July, 1980 The Dragon The Dragon Vol. V, No. 1 among you, Bill Fawcett presents an overview of the types of bows used in real life and how their characteristics apply for gaming purposes. In the “charts and tables” department, Carl Parlagreco has prepared a new system for determining and describing the controversial phenomena of critical hits and fumbles. Remember the little spacemen we pictured in TD-34 with a request to readers for information about their origin? Well, we got some answers, and TD staff member Bryce Knorr played “private t may seem like an uncomplimentary thing to say about eye” to provide a solution to the mystery, which is almost as authen- ourselves, but it does seem as though The Dragon resem- tic as it is amusing. Karl Horak looks at the development of fantasy bles an elephant trodding on thin ice: We can’t help making role-playing from Chainmail through D&D to AD&D and wonders a breakthrough with every step we take. whether uniformity between the various game systems is possible, or This month, TD is proud to present the first in what even desirable. promises to be a long line of modules for use with Top Secret, TSR’s A wealth of inspiratin and information is offered in July’s regular new espionage role-playing game. “The Missile Mission” is the features. Len Lakofka puts forth guidelines for beginning a cam- brainchild of Mike Carr, the general manager of TSR Hobbies and paign in Leomund’s Tiny Hut. Then, when you’ve got things rolling, one of the people who helped put Merle Rasmussen’s Top Secret you can inject a few items from Bazaar of the Bizarre, and employ game manuscript into its final form. the awesome Groundsquid, Larry DiTillio’s contribution to Dra- The colorful cover you just saw for the first time is the work of gon’s Bestiary. Larry’s last appearance in these pages is what Steve Swenston, a California-based artist whose work we hope to prompted Douglas Bachmann to address the issue of morality in put on display many more times in the future. And, speaking of art, fantasy in Up on a Soapbox. how’s this for another first: At the back of the magazine you’ll find, all Glenn Rahman favors us with the story of the barbarians and together for the first time in one issue, Finieous Fingers, Wormy, their hero, Juulute Wolfheart, in the latest edition of the Minarian and Jasmine. “The Big Three” will be back as a group on every Legends, designed to enhance your enjoyment of Divine Right. In a possible occasion from now on. slight deviation from the norm, Tom Moldvay describes two figures All you DM’s with an evil streak inside will simply adore The from Norse legend in this month’s installment of Giants in the Earth. Dragon’s latest addition to the panoply of non-player characters for Two real-life personages from the world of gaming are spotlighted in D&D or AD&D: The Anti-Paladin. Tim Mesford and George Lak- John Prados’ Simulation Corner; Redmond Simonsen and Rodger ing have collaborated on the definitive version of everybody’s fa- MacGowan. The Fantasysmith hopes to help all you painters and vorite bad guy—because, we suppose, no one author could think up producers of miniature figures get out of the “unfinished” rut by all those nasty things. describing the “Work in Process” method of turning out finished Other special features this month include an in-depth examina- figures. tion of the role of women—both as real people and as player-char- The Electric Eye has become a monthly column, for at least as acters—in fantasy role-playing games. Jean Wells of the TSR long as Mark Herro can work around his other obligations and keep Hobbies Development Department did the research and accumulat- the articles coming in. This one is a glossary to help computer ed the information for an overview of the situation, and yours truly neophytes translate the language that’s tossed around in the world authored the final version of “Women Want Equality—and Why of electronic gaming. Back after a month’s hiatus is Sage Advice, Not?’ A companion piece is provided by Kyle Gray, who makes and in The Dragon’s Augury are examined two widely diverse some specific suggestions about how women’s inherent advantages games, The Beastlord and Intruder. over men, as well as their inherent disadvantages, ought to be Last but not least, you’ll find inside the rules for the second considered when generating player characters. Food for thought, for International Dungeon Design Competition, which were gamers of either gender. printed for the first time in TD-38. Time is of the essence for anyone This month’s “adventure story” by Tom Armstrong is about a who wants to be considered for a top prize, because the entry female—coincidentally enough—who comes back from the grave deadline is Sept. 1. We hope to have your adventure here by but suffers some grave consequences in so doing. For the historians then.—Kim SPECIAL ATTRACTION REGULAR COLUMNS The Missile Mission: A Top Secret module —Mike Carr . .M1 Out on a Limb ........................................... 4 Fantasysmith’s Notebook Work in Process .................. 6 OTHER FEATURES Up on a Soapbox: Morality in Fantasy— D. Bachmann ........ 10 Try this for Evil: The Anti-Paladin NPC —T. Mesford & G. Laking . 8 Minarian Legends: Juulute Wolfheart— G. Rahman ........... 12 Women want equality—and why not? —J. Wells & K. Mohan . 16 Leomund’s Tiny Hut: Starting from scratch— L. Lakofka ...... 20 Points to ponder —K. Gray . 17 Giants in the Earth: Norse heroes— T. Moldvay ............... 28 Next Time, Try a Cleric —T. Armstrong. 24 Sage Advice— J. Wells .................................... 30 Bows —W. Fawcett . .26 The Electric Eye: What it all means— M. Herro ............... 40 Good hits and bad misses —C. Parlagreco . .34 Bazaar of the Bizarre— various authors ..................... .41 Uniformity, conformity, or neither? —K. Horak . 36 Convention schedule 1980 ................................ 43 My encounter with the Aliens from Beyond —B. Knorr . 37 The Dragon’s Augury What are the odds? —W. Keely . 39 The Beastlord— W. Fawceti .............................. 46 Imperium research —Michael Crane . .44 Intruder— T. Watson .................................... 46 IDDCII:The new rules . 54 Simulation Corner: Redmond and Rodger— J. Prados ....... .48 The second fantastic adventure of Reginald Rennup . 59 Dragon’s Bestiary Groundsquid— L. DiTillio .............................. .57 Dragon Mirth ........................................... .58 If your mailing label says TD 39 Finieous Fingers— by J.D. ................................. 60 Wormy— by Tramp ....................................... 61 this is your last issue. .resubscribe Jasmine— by Darlene ..................................... 62 2 July, 1980 The Dragon Vol. V, No. 1 July, 1980 With some trepidation, I’d like to say lishing booth. Rules for this sealed bid auc- “Happy Fourth of July.” The question is, tion are very simple: Submit your sealed Publisher are you reading this before the Fourth, or bid to us by the deadline, and if yours is the E. Gary Gygax should I have said, “Happy belated Fourth highest bid, you get the magazines. We ab- Editor of July”? We’re shooting for picking up sorb all sales tax. So, here’s what quite Jake Jaquet about ten days in our production schedule likely is going to, be the first and last chance Assistant Editor this month, so in theory, you should have for you to acquire a complete collection of Kim Mohan this magazine in hand in time to read it THE DRAGON magazines. Going. .go- before it gets dark and the fireworks start. ing.... Editorial Staff And while we here at Dragon Publishing * * * Bryce Knorr are celebrating the Fourth, we’re also cele- Snap! Crackle! Zap! THE DRAGON Circulation & Sales brating the start of our fifth publishing vol- computes! Recently, we’ve acquired a Corey Koebernick ume. We hope you’ve enjoyed the last four TRS-80 computer here at THE DRAGON years of THE DRAGON, and we promise to (for those of you into home computers, it’s Office Staff continue to bring you the best magazine of the Level II with 16K memory, a 16K ex- Cherie Knull Dawn Pekul games and gaming we possibly can in the pansion interface, two floppy-disc drives, This month’s future. As always, it is you, the reader, who and a printer). In addition to using it in contributing artists: ultimately determines the success or failure conjunction with Mark Herro’s ‘Electric of a publication, and I’d like to take this Eye’ column, we’ll now be able to look at a Steve Swenston Gail Gierahn opportunity to say “Thanks” on behalf of few of the plethora of game programs now Cindy Miller Jeff Dee the Dragon Publishing staff for helping available on the commercial market, and Kenneth Rahman Dave LaForce make us what we are today. (hopefully) do some reviewing on our own. Jamie Graham David Sims * * * Please hold off on sending us your own Jean Wells Jim Roslof If you read the “Eye of the Dragon” home-brew programs for a bit yet; we’ll Roger Raupp column in the May issue (TD #37), you saw have our hands full with what’s on the mar- THE DRAGON is published monthly by Dragon Publish- the notice that TSR Hobbies has estab- ket already. But electronic gaming is loom- ing, a division of TSR Hobbies Inc. The mailing address lished a United Kingdom branch, directed ing on the gaming horizon, and THE DRA- of Dragon Publishing is P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI by one Don Turnbull. Don was credited GON is going to be ready for it.