DRAGON 1 Publisher: Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief: Kim Mohan Drawing the line Editorial staff: Roger Raupp Patrick Lucien Price With equal amounts of regret and relief, Mary Kirchoff weve come to an important decision. The Vol. VIII, No. 7 January 1984 Roger Moore AD&D adventure in the center of this Subscriptions: Mary Cossman magazine is the last winner from the Mod- Layout designer: Kristine L. Bartyzel ule Design Contest that will be printed in SPECIAL ATTRACTION Contributing editor: Ed Greenwood Advertising Sales Administrator: DRAGON® Magazine. The Ruins of Andril . .41 Mary Parkinson That decision is going to make a lot of AD&D adventure for high-level heroes people unhappy especially the winners in National advertising representative: the categories we arent going to publish Robert Dewey 1836 Wagner Road but its a decision we had to make. Glenview IL 60025 After looking over the entries in all of the OTHER FEATURES Phone (312)998-6237 unpublished categories, weve come to the conclusion that we cant afford to take the Taking the sting out of poison . .6 This issues contributing artists: amount of time that would be necessary to Steve Peregrine Robert Albanese A new system to swallow Roger Raupp Richard Dell develop them into publishable adventures. We have chosen winners, and well notify In the Cleft of Queens . 18 Atanielle Annyn Noel Phil Foglio all of them by mail within the next few A dragon-style short story Jim Holloway Dave Trampier E. B. Wagner Larry Elmore weeks. In those letters, well do our best to The ecology of the basilisk. .27 explain to them, individually, why their Take a look, but make it quick DRAGON Magazine (ISSN 02796848) is entries were good enough to win but not published monthly for a subscription price of $24 good enough to print. Chariots for characters. .34 per year by Dragon Publishing, a division of How can this happen in some categories Ancient vehicles adapted for AD&D play TSR, Inc. The mailing address of Dragon Publishing for all material except subscription but not in others? Well, there wasnt a Cu Chulainn . .40 orders is P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. really drastic drop-off in quality; in fact, A real challenge for charioteer players DRAGON Magazine is available at hobby many of the modules we have printed stores and bookstores throughout the United needed a lot of development work to turn Living in a material world . .58 States and Canada, and through a limited them into the versions you saw. And, with Spell components dont grow on trees number of overseas outlets. Subscription rates are as follows: $24 for 12 issues sent to an address the publication of this magazine, weve in the U.S., $30 in Canada; $50 U S. for 12 finally run out of manuscripts that we issues sent via surface mail or $95 for 12 issues thought could be salvaged in the limited sent via air mail to any other country All subscription payments must be in advance, and time we have to accomplish that task. REGULAR OFFERINGS should be sent to Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box Were not trying to embarrass anybody, 72089, Chicago IL 60690. and we certainly arent trying to set our- selves up as all-knowing authorities on the Out on a Limb . 3 A limited quantity of certain back issues of DRAGON Magazine can be purchased from the art of module design. (If we were that good, Letters from readers Dungeon Hobby Shop. (See the list of available wed be publishing all the winners, and I issues printed elsewhere in each magazine.) Pay- The Forum: a new feature. 24 ment in advance by check or money order must wouldnt have to write this column.) Were Plenty of room for readers to speak accompany all orders. Payments cannot be made simply trying to be straight with you, and through a credit card, and orders cannot be taken we dont expect to be praised for that, but Figure Feature. .32 nor merchandise reserved by telephone. Neither we hope youll all understand. Facts and photos about miniatures an individual customer nor an institution can be billed for a subscription order or a back-issue Will we hold another contest? Yes, in all Off the Shelf . .72 purchase unless prior arrangements are made. likelihood, and maybe not too far in the Three new book reviews The issue of expiration for each subscription is future. But first were going to see if we can printed on the mailing label for each subscriber’s shake some good-quality adventures out of The Role of Books . 74 copy of the magazine. Changes of address for the the world at large. (See the small announce- Sources for non-medieval settings delivery of subscription copies must be received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of the ment elsewhere in this issue.) And if we do Game reviews: change in order to insure uninterrupted delivery. decide to stage another contest, well go into Role-playing without heroes it with the hope that we havent turned All material published in DRAGON anybody off with this decision. We do ap- Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. .76 Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the Ravenloft. .77 publisher upon publication, unless special ar- preciate and respect the effort that every Brotherhood of the Bolt . .77 rangements to the contrary are made prior to contestant put forth; its impossible to look publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes at a 50-page manuscript and a set of labori- Convention calendar . .82 unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; however, no responsibility for such sub- ously drawn maps without feeling gratitude Gamers Guide .................... .84 missions can be assumed by the publisher in any and, sometimes, sympathy for all the hours event. Any submission which is accompanied by that went into finishing that entry. Judging Dragon Mirth ..................... .88 a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. the entries was never easy, because practi- Whats New. ...................... .90 cally every module we received contained a DRAGON® is a registered trademark for truckload of good, imaginative ideas. But Wormy. 92 Dragon Publishing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rights on the contents of this publication making those decisions on the modules Snarfquest ........................ .94 are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced themselves was a piece of cake compared to from it in whole or in part without first obtaining permission in writing from the publisher. making the final judgment about where to Copyright © 1984 TSR, Inc. draw the line. DRAGON, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED D&D, TOP Wis., and additional mailing offices. SECRET, BOOT HILL, and GAMMA WORLD are regis- tered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva ™ designates other trademarks owned by TSR, Inc., unless WI 53147, USPS 318-790, ISSN 0279-6848. otherwise indicated. 2 JANUARY 1984 omposing a high-level ad- venture us a high-level creative task. When char- acters have gobs and gobs of experience under their belts, they have a multitude of options and opportunities to take advantage of at any given time. Its not easy to design and produce a module for such characters that is challenging without being impossible to beat, and thats the main reason why that are sold out will almost certainly never again you havent seen very many high-level You botched up be available for sale from TSR or from Dragon modules in this magazine. But now is the Publishing. Your best bet perhaps your only time, and The Ruins of Andril is the Dear Editor: chance to pick up an old issue is to get a seat place. It occupies the center 16 pages of I am a DRAGON Magazine collector, so to in the front row of an auction at a gaming con- speak, and I constantly take modules out of the this issue, and it is the winner in category vention and bring along a loud voice and lots of issues. It works out great! You have always man- money. Usually a few single issues, maybe even a A-3 of our Dungeon Design Contest. The aged to put modules in the center of the maga- collection or two, are on the merchandise list of module was designed by Ian Melluish of zine, for easy removal, and exclude articles an auction at any good-sized convention. Or, Nepean, Ontario yet another in the within the module, for neatness. Well, you watch the advertisements in gaming magazines long line of Canadian contestants who botched up in #79 with Wacko World. I can only for someone to announce that hes selling old have won top prizes in the contest. say that these modules are great and Id like them copies, or for a merchant who has somehow Among the other highlights of this issue to look that way. Its a bit distracting when you acquired a few way-back issues. But please dont are contributions by first-timers. Our have just begun a module and youve got these ask us we havent got em and we dont know chilly cover is the work of Steve Peregrine, little space ships on the opposite page. where to get em. Rob Cathcart The answers a little different in the matter of who may be familiar to veteran readers Incline Village, N.Y. module contest entries, but the bottom line is the from some interior artwork he did for us a same. Obviously, we have the modules in our while back.