons. With the unchecked rise of dinosaur. adventures for a fantasy campaign. Beauti- human civilization, faeries and magical The fantastic side of the Roman Empire ful elves, hideous giants, and treacherous forces are leaving Europe—but where are can include a lot. In David Drake’s Killer, monsters roam the countryside. One can they going? Is there an alternate world, an alien creature ravaging Rome itself fight Roman invaders, go on druids’ plane, island, cavern, or other hidden locale must be caught. In L. Sprague de Camp’s quests, be tormented by , and where they find shelter? Can a few brave Lest Darkness Fall, a time traveler intro- find clues to lost treasures or forgotten adventurers get there and back safely with duces some remarkable inventions—and lands in the stories told by bards. proof of their visit? Rome never falls. Roman colonies in Amer- Across the sea are Avalon, Lyonesse, and North and South America are the lands ica have been hinted at for many years in dozens of lost faerie islands (and, yes, the of adventure once again-and once again real life, but African expeditions would be Americas). In Britain is a king known as things need not have turned out as they equally exciting (use the articles on Arthur; why not visit him? Villages must did. What if there was a Fountain of African-based AD&D game additions in be defended from the ravages of men and Youth, or cities made of gold? What if DRAGON issues #189, 191, 195, and 200). monsters, and druids might hunt for he- history was tweaked a little bit, as it was And who knows what lurks in the dark roes to do the dirty work. Goblins might in science-fiction novels like Orson Scott catacombs beneath the capital—undead, dwell under the earth in dark caverns, Card’s Seventh Son or Keith Roberts’ Pa- evil wizards, hostile cults, buried treasure? waiting for foolish humans to enter their vane? What if the Caribbean pirates told Once again, tales of Atlantis may tempt lairs. What other beings, living and dead, of in Alexander Exquemelin’s The Bucca- adventurers, and the whole world beckons would love to give the druids trouble? neers of America had been a little more to have the standard of the Emperor plant- It is of interest to note that the Celts organized, and had formed their own ed in its soil. book covers an era that predates the first spirited, rag-tag American government? Some excellent gaming accessories that two HR sourcebooks by several hundred What if your players’ characters were a might offer more ideas for your campaign years. It would be interesting to have old part of it? include the D&D® modules Arena of Thy- Celtic ruins and magical items (and mon- I strongly recommend several TSR and atis and Legions of Thyatis, as well as sters) crop up in both Viking and Carolin- nonTSR gaming products for their ideas Steve Jackson Games’ GURPS Imperial gian adventures, no? Also note that this on mixing magic and gunpowder technolo- Rome. Certain historical guides are also volume describes a time in which Romans gy. Three of these (which follow) cover a highly recommended, particularly A Ro- (from HR5) can show up, too—with their world in the late 1800s in which magic or man Town, from the See Inside series own treasures, magic, and monsters. science-fantasy technology are in effect. R. edited by R. J. Unstead, and David Ma- Other games can offer material for your Talsorian Games shortly will publish the caulay’s City. I also found L. Sprague de campaign as well. Chaosium’s PENDRAG- CASTLE FALKENSTEIN * game, described Camp’s The Ancient Engineers to be of ON* system and White Wolfs ARS MAGI- as a combination of Tolkien, Wagner, and great help in detailing scientific inventions CA* line might supply a wealth of ideas Jules Verne, with a bit of The Prisoner of of the ancient world—and some were for your campaign. You also might look at Zenda. TSR has the ™ pretty wild! What if Hero’s engine Columbia Games’ Lionheart Sourcebook game’s For Faerie, Queen, and Country, a had been adopted for broader use? What on England of A.D. 1190 for more ideas. Victorian-period England with faerie folk if someone invented a printing press? Now Research always helps. Find a copy of and magic. GDW’s SPACE: 1889* game has you can find out. The Mabinogion and read of Annwn, a no magic, but offers bizarre science and parallel plane of mystery that borders the many strange, new worlds (with stranger Your input helps Celtic countries—then add it and its adven- aliens) for characters to explore. Is there a historical time period that you tures to your campaign. Willie Walsh, Most importantly, however, a DM should think would do well as an AD&D game champion module author for DUNGEON® look at the LACE & STEEL* game, from the setting? Write to me and let me know. My Adventures, has produced several Celtic- Australian Games Group. This game was address here is: Roger Moore, TSR, Inc., theme quests (see, for example, DUNGEON described in the editorial for DRAGON® P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, issues #21, “The Cauldron of Plenty,” and issue #177, and the historical background U.S.A. All submissions become the prop- #37, “The White Boar of Kilfay”). and material it presents (especially the illus- erty of TSR, Inc.; I’ll read them carefully POLYHEDRON® Newszine ran several trations) are wonderful. Unlike the three and use them in deciding the direction of Celtic adventures in earlier issues; look previous games, this one has a time period this great series. them up. Heaven know, there are more of about 1640—right in line with HR4. If you have any other thoughts or com- than enough books about druids, Celtic As a final note, picture how a world ments on the HR series, please let me folklore, and Irish myths on the shelves modeled along the lines of HR4 (perhaps know, too. I’d especially like to hear from than you can reasonably count in a day. even an alternate Earth itself) would be those running campaigns in HR-series HR4: Of all the historical AD&D set- altered if a large spelljammer full of gun- worlds. Enjoy! tings, this is the most challenging to run. loving giff, tinker gnomes, and spell- The complex political intrigues, world- jammer helms were to crash-land there. spanning empires, and widespread use of Frightening, isn’t it? Think about it—and * indicates a product produced by a company other gunpowder are going to push the DM’s try it out. (For other scary ideas, see the than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by the companies publishing those products. game-management skills to their limits. POLYHEDRON® Newszine, issues #73 and The use of the name of any product without mention Yet this is also the age of the Three Mus- 74, for Tim Brown’s two-part article series of its trademark status should not be construed as a keteers, Cyrano de Bergerac, Sir Francis on combining the SPACE: 1889 game and challenge to such status. Drake, Spanish galleons laden with gold, TSR’s SPELLJAMMER campaign.) Caribbean pirates, and Captain Blood. HR5: You’re given a grant of land on the

DRAGON 53 “Forum” welcomes your comments and opin- spells, and a fighter will have the fighting abili- use unmodified ability scores, and only one ions on role-playing games. In the United States ties (and hit points) to take on the greatest power with a positive modifier. The average and Canada, write to: Forum, DRAGON® Maga- dragon, but a psionicist of comparable level will power-score reduction is -4. Additionally, zine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A. have a handful of useful mid-level powers and a many powers have extensive power-score In Europe, write to: Forum, DRAGON Magazine, flood of useless devotions (such as Ballistic reductions within their descriptions, be it level TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, Attack or Body Weaponry). of opponent, distance, weight, etc. Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. We ask Although I agree with some of the letters that I hope you realize by now that psionic powers that material submitted to “Forum” be either talk about the creation of psionic items to aid in are not guaranteed successes. Provided that not neatly written by hand or typed with a fresh psionic defense and attack, I cannot agree with all psionicists walk around with statistics of 18 ribbon and clean keys so we can read, under- any further limitations being put on this class. (or higher for the DARK SUN® setting), the stand, and input your comments. We will print Eric Pollinger chances for a successful power check are often the complete address of a contributor if the Brooklyn NY around 50%. At this point, I would like to thank writer requests it. Mark C. Francisco whose letter in DRAGON I would like to contribute some thoughts to issue #191 argued along the same lines. I am writing in response to the many letters the ongoing debate about how powerful psi- That said, I would like to respond to Phillip regarding the redesign of the psionicist charac- onics are compared to the “other magic sys- Edwards’s letter in DRAGON issue #192. He ter. Some of these letters made the point that tems” of the AD&D® game. First, psionics is not complained about not having been able to the powers of the psionicist were excessive, a different form of magic and should not be deliver a strong-enough threat to his gaming while others attempted to redesign the charac- handled as such, as is clearly stated in the group because of their psionic powers. Let us ter (rework the saving throws, limit the powers, Complete . Some people seem get some things straight. First, every DM has the or control the order in which powers can be to miss this fact. Psionics is a completely differ- power to wipe out his gaming groups’ party. learned). My character is a psionicist/fighter, ent approach, and this is reflected not only in its This is not to say that he should do so, but he and my DM is under the same impression as the system, but also in the various power descrip- should not become enslaved by rules. At the writers of these letters. My character is forced tions. But it should not end there. Players and very least, the DM should exert influence on to learn disciplines in a specific order, and many Dungeon Masters alike must work toward what powers the players choose. There is al- of the sciences and devotions have been re- playing the difference. This means that a player ways the solution of not allowing psionics into worked to make them less powerful. I feel that invoking a psionic power should make up his your campaign if you feel that your players this is unfair because the disadvantages of this mind (no pun intended) and describe what the cannot handle it. It is optional, remember? class already outweigh the advantages. power feels and looks like each time he uses it. You are wrong in your example of dimension The psionicist character is an attempt to give DRAGON Magazine has given helpful guidelines door. A mage need not be 10th level to gain mid-level power to low-level characters while on this subject ("Psionics in Living Color” in dimension door Since it is a fourth-level spell, keeping that power under control with power DRAGON issue #182). The DM should not hesi- the mage may gain it as low as 7th level. On the checks and the results thereof. Let us take the tate to tell the player exactly what he is experi- other hand, a psionicist can have the power Disintegrate science as an example. (My charac- encing when using a psionic power. The effect Dimensional Door right from the start (1st ter will need to be 24th level to obtain this and feel of a given psionic power should differ level), not 3rd level. Furthermore, a mage can power, while in other campaigns it is possible to greatly each time, depending on the user and take others with him, as long as they do not get it at 3rd level.) This science allows the the target. Psionics should not be something exceed the 240-lb. limit. Whereas the mage’s psionicist to destroy up to eight cubic feet of absolutely reliable, like the almost-mathematical spell is comparatively safe, the psionic Dimen- material (a save is allowed). approach of wizard magic. sional Door is a haven of restrictions and haz- The power check for this science is Wis -4, Of course, most of these effects are purely ards. Range is just one of them. A mage is able which would give most reasonably proportioned role-playing and cannot be covered by the game to dimension door over 200 yards distance, but psionicist characters less than a 50% chance of system, but isn’t this what the game is all about? a psionicist using Dimensional Door has difficul- even getting the power to work. If it works, the Nonetheless, people complain about psionics ties with ranges over 50 yards. character will lose 40 PSPs; this should be being too-powerful. Well, let us take a look at One last thing: Of course there is a way to nearly all his points at 3rd level. As a bonus, a them. First, psionics needs a power-check roll. raise psionic power scores! See page 13 of the “20” result on the power-check roll results in This is a great handicap when compared with CPH to learn how to specialize your character in the power working against him. (The law of magic. Next, psionic power checks have critical a certain psionic power. averages will do in any psionicist who uses this success and failure results. This roll has a lot of Similar complaints about other “too powerful” power too often.) Also, just how much damage modifiers, depending on the psionic power psionic powers stem mainly from player abuse. will the loss of eight cubic feet of tissue do to a used. The more “powerful” (i.e., devastating, Some of those complaints and a lot of other dragon? manipulating, or advantageous) the power is, questions could be avoided if players would These are substantial and real disadvantages the more difficult the power-check roll is to read the rulebooks more carefully. As men- to this class. A wizard can cast fireballs by 5th make. tioned in the CPH, you should not rip apart level, and a fighter gets three attacks every two For those number-lucky players out there, I psionics and plant it at various points into the rounds by 7th level. These are reliable abilities; have taken the time to total all psionic powers soil of your campaign background. Instead, it a fireball doesn’t fail to operate half the time with respect to their power scores and came up should be seen as a complete whole, a sort of and have a 5% chance of exploding in your face. with 132 powers that have a reduced power world-view or way of life. Psionicists should be A wizard will one day be able to cast wish score right away, compared with a mere 20 that comparatively few (with the possible exception

54 JANUARY 1994 of Athas, the DARK SUN world). charge, for this session I really wanted the PCs sheets etc.,) modified to suit my own campaign. To put it all together, psionics and the psioni- to decide the strategies.) This has the advantage that you can add extra cist class are as balanced or unbalanced as any Well, we all had an absolutely fabulous game items that you wish to record. When a sheet is other AD&D character class. It is just because session! worn out or damaged, it is simple to produce a this is a new subject that some people experi- Because the flexibility and support of the wire replacement. ence difficulties. If you analyze psionics closely, I enabled the players to use the vertical as well as I also use my computer during gaming ses- bet you’ll find it an enriching addition to the the horizontal plane for attacks, we had an sions. The first use is to record information AD&D game, not an abusively powerful “tool” to evening full of diving, hiding in the clouds, and about the various characters being played, spoil campaigns. attacking from below. It was a great change of information that the players cannot see them- Name & address unreadable pace from the purely horizontal battles that selves (number of charges in magical items, ground creatures take part in. curses, etc.). I use a spreadsheet program for After reading Mr. Goodemoot’s letter in issue The lengths of wire representing movement this purpose. This program is also used to keep #195 of DRAGON Magazine, I felt compelled to rates were a tactile reminder of the limitations a record of every item carried by a character. write on behalf of those seeking greater Chris- that game-time and game-space reality imposes This makes it possible to keep an accurate and tian elements in role-playing games. The game (which was a great gaming lesson because two up-to-date check on a character’s encumbrance. KING ARTHUR PENDRAGON*, published by of the players are novice gamers, and the visual A couple of programs that I wrote myself also Chaosium, Inc., is worth looking into. It at- impact carried so much more weight than a help out during a game. The first is a “dice tempts to simulate the legends of the Round mere verbal explanation). roller.” The program will roll any number of Table, in which Christianity played a large part. The game session lasted for about four hours; dice in a fraction of a second. This saves a lot of The religious aspects of Christianity are detailed we played with twelve dragons, five PCs, and time when dealing with fireball spells, for in the game, and characters may be rewarded three powerful NPCs. example. A second program stores records of all by living up to Christian virtues. A new edition Interestingly enough, the session worked out the monsters used in my campaign, so when the of the game is in stores now. to be only fifteen turns. This was another en- players suddenly decide to send their characters Eric R. Filmer lightening perspective to the night’s game: this off on a dragon hunt that I wasn’t expecting, I Savannah GA massive, intense, and extremely destructive can very quickly find all the statistics on drag- battle occurred in only fifteen minutes of game ons that I need. The program also can produce I am writing in response to Anne Brown’s time! The PCs truly appreciated “resting,” as a random treasure hoard for any monster, article featured in the June 1993 issue of they all took very serious damage in the same complete with magical items, etc. DRAGON Magazine, entitled “Dragon Dogfights.” space of time that it takes to hard-boil an egg. I have also written a program that produces 8- I am a for a small gaming In short, the idea is a really fantastic gaming mile hex maps (in the style of the TSR Trail group of differing levels, from advanced (more option. It’s a flexible concept that can be very Maps). My CAD program refused to position the than 12 years’ experience) to brand-new (only specific and detailed (when using miniatures) or hexes so that they were lined up correctly, so I six months’ experience). just put together for one evening’s gaming. It wrote a program to perform the function for I only glanced at the article at first, as my certainly varies the routine dramatically! We all me. I use this to produce all my campaign maps. gaming group does not use miniatures (in the decided that we want to play more dragon- It has the advantage that every time something interest of having some disposable income not fights, so I’ve put together a special subcam- on the map changes it can be re-printed, thus spent on AD&D material.) However, upon a paign so that we can indulge regularly. avoiding messy scribbles all over maps. second look, I realized that the dragon battle in So, thanks again to Anne Brown for a great I would be delighted if someone produced a general would fit in very well with my current idea. I’ll look forward to any more articles that set of programs to do some of the more tedious campaign: based on Krynn in the year 753 and she writes. jobs of running a game. My computer has sped centered around Abyssal law vs. chaos conflict, Keep up the great work! up and improved my games no end. and involving many evil dragons (on the side of Regina Larsen Andrew Benson the good PCs, no less). East Setauket NY South York, England I came up with the (last-minute) idea to make my own pieces. Because I was pressed for time, Here are two ways to improve the use of A few contributors, spurred on by David A. I had to keep it simple, so this is what I did: firearms in the FORGOTTEN REALMS® setting: Casey, have suggested to the “Forum” that there I made cardboard cutouts of flying dragons The best way to use silver bullets against a are computer programs able to draw dungeon (about 3½ long, 3” wide, and colored them fiend is to split the party. Lower-level members, and wilderness maps. I have come across a (although next time I’ll use colored construction armed with guns, should attempt to ambush the decent Amiga program designed to be used by paper) to indicate dragon race. My campaign fiend. The more advanced party members draw gamers, called “The Digital Dungeon.” It consists called for the chromatic dragons: red, white, the fiend into the open. A priest casts silence, of a package of eight disks filled with clip art blue, green, and black. 15’ radius on the solid silver projectile. The that can be arranged into maps, player hand- I attached the cutouts to very light wire, guns are fired. The fiend can’t hear or see the outs, or whatever. This clip art includes icons making sure that the wire lengths were in shot coming. If the PCs miss the first time, they for such RPG elements as treasure chests and proportion to each dragon’s movement rate. may get another chance. Why? The fiend may monsters—the type of stuff that CAD programs The length of the wire determined how far each not even know he has been shot at, unless he aren’t designed to draw. piece could move in a round. sees the projectile hit something near him. This program is put out by Magic Matrix and I attached the wire to a cardboard base, This idea could work with any type of gun, sells for around $70.00. To the best of my which I weighted down with coins to ensure silver grenades, or homemade claymore mines knowledge, it is exclusively an Amiga product, stability (although modeling clay would work (silver pellets in sun-baked clay). although I’ve been known to be wrong before. better). You also can add a simple tube telescope that You’ll find that some of this program’s graphics I then cut out the dragons’ breath weapons, extends the entire length of the gun barrel, are below normal Amiga standards, but as it is also making sure they were in proportion to the much like the optics on a Civil War sniper rifle. one of a kind, we gamers have very little dragons’ bodies. I wrote in the weapon type and Doing this should add +2 to attack rolls. choice—you either buy this mapmaker or you’re the damage right on the breath-weapon cutout, James P. Buchanan stuck with some generic painting program. so that the pace of the game could move along Duluth MN Benjamin E. Lake without continually referring to Monstrous Del Valle TX Compendium sheets. I am writing in response to John F. Wherry’s This was all accomplished in about two hours letter in issue #195. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you, (the amount of time I had before we were to I have been playing the D&D® and AD&D games and everyone else who reads this wonderful play) and at a cost of about $3.89. for five years, mainly as a DM. I have used a magazine, know about a program that I have In game terms, the PCs were to use the evil computer to assist me in gaming since I began. I found that has helped me immensely with my dragons (temporary allies) for transportation. use a system that is, as far as I know, unavailable games. While doing so, they were attacked by opposing in the U.S.A., but the ideas and principals can be I first ran across “Adventure Writer” (Aw) for evil dragons, one of whose rider had a Dragon used with any computer. Windows, by Digital Alchemy, when I received a Orb and blinded the PCs’ mounts, forcing the Besides the usual uses of computers to pro- recent issue of your sister mag, DUNGEON® evil dragons to rely on the PCs. This situation duce adventure texts, maps, and diagrams, I Adventures. I answered the ad that told me I gave the PCs a good measure of control over have many other uses for my computer. First, I could create maps at various scales, whether for their side of the battle. (Although the role- use a CAD package to produce record sheets player maps or miniatures warfare maps. playing would be great if the dragons were in (character sheets, spelljamming-ship record Continued on page 70 DRAGON 55

Rule the world in The 7th Saga

Life is short; live it up. Nikita Khrushchev

To my way of thinking, a good role- playing campaign has four aspects to it, which must be juggled by the game master in an attempt to keep both herself and her players happy. These aspects are game mechanics (including combat, spell-casting, etc.); puzzle-solving; the story told; and the actual role-playing itself. If a game master falls down on any of these aspects, her campaign can fail. Let’s look at each of these aspects as they apply to computer games. The first, game mechanics, has been handled effi- ciently by computers for years. It’s a natu- ral; the computer can do the combat efficiently enough, and it knows just what the effects of all the spells are. Unfortu- nately, it’s unlikely to fudge the results, and any good game master knows the ©1993 by Sandy Petersen importance of that! Computer role-playing games are stu- pendous at generating neat puzzle-solving adventures. In a tabletop game, I writhe irascibly when the game master tries to inflict puzzles on us, but I like it in a com- puter game. The third aspect of gaming—story- telling—is rare in computer games but is growing in quality. Early stories were pathetically one-dimensional, and such simplistic stuff is still common However, the arrival of works such as The 7th Saga and II show that the reign of mindless dungeon-bashing games may soon end. There is one aspect left to describe— actual role-playing itself, and no computer game has yet managed to generate this. A few games have made attempts at it, but it always comes down to puzzle-solving or story-telling. In a tabletop game, playing a role is an end in itself. Someone who runs a hobbit in a tabletop game does so be- cause it’s fun to pretend to be a cowardly little glutton, no matter how pathetic his combat stats are. In a computer game, you’d be a hobbit only because he got special bonuses in, say, thieving. Even in The 7th Saga (ENIX) the few games trying to inject a little role- playing games, and I wish ENIX had been Whoever acquires them becomes all- playing, such as Ultima with its Avatar courageous enough to shed more of the powerful and rules the world. Refreshingly, stuff, playing the role is, after all, still just traditional trappings. The 7th Saga has no evil Foozle-type wizard- an attempt to trick the computer into The basic situation presented is that scat- supreme hiding in a big tower at the end of letting you win the game. tered over the globe are seven magic runes. the game. Instead, a major part of your opposition comes from the six other guys Computer games’ ratings who are also seeking the runes, so they can Reviews become all-powerful instead of you. As you quest across the planet, you frequently *** Not recommended THE 7TH SAGA Poor encounter these guys and you can talk to Super Nintendo ENIX America Corp. Fair them, get them to join with you in a com- Good mon cause, or fight them. As the game The 7th Saga has some original concepts Excellent progresses and you grow in power, they do, that I quite like. Its worst aspects are all Superb too-some of them faster than you. inherited from previous Nintendo role- While you travel from place to place,

DRAGON 57 you frequently meet up with one of your six rivals. Be careful before fighting one of them—they’re always extremely tough in a fight, and increasing your level and abili- ties doesn’t help against these bozos. If you’re a higher level, the game makes them tougher, too. This means that they are constantly a factor in your planning. I like this. When one of them becomes a solid obstacle in your path, and you must figure out how to beat the sucker to prog- ress. When I beat one of them, I always felt quite exhilarated. The 7th Saga has pretty good graphics and sound, comparable to other advanced cartridge role-playing games. While the advertising hype boasted of the excellence of the sound track, I did not find it to be anything special. The sound was adequate and did not get annoying after a long time. I guess it’s unfair to ask for anything more—except that a few Super Nintendo games have had beautiful music. I wish The 7th Saga had, too. The game uses three points-of-view: one for visiting cities, one while wandering through the countryside, and the ever- popular combat view. In the cities, you walk about in a top- down view. The towns provide clues as sometimes you get two turns in a row. (I well as shops in which you can purchase imagine because your Speed exceeds the magical items, armor, and weapons. Most monster's) You can battle up to three towns contain a healing “shop” that can monsters at a time, but it is quite common cure you of poison and resurrect your to encounter just a single bad guy. friends. Each town also has an inn in Given the stylized nature of combat, you which you can save your game, plus re- have quite a few options and tactics open cover lost magic points and heal damage to you. You can Defend, Attack, Defend by resting. You can question passersby to and then Attack (which boosts the damage get information, but the civilians are you do), cast spells, use items, etc. Soon among the least well-informed of any you learn that various opponents respond best to certain tactics. It took me a long game I’ve played. It is rare that more than The 7th Saga (ENIX) 2-3 folks in a town tell you something you time to learn to beat certain monsters— actually need to know. Worse, on the rare those dang Mutants, in particular, took me of having to get your Runes back (at least, I occasions one of them offers you a special an embarrassingly long time to work out. did). deal. At least half the time, they cheat you Sometimes the tactics become fairly so- The 7th Saga deserves some sort of horribly. Before you deal with a citizen, phisticated. For instance, to defeat Sages, I award for its bizarre monster names. make sure you save the game, because you have my more combat-oriented character Some of the monsters have cumbersome may not want to live with your choice. strike away bravely, while my magic- names, such as Soidiek or Wyrock. But The shops always give square deals, but oriented character casts as many MPCT- there are also monsters whose names are they provide weapons, armor, and special CHER spells as he can, in between healing English words; Hermit, Despair, Defeat, items for all seven of the characters. This both characters. This will drain the mon- Flame, Trick, Sage, etc. Then there are means that, under normal circumstances, ster’s magic points and eventually your foe monsters with inexplicable names These there are very few items your character will be reduced to mere physical attacks are the ones that really make this game alone can purchase. If you are one of the against you. You might tempt it into a unique—Wyvern, Chimera, Griffin, and so less equipment-hungry heroes, such as the MPCTCHER vs. MPCTCHER duel, which is forth. What’s so odd about those? The magician or the robot, you can hardly ever safe enough for you, because at least he’s Wyvern is a large hawk. The Chimera is a find anything usable. not casting Firebird spells or worse at you. tall skull-faced wraith. The Griffin is a When you leave the town, you are still Many games have MacGuffins after which human with pythons for legs. In no case in top-down view but are stuck in a bar- you must seek. The 7th Saga is no exception, does a monster resemble its mythological ren world composed of black rock moun- but the MacGuffins you’re looking for-the namesake. tains, beaches, and occasional green Runes-are not just puny pieces of decora- The 7th Saga permits only three saved patches. Scattered thinly through this tion. Instead, each Rune gives your character games, which is probably enough for most daunting landscape are towns and a major boost in power. The Wind Rune users. It seems somehow wrong, though. I dungeon entrances. As you wander, a teleports you from town to town. The Star wish the game had seven slots for saved crystal ball shows you little radar blips of Rune doubles your defensive power in com- games, so I could try out each of the seven monsters, which you can try to avoid, bat. The Water Rune heals you of damage. different heroes simultaneously. though eventually they’ll track you down. Once you’ve accumulated several Runes, To teach yourself The 7th Saga, open the Combat is rather stylized. You see your- you’ll wonder how you ever survived without map enclosed in the box. The map itself is self from behind with the monster(s) in them. In fact, on the rare occasions you lose a nearly useless, since it displays no cities or front. The monsters chivalrously always Rune (always to one of your six rivals), you’ll dungeons. However, on the map back give you the first move in the sequence. be so depressed I predict you’ll restart from a you’ll find descriptions of the spells and After that, everyone takes turns, though saved game rather than suffer the ignominy magical items, which are good to know,

58 JANUARY 1994 clueless. (Quick! What does “HPCTCHER” Beholder style game, with a first-person between experience, money, and gems. make you think of?) Then start wandering view. Your characters’ faces are displayed To cast spells, you spend Spell Points, around. along one screen edge, and access to a which are generated by magic-using charac- The game isn’t bad, but it has one fairly separate screen shows what your charac- ters. All the really good spells also require serious flaw. I was stumped several times ters carry. gems, which can be found in large quantities and could not continue. Unlike some The graphics for Xeen are adequate. throughout the world and, like money, games, when you’re stumped in The 7th They’re nothing spectacular, but they get represent an economic limitation that is Saga, there’s almost nothing you can do the job done. They do have one great never really a threat except very early in the except wander aimlessly while fighting virtue that I wish more games emulated; game. The game in general seems to suffer monsters until the solution comes to you they are quite funny sometimes. When from inflation. There are monsters who or you find a city. In other words, the one of your characters is poisoned, he deliver hundreds of points of damage, and game experience is broken up with - doesn’t just turn green, or have a little who possess tens of thousands of hit points. ods of tedium. If you demand fun during skull-and-crossbones appear by his name. Sometimes I had the feeling I was playing in every moment of playing a game, The 7th He crosses his eyes, gags, and even inflates a Monty Haul campaign run by a precocious Saga is probably not your cup of tea. his cheeks. Maybe I’m easily amused, but twelve-year-old. So far, ENIX has produced consistently the gritty, grim world of most computer There are lots of folks to talk to in the interesting game ideas, with good but role-playing games can use all the humor it towns (and outside them). Some sell you inconsistent game play. I look forward to can get. When you smack a monster, he stuff, some give hints, some give experi- their next release, Actraiser II. always reacts in a satisfyingly pained ence points or money if you’ve solved manner, too, sticking out his tongue, cross- their quest. Game tips ing his legs, etc. I love it. Many of the There are also plenty of monsters, magi- 1. When you come into a strange town graphics might be considered a bit car- cal items, and spells. In fact, this game has for the first time, look in every nook and toony by some people, but I don’t mind it all, though it does have some rather cranny. Often chests with valuable prizes that. The sound was also fine, if once peculiar items such as quartz boots, leath- are there for the taking. Not every town again nothing worth stopping the presses er swords, and wooden plate armor. The has these, but they’re nice when you find for. The digitized sound was excellent, magical items are just as puzzling. I pon- them. Don’t worry about the guys who clearly audible and understandable even dered for a long time as to whether a order you off the premises—they never do using terrible IBM beepatronics. seething sabre was preferable to a toxic anything. In theory, there is an overriding quest in helm, and whether I really dared put on 2. When you‘re fighting a magic-using Xeen. However, you soon lose track of the the toxic helm in the first place. (Despite monster that is tough to beat, and you pos- uber -quest because you must continually its ominous name, it proved to protect me sess the MPCTCHER spell, cast that spell as go on scores of little missions. This is fine, against poison.) often as possible. The foe often responds by because there are enough of these mis- Saving and loading games is painless and casting MPCTCHER in return, which means sions to keep you occupied for many easy. The only real disadvantage here is he’s not damaging you. Soon he’ll be worn hours. You must wander cross-country, rid that the saved games are colossal in size: down, out of magic, and easy meat. towns of pestiferous monsters, explore 380K for Dark Side of Xeen, and 280K for 3. To beat Pison, the bounty hunter, buy sewers, dig up gems, seek Monga Melons, Clouds of Xeen. If you’re playing both as many healing potions as you can. In the and traverse Cloud Paths. games together in the World of Xeen, both first round of combat, cast a Defense spell, Combat is simple. You can see the mon- games are saved at once, for a grand total use a bottle of defense, or something sters coming from some ways ahead, so of 660K per saved game! similar. When he hits you, drink a potion you can shoot missiles or cast spells before So far, the game sounds pretty good. Is to heal your wounds. When he misses, they close with you. Of course, they can there anything wrong with it? Sadly, yes. smack him with your attacks. He never do the same if they have those capabilities. Xeen is primitive, technically speaking. heals, so as long as you can keep his Once the monsters are at hand, your party Your travel is shown in the old-fashioned colossally-damaging attacks from knocking members take turns wailing on them, and bit-mapped jerky movement used in the you too low, you can beat him. By the time the monsters politely wait their turns, too. early games. you meet Red Pison, you should have two It’s a bit of a relief to outnumber the mon- The mouse movement is quite sluggish, party members—the guy Pison hits can sters for a change—in Xeen your party always trailing behind. Xeen’s keyboard heal while the other guy whacks away. contains six members, while the number interface is good and covers almost every- of monsters is only two or three. thing you need, but it’s still no speed de- MIGHT & MAGIC: THE WORLD OF Solving the little quests of Xeen usually mon. As you travel across the wilderness, XEEN *** produces both money and experience you are frequently halted while the game (comprising CLOUDS OF XEEN and DARK points, sometimes in stunningly huge accesses your hard disk for an ungodly SIDE OF XEEN) quantities (I got 50,000 points just for length of time. Then, you are often IBM compatibles New World Computing figuring out a word puzzle). You also get thrown into instant combat by the appear- Designed and directed by: Jon Van titles, such as “Fed Nibbler” or “Taste Test- ance of a previously unseen monster, Caneghem er Royale.” They may lack grandeur, but I unseen because you have just crossed Programmed by: Mark Caldwell, Dave was tickled to earn them. When you get some invisible barrier. Whenever you Hathaway enough experience points, you must find a enter one of the major dungeons, you Computer graphics: Jonathon P. Gwyn, town and train your characters. This is must watch a time-consuming animation. Bonnie Long-Hemsath, Julia Ulano, one way to spend your cash. Buying It’s fun the first time, but you can’t short- Ricardo Barrera, Louis Johnson swords and armor is another way, but you cut it. can usually find better weapons out in the Another egregious problem with Xeen is Clouds of‘ Xeen and Dark Side of Xeen are wild than you can buy in town Purchas- the automap feature. I applaud the fact a pair of games that can be linked together ing spells eats up a little cash, as does that the game has one, but this has got to to make up what New World Computing buying skills. In general, however, you’ll be one of the worst automaps in the histo- titles the World of Xeen. If vou remember find yourself accumulating more money ry of computer gaming. It shows you only the good old Might & Magic game, these are than you know how to spend. That’s not the terrain you have directly marched the fourth and fifth games in that series. particularly good, but I guess it’s better over and has few details (outdoors is the Clouds is the first of the two, but is not than being dirt-poor all the time. But I best for seeing details-inside dungeons is noticeably inferior to Dark Side. have to admit that it felt like the game’s the worst). If you want to get an idea of

DRAGON 59

what an area looks like from above, you FACEBALL: 2000 ** primitive. If you’re next to a wall when a must painstakingly wander over every Super Nintendo Bulletproof Software shot hits you, the wall flashes out of exist- square inch of it, so it can be mapped. The ence for a second. The visible world out- automap covers only a very small area, so Faceball: 2000 is a little 3-D game in side the maze is less than impressive, you can’t use it to locate things that are which you wander through a simple maze, compared to what many other Super some distance away. I guess the designers ambushing and slaying enemy Happy Nintendo games have had. thought you’d use the map enclosed in the Faces. This might not seem like much at Even the play of this exceedingly simple game for that. Ah well. first. The fact is, it isn’t. game could use a boost. For instance, To make up for the automap, your char- You must kill 10 baddies on each level when you kill a monster, a new one pops acters receive a list of all the quests they before progressing to the next stage, in. That’s okay, but sometimes they pop in are currently on, which removes much of which you do by walking over a green right on top of you, giving you no chance the need for the nice big pad of paper spot on the floor. As you progress through to fight back. I prefer to lose a game be- enclosed in the game box for you to make the levels, the happy faces get tougher, cause I’m incompetent, not because the notes on. I hesitate to provide game tips shoot at you, bounce, etc. When you kill game hosed me. for Xeen, because these games also have one happy face, a new one appears. Some the fattest hint manuals I’ve hefted—over faces flash on and off, signifying that they 250 pages for Dark Side alone! The games contain a power-up. This also indicates weren’t so tough that I felt the manuals that they are a lot harder to kill, which Resubscribe! were absolutely essential (which is a plus), poses a real problem if they are but if you want to know every detail of (a fast-moving creature that chases you Check your mailing label. If it’s time to the quests so you don’t miss anything, you and tries to slam into you). resubscribe, fill out the reply card might want to pick them up. The 3-D animation is quite slow-moving. inside this magazine, or write your In summary, this is a fun game afflicted You can get power-ups to increase your name and address on a sheet of pa- with stunted programming. I recommend speed, but I see no excuse for starting you per, then send it along with your pay- Xeen with reservations. If you’re the impa- out in such a poor condition. The big ment to: tient sort who is unwilling to put up with round pellets you shoot are slow, and DRAGON® Magazine lagging cursors, lengthy disk accesses, and obscure your vision when fired. If you’re P.O. Box 5695 relatively crude animation techniques, you in a hot spot and must shoot a lot, you’re Boston MA 02206 may not want Xeen. Nonetheless, Xeen blinded for most of the action. It’s rather teems with clever and original ideas, and it frustrating. DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc. ©1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. is a nice big world chock full of cool stuff. The 3-D perspective is also somewhat

62 JANUARY 1994

©1993 by Allen Varney Trailblazers

I did not throw a rock in the Exhibition * RPG by but dormant super-hero genre. Another Hall of the 1993 GEN CON® Game Fair. I Christopher Kubasik, and Louis Prosperi marks the auspicious debut of a new kind could not find a rock in downtown Mil- ($30); new games and supplements from of game, not an RPG but fascinating any- waukee. Had I found one and sent it hur- West End, Avalon Hill, Chaosium, and TSR. way. As long as talented designers and tling across that cavernous room, though, The flood will keep gamers playing for adventurous publishers keep bringing out the rock likely would have bounced off a months or years to come. trailblazing products like these, I won't couple of gamers and hit a brand new Several designs leave the comfortable want to throw rocks. role-playing game: Stewart Wieck's MAGE* ruts of the hobby and set off in new direc- storytelling game (White Wolf, $25); FASA's tions. One tries valiantly to revive the all- Photography by Charles Kohl

64 January 1994 UNDERGROUND * game soldiers, but the process tends to drive You choose a psychosis during the design 256-page full-color softcover rulebook subjects insane. The remedy: Slumberland, a process. Then, when your character’s MGI/ Inc. $25 virtual reality wherein soldiers adjust to accumulated Stress from combat or power Design: their enhancements in a simplistic comic- use exceeds the listed Tolerance, you start Layout and graphics: Mari Paz Cabardo book environment. making Will rolls each turn to avoid wig- Cover: Geof Darrow (color artist: Florence Emerging from Slumberland, the sol- ging out. The UNDERGROUND game gives Breton) diers serve a six-year hitch straight out of and it takes away, dramatically reducing Interior illustrations: Corey Barba, Peter Apocalypse Now. The corps then discard its super-heroes to fallible mortal status. Chung, Geof Darrow, Glenn Kim, Ed the exhausted vets on the streets of Los Boosted veterans have a wide range of Lee, Rob McLees, Juan Ramirez Angeles, in a nation of heavy weaponry, effectiveness, indicating potential game- Photography: Paul Kozal licensed terrorists, Tastee Ghoul cannibal balance problems, and most characters fast food, commercials in Constitutional rate as weak siblings of super-heroes in In 1993 America has more nuclear amendments, and actively malign govern- other games. After 45 minutes and $20 bombs, more firearms, more prisoners, ment by the Plutocrats. (Darryl Gates, million, my intelligence operative, X. Ray- and far more lawyers, both in raw num- former Los Angeles police commissioner, mond Spex, had lots of neat hyper-senses bers and per capita, than any nation in served as president, 2012-20, with radio but would blow over in a stiff wind. Trans- history. Do you feel safe? Every year For- host Rush Limbaugh as his vice president.) lation to the CHAMPIONS* game produced tune 500 corporations make more money, Unexpectedly, the Slumberland program- a point base for Ray around 115 and a cost and the Gross Domestic Product rises. Do ming has caused some vets to “view life as a of 66 points-strikingly wimpy. That said, you feel prosperous? The media fill your strugge between forces of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. the UNDERGROUND system encourages home with more TV channels, books, Because the American government of 2021 characters with detailed personalities and magazines, and news than ever. Do you has more in common with the four-color behavior, a much more effective path to feel informed? master criminals than any other institution role-playing fun than any list of big-ticket If you do, you won’t in 30 years. “To the of the modern world, the vets decided the powers. alert observer, the world of 2021 is clearly government was evil and lashed out” (page If you seek a conventional super-heroic a cold and dreary rat trap dominated by 234). They formed the Underground, the RPG, look elsewhere. The UNDERGROUND violent men and women who shoot or movement that in all likelihood your player background plays against the popular foreclose first and ask questions later. The character (PC) supports. perception of super heroes, and its rules death of the [American] dream gave birth Rules: The UNDERGROUND game uses support this subversion. Taken on its own to a nightmare.” So begins the UNDER- a bare-bones version of MGI’s DC HE- terms, however, this stands as Winninger’s GROUND game. ROES* game system. The DC Attribute best design yet. (I discuss his greatest Production values: This game’s Points here become Units, measuring innovation, the Parameters rules, below.) graphics and print quality so obviously everything measurable but on a lower Too bad the text’s tutorial approach, as establish the industry benchmark that I power scale than its predecessor. DC’s opposed to a reference model, scatters feel silly saying it. At the GEN CON Game Action and Results Tables give way to a important rules and tables everywhere. It Fair, editors from other companies looked simple, but somewhat awkward system of makes the game a snap to learn but a overwhelmed and disquieted, like high Challenges: 2d10 rolls that earn school- nuisance to use. Plus, we don’t get an jumpers viewing a bar set dismayingly type letter or “Pass/Fail” grades to indicate index! Shame! high. “We took advantage of our desktop- success levels. Attitude: The UNDERGROUND game publishing software in ways that other Basic and bloody combat rules fill 20 strikes a posture of angry revolt from the companies maybe hadn’t realized," said pages, a spartan showing by super-heroic first page. The credits invoke memories of designer Ray Winninger. No kidding! A standards. Fans of detailed combat, or of the Watergate and -Contra scandals, thick rulebook printed entirely on glossy the high survivability typical of four-color the King assassination, and the execution stock (price: $25), with beautiful full color comics, may want to retrofit the game of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. One promo- on every page except the character sheet background to their favorite system. tional ad for the game ran along the lines made every other game (and game- Character creation better displays the of “Not just a game, but a blueprint for company executive) at the show look, game’s originality. Finicky super-hero revolution.” I almost expected, or dreaded, literally, pale. gamers accustomed to total control of a work genuinely engaged in the political Winninger, well known as a freelancer character design must shift mental gears process. The idea sounded intriguing, but with many credits for the DC HEROES* here, for the UNDERGROUND game does political activism does not make for good and * games among others, now not aim for optimum wish fulfillment. entertainment. runs the role-playing arm of Mayfair Instead, boosted characters can’t know for In any event, my worries proved moot. Games, MGI. He and a talented team have sure what powers they get, and their Insofar as it names names at all, the UN- brought a new vision to the Chicago com- fragile psyches constantly threaten to DERGROUND game casts as the murderers pany. It shows at many points in the UN- crack. of the American dream pretty much the DERGROUND game, from the trademark An involving system casts you as person- same group as the most empty-headed sensory-overload cover by Geof Darrow nel planner for a conflict corporation. You Hollywood thriller: faceless megacorpora- (of Hard Boiled fame) to the photo collages, engineer your boosted soldier with a $20 tions, corrupt politicians, and rich white to Mari Paz Cabardo’s distinctive page million budget for recruitment, enhance- guys. In other words, it shoots fish in a layout, to Winninger’s offbeat subject and ment, and psychotherapy. Pay well for a barrel. Whatever your political leanings, approach. good surgeon to install the chosen en- you need not fear this game offends them. Background: Borrowing heavily from hancements, for otherwise a bad die roll The text even follows that most exacting popular graphic novels like , could reduce or change the soldier’s abili- recent fashion of Political Correctness, the Miracleman (originally published in the ties. Choose from a relatively short list of replacement of “he” with “she” as the United Kingdom as Marvelman), and Mar- enhancements that includes only those generic third-person pronoun. Winninger, shall Law, the UNDERGROUND game uses a with remote scientific plausibility: not who wrote the game’s prefatory benedic- satiric backdrop to redefine the conventional Flight, for instance, but “Flight Control” tion, “Y’all go out and make some trouble,” super-hero image. In 2021 the government that lets you pilot jet harnesses. may not recognize the irony. contracts out its dirty little Third-World wars Most enhancements produce Stress, a But don’t think the game’s lack of politi- to militant “conflict firms” like Allied May- commodity something like Sanity in cal grounding implies a lack of attitude. hem. These corporations use alien technolo- Chaosium’s CALL OF CTHULHU* game or Unlike many RPGs that just give rules for gy to create “boosted” super-powered Humanity in White Wolf’s VAMPIRE* RPG. creating characters and fighting, then cut

DRAGON 65 PCs loose with no idea what to do, the peals to me, whereas the recent Hero MAGIC * THE GATHERING UNDERGROUND rulebook admirably Games’ CHAMPIONS* supplement Dark game emphasizes its characters’ stories and Champions earned my scorn (“Role-Playing 300 coated full-color 2½ × 3½” cards campaign goals. Nominally catering to a Reviews, ”#197). An attempt to reclaim Garfield Games/ wide variety of interests, it offers several democracy by rebuilding the Parameters Deck of 60 cards $7.95 campaign premises. It says you can fight of the American dream makes ethical 15-card “booster pack” $2.45 crime as vigilantes or cops. It says you can sense. Design: join an organized crime syndicate or work Expanding on this theme, Winninger Paintings: Rob Alexander, Julie Baroh, as a corporate mercenary, insofar as these claims important differences between the Melissa Benson, Kev Brockschmidt, differ. But you don’t have to read far be- UNDERGROUND game and its closest Cornelius Brudi, Sandra Everingham, tween the lines to recognize that the book model, the Epic comic series Marshall Dan Frazier, Daniel Gelon, Quinton promotes one goal: overthrowing the Law. Both star super-soldier street people Hoover, Fay Jones, Anson Maddocks, American government. in a darkly humorous future, but Win- Jeff A. Menges, Jesper Myrfors, Mark Now, the text never says this in so many ninger says Marshall Law depicts “the Poole, Christopher Rush, Andi Rusu, words. Good thing, too; courts have al- absolute idiocy and futility of heroes. [It Douglas Schuler, Brian Snoddy, Ron ways held that First Amendment guaran- says] ‘These guys are getting you nowhere. Spencer, Mark Tedin, Richard Thomas, tees of free speech do not cover sedition. That anyone can really change anything is Drew Tucker, Tom Wanerstrand, Amy (Would a fictitious context keep writers not the case.’ ” In contrast, the UNDER- Weber, Dameon Willich out of trouble? Who wants to find out?) GROUND game argues that “heroes can But the game makes the world of 2021 so change things. If you abandon the idea of Throughout the GEN CON Game Fair bleak that any self-respecting characters a hero, you’re abandoning the idea of people clustered three deep around the should want to fix it. The way they do it morality altogether. Wizards of the Coast (WotC) table, craning highlights the game’s best design feature. “The American concept of heroes is to see the ongoing demonstrations of this Parameters: “To help the [game mas- ridiculous, but the concept in general isn’t. game. Everywhere I went I saw someone ter] chart the vets’ progress, we’ve created UNDERGROUND heroes are more like playing it. In discussing it, some players seven special categories known as Parame- those of other cultures,” such as King showed reserved admiration, others en- ters that the GM can use to monitor the Arthur or Japanese heroes. Unlike mythol- thusiasm, but body language told more current state of 2021 society” (page 245). ogized American icons, they don’t always than words. Everyone hunched forward The Parameters rate Wealth, Safety, Gov- make the right choice and do exactly the intently, the way you do in deep discus- ernment Purity, and so on from 1 (abys- right thing. “Frequently they’re their own sions of politics or religion. Onlookers and mal) to 20 (superb). In most respects the worst enemies.” Later supplements set in devoted fans alike felt compelled to grap- US in 2021 ranks really low, but by spend- 2021 China and Germany (now called Neo- ple with the idea of this game. It achieved ing Reward Points earned in adventures, Deutschland and ruled by the Church of more than just a commercial hit; it rede- PCs can adjust the Parameters to quantify Scientology) will examine how the heroic fined gamers’ perspectives on their hobby. their effect on the campaign. Interesting ideal differs in other cultures. To put it in strict anthropological terms, it rules set different costs for the scope of Evaluation: Black-humored satire? worked magic. effect, interrelate the Parameters in fasci- Political activism? Compassionate examina- The MAGIC*: THE GATHERING card nating ways, and tie the whole idea to tion of the plight of veterans? The UNDER- game, the trailblazer in what may become adventures that the players can suggest to GROUND game tries all three. Winninger an entire industry category, combines card the GM. correctly calls its varied approach “the game rules with trading card collectibility. This appealing take on campaign values game’s greatest strength and its greatest Each deck gives you a unique random never loses sight of its purpose: to create weakness.” Despite its super-hero trap- assortment of 60 cards from the 300 avail- entertaining stories. The Parameters give a pings, the game should appeal less to fans able, some common and others quite rare. GM ready-made scenario ideas, bring the of four-color comics than to gamers seek- Each card, individually named, represents players in on that process, and let every- ing a darkly colored, absurdist back- a magical creature, item, or effect, beauti- one easily track the state of the union— ground for near-future adventure. Get fully painted by one of two dozen artists. what a great idea! ready to redefine your definitions of hero- In the game you and your opponent be- 7% overthrow the government, PCs have ism, and maybe redefine some rules along come wizards and, each using your own to spend tons of points and develop a the way, and you’ll find the UNDER- deck, cast these spells at each other in a careful plan. The Underground represents GROUND game a unique, visionary, trail- duel. Play five kinds of terrain cards a whole range of approaches, and not all blazing experience. (mountain, swamp, plains, forest, and of them come from Coup d’Etat: A Practi- Support plans : MGI’s aggressive island) and “tap” them to gain five colors cal Handbook. United but factionalized, schedule emphasizes supplements that not of magical energy, or . Spend mana Underground members range from politi- only give background detail, but also de- to cast spells, energize items, and summon cal pundits with sophisticated agendas to scribe the conventions of some sub-genre creatures. The first player to remove all vets who, as Winninger puts it, “subcon- suited to the locale. For instance, the Steel the opponent’s life points wins and—the sciously believe that if they go to Washing- Deep sourcebox for the Luna colony offers killing stroke—earns a one-card ante from ton and beat up the president, they’ll find adventures of science-fictional discovery. the loser’s deck. the real president tied up in a closet.” Others include Streets Tell Stories (the Los In your first few games you feel your The UNDERGROUND game “was created Angeles campaign box), a Washington D.C. way around the system. By trading with to allow you to tell stories that examine set, and a field manual for Allied Mayhem other players and buying new cards, you the nature of heroism and how it relates soldiers. The Underground Notebook, a start to customize your deck to achieve to culture. . . . Your stories should concen- three-ring binder of 180 loose-leaf pages particular effects. Good strategy calls for trate on allowing the players to explore by the ubiquitous Nigel Findley, covers concentration on one or two colors of what it is like to change their environment many topics about the world of 2021; later magic, and for a fast buildup in strength and how such changes affect society” products will include replacement pages to once play begins. You might specialize in (page 241). The game’s background suits keep the binder current. summoning creatures and augmenting this theme, for both refute the American their strength (an idea one playtester heroic ideal. Note, however, that heroism achieved in a notorious “Deck of Sooner itself still finds a worthy place in the game. Than Instant Death”), or in a straightfor- The thematic underpinning helps justify ward offense of Red magic, or in some why this allegedly “seditious” game ap- subtle stack of esoteric effects. For in-

66 JANUARY 1994 stance, WotC president wizards would approach a duel. “What out my usually invincible Plague Rat Deck. described a deck that forced the opponent does that guy have up his sleeve?” “Whoa, Luck plays a great part in any duel, espe- to draw lots of cards, then used a rare I had no idea you could do that!” With 300 cially in the need for both spell cards and spell to inflict damage based on the oppo- different spells, play balance becomes (brilliant!) the lands to power them. If you nent’s number of cards! circumstantial. draw too many of one type, you won’t The issue naturally arises: Can you buy The MAGIC game requires a medium-to- stand a chance against a lucky opponent just one deck and realistically face a well- large league of players to bring out its with a balanced hand. However, over the heeled player with a deck customized magic. Fortunately, its low entry price, long run a good tailored deck beats a from half a dozen packs? Or even, heaven simplicity, and quick play make this easier random one, so start trading. (By the way, forfend, one of the narrowly specialized to achieve. It makes an ideal choice for if you have any Plague Rats to trade, get in “degenerate” decks drawn from many, conventions or lunch hours. Its drawbacks touch with me.) many packs? Designer Richard Garfield, a seem minor beside its groundbreaking The social context: You know what professor of combinatorial math, insists achievement. really interests me about this game? The you can play from strength with a random Support plans: WotC plans aggressive local group has plenty of cards and, deck straight from the box. He should support, or exploitation, of the MAGIC among them, many uncommon and rare know, inasmuch as he playtested for two idea and the DECKMASTER* line it engen- ones. Owning a large number of different years, but my experience contradicts this. dered. An expansion set, a factory set of cards seems to confer an odd, unspoken Still, I believe you could assemble a strong all the cards, and a complete second game status. So does ownership of a particular deck by shrewd trading of spares from a (The Ice Age ) will appear by the time you rare card that no one else owns. Because single deck. In any case, the game requires read this or shortly thereafter. The compa- every deck contains rare cards, this means two decks, so you have to buy two if you ny also plans licensed DECKMASTER a neophyte can buy one MAGIC deck and expect to play against undecked friends. games based on R. Talsorian’s CYBERPUNK acquire instant stature among these long- Also, once an opponent assembles an 2020* game, White Wolf’s VAMPIRE* time players. “Wow, he’s got a Lord of the unbeatable degenerate deck, everyone game, and others (maybe even the UNDER- Pit!” This seems to me something new in stops playing against it, and the player has GROUND game, reviewed above). Look for the gaming subculture, another sign of the to retire it. Natural selection triumphs. a house magazine, . Write for a game’s pioneering nature. [Editor’s Note: For more on this topic, see catalog to Wizards of the Coast, P.O. Box The Wizards respond: The mega-hit the postscript for this column.] 707, Renton WA 98057-0707. caught Garfield Games and Wizards of the This game/trading card idea has floated Will WotC establish a lasting category or Coast (WotC) off-guard. They now plan a around the field for years. Peter Olotka, co- a quick fad? No one can say. But we who second edition, with gray borders to re- designer of the * haven’t yet blazed our own trails can feel place the first edition’s black, as well as , described it to me in 1979. Yet vicarious excitement in watching where the supplements mentioned above. The making it work fell to Garfield and Wizards others lead. expansion set, Arabian Nights, with 70 of the Coast, the small Seattle company best new cards should be available buy the known for The Primal Ortier and the TA- Postscript: The MAGIC time you read this. February, 1994, sees LISLANTA* RPG lines. With simple rules and Phenomenon the publication of Antiquities, with 70 playing time under an hour, the MAGIC I wrote the above review of the MAGIC: more new cards including many artifacts. game emulates COSMIC and such other THE GATHERING trading card game short- In April, a 300-card expansion set, Leg- classics as Tom Jolly’s WIZ-WAR* game, ly after its release at the GEN CON Game ends, introduces new rules for heroic freewheeling designs that loose a blizzard of Fair. I wanted to help promote this sharp characters. Summer brings the licensed effects and then sail elegantly through them, little game so it didn’t get neglected. Huh! VAMPIRE: THE JIHAD* game, based upon changing everything that anyone can do at Maybe next I’ll publicize the Statue of White Wolfs role-playing system. Fall will every step. Unlike those games, unlike any Liberty, the Moon, gravity, and other feature another licensed game, the game to date, the MAGIC game shows its neglected phenomena. MIDDLE-EARTH * role-playing DECKMAS- virtues best in a league or informal group of As I write this postscript, about six TER* game. WotC staffer also deck owners. No wonder they call it “The weeks after the game’s release, the MAGIC has plans to make The Duelist magazine a Gathering”! game has attracted legions of instant fa- slick full-color bimonthly. Assessment of a trailblazing product natics. The decks have sold out every- WotC shows greater savvy of the on-line calls for a slight adjustment of reviewing where. Retailers frantically await a information services than any other game standards. For example, I might carp at follow-up shipment of millions of cards. I company, except perhaps Steve Jackson the conflicting priorities of games and know lots of gamers who play the game Games. It has its own node (wizards.com) trading card sets, as seen in the two differ- long into the night, and weigh trade offers on the Internet computer network, which ent illustrations of each terrain type. In a the way home buyers study mortgage features a fast-growing newsgroup de- game you want just one picture for each contracts. I wonder what these junkies did voted to the MAGIC game that currently type, to avoid confusing players. Likewise, before the game appeared; probably the draws over 100 messages a day. The news- gratuitous background text on some cards junkies wonder too. group also offers a “Frequently Asked improves collectibility but distracts during Yes, if you must know, I have become a Questions” (FAQ) file and an unofficial list play. However, the breakthrough into a junkie myself. The review above fails to of all the cards. Official representatives of new game category makes these objections highlight the game’s addictive quality, WotC also monitor CompuServe and Illumi- captious. The MAGIC game succeeds well which clicks in when you appreciate the nati On-line. in unexpected and pleasing ways. Forgive diverse strategies you can pursue in tailor- it a few rough edges, and applaud its ing your deck or decks; you may create Short & sweet sensational originality. decks for different situations, like a golfer RM2 , by Bruce Nesmith Evaluation: A review of the MAGIC choosing irons. These decks display fasci- (TSR, $6.95). I quite like this AD&D® game necessarily falls short in important nating contrasts keyed to the colors and ® one-shot for its chilling ways. I haven’t seen all the cards, maybe creatures they use, and to the players who premise, elegant craft, and atmospheric not even half of them, and therefore can’t use them. The MAGIC game seems to staging. In summary it sounds spartan: speak knowledgeably about play balance bring out the designer in every player. Characters of levels 2-4 attend a festival in and the like. But this seems part of the Still, I must retract the comment above a village right out of Pinocchio. It drifts game’s virtue. It creates a real fog of infor- that a fresh random deck can’t stand into the demiplane of Ravenloft, killer mation, a wariness between players that against a customized opponent. I found marionettes cause trouble, and the charac- no doubt simulates the way two rival my error when a casual new player wiped ters must use their wits to escape a creepy

DRAGON 67 situation. When they do, they win. Not $16/4 issues in the U.S., $24/4 issues else- evidence for the line’s rejuvenation. That much there for seven dollars, true, but the where, to Pagan Publishing, 403A N. 8th longtime joke of the Champions Universe, execution (as it were) makes the differ- St., Columbia MO 65201. Back issues $4 the VIPER villain agency, here gets help ence. Nesmith, one of TSR’s most talented each + $5 from Chaosium, 950-A from two talented authors in the form of staffers, shines in this introductory adven- 56th St., Oakland CA 94608.) improved organization, bases around the ture. It should have come in the Pagan has begun ambitious support for world, an arsenal of high-tech equipment, RAVENLOFT boxed set! CoC, including the lighthearted CREATURES over 50 super-villains and agents, a “Ran- & CULTISTS* card game (which I’ve not dom Villainy Generator,” and an unusual Pagan Publishing: “Plotting the seen) and, more recently, Grace Under Pres- and incredibly powerful Supreme Serpent. downfall of humanity since 1990.” Speak- sure (32 pages plus cardstock inserts, $5.95). Scenarios include the venerable “VIPER’s ing of horror, Chaosium’s CALL OF Handsomely reissued after its debut in the Nest,” finally revised for the CHAMPIONS CTHULHU game (CoC) has spawned the out-of-print Oath #2, this cool Cthulhu Now game’s fourth edition. The usual editing best one-game support magazine I’ve ever adventure calls for two Keepers, eight play- and proofreading errors show up in force, seen: The Unspeakable Oath. This 80-page ers, eight penlights, three cassette tapes, and but otherwise this supplement rejuvenates wonder crawls forth quarterly from Pagan two walkie-talkies. The pre-generated PCs VIPER well enough to keep a four-color Publishing, a small Columbia, Missouri head 1500 feet down under the Pacific campaign busy for a year. company-more accurately, one talented Ocean in an experimental minisub. There and energetic guy named John Tynes. they find—well, you can fit the whole plot in MORE COSMIC ENCOUNTER (Mayfair Fascinating features, columns, letters, and a few words, but the module’s attention to Games, $35). I had a very minor part in huge amounts of period source material staging, pace, and handouts (including a playtesting this expansion set for the May- (which is sorely lacking in Chaosium’s own “Flee-O-Meter”) make this intense, high- fair edition of the brilliant COSMIC EN- support for CoC), unsettlingly illustrated pressure fun. COUNTER game, so I cannot review it. Let by Blair Reynolds and others, make this Of course you’ve spent years looking for this serve as an objective notice that May- magazine an Elder Godsend for both Keep- handmade Great Cthulhu plush dolls. Your fair has now brought back all the old Eon ers and players. Learn the price for a quest ends at Pagan Publishing, which expansion material, including the rest of ticket on the Orient Express that got left sells them in your choice of color for $20 the original 75 Alien Powers and revised out of the 200-plus-page Horror on the postpaid ($26 outside the US) from the rules for Moons and Lucre, plus new Orient Express, and discover why Cthulhu Columbia address above. special cards and 26 new powers, ranging Now investigators prize their cellular from the excellent Wraith and Sting to the phones above all other possessions. All VIPER, by Scott Bennie and Cliff Chris- egregious Serpent, Spiff, and Berserker. issues give great value, but especially tiansen (Hero Games, $20). This arrived (Oops! So much for objectivity. Forget I check out issues #6 and #7 with “CoC 5½,” too late for my survey of recent CHAMPI- said anything.) supplementary rules and background for ONS game products (see DRAGON® issue By the way, do you know how many CoC’s recent fifth edition. (Subscriptions #197), else it would have offered further COSMIC ENCOUNTER players it takes to screw in a light bulb? Answer: “I’ll do it, I’ve got the Electrician power!” “Cosmic Zap! I’m playing the Utility Company Edict, so I’ll change the bulb.” “Hah, I’ve got the Wild Filch Flare! I’m taking your Edict and using it myself.” “Edict Zap! I occupy the Light-Bulb Moon, so I’ll do it!” “Oh yeah? Well, watch this . . .”

Free-lancer Allen Varney recently collab- orated with fantasist Don Webb on a book of legends for FASA’s EARTHDAWN game, due this May. His reviews and articles appear regularly in DRAGON® Magazine.

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR, inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by the companies producing those products. The use of the name of any product without mention of its trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.

Check-Your Mailing Label! If it’s time to resubscribe, fill out the reply card inside this magazine, or simply write your name and address on a sheet of paper, then send it along with your payment to: DRAGON® Magazine P.O. Box 5695 Boston MA 02206 DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc. ©1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

68 JANUARY 1994

facility for creating libraries of entities that can breasts larger than their heads—unless, of Forum be reused. In fact, we plan to supply a wide course, they are in one of these illustrations. Continued from page 55 range of libraries to users, since library items I can find no reason for these things other can serve as raw rnaterial upon which to cus- than the needless exploitation of the female This is the first program I have found that tomize. CARTOGRAFIX allows users to print body. If, however, I am mistaken, I would invite allowed anyone to create great maps the first maps in a wide range of sizes. We will offer anyone to reply to my letter within this publica- time you start the program. AW allows the user printing services for users who want full-color tion. Unless this can be done, I ask that game to create almost any game world with the basic or large-format maps but don’t have access to producers reconsider the way they handle terrain types: trees, mountains, hills, towers, the appropriate hardware. illustrating women. towns, castles, stairs, doors, treasure, space I could continue, but I hope this gives you and Amy Jones stations, asteroids, stars, planets (that can dou- your readers a flavor for what CARTOGRAFIX Oklahoma City OK ble as tables), earth, air, water, fire, direction can do. The capabilities mentioned above repre- arrows, pits, arches, swamps, and even debris. sent only a fraction of the features designed into I wholeheartedly agree with Amaryllis Roy Digital Alchemy has other add-on terrain packs the basic architecture; additional features will (DRAGON issue #189) and the anonymous TSR that will increase anyone’s map-creating abili- be added in subsequent releases. We realize that employee who objected to many of the depic- ties, with Natural Caverns, Arms & Equipment, running under Windows may initially be unpop- tions of women in TSR products. In far too and Modern Military terrain packs. ular with some users, but it does allow us to many products (one is far too many), women You can print a “master” map that is a 50 X 50 support a very graphics-intense product over a are objectified and denigrated in the artwork. It hex or rectangular grid, or you can opt to print huge number of machines and peripherals. is an affront and an injury to women, and an the same map on four pages where the grid is Finally, I want to mention that we will fully embarrassment to the hobby and gamers. 25 X 25 per sheet (for the players). You also can support people who would like to develop entity What makes this situation even more tragic is print the map at 25 pages with a 10 X 10 grid libraries for sale, as well as other software the fact that, as fantasy games, AD&D and D&D (great for miniatures)! At the larger scale, the user developers who would like to use the package products can offer a world beyond our own— can create his own markers by gluing that portion as the foundation for their own role-playing and beyond its sexism. The DRAGONL,ANCE® of the map to foam board and cutting it out. support software. novels are a step in the right direction. If drag- The maps can be printed in gray-scale or in Anybody who would like more information ons can breathe fire, female characters don’t color, if the user has a color printer. This option can write us: SILICON DRAGON Inc., 1756 need to bow to our stereotypes. As the TSR is great for the larger-scale maps. Plymouth Road, Suite 2001, Ann Arbor MI employee points out, some of TSR’s best-selling I know of a few people who like to number 48105-2141; send us Email on CompuServe at products don’t have “exploited” women on their their hexes or have numbered squares; this also 71564,754, or on the Internet at dragon@sdra- covers. Mature gamers are looking for quality can be done. Adding text to a hex or square is gon.com; or FAX us at (313) 973-0922. products, not skin. TSR can help sexist and also possible. Christopher M. Cameron-Carey immature players become non-sexist and ma- AW is perfect for those DMs who either don’t President and Engineering Director ture by including representations of women have the time to fuss with making maps by Silicon Dragon, Inc. who wear real armor and do real things (like hand or think they do not have what it takes to rescue princes from dragons). create good maps. Instead of making one map Several contributors in DRAGON issue #196’s Based on my experience (and simple common for the players and then having to copy it again “Forum” touched on the subject of house rules, sense), there would be many more female for the DM (so he can write his notes), you can These are often interesting and sometimes gamers if role-playing products didn’t have create both maps very easily. bizarre (see the editorial in the same issue), fawning, weak, naked, or some combination I have plans to create the rest of my game Perhaps DRAGON Magazine could provide a thereof, women on their covers. One wouldn’t world with AW. I’ll never have to worry about column for people to describe their house rules expect too many African-American D&D players whether the scale is right or if I forgot anything. for various systems. if characters with dark skin were consistently John “B.J.” Tomkins Like Paul Bleiweis, I often hesitate to tell depicted in postures of servitude. Kenosha WI others that I participate in RPGs. However, I plan on putting my money where my mouth many other pastimes could be construed as is. If there are other readers out there who I am responding to David Casey’s letter in childish. How about the various team games would like to share comments, not only on issue #189, where he lamented the “endless where men, and sometimes women, chase a ball covers but on the content of gaming products as hours” he spends drawing maps with graph around? Some sports have built up a large well, I’d really like to hear from you. I’d espe- paper, all in the shadow of an expensive, idle industry and are extremely popular. Many of cially be interested in any bad experiences you computer system. Two years ago, some friends the detractors of those sports call participants or someone you know (like a woman you tried showed me the fantasy worlds they’ve built and spectators childish. to introduce to gaming, for instance) have had. over the years, particularly the maps and We cannot expect everybody to enjoy role- If we put our stories, letters, and dollars togeth- dungeon layouts. As a software engineer, I saw playing, or even to understand it. In the U.K., er, TSR, which has been smart enough to create the opportunity to make computer-based tools the sport with the greatest number of partici- and nurture a fantastic family of role-playing to support these highly creative people. To make pants is angling, yet I am uninterested in it. games, will be smart enough to address this a long story short, we formed SILICON DRAG- That’s probably my loss. problem. ON* to develop and market professional-quality Roger Smith Bryan Kirschner software for gamers. Lincoln, England Bristol CT The result of our work is CARTOGRAFIX*, a Windows-based design program that will sup Because DRAGON Magazine is a popular Congratulations, “Forum,” for showing in port all aspects of role-playing mapmaking. We publication among role-players and the compan- DRAGON issues #189 and #196 two of the recognize that each gamer has a vision of her ies that produce role-playing games, I chose this divergent views of women gamers. Ms. Haynes, world, a sense of what should be there, how it magazine as the forum in which to express my writing in issue #l89, was concerned that an looks, how it acts, how it all fits. Our primary steadily increasing disgust at the manner in APA (amateur magazine) dedicated to women design principle is to give users the ability to which women are represented in illustrations and RPGs might encourage men to view women control all they create, without necessarily accompanying most role-playing materials. gamers as less serious and promote divisiveness having to create the detail. CARTOGRAFIX As a person, I am interested in role-playing; in the hobby. allows the user to create planets, continents, however, as a woman, I am reluctant to support How often have you, Forum readers, ever provinces, cities, buildings, levels, rooms—to an industry that persists in exploiting and, in wanted a chance to sit around and discuss any desired degree of detail. In addition to many cases, falsely representing the female games with a group composed mostlv of wom- standard drafting and painting tools, the pro- body. en? How often have you had a chance to discuss gram supports a large array of functions for Unless I’ve missed something rather important women and games, from historical models for automatically generating coastlines, river net- in the rules, I’m under the impression that characters to whether men and women play works, mountain ranges, terrain patterns, road female characters are entitled to an equal RPGs in fundamentally different ways to why networks, and so on. Maps may have any num- amount of clothing and armor as are male there are so few women gamers? That’s what ber of layers that can be independently dis- characters, but the illustrations rarely show this the PODIUM APA, published by White Rose played or hidden, and when a grid is necessary to be the case. Publishing, is for. Over the past year, we’ve to support motion and combat, the user may There also appears to be some confusion discussed everything from historical models for select a pattern (hex, triangular, square) to lay concerning breast size. It’s been my experience women in the AD&D character classes to stere- over the map. CARTOGRAFIX also provides a that reed-thin or muscular women seldom have otypes of men and women to debates about art

70 JANUARY 1994 and philosophy. PODIUM is not meant to re- place general forums like DRAGON Magazine, in which gender is usually irrelevant. It is not meant to be an exlusive bunker with a “No Boyz” sign in the yard. It is a place to discuss a particular topic, similar to magazines and APAs that discuss certain games or certain genres. The question of “bimbo” art, in my mind, is a balancing test. What is the positive gain in depicting erotic images of women and what is the loss? The gain, it is alleged, is higher sales. Everyone accepts that “sex sells,” but can anyone produce a published study to support it? The loss comes in several forms. The survey I have been taking of women gamers asks specifi- cally about views of “bimbo art.” Responses have varied from indifference to personal dislike to a refusal to purchase anything from that compa- ny. It certainly is doing nothing positive for TSR’s sales among women. Another loss is to the company’s reputation and the self respect of its gamers, writers, and artists. Skip the problems of plausible armor, Look at what “bimbo” art says about players. Are we really mostly drooling fan-boys with no social life? Is that how we want to be seen? How many of us would willingly show our parents the covers of our favorite games, never mind their interior art? How many adult gamers would show their games to non-gamer friends? For those of us in the industry, are you proud to show off your latest publication to your friends and relatives? If we are ashamed of our hobby, something is very wrong. A third loss is to society at large. Every year there are stories about teenage girls with eating disorders trying to look like models. Every year there are stories about date rape, teen preg- nancy, and teen AIDs cases. No, gaming art doesn’t cause these things, but it doesn’t help either. It does reflect one image of female beau- ty. It does push sex at young men. It does often show women as victims or at least as in passive, helpless roles. I can't fix American teens, but I, as a publisher, can decide not to make the problem worse. If you aren’t part of the solu- tion, you’re part of the problem. Don’t get me wrong. White Rose Publishing is not a feminist publishing house. We publish plausi- ble, playable games about the historical Middle Ages. We do that in a way that reflects historical reality: the roles of men and women, the contribu- tions of Christians, Moslems, Jews, Mongols, and Vikings. Real medieval women fighters (and there were more than just St. Joan) didn’t wear chain- mail bikinis. Any gain by “bimbo” art would cost us our reputation for accuracy and our willingness to about our work to family, friends, and poten- tial customers. Clairssa Fowler Amherst MA White Rose Publishing

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by the companies producing those products. The use of the name of any product without mention of its trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.

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72 JANUARY 1994 Daring swashbucklers, black gryphons, and scary monsters

©1993 by John C. Bunnell

THE WELL-FAVORED MANthat the odds are in the dragon’s favor is Lackey’s usual solid work. Elizabeth Willey irrelevant to the equation. We begin The Black Gryphon in the Tor 0-312-85590-7 $22.95 It is therefore a good thing for Gwydion middle of the Mage Wars, in which the I haven’t yet seen the new film version that he’s well-versed in magic, and Willey chief opponents are Urtho, called the of The Three Musketeers as I write this, handles the sorcerous aspects of her uni- Mage of Silence, and Ma’ar, the original but I still feel safe in promising that this verse with uncommon insight. Indeed, and equally twisted incarnation of “Mage first novel from Elizabeth Willey can out- certain aspects of the spellcraft read re- Winds” adversary Mornelithe Falconsbane. swashbuckle and out-intrigue any version markably like the AD&D® game’s system, But neither of these is more than a sup- of the Alexandre Dumas classic novel though Willey disavows any background porting player; the tale's protagonists are Hollywood can possibly film. It is, in fact, in fantasy gaming. Others concepts, how- Skandranon, and Amberdrake, who is hard to imagine a more definitive—or ever, are wholly her own, such as the rather more than an ordinary healer. more inventive—work of elegant high- inhumanly powerful Spring that is the Amberdrake is actually a kestra’chern, a Renaissance fantasy than The Well- magical heart of Argylle itself. kind of composite masseur-psychiatrist Favored Man. More intriguing yet, though The Well- whose practice combines healing arts, the Willey appears to have cross-pollinated Favored Man is clearly a swashbuckler ear of a skilled listener, and sometimes the Dumas with Shakespeare and Stephen and a descendant of swashbucklers, there ministrations of physical love. Hawking to produce a world that com- actually isn’t all that much swordplay in its Both Skandranon and Amberdrake are bines the courtliness of pre-Revolutionary pages. One doesn’t notice the fact while attached to Urtho’s military forces, which France with a misty network of realities reading the novel, though; you’re too are gradually losing ground in the face of interconnected by something that may be quickly drawn in by Gwydion’s wry narra- superior numbers and their enemy’s will- magic or may simply be Clarke's-Law tion and eccentric yet likeable family to be ingness to adopt any tactic that works, technology. Magic, however, is very much worried about the number of duels. Eliza- however inhumane and bloody it may be. a part of life in Argylle, where the ruling beth Willey’s world is interesting regard- Urtho’s army, however, is itself not with- family guards a sorcerous legacy and less of what’s going on in it—and it should out unease. There are tensions between supernatural creatures turn up every so be especially so to those gamers who enjoy humans and the various nonhuman races often out of the mists. Gwydion, presently the art and craft of role-playing as much of Urtho’s creation—especially the gryph- acting regent in the absence of his grand- or more as the roll of a twenty-sided die. ons, who are seen by some of the generals father (retired), father (missing), and moth- as expendable weapons, not valued er (fate uncertain), is busy slaying a THE BLACK GRYPHON special-forces troops. The gryphons in manticore as the story begins, and shortly Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon turn look to Urtho with mixed minds, for afterward learns of the arrival of a dragon DAW 0-88677-577-9 $22.00 while he has been a benign and loving big enough to be seen from thirty miles parent, he alone holds the secret that away. Then there’s the diplomatic envoy THE ROBIN & THE KESTREL guarantees their survival as an indepen- from the next kingdom over, the appear- Mercedes Lackey dent species. These interspecies conflicts ance of a heretofore unsuspected sibling, Baen 0-671-72183-6 $20.00 are beginning to cause rifts even among the exotic aliens from whom someone has The Black Gryphon and The Robin & the human soldiery. stolen certain genetic data, and the grow- The Kestrel are a study in contrast, which Lackey and Dixon expertly convey the ing evidence that Gwydion’s mother is not is a surprise considering that they come high-strung atmosphere of a military en- deceased as her family believes. from the same writing team—Mercedes campment on permanent alert, and Skan- All this unfolds in a relaxed yet polished Lackey has previously credited husband dranon and Amberdrake are ideally style against a backdrop of casual wealth Larry Dixon with creative input into most positioned to have their respective claws that’s not at all self-indulgent. Gwydion of her work. But the variation isn’t so and fingers on the pulse of the action. The and his relatives are the sort of people much in mood or tone as it is in crafts- assorted subplots are smoothly interwo- who take their responsibilities seriously, so manship. While the first “Gryphon-era” ven, characters interact and mature in that one goes out to confront an ancient novel in the Valdemar universe is tightly plausible fits and starts, and the complex dragon not for any reward or treasure, and seamlessly woven, the second “Bardic aerial-combat dances between gryphon but because it’s liable to decimate the local Voices” book suffers from uneven, badly and makaar are choreographed in thor- livestock if something isn’t done. The fact flawed construction that’s very unlike ough and convincing detail. (Readers

DRAGON 73 should hope someone licenses the flight- veteran kids’ writer Bruce Coville. But it’s It’s permissible, for example, to invent a simulator rights.) well worth the trip on two counts. First of fictional small town rather than using a all, the thirteen stories in this collection real one; Blair’s community of Overlook is All this makes The Robin & The Kestrel are the kind that transcend age bounda- an acceptable if generic stretch of the extraordinarily puzzling. While the prose ries; grown-ups will find most of them imagination. Moving mountains around, itself is reasonably deft and readable, the perfectly readable and capable of evoking however, demonstrates only that Blair novel’s content and structure are riddled chills or chuckles in all the right places. At failed to consult a map of the state before with distractions and difficulties. a modest $2.95, the book also is easily one setting fingers to keyboard. Contrary to Among these is a severe overabundance of the best anthology bargains you’re the books’ assertion, the Cascade moun- of background detail. Readers learn a fair likely to find anywhere in the bookstore. tain range is not directly adjacent to the amount about Alandan history in this Editor Coville has gathered an impres- beaches of northern Oregon; they’re bet- book, most notably concerning something sive list of contributors for this salute to ter than a hundred miles apart, separated called “the Cataclysm,” which appears to monsters of every stripe. Joe R. Lansdale by the Coast Range and the Willamette have left a number of alien and even contributes a clever bit of reverse psychol- Valley. spacefaring races stranded in what is now ogy concerning Dr. Frankenstein’s crea- By itself, the errant geography might be a more or less medieval landscape. The ture. John Barnes, noted for his adult SF chalked up to ordinary carelessness and trouble is that virtually none of this “back novels, weighs in with a yarn about elves even forgiven, since readers can easily story” has anything to do with the events and trolls that is both “just plain sick,” as locate more accurate data. More seriously, of the present volume, which focus on a Coville describes it, and wickedly enter- though, Blair’s plot relies on a body of corrupt Church leader’s bid for personal taining. Further cheerful monster-fighting Indian folklore that’s equally imaginary— power. The science-fictional trimmings are comes from Monty Python alumnus Terry and it’s likely that many readers won’t pure window-dressing and hint-dropping Jones (“The Beast With A Thousand realize the fact or easily be able to track which serve only to pull readers out of the Teeth”) and Jane Yolen (“Momster in the down better information. Given that the story at odd moments. Closet”—no, that’s not a typographical Dark Moon Legacy books are aimed at a That story is nominally told from the error). school-aged audience, this is not just un- viewpoints of Free Bards Gwyna and “Uncle Joshua and the Grooglemen” fortunate, it’s irresponsible. Jonny—the Robin and Kestrel of the title, finds Debra Doyle and James Macdonald Part of the trouble is more geographic respectively—and that’s another problem, telling a darker tale of bleak lands and slippage. There are no authentic totem because most of the book’s character mysterious figures in the night. Newcomer poles in Oregon, where Blair places hers; development derives from the pair’s inter- Patrick Bone’s “Bloody Mary” is another that tradition belongs to the Northwest action with each other. The trouble is that chiller that uses a familiar folktale to excel- Coast tribes along the coasts of northern the narrative style tends to assert its emo- lent effect, and well-known storyteller Washington and western Canada. Other tional depth, so that “he felt” this and “she Laura Simms offers a haunting Modoc problems simply represent bad history. realized” that, rather than creating matu- Indian legend. Blair’s narnauks, a host of intangible good rity and growth through action and expe- There really isn’t a weak link in the and evil Indian spirit beings, are an exam- rience. Too much of the character work entire chain of stories, though Coville is ple. While myths of the region do refer to relies on internal monologues, and there right to note that his own brief “Friendly spirit powers, often called “tahmahnawis,” are no explicit payoffs for some of the Persuasion” is more silly than anything they’re not categorized as Blair suggests, ethical issues raised as the tale unfolds. else. It’s intentional silliness, though, and and the word “narnauk” itself is found in Such action as there is, fortunately, is as Coville is a versatile writer whose two no easily located source. Then there’s the lively as one might wish, and the reappear- other contributions to the book demon- trilogy’s male lead, Garth Gautier. Accord- ances of the Skull Hill Ghost from The strate his skills. “Duffy’s Jacket” is a clever ing to Blair, his ancestors first came to Lark and the Wren are especially well- double-twist on the traditional campfire Oregon as French fur trappers; according rendered. But by and large, this second story, and “My Little Brother Is a Monster” to real-world history, there was no French “Bardic Voices” novel is substantially weak- is a modern with a monster- presence in the region during the period er than the first, and an unfortunate driven spin to it. Blair describes. choice for the first hardcover entry in this There is, in short, something for just The glitches aren’t only in the trilogy’s series. about every taste in Bruce Coville’s Book of historical data. Equally unconvincing is The difference in quality between the Monsters. But if the cover art is to be student actress Miranda Campbell’s discov- two books is a puzzle. It’s tempting to trusted, one might be well-advised to avoid ery by a professional theater company; the speculate either that Lackey is writing too reading the collection while hiding under type of talent scout Blair invents for the quickly, or that the superior aspects of the covers with a flashlight. purpose simply doesn’t exist (at least not in The Black Gyphon are somehow related Oregon). Even characters’ names aren’t to Larry Dixon’s more visible hand in that DARK MOON LEGACY (Books #1-#3) immune— “Feather Woman” in the first tale. The former answer is the more plau- Cynthia Blair volume changes to “Featherwoman” in the sible; add Winds of Fury to this duo and Harper 0-06-106158-1 $3.99 second and third books. Lackey has had three original hardcover Harper 0-06-106151-4 $3.99 Nor does it help that the plot, which novels released in the past six months, Harper 0-06-106160-3 $3.99 centers on Garth’s and Miranda’s efforts to which may well be a record. Neither ex- Creators of fiction, including novelists lift a werewolf-curse that has plagued planation is entirely convincing, though, and game masters alike, are always invent- Garth’s family for generations, moves like and the most that readers should conclude ing details. Most of the time, this is a prac- a sloth with a bad sense of direction. is that even the best literary craftsman tice to be encouraged, as in the oft-repeated Blair’s story moves slowly and is thick with occasionally has a bad day. principle that “You see a robust seven-foot cloying pseudo-romantic dialogue and ill- wolflike creature with glowing eyes and defined magic. (We never do learn who BRUCE COVILLE’S BOOK OF saliva dripping from its two-inch fangs” is the three mysterious horsemen are, or MONSTERS more evocative than “You see a werewolf.” what makes their evil powers compatible Bruce Coville, ed. The chief trouble with the Dark Moon with those of the narnauks.) Scholastic 0-590-46159-1 $2.95 Legacy trilogy is that native New Yorker What makes all this worth reporting is You’ll have to go all the way past the Cynthia Blair has set her story a continent that Dark Moon Legacy is the first real “young adult” shelf and look in the chil- away on the Oregon coast, and the details clunker in what has otherwise been a very dren’s book section to find this first of she invents about her setting are not mere- strong line of teen-age supernatural and four planned anthologies compiled by ly unconvincing, but out-and-out wrong. psychological thrillers from the Harper

74 JANUARY 1994 paperback imprint. These novels have narrative makes it clear that Nuala and is there to say about a story that includes been carefully packaged to attract fans of her allies are possessed of strong political lines like “time is an elastic waistband on L. J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries and Secret views, Connolly keeps the novel’s social the jockey shorts of reality?” Circle series, but the resemblance ends as agenda firmly in the hands of her charac- soon as the books are opened. Blair’s tril- ters. There’s no authorial voice delivering Recurring roles ogy falls well short not only of Smith’s lectures in the background, as can often Cynthia Blair isn’t the only teen-horror level, but of a professional standard for happen in this kind of story. writer focusing on werewolves lately. The research even in works of fiction. It’s The Rising of the Moon works reasona- good news is that Bad Blood (Berkley, reasonable for fantasy writers to exercise bly well as a tale of revolution from with- $3.99) is from Debra Doyle and James their imaginations, but not for them to in. Gamers looking purely for lessons in Macdonald, who pack more action and make up facts when real ones are availa- guerrilla strategv won’t be disappointed, angst into one slim book than Blair man- ble, and readers should vote against the though the book’s political message re- ages in three. This is a teenage werewolf practice by bypassing this series. mains its most prominent feature. But it is story done right, complete with the conse- disappointing that, having introduced an quences of garlic pizza and a final show- THE RISING OF THE MOON intriguing future in which aliens walk the down in which no punches are pulled on Flynn Connolly earth and humanity walks among the any side. Grab this one and keep an eye Del Rey 0-345-38289-7 $4.99 stars, Flynn Connolly then casts that world out for the sequel. Flynn Connolly’s first novel is an alert, aside in favor of other things. One can Another title to snare from the young sensitive story of politics, prejudice, ideal- hope at best that she’ll return to the adult section is The Night of the Solstice ism, and rebellion. But despite its nomi- science-fictional side of her universe in (Harper, $3.99). L. J. Smith’s first novel is nally futuristic Irish setting and a future tales. finally in paperback after much too long, sprinkling of tomorrow’s technology, it is and is a must-have for serious fans of not a work of science fiction-and indeed, THE WIZARD’S classic fantasy. Smith combines a tradition- the SF elements of the book do more to S. P. Somtow al “stop the evil sorcerer” plot with a de- undercut Connolly’s story than they do to Atheneum 0-689-31576-7 $14.95 cidedly modern cast of young heroes and support it. In the citv of Los Angeles on the north- heroines, and the result is a novel that We are told, for example, that the Ire- ern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, compares well to the likes of Edward land of Connolly’s next century is cut off there lies a magic kingdom called Encino. Eager and Andre Norton. from most worldwide media and related It is a land of glittering shopping malls, Last but not least in the young-adult networks, even though friendly alien Japanese bank buildings, sushi bars, and ranks is Esther Friesner’s Wishing Season contact has led to improvements in the German cars; of video arcades, fast-food (Atheneum, $14.95), which leaves the relevant communications technologies. Yet havens, and casually dressed people with modern world behind for a lively, barbed people still have telephones and com- wallets full of credit cards; of neon, palm tale of genies and cats, wishes and true puters and TV sets, and it’s difficult to trees, and smog. love. Friesner is at the top of her form believe that the degree of isolation Connol- So begins the story of teen-aged Aaron here, wielding twin rapiers of logic and ly postulates is truly achievable. This is Maguire, whose father is a special-effects wit in the service of as enjoyable an Ara- made all the more curious by the fact that wizard for low-budget movies and whose bian Night as one is likely to find outside it seemingly is possible to interrupt newly self-appointed private tutor is a of Baghdad itself. government-sponsored TV transmissions genuine wizard with two thousand years Elsewhere in the bookstore, Blood Pact and beam unauthorized images into every of experience and a solar-powered pocket (DAW, $4.99) and Red Death (Ace, $4.99) household in Ireland. This is comic-book computer. signal a minor boom in vampire fiction. science, and it grates against the realistic S. P. Somtow knows both Southern Cali- The former looks to bring down the cur- mood Connolly otherwise tries to set. fornia and teenagers, and that knowledge tain on Tanya Huff’s series about Canadian The degree of realism she actually comes through in the funny, perceptive private eye Vicki Nelson and her vampire achieves is likely to depend on one’s indi- chronicle of Aaron’s introduction to magic, associate, Henry Fitzroy. This time the vidual take on Irish politics. By the time Penelope Karpovsky, and monster- homage is to Dr. Frankenstein’s experi- Connolly’s tale opens, the country has fighting—not necessarily in that order. The ments, and while the ending isn’t exactly reunified under a government strongly magic is of all kinds: skateboarding tricks unhappy, it has the taste of finality about influenced by the Catholic church, and that defy the laws of gravity, mirrors that it. Not so Red Death, in which P. N. Elrod women’s civil rights have been drastically reflect more than light, Porsches conjured turns her attention to Jonathan Barrett of restricted—again to an extent that from who knows where, and dragons colonial-era America. A minor character in stretches credibility just short of the wreaking havoc on the local fast-food Elrod’s previous series, Barrett now takes breaking point. strip. center stage in a tale of uncertainties— Into this insular and unhappy country What’s really distinctive about the story, some political, as America braces for war comes university professor Nuala Denne- though, isn’t merely the sardonic comedy or with England, and some personal, as Jona- hy, whose return for a simple visit after a the plot. The former, though well-executed, than finds himself unexpectedly among long absence is soon transformed into the is scarcely unique, and the latter is reasona- the ranks of the undead. Vampire fans beginnings of a rebellion against the gov- bly straightforward, though Somtow does should enjoy both books. ernment’s ongoing repression. There’s no manage a clever twist in the finale. The The other welcome arrival is Holly Li- doubt who’s right and who’s wrong in this book’s true virtue is an air of bright-eyed sle’s Minerva Wakes (Baen $4.99), that version of future history; principle and optimism that filters through its Californian departs from the fantasy realm of her two logic are firmly in Nuala’s camp. But law cynicism, permeating the narrative without previous solo novels to tell a tale of this and force of arms are with the govern- sacrificing its humor or overselling the oblig- world and those beyond it. “Never give up ment, and the novel’s drama arises from atory moral. It’s a difficult balance to strike, on your dreams. Always stand up for the rebels’ constant need to cover their but Somtow pulls it off perfectly—no mean what’s right. And never mess with the own tracks while causing the authorities feat for a writer better-known for exotic mommy.” So says the cover copy (on my as much trouble as possible. horror tales. prepublication galley, at least), which aptly Connolly has a good sense of pace and a The Wizard’s Apprentice, in short, is captures both the theme and tone of keen touch with character development, rather like certain kinds of breakfast what’s definitely Lisle’s best work to date. though it’s strongly skewed in favor of her cereal: it tastes good going down, and female characters to a degree that male fortifies you with the approved daily re- readers may find annoying. Though the quirement for moral fiber. And what else

DRAGON 75 An adventure-writer’s bible

by Jonathan Evans

Artwork by James Holloway

WATSFIC, the science-fiction & fantasy for over ten years. I’ve worked on several gaming is at least twice as much fun at club at the University of Waterloo, has myself, and in my experience, however tournaments. Tournaments tend to be been running AD&D® game tournaments much players enjoy gaming in a campaign, better written than “normal” adventures,

76 JANUARY 1994 simply because of the amount of work Now throw out all your rulebooks. teen crazed stobor,” you’ll get much more that goes into them. They’re usually full of Change the rules you didn’t like. Better attention than if you say “.” new ideas and fun characters, and tourna- yet, make up new ones. Now change all Most of all, change the character-creation ments are run by GMs who are at least the ones you did like so they’re better. rules. Let them play monsters, ghosts, or competent and sometimes fantastic. Also, Now you can start writing. new races of your own devising. Create most role-playing games are essentially That’s a little extreme—but not much. entirely new classes or kits for them to cooperative, and it’s fun competing against One of the chief reasons for playing role- play. Put the adventure in a new setting— other teams. playing games (RPGs) is the sense of won- ancient Egypt, an airless moon, or in the I’ll explain the format of the tourna- der they inspire. It’s hard to get inspired game-world’s prehistory—the possibilities ments with which I’m familiar. WATSFIC by another wand of magic missiles. One of are endless. Keep hitting them with novel- tournaments are two-round tournaments the reasons people come to tournaments is ty. It’ll challenge and interest them. for teams of six. A limited number of for something new. It gets boring fighting teams make it into second round (depend- monsters from the Monstrous Manual, II. Thou shalt create the characters ing on the number of GMs available). especially if you’ve memorized them. first. Teams are given pregenerated characters “Okay, it’s a rakshasa, pass the crossbow.” The characters are the most important to play. Each round consists of four hours It gets boring casting the same spells. It part of the tournament. If you have boring of play-time plus an hour to read charac- gets boring looking for the same magical characters, then you’re going to have ters, take breaks, and so forth. Generally, items. This isn’t to say the AD&D game is bored players. It doesn’t matter how spec- the first rounds scoring is weighted to- boring—plots and characters are always tacular and original your encounters are— ward role-playing and the second round interesting. But it’s fun (and challenging) to if your characters are just stacks of toward achieving objectives. Role-playing see something that’s actually new, or at statistics with one-dimensional personali- awards are given out for first round, and least old in interesting ways. ties, the players won’t enjoy the tourna- team awards for the top three teams in Of course, you can’t and shouldn’t ment. There are, fortunately, many ways second round. change everything, or people would never to make characters interesting. Based on my experiences, I give you my be able to play the tournament. Keep the The first technique is to give a character 10 commandments of writing tourna- old spells for characters to cast, keep some an interesting personality. A ruthless, evil ments, though they’ll be helpful to those of standard magical items, keep some of the wizard is wooden at best-but what if he’s you who write your own adventures too. usual classes and races. Above all, keep fallen in love with a lawful-good party The examples are specific to the AD&D the game mechanics the way they are. member? Paladins can be boring. How game, but the guidelines here are applica- Avoid house rules as they require extra about a fallen paladin, tricked out of her ble to most games. time to explain to strangers. paladinhood and finding that, on her quest But you can give the characters new to regain it, some part of her enjoys her I. Thou shalt bend the rules until spells, new magical items, or even a new new freedom to act? thou hast broken them. magic system. Don’t ever let them run into Complexity and conflict add interest to a So you want to write a tournament? a standard monster (until they expect all personality. Adding complexity is just a Okay, this is how you start. Move to an the monsters to be different). You can matter of adding more facets to a charac- apartment on the 17th floor. Open your make them look different, or give them a ter’s personality that make sense: A window. Knock out the screen. You with new society, or even just a new name. But narrow-minded inquisitor, for example, is me so far? Good. when you tell them, “You run into four- unlikely to be an abstract painter.

DRAGON 77 Conflict, in this case, is conflict with middle of an otherwise serious adventure, III. Thy setting shall be unusual and oneself; it usually means that the charac- the mood is ruined. Second, plagiarism is interesting. ter’s personality is in a state of transition. boring. Use elements of other stories, but The tournament’s setting has an effect, This gives the players more freedom, always work them into your own design, direct or indirect, on every other aspect of letting them decide which direction to take and twist them so that people who have the tournament. Make sure the setting is the role. read the original won’t have an advantage convincing; dungeons with thousands of You can create more interest in the (and may, in fact, be disadvantaged). Men- monsters and no food supply just don’t characters through their history. Maybe a tion the Trumps of Doom in character make sense. Neither does an enormous character is a renegade , on the run histories, and then make them a horn city in the middle of a desert, or an alter- after having stolen the thieves’ guild blind. section or a race of real-estate speculators. nate dimension with wildly different char- Throughout the adventure, the player will If the party’s quest is to recover the eye acter races but Earthlike flora and fauna. be on his toes looking for his pursuers. and hand of , let them discover to The amount of work needed for your Even that is relatively tame. How about a their misfortune that they’re still attached setting depends on your plot. If the entire thousand-year-old soul that has “bor- to Vecna. tournament takes place indoors in an rowed” the current character’s body? Or, Some players like high-level characters enormous, Gormenghastlike castle com- in a similar vein, a character who is the more than low-level characters, and, as a plex,’ there’s no point in figuring out what reincarnation of a great historical figure, rule, it is easier to make interesting high- the weather will be like each game day. On but doesn’t know it yet? level characters; there are more possibili- the other hand, if you give the players a Character history is more effective if it is ties. An 11th-level cleric could be a high big map and show them Point A (where connected to the tournament’s plot. In a priest or a burned-out, drunken vagabond, they are) and Point B (where they should way, every tournament is a story; charac- but a 1st-level cleric is not likely to be go), you better have all the places in be- ter histories are the way to arrange the running the church (although that could tween fairly detailed. story’s background. Frequently, all the happen). Also, some players may not ap- The geographical setting is not half as characters’ histories are interwoven into preciate the subtle wit and role-playing important as the adventure’s social setting. one or more plots. The players feel like opportunities of an artistic 3rd-level schiz- Are the characters pursued by a religious their characters are a part of what’s hap- ophrenic half-drow illusionist, but they inquisition? The society’s religion had best pening, instead of being spectators. As an might like the sheer firepower of a 14th- be well explained. Are the characters extreme example, in one of my tourna- level ranger with a power-point magic refugees from fairy tales? Do your re- ments all characters in first round were system and a sword of invisibility. Keep in search and have the plot follow suit. Is it related to each other (and to the main mind you’re writing your adventure for all an alternate-timeline American Indian enemy) without knowing it. Keep in mind types of people; role-players, power tournament? Unless the Europeans have that there should always be at least a gamers, storytellers, puzzle solvers, etc. already shown up, they’d better not be rationale for character connections; it is Try to make it fun and interesting for riding horses. unlikely (to say the least) that six people everyone. Don’t forget that the people in the set- would meet at a bar, go adventuring, and Aside from making characters interest- ting didn’t just appear when the charac- discover that they’re all long-lost relations. ing, it is important to ensure that they ters arrive. Where did they come from? Another way to make life interesting is cooperate. Backstabbing tournaments can Why? What happened ten years ago in to create characters who are not what be a lot of fun—in one of the most enjoy- your setting-or a hundred, or a thousand they seem. This is a fairly common trick, able I’ve played, the writer declared, “If years ago? Answering these questions can and a hard one to get wrong. Regardless the party makes it to the final encounter lead to great plot ideas. of what role they play—a polymorphed with all members still alive, they have History provides dozens of great ideas dragon, a runaway princess, a minotaur done something horribly wrong,“ —but for settings. The hundreds of feuding disguised as a , an evil wizard mas- keep two points in mind. First, people Scottish clans, the War of the Roses, the querading as a paladin—players enjoy don’t pay money to play tournaments just Viking raids, the rebellion against the having secrets. The secrets should be so that their character can be killed in the Romans, the mutiny on the Bounty, the fairly important ones, and revealing the first hour through no fault of their own. Spanish Armada, the legend of Cuchulain, secret should increase the party tension to Second, a backstabbing party needs a very the Hundred Years’ War—these are a few new levels. Curses are great secrets good reason to stay together, especially if from the British Isles alone. There are (“What do you mean, we’d better be done the members have wildly varying align- countless others, How about Ancient with this before the next full moon?“), and ments. If the party breaks up, two things Egypt? Norse myths? Tibet? Feudal ? most tournaments I’ve seen include a are certain. The party was stupid, because Aztec and Mayan societies? Criminals cursed character. they wasted far too much time; and unless marooned in ? Players enjoy the Draw from outside sources in your they were complete idiots, it was partly tournament all the more if they recognize tournament; from published game materi- the writer’s fault. the setting. al to mythology to pop culture. If the Finally, try to avoid cliches. As always, party’s after an artifact, fine—but if they this rule can sometimes be broken. A IV. Thy plot shall be neither too are after the sword of Kas, well, that’s the satirical tournament where all the charac- simple nor too complex. stuff of legend. Similarly, the party may be ters and encounters are cliches could be Ideally, the tournament’s plot should be trying to seek advice from a wizardess on howlingly funny. If you’re adding a mean a mystery to the characters. As they piece an island; but if they find out in mid- twist to an apparently cliched character, together details from their character back- adventure that the wizardess is none go ahead. Keep in mind your thieves don’t grounds and the encounters in the tourna- other than Circe from Greek mythology, have to be greasy , your wizards ment, the players should be able to make things will suddenly become much more are not necessarily old bearded men with sense of what is happening. A tournament interesting. There are two important staves, your clerics really shouldn’t be should not be full of twisted, Byzantine cautions to remember. First, too much beautiful, blonde, white-robed priestesses intrigue; on the other hand, if everyone “borrowing” can reduce your tournament of the god of healing, and fighters don’t knows exactly what’s happening, the plot to sheer silliness. This is not necessarily a have to be traveling weapon shops with gets old very fast. Tournaments generally bad thing, but if Sherlock Holmes and toad-like IQs. tell the end of a story, because that’s Conan team up to fight a Dalek in the where all the action is.

78 JANUARY 1994 “Plot” does not necessarily mean the characters achieving objectives such as reaching certain locations, gaining trea- sure, and so forth. Purely role-playing plots are fine and can offer much more intrigue. As a rule, role-playing plots are the first round and objective plots for the second; regardless, there should be strong elements of both in every round. Charles Dickens loved coincidences. I don’t, and far more importantly, players don’t. Your plots should make sense. Not every encounter has to contribute to the plot; chance encounters are useful as distractions. The plot must be comprehen- sible. Even if things make sense to the referee, if everything the players find seems completely random, they won’t be too impressed. There is a fine line be- tween a mystery and confusion. Don’t make the plots too linear. “Assembly- line” tournaments, where characters pro- ceed from encounter A to encounter B all the way to final encounter Z, are monoto- nous at best. Give characters options, and let their actions affect the plot. At the very least, give them the illusion of making choices. Your plotline should be sketched out early in the writing process, and encounters that advance the plot should be made diffi- cult for the characters to avoid. Tournaments should have one chief enemy frequently connected to the past of one or The most difficult part of plotting is un- or group of enemies for each round of the more characters. Generally the lieutenants doubtedly the balancing. By “balancing,” I tournament. Since the plotlines are usually are in the field, hatching their master’s mean ensuring that the plot is challenging connected, the two enemies are usually dastardly plan, while the master has to be without being lethal, and that it fits roughly connected as well; one may be the other’s bearded in his lair. within the tournament’s allotted time. As a lieutenant, they may be rivals, or even twins. The next question, of course, is what that rule, between one-third and two-thirds of To have the proper effect on the party, you villains dastardly plan is. The possibilities the competing teams should finish the first should build up the legend of their enemies. range from a political aide who’s trying to round. “Finishing” may mean reaching the Have the yokels mention their names in convince the king to hang all wizards, to final encounter or resolving the key role- terror, have wanted posters with a long list marshalling a huge army of the villains playing conflict. of crimes posted, have wastes and desola- own. A common plan is the villain is bring- Don’t kill too many of the characters. tions named after them—the technique ing back or freeing a great and powerful evil While GMs love killing characters, and play- doesn’t matter, as long as it fits the villain entity. This is a cliche, but that’s not neces- ers don’t mind losing characters in certain and his setting (a thieves’ guildmaster sarily bad—your players are all but guaran- circumstances, remember that the players wouldn’t have deserts named after him). teed to have read or played similar plots. paid good money to play in your tourna- An extremely effective technique is to Remember to make your enemies worthy ment. Even if they’re not paying, it’s rude connect the enemy with the party’s history. of the name. They should be more powerful just to destroy their characters without a Players take enemies much more seriously if than any single party member, but the party reason. If the plotline requires them to die, their characters have run afoul of them in should have a reasonable chance of defeat- pull no punches, but try to work all the their past. For example, in the finest tourna- ing them (unless this runs contrary to the mandatory deaths into the last encounters of ment I have played, the enemy and the plotline). Do a fair amount of work detailing the final round. On the other hand, if the party’s wizard had been rivals since youth— the enemy’s personality, history, motivation, PCs waltz through every encounter without first in friendship, then as enemies—and and so forth—it gives the chief villains depth breaking a sweat, either you’ve made it far another member of the party had been denied to the too-common faceless thugs. too easy or they’re not backstabbing each hired by the enemy to kill the PC wizard other enough. There should be enough (but reneged on the deal). VI. Thou shalt have witty, reasonable, danger to keep the players on their toes This brings us to another kind of enemy— and balanced encounters. while only a few PCs actually die. That’s a the “party slimer.” A party slimer is a player In the end, most of the tournament’s play- hard requirement to fulfill, but it is very character who is out to kill one or more of time will come down to a series of encount- important to the adventure. the other characters or sabotage their quest. ers provided by the writer, with the balance Party slimers are fun to play, but should be of the time being role-playing. Some en- V. Thine enemies shall be worthy. used sparingly, especially if the rest of the counters will advance the plot, some will Great enemies are fun for all concerned. party is good. Ensure that they can’t waste entertain, some will challenge the party, and Players like facing them, GMs like playing the rest of the party, or it’ll wind up being a some. will merely kill time for disorganized them, and writers like creating them. Unfor- short tournament. groups. Regardless of their function, most tunately, not all enemies are great. Too often, As a rule, party slimers are not the chief encounters can be divided into three general they’re just mindlessly evil foes that show up enemy of the round; instead, they are one of types; role-playing, combat, and puzzles. only to be hacked apart in the final the enemy’s pawns. Usually the enemy has a Combat encounters are the easiest to deal encounter. few lieutenants. These lieutenants also are with. Combat encounters may not involve DRAGON 79 actual fighting, but it’s always a distinct Plot encounters are role-playing encount- Objective scoring is relatively simple. Make possibility, and the characters must succeed ers that advance the plot, such as the party the number of points the party could win in in their task through direct physical action. meeting their enemies in a neutral zone. an encounter proportional to the importance Escaping from a horde of army ants, sneak- They are divided into two groups: encount- of the encounter. (It’s a good idea to list and ing through the enemy lines, or ambushing a ers with characters important to the plot, or weigh all the encounters before applying pack of werewolves are all examples of encounters where the characters just pick points.) Make sure you list all the ways combat encounters. up information important to the plot. players can get points. For example, in a Very few combat encounters, if any, Most role-playing encounters combine single encounter characters could get 10 should be pure dice marathons of the “You elements of two or even all three of the points for defeating the nasties, 15 points for see a monster, it’s charging at you, roll initia- encounter types above. Role-playing is the avoiding them without fighting, and an tive” type. Most combat encounters should real meat and drink of a tournament; make additional 5 points for deciphering a minor be avoidable, whether through spells, bribes, sure that your role-playing encounters are puzzle. A party could get a potential 20 or simply running away. Even those that fun for all concerned. points in that encounter. aren’t avoidable shouldn’t just be die-rolling, The third type of encounter is the puzzle. It’s then the GM’s decision how many but should have something to add interest— Players are of two minds about puzzle en- points to give the party out of the maximum mood, zaniness, an effect on the plot, what- counters. A minority think that puzzles and possible in an encounter. In the example ever is required to set it apart from just mind-twisters in a tournament are contrived above, the party might attack the monsters fighting . Simple hack-and-slash encount- and stupid. The rest of them love puzzles, first, then realize that there was a simpler ers get old quickly, and tournament players and want as many as possible. Unfortu- way, disengage, and use it. The GM probably demand more. nately, it’s fairly difficult (for me, at least) to would give them 12 or 13 points (not includ- Again, balance is crucial here. Tradition- come up with good ones. ing the puzzle); they did better than the 10 ally, the encounters are relatively easy at the Most puzzles are variations of five basic points for hacking their way through, but start of the adventure and get more difficult kinds: riddles, word puzzles, “Rubiks,” barri- didn’t perform ideally. as the party nears its goal. On the other ers, and traps. There are puzzles—usually Repeat the process for all encounters, and hand, a monster easily handled at the start good ones—that fall into none of these cate- you’ve got objective scoring. Some special could kill the entire battered, weary, and gories. scores should be added. For example, when magic-drained party near the end of the Riddles are self-explanatory. Word puzzles the party gets somewhere special in the tournament. Stay away from lethal monsters involve writing that has to be manipulated to tournament-such as the tower where the (those that can kill party members with a reveal the answer—decoded, read backward, final battle takes place-they should receive single hit) and pushover monsters unless you translated to the Elvish, held up to a full points just for getting that far. Objective have a good reason. Also, remember the moon, whatever. “Rubiks” are the same points should be for reaching destinations as time factor. Battles against dozens of foes thing, but with objects that must be manipu- well as fighting monsters and figuring out can take large amounts of time, especially if lated, not words. For example, two pieces of traps and plots. Award a big bonus for fin- spells such as confusion start going off. a key may have to be fitted together, then ishing the round successfully. Parties should Unless the encounter is meant as a time- turned to gold in the Pool of Midas, before suffer penalties for each dead character and waster, keep the enemy’s numbers limited. the treasury door can be opened. for attacking friendly NPCs. All encounters are role-playing encounters Barriers are just that. Something prevents Role-playing is a little tricker, because GMs inasmuch as the party role-plays in all of the party from getting to where they’re tend to be quite subjective on how they them. In this context, a “role-playing en- going, and they’ll have to think their way score it. A GM who is herself an excellent counter” is one where the party interacts around it. This is probably the most basic role-player would tend to give lower scores with one or more NPCs without fighting (at puzzle. Barriers can include walls, cliffs, pits, than one who is mediocre—her standards least, not without talking first). armies, a prismatic sphere, whatever. Gener- are higher. To counteract this, role-playing Role-playing encounters can be generally ally, the party can use their talents, equip- scoring is often divided specifically into divided into three types: “plot encounters,’ ment, and inspiration to get past. personality, interactivity, and “memorable “character encounters,” and “dungeon dress- Traps can’t be dealt with exhaustively in a moments” as well as the GM’s overall impres- ing! This last grouping is the most fun; it just single paragraph. If you’re no good at de- sion. The more specific the scoring, the less means sticking in fun NPCs (often stolen signing them yourself, look at published subjectivity matters—but it also means that outright from other authors) and usually modules or DUNGEON® Adventures for great role-playing that doesn’t fit into the enjoying a few outrageous puns at the ex- inspiration. scoring won’t be rewarded. pense of the players. A lizard king spouting A final word to the wise: Make sure there Personality traits are just that; two or Doors’ lyrics, a punk named Moli who is more than one way past any puzzle. Re- three points for each of the character’s loves to fight, twin brothers named Doom member, if only one party member knows major traits, depending on how well they and Gloom with the personality of Marvin the language the password is written in, that were played. Interactivity means points for (from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) member could die before reaching that point role-playing with the other PCs; another two are just a few examples from my fairy-tale in the plot. Also, allow players to use original or three points for each other character in tournament. The idea is to make the players ideas; making a technique unusable because the party. Memorable Moments are things laugh, wince, or both. you didn’t think of it is just petty. that the characters did that are worthy of The idea behind the character encounters Finally, try to make all encounters witty. being written down and related to others. is to give specific PCs chances to role-play. Use puns, wordplay, trickery, and pithy The overall impression includes how the GM The NPCs in these encounters are tailored to dialogue. thought the player did as a whole and how interact with a specific character, and often consistent the player was. a specific facet of their personality. Examples VII. Thy scoring shall be fair and Many tournament writers want more are countless; a sexist character meets an balanced. feedback and distribute “tournament evalua- Amazon, a bookish wizard meets a fellow Scoring for a tournament is usually a pain. tions” to the players so that they can get bibliophile, a secretive ex-assassin meets an It is quite important-after all, it determines constructive criticism (and in some cases, old ally from the past. The lion’s share of who wins the awards, or at least who gets downright abuse). In addition, GM evalua- these encounters should go to the “quiet” nominated for them-but it tends to be tions are handed out to determine the win- characters, who are harder to role-play than overly subjective and is often done almost as ner of the “Best GM” prize. GMs are the boisterous, extroverted ones. an afterthought by the writer. generally graded on their familiarity with

80 JANUARY 1994 the material, their use of available time, their description of events and encounters and their role-playing of NPCs.

VIII. Thy second round shall be wor- thy of its players. The second round should follow logically from the first. I’ve played tournaments where second round picked up right where the first round ended, and I’ve seen tourna- ments where there was a several-thousand year gap. In both cases, the plot continued from first round. The purpose of second round is to clear up loose ends, so make sure you leave at least a few dangling. There should be a definite division be- tween first and second round. For example, in one of my tournaments, the two rounds took place in different dimensions. In an- other, all characters were alive in first round and were undead in second round. There are two schools of thought on play- ers keeping the same characters. One says that half the fun is solving the mystery of other characters, so give the players new PCS in the second round to prevent savvy players from figuring out all the secrets of the other PCs. The other argues that first round is for role-playing and second round for reaching objectives, so it makes sense to let the players keep the same characters. As always, the players’ opinion is the most important; in my experience, they prefer to keep their characters. Finally, make the second round hard. Not horrible monsters). Establish a “kill pool” for can run the tournament well. Sure, you can lethal, but keep in mind that only the best the GM with the highest kill percentage (but run it—you’ve spent hours and hours writ- players advance, and you have to challenge make sure GMs don’t take it too seriously); it ing the darn thing. You know it inside out. them. Just don’t overdo this. Writing a lethal intimidates the players nicely. Basically, make But there have been occasions when GMs tournament is a hazardous business. Keep in sure that the GMs will remember the tour- didn’t receive copies of my tournaments mind all the above advice when preparing a nament fondly even if they get stuck with until the night beforehand, and only brilliant second round. dud teams. editing let them run it successfully.

IX. Thou shalt make it fun for the X. Thou shalt beg, borrow, or Well, that’s it. Broken rules, fun characters, game masters. kidnap a good editor. interesting settings, original plots, worthy GMs don’t sleep, at least not during tour- My editor hates me. If I’m going to so enemies, witty encounters, fair scoring, a naments. It’s simply not allowed. They have much as mention the word “tournament” to tough second round, happy GMs, and a good to get up early, run three five-hour sessions, him, I make certain he has no weapons editor. Now can you apply all this and write devour inhuman quantities of pizza and junk nearby. a tournament? food, and then stay up to all hours arguing The reason for this is that he has a back- Of course you can’t—not on this article role-playing awards. The next day they have breaking and thankless task. I do the fun alone. I couldn’t address the most crucial to run the second round. part, the creating; he does all the slogging parts of the tournament—it isn’t even possi- GMs do have one great advantage. Many work. He draws the maps, fills in monster ble. Those crucial parts are the ideas, the of them will get to both play the tournament statistics, proofreads, indexes character light bulbs’ going off in the writer’s head. and run it. They will play it, of course, at the abilities, fixes inconsistencies, summarizes Creation is 10% inspiration and 90% perspi- , where they will a) learn the adven- magical items-fun stuff like that. If you like ration. This article was meant to help you ture, b) find weak points in the adventure, putting the pieces together neatly and can with the perspiration; the last 10% is your and c) have fun. Your tournament will have do it well, more power to you. If not, obey problem. a playtest—for both rounds. GMs are gener- this commandment if you’re going to write a There’s an easy way to develop ideas ally canny, experienced players with wildly tournament. though; just keep writing. I came up with a original ideas, so if anyone’s going to poke a Why? Well, first, you probably won’t ever good half-dozen adventure ideas just writing major hole in your tournament, it’ll be them. finish it if you don’t. Second, if you do finish this article. The more ideas you have, the Still, make the tournament as enjoyable as it, and it isn’t edited, GMs will break down more you’ll come up with, and the better you can for the game masters. Stick jokes your door during the tournament because you’ll be at creating adventures. into the encounter titles, the NPC names, the the players did something you didn’t cover. plot, and so forth. Give them NPCs that are This may happen anyway, no matter how great fun to role-play. Give them some mean many you have, but a good editor monsters to hit the players with (that does can cut the number down to a manageable not mean “let them kill the party on a level. An editor’s job is to ensure that the whim”— but GMs love catastrophes and manuscript is clear enough so that anyone DRAGON 81

indicates an Australian convention, CRUSADES ‘94, Jan. 15-16 CT Convention Calendar Policies indicates a Canadian convention. This miniatures convention will be held at the indicates a European convention. Comfort Inn in Darien, Conn. Events include This column is a service to our readers historical, SF&F, and cross-genre miniatures worldwide. Anyone may place a free listing games. Registration: $20; Club discounts availa- for a game convention here, but the follow- * lndicates a product produced by a company other than TSR, ble. Write to: CGC, P.O. Box 403 Fairfield CT Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by the 06430-0403. ing guidelines must be observed. companies publishing those products. The use of the name of In order to ensure that all convention any product without mention of its trademark status should not listings contain accurate and timely infor- be construed as a challenge to such status. MARMALADE DOG GAMEFEST ‘94 mation, all material should be either typed Jan. 15-16 MI double-spaced or printed legibly on stand- This convention will be held at the Bernhard ard manuscript paper. The contents of Important: DRAGON® Magazine no Center on the campus of Western Michigan each listing must be short and succinct. longer publishes telephone numbers for University in Kalamazoo, Mich. Guests include The information given in the listing must conventions. Publishing incorrect numbers is . Events include role-playing, include the following, in this order: always possible and is an annoyance to both board, and miniatures games. Other activities 1. Convention title and dates held; the caller and those receiving the misdirect- include painted-miniature and costume contests, 2. Site and location; ed call. Also, be certain that any address an SF&F film festival, and dealers. Registration: 3. Guests of honor (if applicable); given is correct and complete. $10/weekend or $6/day preregistered; or $12/ 4. Special events offered; To ensure that your convention listing weekend or $7/day at the door. Write to: MAR- 5. Registration fees or attendance re- makes it into our files, enclose a self- MALADE DOG, c/o W. Mich. Gamers’ Guild, quirements; and, addressed stamped postcard with your first Western Michigan Univ., Faunce 2420, Box 47, 6. Address(es) where additional informa- convention notice; we will return the card to Kalamazoo MI 49008. tion and confirmation can be obtained. show that your notice was received. You Convention flyers, newsletters, and other might also send a second notice one week WINTERCON ‘94, Jan. 15 MI mass-mailed announcements will not be after mailing the first. Mail your listing as This convention will be held at the Lincoln considered for use in this column; we early as possible, and always keep us in- Park Kennedy Recreation Center in Detroit, prefer to see a cover letter with the an- formed of any changes. Please avoid sending Mich. Events include role-playing, board, and nouncement as well. No call-in listings are convention notices by fax, as this method miniatures games. Other activities include accepted. Unless stated otherwise, all has not proved to be reliable. games for youngsters, a used-game auction, and dollar values given for U.S. and Canadian open gaming. Registration: $10 at the door. conventions are in U.S. currency. Write to: WINTERCON, P.O. Box 656, Wyandotte WARNING: We are not responsible for GALICON ‘94, Jan. 7 OH MI 48192. incorrect information sent to us by conven- This convention will be held at Galion Train tion staff members. Please check your and Hobby in Galion, Ohio. Events include role- PANDEMONIUM XI, Jan. 22-23 convention listing carefully! Our wide playing, board, and miniatures games. Other This convention will be held at the Hub cafete- circulation ensures that over a quarter of a activities include miniatures-painting and cos- ria on the campus of Ryerson Polytechnic Univ., million readers worldwide see each issue. tume contests. Registration: $2, plus a small in Toronto, Ontario. Events include role- play- Accurate information is your responsibility. event fee. Write to: Galion Gamers’ Guild, 123 ing, board, and miniatures games. Registration: Copy deadlines are the last Monday of Harding Way E., Galion OH 44833. $25. Write to: Peter Fund, 118 Roncesvalles Av. each month, two months prior to the on- #34, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M6R 2K8. sale date of an issue. Thus, the copy dead- WINTER FANTASYTM Convention ‘94 line for the December issue is the last Jan. 7-9 WI GAMICON DELTA, Jan. 28-30 IA Monday of October. Announcements for This convention will be held at the Hyatt This convention will be held at the Wesley North American and Pacific conventions Regency in Milwaukee, Wis. Guests include Center in Iowa City, Iowa. Guests include Johna- must be mailed to: Convention Calendar, Bruce Nesmith, , and James Low- than Tweet and “Zeb” Cook. Events include role- DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake der. Events include role-playing, board, minia- playing, board, and miniatures games. Other Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Announcements tures, and war games, seminars, a Sunday activities include seminars and a game auction. for Europe must be posted an additional breakfast buffet, and more. Registration: $15 Registration: $12 preregistered; group discounts month before the deadline to: Convention before Nov. 30, $20 at the door. Write to available. Write to: GAMICON DELTA, 22 W. Calendar, DRAGON® Magazine, TSR WINTER FANTASY, RPGA® Network, P.O. Box Chestnut, North Liberty IA 52317. Limited, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, 515, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. WARCON* ‘94, Feb. 4-6 TX If a convention listing must be changed RUNEQUEST * CON ‘94, Jan. 14-16 MD This convention will be held on the campus of because the convention has been can- This convention will be held at the Columbia Texas A&M Univ., in College Station, Texas. celled, the dates have changed, or incor- Inn in Baltimore, Md. Guests include Greg Guests include Tim Beach, Tim Olsen, and rect information has been printed, please Stafford, Sandy Petersen, Ken Rolston, Michael Monte Cook. Events include role-playing, board, contact us immediately. Most questions or O‘Brien, and David Hall. Events include role- and miniatures games. Other activities include changes should be directed to the maga- playing, board, and miniatures games. Other Japanimation and a dealers’ room. Registration: zine editors at TSR, Inc., (414) 248-3625 activities include seminars and an auction. $12 preregistered; $15 at the door. Write to: (U.S.A.). Questions or changes concerning Registration: $30/weekend. Write to: David WARCON ‘94, MSC NOVA, Box J-l, College European conventions should be directed Cheng, 313 E. 85th St., Apt. 2C, New York NY Station TX 77884. to TSR Limited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.). 10028.

DRAGON 83 DUNDRACON XVIII, Feb. 18-21 CA PAINTING CONTEST/GAME DAY MAGNUM OPUS CON IX, March 24-27 SC This convention will be held at the Marriott Feb. 26 IN This convention will be held at the Hyatt hotel in San Ramon, Calif. Events include role- This convention will be held at Metalcraft Minia- Regency in Greenville, S.C. Guests include playing, board, and miniatures games. Other tures and More in Elwood, Ind. Events include Timothy Zahn, Bruce Campbell, and Raymond activities include a painting contest, computer role-playing, board, and miniatures games. Other Moody, Jr. Events include role-playing, board, games, a flea market, and dealers. Registration activities include a painting demo, a raffle, and war and miniatures games. Other activities include varies. Write to: DUNDRACON XVIII, 385 Palm games. Registration: Free. Send a long SASE to: panels, workshops, Japanamation, a costume Ave., Oakland CA 94610. Leslie A. King, Metalcraft Miniatures, P.O. Box 6, contest, and open gaming. Send an SASE with 926 N. 9th St., Elwood IN 46036. $.52 postage to: MOC-9, P.O. Box 6585, Athens GENGHIS CON XV, Feb 18-20 CO GA 30604. Please include your age. This convention will be held at the Marriott PLATTECON ETA, March 4-6 WI Southeast in Denver, Colo. Events include role- This convention will be held at the University of SIMCON XVI, March 24-27 NY playing, board, and miniatures games. Other Wisconsin- Platteville Student Center. Events This convention will be held at the University activities include RPGA™ Network events, auc- include role-playing, board, and miniatures games. of Rochester’s River campus in Rochester, N.Y. tions, and dealers. Registration: $15. Write to: Other activities include raffles, contests, and Events include role-playing, board, and minia- Denver Gamers’ Assoc., P.O. Box 440058, Aurora demos. Registration: $6/weekend or $5/day prere- tures games. Other activities include a dealers’ CO 80044. gistered; $9/weekend or $6/day at the door. $1 room. Registration: $8 for students; $10 for the Spectator passes are available at the door. Write to: public. Write to: SIMCON XVI, c/o URSGA, CPU JAXCON ‘94, Feb. 18-20 FL Platteville Gaming Assoc., Student Center, 1 Univer- Box 27726, River Station, Rochester NY 14627. This convention will be held at the Holiday sity Plaza, Platteville WI 53818. Inn at Baymeadows in Jacksonville, Fla. Events ATOMICON ‘94, March 25-27 ID include role-playing, board, and miniatures STELLARCON XVIII, March 4-6 NC This convention will be held at the Idaho Falls games. Other activities include door prizes, a This convention will be held at the Radisson Recreation Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Events painted-miniatures contest, a flea market, and hotel in High Point, N.C. Guest of honor is Mark include role-playing, board, and miniatures dealers. Registration: $22/weekend. Single- day Lenard. Events include role-playing, board, and games. Registration: $12 before March 12; $17 rates vary. Write to: JAXCON, P.O. Box 4423, miniatures games. Other activities include a at the door. Single-day rates will be available. Dep't. M, Jacksonville FL 32201. dealers’ room, panels, demos, movies, and an art Write to: Randy Pacetti, 2635 Laguna Dr., Idaho display. Registration: $25 at the door; some Falls ID 83404. WINTER WAR XXI, Feb. 18-20 IL group rates are available. Write to: STELLAR- This convention will be held at the Chancellor CON, P.O. Box 396, Thomasville NC 27361-0396. COASTCON XVII, March 25-27 MS hotel in Champaign, Ill. Events include role- This convention will be held at the Miss. Gulf playing, board, and miniatures games. Other CONCENTRIC ‘94, March 11 - 13 IL Coast Coliseum/Convention Center in Biloxi, activities include auctions, dealers, and open This convention will be held at the Ramada Miss. Guests include Spider & Jeanne Robinson, gaming. Registration: $6/weekend or $3/day. Inn O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill. Guest of honor is George Alec Effinger, and Larry Elmore. Events Send an SASE to: Donald McKinney, 986 Po- Robin Wood. Events include role- playing, include role-playing, board, and miniatures mona Dr., Champaign IL 61821. board, and miniatures games. Other activities games. Other activities include movies, videos, include an art show and auction, a game auc- an art show and auction, a costume contest, and EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN ‘94, Feb. 25-27 IL tion, and a dealers’ room with demos. Registra- a charity auction. Registration: $25. Write to: This convention will be held in the Renais- tion: $12 before Feb. 1; $15 at the door. Write COASTCON, P.O. Box 1423, Biloxi MS 39533. sance and Roman rooms of Southern Illinois to: CONCENTRIC, 114 Euclid, P.O. Box 287, Park University’s Student Center in Carbondale, Ill. Ridge IL 60068. MID-SOUTH CON 13, March 25-27 TN Events include role-playing, board, and minia- This SF convention will be held at the Best tures games. Other activities include miniatures NORTHEAST WARS II, March 11-13 V T Western Airport hotel in Memphis, Tenn. Guests and art contests, an auction, and guest speakers. This convention will be held at the Radisson include Barbara Hambly, Larry Elmore, and Registration: $10 preregistered; $12 at the door. hotel in Burlington, VT. Events include role-playing, Robin Curtis. Registration: $25 before March 1; Send an SASE to: Strategic Games Society, Office board, and miniatures games. Registration: $18 $30 thereafter. Write to: MID-SOUTH CON, P.O. of Student Development, 3rd Floor Student preregistered; $25 at the door. Write to: N.E. WARS Box 22749, Memphis TN 38122. Center, S.I.U., Carbondale IL 62901-4425. II, 152 Church St., Burlington VT 05401. LITTLE WARS* ‘94, March 3 l-April 2 IL HURRICON ‘94, Feb. 25-27 FL OWLCON XV, March 11-13 TX This convention will be held at the Ramada This convention will be held at the Holiday This convention will be held on the campus of Inn O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill. Events include role- Inn Resort in Ft. Walton, Fla. Guests include Rice University in Houston, Tex. Events include playing, board, and miniatures games. Registra- Piers Anthony, Timothy Zahn, and Michael role-playing, board, and miniatures games. tion: $12/weekend or $8/day plus event fees. Stackpole. Events include role-playing, board, Other activities include Japanimation and open Write to: Jeffery Hammerlund, 107 W. Chicago and miniatures games. Other activities include gaming. Registration: $12/weekend before St., Algonquin IL 60102. readings, demos, a costume contest, and a March 1; $15/weekend at the door; single-day charity auction. Registration: $26 before Jan 31; rates vary. Make checks payable to WARP Write $30 thereafter. Write to: HURRICON, P.O. Box to: WARP, OWLCON XV, P.O. Box 1892, Houston GEN CON® Game Fair 1994 TX 77251-1892. 4728, Ft. Walton FL 32549. Join over 20,000 gamers in Milwaukee, Wis., August 18-21, 1994. This is the RADCON 1B, Feb. 25-27 WA RUCON IV, March 18-19 PA world’s largest multi-media game fair This convention will be held at the Best West- This convention will be held at the Parsons featuring four days of games and events. Union Bldg., on the campus of Lock Haven ern Tower Inn in Richland, Wash. Guests include The game fair includes computer, mili- University in Lock Haven, Pa. Events include V. E. Mitchell, “Kev” Brockschmidt, Don Segna, tary, role- playing, strategy, miniatures, and Glen Allison. Events include role-playing, role-playing, board, and miniatures games. virtual reality, video, arcade, and board Other activities include magical-item and mon- board, and miniatures games. Other activities games-over 1,000 events in all. ster design contests and battle chess. Registra- include Japanimation and SF movies, an art The GEN CON® Game Fair also fea- show, dealers, and gaming. Registration: $15. tion: $15/weekend; single-day rates vary. Send tures a million-dollar art show, dozens of Write to: RADCON 1B, 2527 W. Kennewick Ave., an SASE: RUCON IV, c/o Role-playing Under- celebrities, a costume contest, Star Trek #162, Kennewick WA 99336. ground, Parsons Union Bldg., Lock Haven Univ., guests, comic-book artists, Japanimation, Lock Haven PA 17745. a 200-booth exhibit hall, and $10,000 in TOTAL CONFUSION VIII, Feb. 25-27 MA prize giveaways. This convention will be held at the Best West- DAY OF CON-FLICT, March 19 WI For information, send an SASE to: This convention will be held at the Bucyrus ern Royal Plaza in Marlborough, Mass. Events GEN CON® Game Fair, P.O. Box 756, Erie Club in South Milwaukee. Events include include role-playing, board, and miniatures Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A. games. Other activities include a miniatures role- playing, board, and miniatures games. contest. Registration: $23/weekend or $9/day Other activities include a dealers’ area and a GEN CON is registered trademark owned by TSR, preregistered; $10/day at the door. Write to: silent auction. Registration: $3 at the door. Write Inc. ©1993 TSR, Inc. All rights Reserved. TOTAL CONFUSION, P.O. Box 1463 Worcester to: DAY OF CON-FLICT, 1250 N. 68th St. #206, MA 01607. Wauwatosa WI 53213-2896.

84 JANUARY 1994

The Mother t happened one time, a family lived The River outside Fairborough, on the banks of the Fairflow. The parents were a hard pair, and the oldest child did most of the work, chopping wood, keeping Children house, setting out fishnets in the morning and taking them in at night. When her parents fought, she took her little brothers and sister up to the loft window, where they could crawl out, climb down, and play hide and seek in the forest. One day the father up and left, which wouldn’t have been any great loss, except that he took the money with him. The night of the day he vanished, the mother sat up counting what was left. “It’s not enough,” she said. “With four kids, nothing would be.” Suddenly she had an idea-such a simple idea, she by Peni R. Griffin wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before. She went up to bed but was too busy working out the details to sleep much. Next morning she got up when she heard her oldest moving in the loft. She stood at the foot of the ladder, waiting. “Oh, good morning,” said the oldest girl. “What are you doing up so early?” “I’ve been thinking,” said the mother. “We’re going to have to help each other, if we’re to get anywhere in this life. Come on. I’ll help you with the nets.” The daughter couldn’t ever remember her mother act- ing this way before, and she was so happy she skipped all the way to the river bank. They were almost finished with the nets when the moth- er dropped a corner into the Fairflow. “Quick,” she said. “I’ll hold onto you. Catch it.” It was spring, and the water ran high and fast, but the daughter held tight to her mother’s hand and leaned out. “No good,” she said, “but we can—awk!” The mother stepped back and watched her daughter swirling down the river, flailing her arms and screaming. One, two, three times she went under. One, two, three times she fought her way up again. The fourth time, she didn’t come up. The mother looked around to make sure no one was by. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “That was easy,” she said. “I can do that three more times .” Back she went to the house and found her five-year-old up and about in his nightshirt. “Where’s my big sis?” he asked. “She’s playing hide-and-seek,” said the mother, “but not in the woods this time. She’s gone to hide in the river. You’d better go find her there.” “But it’s cold in the river.” So the mother dressed him up warm and took him to the river. He pulled back. “Big Sis always told us not to go near the bank when the river was high.” “It’s all right this once,” said the mother. “Go on. She’s in there.” Illustrations by Bob Lessl He closed his eyes and jumped in. He didn’t struggle at all but yelled for his sister, and after the first time under

DRAGON 89 started crying. After the second time, he didn’t come up “I never said you wouldn’t die. The won’t again. open for you, and the living will turn from you, and your “It’s easy," said the mother. “I should’ve done it before, body will lie in the ground, but you’ll get no rest till you and to their father, too.” knock on my gates leading your children by the hand.” Back she went to the house and woke up the eight-year- “But I sent them fifty years ago!” complained the old. “Come on,” she said. “Bub and Big Sis are at the mother. “Who could possibly find them now?” river already.” “You’d best hope it’s you," said Death. “Now go.” “What’re they doing there?” asked the younger daughter. He jerked her up out of her body and vanished. Her “It’s a surprise. Hurry.” spirit was cold without any flesh on it, but for all her ef- So she got dressed and the mother wrapped the Baby up forts, she couldn’t lie down in her body again. Nor, when against the cold morning. The Baby was about one and a the nephew and niece-in-law found it, and laid it out, and half, and they’d found out about eight months ago that he took it to be buried, could she make them see or hear her. was deaf. All together they trooped down to the river, the For a week, stubbornly, she held out, but the winds off the mother holding the Baby on her arm and leading the river are cold on a naked soul, and she was alone. younger daughter by the hand. At last she made her way through the streets to the “I don’t see them,,’ said the younger daughter when Fairflow, calling her children by name. When she came to they reached the bank. the river she walked out onto the water, calling, calling, The mother put the Baby down on her shawl. “They’ll be calling, until morning came and she in her weariness along. Why don’t we play stick boats while we’re waiting?” curled up in the mud beneath a bridge to rest. Next eve- “Big Sis never lets us play with stick boats when the ning she started up river, calling, calling, but they did not water’s high.” come—not that night, nor the next, nor the next, nor any “It’ll be all right this once," said the mother, giving her night till now, when you can still hear her calling the chil- a stick. dren she drowned, above the water of the Fairflow, be- At first the daughter stayed shy of the edge, but soon tween Fairborough and the sea. she forgot to be careful, and the mother reached out her hand and shoved her in. The eight-year-old screamed II louder than the other two put together, but she went under Mousefinch just the same. “Three down, one to go,” said the mother, “and that the easiest of all.” Mousefinch’s mother told her that story on nights when When the mother picked the Baby up, he wrapped his she was drunk, or ill, and did not work. She knew lots of arms around her neck. His quietness bothered her. She other stories as well, but Mousefinch always asked for had gotten used to screaming. But she took a deep breath, “The Wicked Mother.” Afterward they would huddle unwrapped his arms, and dropped him in. together, listening, and maybe they would hear her, wail- Once more she went back to the house, bundled up all ing and calling along the crowded banks of the Fairflow as the kids’ clothes, and took them to the bank to throw them it passed through Hadam Port. in after their owners. She took in the fishnets and packed. “This happened terrible long ago, didn’t it?” Not a thing was left in the house when she was done, for it “Ages and ages.” was all in the cart behind the old mule her husband had Mousefinch would listen to the calling, so mournful and left her. She tied the cow on behind, put the chickens in hopeless and thin. “She must be sorry by now.” back, and set off. “She’s sorry ‘cause she’s cold and lonely and never has The mother settled down in Hadam Port, working as a good times no more.” Her mother would take another pull barmaid. She met a gambling man she got along with and at her bottle, or sniff on her handkerchief, as the case set up partners with him in a little casino on the west side might be. “She’s a wicked old bitch that’s sorry she ever near the docks. He wanted to be north, on the river, but had kids, but not that she ever killed them.” Her mother she wouldn’t have that. The money came in comfortably, would tickle Mousefinch till she squealed, and say: and in a year or two they married. There weren’t any “Don’t know why you want to hear that old creepy story, children, but they lived well and happily. Their parties anyway. I know a nice story.” Then she would tell some- were famous in that part of Hadam. thing to make Mousefinch laugh. In time, the gambling man died. His nephew and Aunt Nilla, whom her mother paid for use of the niece-in-law took over the business, but the mother sat cracked and crowded room at the top of the house, said behind the bar, keeping an eye on the cash, serving that Death liked little children. She said it a lot the sum- drinks, and consoling the losers so they’d try their luck mer the fever came, every time she saw a small casket again. carried up the street. “There he goes, taking another kid One night she woke to find Death at the foot of her bed. out of this misery, and leaving me to my corns and bun- He looked at her out of his lidless gray eyes. “Woman,” ions and bursitis and my eyes going bad and my heart he said, “where are your children?” fluttering and—” “I sent them to you.” Mousefinch’s mother laughed at Aunt Nilla, though it “They never arrived,” said Death. “Now’s your time, but didn’t sound like her ordinary laugh. “If you want out of I refuse to take you, till you bring your children to me.” life so bad, why not slip out through the window?” She “Don’t, then,” said the mother. “I’m in no hurry to pointed to the brown water lapping the flagged edge of the die.” street. “Don’t want to get my feet wet,” Aunt Nilla sniffed.

90 JANUARY 1994 “Besides, Death don’t like to be rushed. They say he’ll the stovepipe had gone into the floor, and found she could shut you out if you come to the gate before he wants you. just reach the water. The wood here was rotten and crum- I wish he’d taken me when I was a little child, I surely do! bly, and she enlarged the hole easily. She took up fishing, Ain’t nothing but pain and misery in this world!” rescuing a broken oar, a boot, a rusty kettle, and finally, “Hush. Little pitchers have big ears.” the Baby. Mousefinch knew her mother didn’t want her getting She thought he was a doll, he was so quiet and bobbed gloomy ideas from poor old Aunt Nilla. No danger of so lightly upward from the brown depths. A sluice of wa- that! Mousefinch found lots of things in the world besides ter fell from him when she hauled him up through the pain and misery: puppet shows and minstrels, cold melon hole. He moved his head and blinked at her with eyes the stolen from the vendors, skipping rope, swimming, feed- color of riverweed. ing the animals and birds that came begging round the “But where did you come from?” asked Mousefinch, house, and the fish—sturgeon, carp, catfish—that floated looking down into the murky water. A face rose toward hopefully beneath Aunt Nilla’s kitchen window. her now, and two reaching hands. Mousefinch laid the Mousefinch hated Death. He was the one who left fro- baby aside and reached down, grasping two bony wrists, zen finches on her windowsill in winter and carried her pulling with all her might. The girl rose, all buoyance friends away in coffins. Everyone said the fever had never except for the weight of the water streaming from her hair. been so bad before. Illness hovered over the city like the She was older than Mousefinch, with the beginnings of flies and mosquitoes hanging over the wells and dung- breasts showing under the gray wetness of her bodice. She heaps. Two or three funerals went past each day. The got her arms over the edge of the hole and pulled herself whole family on the second floor died off, one by one. up the last bit, coughing out a huge volume of water. Tad- Mousefinch’s mother paid a whole week’s earnings to poles and fish eggs glinted and wiggled on the floor after the Well Woman round the corner, for advice and a the water had splattered and run off. charm. The charm she put around Mousefinch’s neck—a “Thanks,” said the girl. “Where’s the Baby? Oh, I see.” scarlet bag of asafetida, chicken bones, a chip from a She picked up the child, turned him over, and slapped his king’s gravestone. The advice was a bother, and Mouse- back. He opened his mouth as if to wail, and another flood finch didn’t see the sense of it. They had to boil all their of water came out. “The others are coming.” water and cover it with a white cloth half an hour before “Others?” Mousefinch looked down the hole, and sure drinking it, and Mousefinch was not allowed to play with enough, another pair of hands waved and clutched above anyone who had been in contact with the fever. the surface. She reached down again, to pull out a girl At first she attempted to obey, feeling important. Only about her own age, and while she was burping up her load after she had offended all of her friends did she realize that of water, a younger boy. He was better dressed than the the number of people not included in it was shrinking others, with leggings and a jacket. every day. It did little good to roam farther and meet new Mousefinch sat back on her heels. “Who are you?” children, for the city was emptying. Not only were the The Baby was sitting up with his arms around the big rich folk making their annual exodus, but poor people— girl’s neck. “I’m Big Sis,” she said, “and this is Baby, and real people—were following, trekking down the roads and Bub, and Little Sis.” the rivers, fleeing the fever. “Those aren’t names,” snorted Mousefinch. “More fools they,” said Mousefinch’s mother, caressing “It’s who we are, all the same. Who are you?” the charm round her neck. “What’s to live on in the coun- “Mousefinch.” try? Do they think that farmers give their crops away? “That’s not a name,” said Little Sis, “so we’re even.” And they’ll find no work to go around.” Her own work “But why were you in the river? Why didn’t you came and went on the ships at the sea docks and the drown?” barges on the river, and she did a good trade. Her compe- Big Sis shook out her hair, which was drying already. tition was vanishing to the Deadlands and to the country. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it, but we were a The hoard of silver coins behind the stove grew apace, but little tired with it. So we saw you and sent Baby up, be- it seemed sometimes that Mousefinch was the only well cause he’s lightest. What’s to do in Hadam Port?” child in all the world. “All manner of things,” Mousefinch said. “Let me Mousefinch watched the ships loading and unloading, show you.” nimbly filched wares from every vendor in the city, invad- The River Children were real country bumpkins. They ed the deserted precincts of the wealthy to play upon their held their noses at the smells in the gutters, goggled at the lawns. When she heard the wicked mother calling to her store windows, laughed with admiration at her skill in children over the water, she thought I know how she feels. pilferage, and gazed in wonder at the monuments and at I’m all alone, too. the rich folks’ houses. Empty as the streets seemed to One day she found a tavern perched on the bank as if it Mousefinch, they still held more people than these chil- contemplated slipping in and ending its misery forever. dren had ever seen at one time. They showed also a light- Among the damp remnants of past merriment Mousefinch ness of step that made them quick studies at climbing played barkeep, barmaid, and patrons; went upstairs as walls and fences, and slipping away from angry vendors, the chambermaid, pocketing what she liked of the imagi- passing the Baby back and forth so easily that even he did nary objects she tidied up; and tried to go into the cellar, not hold them up. Nor did he cry, only looked about him but the river had eaten one wall away. with wide-eyed interest and attempted to put things into Mousefinch lay on her stomach above the hole where his mouth.

DRAGON 91 “He’s deaf,” Big Sis explained as they crouched in the Mousefinch to wake her mother, they walked home with shade of the Dower Street Bridge over the Side Ditch. her and left her in the narrow court outside. “Where will “He’s never made a noise in his life.” you sleep?” asked Mousefinch. “How old is he?” asked Mousefinch, dividing the “Wherever we want!” laughed Little Sis. brown sugar candy she had swiped. They faded into the shadows of the lower courts, and “One and a half,” said Big Sis. Mousefinch went upstairs to wake her mother. She did not “One thousand and a half,” giggled Little Sis. tell her about the River Children. The night was still, the “You hush,” snapped Big Sis. “T’ain’t been near that river smell was strong, and the wicked mother was far long.” away, sounding on the edge of tears. It was too hot to “Has too,” said Bub. sleep in the room, so she climbed onto the sloping roof of “Since when?” asked Mousefinch. the room below, spread a towel to protect her from the hot “Since we went in the river,” mumbled Little Sis, slate, and slept there. around a mouthful of candy. As summer dwindled, Mousefinch and the River Chil- “It’s the age we were when we went in that matters,” dren went everywhere together. At dusk, though, the said Big Sis, giving Baby some candy to suck. “The rest River Children always ran off. Mousefinch often invited don’t count.” them up, but Big Sis said: “We don’t want to meet any- Mousefinch said, “I know a story. Want to hear it?” one’s mother.” “Sure,” said Bub. “But my mother’s wonderful,” said Mousefinch. She told them about the wicked mother. Big Sis “All the same.” wouldn’t look at her, but Bub and Little Sis winked and “But what do you do all night?” nudged and almost spoke, so that by the time she got to “Hide from mother," giggled Little Sis, touching the end, Mousefinch was confident. “And nobody ever Mousefinch’s shoulder. “Tag! You’re it!” She scampered knew where they’d got to,” she finished, “till one day I off between two brewery wagons. was fishing through the floor and pulled them right up.” The wicked mother’s voice came closer each night, as if Bub and Little Sis screeched delightedly. “How’d you she were making a systematic search of the streets nearest know?” the river. On the night of the day the last child in the “Just naturally smart, I guess,” said Mousefinch. house besides Mousefinch died, the mother came wailing Big Sis bounced the struggling baby on her knee. He along Tar Street, upon the river side. Mousefinch lay belly was plenty big enough to crawl, but they hadn’t set him down on her roof, sweating. The mother felt her way from down yet. “‘Is she still hanging around here?” window to window, peering in at each one, and calling. “She comes and goes. I heard her last night.” “Bub? Sis? You’re here somewhere. Oh, please be here “She won’t get us,” bragged Little Sis. “We’re onto somewhere!” Mousefinch’s heart ached. her.” The wicked mother reached the bereaved windows be- “We’ll hide," nodded Bub, eagerly. “We’re good hiders.” low after the ragged quarter moon had struggled above “I don’t know as you need to hide," said Mousefinch. the level of the chimneys opposite. Mousefinch could see “She’s sorry by now.” her hair straggling down her back, and the shadow of her Big Sis sniffed. limbs inside her nightgown. “My children!” she called. “Is not," said Little Sis. “Oh, please, my children!” Bub shivered and hugged himself, though he should’ve “Your children!” screamed the woman downstairs. “You been too warm, with those clothes on. “She’s mean,” he threw yours away, you wretch! What about my children?” said, “and a liar. Don’t listen to her.” The wicked mother flew backward and up as the cham- “She’ll put you in the river, too," said Little Sis, “and berpot emptied into her face. “At least you know where hit you, and—” yours are!” screamed the wicked mother, and dove into “Even if she were sorry,” interrupted Big Sis, “she the river, deserves to be sorry. And what happens if she finds us? We She stayed down so long Mousefinch thought she would all go to the Deadlands, that’s what! Who wants to go never come up. Her eyes watered with tiredness. Before there? Not me!” she fell asleep, the mother burst out of the river, her hair “Not me!” chorused the other children, Mousefinch and gown streaming, looking so much like Big Sis that included, for she saw the force of the argument. The last Mousefinch gasped. thing she wanted was for her new friends to follow so The mother heard her. Her head whipped around, scat- many old ones down that road. “What’s it like in the tering glittering drops across the moonlight, and she river?” she asked. soared to the level of the roof. Black and white in the col- “Nice,” said Bub. orless night, she stared into Mousefinch’s face. “You’re “We can be fish, if we want,” said Little Sis. not one of them!” she moaned, and began to sink. “Or ducks,” said Bub. “No,” said Mousefinch, “but I’m a friend of theirs.” “Or water.” The mother stopped sinking, hovered, then drifted “Oh, show me how!” said Mousefinch. closer. She gripped the drainpipe with fingers thin and They tried, but she had no knack. It was so frustrating frail as strips of kindling. “A friend . . . of theirs?” she Mousefinch almost cried; but Big Sis invented games in whispered hoarsely. which that disability did not matter, and asked for lessons “Maybe not, if they find out I told you.” in pilferage, so she felt better. When it came time for “They’re angry at me?”

JANUARY 1994 “Do you blame them?” have a place to meet.” The woman’s face went through a series of changes, too “Down in your court,” said Bub. rapid to identify by moonlight. “No,” she said. “But I Mousefinch shook her head. “What if Aunt Nilla saw must see them, must find them, must—” She released the you? I know—let’s meet under the Dock Street Bridge, roofs edge and held out her bony hands. “Please help me, where the boats are moored. Maybe we can borrow one.” little girl.” This notion found immediate acceptance, for the River “Are you really sorry?” asked Mousefinch. Children admired boats. They parted amid eager antici- The mother tilted her head back and wailed. “Sorry! pation of the night’s adventures, and Mousefinch went After all this time? Oh, little one, little one. Let me only home to find her mother awake in the stifling room, the find my children, and I will show the world how sorry I water boiled, and the bread and cheese laid out for supper. am!” “It’ll be a long night,” Mousefinch’s mother said, gaz- “They don’t want to go to the Deadlands, you know.” ing at the silhouettes of roofs and chimneys against a “Of course not. Do you suppose I do? They only need heavy sea-cloud. teach me to hide, as they have done, so well, so long—” A “I wish it wasn’t so hot,” said Mousefinch, making dull shudder ran down her body. “Only bring me to my chil- conversation to hide the excitement in her belly. dren and let me speak to them—make it up with them— “It won’t be long,” said her mother, nodding at the and we will be family again. Happily ever after.” cloud. “A good autumn storm is what we need, to wash “All right,” said Mousefinch. “We’ll meet you tomor- the illness away.” row . At—” She frowned. “You know the Dock Street “Would it do that?” asked Mousefinch. Bridge?” “Something must,” sighed her mother wearily, “or “There’s no bridge or dock or patch of reeds from Fair- there won’t be a person left alive in the city.” borough to the sea that I don’t know,” said the mother, Mousefinch chewed up her cheese. “Except you and her mouth twisting. me,” she said. “We could go live in one of those fine So the next day at dusk, Mousefinch began her suasion. houses.” “It’s not fair. Everybody stays out all night but me.” Her mother hugged her. “It would take us, too,” she “Can’t you come out after your mother leaves?” asked said, as Mousefinch (her arm pressed uncomfortably Little Sis. across her chest) wriggled to get free. “No one can hide “I could, but I never know where to find you.” from Death.” She let Mousefinch go and dressed in her “You wouldn’t need to,” said Big Sis. “We’d find you.” working clothes, with the ruffle round her bosom and the “Maybe you would," said Mousefinch, “but I’d rather awkward heels.

DRAGON 93 Mousefinch climbed onto the roof to watch her go, and drove her under. She struggled against the bony hands, when she disappeared round the corner onto Dock Street, but her lungs burned, and the insides of her eyes turned shinnied down the drainpipe and ran. red. Cheated of her first murders, the wicked mother was It was cooler under Dock Street Bridge, where the boats taking no chances this time. bumped each other, pointing down the tide. Mousefinch And I deserve it, thought Mousefinch. She had betrayed climbed into one. People and horses passed overhead. It the River Children, brought this trouble on them after seemed to her she waited a long time, while the dark came they had avoided it so long! Well, as long as their mother down and the moon came up and the stars crept from was drowning Mousefinch, she couldn’t chase the chil- behind the cloudy sky. dren. She should just open her mouth and let the brown At last she heard splashing. Bub’s face broke the river’s water in. She opened her eyes so she would see Death surface. She helped him into the boat, then Little Sis. when he came. Then Big Sis passed the Baby up and climbed in herself. Suddenly, the water boiled with long darting shapes, “It took you long enough,” said Mousefinch. battering and nipping the mother’s grappling arms. “There was too much traffic,” said Big Sis. “We didn’t Mousefinch slipped from her grasp, sinking through the want anyone to notice us, so we had to come by river.” silent water. Four sturgeon-shapes, dark against the “No one would notice,” said Mousefinch. “Dock lighter surface, spread along the mother’s length, striking Street’s always busy. What are you so nervous about?” and striking and striking, never in the same place long Big Sis looked over her shoulder; Bub made a sign enough for her to strike back. against evil; and Little Sis said: “We haven’t heard our As Mousefinch drifted downward, a lean figure drifted mother tonight. We can’t tell where she is.” upward, lidless eyes turning briefly from the turmoil “I think it’s mean, the way you run away from her. She above as they passed her. “What are you doing here must be sorry by now. And what could she do to you?” still?” asked Death. “Do you think I have time for you? “Finish what she started," said Big Sis darkly. You must wait your turn.” “But then she’d have to go to the Deadlands, too,” Mousefinch wanted to shout at him. This was all his Mousefinch pointed out, seeing a shadow move in the fault, not hers! In a burst of anger, she let out all her unmoving shade of the bridge. “You could teach her how breath and shot past him, swatting at the biggest fish, you avoid Death—” pointing frantically. The fish scattered and the mother, “No!” said Bub, rocking the boat. released, bobbed upward like a cork as Mousefinch’s head “No!” roared the wicked mother, diving into the boat. broke water again and she gasped for breath, dizzy with The boat rocked wildly and Little Sis and Bub screamed the sweetness of inrushing air. as the mother retreated to the high part of the bridge’s From total silence, she came to roaring bedlam. Some- arc, holding the Baby. one grabbed her. Mousefinch screamed and fought, but Mousefinch gaped up at her. “But . . . you—” her own mother snapped, “Be still!” and she went limp. “Bring him back, Mother," said Big Sis coldly. Blinking the water from her eyes as she floated in her “Oh, no!” Her hair and gown did not quite hang mother’s wake, she saw the wicked mother whirling away straight in the still air. Baby twisted in her arms, trying to like a screaming leaf. break free, and she kept shifting, trying to keep her grip. People lined the bank, shivering, their clothes blown “You little horrors heard me all the time, didn’t you? You inland by the icy wind sweeping down the river, A sailor made me suffer, broke all the rules. Why should you, of helped them ashore. Mousefinch coughed up water till she all the world, escape the Deadlands and ghosthood and all was sure her stomach would come up, too. “How did . . . other penalties?” where did . . .” “Give him back, Mother," said Big Sis. “Half Dock Street heard the screaming,” her mother The mother dipped in the air as the Baby nearly wig- said. gled free, and caught him more securely, one hand round “She’d’ve drowned you, sure,” said the sailor, “but a kicking ankle and one arm round his waist, Baby wig- those fish came. I thought they’d eat her! She got away gled and rolled, stretching his arms to his sister. “Oh, no! into the air, and then the wind blew her upstream.” It’s your time to meet Death, now. I’d better call him “Death’s wind,” said someone. quickly.” The arm round Baby’s waist slipped down till Mousefinch could only shiver and cry, straining her she grasped him, swinging, by the ankles. “When a skull eyes for the sight of four fish in a bunch, of Death’s lean this young meets stone—” smiled the mother, drifting to face—but all she saw was the black surface chopped into the arch. waves by the wind. Heavy drops of rain fell on her head. Mousefinch and Big Sis both jumped. Neither made it. Her mother took her home. As the boat turned turtle, Baby twisted loose. Mousefinch These days, since the fever broke, Mousefinch spends glimpsed him diving, his arms and legs smoothing into most of her time by the river, throwing scraps to the stur- fins, before the splash and silent rush of water engulfed geon and counting the members of each school. The River her. The smooth bulk of some large fish brushed’past her, Children do not come to play, but they must be free, for but in the underwater darkness she saw nothing till her their mother still searches. However, her wandering note head broke surface, and then only a dazzle of moonlight. has changed; and Mousefinch, hearing her, runs to shut Mousefinch could hear, though, the cursing and wailing the window. of that familiar lying voice. She coughed and sputtered, trying to strike out for shore, but the wail swept down and

94 JANUARY 1994

Undiscovered Treasure Troves Using nongaming sources as inspiration ©1993 by James Patrick Buchanan

Artwork by David Day All game masters (GMs) can enrich their innumerable adventures. Other sources eties, along with retirees (such as your campaigns by being open to new ideas and where you can enrich your campaign are own relatives), have much information on concepts taken from a wide variety of your library’s government-publications how human beings interact with each published games and nongaming sources. section containing books, maps, posters, other. These nongaming sources are undis- Prospecting in local libraries can pay huge and periodicals that are grouped together covered treasure troves of inexpensive dividends to any campaign. Searching by agency. GMs who run science-fiction ideas that can add texture and depth to history books for NPCs, travel-industry campaigns will find much useful informa- any ongoing campaign. publications for unusual settings, and tion in the Defense Department and NASA newspapers for world events can lead to sections. Moreover, local historical soci-

DRAGON 99 Nonplayer characters ing. This flooding washed away the town’s Christina could interact with the player In too many published modules and riverside piers, warehouses, and bridges. characters in at least three ways. First, if home-grown campaigns, nonplayer char- Regional roads became impassable. With the player characters meet Christina at acters (NPCs) are lifeless, interchangeable the area’s soil covered with a thick layer of The Judge’s Inn, they may perceive her as automatons. However, libraries and muse- ash, farm families moved away to better only a simple innkeeper. If the PCs stay ums contain many biographies that detail lands elsewhere. Also, the loss of road and one or more nights at the inn, Christina or the lives of very colorful explorers, pio- river traffic, the town’s merchants had no the inn employees could discreetly keep neers, and colonists. These people are far one to sell their goods to and also departed an eye on the party (For example, she more interesting and complex than any the area. Soon, there were only two fami- could make sure the PCs pay a 10% find- NPCs created by random charts. By simply lies still living in Newburg. The republic’s ers tax on any newly unearthed wealth.) transferring their personal backgrounds Senate abolished the town’s charter mak- Second, the PCs could encounter Christina to NPCs, GMs can create more interesting ing Newburg an unincorporated village. in court. As Christina is honest and just, NPCs. (Players can create more interesting The Plantation family was hard hit; sales any type of bribe will find the offending characters also.) of shoes and boots fell to almost nothing. characters jailed, fined, or both. Third, she Let’s take a look at Minnesota pioneer As a result, Christina had to supplement could guide the party to any interesting John Carey’s background, and then invent her income by delivering mail to the more locations within her jurisdiction. an interesting NPC based on him. The real remote settlements and the wizard’s tow- John Carey was born in Bangor, Maine, on er. Perceived by the remaining farmers as Settings March 3rd, 1830. At the age of twenty- an impartial outsider, they asked her to Any GM running a modern-era cam- three, he was one of 85 New England settle their disputes. Soon, Christina dis- paign will need information about cities or citizens who immigrated into southern covered that she needed to put all her areas not found in published sourcebooks. Minnesota. However, the undeveloped negotiated settlements in writing. With Each year, the travel industry publishes country lacked good roads to get their instruction from the wizard’s apprentice, many free brochures and magazines that farm products to larger markets. That, she learned how to read and write. The can make it easier for GMs and players to combined with greedy land speculators, remaining adult population became so visualize unfamiliar settings. You can get soon forced many of the colonists to re- impressed with her fairness and impartial- this information from local travel agencies, turn to Maine or move to other parts of ity that they elected her village judge. or federal, state, county, and city tourism Minnesota. Mr. Carey traveled north to St. offices. To get toll-free numbers for out-of- Paul, where he was hired by Luke Mar- Judge Carey moved from Oneota to state tourism offices, call: (800) 555-1212. vin’s Wholesale and Retail Boot and Shoe Duluth, where he chose to live in the Let’s take a look at an unusual real- House. In 1855, he moved to the village of largest and best maintained of the village’s world landscape and transform it into a Superior, Wisconsin. In Superior, Mr. Ca- empty homes. fantasy campaign setting. Virginia’s Natu- rey used the knowledge he gained in St. Just hours after moving his family and ral Tunnel is a limestone cave formed by Paul to open his own boot and shoe store. their belongings inside the house, a group Stock Creek. The cave is 850’ long, aver- of miners heading for the Vermillion Gold ages 100’ high, and is between l00’-170’ With Mr. Carey’s background to guide Fields trekked into the almost deserted wide. Outside the cave, the creek has also us, we can create a his tory for Christina village of Duluth. As Carey had the largest cut cliff walls around itself that are be- Plantation, a female NPC for a fantasy home in Duluth, the would-be miners tween 350’-700’ high. Stock Creek does campaign. In her youth, Christina’s family asked him if they could spend the night not fill the entire cave floor. A railroad moved to Newburg, a fast-growing there and shelter their horses in his barn. was built in the tunnel in 1890 and is still frontier farming settlement. (The town of The next day, another group of miners in use. In 1971, the cave and the area Newburg is just a small part of a much arrived, looking for shelter. Despite his around it became a state park. larger republic.) On the town’s main initial reluctance to open his home to street, the Plantation family set up a shoe- strangers, Carey soon became an innkeep- The PCs are rafting a river in an area making shop. Over the next few years, er for many groups of miners going to and that’s recently been invaded by evil forces Christina made shoes and boots for the returning from the gold fields. But, even when a sudden storm strikes. Just as the local population, traveling merchants, and with the income from being a judge, an party decides to land and wait out the the occasional band of adventurers. Some- innkeeper, and a mail carrier, he still had storm, they round a bend in the river and times she would personally deliver a fin- difficulty supporting his family. see the water flowing into a large tunnel- ished pair of boots to an out-of-the-way like cavern. There also seems to be a farm house. This traveling gave her skills Christina’s family then moved in to the rocky path or road leading into the ca- to ride horses in all types of weather. former mayor’s now-abandoned fortified vern. Will the PCs explore the cave? Will mansion. The Plantation family settled into merchants, bandits, or dragons also try to The depression of 1857 forced Mr. Carey ten rooms, leaving the rest of the mansion avoid the storm by taking shelter in the to close his store and move across the St. empty. The very next year, the area’s farm- cave? Could this area be sacred to the local Louis Bay to Oneota, Minnesota. Mr. Carey land began to show signs of recovery. human or humanoid population? Could spent the next few years farming, cutting Many of the farmers returned. In the there be a sawmill, village, tomb timber, and delivering the mail to the small republic’s Senate, a 300-person road-repair complex, or winery within the cavern? farms and villages north and west of Du- crew was authorized and funded to clear What is at the other end of the cavern? luth. In 1859, Mr. Carey was elected to the Newburg’s main highway for traffic. For over 400 years, the slow-moving post of probate judge. The Plantation family renovated the rest river was the cheapest, fastest way to In 1865, the Civil War had drawn most of their mansion as the only first-class move goods and people between two of the population away from the area. hotel in Newburg. The Judge’s Inn was human nations in the area. Along the During this time, the village of Duluth had opened first for the road crews, then for river, canals were built to go around just two houses that were occupied. merchants, prospectors, trappers, and rapids. These canals also help boats and other travelers who passed through New- barges overcome the river’s slow current. However an upwind volcano became burg. Consequently, The Judge’s Inn be- Mules and horses are used to pull boats active and erupted, sending millions of came the center for starting and finishing and barges in the canals and through their tons of pulverized rock down on Newburg adventures in the area. locks, (Ambushing the PCs at a canal lock and the lands around it. Half the popula- Christina’s skill list includes: Cobbling, would make a quick mini-adventure.) At tion died. Rivers and streams became riding horses, reading & writing, rural the area’s border, a village was built inside clogged with ash, causing extensive flood- etiquette, and frontier law. a huge river-cut tunnel.

100 JANUARY 1994 However, the tunnel was not well forti- NPCs, encounters, settings, and campaign escape the light of day, then decide to take fied. Thus, within the last few months, a goals. For example, a Roman legion enter- over the mine and the area around it for large army of humanoids have chased ing hostile territory would march from himself. Moreover, the mining site could away the villagers and claimed the tunnel sunrise to noon, then build a massive already be honeycombed with the tunnels and the village for themselves. To secure earth-and-wood fortification around the of humanoid creatures who mine the salt their hold on the tunnel, they built a large camp. Plans for these fortifications can be or make the salt dome their homes. Fi- wood-and-earth fortress, along with sev- found in a number of historical and mod- nally, articles about medieval to turn-of- eral smaller redoubts, at each end of the eling hobby books and magazines, but not the-century mining techniques provide tunnel. Any river traffic attempting to get in published game sourcebooks. [Editor’s game masters with some idea of the costs, from one nation to the other must pay Note: HR5 The Glory of Rome Sourcebook, hazards, and rewards of building and excessively high tolls to the humanoid a historical reference for the AD&D® operating any mining operation. army to pass through the tunnel. Accord- game, is now available.] Magazine articles ingly, trade between the two human na- have inspired more than half my pub- Conclusion tions has been cut in half, causing massive lished gaming manuscripts. Discovering ideas in these nongaming unemployment in many trades. Let’s suppose that the PCs attempt to sources will take time, but the investment One or both nations now ask the PCs to prospect for precious metals in an area of is worth the benefits. GMs who take the help them get rid of the parasitic human- forested hills. They make a legal mining time to do a little research for fresh, inno- oids and liberate this trade route. The GM claim and start digging. If the GM rules vative ideas will create more enjoyable, could design an adventure that has the that no precious metals exist in the area, more memorable, and—most of all—longer PCs sneak into the tunnel and kill the the PCs may find less-valuable mineral campaigns. humanoid’s leaders. Then, the army would deposits, like a large salt dome. GMs be simultaneously attacked by the PCs in should remember that most mining done For more information about Natural the tunnel and by a human army attacking in the real world is to get at common Tunnel State Park, write: from the outside. It would make an epic resources such as iron, copper, or salt, not Natural Tunnel State Park adventure! gold, platinum, or diamonds. Rt. 3, Box 250 The GM needs to decide what, if any- Duffield VA 24244 World events thing, the PCs discover, then read several (703) 940-2674 World expositions, along with thousands magazine articles on that mineral. of other periodically staged events such as The GM must decide how many obstruc- Virginia State Parks the Olympic Games and Mardi Gras, are tions, such as layers of very hard rock, 203 Governor St., Ste. 306 treasure troves for adventures. World villains, or monsters will attempt to slow Richmond VA 23219 expos are always grand spectacles where down or stop the player characters from (804) 786-1712 nations showcase their cultural heritages. operating the mine. For example, a vam- International corporations have their own pire could use the PCs’ mine shafts to pavilions to advertise recent advances in architecture, computers, transportation, communication networks, and space ex- ploration. The PCs could encounter a wide range of technology, languages, and cul- tural diversity. To make the PCs’ lives more interesting, one or more pavilions could be the focus of violent demonstrations, ter- rorist attacks, or industrial spies. A nation or corporation could hire the party to discover who is behind the illegal activi- ties. On the other hand, the PCs could be hired to steal a new machine or priceless artifact. They could also find helpful or dangerous contacts with foreign citizens, corporations, or governments at an expo. Outside the public areas are offices, load- ing docks, utility tunnels for water and gas pipes, and telecommunications cables where PCs can find danger and mystery. Other world events also can inspire adventures. The next time you read the newspaper or watch the TV news, put your mind to translating some of the themes, settings, and events mentioned into forms usable in your campaign. Adventures Finally, magazines are an endless source of campaign ideas that GMs can adapt to their campaigns. There are magazines devoted to almost every subject imagina- ble. Not only are these magazines fun to read, but they contain articles that include photographs, maps, and detailed histories of specific locations around the world. These articles can provide GMs with a fresh approach to creating memorable

DRAGON 101 102 JANUARY 1994 DRAGON 103 104 JANUARY 1994 DRAGON 105

108 JANUARY 1994 DRAGON 109 .

110 JANUARY 1994 DRAGON 111 ©1993 by Robert Bigelow

Photographs by Mike Bethke

thanks. The lead bill is coming to vote soon and our bill exempting miniatures as collectibles is still attached. Please write or call your congressman and senators and ask them to support the amendment. We must remain alert to protect our hobby. We have a lot of items to cover this month, so I’ll get off my soapbox.

Reviews

Gallia USA c/o Armadillo Games RR #6, Box 105 Schenectady NY 12306

5504 High-Rise Building * * * * ½ 5506E Ruined High-Rise Building **** These two buildings are scaled to fit either l/300- or l/285-scale historical or SF armor and figures, or FASA’s slightly larger BATTLETECH* scale. The building is made of a cast resin and is 97 mm tall X 39.5 mm wide X 31 mm deep. There are 11 floors represented, complete with ledges, small front and side windows, large ground-level doors and stairs. The buildings have no fire escapes or other exterior detailing. This lack of detail allows the building to mold easily. The roof is slightly slatted and Buildings, bards, and beholders outlined in brick and could be used as a very small helicopter pad. The outside Last year at this time, my column was ued as not feasible for conversion to lead- surface is slightly rough and resembles a devoted to the attack on the miniatures free substances. Some distributors have stony surface. There are no exterior bub- field by forces outside the hobby. The reported a marked decrease in miniatures ble holes or marks. news continues to be bleak. New York sales. The price of collecting, gaming and The ruined building is a damaged twin State remains unreasonable about lead modifying figures continues to rise. I think of the other. Most of the front and sides of limits and the miniatures industry con- we all owe the State of New York Health the top two floors are piles of rubble with tinues to fight, both through the legal Department a polite letter asking them to pieces of roofing and edging clearly visi- system and the arena of public relations. be reasonable. ble. The fifth floor is almost totally devas- Even if the industry wins, the damage On the plus side, we owe the U.S. Senate tated. The bottom of the building is already has been done. Many people have surrounded by a resin pool molded with asked me why some figures are no longer Miniatures’ product ratings debris visible. Devastation of the building available. The answer is that many distrib- is not total, but serious. This building has utors will not carry lead figures and the * Poor some bubbles and resin strings but they most popular figures have been changed ** Below average blend into the damage. to lead-free alloys first. Good figures that *** Average Both buildings are nice, although the are slow sellers are a low priority on a **** Above average 5th-floor damage probably should have company’s changeover lists. Many figures ***** Excellent totally collapsed the damaged building. with low sales probably will be discontin- The main stumbling block on these is their

112 JANUARY 1994 cost of $6.00 each. This could make it prohibitive to make a really nice city.

Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures 656 E. McMillan Cincinnati OH 45206-1971

1032 Mummy’s Favorite ***** This kit depicts a pair of adventurers who have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. The kit consists of eight pieces and is made of a lead-free com- pound. The pieces are scaled to 25 mm and consist of a base section, a wall, two skeleton guardians, a sarcophagus, a clear orb, a male fighter and a male adventurer. The base section is 70 mm × 48 mm × 4 mm thick. The base sides have extensive flash and mold lines that are easily re- moved with standard tools. The sides are tapered to resemble a plaque while the top has engraved blocks with some cracks. A hammer and two pry bars are on the floor beside the sarcophagus stand. The back wall is 44-mm tall with a pillar-framed arch in the center. The walls are cut block and a torch holder is in each of the upper corners. The pillars end in almost handlike forms and the center of the arch supports a shield with an eye framed by dragon wings. The eye is very well done, with a visible tear duct and a well-formed lid. The last details are two identical dais on either side of the base that support the guardians. The guardians are identical skeletal figures measuring over 30-mm tall and are ex- tremely thin. The figures are stepping down from the stands and have their scimitar-type swords held as if to strike. The arms, hands, and back of the legs are bones as is the skull with deep-set eyes and individual teeth. The rest of the figure is dressed in ornate armor. The boots are overlapping plate extending to the shins. Scale mail covers the upper torso and is partially covered by a ram-horned skeletal face. A belt surrounds the waist. The arms and shoulders are protected with overlapping plates, while a pointed helmet with horns and a faded medallion protect and frame the head. Small links of chain fall from the helmet to shoulder. The figures had very light flash, and my only gripe is The male thief is wearing studded leath- probably warn against intrusion. The glass that they would have looked better if each er armor with overlapping strips at the sphere sits in a depression on the hands. figure had been molded in a different pose. waist and shoulders. The legs are in tights, This is an excellent diorama kit. The The male fighter is dressed in folded-top, and shin-high boots of supple leather pieces fit together well and the figures hip-boots and leather pants. A light field cover the feet. A thin belt supports a stud- could be used as separate pieces for gam- plate covers the upper body and is in turn ded scabbard on the left which is also held ing, then replaced on the base. The kit is a partially covered by a chain-mail coat. by the left hand. A hood and cape cover a good gift, or personal project and is rea- Both arms are covered by jointed plate long-sleeved shirt. The facial features are sonably priced at $12.00 per kit. armor and both hands wear metal gaunt- vaguely elven and definitely annoyed as lets. The chest has a small shield with skull the guardians move to protect their Soldiers and Swords insignia and plates protect the shoulders. charge. Wrinkle detail is excellent and 25 Fayette St. A wide leather belt with a buckle and skull even some light flash did not ruin the Binghampton NY 13901 support a scabbard on the left and a knife figure. on the right. The right hand holds a raised The object of everyone’s attention is an DP003 Basic Pack 3: Villain, sword while the left grasps the top of the ornately done sarcophagus measuring 33 Henchman and Henchwoman ** ½ now empty scabbard. The face, with a mm × 15 mm × 9 mm. The top has a bas This set was designed for R. Talsorian’s surprised expression and well-done fea- relief of the figure inside and is of the DREAM PARK* game, but would be usable tures, is framed by chain and an ornate Aztec-type dress. The side panels have a in a number of different games. The three- helmet with flames and trim. number of scenes and hieroglyphics that piece set is scaled to 25 mm and made of a

DRAGON 113 figure wears tights. Her boots are high on like beast capable of flight. The creature the calf and she is dressed in open-topped, comes in five parts and is easy to glue button-down leathers with no sleeves. Her together. The legs glue into feet that are face is detailed but not terribly pretty. molded on the horse as if sinking talons Hair strands are evident with the hair into flesh. Then two wings glue into the being wavy. This figure has a number of 110-mm body by insertion into slots. The possibilities, but also a number of prob- tail must be bent slightly as it does not lems. There is flash between the legs, quite fit the rear hole, but this is easy. The between the body and arms, and between lizard has a bumpy texture to his skin and the body and sword and around the collar a scaly texture to his wings that are well edge. Metal flow is heavy at the collar, the done and makes me wish that this figure left foot (which is not fully formed), and was available independently. Straps and the sword. Very careful work is required saddle provide a riding platform for the to get the piece to look right. Her right leg Lord of Nazgul. also has the appearance of being squared The Nazgul Lord is dressed in billowy and formed by slab-like layers rather than black trousers, a black tunic, and a long, having a smooth and rounded appearance. flowing cape secured at the neck by a These are some of the worst pieces that simple clasp. A belt is visible, but not I have seen from Soldiers and Swords, but detailed. The face is covered by a mask with a lot of work they could be effective and his hands are covered by gloves. Over villains. Other packages that I have gotten his cowl is a simple four-pointed crown, to sell do not have nearly as many prob- while his right hand holds a scepter or lems. This pack is not worth the $4.75 mace. The left hand is pointed at Eowyn. price tag, but others that required less This figure does not have much detail, but work might be. does portray the implicit threat well. Merry the hobbit sits crouched on the Mithril Ltd. sidelines looking for an opening. He is Macroom dressed in a simple, long-sleeved shirt and Co. Cork vest, long pants that go to mid-ankle, bare Ireland feet, and a cape with cowl. The cowl is secured to his vest and falls to the ground Prince August U.S. in wrinkled swirls. Facial detail is poor, but The Byrne Building is easy to paint. The hair is curly and Lincoln and Morgan Sts. secured by a headband. His left arm is Phoenixville PA 19460 bare while his right hand clenches a small sword. MB 279 Lord of Nazgul * * * * ½ Eowyn is dressed in heavy leather boots The Lord of Nazgul was killed by Eowyn and a chain-mail dress that falls to mid- lead-free alloy. Each piece is mounted on a the shield maiden while attempting to kill thigh. The dress is secured by a wide thin, oval, undetailed base that requires King Theodin after the lifting of the siege leather belt that supports a pouch. An- trimming and cleaning to stand flat. of Minas Tirith. The vignette presented other belt supports an empty sword The villain is dressed in a long, tight represents the battle just before the fatal sheath. Her head is bare and individual robe that flares at the feet and is belted at blow. The set is scaled to 25 mm and is a hair detail is good, even to being mussed the waist with a rope belt knotted in front. mixture of resin base and lead-free metal from the battle. Chain detail is good, but His head is covered by a hat reminiscent figures. The base is round and 110 mm the facial detail will need to be painted on. of those worn by the French Foreign across. The sides of the base are machined Much of the detail on the front chain mail Legion. Facial detail is slightly exaggerated. to resemble a professional plaque mount- is hidden after you add the horse- A large ball is held in front of him by a ing. The top of the base has an excellently embossed shield, so you may want to twisted wire frame and he is waving his sculpted ground cover consisting of realis- consider leaving the shield off. A sleeve- hands over it as if casting a spell. The tic rock formations, grassy regions, and covered right arm and bare hand hold a figure has a thin layer of flash between dirt. King Theodin lies crushed beneath a long sword. the stand and the base of the body and the horse on a small hillock. The horse is very This is an excellent set and should be globe, and the body and right hand. Care well done and is wearing a full harness considered a must for any Lord of the must be taken when removing this to and tack without barding. The tail and Rings fans. This kit will take some extra avoid destroying any details. mane feature individual hairs and the work to bring out the fine detail, but is The henchman is dressed in knee-high facial expression reflects the creature’s worth it. I highly recommend this kit, boots with folded tops, pants, and a unbut- death with open mouth and closed eyes. available at $25.95 each. toned tunic secured by a wide belt. His King Theodin lies stretched upon the right hand is holding a sword with the ground, with his body visible from knees Leading Edge Games point toward the ground. A cape flows out up. The king is dressed in a chain-mail P.O. Box 70669 behind him at a weird angle and is se- coat with half sleeves, extending from his Pasadena CA 91117 cured to the tunic by clasps. The facial shoulders to his feet. A wide belt with a detail is fair, with a sneer as the facial simple pouch supports a case and scab- 64110 Men-at-Arms Pack * * * *½ expression. His hair is tied in a topknot. bard. His left hand is folded over his chest This pack contains four 25-mm scale The figure has flash between the ponytail and the right is outstretched towards his lead miniatures whose actual size would and shoulder, neck and hair, between the sword. There is little facial detail other be under six feet tall. The figures all have legs from groin to knee level, on the then his beard and gaunt cheeks as his undetailed, thick circular bases. The stand- sword, and between the arms and torso. eyes are closed. He has a full helm with ard uniform is a chain-mail shirt that Again, care must be taken when cleaning nose guard and a tassel at the peak. A drops to mid-thigh and a Jupon Surcoat this figure. wide cape is spread underneath him on belted by a wide leather belt and simple The henchwoman is armed with claws the ground. buckle. Two characters have knee-high strapped to her left hand and I think the The Lord of Nazgul’s mount is a lizard- boots and two have low boots and all wear

114 JANUARY 1994 trousers. All the figures are armed with simple swords, but three have gloves while one is bare-handed. All the figures have metal coifs; one has a French-style helmet and one has a Basicinet-style hel- met. Three have the sword held in their right hand in the advancing position and one is slicing downward with a two- handed grip. All have slightly different postures. The faces differ slightly in expression from resolution to anger. Facial features are well defined, and three are clean shav- en There is one bearded member com- plete with mustache. These are well-done generic army fig ures that would fit well into either histori- cal or fantasy collections. These figures could personalize units that otherwise would be identical. I plan on picking up several packs to supplement my human figures from Ral Partha, and the quality is Men-at-Arms Pack (Leading Edge) very comparable. I highly recommend this pack at the $5.99 price.

RAFM Company, Inc. 20 Parkhill Road E Cambridge Ontario CANADA N1R 1P2

3694 Bards **** Bards are welcome in almost any noble’s court, and this collection of bards should be doubly so. The set contains three dif- ferent figures scaled to 25 mm but varying in height. All are made of a lead-free com- pound and have oval bases set onto rectan- gular slabs for stability. Each bard is equipped for a different environment. Bard #l is a court musician. She is dressed in a low-cut dress and a set of low shoes, and is playing a harp. A set of sup- port belts for the harp hang loosely while she grasps the harp in her left arm and plucks on the strings with her right. The hand. She is dressed in tights, a pair of low , Inc. figure is extremely tall, being just over six boots with folded-over tops, and a double- 5938 Carthage Ct. feet in scale height. Her hair drops to mid- breasted jacket that looks quite modern. A Cincinnati OH 45212 back and is wavy at the ends. It is tied sash supports a pouch on the right side back with a braided headband. Facial and an ornate sheath on the left side. A Minifigs detail is simple. Her mouth is set as if she short cape hangs from her neck and is 1/5 Graham Road, Southampton is trying to whisper out of the side of her secured by a clasp covering several items ENGLAND SO2 OAX mouth rather than sing to an audience. A on her back. Hair detail is good and she pendant hangs from a necklace. She is not has her hair secured by an ornate head- 20-534 Spirit of Man * * * * ½ armed and appears to be at ease. The band. Facial detail is slightly better than The Spirit of Man set contains four major flaws of this figure are the ex- the rest of the figures. This figure is pieces that form two figures. The pieces tremely long legs and the extra thick arms. cursed by a sharp mold line on the outer are scaled for slightly larger than 25 mm Bard #2 is dressed in low boots, pants, leg and some flash on the inner leg and and are made of Ralidium. The first piece and a belted jacket. The jacket has a thick the puffed sleeves. is a casting with a long oval base. Two hay hem and cross-laced sleeves end with large This is a versatile set with some prob- bales complete with baling wire provide studs. A narrow belt cinches the jacket lems. If you’re willing to do some work, support for one figure. The humanlike and supports a pouch and sheathed sword you can have either figure props or one figure is wearing a wide-brimmed hunter’s on the left and a knife on the right. A really good adventurer. A package of three cap and overalls with pockets. He rests his short cape with hood is secured at the is $5.75. left arm on the hay and his right is at the neck. Her hair has good detail. It is in a brim of his cap. His face is more squared long ponytail secured by a band. Both than normal, emphasized by a square-cut hands are occupied in playing the flute beard. Even the small details, such as a rat and finger detail is appropriate. Facial on the pitchfork, enhance the scene. The detail is fair, but the ears are definitely only detraction is the very thin pitchfork elven. The legs are a problem with this handle. Mold lines do not interfere with figure also, the knees are too high on the the quality of this figure, nor is flash leg and are much too creased. present. Bard #3 is carrying a mandolin in her The second figure is a three-piece cast-

DRAGON 115 tured figure that is closer to display size. The figure is recommended at $3.00 each.

69-204 Sabbat Vampires * * * * ½ These characters are not upper-class vampires! The set contains two male and one female Ralidium figures scaled to 28 mm. The characters are mounted on unde- tailed oval bases with mold lines on top. All three figures are unarmed. Figure #1 is of a male dressed in jeans tucked into midcalf-high boots. His upper torso has a leather jacket open in front, showing a bare chest and stomach covered with fine hair, The face shows a state of anger, with a down-turned face and gaunt cheeks, all with a slightly Oriental cast. His hair is pulled back and falls to midback in a ponytail. There are serious mold lines on both legs and across the head, along with some flash at the armpits. Figure #2 is also a male, with shoulder- length hair, a beard, and a mustache. His arms, with fists clenched, are up as if threatening someone. He wears a wrinkled T-shirt covered by a knee-length coat. High boots cover the lower part of his pants, which are supported by a wide belt and buckle. Mold lines are evident on this figure also. Figure #3 is a female dressed in high boots, shorts, a halter top, and a short, open jacket, Shoulder-length hair falls in a wave, and the face shows some anger. The hands are out at her sides, with the left in a fist and the right open. Mold lines ap- pear on the outside of the legs and arms, and flash lies between the legs. These figures would make good gang figures in modern-era games. You must work, but the $4.25 price tag is low enough to justify theeffort.

-476 Beholder- Kin *** ½ This 25-mm Ralidium kit contains 10 pieces that form two AD&D® game minia- tures. The bases are 20-mm squares with a wealth of treasures including books, a statue, coins, a sword, and jewelry. A pole rises from the middle of the stand to sup- port the main miniature. This pole needs some glue for support as it is loose. The first figure is a 20-mm veined ball ing. Two pieces are lids that glue on to the This set is recommended for anyone resembling a beholder. An open mouth back of the dumpster, but may be set at running a modern RPG. The price on this filled with rows of sharp teeth proclaims any angle you wish. These will be exasper- item is $6.95 per pack and the contents this creature is carnivorous. The huge ating to move, as there are no clear sup- are worth it. central eye with a heavy lid is open. The ports or notches to hold the lids in place. head is crowned with four eye stalks and The tops are well done with clear grooves 69-001 Glasswalkers-Crinos twisting blood veins. One mold line around and peaks. The dumpster measures 25 form ***** the main body will cause problems for mm × 17 mm × 13 mm. The open top re- The Glasswalker figure is a huge minia- those who are not careful. veals a collection of modern junk. Books, ture, even for the 28-mm scale, standing The second figure has its central eye shoe soles, bags, broken picture frames, over 43 mm tall, and is made of Ralidium. surrounded by a number of smaller eyes and food are all clearly visible. Rising from Hair detail is excellent over the majority of molded into the piece. This 20-mm ball has this refuse is an form reminis- the body while muscles are evident on the an open mouth with tooth detail visible. cent of a shambling mound, made totally chest, stomach, and bare arms. The char- There are four tentacles (one of which of trash. Its hands grip the edges of the acter is snarling. The werewolf is armed was broken in shipping). The other six dumpster and its mouth is open. Small, with a sawed-off shotgun and a wand. The pieces form a line of eye stalks between sunken eyes complete the face. There are figure’s only other clothes are ankle brac- the large eye and mouth. This miniature mold lines evident on the dumpster sides ers. The curled hands have claws and also has a mold line along the side that will that need cleaning and there is flash in the paws for feet. require work. elbow crook of the elemental. The werewolf is an excellently sculp- This set would be a nasty surprise for

116 JANUARY 1994 most AD&D game parties. Even with the work and assembly needed, these pieces are recommended at their purchase price of $7.50 per pack.

Grenadier Models, Inc P.O. Box 305 Springfield PA 19064

Grenadier Models, UK, Ltd 25 Babbage Road Deeside, Clwyd, Wales UNITED KINGDOM CH5 2QB

3005 Lost Lands Adventuring Companions * * * * ½ The 10 figures included in this kit are a group of adventurers. The set is made of a lead-free substance and the figures are slightly bigger than 25-mm scale. The bases are all circular with plain tops figures are as follows: The elven cleric measures 26 mm the base to the eyes. He is dressed in a long robe with an embroidered hem cir- cled by a belt. Over this is a long coat with billowy sleeves. A vestment-type shoulder protector is present. The hands are bare and the staff in his right hand is topped with a symbol; this appears to be his only weapon. A row of bags hangs from a sash across his chest. His pointed ears are prominent, but he has a long beard in braids and a braided ponytail. The face is quiet and benevolent with good detail; The human monk is dressed in a long robe cinched by a wide leather belt. The robe is hooded with the hood back on the shoul- ders. The front shows crisscrossed belts while the back has a stitched pack, a rope- secured bedroll, a coil of rope, and a wa- terskin. The figure holds a long wooden staff in both hands. His face is excellent with clear detail including eyes and nostrils. The monk has a tonsure and a well-trimmed beard. The feet are covered by boots; and feet. A puffed blouse is beneath the her right hand holds a set of pipes. A long The dwarf has fold-over boots, baggy chain as evidenced by the sleeve. Her hair bow and a full quiver of arrows is secured pants, and a studded leather jacket se- is long and tied back, and the face is clear to her back. Her face is half seen but has a cured by buckles. A thin belt secures a and looks as if it is concentrating; small problem with filling by the left eye; sword in a scabbard. A coil of rope runs The second dwarf is dressed with heavy The elven fighter is dressed in a full set from left shoulder to his right side at the boots and leather pants. His chest is cov- of chain mail. His hands are covered by waist level. Both hands are holding loaded ered with a plate-mail covering with a gauntlets and a surcoat is belted by a hand crossbows. A gaunt face is framed chain-mail shirt underneath going to mid- medium belt. A chain and leather shoulder by a square-cut beard and a back-tied thigh. A wide belt with a fancy buckle protector is offset by a large flat medal- bandanna. His hair falls below his shoul- supports nothing, while two sets of straps lion. His face is stern in expression. The ders and his face almost has an expression support a backpack. Both hands wear helmet has cheek protectors, slots for the of fear; gauntlets while the left is holding a shield ears, and a neck protector. A standard- The gnome is dressed in an almost East- and a long sword with a jewel and runes shaped shield is on his left arm while the ern robe. A tall cap surrounded by veils in the hilt. A thin, bearded face filled with right holds a warhammer with runes; and capped by a medallion sit on his head, anger is framed by a full helmet with nose The human fighter wears boots, leg- An elaborate coat with embroidered guard and spikes. The shield has a cross gings, and pants. He is wearing split leath- sleeves covers pantaloons and a flowery design while the shoulder protection is er armor. The belt is thin with an irregular shirt. A short sword hangs from a sash studded leather; buckle. A belt supports the bow and quiv- and his arms are spread as if casting a A female bard is dressed in knee-high er that hangs from his back. His hands are spell. His feet are covered by slippers. The boots, tights, and a quilted jacket with gloved and both arms are covered by face is bearded and slightly homely with a leather ties. A thin belt supports a pouch sleeves. His right hand holds a curved concentrated stare; for her pipes on the right and a sheathed blade while a thick, wooden, cross-shaped The female is tossing a crystal sword on the left. Her cape is a combina- shield with metal facings is strapped to his disk. A full chain shirt falls to mid-thigh. tion of cloth and treated wolfskin circled left arm. He is wearing no head covering The belt supports a waterskin and five by a clasp. Her shirt is slightly open on and has a full head of shoulder-length hair, different small sacks tied with twine. Tight top, and frilly sleeves leave both hands a mustache, and a medium length beard. slacks and fold-over boots cover her legs tree. Her left hand is on the sheath and Facial detail is fair, but as a whole, this

DRAGON 117 bolt gun is a one-piece casting that in- cludes hands. This piece fits onto two pegs and over the soldiers’ wrists. A jump pack is added onto the peg on the back. There are two troopers with standard flamers that assemble the same way and all figures have their weapons at the ready. The two heavy-weapon troops have their right arms molded with the weapon. The launcher has missiles molded into the rack and is a fairly detailed weapon complete with skull on the grip. A sighting device is over his right eye and a trigger is held in his left hand. The belt has a skull buckle and a pouch. The sergeant has his helmet off and his head is exposed. He is carrying a bolt pistol plus a chain sword. All the orks are identical. They are armed with bolt pistols and old-fashioned axes with heavy blades. They are wearing heavy combat boots and trousers. Each’s torso armor is a spiked, padded tunic cinched by a belt with a horned skull and pouches on both sides. The glare on each’s face is framed by a triple-horned helmet. There are a few mold lines and no flash. These figures should be easy to do conver- sions on and the space-marine style shoul- ders make this a different type of figure from those previously seen. The gretchen are all identical 18-mm cannon fodder, They are armed with auto- guns and their only real armor is their spiked helmets. These gretchen are dressed in simple shoes, tunics, and pants and if you could remove the gun and replace it with a spear you would have good fantasy troops. There are some mold lines that are easily cleaned up; The rulebook is a 98-page book that includes a color center showing much of GW’s available figure line painted. This part is a help for doing the orks and gret- chen as well as some different types of figure does not seem to be as clearly mold- Games Workshop, Inc. marines. The back contains abbreviated ed as the others; 3431-C Benson Ave. charts and hit tables. I recommend that The last figure appears to be a noble Baltimore MD 21227-1072 you immediately make several copies. The fighter or a paladin, He is wearing full meat-and-potatoes rules are clear, concise, plate armor with hinged joints and metal Games Workshop, Inc. and lead the new player through the game boots. His breast and back plates both Chewton St. step-by-step, There are a large number of have a number of embossed designs and Hilltop, Eastwood line illustrations that provide reinforce- figures on them. He is wearing a coif and Nottingham NG16 34Y ment and examples for the text, and make his hands and arms are armored with ENGLAND learning the rules easy as well as enter- plate or heavy gauntlets. His left arm has a taining. The book covers a number of plain shield and his right holds a plain long 0151 WARHAMMER 40,000 advanced rules as well as basic principles ***** sword. His face is that of younger man game and strategies; with a sense of eagerness as he is prepar- Games Workshop has just re-machined The Codex Imperialis book gives a good ing to charge his foe. His helmet is half an old favorite. The WARHAMMER overview of the history of the empire and size and crested with a jewel. 40,000* boxed set is the second edition of sets the background and flavor for the The set has good quality and usage po- this game, and the first thing to strike you game. The majority of the book is geared tential for a number of other game sys- is the bright and vibrant artwork on the toward the empire and all its different tems including the AD&D or D&D® games. box. The second striking fact is the weight. types of troops, although there are intro- A problem with this set was that both my This box is chock full of miniatures and ductions to all of the different races in- review copy and a set that I had in store extras. Let’s examine the contents of the volved, Individual unit statistics are stock had two monks and no Fighter-with- box. We’ll follow their list. available but not special formations or cross-shield figure. When I called Grena- 80 plastic Citadel miniatures including army lists. This book is also heavily illus- dier they sent me a new figure very 20 marines, 20 space orks and 40 gret- trated with text support graphics; quickly. Two of my customers have report- chen. All figures are multi-pieced and have The 80-page Wargear book is a collection ed three-day service and courteous treat- the long pins for the round, slotted bases. of many of the different weapons and ment. I highly recommend this set even at The space marines have 28-mm scale suits. their statistics. The weapons are broken the $18.95 price tag. They are in standard armor and are up by ranges and types, not by race used, armed with a two-handed bolt gun. This so you have to look for who uses them

118 JANUARY 1994 Besides illustrations and statistics, there are some basic strategy and uses included; Weapon templates and counters are labeled by size and type of weapon. This is a huge improvement over previous tem- plates that you had to dig through and memorize what weapons went with them. The templates are printed on heavy stock and in several colors, but I still recom- mend that they be laminated if possible; Play sheets and reference sheets are the same as the back cover of the rulebook; laminate these and your other copies for the sake of longevity; A card-mounted ork Dreadnought illus- tration. This stand-up can be used in place of the miniature; 20 full-color card ruins. These are one- and two-story ruins that must be assem- bled from flats. The buildings are easy to assemble and colorful but would have benefited from more variety; A full set of dice including special sus- tained fire, artillery, and scatter dice. Several weapons require dice not included in the set, however; Miscellaneous cards and counters. These multi-colored, heavy cardstock pieces give you squad set-ups, missions, and weapon statistics for beginner-level games. These can be placed in front of the players for ease of play. Overwatch and other status counters help keep bookkeeping to a minimum; A basic painting and rulebook. Painting tips and simple turn-by-turn single troop combat; A scenario booklet contains a minicam- paign made from several scenarios that also can be played singly. The game is similar in mechanics to the WARHAMMER FANTASY BATTLES* game, but the instructions are much clearer, Turn sequence is logical and the effects are balanced between close combat and ranged weapons, neither being more devastating than the other. Ryan Tranter noted this game is much more dependent upon using tactics and cover than just heavy weapons and gimmicks. Vehicle combat has been simplified and is a lot faster and easier. Play moves quickly, although my crew groused about the four- turn time limit being arbitrary; it also forces people to move into combat. There were some complaints about the scenarios being stacked in favor of the space ma- rines since they can save on a three through six, but most battles came out fairly even. I strongly recommend this game as a SF miniatures game for beginners. GW has a large support net in place and a lot of figures available. The price is very reason- able at $59.99 for this much material.

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by the companies producing those products. The use of the name of any product without mention of its trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.

DRAGON 119 DLT2 Book of Lairs Dr. Van Richten explains the workings of An AD&D® ® golems, animated objects, and monsters: NEW PRODUCTS FOR accessory how they are assembled, their strengths JANUARY by TSR staff and weaknesses, and how to destroy This 96-page book of short adventures them. is set on Krynn, the site of the $12.35 U.S./$16.50 CAN./£7.99 U.K. PHBR11 The Complete Hanger’s DRAGONLANCE® . Pilled with ad- TSR Product No.: 9417 Handbook ventures that can be played and enjoyed An AD&D® game accessory in a single game session, this accessory is Deck of Encounters, Set 1 by Rick Swan perfect for the novice DM and players. An AD&D® game accessory Like the other books in the PHBR line, $10.95 U.S./$13.50 CAN./£6.39 U.K. by TSR staff this 128-page book of optional rules TSR Product No.: 9336 Do you need an encounter or an ad- expands the role of one of the AD&D® venture starter fast? This deck of 432 game’s character classes. Within this The Swordsheath Scroll cards provides plenty. Each card details book, you’ll find the tricks and secrets of DRAGONLANCE® Dwarven a unique encounter that can be orga- the ranger’s profession. Add tremendous Nations trilogy, Volume Three nized by a Dungeon Master as part of a detail to your ranger player characters by Dan Parkinson larger adventure. Or, the deck can be with this valuable supplement. In the conclusion to the Dwarven Na- used as a random-encounter generator. $15.00 U.S./$l8.OO CAN./£9.99 U.K. tions trilogv, the bloody and protracted A colorful, fold-up “treasure chest” com- TSR Product No.: 2136 Wilderness War ends in a stalemate. The plete with dividers is included for filing Swordsheath Scroll is signed, and the rise and storing the cards. RM4 Dark of the Moon of Derkin, King of the Living Stone, whose $20.00 U.S./$25.50 CAN./£14.99 An AD&D® RAVENLOFT® module bravery and wisdom is remembered by all U.K. including VAT by TSR staff dwarves, is recounted. TSR Product No.: 9407 Your RAVENLOFT® player characters $4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN./£3.99 U.K. will find themselves in a tooth-and-nail TSR Product No.: 8351 Elfsong struggle for survival against one of the The Harpers, Book Eigbt classic villains of Gothic horror-the by werewolf. This 64-page adventure al- NEW PRODUCTS FOR In this, the eighth book in the open- lows RAVENLOFT® DMs to use the infor- ended Harpers series set in the mation in Van Richten’s Guide to FEBRUARY FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign world Werebeasts, though that product is not and sequel to Elfshadow, Danilo Thann needed to play the module. is cast in the unlikely role of a Harper ALQ5 Ruined Kingdoms $9.95 U.S./$11.95 CAN./£5.99 U.K. bard who must join forces with a deadly TSR Product No.: 9419 An AD&D® AL-QADIM® enemy in order to solve a mystery. accessory $4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN./£3.99 U.K. AM5 Galactos Barrier by Steve Kurtz TSR Product No.: 8541 An AMAZING ENGINE™ This sourcebox for medium- to high- Universe Book level player characters contains seven Hederick, the Theocrat by Colin McComb short adventures that explore the mysteri- DRAGONLANCE® Villains, The fourth Universe Book in this line of ous lost kingdoms of Nog and Kadar. Volume Four stand-alone products details a swashbuck- These adventures can he played individu- by Ellen Dodge Severson ling, space-opera setting. Your player char- ally or assembled into one all-encom- “Death to heretics!” rings through the acters can fight against the Domain, an passing campaign. This sourcebox treetops of Solace night and day. He- evil interstellar empire, by joining the contains 64- and 32-page books, eight derick, nefarious leader of the Seeker Resistance or by wielding the Music of the pages, 12 cards, religion in Solace and self-ordained con- Spheres. Complete with statistics for nu- and a full-color map. science of Krynn, leads an inquisition $18.00 U.S./$23.00 CAN./£10.99 U.K. merous alien races and a full-color galaxy and vows to stop only when all who map, this 128-page book is all that is need- TSR Product No.: 9440 follow the true gods are no more. ed to start saving the galaxy. $4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN./£3.99 U.K. $18.00 U.S./$21.50 CAN./£10.99 U.K. RR8 Van Richten’s Guide to the TSR Product No.: 8355 TSR Product No.: 2704 Created An AD&D® RAVENLOFT® Unless otherwise noted: accessory ® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, by Tweuwynn Woodruff Inc. ™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc In this 96-page book, Dr. Rudolph Van ©1993 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved Richten introduces gamers to the artificial- ly created beings in the Domains of Dread, in the style of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

120 JANUARY 1994