Dragon 1 Vol. XII, No. 7 December 1987 SPECIAL ATTRACTION 46 KINGS TABLE Dale Oldfield and Mark Foster For over a thousand years, the Vikings choice in board games. OTHER FEATURES 8 Welcome to Waterdeep Ed Greenwood The dangerous environs of a city in the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting. Publisher Mike Cook 16 Matters of Mastery John C. Bunnell A book about the mastery of role-playing from a master. Editor Roger E. Moore 18 To Believe or Not to Believe W. Todo Todorsky Was it real or was it illusory? Only the wisest know for sure. Assistant editor Fiction editor Robin Jenkins Patrick L. Price 22 Role-playing Reviews Ken Rolston A journey to the limits of fantasy gaming: outer space. Editorial assistants Eileen Lucas Barbara G. Young 34 The Game Wizards James M. Ward Debbie Poutsch Georgia Moore Want to write for TSR? Wonder whats coming in 1988? Heres the inside info! Art director 36 The Spirit Way fiction by Leigh Anne Hussey Roger Raupp The secrets of magic are not easily taken; the search alone can kill you. Production Staff 57 Plane Speaking Jeff Grubb Marilyn Favaro Lori Svikel Quasi elementals from negative habitats: Ash, Dust, Salt, and Vacuum. Subscriptions Advertising 60 Chopper Power! — Dennis McLaughlin Pat Schulz Mary Parkinson If you cross an agent with an armed helicopter, you roll up a new agent. Creative editors 64 A Mutant by Any Other Name Kim Eastland Ed Greenwood Jeff Grubb . would still be a GAMMA WORLD® game mutant. 69 The Island in Your Computer Cheryl Peterson Beyond your keyboard is a new land of magic: Island of Kesmai. 74 The Marvel®-Phile Jon D. Martin Cap and Bucky, together again but who are they? 80 The Role of Computers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser Explore the world of Shadowgate, then save the world with S.D.I. 86 U 2 KAN ERN BIG BUX! Lawrence R. Raimonda Kan u say, Kall me Konan? Of kourse u kan! DEPARTMENTS 3 Letters 90 Gamers Guide 97 SnarfQuest 4 World Gamers Guide 92 Index to Advertisers 100 Dragonmirth 6 Forum 93 Convention Calendar 102 Wormy COVER You can almost imagine the conversation taking place as the two would-be adventurers in Daniel Hornes cover painting come upon a particularly huge, ugly, vicious, and highly annoyed monster in their local forest. How many pluses did you say this sword has? Is that all? 2 DECEMBER 1987 Fun, fun, fun Working at a game company is a peculiar sort of job. You become so immersed in the world of games, gaming, gamers, game theory, game design, game editing, game news, and so on that you can develop a Clerics (2): Grenadier Models #142: Clerics (2 D-Chess I packs) reaction to it. When I came to Lake Basilisks (4): Grenadier Models #1501: Monster Geneva four years ago, someone Dear Dragon: Manuscripts, Vol. 1 Figure MM4 (4 packs) took me aside and said, After I just received [DRAGON®] issue #122 and Elementals (2): Grenadier Models #1503: Mon- youve worked at TSR a while, youll read the letter from Emil Leong about the ster Manuscripts, Vol. 3 (2 packs) get a real taste for golf. DRAGONCHESS game and your comment Dwarves (12): Grenadier Models #1603: Though I never sank to those about a computerized DRAGONCHESS game Dwarves, Army of the Gold Mountain (1 depths, I did find that I had a new being a horror to develop. You were only parti- pack), and Grenadier Models #189: Dwarf and rather ambivalent attitude Champions (1 pack) ally correct. Ever since issue #100, when you about the word fun. In order for introduced that game, I have tried to develop a Unicorns (4): Grenadier Models #160: Unicorn games to sell, they must be fun. computerized version of it on my Apple IIc and Maid (4 packs) computer because I liked the idea of the game Paladins (2): RAFM Miniatures #3804: Odo, People who work at game compan- but didnt like the work involved in setting it up. Warrior Cleric (2 packs) ies must have a very intense appre- So far, I have a semi-finished version that is Heroes (4): RAFM Miniatures #3810: Charles ciation for the value of fun, or else playable only by two people who know how to the Great, Paladin (4 packs) they might as well take jobs as play the game. The basic design of the game Warriors (24): Grenadier Models #1601: Foot accountants or lawyers.* was easy to create because it was given in the Knights, Army of the Dragon Lords (3 packs) Anyway, since joining TSR, Inc., Ive article, but putting the mechanics in the com- Mages (3): RAFM Miniatures #3801: Nimrod, also developed an intense appreciation puter was hard. The Bold Wizard (2 packs) for people who know how to have You are correct about it being a horror to Sylphs (12): Grenadier Models #120: Winged develop; it has taken me almost two years to get Folk (4 packs) fun. Game companies have no monop- this far, but things are going along nicely. If Kings (2): Grenadier Models Wizzards and oly on fun-loving people, but keeping anyone who knows about Apple computer Warriors Double Blister Dioramic Sets #WS4: your sense of fun alive is sometimes programming and how to play DRAGONCHESS The Royal Court (2 packs) difficult when it is your job to have games has any advice, it would be greatly Griffons (4): Grenadier Models #6004: Mon- fun. This is a unique pressure that has appreciated. sters of Mythology Figure M9 (4 packs) interesting side effects (Do we have Paul Van Horn The basilisk, elemental, and griffon figures to play today?). Rochester NY each come with nine other figures not needed But its worth it. The closeness of for the DRAGONCHESS game. You can write to the working relationships and the We can pass on comments and questions on Grenadier Models and ask to buy just the one nature of the business at TSR, Inc., the DRAGONCHESS game through this column figure that you need from each set. I bought my have given it the atmosphere of a or through the “Forum,” or if writers enclose griffons this way for only $1.50. large extended family composed of postage and a letter, we can send them on to I hope that this helps anyone putting together adult children.** Co-workers and other writers. Interest in Gary Gygax’s imagina- a DRAGONCHESS game set of their own. Maybe tive game continues to be shown, as witness the it will save them the three months it took me to ex-co-workers are often close following letter: put together my own set. friends who show up at your house Boyce Kline during holidays to trade stories Ledyard CT about work over turkey dinner. And D-Chess II even the worst workday has at least Readers who wish to order these figures one bizarre or amusing event to Dear Dragon: directly from the companies making them may tempt you into coming back again Ive just read DRAGON issue #122 and Emil use the following addresses: for a little more abuse most of the Leongs letter concerning the assembly of his Grenadier Models, Inc. time. I have heard that other game own DRAGONCHESS set. Since my letter in the P.O. Box 305 companies have much in common Forum section in issue #119 (page 6) concerning Springfield PA 19064 here with TSR, Inc., and I can some of the pieces used to assemble my own (215) 583-1105 believe it. Were all family, in a set, I have completed constructing my own set bizarre way. of figures. I carefully selected each piece and RAFM Company From all of us here at DRAGON® think they represent the best miniatures availa- 19 Concession Street ble. Some (such as the king, basilisks, sylphs, Cambridge, Ontario Magazine, a special wish is offered to and griffons) were the only examples of these CANADA N1R 2G6 our readers and to everyone in the figures I was able to find. (519) 623-4832 gaming business past, present, and For Emil Leong and anyone else who wants to Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. future for the best of holidays. put together his own DRAGONCHESS game, 5938 Carthage Court And have fun. You deserve it. here are the figures that I used, showing the Cincinnati OH 45221 game piece name, number of figures needed, (800) 543-0272 toll-free the figure pack providing the figure, and the (513) 631-7335 in Ohio number of packs youll need to purchase: The Grenadier figure pack WS4: “The Royal Dragons (2): Grenadier Models #2505: Green Court,” has been reissued as #2021: “The Throne Dragon (2 packs) Room.” All other figures and figure packs are * TSR note: Ha, ha, just kidding, folks. A little Oliphants (4): Ral Partha Personality Minia- available as of this date (November 1987). Call editorial humor there, really. I love ya. tures, #01-099: Armored Giant on War Ele- the companies involved for their prices, or ** I owe this observation to Margaret Weis, phant (4 packs) check for them at your nearest hobby and who made it at a party at her house just before Thieves (4): Grenadier Models #193: Thieves games shops. we played one of her cats like a bagpipe. (2 packs) (continued on page 56) D RAGON 3 The World Gamers Guide If you live outside the continental United than three issues, you must send us DD: D&D® game States and Canada, you can be included in another postcard or letter. Overseas Ameri- GW: GAMMA WORLD® game the World Gamers Guide by sending your can military personnel may also be listed MSH: MARVEL SUPER HEROES game name and full address (carefully printed or herein.