Issue # 196 Vol. XVIII, No. 3 August 1993 Publisher James M. Ward SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Put some action into your campaign! Editor Roger E. Moore 9 Welcome advice for all game masters (and their players). Associate editor Dale A. Donovan 10 The Greatest and Most Honorable Adventure Jan Berrien Berends Fiction editor Barbara G. Young Politics: Its a dangerous business, but someones got to do itnamely, you. Editorial assistant Wolfgang H. Baur Cultivating Campaign Cultures 18 Buck Deason Holmes Art director How to make foreign lands really foreign; or, Whats Larry W. Smith this elf doing in my soup? Simmering. Production staff The Art of Storytelling Lisa Stevens Tracey Zamagne Tim Coumb 24 Gaye OKeefe Robert Repp What players need most is a game master whos a bard in disguise. Subscriptions Janet L. Winters 30 Organization is Everything Richard Hunt And, for a dedicated game master, we do mean U.S. advertising Cindy Rick everything! U. K. correspondent and U.K. advertising FICTION Wendy Mottaz 48 The Only Good Orc Liz Holliday The dungeon demanded a sacrificeand the elf knew just who it should be. DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published tion throughout the United Kingdom is by Comag monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 Sheridan Magazine Marketing, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States Middlesex UB7 7QE, United Kingdom; telephone: of America. The postal address for all materials from 0895-444055. the United States of America and Canada except Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class subscription orders is: DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues 111, (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI sent to an address in the U.S.; $36 in U.S. funds for 12 53147, U.S.A.; telephone (414) 248-3625; fax (414) issues sent to an address in Canada; £21 for 12 issues 248-0389. The postal address for all materials from sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £30 for Europe is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church 12 issues sent to an address in Europe; $50 in U.S. End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United funds for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223- address, or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent air 212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax (0223) mail to any other address. Payment in full must accom- 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). pany all subscription orders. Methods of payment Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from include checks or money orders made payable to TSR, game and hobby shops throughout the United States, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISA credit Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited cards; send subscription orders with payments to: number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the TSR, Inc., PO. Box 5695, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In book trade in the United States is by Random House, the United Kingdom, methods of payment include Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. cheques or money orders made payable to TSR Ltd., Distribution to the book trade in the United Kingdom is or charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; by TSR Ltd. Send orders to: Random House, Inc., send subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd., Order Entry Department, Westminster MD 21157, as per that address above. Prices are subject to Printed in the U.S.A. U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 733-3000. Newsstand distribu- change without prior notice. The issue of expiration of 2 AUGUST 1993 REVIEWS The Role of Computers Hartley, Kirk, & Patricia Lesser 59 The end of a seven-year era: The Lessers leave for greater realms. Role-playing Reviews Rick Swan 74 The book was a smash, the movie was a hitbut what happened to the game? Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 112 Its big, its wild, its the 1993 GEN CON® game fair, and its HERE! FEATURES The Known World Grimoire Bruce A. Heard 41 The only good orcsNOT! The worst of the worst orcs in the D&D® Known World. Novel Ideas James Lowder 65 Its about time: at last, the FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign timeline! The Game Wizards Bruce Nesmith 72 One day in the DRAGON STRIKE game, the wizard gained control of the dragon, and . COVER Three Wizards Too Many Ed Greenwood 82 Scott Burdick, long famed as a cover They were powerful, they were wise, they were taking a artist for DUNGEON® Adventures, break! Elminister, Dalamar, and Mordenkainen trade sent us this painting as a sketch. secrets. Want it? he asked. Yes! we said. Boy, there are days when I really love Bazaar of the Bizarre Teeuwynn Woodruff being an editor. 94 & Tim Beach These new figurines of power are rather wondrous, arent they? DEPARTMENTS 4 Letters 102 Dragonmirth 6 Editorial 104 Twilight Empire 3 5 Forum 108 Gamers Guide 3 8 Sage Advice 1 2 0 TSR Previews 6 8 Convention Calendar each subscription is printed on the mailing label of stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’ Registration applied for in the United Kingdom. All each subscriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes of Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above rights to the contents of this publication are reserved, address for the delivery of subscription copies must be address; include sufficient American postage or and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of International Reply Coupons with the return envelope. part without first obtaining permission in writing from the change in order to assure uninterrupted delivery. In Europe, write to: Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGON the publisher. Material published in DRAGON® Maga- Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is Magazine, TSR Ltd; include sufficient return postage zine does not necessarily reflect the opinions of TSR, available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop or IRCs with your SASE. Inc. Therefore, TSR will not be held accountable for (PO. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from Advertising: For information on placing advertise- opinions or mis-information contained in such material. TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that ments in DRAGON Magazine, ask for our rate card. All ® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, lists available back issues, write to either of the above ads are subject to approval by TSR, Inc. TSR reserves Inc. ™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Most addresses. the right to reject any ad for any reason. In the United other product names are trademarks owned by the Submissions: All material published in DRAGON States and Canada, contact: Advertising Coordinator, companies publishing those products. Use of the name Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the TSR, Inc., PO. Box 756, 201 Sheridan Springs Road, of any product without mention of trademark status publisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, contact: should not be construed as a challenge to such status. are made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine Advertising Coordinators, TSR Ltd. ©1993 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All TSR char- welcomes unsolicited submissions of written material Advertisers and/or agencies of advertisers agree to acters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses and artwork; however, no responsibility for such sub- hold TSR, Inc. harmless from and against any loss or thereof are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. missions can be assumed by the publisher in any expense from any alleged wrongdoing that may arise Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Wis., event. Any submission accompanied by a self- out of the publication of such advertisements. TSR, U.S.A., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be Inc. has the right to reject or cancel any advertising Send address changes to DRAGON Magazine, TSR, returned if it cannot be published. We strongly recom- contract for which the advertiser and/or agency of Inc., PO. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. mend that prospective authors write for our writers’ advertiser fails to comply with the business ethics set USPS 318-790, ISSN 1062-2101. guidelines before sending an article to us. In the forth in such contract. United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc. DRAGON 3 What did you think of this issue? Do you have Thanks also to Bill Fawcett and Arthur Collins, We had martial-arts demos at the game fair a question about an article or have an idea for a past authors for DRAGON Magazine, who called about two years ago, but scheduling problems new feature youd like to see? In the United the editor personally to pass along this informa- have eliminated them since then. If you gamers ® States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON tion. Demons and Wizards was released in 1972, would like to see an expertly done demonstra- Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, and TSR’s DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game was tion of this sort, presenting several styles and U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON first printed in 1974. Based on our own sources, techniques, by all means talk to the staff at the Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry there appears to have been no relationship 1993 GEN CON game fair or write to the GEN Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom between the two. CON staff afterward (c/o TSR, Inc., P.O.