hess is the first game I remember teaching myself. I played at school, too. Tater Kerns was my homeroom Checkers and board games were a breeze, but when chess nemesis. (Who’d have thought a kid named Tater could Dad tried to teach me to play the game of kings, I failed play great chess?) We worked ourselves into a furious rivalry, miserably. with boasting before and excuses after every game. Since we It wasn’t Dad’s fault I couldn’t twig to chess. He had one of were so evenly matched, our years-long rivalry fired the com- those renaissance sets in which the figures were intricate little petitive spirit in each of us. Before long, we weren’t playing a statues. My problem was that the queens, bishops, and pawns game anymore — we were fighting a war. all looked alike. The horses I had figured out, since they moved Next I took the war to older kids and even a college chess differently, but the others were confusing. Eventually, Dad’s champion, crushing their forces, rooting them out of their patience wore thin, and we went back to checkers, where the defenses, extending my rule by divine right. Boasts became pieces all looked alike on purpose. proclamations; excuses became propaganda. I became a con- For a while I felt truly stupid. I wanted to play, and I wanted quering monarch of the chess board. to win. Fortunately, my eight-year-old’s attention span kept my It wasn’t long before Dad stopped wanting to play me. It agonizing brief. I didn’t think about chess again until we wasn’t because I won all the time but because he caught me bought the encyclopedia. Inside I found a long article that told letting him win once or twice, to keep him interested. I’d the history of chess and gave a primer on the rules. Best of all, become smug and terrible, not a king, but a tyrant. the icons for the pieces were clear and simple. I could tell the It took two things to save me this time. First, I became pawns from the bishops from the queen. I was saved! increasingly interested in role-playing, where cooperation pays Reading the instructions, as any gamer knows, is not always off much more than competition. I played fewer chess matches the key to learning a game. Fortunately, Dad also had a paper- and more AD&D® sessions. back copy of Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess. Wonderful book! It had Second, a squirrely little physics major thrashed me merci- bajillions of chess exercises, starting with the simplest and lessly, three games in a row, upon my arrival at college. working up to the brain busters. I read that book front to back. Humbled and shamed, I gave up chess for almost a year. By the time I was done, I was ready to play a real game. When I did play again, I found that I didn’t care as much It had been a few years, and I explained that I’d been in about defeating my opponent as watching the game unfold. training, so Dad was game. (If you’ll pardon that.) He figured I My hand didn’t tremble as I reached for a bishop, wondering still couldn’t tell a bishop from a pawn. whether I was walking into a trap. The thrill of war was gone, I won that very first game. yet I was having fun for the first time since those early games Of course, surprised and chagrined, Dad beat the stuffings with Dad. out of me after that. He even caught me in fool’s mate early on. These days, I’m not a great chess player. (Practice makes a (Bobby didn’t warn me about that one!) But I learned, and soon big, big difference.) When I do play, it’s no longer a battle. I could beat him even when he was trying. Now it’s just a game. For the next few years, we played hundreds of games. The competition grew fierce, and I felt a cold thrill before and dur- ing every game. Sometimes I’d sit quivering with trepidation, working out four, five, or six moves in advance for each attack. It wasn’t good enough to win sometimes. I wanted to win all the time. Publisher Associate publisher Editor-in-chief Editor Art director TSR, Inc. Brian Thomsen Pierce Watters Dave Gross Larry Smith Associate editor Editorial assistant subscriptions U.S. advertising U.K. correspondent/advertising Michelle Vuckovich Lizz Baldwin Janet Winters Cindy Rick Carolyn Wildman Printed in the USA DRAGON #233 3 September 1996 Volume XXI, No. 4 Issue #233 Going to Court Larry Granato Where etiquette is more powerful than blind-fight- ing, and Charisma more telling than Strength. Page 8 On Wings of Eagles James Estes The loftiest of the elves are those that soar high above the forests. Page 14 Fiendish Fortresses Monte Cook The infernal bastions of the Blood Warcan be a royal pain to the fiendish lords who lay siege to them. Page 24 SEPTEMBER 1996 3..................The Wyrm's Turn How about a nice game of chess? 6........................D-Mail Wyrms of the North Your compliments, criticism, questions, and... Ed Greenwood coasters? Volo and Elminster warn us of a manipulative 49........................Bookwyrms green dragon who would be queen. Recommended reading from the staff of Page 32 DRAGON Magazine. 89......................Cons & Pros Campaign Classics: Treat yourself to a convention this summer. Scions of the Desert Here's where to find them. by Jim Parks The Lund of Fate is the perfect setting for 90...........................Forum the bloodlines and domains of regents. This month: optional rules, level limits, and Page 40 dealing with new players. 95..................Network News DRAGON DICE™ GAME: As we were saying, before we were so rudely Back to Basics interrupted... Dori Hein 96...................Sage Advice Strategy tips on deploying the Stumped on a rule? Need to settle a gaming original four races in the bet? Ask the Sage. battle to rule Esfah. Page 53 109.......Role-playing Reviews High-powered campaigns to satisfy the most Bazaar of the Bizarre: demanding players. Magical Armor 120...........The Current Clack The Origins awards, online game releases, and Robert S. Mullin notes from the field. Armor, helms, and shields fit for a king. Page 82 Game Wizards: Other Material The Rod of Seven Parts Skip Williams 48 ...................................................... Hellbound Where in the world are the pieces to this fabled artifact? 99 ................... Knights of the Dinner Table Well, that depends on the world you’re in... Page 92 100............................................ DragonMirth 102 .......................................... Gamer’s Guide 104 ........................................................... Floyd 116 .............................................. TSR Previews 62 Thunder and Ice (DRAGONLANCE®: Tales of the Fifth Age) Douglas Niles Centaur and plainsman alike must flee their homes as the great dragons of Krynn expand their domains. DRAGON #233 5 whole world of exciting gaming acces- but those seem too fragile; just slipping sories, modules, and settings out there — on a set of wing armor could very well a world that many newer gamers will damage such wings. In any event, the never see. specifics are up to the DM. 3) Perhaps a collection of favorite With regards to Armor Class, wing gaming memories. Maybe if people sent armor does not reduce the wearer’s AC. If in some of their favorites, you could a flying creature loses 50% of its total hp, compile an article, or series of articles, it can no longer remain aloft and must including the best of them. land immediately. (See Chapter 9 of the 4) A feature on creating your own DMG.) A DM might also rule that when a campaign worlds, or creating new races, flying creature loses 25% of its total hit classes, deities, etc. Features including points, it cannot perform complex aerial new items are great, but a “How To” maneuvers and attack forms. Instead of article might be even more helpful. altering a creature’s AC, wing armor Thank you for the hours of enjoy- increases these percentages by 25%. ment I have gotten from reading DRAGON Thus, a flying creature can withstand the Magazine. loss of 50% of its hp before losing its abil- Dave Wohlriech ity to perform complex maneuvers, and lf you have a comment, opinion, or ques- 2168 Briarlake Trace 75% of its hp before being forced to land. tion for the editors of DRAGON® Magazine, Atlanta, GA 30345 In any case, a captured suit of wing write us a letter. We’d love to hear from you. armor can be used as a model on which In the United States and Canada, write to Several recent letters inquired about smaller-sized versions could be manufac- “D-Mail,” DRAGON Magazine, 201 Sheridan dragon wing armor as presented in issue tured. In fact, it would be logical to Springs Road, Lake Geneva, WI 53147 USA. #230'S “Dragon Dweomers.” Can a PC take assume that any spell-casting winged In Europe, send letters to “D-Mail,” DRAGON the armor from a defeated foe and have an race could create similar protection or Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, armorer craft it to fit him? We asked the commission if if they cannot make it Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United author for his opinion: themselves. Wing armor of any sort Kingdom. In order for wing armor to function should not function with artificial wings, You can also send your comments via for a nondraconic user, it must first be such as those produced by a cloak of the e-mail to [email protected].