November 1980 Dragon Tell them you saw it in Dragon magazine 1 Dragon Vol. V, No. 5 Vol. V, No. 5 November 1980 Publisher E. Gary Gygax (Editor’s note: Rumbles is normally writ- they’re going to send the results to us — and fen by me, the editor, because traditionally it better be double-spaced on a decent type- Editor the editor writes Rumbles and I’m the editor. writer with a self-addressed, stamped en- Jake Jaquet That’s why my name appears at the end of velope to cover the cost of return postage, or Assistant Editor Rumbles. Usually. This month Bryce Knorr’s we probably won’t look twice at it and it Kim Mohan name appears at the end of Rumbles, not definitely will never get sent back. Editorial Staff because he’s the editor, although the little But that’s only scratching the surface. Our Bryce Knorr punk might like to be, but because he wrote fiction policy covers a lot more ground than Rumbles this month. In fact, he even wrote how to type and how to mail what you’ve Circulation & Sales most of this editor’s note. If you’re confused, typed. And here it is: Corey Koebernick read on. The plot thickens.) Debbie Chiusano You see, Exnur, your story is not really Office Staff Dear Exnur, what we’re looking for. Dragon Publishing, Cherie Knull Dawn Pekul We are returning your manuscript be- in addition to putting out Dragon, publishes cause it does not meet our standards for collections of fiction from time to time. We This month’s publication in its current form . are not at this time, and do not anticipate be- contributing artists: Yep, another rejection letter. Hey, don’t ing in the near future, publishers of novels Ray Cioni Todd Lockwood tell me about rejection letters. I know all (and if we ever decide to do that, take a Alan Burton Ed Greenwood about rejection letters, because I’m a free- number and wait; mine is going to be first in Erol Otus Chris Roth lance writer when I’m not sitting at my Drag- line). And we aren’t interested in publishing Susan Collins on desk. When you’re a free-lance writer, re- parts of a novel. “To be continued” might DRAGON magazine is published monthly by jection letters (we call them slips) are as fre- satisfy you, but our readers feel a bit cheated Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR Hobbles, Inc. The mailing address of Dragon Publishing is P.O. quent as the postman’s deliveries. Editors by incomplete material. People might look Box 110, Lake Geneva, WI 53147; telephone 414- don’t make rejection phone calls. at it as a cheap sales ploy if we published 248-8044 I’ve been writing a lot of rejection letters half of a piece one month, promising the DRAGON is available at hundreds of hobby around here lately. It’s that time of the other half the next month. So with future stores and bookstores throughout the United month, between issues, when we have a submissions, remember the work must be States and Canada, and through a limited number of overseas outlets. The magazine can be pur- chance to catch our collective breath and able to stand alone and on its own merits. chased directly from Dragon Publishing by in- whittle down the piles of incoming mail. And All characterizations, plot, imagery, and dividual subscription. The subscription rate within everything else they teach in the Famous the United States and Canada is $24 U.S. for 12 is- with every batch of complaints about “How sues. Outside the U.S. and Canada, rates are as come my Dragon always looks like it got put Writers’ School — plus a beginning and an follows: $50 U.S. for 12 issues sent surface mail, through a trash compactor?” we get some ending — gotta be in the same envelope or $95 U.S. for 12 issues sent air mail. manuscripts from people who dream of writ- when you send it to us. A limited selection of DRAGON back issues is ing fiction. And we have a fairly limited genre (or available by mail from Dragon Publishing for cover price of a particular issue plus $1.00 per issue Once a month I settle down and read the whatever the plural of genre is). If you had ordered for postage and handling. No issues prior manuscripts, attacking them with a red felt- taken the time to send for a copy of our to #22 are available. The cover price for issues #22- 31 is $2.00, for #32-36, $2.50, and for #37 to tip pen until I can’t stand it any longer; then I writers’ guidelines (one of the first things a present, $3.00. Payment must accompany all just read them and write little notes to the professional writer does before attempting orders If one or more issues in an order is sold other folks here about them. The other folks to write for a publication for the first time), out, a credit slip wiII be substituted which may be exchanged for cash or merchandise from Dragon look them over and send them back to me, you’d know that we are not into children’s Publishing. whereupon I write rejection letters, usually fiction, “regular” fiction, romantic fiction, The issue of expiration for each subscription is based upon my original criticisms. Oh, there gothic romance, westerns, private-eye printed on each subscriber’s mailing label. are a few non-rejection letters — but very stories, war stories (at least modern ones) or Changes of address for subscriptions must be re- ceived by Dragon Publishing at least 30 days prior few. pornography. to the effective date of the change in order to While writing my last group of rejection Since I’ve touched on the subject of sex, I guarantee uninterrupted delivery. letters, I got the brilliant idea that we ought might as well tell you about that. We aren’t All material published in DRAGON becomes the to tell our readers what we’re looking for in prudes. A lot of our readers aren’t prudes. A exclusive property of the publisher upon publica- fiction, under the assumption that anyone lot of our contributors aren’t prudes. A lot of tion, unless special arrangements to the contrary smart enough to play fantasy and role-play- us think that sex is one of the fine and are made prior to publication. ing games ought to be able to get the mes- wonderful things in which consenting adults DRAGON welcomes unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork, however, no sage about this subject as well. may engage. However, this magazine has a responsibility for such submissions can be as- This is especially appropriate since we just way of showing up in households with sumed by the publisher in any event. No submis- published the brand-new, available at your young readers. As such, we feel a responsi- sion will be returned unless it was accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of suf- local hobby store or book store, for only $3 bility to in loco parentis, which roughly trans- ficient size. All rights on the contents of this publi- (what a bargain!) Dragontales. Now that lated means that we have to act as our own cation are reserved, and nothing may be re- produced in whole or in part without securing we’ve gone and done that, a lot more sensor (censor?) to watch out for the psy- prior permission in writing from the publisher. people are going to be sending us their ver- chological welfare of those youngsters be- Copyright 1980 by TSR Hobbles, Inc. sions of the Great American Fantasy Short cause mom and dad can’t approve before- Second class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Story, in hopes of getting a piece of the ac- hand of what we put in the magazine that Wisconsin 53147 tion when we publish Dragontales II. And (Turn to page 58) 2 November 1980 Dragon issue. The eye-catching art includes a full-page witch painting by Alan Burton which leads off the NPC article on page 6. It’s a relatively rare occasion when we can present our three color comic strips in the same issue, but this is one of those occasions. Wormy, Finieous Fingers, and Jasmine are all together again at the rear of the magazine. And in the middle, there’s more color—a full-page painting by Erol Otus of the TSR Hobbies art department which goes well with the first entry in this month’s Bestiary; a color photo of the impres- ell, here it is November already. Thanksgiving sive components from Azhanti High Lightning, the ultimate supple- time. But if you’re in the market for a holiday ment for Traveller; and, sandwiched between those pages, Dragon’s turkey, you’re looking in the wrong place. This is first Traveller adventure, courtesy of the imaginative mind and busy Grade A prime Dragon, maybe a little tough to typewriter of Roberto Camino. chew but not at all hard to swallow. And when The main course among this month’s articles is the Witch, an you’re done digesting what’s on the pages that follow, we hope extensive look at that legendary figure as it might be portrayed in an you’re hungry for more, because our Christmas feast in the Decem- ber issue isn’t far behind. AD&D game or another role-playing context as a non-player charac- ter.