DRAGON 1 Publisher: Mike Cook Editor-in-Chief: Kim Mohan Shorter and stronger Editorial staff: Marilyn Favaro Roger Raupp If this isnt one of the first places you Patrick L. Price turn to when a new issue comes out, you Mary Kirchoff may have already noticed that TSR, Inc. Roger Moore Vol. VIII, No. 2 August 1983 Business manager: Mary Parkinson has a new name shorter and more Office staff: Sharon Walton accurate, since TSR is more than a SPECIAL ATTRACTION Mary Cossman hobby-gaming company. The name Layout designer: Kristine L. Bartyzel change is the most immediately visible The DRAGON® magazine index . 45 Contributing editor: Ed Greenwood effect of several changes the company has Covering more than seven years National advertising representative: undergone lately. in the space of six pages Robert Dewey To the limit of this space, heres some 1409 Pebblecreek Glenview IL 60025 information about the changes, mostly Phone (312)998-6237 expressed in terms of how I think they OTHER FEATURES will affect the audience we reach. For a This issues contributing artists: specific answer to that, see the notice Clyde Caldwell Phil Foglio across the bottom of page 4: Ares maga- The ecology of the beholder . 6 Roger Raupp Mary Hanson- Jeff Easley Roberts zine and DRAGON® magazine are going The Nine Hells, Part II . 22 Dave Trampier Edward B. Wagner to stay out of each others turf from now From Malbolge through Nessus Larry Elmore on, giving the readers of each magazine more of what they read it for. Saved by the cavalry! . 56 DRAGON Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is pub- I mention that change here as an lished monthly for a subscription price of $24 per example of what has happened, some- Army in BOOT HILL® game terms year by Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR, Inc. The mailing address of Dragon Publishing times on a much larger scale, within Page advice . 65 for all material except subscription orders is P.O. TSR, Inc. The company has reorganized, Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. Submission guidelines for TSR, Inc. reassessed its position and its future, and DRAGON Magazine is available at hobby has taken some steps to solidify its future stores and bookstores throughout the United as a company and insure the future satis- States and Canada, and through a limited REGULAR OFFERINGS number of overseas outlets. Subscription rates are faction of the customers we serve. as follows: $24 for 12 issues sent to an address in TSR, Inc., now has only six executive the U.S. or Canada; $50 U.S. for 12 issues sent via Out on a Limb . 3 surface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via air mail divisions instead of twelve. Among the Letters from readers to any other country. All subscription payments alterations were the consolidation of the must be in advance, and should be sent to Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60690. GNW craft line into Dragon Publishing, Leomunds Tiny Hut . 10 and the melding of the Toy Division into A limited quantity of certain back issues of The death master NPC DRAGON Magazine can be purchased from the the Games Division. Dungeon Hobby Shop. (See the list of available Both of those changes have at least one issues printed elsewhere in each magazine.) Pay- thing in common: Each new division is Figure Feature: New releases . 18 ment in advance by check or money order must accompany all orders. Payments cannot be made composed of facets of the company that SF/gaming convention calendar . 20 through a credit card, and orders cannot be taken are trying to attract the same audience. It nor merchandise reserved by telephone. Neither an individual customer nor an institution can be makes perfect sense for them to be work- Sage Advice . 62 billed for a subscription order or a back-issue ing as closely together as possible, purchase unless prior arrangements are made. Answers to AD&D rule questions The changes at TSR were made to The issue of expiration for each subscription is increase productivity, which is designed printed on the mailing label for each subscribers Off the shelf . 67 copy of the magazine. Changes of address for the to result in (among other things) a more Views and reviews of literature delivery of subscriptions must be received at least profitable company. Lets not kid our- six weeks prior to the effective date of the change selves: Everybody wants to make money, in order to insure uninterrupted delivery. Game reviews: and businesses are no exception. GANGBUSTERS game . 72 All material published in DRAGON Magazine But, increasing TSRs productivity becomes the exclusive property of the publisher Borderlands . 76 upon publication, unless special arrangements to making it an even stronger company than Cities . 79 the contrary are made prior to publication. it was already will ultimately be of vis- DRAGON Magazine welcomes unsolicited sub- Judge Dredd . 81 missions of written material and artwork; how- ible benefit to our customers. I know very Federation Space . 82 ever, no responsibility for such submissions can little about big business, but I do know Dragonmaster . 84 be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any that productive, healthy companies have submission which is accompanied by a self- addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will more and happier customers than Gamers Guide . 85 be returned if it cannot be published. those that arent so healthy. (Ive worked DRAGON® is a registered trademark for for unhealthy companies before.) Wormy . 87 Dragon Publishings monthly adventure playing To return to the example, we dont aid. All rights on the contents of this publication are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced expect everyone to appreciate our Ares- Snarfquest . 90 from it in whole or in part without prior permis- DRAGON decision; its trite, but all too sion in writing from the publisher. Copyright © true that you simply cant please every- 1983 by TSR, Inc. Whats New . 93 body. We hope that most of you will Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, understand, and that youll end up being Dragon Mirth . 96 Wis., and additional mailing offices. more frequently pleased, and better POSTMASTER: Send address changes to served, by what Dragon Publishing and Dragon Publishing, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848. TSR have to offer in the years to come. DRAGON, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED D&D, TOP SECRET, BOOT HILL, and GAMMA WORLD are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. TRAVELLER is a registered trademark owned by Game Designers Workshop, Inc. RUNEQUEST is a registered trademark owned by Chaosium Inc. designates other trademarks owned by TSR, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. 2 AUGUST 1983 onths ago, in a fit of what we call long-range planning, we decided that issue #76 would be a great time to publish an updated index. Within days after that decision was made, one Mr. Gygax politely inquired about whether we were considering doing an index. Aw, sure, I said, were already planning on it for the August issue. Well, telling the big guy that youre Program response programs. Dungeon Masters Personnel Ser- going to do something is the worlds vice is not perfect and I thank those of you best incentive. The index that lots of Dear Editor: who showed us ways to clean up the syntax you have asked for is finished on time, I enjoy reading your magazine, and have but we think it was one of the best among the thanks to that confident promise I come to expect high quality from it. However, submissions we had received at the time it was made last winter and to the efforts of with issue #74 my admiration was lost. The accepted. Well get better as we publish more the other people credited at the bottom [computer] program was atrocious. programs, and well keep looking and striving of page 46. Use it, and enjoy it. In the first place, on any Commodore com- for perfection. In the meantime, keep those puter, the user will get a syntax error. The subscriptions logged on. KM Something else that makes this issue program uses the variable ST$, which is illegal special is tucked way back on pages 87 due to its use as an abbreviated command. and 88 the final two pages in the Anyone using a Commodore computer should current episode of the saga of Wormy. change the string name to SV$. Language lapses An ending . followed immediately Second, this program wastes a lot of space. by a new beginning: Issue #77 will Lines 1360-1460 are useless. And instead of Dear Editor: contain the first installment of a new exchanging ZZ with an ability, change to this I was pleased to find the two articles on lan- Wormy adventure, and Tramp will be method, which works just as well and faster: guages in issue #75. When I began to read the first one, however, my enthusiasm lagged. One making pages as long as his markers [Program details deleted] Third, there is no way to print this out. A reason for this was the passage: . It may be and his imagination dont dry up simple addition of the following lines will no coincidence that ancient Rome, an aggres- neither of which is liable to happen. accomplish this: sive, expansionist society, spoke Latin by put- Weve been scolded several times in [Program details deleted] ting the verb first. The position of the word the last few months for not giving Last, but by no means least, this program denoting and describing action shows clearly proper recognition to our cover artists.