May 1981 1 Vol. V, No. 11 Vol. V, No. 11 May 1981 Welcome to issue #49 of DRAGON exists: Fantasy Newsletter. Published Publisher . Jake Jaquet magazine. Those of you who do not monthly by Paul and Susan Allen, P.O. Editor-in-Chief . Kim Mohan Box 170A, Rochester, N.Y. 14601, this Editorial staff . Bryce Knorr normally read that tall skinny box to the Marilyn Mays right of this column should do so at this magazine is a must for anyone wishing Sales & Circ . Debbie Chiusano time, as there have been some changes to keep up on the plethora of fantasy and Corey Koebernick in the structure of the magazine staff science fiction titles on the market to- Office staff . Cherie Knull since last issue. day. In addition to reviews of everything Jean Lonze It is difficult to not sound like I am new, Fantasy Newsletter contains regu- Roger Raupp beating my own drum as I say that I am lar columns by Karl Edward Wagner, Contributing editors . Roger Moore now publisher, but such is the case. I Fritz Leiber, Mike Ashley, and Bill Ed Greenwood would like to take this opportunity to ex- Warren, interviews with noted authors, press my thanks to E. Gary Gygax, Pres- outstanding artwork and drawings, and This issue’s contributing artists: Tim Hildebrandt Jeff Dee ident of TSR Hobbies, Inc., and the a host of other regular and semi-regular Jeff Lanners Kenneth Rahman Board of Directors for their confidence features of interest to readers. It is avail- Roger Raupp Dave Trampier in me with this promotion. Also on the able for $15/year second class mail or Brad Parker J. D. Webster promotion list is former Assistant Editor $22/year first class to the U.S. and Kim Mohan, who now becomes Editor- Canada. in-Chief. In actuality, Kim has been per- DRAGON magazine is published monthly by forming all the functions normally asso- * * * Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR Hobbies, Inc. The mailing address of Dragon Publishing crated with the title of editor for some is P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147: tele- months now, and it is only fitting that he I may have been somewhat overoptim- phone (414) 248-8044. now receive the title to go with the has- istic in last month’s Rumbles when I an- DRAGON magazine is available at hundreds sles. Congratulations, Kim! (Thank you, nounced the release of the upcoming of hobby stores and bookstores throughout the United States and Canada, and through a limit- Jake. Same to you.). Best of the Dragon, Vol. II as sometime in ed number of overseas outlets. The magazine the first of May. We’re working on it can be purchased directly from Dragon Publish- * * * (material has been selected — it’ll be al- ing by subscription. Rates are as follows, with all ® payments to be made in advance: $24 for 12 most exclusively D&D /AD&D™ game issues sent to a U.S. or Canadian address; $50 As DRAGON magazine continues to oriented), but it may take a little while U.S. for 12 issues sent via surface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via air mail to any other country. grow (each issue is now read by more longer to physically produce than antic- than 150,000 people), we become more ipated — we’ve only got 18 hands, you A limited quantity of certain back issues of DRAGON magazine can be purchased directly able to bring you what we hope is the know. We’re looking at the last of May or from the publisher by sending the cover price highest quality gaming magazine on the first of June now. plus $1 postage and handling for each issue market. Part of the philosophy of Dragon ordered. Payment must accompany all orders. Publishing is to consider each publica- * * * The issue of expiration for each subscription tion as a whole, with respect to quality, is printed on the mailing label for each sub- scriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes of ad- from the paper to the printing to the writ- Hidden in last month’s April issue in dress for the delivery of subscriptions must be ing itself to the artwork. Also, we try to the “Dragon Mumbles” column of the received at least 30 days prior to the effective date of the change in order to insure uninter- provide a publication that is both enjoy- April Fool section was our April Fool rupted delivery able and informative as whole. Contest. First to respond to our instruc- tions to drop us a post card (other than All material published in DRAGON magazine We hope we are fulfilling these philos- becomes the exclusive property of the publisher ophies this month with an effort of con- the mysterious anonymous phone caller upon publication, unless special arrangements siderable expense and effort in present- who said “consider a card dropped” and to the contrary are made prior to publication. ing the work and words of Tim Hilde- hung up) was John Sheley, Jr. of Terre DRAGON magazine welcomes unsolicited sub- brandt. One of the true attractions of fan- Haute, Ind. John’s card states: “Your missions of written material and artwork; how- ever, no responsibility for such submissions can tasy gaming is, indeed, the appeal of backwards paragraph in TD 48½ was be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any quality fantasy artwork. Much of fantasy well hidden, but almost immediately ap- submission which is accompanied by a self- parent to my eagle eye and quick wit. addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size gaming has been inspired by fantasy li- will be returned to the contributor if it cannot be terature, classic heroic tales, and the ac- Since all of my friends tell me I am a great published. companying illustrations. “A picture is big fool, I feel I am eminently qualified DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish- worth a thousand words” has never been for the April Fool Award.” Congratula- ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rights more true than when applied to fantasy tions, John. You’re the fool. on the contents of this publication are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole art. Players of any fantasy adventure or in part without prior permission in writing game should be able to draw up an in- from the publisher. Copyright 1981 by TSR credible scenario from this month’s cover. Hobbies, Inc. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848. Second class postage paid at Lake Geneva, * * * Wis., and at additional mailing offices. Speaking of fantasy literature, I’ve got to get in a quick plug for an exceptionally fine publication you may not be aware 2 May 1981 you’re used to finding inside DRAGON magazine? Not hardly. For starters, we’ve finally taken steps to satisfy all you honorable readers who’ve been asking for information on the Samurai non-player character. An updated and lengthened version of the character class, which made its debut in the pages of DRAGON magazine nearly five years ago, should make you very happy. For those of you who prefer a more detailed version of the Alchemist NPC, Len Lakofka offers just such a character in Leomund’s Tiny Hut. elcome to issue #49 of DRAGON magazine, Also inside are many other special articles to help embellish the most conventional and unconventional an adventure or an entire campaign, including: Karl Horak’s collection of articles and artwork we’ve ever description of how to construct a three-dimensional world on put between two covers. And just what does paper, complete with a pattern you can use to build a 20-sided that mean? Read on, and it will all be clear in “sphere” with a hex-grid pattern already printed on its surface; just a little while. lists of names, provided by author Glenn Rahman, which can be The unconventional part is this issue’s special inclusion, used to christen characters in a historically accurate fashion; which doesn’t have anything directly to do with playing a game Jon Mattson’s system for converting AD&D monsters into crea- but has everything to do with the world of fantasy. The offering tures compatible with a Chivalry & Sorcery game; Paul Cra- is titled “A Hildebrandt Brother” and is the result of interviews baugh’s suggestions for expanding the scope of the Dragon- and photo sessions conducted by staff member Bryce Knorr at Quest rules, and Gary Snyder’s guidelines for how to use the the home of Tim Hildebrandt, who, as they say on the talk Wish and Limited Wish spells — both as a “giver” and a “getter.” shows, needs no introduction. For an insight into Tim the per- Following that article is a bit of “wishful writing” on the part of son, read the interview. For some sights of the paintings which contributing editor Roger Moore which we hope you’ll enjoy as have taken him to the pinnacle of professional success, check well. Roger is also the responsible party for this issue’s edition of out this month’s cover — done especially for DRAGON maga- Giants in the Earth. zine — and the selection of other paintings reproduced along Our other contributing editor, Ed Greenwood, is represented with the interview. We are very, very proud of these pages, and by an essay in Up on a Soapbox, describing how a DM can we hope it shows. indoctrinate new players to a role-playing game without telling To find the conventional part of #49, turn two pages after this them any more than they absolutely need to know.