SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue #178 What Fighters Do Best Vol. XVI, No. 9 9 An up-close-and-personal look at the warriors world. February 1992 The Three Faces of Chivalry — Len Carpenter 10 Role-play noble warriors in all-new waysknight after knight. Publisher James M. Ward Bazaar of the Bizarre Mark Galeotti 17 Whos knocking at my door? Magical rams and more for the military. Editor Roger E. Moore Follow the Leader Carl Sargent 22 Paladins need all the help they can getand here it is! Fiction editor In Defense of Polearms Gregory Detwiler Barbara G. Young 28 You cant eat with a fauchard-fork, but it does a nice job on cavalry. Associate editor Dale A. Donovan O THER FEATURES What Not to Include Arthur Collins Editorial assistant Wolfgang H. Baur 32 Who needs every dragon and elf species there is? Your world doesnt. The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard Art director 41 The bonds of chivalry are stronger than blood and steel. Larry W. Smith Rivers Friend fiction by Josepha Sherman Production staff 50 You would do anything for a friend, but how would you save a river? Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Tracey Zamagne Mary Chudada 57 The foulest evil awaits deep beneath the surface of Pools of Darkness. Subscriptions The MARVEL®-Phile William Tracy Janet L. Winters 71 Having leftovers for your next campaign? Try these two. Role-playing Reviews Rick Swan U.S. advertising Roseann Schnering 74 Sieges, assaults, fortifications, catapultsall on your kitchen table. Novel Ideas The TSR Book Department U.K. correspondent 79 A years worth of high adventure is coming from TSR! and U.K. advertising Bronwen Livermore The Game Wizards Steven E. Schend 82 Its a brave new world for Spider-Man and the Avengers. A Swing and a Hit Gary Van Binsbergen 86 Some disarming new combat techniques to put a choke hold on your TOP SECRET/S.I. campaign. Wheres the Thief? Michael Gabriel 94 The thieves guild joins the 2nd Edition BATTLESYSTEM game! Just Who Are These Folks? Stephen Sullivan 102 If youve got some catching up to do on The Twilight Empire, start here. Through the Looking Glass Robert Bigelow 114 Little wars and little warriors in review. D EPARTMENTS 5 Letters 67 Convention Calendar 104 Twilight Empire 6 Editorial 92 Sage Advice 108 Dragonmirth 38 TSR Previews 98 Forum 110 Gamers Guide COVER Fantasy role-playing is full of great battles and brave warriors, but the still-smiling dwarf in Jim Holloways cover for this month is obviously a front runner in the Greatest Victory Won By Just One Fighter contest. Jim said he imagines that the dwarf to the far left is pointing at the frozen dwarf and yelling, Hey, this guy still owes me five bucks! 4 FEBRUARY 1992 DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States of America. The postal address for all materials from the United States of America and Canada except subscrip- tion orders is: DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111, (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone (414) 248-3625; fax (414) 248-0389. The postal address for all materials from Europe is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international). Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available from game and hobby shops throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limited What did you think of this issue? Do you have a TM number of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the book trade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., and question about an article or have an idea for a DARK SUN errata in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distribution new feature youd like to see? In the United to the book trade in the United Kingdom is by TSR Ltd. States and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON® Dear Dragon, Send orders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department, Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, You have made a mathematical error in the (800) 733-3000. Newsstand distribution throughout the U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGON article, Random Magic For Organized Minds, in United Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 Brixton Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry issue #173. Messrs. Brown and Connors split Road, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. spells in the DARK SUN world into three catego- 01-733-4444. Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class ries: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. This is a mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent good idea, but since there are more spells in the to an address in the U.S. or Canada: £16 for 12 issues Uncommon list than on the Rare, each sent to an address within the United Kingdom; £24 for 12 indi- issues sent to an address in Europe: $50 in U.S. funds vidual spell in the Rare list is much more for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address, common than any single Uncommon spell. or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent air mail to any Tactical errata For example, if I were rolling a third-level other address. Payment in full must accompany all wizard spell for a scroll, the result would be subscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods of payment include checks or money orders made payable Dear Dragon, blink 1% of the time (15% chance of getting the to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid Mastercard or VISA Im slightly confused about a few points in the Uncommon list, then a 1-in-15 chance of credit cards; send subscription orders with payments to: article, The Strategy of Tactics, in DRAGON rolling However, would TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695, Boston MA 02206, U.S.A. In blink). water breathing the United Kingdom, methods of payment include issue #169. be the result 1.667% of the time (10% chance of cheques or money orders made payable to TSR Ltd., or The first occurs under the description for rolling on the Rare list, then a 1-in-6 chance of charges to a valid ACCESS or VISA credit card; send active defense. The ranger in the example has getting water breathing). As a result, more subscription orders with payments to TSR Ltd., as per that address above. Prices are subject to change without an armor class of 7, due to wearing leather wizards in the DARK SUN world know water prior notice. The issue of expiration of each subscription armor and wielding a shield. When using the breathing than blink. A simple fix for this prob- is printed on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy active defense tactic, his frontal armor class lem would be to change Table 1 to read: of the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of would be 5 (7 - 2 = 5); this statement is correct. subscription copies must be received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure The next states that if the ranger did not have a 1d100 Frequency uninterrupted delivery. shield, his armor class would be 6, but this 01-75 Common Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues is statement is incorrect. Since the ranger does not 76-95 Uncommon available from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop have a shield, his base armor class (leather (P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or from 96-00 Rare TSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that lists armor only) would be 8. The +1 AC bonus Michael J. Buce available back issues, write to either of the above would put his armor class at 7, not 6. West Conshohocken PA addresses. I also found the example under the descrip- Submissions: All material published in DRAGON Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub- tion for full defense to contain this same sort of Nice work—thank you. If more spells were lisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are error. What confuses me most about this exam- added to these spell tables, Table 1 might need made prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes ple is the statement that says, If he has a shield, to be readjusted; DMs should keep a calculator unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; he receives a +4 bonus on his armor class for however, no responsibility for such submissions can be handy for figuring out probabilities if they are assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission that round, excluding all shield bonuses. Is this sticklers for accuracy. accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of statement correct? Excluding shield bonus sort sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. of defeats the purpose of defense tactics. We strongly recommend that prospective authors write for our writers‘ guidelines before sending an article to us. Dennis J. Hudak In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed, Murrysville PA Handbook errata stamped envelope (9 1/2” long preferred) to: Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the above address; include sufficient American postage or Interna- There are indeed two errors in the armor- Dear Dragon, tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope.