Issue #152Vol. XIV, No. 7

December 1989

PublisherJames M. Ward

EditorRoger E. Moore

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Assistant editorDale A. Donovan

Art directorPaul Hanchette

Production staffKathleen C. MacDonald

Gaye O�Keefe Angelika Lokotz

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

U.S. advertisingSheila Gailloreto Tammy Volp

U.K. correspondentand U.K. advertising

Sue Lilley

SP E C I A L A T T R A C T I O N S

9 Welcome to the Underdark:It�s cheerless and horrible and eternally black, but it�s home.

1 0 The Ecology of the Umber Hulk � Tony JonesIf it can claw through miles of solid rock, your armor won’t slow it down.

1 8 In a Cavern, In a Canyon . . . � Thomas M. KaneTo get lots of gold and gems in the safest way, dig for them! (Ho, ho!)

2 8 The Wanderers Below � Buddy PenningtonRandom monsters just aren’t the same when you’re miles below ground.

4 0 Servants of the Jewelled Dagger � Eric OppenThe duergar will survive, no matter what the cost (to you).

OT H E R F E A T U R E S

3 2 Role-playing Reviews � Jim BambraWould you go on an adventure in which all of your foes carriedautomatic weapons?

4 4 The First Notch � fiction by R. A. SalvatoreSome monsters are so bad that your regular enemies look pretty friendly.

5 2 In Quest of Adventure � Greg MinterSometimes, if you’re not careful, an adventure will come looking for you.

6 2 The Game Wizards � James M. WardBoard games, computers, and great magazines (these are a few of ourfavorite things).

6 4 The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserIn search of a Krystal, a Holy Grail, and a spell to remove a tyrant.

7 4 Worth a Thousand Words � The editorsDo you have fan mail for an artist? Here’s where you can write!

7 6 Spider-Man� to Wed Vanna White! � Fraser ShermanSuppose that the Marvel Universe™ was actually the real world.

8 0 Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowNow you can create (and destroy) terrain in your miniatures games.

9 4 Make the Most of Your Missions � Merle and Jackie RasmussenThrow your agents a mission they'll always remember! If they survive it.

D E P A R T M E N T S

5 Letters 72 TSR Previews 106 Gamers Guide7 Forum 86 Convention Calendar8 Sage Advice 100 Dragonmirth

COVER

Paul Jaquays describes his cover painting:“The title of this painting is ‘Cryson’sReward.’ Cryson was a PC run by another player in AD&D® games I played about 10years ago. This never happened to good ol' Cryson. It should have. Although it lookslike a warrior or cleric being dragged off by goblins, it is in truth a statement aboutmodern materialism, greed, and the cost of betraying one’s friends, beliefs, andvalues. . . .”

4 DECEMBER 1989

What did you think of this issue? Do you havea question about an article or have an idea for anew feature you’d like to see? In the UnitedStates and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON®Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, CherryHinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom.

Enough, alreadyDear Weaklings:

Upon hearing of Waldorf’s insubordination [inDRAGON issues #137 and 149], I would like toshow you a truly powerful character. His nameis Thor, and he is a 6,253rd-level magic-user, a25,001st-level cleric, and a 3,000,000th-levelfighter. Once he sneezed and destroyed theentire Forgotten Realms world, so think of whatwill happen when he wields his 80’-long sword+5,682. Waldorf’s enslaving of the gods wasvery unrealistic, since all the gods are servantsof Thor, and furthermore [The remainder ofthis letter has been deleted by the editor forreasons that must be all too painfully apparent.We continue now with our regular “Letters”feature.]

More outragesDear Dragon:

I am interested in sculpting my own fantasyfigures. Have you any information you can sendme on this subject, or any idea where I can getinformation on it? Any reply would be deeplyappreciated.

One other thing. I loved the article, “Still MoreOutrages From the Mages,” in issue #144. I haveused it a few times. Once the party was beingchased by five minotaurs when the spell-castertripped over Nimrod’s scroll, picked it up, andcast monster invulnerability upon the mino-taurs The party charged and couldn’t figure outwhy they couldn’t hit the minotaurs. Seven outof the party of eight died, but amazingly thespell-caster was still alive. He was using a sling,so he cast minor globe of iron, threw the BB,and ran. He was almost safe when he cast wallof missiles (poor sod). The minotaurs had a goodlunch.

One of my characters gave an evil spell-casterhis remove hand spell, then pulled a dagger onthe mage. Audible curse has often been usedwhen a battle is lost, and detect object was usedby one of my dumber players.

Jon EngeVista CA

We don’t have a lot of information on how tosculpt your own fantasy figures at the moment,though we might be able to get an article on thistopic in the future.

And we loved hearing about the spells. Maybewe should print more of them.

Hawks = falcons?Dear Dragon:

I am writing in praise of Patricia Nead Elrod’s“Getting Familiar” article in issue #147. Theinformation presented was fabulous for bring-ing familiars to life as an important part of thegaming universe. The article was in-depth,informative, and quite useful to the familiar-using characters in my many campaigns. Iespecially liked the comment: “Few wizardswould want a toad for a familiar. Toads arealmost a punishment.” Any player can agreewith this!

One mistake I spotted, however, was theinformation contained in the following line:“Female hawks are called falcons; males aretiercels.” This didn’t seem quite right, so I con-sulted the 1974 edition of Funk and Wagnall'sStandard College Dictionary. It says that a falconis “Any of a genus (falco) of . . . birds of preynoted for their powerful wings [and] keen vision. . . especially, the peregrine falcon, the male ofwhich is called a tercel” (or tiercel, as Patricianoted).

In other words, DMs should keep in mindthat hawks and falcons are entirely differentbirds, rather than the latter being the femaleversion of the former. Aside from this, thearticle was fantastic! I hope to see more ofPatricia Elrod’s work in future issues ofDRAGON Magazine.

Jarod WarnerCedar Rapids IA

My copy of Webster’s New World Dictionaryof the American Language (Second CollegeEdition, 1984), says that a falcon is “any hawktrained to hunt and kill small game: in falconrythe female is called a falcon, the male a tiercel.”It goes on to say (under the entries on hawk andfalcon) that falcons are usually considered to bepart of the hawk family, but both terms seem tobe loosely used.

Dragon huntingDear Dragon:

Concerning Mr. Moore’s editorial in issue#148, I remember seeing the gray and rainbowdragons in issue #146, but I don’t rememberseeing the brown, stone, rock, or purple drag-ons anywhere. Have they appeared in any otherissues of DRAGON Magazine? If so, which ones?The purple dragon sounds interesting.

Chris ConnellyDearborn MI

We’ve published brown dragons in issue #38,grey dragons (not the same as gray dragons) inissue #62, purple dragons in issue #65, andstone dragons in issue #134 (we’ve rejected allrock dragons as a result). One can never havetoo many dragons, we always say.

Saving ourworld

I would like to use this space thismonth to talk about saving the world,or at least as much of it as you yourselfcan save. If you�ve envied the heroicexploits of your player characters, younow have the chance to exceed eventhe wildest acts of role-playing derring-do in real life.

Most of us did not have to worry thisyear about a hurricane or earthquakestriking our homes, as did the residentsof Charleston and San Francisco. Manyof us did not worry about heart dis-ease, cancer, AIDS, lacks of funds forschools and hospitals, poverty, home-lessness, and a thousand other calami-ties that so often affect only �otherpeople.� But some of us did have toworry about those things, and the restof us saw the terrible effects of disas-ters and deprivation and disease everymorning and evening in the news.Those of us who were lucky didn�tknow what to do about those whoweren�t, so we went back to our role-playing games and imagined that it waspossible for little groups of people tohave any real control at all over a hos-tile world.

But you do have that control. You cando something about all of the aboveproblems and more, and you can do itby gaming. No kidding. Listen:

Conventions: It is rare (perhaps toomuch so) for game conventions to takea part of their proceeds and donatethem to helpful causes. I would like tosuggest that this practice become muchmore common�in fact, it should be-come standard procedure.

A few conventions do this regularly.GLATHRICON, which is held in Evans-ville, Ind., supports the American Can-cer Society through its Joe MartinBenefit Tournament. During the 1989GEN CON® game fair, the RPGA� Net-work was able to donate $1,000 to theliteracy programs of the Boys and GirlsClub of Greater Milwaukee, thanks toone tournament�s entry fees, anautographed-book auction, and a dona-tion from TSR, Inc. WINTER FANTASY,coming up this January, has a benefittournament for the Salvation Army�sHomeless Program. Last year, oneCalifornia convention donated all of itsproceeds from RPGA Network tourna-ments to the American Red Cross.

Continued on page 91

DRAGON 5

“Forum” welcomes your comments and opinionson role-playing games. In the United States andCanada, write to: Forum, DRAGON® Magazine,P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. InEurope, write to: Forum, DRAGON Magazine,TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CBI 3LB, United Kingdom. We askthat material submitted to “Forum” be eitherneatly written by hand or typed with a freshribbon and clean keys so we can read andunderstand your comments.

I have a suggestion for other DMs, and “Fo-rum” seems to be the best place to make it. Ihave found that it is very helpful to mix gamesystems. I’m not talking about putting guns andlasers in the AD&D® game, slavering demons inthe STAR FRONTIERS® game, or aliens or wiz-ards in TSR’s TOP SECRET® and West EndGames’ JAMES BOND 007 games. What I’mtalking about is mixing their systems. For exam-ple, the magic system in the AD&D game can beconverted for use in the MARVEL SUPER HE-ROES™ game, which spends about three vaguepages on magic and doesn’t need supplements.The system for swordplay, knife fighting, andunarmed combat in the first-edition TOP SE-CRET game is far better than the one in theAD&D game but takes more time. Thus, if thefinal scene is a duel between the party paladinand an evil fighter, the TOP SECRET systemcould be temporarily altered to fit, while thefaster AD&D game system can be used whenhacking down giant rats and webbirds. Damagebonuses and bonuses to hit can be put intodamage bonuses or penalties when using theTOP SECRET melee system.

I am telling you this because I've tried it and itworks. While some adaptations are harder thanothers (and others are simply impossible), it ispossible to create a superior espionage, fantasy,superhero, or science-fiction game. Try it.

Toby MyersHamilton NY

I would be interested in finding out whenmost players of the AD&D game consider theircampaign worlds to be set. I have always as-sumed that the game was set in the 20th Cen-tury, in a world like that of Lord Darcy's in theRandall Garrett stories. Although the setting ismedieval, my reasoning is that a world of magicwould not develop much technology.

Magic, whether by mage or cleric, is spectacu-lar. A single person can use it to perform featsthat would require a hundred men otherwise.This power would be jealously guarded by itspractitioners, and rival skills, such as technol-ogy, would be suppressed. Technology wouldalso have the stigma of being messy, dirty andhard work. A mage mutters, waves a fewleaves, and produces a piece of cloth. A weaverbends over a loom for days to do the samething, then dyes it, cuts it, and tailors it.

But not everyone can perform magic. Magicwould be practiced by anyone capable of it butless intelligent beings would develop technology,

which can be used by anyone.Some technology would be developed to

handle simple tasks that magic-users and clericswould consider beneath their dignity. Moretechnology would be developed by enviouspersons who, being unable to perform magic,wanted power of their own. Still more would bedeveloped because of to the small number ofspells available. When plague comes along, somepeople are going to go without healing spells.Then medicine is going to be developed.

James R. CollierGeorgetown, Ontario

After reading all of the articles on humanoidsin issue #141, I felt I had to write in. In myAD&D campaign, orcs and other less-powerfulhumanoids are not as weak as characters wouldlike to believe. I took my friend’s 13th-levelnecromantic-specialist mage on a solo adven-ture, and it was great fun to see him actuallystart to worry about his character’s welfare!The adventure went as follows:

The mage entered a dark cave, where hefound an ogre slumped over, sleeping. Quietlydispatching the guard, he continued on. As hepeered around the corner of the next room, hesaw two goblins playing knucklebones on theground. Thinking of them as easy prey, hepompously strolled in. Immediately, the goblinssounded the alarm (he thought they were toodisorganized to use one) and rushed into thefray. He slew both of them with a magic missilespell, but not before most of the other monstersknew he was there. He continued down a verynarrow passage that led to a dead end. Turningaround, he came face-to-face with the biggestogre he had ever seen. Quickly casting a fireballspell, he incinerated the ogre. Because he hadhis minor globe of invulnerability up, he wasunaffected by the backlash.

Continuing on he stumbled onto an orcsacrificial ceremony. This chamber was actuallya series of layers sunk into the ground. The fourorc guards quickly rushed to destroy him andhe was hit twice (his AC is -5) before he killedthem. At that moment, the orc shaman whirledaround and hurled his dagger of piercing +2,which struck the mage with terrible force. Hisspell ruined, the mage then attacked the orcwith his wand of magic missiles. Though hesmashed the mage with his mace +1, the sha-man was killed immediately after his blowstruck by a well-placed dagger +2.

The mage heard a loud noise coming from thepassage above the sacrificial platform, and hecast a levitate spell to investigate the distur-bance. Seeing an ogre and deciding he had justabout enough of this, the mage cast a teleportspell to take him home. Unfortunately, the ogrewas quicker. He leaped up and caught the magearound the midsection, causing both of them toplummet to the ground 60’ below. The ogre didnot survive the fall, and the mage was barelyhanging on to life.

Continued on page 92

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is publishedmonthly by TSR. Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva Wl53147, United States of America. The postal address forall materials from the United States and Canada exceptsubscription orders is: DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone: (414)248-3825. The postal address for all materials fromEurope is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd, 120 ChurchEnd, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, UnitedKingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international); telex: 818781; fax: (0223) 248066(U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international).

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DRAGON 7

If you have any questions on the gamesproduced by TSR, Inc., �Sage Advice� willanswer them. In the United States andCanada, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON®Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: SageAdvice, DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120Church End, Cherry Hinton, CambridgeCB1 3LD, United Kingdom.

The sage makes another tour of theAD&D® 2nd Edition game, focusing on thenew Player’s Handbook (PHB) andDungeon Master’s Guide (DMG).

The rules on page 97 of the PHBsay that polearms and spears dodouble damage vs. charging oppo-nents, but the tables on pages 68and 69 say only a few polearms cando this. Which is correct?

Those polearms marked with a �#� andall spears do double damage when set vs. acharge. Polearms marked with a �*� dodouble damage vs. charging opponentsthat are larger than man size.

Both of the AD&D game 2nd Edi-tion rule books say that magicalrings �radiate� magic. Does thismean they glow with a magical auraall the time? Can you tell an item ismagical just by looking at it?

The term �radiates� indicates there is amagical aura which cannot be seen,touched, tasted, or smelled but can bedetected with the proper divination; a ringcan radiate magic, a dragon can radiateevil, and so on. While the DM might rulethat an aura might be detectable withoutmagical aid, magical items usually arefound only with detect magic spells or byexperimenting with them to test for unu-sual properties.

If an identify spell will not tell youthe exact number of charges orpluses an item has, how do you findout? Can a sage tell?

The best way to get an item�s exactcharges or pluses is to start with an iden-tify spell to determine the approximatenumber, then use a contact other plane orcommune spell to get the exact number.The DM has to decide what sages can doin his campaign, but giving a sage a chanceto determine an item�s exact pluses isreasonable. Sages have no way to deter-mine charges; a wand with one chargelooks exactly like a wand with 99 charges.If the item was first studied with detectmagic and identify spells, a sage couldstudy the item for additional clues about

8 DECEMBER 1989

by Skip Williams

who made and enchanted it and stand agood chance of guessing its powers. Thiswould require a sage with knowledge offolklore, history, or both.

Can a player who finds a potiontaste it and immediately find outexactly what it is?

First, players cannot test potions, butplayer characters can. When a charactertastes a potion, the DM should give somehint or clue about its properties (see theDMG, page 141).

Is there a reason why all thecharacter-class experience chartsstop at level 20?

In the AD&D 2nd edition game, 20thlevel is the intended stopping point for allcharacter advancement. This is becausethe designers and editors believe (and Iagree) that the AD&D game system beginsto break down around level 20. After level20, continued advancement becomes al-most meaningless, adventures are hard todesign,, and campaigns are hard to main-tain. An expansion for character levels 21and up has been discussed, but there areno current plans for such a product. Play-ers and DMs who want to use megalevelcharacters are on their own.

Does a cleric�s ability to turn un-dead really stop getting better atlevel 14, as table 61 (page 103) in thePHB suggests?

Yes, the progression does stop at level14, at least for now. In game terms, this isthe limit of power that deities can (or will)�lend� to clerics to fight undead. In designterms, this keeps high-level clerics fromblowing away liches and other powerfulundead with a simple die roll.

Dow come the �death at - 10 hp�rule was dropped from the game?

It hasn�t been dropped. See the �Hover-ing on Death�s Door� optional rule in theDMG, page 75.

Should characters who put on acloak of poisonousness be allowed asave vs. poison or a save vs. death?

Neither. Characters who don the cloakdie.

�Does attacking dispel the invisibil-ity given to the attacker by a ring ofinvisibility or a cloak of elvenkind?If so, who long must the attackerremain visible?

Offensive actions break the invisibility.The wearer must remain visible at leastuntil the beginning of the next meleeround.

Continued on page 14

The following was taken from Creaturesof the Earth�s Deeps, by the sage andwizard Archmyel:

The umber hulk is one of the morepowerful and dangerous undergrounddenizens. Although only infrequentlyencountered, umber hulks have becomewell known because of their distinctiveappearance and the ferocity of their at-tacks on adventurers. I have heard numer-ous stories of small bands of umber hulksdestroying larger parties of experiencedadventurers, leaving nothing but droppedweapons and debris behind.

Umber hulks are extremely large, bulkycreatures often standing nearly threeyards tall and over one and a half yardswide. Their powerful arms end in handswith claws like iron that are capable ofripping through solid stone quickly. Therest of their stout bodies are very muscu-lar, but because of their weight (1,500-1,750 lbs.) and size, umber hulks are slow,awkward creatures. Such a creature�smouth is filled with many small teeth, butthe major damage is inflicted by the um-ber hulks two sets of mandibles.

In addition, the umber hulk has two setsof eyes, one on the outside of its flat headand the other in the middle of its fore-head. The eyes on the outside of its headare white with black irises, while those onits forehead are purple with yellow oramber irises. The creature lacks a nosebut breathes through gill-like structureson its almost nonexistent neck, evidence ofa possible previous aquatic existence. Itcan thus eat and breathe at the same time.The color of the umber hulk�s tough hideis black but lightens to a grayish or burntbrown hue on the head and front. Themandibles and claws are ivory colored.Adventurers have been known to mistakeumber hulks for some other type of crea-ture at a distance of 15 yards or morebecause of their dark coloring.

Umber hulks are, as noted earlier, wellknown for their ferocious attacks onadventurers�particularly humans, whichare relished.. Using their powerful clawsand great strength to rend opponents,they have been known to kill with a singleattack, literally ripping their foes in two.

10 DECEMBER 1989

These monsters usually prey on othersubterranean creatures like anhkhegs andsmall purple worms, against which theumber hulks developed their powerfuloffensive array. It is said that umber hulksallow themselves to be swallowed alive bygreat purple worms for the thrill of �tun-neling out� and slaying the worms.

Umber hulks use their great claws andstrength to good advantage in the subter-ranean areas they haunt. The area sur-rounding an umber hulk�s undergroundlair is crisscrossed with numerous tunnels,making it difficult for other creatures tofind the lair itself. Some of the tunnels aredead ends, while others lead back to theirpoints of origin in very roundabout fash-ion. All such tunnels are well known tothe umber hulk, which uses these pas-sages to catch victims by outflankingthem.

The reverse also holds true, as the um-ber hulk can use its many tunnels to eludedetermined pursuit. While it is not impos-sible to hunt down a fleeing umber hulk, itis difficult even for experienced trackerssuch as rangers to do so as it leaves fewtracks on rocky floors. The umber hulkalso could lead pursuers around in circleslong enough for others to join it and turnthe tables on its hunters. In dire circum-stance, an umber hulk will go to an areawith a deliberately weakened ceiling, so itmay cause a cave-in and later escape.Deliberately caused floods are also possi-ble, as the umber hulk can breathe waterfor short periods (up to 10 minutes).

Umber hulks are very destructive crea-tures that will always attempt to destroywhat they cannot use. Thus, any clothingfound in the lair will be shredded, armortorn and dented, weapons broken anduseless. Umber hulks are wanton killerswhose courage is not always overcome byself-preservation. They will almost imme-diately attack any creature they deemweaker than themselves. Only the sight ofgold or platinum, in very large amounts,will halt their attacks once begun.

The most dangerous aspect of the um-ber hulk is its two sets of eyes. Should anycreature of even slight intelligence meetthe direct gaze of an umber hulk, it be-

comes instantly befuddled, often attackingits companions or standing dazed as thecreature advances. This �gaze of confu-sion� is magical in nature and is constantlyin effect. Other umber hulks are immuneto the effects, which affect the victim�sbrain through the optic nerve in a mannerwhich I have yet to discover. The effectseems to be created by the pair of eyes inthe forehead, for the vodyanoi, the umberhulk�s marine cousin, lacks this set of eyesand the peculiar gaze. The victim recoversshortly, usually within a few minutes,unless the monster has eaten him.

Both male and female umber hulksappear the same externally, equal in sizeand ferocity. However, female umberhulks are much rarer than the male, withonly one umber hulk in four being female.For this reason, the males are very pro-tective of the females, often sacrificingtheir own lives in the females� defense.

Little is known about how umber hulksreproduce. The female bears her younglive a year after mating, producing one tothree �hulklings.� The young are quicklyable to move about and defend them-selves, developing all of their specialpowers with great rapidity. The mother isespecially dangerous during this time, asshe will hunt down and kill as much foodas possible to feed her young, who eatvoraciously. After two years, the youngumber hulks learn to hunt at their moth-.er�s side. Those that have survived thislong are considered mature adults inevery respect. After a few months more,the young leave, and the mother may startanother litter. Male umber hulks live anaverage of 50 years; females, 75 years.

Like most underground creatures, um-ber hulks have more highly developedsenses of smell and hearing than eyesight,and they use the former two senses whensearching for prey, tracking and fightingwithout penalty for darkness. However,their eyesight is not bad, and umber hulkshave no trouble seeing prey at normaldistances. Like most underground crea-tures, umber hulks dislike bright light, butthey suffer ill effects only from the bright-est sources. Umber hulks venture aboveground only at night and only when des-

perate for prey.Umber hulks are reasonably intelligent

creatures and have developed their ownspoken tongue. The language is fairly easyto learn and understand as it conveys onlylimited information, but only magicalintervention (clairaudience or spying whileinvisible) permits anyone to hear the lan-guage used. However, �Hulkish� is difficultto actually speak as umber hulks makesome sounds that are impossible for hu-mans to duplicate. It is a very direct, con-crete, brutal tongue as befits their nature.The umber hulk also uses various grunts,hisses, and gestures for added emphasiswhen speaking, as well as mouth, mandi-ble, and eye movements.

Though umber hulks are basically lon-ers, they will sometimes cooperate withother evil creatures, including evil hu-mans, if paid in gold and platinum or,possibly, human victims. They will serve inany capacity�as guards, part of a main

attack force, even as manual labor�aslong as they receive their gold and are notexpected to risk their own lives in vain.They will not venture above ground forany price and are therefore of limited use.Their fickle nature causes them to turn ontheir �masters,� often for no reason.

This begs the question, of course, ofwhat umber hulks do with their monetarygains. No one knows, though not all umberhulks seem to value precious metals. Itmay be that they use their gains as part oftheir economy, if the rumors of their citiesbeneath the earth are true, or it may bethat the umber hulks consume suchmetals for dietary reasons (finding coins tobe excellent gizzard stones). None can say.

The lair of an umber hulk is a large,spacious cavern or room, the walls ofwhich are always covered by marks fromthe umber hulk honing its claws or possi-bly from having carved the cave from thestone itself. Attached to the large cavern

are numerous smaller rooms of storagefor what few personal items, such astreasure and food, such monsters accumu-late. All the rooms will be littered with theremains of previous victims brought herefor leisurely consumption. The treasurecave is usually hidden by rocks and debris,with simple but deadly traps such as rock-slides. Small items can be found scatteredthroughout all rooms�curios that caughtthe monster�s interest, such as peculiargems or devices from a past victim.

Dead umber hulks (the only good ones,some say) have numerous uses. The hideof an umber hulk is extremely tough anddamage resistant. Some undergroundraces, notably kobolds and goblins, curethe hides of umber hulks and make ar-mors and shields out of them. (Althoughthey would not dare to attack a livingumber hulk, these races recover theirprizes from beasts slain by disease, age, oradventurers.) The hard mandibles are

Illustration by Thomas Baxa

DRAGON 11

used as hand-held weapons, and the clawsare turned into spiked clubs and maces.The eyes from the forehead are oftenneeded by magic-users for potions andmagical inks, and they can be sold for aprofit to alchemical shops or wizards’guilds.

Though it poses little threat to normalhuman existence, the umber hulk is anotable danger to those who venturebeneath the earth in search of adventureand riches. It makes the life of a farmermuch more attractive.

Gaming notesMost umber hulks have strengths of 19,

equal to a hill giant, but one in 20 has astrength of 20 and does 1d6 + 6 hp damagewith each claw, rather than the 3d4 hpdamage listed in the Monstrous Compen-dium. If the umber hulk’s strength shouldbe reduced, claw damage should be re-duced accordingly. Damage done by themandibles remains the same.

The effects of an umber hulk’s gaze arelike the effects of a confusion spell lasting3d4 rounds, affecting as many victims asare looking at it within 40’ of its front.Umber hulks themselves are immune tothe effects of the gaze, as are vodyanoi,creatures already suffering from confu-sion, and mind-barred victims. Use thefollowing chart (from the description of

the dracolisk in the Monster Manual II,page 55) to determine the chances of meet-ing an umber hulk’s gaze:

Character is�SurprisedViewing monsterAttacking normallyAvoiding gaze

Chance tomeet gaze

7 in 103 in 103 in 101 in 10

When born, umber hulks are helpless,but by three months of age they have 1 + 1

HD, are 1’ tall, and do 1d4/1d4/1d2 hpdamage with claws and mandibles. Theygrow thereafter at the rate shown in theUmber Hulk Growth Table.

Extremely bright light, such as sunlight,causes the umber hulk to take a - 1 pen-alty to hit and to saving throws.

The claws and mandibles of dead umberhulks do 1d4 hp damage per blow whenused as weapons. Armor made from thehides of umber hulks is AC 4 and resem-bles a suit of plate armor. The eyes fromthe forehead can be worth 100-400 gpapiece to the right people.

Umber Hulk Growth Table

Age0-2 mo.3-5 mo.6-8 mo.9-11 mo.12-14 mo.15-17 mo.18-20 mo.21-23 mo.24 + mo.

Claw Mandible Duration in roundsHit dice damage damage of confusion gaze

1 - 1 - - -1+1 1d4 1d2 1d42 + 2 1d4 1d3 1d43+3 1d6 1d4 1d44 + 4 2d4 1d6 2d45+5 2d4 1d6 2d46+6 2d6 1d8 2d47+7 2d6 1d10 2d48 + 8 3d4 1d10 3d4

DRAGON 13

Sage Advice Continued from page 8

Can a cleric use an amulet vs. un-dead? Can a druid?

Clerics whose power to turn undead isequal to or better than the amulet�s get nobenefit from it; all other characters turnundead at the amulet�s level regardless ofclass or alignment.

The table for the staff-spear (DMG,page 154) says a roll of 20 indicatesa + 3 weapon. Shouldn�t this be + 6?

A roll of �20� indicates the ranseur ver-sion of the staff-spear; the asterisk shouldhave been placed by the �+3� figure in thebottom line.

The description of a helm of tele-portation mentions a risk for non-wizards when teleporting. What isthe risk?

The �risk� is the same for all characters;see the wizard spell, teleport, in the PHB,page 172.

At what level is a wizard characterallowed to specialize?

Wizard specialties should be chosenwhen the character is created. If a charac-ter does not meet the ability score require-ments for his desired specialty, the DMmight allow him to specialize later in hiscareer if the deficiency is resolved and thecharacter does not have spells from aprohibited school in his spell books.

Can a nonwarrior have a strengthgreater than 18? If so, does the char-acter get exceptional strength ordoes he proceed straight to 19?

Strength ratings over 18 are possiblethrough the use of wishes or magicalitems. Generally, an increase in an abilityscore. that is higher than 16 and less than20 comes in increments of one-tenth of apoint (see the DMG, pages 11-12). A non-warrior with a strength greater than 18but less than 19 gets no special benefits;treat the character�s strength as an unre-markable 18.

Do halflings get any combat modi-fiers due to their small size?

Halflings get no combat modifiers due tosize in the core rules, but this couldchange in a future supplement.

Can a character with a strength of1 wear clothes? The chart on page14 of the PHB says the PC�s maxi-mum press is 3 lbs., but the text onpage 75 says clothes weigh 5 lbs.

The character�s maximum press hasnothing to do with what he can carry. Thecharacter cannot raise the clothes abovehis head, but he can wear or carry them.Clothes, however, would encumber thecharacter.

14 DECEMBER 1989

If the minimum wisdom score fora cleric is 9, why does table 5 listspell failure chances for wisdoms ofless than 9?

A cleric must begin play with a wisdomscore of 9 or higher, but the score mightdrop temporarily (or permanently) duringplay; most DMs allow PCs to continue intheir classes, even if their ability scoresfall below the minimum requirements.

Can nonelven characters find se-cret or concealed doors?

Yes. Generally, the chance for them to doso is one in six, only if the character is ac-tively searching a 10� section of a surface.

Do gnomes get a constitution-based saving throw bonus vs. poi-son like dwarves do?

No; gnomes have no special resistance topoison.

Does fighting with two weaponsrequire a special weapon slot? If so,do rangers have to spend a weaponproficiency on it?

This is up to the DM. If a slot is re-quired, rangers get it free.

Is there a range limit on the cleri-cal undead turning ability?

A cleric can turn undead if he can seeand recognize them as undead, and if theycan see and recognize him as a cleric. Therange indoors is limited by the size of thearea and the available light. The absolutelimit outdoors is about 240 yards, less inpoor light or through concealment.

How long does it take a druid tochange form when shape changing?How long do changes in form takewith a polymorph self or shapechange spell? Do protective itemslike rings or bracers work withdruid�s new form? Are protectiveitems like bracers or rings consid-ered clothing, since only clothingand one item held in each handchanges along with the druid?

Generally, assuming a new form countsas an action and takes three segments ( + 3initiative modifier). The first change inform is usually considered part of thecasting time for polymorph self and shapechange spells. Most DMs allow protectivedevices to work even on polymorphed orshape changed creatures, and most DMs Iknow ignore the clothing-and-two-itemsrestriction for druids and allow all thedruids equipment to change with him.

The set snares proficiency is avail-able to both rogues and warriors.However, table 37 (PHB, pages 54-55)says this requires a dexterity checkfor rouges and an intelligence checkfor warriors. Are these really differ-ent skills or is there an error?

Check dexterity in either case.

Will 90% soft cover, such as a tap-estry or overturned table, protect acharacter from spells, or does onlyhard cover do this?

DMs must resolve this on a case-by-casebasis. When in doubt, have the covermake an item saving throw; if this suc-ceeds, characters behind it take one-halfor no damage.

Can monsters use breath weaponsor innate spell abilities during the�free� round they get when theyachieve surprise?

You bet. Any creature who surprisesanother can use any attack it has, but itcannot cast a spell.

Does a PC�s lifetime limit on thenumber of henchmen apply tohenchmen who leave because theyequal or surpass the PC�s level? Iassume not. Henchmen achieve highlevels with help from PCs. If �gradu-ating� henchmen did count, it wouldbe in the player�s best interest to seethat none of his character�s hench-men ever became high level.

This is up to the DM, but your argumentis very persuasive.

Can a wizard or priest pick thenumber of people affected by a holdperson spell?

Yes, the number of creatures effected bya hold person spell is under the caster�scontrol.

How much does one day�s amountof common meals weigh?

The weight of a day�s common mealsvaries with the locale, season, and cuisine,but 2-5 lbs. per person is a good rule ofthumb. This weight includes bones, skinsand other inedibles. Common meals, how-ever, are rarely carried anywhere, so theirweights don�t matter much. A week�s dryrations generally weigh 7-10 lbs., all ofwhich is edible.

Can specialist wizards use scrollspells from opposition schools? Canclerics use scroll spells from out-side their spheres?

A character who can use spells can use ascroll if it matches his class, so priests can.use scroll spells from outside their spheresand wizards can use scroll spells fromoutside their schools.

Table 56 in the PHB (page 94) saysthat a scroll�s initiative modifier isthe same as the spell on the scroll.What is the modifier for a protectionscroll?

Unless stated otherwise in the scroll�sdescription, a protection scroll has aninitiative modifier of + 3.

Continued on page 59

In a Cavern,In a Canyon...

Mines and metallurgy in fantasy campaigns

�Certainly, though it is but one . . .

by Thomas M. Kane

in medicine. In the AD&D® game, bitu-men, sulfur, and alum are also used asmaterial spell components.

The DM can role-play this search, mak-ing a map of the area of interest and let-ting PCs explore it (dwarves mightappreciate this activity most). It takes oneweek for a miner to prospect four squaremiles, longer if the ore is particularlydifficult to find. As noted beforehand, thesearchers must examine springs and herbsas well as stones. A group containingcharacters with knowledge of mining aswell as wilderness-wise rangers, elves,druids, and NPC treants (or trees con-tacted through speak with plants spells)can finish the search in half the normaltime. Of course, these latter experts mayrefuse to despoil the earth by mining.Clever NPCs (or PCs!) might guide prospec-tors away from veins, to avoid havingforests cut down for timber used in build-ing the mine itself.

After this exploration, PCs may attemptmining proficiency checks (explained onpages 25-26 and 48-49 of the DSG, and onpages 54 and 61 of the AD&D 2nd EditionPlayer’s Handbook). If the checks succeed,the DM tells PCs where they find springs,colored trees, or bits of ore (and whatthese may mean). Of course, the PCs mightdiscover monsters or claim jumpers, too,as the DM wishes.

Miners in medieval times practiced awhole branch of sorcery. They believedthat ore radiated an aura or �field�; whena magician walked over such a field with aforked divining rod, this field caused thestick to twist in his hands. Some divinersemployed hazel rods, while others claimedthat hazel could find only silver. The latterused ash rods for copper, pitch pine rodsfor lead or tin, and iron wires for gold.Others preferred to use magic rings fordivining, and others looked for an ore�sfield by observing the area in a magicalmirror or through an enchanted crystal.Agricola did not believe in diviners, al-though he suggested that such magicmight have existed in ages past. In AD&Dgames, a ring of x-ray vision, might help prospectors find dense metal ore, and awand of metal and mineral detection could

locate veins (see the AD&D 2nd EditionDungeon Master’s Guide, pages 151 and157, respectively, for more information).Mages can research spells or developitems to find ore, using the items de-scribed above as guidelines. Of course, allmagic flirts with peril. New spells mightinvoke the elemental plane of Earth, andpowerful but miscast spells could unleashvolcanoes, earthquakes, or malign beingsfrom other planes.

Despite their lore, prospectors dependon luck. Some mines begin in farmers�fields when plows turn up metallic stones.Other veins are found after landslides orearthquakes, and once a wildfire meltedore near the grounds surface, causingrivulets of gold to trickle down a moun-tainside. The DSG contains guidelines forplacing ore veins, but ore can appearwherever the DM wants it. Furthermore,if mining would slow the campaign, noamount of successful dice-rolling shouldproduce a vein. Charlatans, �fool�s gold�(iron pyrite), and the simple absence ofmetal can frustrate the wisest prospectors.

Humans did not practice scientific geol-ogy until the 19th century. However, in afantasy world, different races may beintimately familiar with the patterns of oreplacement underground. Drow andsvirfneblin, among others, certainly knowwhere the earth hides its metals. Prospec-tors might venture underground to begthe advice of such races, but might eventu-ally fight these races bitterly. Surface andunderworld miners often clash becauseeach group desires the same resources.PCs digging down into ore beds mightmeet beings chipping their way up.

Deep-dwelling races know that the earthis formed in layers of stone and dirt, withnew layers forming over the old. Veins ofore usually appear where something dis-rupts these layers, concentrating mineralsin one place. For example, magma cansqueeze its way into other stones, carryingore with it. It forms vertical dikes, hori-zontal sills, blisterlike laccoliths, and vast,rippling batholiths. Diamonds collect inkimberlite pipes, cones of volcanic rocksthat project upward. Tectonic plates alsoalter the geology of an area. A rising plate

DRAGON 19

method of acquiring wealth . . . a carefuland diligent man can attain this result inno easier way than by mining�

Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica

Every dwarf knows how importantmines are. As Agricola stated, there arefew better ways for someone to get richthan discovering ore and digging it up.Mines also make ideal �dungeons.� Adven-turers can comb through abandoned tun-nels or active shafts owned by theirenemies or creatures from below.

The AD&D® Dungeoneer’s SurvivalGuide presented some basic informationabout mining on pages 48-55. This articleexpands that material with informationabout medieval prospecting and metal-lurgy, based on Georgius Agricola�s De ReMetallica, a German text written in A.D.1550. Dwarves, gnomes, drow, and hu-mans with the miner secondary skill ormining proficiency should have access tothis knowledge in AD&D games.

To find a mineIn medieval times, prospectors began

their search for valuable ores in earlyspring. They looked for far more than tell-tale ore-bearing rocks. Agricola stated thata warm and dry �exhalation� comes fromunderground metal, preventing hoar-frostfrom forming on short new grass. Byobserving the patterns of frost on grassyground, one can see where ore veins run.Furthermore, trees absorb metal throughtheir roots, and such metal causes the firstleaves of the season to blacken or fall off ifthe trees stand over a vein.

Medieval prospectors knew to look fornatural springs because water often con-geals in mineral veins and flows alongthem. This gives the water a distinctivetaste. Salty springs (found inland) indicateunderground salt, and salt would be pre-cious in any medieval-style fantasy society.In our own world, a few ounces of saltwere worth more than two slaves as re-cently as the 1700s. An experienced minercould also taste for soda (nitrium), alum,vitriol, sulfur, and bitumen, all of whichwere used in smelting ore, in alchemy, and

might lift metals or oil, creating a chain of�deposits along the edge of a continent.

Underground peoples might also knowabout oil. Petroleum collects where thelayers of earth curve, forming a trough ora trap for it. Petroleum is likely the �flam-ing oil� adventurers hurl at monsters; theonly oils in the Middle Ages came fromanimal or vegetable fat and were unsuit-able as weapons. Perhaps fantasy warriorsimport their oil from the underworld.Dungeon explorers may grow rich tradingin oil they recover. Petroleum depositsmight also interest Oriental characters; theancient Chinese drilled for oil and saltwater with bamboo derricks. Some Chi-nese emperors tried to tax these wells, butrural landlords resisted by posting scoutswho dismantled the drills before inspec-tors arrived.

AssayingOnce prospectors discover a vein, they

must evaluate it by assaying (testing) theore. Miners often judged unknown ores bychewing them. They also suspended earthin water so it could be studied with color-changing slips of paper, like the litmuspaper used by modern chemists. Romancraftsmen made this paper by dippingparchment in shoe-black. It turned greenwhen exposed to vitriol, a sulfate oftenfound with metallic ores.

When these tests seem promising, assay-ers then heated ore in crucibles. Puremetals melt smoothly and at precise tem-peratures. Medieval assayers used flamma-ble compounds to measure the meltingpoints of ores. The craftsmen knew thetemperature at which the powdered com-pounds would, combust, so if a moltenmetal ignited them, that showed how hotthe metal was. These tests also helpedminers choose fluxes for smelting. Fluxesare substances that aid the separation ofslag from pure metal in the smelting proc-ess. Different colors of smoke createdduring these tests suggested differentchemicals for use as fluxes, and deeppurple smoke meant that the ore neededno flux at all. Each such test had to beperformed in a cupel, or dish of ashes.The ashes were especially pure so they didnot absorb the metal. Assayers preferredash burned from beech or other trees thatgrow slowly.

Experts on metallurgy did more thantest mines. They hunted counterfeitersand set values for metals. Grossly adulter-ated gold (used in forged coins or as partof a fake gold-mine scam) turns black in acandle flame. More sophisticated counter-feit metals appear real but will not meltuntil treated with lead flux. Once an as-sayer determined that a metal was genu-ine, he tested it with a touchstone toreveal its purity. The sample was beateninto a needle shape and scratched againstblack slate until it left a streak. By lookingat the mark, a learned metallurgist coulddetermine the ratio of metals in any alloy.

A character must make a smelter profi-

20 DECEMBER 1989

ciency check to assay a sample (see theDSG, pages 25-26). The tools required forassaying cost 50 gp, more if pure ashes areunavailable. DMs should make this checkin secret. If the character succeeds, helearns the exact purity of the ore or coinbeing tested. The DM can determine amine�s value with the results on Table 33:Ore Quality, on page 51 of the DSG. If thecheck fails, the assayer believes that themine is either far more or far less valuablethan it really is (there is a 50% chance ofeither result). PCs might then abandon apriceless mine or be convinced that a mineshould be producing more than it does(and thus conclude that their workers arestealing ore).

Mines and the lawIt appears to be a basic law of mining

that once someone finds metal, the gov-ernment will certainly interfere. In Agrico-la�s Germany, each miner was required toregister his mine with the local burgomas-ter or town mayor, so he could divide theground above the mine into meers. Who-ever possessed a meer owned all orefound beneath it. Meers were of differentsizes, and the mine�s discoverer alwaysreceived the largest one. Smaller portionsbelonged to business partners and land-owners. The law reserved other meers forthe king, his consort, his master of horses,his cupbearer, his groom of the chamber,the bishop, and the burgomaster himself.The local baron did not automaticallyreceive a meer. Miners were legally vassalsof the crown and paid tribute directly tothe king.

Metal brings wealth, technology, andindependence in war, so most rulers wanttheir people to mine. Some kings grantedprospectors permission to dig whereverthey found ore, no matter who owned theland above it. Other kings allowed minersto seize only �wastrel land� that was notbeing farmed. These laws usually includedanother provision requiring miners towork their mines. If a mine owner failedto produce ore for nine weeks, the baronoften confiscated his holding and awardedit to the informer.

Medieval laws also covered labor in themines. Shifts could not exceed sevenhours, and foremen had to warn workerswhen their time ended. Bosses communi-cated with subordinates in deep tunnelsby ringing a great bell called a campana,by stamping rhythmically on mine tim-bers, or by relaying codes of hammer tapsfrom miner to miner. If miners missedthese messages, their shifts were stilllegally over when their lamps burned out.For this reason, foremen filled the miners�lamps and weighed them to be sure thatnobody had too little. Most burgomastersrefused to allow foremen to work theirminers at night or for two shifts in a row,except during emergencies. The minersusually resented these rules, since they wanted two shifts� worth of pay. (As a sidenote, many miners fell asleep in lonely

tunnels even during a single shift. Minerssang to stay awake, and Agricola notedthat the singing �is not wholly untrainedor unpleasing.� Dwarves, gnomes, humans,and other races that are not accustomed to eternal existence underground might dothe same; the dwarves in J. R. R. Tolkien�sThe Hobbit sang�and quite well, too.)

Wheels, gears, & pulleysIngenious machinery filled medieval

mines. Agricola considered the idea ofcarrying ore out on workers� backs bar-baric because mine carts had replacedporters for centuries. Carts were rolledinto a mine on tracks using the force ofgravity, then pulled out by mules or packdogs. (In AD&D game terms, pack dogsare treated as war dogs and carry 20 lbs.at normal speed or 50 lbs. at half speed.)Outside the mine, daredevil sledge driversguided loads of ore down mountainsides,steering themselves with poles. Agricolamentioned that these sledders worked�not without risk of life.� Other loads werelifted out of vertical mine shafts by cables.Hand-powered windlasses and cranesoperated by treadmills dotted the groundabove mines. Miners did not even have toclimb down the shafts to work. They slidon chutes or clung to rope elevators pow-ered by treadmills.

Some mines flooded constantly, so or-ganlike pump arrays descended into thetunnels, powered by treadmills or waterwheels in nearby streams. Some pumpsused a single plunger, while others in-volved dragging a chain with bundles ofwatertight leather set at given intervalsthrough a pipe. Pumps become inefficientwhen the distance they travel is too long,so deep mines used other systems. Somedragged chains with buckets attachedthrough the water. Others required pumprelays, each one raising water one levelusing buckets or Archimedes� screws.Relayed pumps could use relayed waterwheels, in which water poured down adeep shaft and turned a different engineon each floor.

Nothing could be more important thanoxygen to miners of any race. Medievalengineers dug horizontal shafts into moun-tainsides so air could flow freely into somemines, but many lodes were too deep to bereached in that manner. In windy spots,miners used funnels and pipes on thesurface to ventilate tunnels. These deviceshad fans that rotated in the wind usingvanes and sails. Deeper tunnels requiredminers to invent various air pumps, in-cluding men fanning air into shafts withlinen sheets, feathered propellers, vastblower boxes powered by water wheels,and gigantic bellows. Gearboxes allowedthese air pumps to be powered by tread-mills or water wheels as well as by hand.

When these devices break (or are sabo-taged) in game campaigns, charactersmight be trapped without fresh air. A 10'cube (not �10 cubic feet� as noted in theDSG, page 36) contains enough oxygen to

last one man for one day. If the characterexerts himself by exploring, fighting, ordigging, he needs twice as much oxygen.

Fires also consume oxygen. A torchconsumes a 10� cube of oxygen in eighthours, and a small bonfire uses this muchin two hours. Burning oil uses 10 times asmuch oxygen as a wood fire, so an oil-burning fire uses up a 10� cube�s oxygen inonly 12 rounds. An adventurer can holdhis breath for a number of rounds equalto one-third his constitution, rounded up.After this, the character must attempt a1d20 roll against his constitution eachround, with a penalty of +2 per round.When this roll fails, the victim suffocates.More information on this topic is con-tained in the DSG, pages 36-38.

Perils undergroundMedieval miners believed that a whole

host of demons and gnomes lived in theshafts with them. Most tunnel spirits werebenign. They appeared to work vigorouslyand carry away ore, but they neverseemed to deplete the veins. These crea-tures threw pebbles at workmen whoteased them but did no harm. Otherhaunts were invisible but made knockingnoises. A few demanded offerings beforethey allowed anyone to dig their favoritelodes. Anyone who refused to give anoffering would die by falling down a shaft,being buried by a cave-in, or becoming avictim of one of the mishaps so common

underground. The same spirits befriended

somewhere within the same mine (which

kindly people and led them to riches. InAD&D games, these creatures could be

DMs may wish to include).

pech, booka, and underground pixies.Miners dreaded the more fearsome

creatures. They considered it impossible

The earth that miners dig can kill them,

to keep kobolds out of mines, and thesesmall, evil beings supposedly sabotagedelevators, allowing people to plunge intothe depths. (Miners also believed thatcobalt, a gray metal later used in alloysand paints, was a worthless metal substi-

tuted for silver by kobolds in the mines.)Deadly ants and solifuga (sun spiders, tinyversions of those in Monster Manual II)stung people who sat on them. Manybelieved that each mine had its own breedof poisonous bugs; nothing could savetheir victims except a drink from oneparticular hot spring that was hidden

harm; it can burn into uninjured skinwhen moistened. A greenish metal calledkobelt was said to devour the feet of menwho walked over it. This was the origin ofthe word �kobold,� because people as-sumed that little goblins laid kobelt trapson purpose. Miners protected themselvesfrom these dusts with sealed leather cov-eralls and breathing masks made of animalbladders.

Poisonous dusts like pompholyx do noharm to healthy characters, but they

armor class of protection; weapons suffer

infect any wound that is not bound withinone round after contact. Pompholyx

a

causes 1 hp damage per round to such

- 1 on damage rolls, and small items

open wounds until half again as much

break. Intelligent enchanted swords plead

damage is taken as the character originallysuffered. Any iron exposed to pompholyx(including armor) must save vs. acid everyhour or be damaged. Armor loses one

too�and it does so in real life. Ordinarydust scars the windpipe and causes lungdiseases in old age. Other powders cor-rode the lungs at once, and Agricola re-ported that in the Carpathian mountainsmost women married at least seven hus-bands, as one by one each man smotheredunderground. A black dirt called pompho-lyx settled in open wounds and ate themto the bone. It also destroyed iron, sowooden tools were used in the mines itinfested. Cadmia dust does even more

not to be exposed to pompholyx. Cadmiadust causes 1-4 hp damage per round, or1-8 hp damage if the victim has wet skin.Kobelt destroys boots after 1-10 turns (ifnot brushed off) and causes 1 hp damageper round to bare feet. When charactersstand on kobelt without shoes, they mustsave vs. poison or be unable to standthereafter until their wounds are healed,otherwise falling to the ground in thekobelt for 1-10 hp damage. (Kobelt mightalso be green slime.) Protective clothing

DRAGON 21

prevents damage from dusts, but suchclothing is useless once perforated. When-ever a PC suffers damage, he must make adexterity check on 1d20 to protect his suit.

People who get any corrosive dust intheir eyes (for whatever reason) must savevs. poison or go blind. Dusts have a 20%chance of blinding both of a person�s eyeseven if only one eye is exposed, due tosympathetic eye syndrome.

Stagnant air in mines could be clearedwith pumps, but poisonous gases killedvictims nonetheless. Dangerous fumesarose from some ores but could usually bedetected with candles (which burned indifferent colors) or with canaries (whichdied when exposed to methane, as per theDSG, page 37; checking for methane withopen flame is dangerous, as it will causean explosion). The most common poison-ous gas was carbon monoxide, createdwhen workmen set underground bonfires.These fires were necessary to heat rock sothat it could be cracked open with coldwater. Miners usually did this chore onFriday, evacuated their tunnels, and didnot return until Monday. Some smokesettled on water, forming an arsenic filmthat floated into the air when the poolswere disturbed. Those who survived thefumes reported that their limbs swelleduntil their hands and feet were spherical.Agricola reported watching men climbladders to escape arsenic gas, only to fallas their fingers grew too bloated to gripthe rungs.

Sulfurous fumes, present with volcanicactivity, suffocate victims as if there wereno oxygen in the air (see the DSG, page36). Carbon monoxide smothers any char-acter in only 1-3 rounds because of itspotent poisons: Anyone exposed to arsenicgases must save vs. poison; if the roll fails,he is immobilized by swelling. Arsenic alsosmothers victims as if it were carbonmonoxide. When this material settles inpools, characters can walk past safely.However, when anything disturbs thewater, gas is released. If a character actu-ally touches the water, he must save at -3or be paralyzed and begin to choke. Fur-thermore, anything wetted with arsenic-tainted water exudes poisonous gas in a10' radius until it is scrubbed.

Some PCs may want to use these chemi-cals against enemies. If so, the DM shouldremember the dangers of carrying thesepoisons and being caught in one�s own gas.None of the gases but arsenic have anyeffect aboveground in open air. Even in-side buildings, they disperse too quickly tokill most people, given an open window ortwo. The corrosive dusts cannot cause fulldamage except when concentrated. A fewhandfuls of kobelt or cadmia should betreated like the acid described in the 1stEdition DMG on page 64. Pompholyx can-not harm living things aboveground. PCsmight use it to sabotage iron objects, but itwould have to be applied directly andallowed to sit undisturbed for one hour.

Mines can also collapse. Tunnels in

22 DECEMBER 1989

AD&D campaigns must be supported bytimbers or stone every 10�, and thesesupports require four man-hours to con-struct, given a source of wood or workedstone along with ways of transporting it tothe mine. With supports, there is a 2% perday chance of a cave-in somewhere withinthe mine; without them, there is a 10%chance per turn that a once-reinforcedtunnel collapses. The DM should decidewhere the cave-in occurs, placing it wher-ever miners have weakened the ceilingmost recently (also see the tables on pages39-40 of the DSG). Damage from fallingrock is given in the DSG on page 40. Evenif cave-ins miss characters entirely, theymay trap the PCs underground. Table 27:Mining Rates, on page 50 of the DSG,shows how fast rescuers can dig. Victimsmay try to scoop their way out, but unlessthey have picks and shovels, they dig atone-quarter the usual rate.

DiggingDetermine a mine�s output by calculating

the amount of ore its workers can digeach day, using Table 27: Mining Rates, onpage 50 of the DSG. Some magic, includingdig and move earth spells and spades ofcolossal excavation, may speed the work.The tables in this article show how diffi-cult ore is to dig, what it weighs, and howmuch metal can be extracted from it.Tables on pages 50-52 of the DSG help theDM determine other details, such as thelocation of veins and their composition.Remember that ore not only needs to bedug, it must be transported to a smelter.

Table 1 herein describes common sortsof ore and the ease of mining them. Theclassification of an ore as �hard� or �soft�applies to the Mining Rates table previ-ously noted. Weights are given in poundsper cubic foot.

Ore appears in vertical columns calledvena profunda, horizontal veins calledvena dilatata, or lone masses called venacumulata. Use Tables 28 and 29 on page 50of the DSG to determine where the venadilatata go or else choose the direction.Vena cumulata and vena profunda can beapproached from above and are easy toexcavate using vertical shafts. Miners digvena dilatata while lying down; this keepsminers from wasting time digging uselessstone but forces them to work in crampedpositions, Dwarves excel at this job be-cause they fit into. these narrow tunnels.Larger miners can only mine these pas-sages at 75% their normal rate, or one-halfthe normal rate if they insist on diggingtunnels n which they can stand upright.

When characters smelt their ore, youwill need to know how much metal theore contains. Table 2 herein converts theOre Quality table on page 51 of the DSG tothe gold-piece weight of actual metal per25 cubic feet of ore, the typical daily pro-duction for a human miner in hard rock(this is about the size of a 3� cube). When amineral can be extracted from differentsorts of ore, a letter code indicates what

sort of ore is present.No one mined platinum until the 18th

century. It was first found in riverbeds aspart of a native alloy. This metal had to bedissolved in aqua regia and reprecipitatedto form platinum. The exact methods usedremain trade secrets even today.

SmeltingOnce the ore is aboveground, it is sent

though a new series of machines. Workerssort ore from stones by hand becauseplain earth soaks up metal when the twoare placed in a furnace together. Eachmetal requires different treatment. Anti-mony had to be treated gingerly, becausealchemists warned that it might turn intolead. Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist,recommended mixing silver and gold ores,claiming that the electrum producedwould create magical lightning and detectpoison by turning black. When gold orsilver mingles with lesser ores, acid is usedto dissolve the unwanted metal. Adeptminers could then reconstitute the othermetals from solution. Some miners wereeven brave enough to dissolve the goldwith a mix of hydrochloric and nitricacids, then precipitate it (check a basicchemistry text for details).

Gold can usually be washed out of itsore without heat or acid. There were anamazing variety of machines for purifyingit, all based on the principle that gold isheavier than dirt and settles to the bottomwhen suspended in water. �Panning� byhand is the most basic version of thismethod. Other systems involved placingthe ore on a screen with a tray under-neath and running water over it, or liningstreambeds with collector plates. Work-men patrolled these chutes with hoes topush lumps of gold back into the plates ifthey were washing away.

Ore that is to be smelted in a furnacemust first be crushed. Some mine ownersemployed men with hammers to beat thestones, but mines with nearby streamsused water wheels to power huge auto-matic hammers or grindstones to grindsoft ore like wheat. (Orcs or other foulcreatures might enjoy pounding people inthis machinery.) Smelters roasted ore inopen fires to burn away sulfur and bitu-men before placing it in the furnace. Inthe smelter, ore was mixed with appropri-ate fluxes to make metals melt easily andat regular temperatures. Copper will notmelt until all traces of iron with it havemelted, so it is never worked with irontools. Most furnaces required large bel-lows or mechanical blowers, and somewere so large that operators neededcranes to open them. However, even thesefurnaces were not always large enough. Afew miners preferred to build hills of oreagainst windy mountainsides and smelt hundreds of tons at once. Other smelterscompletely automated the process of refin-ing metal, using water-powered conveyorbelts and engines to crush, rinse, strain,and heat the ore.

It is always worthwhile to recycle proc-essed ore. Some smelters accepted theirslag instead of a fee, knowing that the slagstill contained valuable metal. In the caseof gold, even the water that washed itremained precious. Many miners strainedgold dust from waste water with sheep’swool, and Agricola suggested that this wasthe origin of the Greek myth concerningthe Golden Fleece. Clever miners couldalways extract even more gold by mixingmercury with the ore. Smelters put themost promising pieces of stone in a clothbag with mercury and squeezed the bag

even experts could tell.An alchemist could also use quicksilver

to separate gold from silver. The processinvolved heating a gilt object in mercury,then rapping it sharply. All gold wouldcrumble off, leaving the surface belowintact. Other chemists used a powder ofsal ammoniac and sulfur that could beapplied to an object with oil. Gold wouldthen flake away as soon as the object washeated. These methods were usually usedby craftsmen who wanted to remake finegilt items, but they have obvious applica-tions for theft. A dose of this solution costs

until the quicksilver trickled out. The 50 gp and can remove 10 lbs. of gold.material left inside appeared to be pure Miners leached salt and chemicals fromgold; it was actually an amalgam, but not their ore. Medieval chemists made lye by

Table 1Metallic Ores and Gems

OreArgentiteBorniteCassiteriteChalcociteCinnabarCopper, nativeGalenaGem minerals

Gold oreHematiteLimoniteMagnetite

MalachitePentlandite

PyriteSideriteSkutteruditeSphalerite

Element Hardness* Weight** NotesSilver Soft 450 Silvery crystals

Copper Hard 312 Bronze color, purple sheenTin Hard 437 Fibrous masses

Copper Soft 344 Gray-blackMercury Soft 506 Red, used in dyesCopper Hard 556 -4 bonus on smelting rolls

Lead Soft 469 Gray crystalsVaries Hard 162 See the DSG, pages 51 and

53, for outputGold Soft 600 GrayI ron Hard 312 Red stone or gray crystalIron Hard 219 Rounded ochre lumpsIron Hard 325 Black, magnetic (lodestone);

see the DSG, page 42Copper Hard 231 Ornamental (azurite)Nickel Hard 287 Brassy, contains iron:

miners once consideredit cursed

Iron Hard 312 “Fools’ gold”Iron Hard 237 Brown crystals

Cobalt Hard 406 Gray clustersZinc Hard 250 Yellow-brown, brittle

* “Hard” and “soft” apply to Table 27: Mining Rates, in the DSG, page 50, and to theMining table in the 1st Edition DMG, page 106.** Figures show the weight of excavated ore in pounds per cubic foot. The amount ofactual metal extracted from this ore can be determined using Table 2.

soaking the ashes of reeds and distillingthe water. Saltpeter could be made thesame way, but it came from the earth oncellar walls and oak ash instead of reeds; itwas usually purified by heating it in acopper pot. Bitumen did not even need tobe fully dried; it floated to the top of wa-ter, where workers skimmed off the oilysubstance with goose wings. Alum camefrom certain porous rocks, which wereheated and dissolved in human urine. Thereconstituted material could be used inmany ways. Doctors prescribed alum tostop bleeding, as mouthwash, and to curedysentery. Dyemasters made a remarkablepigment from alum that did not appear tohave any effect on cloth at first but gradu-ally became colored. Cloth dipped in asingle vat of alum dye could take on manydifferent shades. Miners prized salty hotsprings, since these not only containedminerals but their natural steam couldpower an apparatus designed to draw outwater and automatically evaporate it withgeothermal heat. The spring did all thework; its owner simply came at the end ofeach day to collect his minerals.

Smelting is partially described on page26 of the DSG. Every 200 gp weight of orerequires 5 gp worth of fluxes and oneworker. Automatic machinery costs 1,000gp to install but reduces the need for laborby one-half. Have the character in chargeof a smelter make a smelting proficiencycheck (see the DSG, page 25). Smelterssuffer a +3 penalty on this roll if theyhave not successfully assayed the ore. Ifthe check fails, half of the metal is lost,and the rest must be resmelted. If thecheck succeeds, the character obtains 75%of the available metal. Smelters must passa second check to get the rest.

Ending a mineEventually, miners will have dug all the

metal they can safely take from a mine.During Roman times, people hoped thatore would grow back in an exhaustedmine, as if the earth were a living thing

Continued on page 27

Table 2Ore Purity

1d10 roll*Metal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0Cobalt 5 10 20 40 75 90 110 150 200 250Copper 16A 33B 41 A 50 C 58 A 66 C 83 A 125 C 166 D 333 DGold 2 4 8 16 32 50 67 83 125 166Iron 33 E 50 F 83F 116 F 150 G 200 H 266 G 333 H 500 H 660 HLead 16 33 41 50 58 66 83 125 166 333Mercury 16 33 41 50 58 66 83 125 166 333Nickel 15 30 40 50 60 70 80 120 170 300Platinum 1 2 3 4 12 17 42 6 7 134 167Silver 4 8 16 32 50 64 83 125 167 166Tin 30 60 90 100 130 135 140 150 160 170Zinc 15 30 40 50 58 66 83 125 166 333

* Figures show the gold-piece weight of metal per 25 cubic feet of ore mined.A = halcocite; B = Malachite; C = Bornite; D = Native copper; E =other minerals come from single ores, as per Table 1.

Siderite; F = Pyrite; G = Limonite; H = Hematite. For game purposes, all

DRAGON 23

In a CavernContinued from page 23

healing its wounds. This might be true onthe elemental plane of Earth in a fantasyworld. However, even Agricola knew thatthis was wrong, and he warned that noone should abandon a mine without leav-ing a record of why it was unsuitable.Many miners wasted fortunes trying toreopen empty mines. Mines in fantasycould be abandoned because of gases ormonsters, or because the shafts had nearlytapped underground lakes or magma. Butmany an adventure might unfold as un-knowing characters make their waythough old shafts and tunnelings, insearch of dangerous beasts or lost andforgotten riches beneath the ground.

BibliographyAgricola, Georgius (translated by Herbert

Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover).De Re Metallica. New York: Dover Pub-lications, 1950. (Yes, the translator wasa President. This book contains numer-ous woodcuts of elaborate late-medieval machinery, much of itapplicable to AD&D campaigns.)

Edwards, Richard, and Keith Atkinson.Ore Deposit Geology New York: Chap-man and Hall, 1988.

French, Roger, and Frank Greenaway(translators and commentators). Sci-ence in the Early Roman Empire. To-towa, N.J.: Barnes and Noble Books,1986.

Park, Charles and Roy MacDiamaid. OreDeposits. San Francisco: William Free-man & Company, 1975.

Peters, William C. Exploration and MiningGeology New York: John Wiley & Sons,1978.

Strangway, D. W, The Continental Crustand Its Mineral Deposits. Waterloo,Ontario: Geological Association of Can-ada, 1980.

van Andel, Tjeerd. Tales of an Old Ocean.Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Alumni Asso-ciation Press, 1977.

Zim, Herbert S. and Paul R. Shaffer. Rocksand Minerals. New York: Golden Press,1957.

DRAGON 27

The Wanderers Below

Illustration by Jim Holloway

Random encounter tables for the depths of the earthby Buddy Pennington

Before the Dungeoneer’s Survival Guidewas published, underground delving wasusually limited to artificial settings likedungeons. Now characters have many,many miles of caverns and passages toexplore as well.

Unfortunately, there have been no ran-dom encounter tables provided for under-ground campaigns. There are tables forwilderness, oceans, the planes, cities,manmade dungeons, and even �for psioniccreatures, but not natural undergroundareas. With this in mind, I present a seriesof tables to give random encounters whenyour players are traveling in the majesticrealms below the earth.

Encounters should be checked for onceevery six hours (there is no day or nightunderground). There is a 1 in 10 chance ofan encounter, unless noted below. Thenumber of creatures encountered has

28 DECEMBER 1989

been deliberately left out so you can tailorthe encounter to your party�s level. Thetables are explained as follows:

�Unpatrolled� caverns and tunnels (Table1) are those with no major communities ofintelligent beings, though small groups ofdrow, duergar, etc., may be present.

�Heated� caverns and tunnels (Table 2)are those that are unbearably hot andcause damage to most player characters.(Cooler caves should use Table 1 for ran-dom encounters.) The chance of anencounter in a heated area is 1 in 8. If agateway is rolled, there should be a largenumber of creatures, native to the givenplane, near the gate.

Water-filled caverns and tunnels (Table3) are partially or completely submerged.A few of these encounters (aboleth, eye ofthe deep, etc.) are only found in deep lakesand rivers. If an unsuitable encounter is

rolled, simply roll again or pick an encoun-ter from the table. The chance for anencounter is 1 in 12. Caves with smallstreams or pools should use Table 1.

Use Table 4 when PCs are within 20miles of a duergar city. The chance of anencounter is 1 in 6.

Use Table 5 when PCs are within 15miles of a svirfneblin community. Thechance of an encounter is 1 in 8. Beingsand creatures encountered here will usu-ally be neutral or good in alignment.

Use Table 6 when PCs are within 30miles of a drow city. The chance of anencounter is 1 in 6. Demons encounteredshould be determined by the DM to chal-lenge the party. Driders are only foundalong the fringes of drow communities, asthey are considered outcasts. Arachnidsare found everywhere, as they are consid-ered pets. Character parties encountered

here will usually be evil spell-casters seek-ing alliances with the drow.

Other tables may be created for the restof the underground races, such as derro,kuo-toa, and so forth. These tables mayalso be redesigned to fit each DM�s Under-dark campaign.

Table 1Unpatrolled Caverns and Tunnels

1d100 Result01-04 Roll on Table 1.A.05-12 Roll on Table 1.B.13-15 Roll on Table 1.C.16-17 Basilisk

18 Basilisk, greater19-22 Bat, ordinary23-24 Bat, giant25-27 Beetle, giant, fire

28 Beholder29-30 Blindheim31-32 Boggle33-35 Carrion crawler

36 Cave cricket37-38 Cave fisher

39 Cave moray40-42 Centipede, giant

43 Character party44-45 Cockatrice46-47 Dark creeper

48 Dark stalker49 Doombat50 Doppleganger

51-52 Gargoyle53 Gas spore

54-55 Giant, stone56 Gibbering mouther

57-59 Hook horror60 Intellect devourer61 Khargra

62-63 Lizard, giant, subterranean64-65 Lurker above66-67 Lycanthrope, wererat68-69 Margoyle70-72 Piercer

73 Purple worm74-77 Rat, giant

78 Rothe79-80 Roper81-84 Rust monster85-88 Slug, giant

89 Spectator90 Storoper

91-92 Trapper93-95 Umber hulk96-97 Xaren98-00 Xorn

Table 1.A.Fungi, Slimes, and Jellies

1d100 Result01-05 Black pudding06-14 Fungi, violet15-20 Gelatinous cube21-24 Gray ooze25-35 Green slime36-44 Mold, brown45-56 Mold, yellow

57-65 Ochre jelly66-75 Olive slime76-00 Shrieker

Table 1.B.Intelligent Dwellers

1d100 Result01-06 Bugbear/gnoll07-10 Cloaker11-13 Derro14-16 Drider17-25 Drow26-34 Duergar/dwarf35-46 Goblin/hobgoblin47-50 Jermlaine/mite/snyad51-53 Kuo-toa54-58 Mind flayer59-61 Myconid62-70 Ogre71-75 Orc76-78 Pech79-81 Svirfneblin/gnome82-90 Troglodyte91-96 Troll97-00 Xvart/kobold

Table 1.C.Undead

1d100 Result01-07 Apparition08-13 Coffer corpse14-20 Ghast21-30 Ghoul31-34 Huecuva

35 Lich36-45 Shadow46-50 Shadow demon51-65 Skeleton66-68 Spectre69-77 Wight78-84 Wraith85-86 Vampire87-00 Zombie

Table 2Heated Caverns and Tunnels

28-3031.

Gate to elemental plane of FireGate to para-elemental planeof MagmaGiant, fireHarginn (elemental grue)Hell houndLava childrenLizard, giant, fireMagmanMephit, fireMephit, lavaMephit, smoke

1d100 Result01-04 Azer05-12 Bat, fire13-17 Elemental, fire18-20 Efreeti,21-23 Fire snake24-27 Firetoad

32-5051-5455-6061-6465-7071-7475-7677-7879-80

81-82 Mephit, steam83-86 Para-elemental, magma87-93 Pyrolisk94-00 Salamander

Table 3Water-Filled Caverns and Tunnels

1d100 Result01-15 Aboleth16-20 Bloodworm, giant21-28 Bullywug29-30 Eye of the deep31-38 Frog, giant39-65 Kuo-toa66-67 Morkoth68-70 Mudman71-73 Nereid74-80 Ogre, aquatic81-83 Sirine84-00 Troll, rnarine

Table 4Duergar Caverns and Tunnels

1d100 Result01-05 Character party06-60 Duergar61-70 Derro71-00 Use Table 1

Table 5Svirfneblin Caverns and Tunnels

1d100 Result01-10 Character party11-60 Svirfneblin61-65 Rothe66-00 Use Table 1

Table 6Drow Caverns and Tunnels

1d100 Result01-05 Character party06-08 Demon09-19 Displacer beast20-22 Drider23-60 Drow61-64 Pedipalp65-70 Scorpion, giant71-75 Spider*76-00 Use Table 1

* 01-30 giant, 31-60 huge, 61-00 large.

DRAGON 29

Adventuring in the modern world

This issue�s reviews focus on the worldof the soldier, special-forces member, andmercenary in role-playing games. In mod-ern military settings, a player character�ssuccess and ultimate survival depends onhis tactical skills, coupled with his knowl-edge of the capabilities of modern weap-ons. Normally, this is the terrain of thewar game. It�s fun fighting out battles bymaneuvering card chits on a map coveredin hex grids, or moving miniature figuresacross a tabletop set up with model trees,houses, hills and rivers. But, by the natureof warfare, war games frequently over-look the individual soldier. Board andminiatures gamers are used to taking onthe roles of commanders, not individualsoldiers. I�ve spent many happy hoursporing over maps and committing my

32 DECEMBER 1989

©1989 by Jim Bambra

troops to assaults or last-ditch defenses�but when it comes right down to it, I�mdetached from what is really happening tothe individual troop. The challenge ofmaking tactical decisions is not the sameas being there.

Role-playing games deal with individualsand their problems. They allow us toexercise our imaginations as we run ouralter-egos through all kinds of dramaticsituations: battling dragons, piloting faster-than-light starships, or probing HorrorsThat Man Was Not Meant To Know. Buttaking part in firefights, calling in artilleryand air strikes, and driving tanks can bejust as exciting in gaming.

24-page Play Manual; 32-page Referee�sManual; 1-page of Players� Charts; 8-page Referee�s Charts booklet; 12-pageEquipment List booklet; 8-page Begin-ning Adventure booklet; 1-page Adven-ture Handout; 1-page IntelligenceBriefing; Campaign Map; Character andVehicle Record Sheets; 1-page ErrataSheet; 4d6, 1d10

Games Designers� Workshop $20.00Design: Frank ChadwickAdditional design and development: John

Astell, John Harshman, and LorenWiseman

Research assistance: Marc MiIlerIllustrations: Steve Venters

TWILIGHT: 2000� game Background: As the title implies, theNear-future role-playing game TWILIGHT: 2000 game is set in a projected

near future in which the Third World Warhas been raging for five years. Tactical andstrategic nuclear weapons, chemical andbiological weapons, and the relentless useof conventional weapons have had a dra-matic effect on the world. Governmentshave collapsed, industrial centers havebeen reduced to piles of smoking rubble,and communications have been severelydisrupted. With the loss of industrial ca-pacity, arms and equipment are in shortsupply. Most units are greatly reduced instrength, and many armored units arefighting with only a handful of vehicles,most running on alcohol because of wide-spread petrol shortages. The world hasentered a period of disruption and chaos.The twilight of civilization is at hand.

The boxed set of the TWILIGHT: 2000game sets the scene for what is to followby describing the events of the previoussix years in a very realistic and plausiblemanner. Since its release in 1984, theTWILIGHT: 2000 game has received solidand consistent support from GDW. Eventsin Europe and in America have been de-scribed, and many adventure opportuni-ties are available to the survivors of theholocaust. But let�s first take a look at thesituation facing player characters as de-scribed in the boxed set.

Characters are initially assumed to bemembers of the U.S. 5th Division (Mecha-nized). Overrun by the tanks of the Soviet4th Guards Tank and the 22nd Cavalry,survivors of the 5th Division receive afinal message from their Divisional HQ:�You�re on your own. Good luck.�

Faced with superior enemy forces andthe disintegration of their unit, the sol-diers have to stay alive and find a wayback home; The collapse of the militarycommand structure and the breakdown ofmuch of their equipment leaves playercharacters free to make their own deci-sions and forces them to rely on their witsand skills. This involves hiding from pur-suing troops, struggling to maintain equip-ment, and constantly searching forammunition and supplies. Instead of waron a large scale, this situation is one ofsmall-scale skirmishes where, with dwin-dling supplies of ammunition, every bulletcounts.

The TWILIGHT: 2000 game is militaryrole-playing with a difference. In the ab-sence of adequate supply lines and sup-port, characters fight for survival underadverse conditions. Often they cannot relyon superior firepower to gain their goals;stealth and hit-and-run tactics are re-quired. With no safe place to hide, cautionmust be exercised constantly. Findingfood, shelter, and spare parts for vehiclesbecomes a prime concern.

Escape From Kalisz is the adventureincluded in the TWILIGHT: 2000 game�sboxed set. It describes the situation for the,players and provides background informa-tion for the GM on the location of enemyforces. Faced with advancing Soviet troops,the soldiers of the 5th Division are going to

do their utmost to avoid capture. Free-formin nature, the adventure is really nothingmore than an outline to aid the GM indesigning suitable encounters for the PCs.With no developed NPCs or individualencounters described, it�s pretty direction-less and places great emphasis on a GM�sability to improvise. Viewed as an expan-sion of the background, it�s useful, but as adeveloped adventure it barely makes it.Subsequent adventures, however, havebeen of a much higher standard.

Characters: Character creation pro-duces well-rounded soldiers using randomdetermination with built-in checks andbalances to avoid unplayable characters.There are opportunities for players toaffect the outcome of some of the dicerolls, making it more than just an exercisein rolling dice.

Not all characters respond in the sameway to combat situations and this is han-dled admirably by assigning a CoolnessUnder Fire rating. Basically, the morecombat your character has seen, the lesslikely he is to hesitate when the lead startsflying. Neatly integrated into the rules, itadds a whole new dimension to combat.

Skills are rated on a 1d100 scale and arebought during the character-generationprocess. A few basic skills are obligatory;every soldier needs to know how to fight,and depending on a character�s servicebranch, other skills are also required.Otherwise, players have a relatively free hand in determining their characters�skills.

Combat: Small-arms combat is fast andeffective. Personal body armor is availableand provides reasonably good protectionagainst small arms fire; it won�t stop allbullets, but it helps to reduce damagefrom them. Most characters can survive asingle shot from a small-arms weapon,providing it doesn�t hit the head. Thisgives characters a fighting chance, butdon�t expect to walk away after a hit froma large-calibre weapon.

Whether combat is hand-to-hand,ranged, direct, or indirect (mortar andartillery), the basic mechanics are thesame, allowing a wide range of actions tobe adjudicated relatively quickly. Vehiclecombat is, however, more complicated andtakes longer to work out. It producesrealistic results, but it can be time consum-ing, particularly when more than onevehicle is involved.

Survival: Characters have more thanjust enemy forces to contend with. Theever-present need to secure supplies ofuncontaminated food and water, vehicleparts and ammunition is succinctly cov-ered in the rules. A wide variety of dis-eases and the danger of radiation sicknessare summarized and neatly wroked intothe rules. Characters who are not toofussy about what they are eating or drink-ing could find themselves in a bad wayand might easily die if not given correctmedical treatment.

Equipment: The equipment list covers

and describes the hardware available tothe various sides. Although more equip-ment has been added in subsequent re-leases, there�s enough here to supply mostgroups� needs.

Presentation: Overall, the standard ofpresentation is high. The inclusion ofseparate booklets listing the most fre-quently used charts is an admirable oneand allows GMs to run a game withoutconstantly having to flip through the rulebooks. Similarly, a sheet of players� chartsand character-generation worksheets areincluded; used together, they greatly speedup character creation.

The layout of the rules is clear and ac-cessible, and the errata sheet clears up theerrors that occurred during production.My only gripe is the way that abbrevia-tions are scattered throughout the rules.For example, skill titles are abbreviated totwo- or three-letter codes, which makesremembering them tricky. SWM is shortfor swimming, but what�s wrong with�swim�? You can at least pronounce it!

Adventures: Today, the TWILIGHT:2000 game has an extensive line ofproducts available for it, some of whichare reviewed below. While I haven�t hadtime to read all of the supplements, thosethat I�ve looked at have struck me as use-ful. The adventures are more detailedcampaign settings than structured adven-tures. They contain extensive backgroundinformation, developed NPCs, details ofmilitary and paramilitary forces operatingwithin an area, encounter tables, generalplot lines, and maps of major locations.This allows an adventuring group tochoose its own way through the adventurewithout having to follow a predeterminedpath. By providing extensive backgroundmaterial, the GM�s job is made much eas-ier, and the inclusion of numerous mono-logues, as though spoken by the playercharacters, adds color and atmosphere.

Rather than a detailed look at individualadventures, here�s a brief overview of thecourse of the campaign as outlined invarious TWILIGHT: 2000 modules.

The first release was The Free City ofKrakow, which provided an adventureand a city setting complete with promi-nent NPCs and power groups. The ration-ale behind this module is very good, andthe module also includes rules for helicop-ters. The next adventure, Pirates of theVistula, involved the characters in a tripup the Vistula River to Warsaw. The Ruinsof Warsaw continued the campaign inPoland and provided a devastated citysetting. Then came Going Home, an adven-ture that dealt with crossing Poland andnorthern Germany in order to catch a shipback to the U.S.A.

Various modules described the situationin the States and continued the strugglefor survival in the war-torn U.S. Theseopened the campaign up, allowing soldiersfrom different backgrounds to becomeinvolved in various local power struggles.Russian and Mexican troops have invaded

DRAGON 33

and are fighting for survival as they, too,try to get back home. Local dictators andstreet gangs have carved out their ownniches, and New America, a powerfulright-wing extremist organization, is grow-ing in strength. The adventures cover awide variety of missions taking charactersfrom the oil fields of Texas to the OzarkMountains, and even into the Caribbeanaboard a replica of a sailing ship.

Kidnapped described the initial effects ofthe nuclear exchange on the worlds eco-system and posed new problems for thesurvivors. Recent adventures have in-volved a nuclear submarine, and the latestseries, Return to Europe, has seen U.S.forces again operating in Europe.

The large number of support productsavailable for the TWILIGHT: 2000 gamemeans that a long-term campaign can bestarted in Poland, moved to the U.S., andthen back to Europe. GMs can pick andchoose what they play and can now easilyignore the European side if desired. How-ever, not all TWILIGHT: 2000 modules arestill available; write to GDW for an up-to-date catalog.

Evaluation: The TWILIGHT: 2000 gamehas grown tremendously since its initialrelease and now offers a wide variety ofsettings and adventures. As such, it is wellworth a look by anyone interested inmilitary or survivalist role-playing. Itssystems work well, and it bridges the gapbetween war games and role-playing in avery satisfactory manner. The emphasis onthe breakdown of society and industrialproduction keeps the conflicts at a smallscale and keeps characters motivated.While the idea of a nuclear exchangewithin the next 10 years leaves me feelinguncomfortable, GDW has done a good jobof showing what the devastating effects ofeven a limited nuclear war could �be like.The TWILIGHT: 2000 game and supple-ments are available from Game Designers�Workshop, PO. Box 1646; Bloomington IL6 1 7 0 2 - 1 6 4 6 .

CommandoTOP SECRET/S.I.� supplement96-page perfect-bound bookTSR, Inc.Design: David CookEditing: Scott BowlesCover illustration: David DormanInterior illustrations: Bob DvorakCartography: Dave �Diesel� LaForce

$8.95

The TOP SECRET/S.I. game (reviewed inDRAGON® issue #137) deals with theworld of espionage and secret agents. TheCommando supplement takes this one stepfurther by describing small-scale militaryoperations, allowing PCs the thrill of res-cuing hostages, carrying out commandoraids, and engaging in guerilla warfare.Firmly based on the TOP SECRET/S.I.game system, it provides extra rules andbackground to allow GMs to present co-herent and workable military-orientatedadventures for their players.

34 DECEMBER 1989

Background: The modern-day world isthe setting for Commando. With 30 pagesdedicated to describing trouble spotsaround the world and the organizationsinvolved, it provides a solid and realisticbackdrop for characters� adventures. GMscan use the information here as the basisfor a wide range of military operations.

It�s assumed that characters are mem-bers of an elite special force. This can bethe U.S. Marines, Rangers, Green Berets,or the British S.A.S., Soviet Spetnaz,French Foreign Legion, or one of a host ofother real-world organizations. Alterna-tively, the characters can belong to themilitary wing of the TOP SECRET/S.I.game�s Orion organization, working asmembers of a Titan Team. They could alsobe mercenaries, working for the highestbidder but also getting saddled with sensi-tive missions in which their employerscould easily deny any involvement.

Characters: To qualify for specialforces training, characters must be physi-cally fit and mentally stable. No psycho-paths need apply. This is covered well ingame terms, as are the basic skills that acharacter must possess. New skills andadvantages are included to take into ac-count the setting, and certain disadvan-tages stop a character from being acceptedfor special training. The military wants thebest it can get, not people who are goingto go to pieces in combat or suffer fromother problems.

Adventures: Great emphasis is placedon the dangerous nature of the missionsthat special-forces characters undertake.Solid advice is provided for the players tohelp their characters survive in enemy-occupied jungles and on how to avoidcausing civilian casualties in hostage situa-tions. This is not merely window dressing;the GM is strongly advised to not pull anypunches. Letting players learn from theirmistakes, rather than making things softfor them, means the players will quicklyget into their roles and take their missionsmore seriously. Failure to do so will resultin the deaths of their characters.

Special forces� troops frequently rely onimmediate action drills (IAs) to get themout of trouble. These maneuvers are prac-ticed by a team and are implemented incertain situations, such as when the teamis ambushed or is attempting to breakcontact with the enemy. Two IAs are de-tailed in the rules, along with a suggestionthat character teams devise their own.

The life of a special forces� soldier is nota very glamorous one. He is subject toconstant psychological pressures whichcould easily lead him to break down andbecome a liability to his comrades. This,along with other realistic factors like fa-tigue and the relative danger of missions,are taken into account and presented in avery playable manner.

Equipment: Pistols, assault rifles, ma-chine guns, grenade launchers, claymoremines, artillery, observation gear, para-chutes, and helicopters are all covered. The

only major omission is the lack of damagestats for claymore mines. [David �Zeb� Cooknotes that 1d6 wounds for 1d8 points ofdamage each would be appropriate.]

Short essays offer advice on how to getthe best and safest use out of the varioustypes of equipment, and they demonstratevarious techniques for inserting troopsinto or taking them out of a combat zone.This contains plenty of neat touches that aGM can use to good effect to create andmaintain atmosphere during missions.

Evaluation: Commando adds a new,gritty dimension to the TOP SECRET/S.I.rules and allows small-scale military mis-sions to be conducted with ease. Wellpresented and full of background informa-tion and flavor, Commando is a valuableaddition to the TOP SECRET/S.I. game.GMs and players looking for a change ofpace and a military flavor to their gameswon�t be disappointed. Players of othermilitary role-playing games will find Com-mando to be a worthwhile purchase.

Brushfire WarsTOP SECRET/S.I. game supplementTSR, Inc. $9.9596-page perfect-bound bookDesign: Scott Bowles, Paula Bowne-Woods,

Bob Kern, Mike Stackpole, Rick Swan,and John Terra

Editing: Scott HaringCover illustration: Joe ChiodoInterior illustrations: Dan SpiegleCartography: Dave �Diesel� La Force,

Dennis Kauth, and Dave Sutherland

Brushfire Wars contains 13 short mis-sions for special forces� soldiers. Althoughplayable with just the TOP SECRET/S.I.game, players and GMs really ought tohave the Commando supplement handy inorder to benefit from its background andrules sections.

The missions are worldwide, and are allmilitary oriented. They are also tough.Good planning, careful analysis of intelli-gence reports, and an eye to detail areessential if they are to be pulled off suc-cessfully. And so it should be. Militarymissions are not noted for being forgiving.

The range of missions is quite wide:rescuing hostages from an airport, raidinga terrorist training camp, trekkingthrough the jungles of Vietnam and thePhilippines, and street-fighting in Seouland Beirut. The standard of presentationis high, with clear maps of major locationsand easily located information.

Evaluation: Brushfire Wars offers anddelivers military adventures with bite. Theusefulness of the missions outside of amilitary campaign is much more limited,but, as this is not the books intention, it�shardly a problem. If you�re looking forshort, solid, military-oriented adventures,then look no further.

GURPS® High-TechGURPS game sourcebook128-page perfect-bound book

Steve Jackson Games $14.95Design: Michael HurstEditing: Steve JacksonIllustrations: Guy Burchak

GURPS High-Tech is a useful and inform-ative sourcebook detailing gunpowderweapons and technology from the end ofthe Middle Ages to the present. Designedto expand and enhance the rules in theGURPS game’s Basic Set, it’s also useful toplayers and GMs of other historical ormodern-era role-playing games.

The emphasis is very much on weap-onry, although transport, communications,and medicine are covered. The writingstyle is very accessible and does an excel-lent job of converting real-world weaponsinto game rules. I found it to be very read-able and a gold mine of useful informa-tion. Having read GURPS High-Tech, myknowledge of guns through the ages hasexpanded enormously. Sidebars containmany examples of the wide range of weap-ons and equipment in use, and provideplenty of ideas on how to incorporatethem into games.

The workings of matchlock, flintlock,wheellock, percussion, and caplock gunsare neatly summarized along with theirassorted drawbacks and benefits. Ques-tions such as the effects of bad weather,misfires, and the different types of ammu-nition available are addressed and an-swered in a clear fashion. Artillery,nuclear weapons, explosives, flamethrow-ers, armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), airsupport, and personal body armor are allcovered, some in more detail than others.For example, AFVs are discussed in gen-eral terms, but their armor ratings andweaponry are not detailed.

After looking at four broad historicalperiods (A.D. 1450-1700, 1700-1900, 1900-1950, and 1950 to the near future), gamestats arc provided for the major types andmodels of weapons in use in these periods.Each weapon is then described in detail,with information on its historical use anddevelopment.

Evaluation: GURPS High-Tech is avaluable addition to the GURPS system,particularly to GMs running historical ortime-travel campaigns. Using these rules,small-scale military actions can easily bestaged and have the added bonus of beingset in any gunpowder era—modern day,World War II, the American Civil War, theNapoleonic Wars, and the Thirty YearsWar being just some of the possibilities.

The generic nature of the GURPS gamealso means that the Brushfire Wars supple-ment or one of the many TWILIGHT: 2000adventures can be converted with the helpof this sourcebook to the GURPS gamesystem. Even you have no interest in theGURPS game system. GURPS High-Tech isstill a very useful guide to weaponry andequipment.

GURPS High-Tech is available from:Steven Jackson Games, Box 18957, AustinTX 78760.

Short and sweetLAST BATTLE game, by Tim Ryan. GDW,

S2A. Set in the post-holocaust world of theTWILIGHT: 2000 game, this is a boardgame of small unit and armor battles. Itplays fast and gives a good feel for moderncombat without recourse to complicatedrules. The LAST BATTLE game suffersfrom sloppy proofreading with variousnames being assigned to the same techni-cal terms, not enough vehicle countersbeing provided for scenario three, and afew other muddy areas. Overall, however,the production standard is high. The vehi-cle record sheets in particular are nicelydone and make vehicles very easy to han-dle. Nine scenarios drawn from variousTWILIGHT: 2000 modules are included,and the programmed-learning approachof the rules makes learning the game easy.

The LAST BATTLE game is also an alter-nate system for running TWILIGHT: 2000game combats. It plays much faster thanthe role-playing rules, speeding up vehiclecombat considerably, but the guidelinesfor converting vehicles to the LAST BAT-TLE game don’t quite work. For example,according to the guidelines, the M1 MainBattle Tank should have a frontal armorrating of 100, but the rating is given as 60.Similar discrepancies exist; use with care.The character conversion rules seem towork and allow large battles to be foughtout quickly at the expense of some role-playing color and detail.

As a war game, this one is very good andI recommend it highly. How useful it willbe in determining TWILIGHT: 2000 gamecombats is really a matter of personaltaste. If you enjoy diving behind walls toavoid enemy fire and fumbling to changeweapon clips, then the LAST BATTLEgame has limited usefulness. But if youwant a quick way to lead lots of troopsinto action, then it may well be whatyou’ve been waiting for.

U.S. Army Vehicle Guide, by FrankChadwick and Loren Wiseman. GDW, $7.Soviet Vehicle Guide, by Frank Frey andBrad Hey. GDW, $7. These two source-books for TWILIGHT: 2000 campaigns arewell-produced, each with eight pages ofcolor plates illustrating many of the vehi-cles described in these books and in the

boxed set. Within these 48-page books aredetails of U.S. and Soviet forces, respec-tively, as of July 2000, their theaters ofoperation, their organizational structures,and their vehicles. New vehicles and weap-ons are described making these booksinvaluable reference works for both GMsand players.

Howling Wilderness, by Loren Wiseman.GDW, $7. With Europe in such a messfollowing five years of fighting and the useof nuclear warheads, it’s easy to view theU.S.A. as a safe haven—hut that would bea big mistake. Targeted in tactical nuclearstrikes, many U.S. cities have been de-stroyed. The collapse of communications,industry, and services have caused wide-spread misery. Now, as the nuclear attacksbegin to take their toll on the earth’satmosphere and weather patterns, thingsare set to get a lot worse in the TWILIGHT:2000 game world.

An abnormally cold winter has killedmany, and as the summer approaches,diseases are spreading. Spring rainfall hasbeen slight as America enters a wide-spread drought. With no chemical fertil-izers, modern machinery, or water, faminelooms spectrelike over the survivors.

Howling Wilderness gives you the factson the current state of the nation. After anoverview of the war, military forces aredescribed and areas of the U.S. are exam-ined. Fairly complete, Howling Wildernesspaints a grim picture for the years tocome. This is an essential purchase forGMs basing their Campaigns in the States.

GURPS Swashbucklers game, by SteffanO’Sullivan. Steve Jackson Games, $11.95.In this 96-page sourcebook, the world ofthe swashbucllers is given the GURPSgame treatment. Give loyal service to KingLouis as one of his Musketeers, or hoistthe Jolly Roger and seek gold and glory onthe Spanish Main. Extensive backgroundnotes define the historical setting, but theyfall short of really bringing the fictionalworlds of pirates and Musketeers to life.As a basis for establishing swashbucklingcampaigns it does a good job, but moredetailed development of the individualsettings is really needed to bring out thetrue potential of the genre.

DRAGON 35

36 DECEMBER 1989

Servants of theJewelled DaggerThe lives and habits of the duergar�the gray dwarves

by Eric Oppen

Despite what you�d think, duergar andsurface dwarves have much in common inAD&D® campaigns, more than do drowand surface elves but less than svirfneblinand surface gnomes. This is partially be-

from the light of the sun, in greater isola-tion than their better-known cousins expe-rience. The relative emaciation of duergarresults from the relative lack of food in-the underworld�and the quality of what

rinths of the Underdark, which has sharp-ened their senses of hearing, vision, andsmell to exceptional levels. The magical

cause the duergar lifestyle is not as radi-cally different from surface dwarven lifeas drow life is from other elves. The basicdwarven nature both races share dictatesmany similarities.

The physical differences between dwarf

-abilities to enlarge themselves or go invisi-ble are suspected of being gifts of Ab-bathor, their patron deity (see UnearthedArcana, page 111).

The psychological differences betweendwarves and duergar are considerable.Accustomed to lives of hardship and depri-vation, duergar scorn the values of surface

andThe

duergar,duergar

however, are easily spotted.is pale, with a distinct gray

havethan

made duergar tougher in stamina

food they do eat, consisting of subterra-

their surface cousins. Duergar are

nean beasts and fungi. Then, too, thehostile environment of the Underdarkdoes not allow a fat, slow, clumsy duergarto survive for long.

Ages of living under these conditionsraces and of other dwarves. They arebelievers in the absolute control of all

able to resist the effects of poison andparalysis as a result. Their great skills atsurprising foes and resisting illusions comefrom ages of life within the twisting laby-

undertone to its skin (unlike the ruddy hillor mountain dwarf), leading to the nick-name �gray dwarf.� This lack of colorationis the result of untold centuries spent far

resources to benefit themselves, at what-ever cost to other races and beings. They thus have a penchant for slave labor andmount many raids to secure more slaves.

40 DECEMBER 1989

In these raids, any beings not currentlyallied with the duergar are fair game, andresistance is overcome with skill and fury.The fate of these slaves is not enviable;any duergar slaveowner will treat rebel-lious and useless slaves with utter ruth-lessness. Indeed, there are those who saythat duergar have more in common withorcs than with other dwarves.

Similarities between dwarves andduergar, however, are so widespread thatformer duergar slaves generally findthemselves quite uncomfortable amongsurface dwarves. Under circumstanceswhere dwarves and duergar must getalong, as when they are both slaves ofsome other race, they generally find thatthey have much more in common witheach other than with nondwarven fellowslaves, and cooperation between them�however forced and temporary�is re-markably smooth and effective.

One cultural trait shared by duergar anddwarf is their attitude toward the beard,though this is not universally shared by allduergar. To those who care, the beard is asymbol of status and a source of pride.Cutting or shaving the beard is a mark ofgreat shame, while burning the beard offwith a coal or candle is reserved for thosewho have utterly disgraced themselves ortheir clan. As do surface dwarves, duergarplait their beards and braid them, usingdull-colored strips of leather to indicatestatus and profession. These decorationsfollow a system, but the systems differenough that a duergar and surface dwarfcannot �read� each others� beards, exceptin the vaguest way. The closest analogy tothis is the widely varying systems of indi-cating rank and status used by humanarmies; most soldiers can tell an officerfrom an enlisted man in an unfamiliararmy, but finer distinctions are difficult tomake.

As noted, not all duergar share thispride in the beard: Those who do not areoften regarded as uncivilized and the leastworthy of favorable attention�i.e., otherduergar clans will raid those �prideless�clans without hesitation.

Another similarity between surfacedwarves and duergar concerns an appreci-ation for craftsmanship, Duergar crafts-men make many of the finest tools, armor,and weapons available to the undergroundraces and take great pride in them. Eventhe dark elves and deep gnomes, no meancraftsmen in their own rights, admire theduergar�s solid, unadorned, but highlyeffective creations: As is the case withsurface dwarves, many duergar are soimmersed in their crafts that they have nodesire to marry. However, duergar arealmost exclusively concerned with craft-work of a hard, practical, military nature,involving the construction of fortificationsand the smithing of weapons, armor,traps, and the like. Artistic endeavors arerarely practiced and tend to be crude,though even these have a peculiar, harshstrength in artistic terms.

The duergars� worldDuergar society is highly structured.

The basic unit is the clan, an extendedfamily of duergar. Most clans are so an-cient that the actual kinship between mostliving members is quite remote. A duergaris highly loyal to his or her clan and willnot willingly betray or weaken it. Duergaradventurers have great difficulty in trans-ferring this attitude to their comrades,seeing them always as �outsiders.� Givenconsiderable time and reason for respect,however, duergar may become quite loyalto their companions once their comrade-ship is won, especially if dwarves orgnomes of similar alignment and attitudesare present.

The clan itself is supported by the priest-hood of the duergar community, which isalmost always in the service of Abbathor,the much-feared dwarven god whosegreed is his hallmark. Little attention isgiven to the other major dwarven gods,and services and offerings to them areoften so minimal as to be insulting.

The clan is also supported by its internalsecurity force, in some ways a combina-tion of police, thieves� guild, and assassins�guild. These carefully trained duergarrogues and warriors operate under thedirect command of the leaders of aduergar colony and form the leaders�intelligence system, warning of dangeroutside and dissension within the colony.Dissident duergar and enemy leaders are quietly put out of the way.

Duergar professionsYoung duergar are put through intensive

testing when they reach adolescence. Thistesting, which may prove fatal, has twopurposes. The main purpose is to identifyprofessions for which a youngster issuited. The dangerous tests, the duergarsay, also have the side effect of weedingout weaklings before they can harm thecommunity.

When the testing is completed, theyouths are sent to rigorous training in aparticular profession. This training iscarefully designed to foster qualities suchas ruthlessness, a racial self-centeredness,and a disregard for life, mercy, and otherbeings.

Duergar priests call themselves theservants of Abbathor, whose symbol is thejewelled dagger, and they are permitted touse daggers as normal weapons (learningto use them at 1st level). They use theirspells to improve the duergar communityin general: first to aid their own clans,then to aid any other duergar, then thepriests themselves, then any allies theirclans may have.

The majority of the youth pass throughthe hands of the best warriors in the com-munity, who drill them in the skills ofunderground and surface warfare. Thistraining is considered supremely impor-tant, and many of the best minds theduergar have are devoted to improving it.To be selected as a �trainer of the young�

is one of the highest honors a duergarwarrior can aspire to. The first part of thetraining course is spent determiningwhich students are best with which weap-ons. The second part of the course isdevoted to perfecting the students� skills,and the last part, which is considered themost important of all, is spent honing theruthless attitude of the young warriors.

Ruthlessness, in truth, is the specialty ofthe duergar. They make war with ferocityand duplicity, cheerfully sacrificing allies ifnecessary to secure a victory. They will actcautiously in the presence of powerfulenemies, but they will attack with recklesscourage if a chance of victory is seen.Their few allies, such as the drow, recog-nize that the duergar are prone totreachery�but treachery is an art amongthe drow, who regard the duergar asnarrow-minded and predictable.

Duergar youth with unusual intelligenceand dexterity are usually apprenticed tolocal rogues�the spies, assassins, andscouts of the clan. Besides their functionsas a combined secret police and intelli-gence service for the rulers of the commu-nity, duergar thieves are useful to theircommunity for their skills with locks andtraps (thus gaining the treasures of theirfoes). Their climbing skills come in handyon expeditions into new areas of the un-derworld. In some duergar communities,assassins must be carefully watched be-cause of the power and skills (and politicalpretensions) they have acquired.

Since most duergar have the ability to bemulticlassed, a youth can easily passthrough several courses of instruction,one after the other. When a youth�s educa-tion has ended, he returns to his clan,marries if at all so inclined, and is consid-ered an adult. The clan marks this occa-sion with celebration, climaxed by theinitiation of the newest member into fullclan membership.

Duergar lifeThe various clans composing a duergar

community often do not much like eachother. Their relationships range fromwarm friendship to armed neutrality to ill-suppressed hostility. The clerics do theirbest to keep matters under control, butmany interclan hatreds run so strong thatusually the clerics merely suppress openwarfare. In these �cold wars,� assassinationcomes onto its own. Accordingly, assassins�are as highly esteemed among the duergaras among the drow. When open fightingbetween duergar clans occurs, it is oftenby arrangement and takes place in a de-serted cavern cleared for the purpose.This way, the feuding clans can have it outwithout endangering the community ingeneral (not that this always works).

Within a clan, duergar usually plot andscheme endlessly for advancement. Assas-sination of a fellow clan member isstrongly tabooed, but manipulating one�s�enemy into a situation that is bound to befatal is a skill that is much admired. For all

DRAGON 41

their rough exterior, the duergar are plot-ters of incredible subtlety and skill. Theonly persons a duergar can usually trustare a spouse, parents, and children.Duergar families work closely together,though they lack affection. Often a hus-band, wife, and their adult children will goadventuring together; the demandingenvironment of the underworld, they feel,is no place for finicky considerationsabout keeping ones’ family out of all dan-ger. There are no safe places.

Clans that are not riven with internalrivalry still see extremely intense competi-tion for higher status. In many clans, thistakes the form of ever-more daring mer-cantile expeditions to garner greaterwealth. A duergar who has successfullytraded with peoples whom his friendsconsidered unreachable will be honoredbut will soon find those same friendsoutfitting expeditions to share the richesto be had. Trade in the underworld is adangerous business. In the depths of theearth, duergar merchants must be able todeal with kuo-toa, mind flayers, and crea-tures that most surface-dwellers cannoteven imagine. The duergar feel that theprofits make all the risks worthwhile, andadd that the perils of the underworldmerely weed out the incompetent.

Relations with othersAs is well known, duergar and other

dwarves regard each other with antipathy,mostly because of their deep culturaldifferences on such issues as slavery.Their feud is not as bitter as the elf-drowvendetta but is very real nonetheless. Theduergar call surface dwarves cowards,weaklings, and “half-dwarves” (as they livenear the surface instead of deep inside theearth).

Duergar and gnomes do not get along atall. To the duergar, gnomes are bumptiouslittle creatures without proper dignity,who just want to steal treasure. To surfacegnomes, duergar are a greater dangerthan orcs because of their intelligence andskills. Deep gnomes and duergar havefeuded for centuries over living space,ores, gems, and duergar slave raids. De-spite their smaller size, the svirfneblinhave done well in this feud.

Duergar and elves have mixed relations.The drow are often the closest allies theduergar have, and unless two communitiesof these races are actually at war, they willtrade materials and information, particu-larly on the doings of the more alien un-derground races, such as the aboleth,cloakers, or mind flayers. As if to compen-sate, the duergar find surface elves evenmore worthless and irritating than doother dwarves, and they are prone totorture or slay elves out of hand.

The duergar hardly know halflings exist.When duergar and halflings cross paths(which is rare enough), the gray dwarvesoften make the mistake of not taking thehalflings seriously, considering the latterto make poor slaves at best.

42 DECEMBER 1989

One noteworthy area of differencebetween surface dwarves and duergarregards their attitudes toward humanoidraces such as orcs, kobolds, goblins, andthe like. Duergar regard these races asinferior but useful as fodder if manipu-lated properly. Some half-orcs have evenbeen seen working within duergar com-munities as mercenaries (though poorlytrusted ones). Humanoids are also seen aspotential reservoirs of slaves, particularlywhen cheap, expendable laborers areneeded. The humanoids’ craftsmanship iscrude, their fighting skill is relatively low,and they have no claim on duergarrespect—particularly for their lives.

Duergar regard humans with mixedemotions. On one side, they grudginglyadmire humans with greater skills thanduergar can attain, or with abilities suchas spell-casting that they lack entirely. Thegray dwarves will hire (and closely moni-tor) such humans when their services areneeded. At the same time, they fear andare jealous of humans and have few com-punctions about enslaving or raiding them

Conclusion“Strive to survive, and survive to strive”

is a duergar truism. Whether as grimwarriors, crafty thieves, subtle assassins,or clan-proud clerics, duergar take theirlives very seriously. Duergar of all walks

of life usually exhibit incredible tenacityand single-mindedness, for which they arevalued by allies—but for which they areoften cursed and never trusted. Theirs is aspare and unforgiving existence; thoughthey have no love for it, they have come toaccept it as their fate and will make themost of it.

[More information on the duergar isfound in the AD&D® 1st Edition MonsterManual II (page 61), Unearthed Arcana(page 10), and in the AD&D 2nd EditionMonstrous Compendium (�Dwarf,Duergar�).]

In Memoriam

We are saddened to report that AndyFaulkner, the 1989 British AD&D®Champion, was involved in a fatal caraccident on October 20th of this year.He was the U.K. representative at the1989 GEN CON® game fair.

He will be missed by the manypeople who have enjoyed his com-pany. He brought a tremendous senseof humor and fun into all the gameshe ran or played in, and he gave histime unselfishly to organize games forother people. Andy was a championhusband, father, teacher, and friend.He is greatly missed.

DRAGON 43

44 DECEMBER 1989

e got it all?� asked the stocky youngdwarf, his hand stroking his still-hairless cheeks and chin.

The two smaller dwarves,Khardrin and Yorik, nodded and dropped their large sacks, the clangingas the bundles struck the stone floor

echoing through the stillness of the deep caverns.�Quiet, will ye!� snapped Feldegar, the fourth member

of the conspiracy. �Garumn�d have our heads if he knew!��Garumn�ll know well enough when we�re done,� said

Bruenor, the stocky dwarf, with a sly wink and a smilethat eased the sudden tension. �Sort it out, then. No timefor wastin�!�

Khardrin and Yorik began fishing through the assortedpieces of armor and weapons in the sacks. �Got ye thefoaming mug,� Khardrin said proudly, handing Bruenor ashining shield.

�Me father�s own!� Bruenor laughed, marvelling at thestealth and nerve his younger cousins had shown. He slidthe heavy shield on his arm and took up the newly craftedaxe that he had brought, wondering in sudden seriousnessif he was worthy to bear the shield emblazoned with thefoaming mug, the standard of Clan Battlehammer. Hehad passed the midpoint of his third decade, nearly intohis threens, yet truly he felt a child when he thought of hishairless face, not a single whisker showing. He turnedaway to hide his blush.

�Four sets?� said Feldegar, looking at the piles of battlegear. �Nay! The two o� ye are to stay. Ye�re too young forsuch fightin�!�

Khardrin and Yorik looked helplessly to Bruenor.Feldegar�s observation made sense, Bruenor knew, but

he couldn�t ignore the crestfallen looks on the faces of hisyounger cousins, nor the pains the two had taken to getthem all this far. �Four sets�ll be needed,� he said atlength. Feldegar snapped an angry glare at him.

�Yorik�s comin� with us,� Bruenor said to him, holdingthe look with his own. �But I�ve a more important job for,Khardrin.� He winked at the littlest of the four. �Thedoor�s to be closed an� locked behind us,� he explained.�We be needin� a guard who�s quick to open, and quickerstill with his tongue. Ye�re the only one o� us sneakyenough to dodge the askins o� any who might wanderdown here. Think ye can do it?�

Khardrin nodded with as much enthusiasm as he couldmuster, feeling important once again, though he stillwould have preferred to go along.

But Feldegar wasn�t appeased. �Yorik�s too young,� he growled at Bruenor.

�By yer measure, not mine,� Bruenor retorted.�I be leadin�!� said Feldegar.�Bruenor�s the leader,� Yorik and Khardrin said to-

gether. Feldegar�s glare turned dangerous.�His grandfather�s the king,� reasoned Khardrin.Feldegar stuck his chin out. �Ye see this?� he asked,

pointing to the patches of hair on his face. �Whiskers! Iam the leader!�

�Ah, yer no older than Bruenor,� said Yorik. �And he�sa Battlehammer, second behind the throne. And Battle-hammers rule in Mithril Hall!�

DRAGON 45

The First Notch

by R. A. Salvatore

Illustrations by Karl Waller

�That tunnel�s not yet claimed,� Feldegar said wryly.�Outside o� Mithril Hall, it is, and beyond Garumn�sdomain. In there, the one with the beard leads.�

Bruenor shrugged the comment away, despite yet an-other reminder of his hairless face. He understood thedanger and daring of their adventure and wasn�t about tosee it all unravel over a title that would mean little whenthe fighting began. �Ye�re right, Feldegar,� he conceded,to the amazement and disappointment of Khardrin andYorik. �In the tunnel, ye be leadin�. But by me figuring,we�re still in Mithril Hall, and me word holds. Khardringuards the door, and Yorik goes.�

Despite his bravado, Feldegar was smart enough to givea concession to get a concession. He could snort and hollerand stick out his beard all he wanted, but if Bruenor op-posed him, he knew, none of the others would follow him.�Then let�s get the business done,� he grunted, and he

lifted the iron bar off of the heavy stone door.Bruenor grasped the iron ring on the door and recon-

sidered (and not for the first time) the path he was aboutto take. Of the five adult dwarves who had recently gonedown to explore this tunnel, only one had returned, andhis tale had shot shivers up the spines of the hardiest ofClan Battlehammer�s warriors.

And now Bruenor and his young friends, not one ofthem old enough to be counted among those warriors, hadtaken it upon themselves to clear the tunnel and avengetheir kin.

Bruenor grunted away a shudder and pulled the dooropen, its swing releasing a gush of the cramped air inside.Blackness loomed up before them. They had lived under-ground all their lives, tunnels had ever been their homes,but this one seemed darker still, and its stifled air pressedin on them heavily.

Feldegar grabbed a torch from a wall sconce, its lighthardly denting the depth of the darkness. �Wait �til we�refrom sight,� he told Khardrin, �then bar the door! Threetaps, then two, means it�s us returned.� He steadied him-self and led them in.

For the first time, Khardrin was truly glad to be leftbehind.

The torchlight seemed pitiful indeed when the bang ofthe stone door echoed behind them. Boulders and rockssent them stumbling and scrambling, stalagtites leereddown from the low ceiling, and rock buttresses kept themturning one blind corner after another, each promising amonster poised to spring upon them.

Yorik had brought a good supply of torches, but whenthe second had died away and the. third burned low, thetension began to wear at their resolve. They found a flatstone to use as a seat and took their first break.

�Drat and begrudges on this whole thing!� growled Feldegar, rubbing a sore foot. �Three hours it�s been, an�not a sign o� the filthy thing! Me mind�s wonderin� at thetruth o� the tale.�

�Then yer mind�s wanderin� from its wits,� said Yorik.�Twas an ettin that took the four, an� not to doubt!�

�Wag yer tongues in a whisper,� Bruenor scolded them.�If the torch ain�t enough a beacon, the echo o� yer wordssuren are!�

46 DECEMBER 1989

�Bah!� Feldegar snapped. �And if yer father were trueto being a prince, he�d�ve come down here and finishedthe thing proper!�

Bruenor�s eyes narrowed dangerously. But he shook hishead and walked a few paces off, not about to get intosuch an argument. Not here, not now.

�Bangor did promise to take the heads o� the thing,�protested Yorik. �But after the merchants from Settlestoneare gone, when there�s more time for plannin�.�

�And when the ettin�s got away?�If they had been back in the halls, Feldegar would have

paid for that insult with a few teeth, but Bruenor let it go.He knew that his father, Bangor, and King Garumn haddone right in sealing off the tunnel with the heavy dooruntil they could devote their fullest efforts to battling theettin. Any ettin is a formidable foe, a two-headed giantmore at home in the dark than even a dwarf, Careless andquick is not the way to go after an ettin.

Yet here he was with only two companions, and not aone of them even tested in real battle.

Again Bruenor fought through his fear, reminding him-self that he was a dwarven prince. He and his friends hadspent countless hours in training. Weapons sat easily intheir young hands, and they knew all the tactics. �Come,let us be on our way,� Bruenor growled stubbornly, pick-ing up the torch.

�I say when we go,� Feldegar countered. �I am theleader.�

Bruenor threw the torch to him. �Then lead!�

�Is dwarvses! Is dwarvses!� Sniglet squealed in glee.�Threes of them!�

�Shh!� Toadface slapped him down to the ground.�Fives to three. And we sees them, but they not seesusses.� An evil grin spread across the big goblin�s face. Hehad come down this dark tunnel from goblin town to lootthe lair of the ettin, though truth be told, Toadface wasn�tthrilled about going anywhere near the thing. Of suchprevious expeditions, the goblins had returned less thanhalf of the time. But maybe Toadface had found an out.Wouldn�t the goblin king be overjoyed if he delivered theheads of three hated dwarves?

The torch was still only a speck of light far down thetunnel ahead of them, but it was moving again. Toadfacemotioned to the largest of the others. �The side tunnel,�he ordered. �Gets them when they crosses. Usses�ll rushthem up front.�

They started off slowly and silently on soft footpads,each of them thinking it grand that dwarves used torches.

And goblins didn�t.

The tunnel had widened out; ten could walk abreast,and the ceiling had moved higher as well. �High enoughfor a giant,� Bruenor observed grimly.

The three moved into the classic dwarven hunting for-mation. Feldegar walked down the middle of the passagewith the torch, while Bruenor and Yorik slipped in and outof the shadows of the walls to either side. While Feldegar controlled the pace, the two on the sides kept their backsto the walls, barely watching where they were going. Inthis alignment, Bruenor�s duty was to Yorik, and Yorik�s

to Bruenor, each using the advantage of the angle to scoutthe wall ahead of his companion.

Thus it was Bruenor, to the left of Feldegar, who firstnoticed a side passage breaking off of the right wall. Hemotioned to his wary companions, and he and Feldegarwaited while Yorik moved into a ready position behind aconvenient jutting stone against the corner of the sidepassage.

Then Bruenor and Feldegar started out straight aheaddown the main passage, seemingly taking no notice of thenew tunnel.

The expected ambush came before they were halfwayacross the mouth of the tunnel.

Yorik tripped the large goblin who darted out at them,then dove into a roll behind him, taking him out with ahammer smash to the back of his head as he tried to rise.

Up ahead in the main corridor, the other goblins hootedand charged, hurling spears as they came.

Bruenor, too, was moving, crossing behind Feldegar.He saw the first spear break into the torchlight, aimedright for his young cousin, and dove headlong in front ofYorik, knocking the missile harmlessly aside with hiscrafted shield. Then he continued his roll to the safety ofthe jutting stone beside the side passage.

Feldegar didn�t hesitate. Understanding the main threatto be up ahead, he flung his torch forward and brought hiscrossbow to bear.

Horrified to find themselves suddenly within the reveal-ing sphere of light, the goblins shrieked and scrambledinto the shadows, diving behind boulders or stalagmites.

Feldegar�s bolt took one in the heart.

�Nasty dwarvses,� Sniglet whispered, crawling up toToadface. �They knows we was here!�

Toadface threw the little goblin down behind him andconsidered the dilemma.

�We runs?� Sniglet asked.Toadface shook his head angrily. Normally, retreat

would have been the preferred course of action, but Toad-face knew that the option wasn�t open. �The king bitesour necks if we comes back empty,� he hissed at the littleg o b l i n .

�How do we fare?� Feldegar whispered to Bruenorfrom a cranny in the other wall of the main tunnel.

�Yorik got one,� Bruenor replied.Groaning, Yorik crawled over to join Bruenor behind

the jutting stone. A second spear had found the youngdwarfs hip.

�But he took a hit!� the dwarf added in a voice hehoped only Feldegar could hear.

�I can fight,� Yorik insisted loudly.�Wonderful,� Feldegar whispered to himself, remem-

bering that he had argued against bringing the youngdwarf. His sarcasm didn�t hold, though, when he took thetime to realize that Yorik had foiled the goblins� ambushand had probably saved his life.

�How many did ye make?� Bruenor called.�Four up front,� replied Feldegar. �But one�s lost his

heart for the fight,� he added with a grim chuckle.�Threes to threes, then, wicked dwarvses!� Toadface

yelled out to them.Feldegar launched a second quarrel in the direction of

the voice, smiling as it sparked off the stone just an inchfrom the big goblin�s nose.

�Wicked dwarvses!�Bruenor worked to dress his young cousin�s nasty

wound, while Yorik, ever a brave lad, fumbled out histinderbox and torches, lighting them and heaving themdown the tunnel to take away the goblins� advantage ofdarkness .

And then they waited as the long minutes passed, eachside searching for some way to break the stalemate and getin on their foes.

�Hold on the torches,� Bruenor whispered to Yorik.�Mighten that we be here awhile.� Bruenor knew thattime was on the goblins� side. Dwarves could get aroundin the darkness but lived most of their lives in torchlittunnels. Goblins, though, knew only the absolute darknessof deep caverns. When the torches burned low, their ene-mies would strike.

�How much nasty lights has yous got, wickeddwarvses?� taunted Toadface, apparently seeing the sameadvantage.

�Shut yer face!� roared Feldegar and he put anotherquarrel off the stone to emphasize his point.

Bruenor looked down at his young cousin and consid-ered retreating. But that route seemed impossible, forYorik obviously couldn�t run. Even if they managed to slipaway unnoticed, the goblins would soon be on them.Bruenor saw one slim chance. Perhaps he was far enoughfrom the light. If he could manage to get over the juttingstone and slip around the corner into the shadows of theside tunnel, he could come back into the main tunnel rightin front of the goblins� position, too close for another vol-ley of spears.

�Wait here and ready yerself,� he whispered to Yorik.The young dwarf nodded and clutched his hammer,

coiling his good leg under him for a spring that mightpropel him out when battle was joined.

Bruenor belly-crawled over the rock but froze when heheard Toadface�s call.

�Lights is dying, wicked dwarvses,� the goblin teased,hoping he could get the dwarves to run away. He figuredthat looting the ettin�s lair was less dangerous than fight-ing against an even number of dwarves.

Bruenor sighed when he realized that he hadn�t �beenspotted. He eased himself out of the, main corridor anddown the side passage. So far, so good.

This second tunnel fell away steeply after a few steps,rolling down into the blackness of a huge chamber.Bruenor could only guess at its dimensions, but he under-stood the implications when he remembered suddenly thatthe survivor of the first expedition had mentioned a sidepassage in his tale of terror. And if the goblins had comedown the main tunnel from one direction, and he and hisfriends from another . . .

�Time for . . .� he heard one deep voice say from the(depths of the side tunnel.

�Lunch,� answered another.�Damn!� Bruenor spat, and he quickly slipped back to

Y o r i k .

DRAGON 47

48

�Ettin?� Yorik asked him rhetorically, for Yorik had saw, more pointedly, the cruelly spiked club it held in eachalso heard the voices. huge hand.

�What�s the wait, Bruenor?� Feldegar called softlyfrom across the way. �The torches�ll burn low.�

�Lunch . . .� one of the giant�s heads answered forBruenor.

�. . . time!� growled the other.�Drats,� came Toadface�s voice from down the hall.Bruenor knew the fight with the goblins to be at an end.

They would flee at the approach of the ettin, and hisgroup would be wise to do the same. But what of Yorik?Bruenor grabbed at a desperate plan. �Get yer bowready,� he called to Feldegar. �And me an� Yorik ours,� helied, for he and Yorik didn�t have bows. �Goblins won�tbe staying for the ettin; take �em in their backs as theyleave!�

�Goblin!� yelled one of the ettin�s heads.�Dwarfmeat!� hooted the other.�Goblin!� the first argued.

Feldegar understood the reasoning. �Oh, I�ve got megoblin all picked and ready,� he pointedly laughed, know-ing his previous target to be the leader and wanting thebig goblin to understand its peril completely.

�Lights I see!� boomed the ettin.�Lights they be!� it answered itself.�Waits, wicked dwarvses!� cried Toadface. �Dwarvses

is not fer fightin� two-heads!��A bargain, then?� Bruenor offered.�Says it,� answered Toadface.�A truce.��And runs?��Not to run,� Bruenor growled. �To fight!��Two-heads?!� Toadface shrieked.�Run, then, and catch me bolt in yer back!� Feldegar

reminded the goblin.

�Goblin, always goblin!� complained the second. �Iwant dwarfmeat!� The ettin hesitated for just a moment,giving Feldegar the chance to settle its foolish argument.

The dwarfs crossbow twanged, the stinging quarrelnicking wickedly into the ettin�s ribs. The hungry giantlooked at the impudent little dwarf, both heads smiling.�Dwarfmeat!� they roared together and the giant rushedahead. One great stride carried it to the main corridor.

Toadface struck next. He leaped onto the ettin�s leg, biting and stabbing with his little sword at the huge calfmuscles. One of the ettin�s heads cast him a curious, evenamused, glance.

The flat side of Bruenor�s axe smashed in just as thesecond leg crossed into the main corridor. The dwarfs aimproved perfect, and the strength of his blow enough toshatter the ettin�s kneecap.

The giant howled and lurched forward, suddenly notthe least bit amused.

And as it stumbled past, Bruenor completed the deftmaneuver. He reversed his grip, spinning a full circle, andknifed the razored edge of his axe into the back of thegiant�s leg, just where the hamstring joined the knee. Theleg buckled and the ettin fell forward, burying Toadfacebeneath it.

Caught in the trap, Toadface gingerly stepped out fromhis nook and moved to the corner of the side passage op-posite from Bruenor and Yorik. Bruenor moved outaround the jutting stone to face the goblin.

�Me and yerself trip it up,� Bruenor whispered toToadface. ��Bait it,� he then called quietly to Feldegar.Understanding the plan, Feldegar was already moving.He put his back to the wall directly across from the en-trance to the side passage, waiting to meet the approach-ing monster head on.

Then came a second stinging volley as Feldegar firedanother quarrel and Sniglet threw one of his spears.

But the ettin was far from finished, and its howls weremore of rage than pain as it hoisted itself up on its hugearms.

Toadface motioned similarly to his forces, and Sniglet squeamishly moved out into the open next to Feldegar.But the last of the goblins, terrified, darted away down thedarkness of the. corridor.

Not to be left out, Yorik sprang out from his conceal-ment, rushing past Bruenor and swinging his hammer ashe came. But his leg buckled under him before he wasclose enough for an effective strike, and the ettin, lookingaround for the source of its broken knee, saw him coming.With a single movement, the giant slapped Yorik�s smallhammer harmlessly aside and poised its wicked club for ablow that certainly would have crushed the prostratedwarf.

Feldegar raised his crossbow and snarled.�Hold!� Bruenor said to him. �Let the miserable rat

run. We�ve bigger things to fight!�Feldegar growled again and turned an angry glare on

Sniglet, who shrank back. �Hold yer ground!� the dwarfsnapped. He slapped the head of the goblin�s spear outtoward the side passage. �And make yer throw count!�

�Left leg, right leg?� Bruenor said to Toadface. The biggoblin nodded, though he wasn�t sure which was which.

The stamp of a heavy foot issued from the passage.Then another. Bruenor tensed and held his breath.

Ettins grew large in this part of the Realms, and thisone was big even by their standards. It towered fully fif-teen feet, and its girth nearly filled the corridor. Evenfearless Feldegar blew a sigh when he saw it, and when he

Had it not been for Bruenor.True to his brave and noble heritage, the mighty young

Battlehammer didn�t hesitate. He ran up the back of theprone giant and, with every ounce of power he could mus-ter, with every muscle snapping in accord, drove his axeinto the back of the ettin�s left head. The weapon shiveredas it smashed through the thick skull, �Bruenor�s armstingled and went numb, and the horrid �CRACK!� �re-sounded through the tunnels.

Yorik let out an audible sigh of relief as the giant�s eyescriss-crossed and its tongue flopped limply out of itsmouth.

Half of the thing was dead.But the other half fought on with fury, and the ettin

finally managed its first strike. Coiling its good leg under it (and scraping poor Toadface into the stone), it lungedforward wildly and swung its club in a wide arc at Felde-gar and Sniglet.

DECEMBER 1989

The dwarf actually saved the little goblin�s life (though Feldegar dearly wanted to finish his business with theFeldegar would deny it to the end of his days), for he wretched goblins, but he conceded the point. He had wit-grabbed Sniglet�s shoulder and threw him forward, toward nessed Bruenor�s awesome strike and had no desire tothe ettin and within the angle of the blow. Then Feldegar cross the young heir to Mithril Hall�s throne.dove sidelong, taking the ettin�s club in the shoulder but Bruenor and Toadface stared at each other with uncer-rolling with its momentum.

Helpless on his back, Sniglet closed his eyes and planted tainty. They had been allies out of necessity, but the ha-tred between dwarves and goblins was a basic tenet of

the butt of his spear against the floor. But the ettin hardly their very existence. Certainly, no trust or friendshipnoticed the little goblin. Its concentration was squarely on would grow out of this joining.Feldegar. The dwarf had rolled right to his knees, his �We lets yous leave,� Toadface said at length, trying tocrossbow levelled for another shot. At the �twang� of the regain a measure of his dignity. But Toadface wanted norelease, the ettin reflexively ducked its head� part of the dwarves. He was outnumbered three to two,

�Impaling itself, through the eye, upon Sniglet�s spear. and he, too, now understood the strength of the beardlessSniglet squealed in terror and scrambled away, but the dwarf.

battle was over. With a final shudder, the ettin lay dead. Bruenor�s smile promised death, and at that moment heBruised and battered, Toadface finally managed to push wanted nothing more than to spring over the ettin and

out from under the giant�s leg. Feldegar rushed over to silence the filthy goblin forever. But he was to rule ClanYorik. And Bruenor, who had clung to the giant�s back Battlehammer one day, and his father had taught him wellthroughout, now stood atop the dead ettin�s back, amazed the order of duties.at the sheer force of his blow and staring incredulously at Honor above anger.the first notch he had put into the blade of his new axe. �Split the trophy and leave?� he said to Toadface.

Finally they regrouped, dwarves on one side of the ettin Toadface considered the proposition, thinking an ettin�sand goblins on the other. �Wicked dwarvses!� Sniglet head and news of the dwarves a wonderful gift for thehissed, erroneously believing that Feldegar had thrown goblin king. (He didn�t know, however, that the goblinhim in as a sacrifice to the ettin. He quieted and slumped king already knew all about the dwarves and thought itto the side of his boss when Feldegar�s crossbow came up grand to have an ettin keeping unwitting guard.)level with his nose. �Left head, right head?� Bruenor offered.

Bruenor glared at his companion. �The truce,� he re- Toadface nodded, though he still hadn�t figured outminded Feldegar sternly. which was which.

DRAGON 49

DRAGON 51

52 DECEMBER 1989

In Quest of AdventureMissions that serve higher goals and greater powers

Mata peered into the void. His heart waspounding, his legs were weary, and hisbreath came in short, laborious gulps. Forthree days, he had chased Falurka theogre through the snow-covered peaks.Now he found himself in unfamiliar terri-tory. He was sure he had crossed thenorthern border into the Death Realm, aland into which wise men did not travel.Still, he could have sworn the image of thesmiling goddess on his shield had dark-ened the one time he had contemplatedturning back.

Yesterday he had managed to land anarrow in the beast, and from the spottytrail of blood across the snow, it appearedto have been a good shot. Now he shiveredas he stepped into the cave. The ogre hadscaled the steep hill as if it were a well-made stairway; Mata had struggled forevery handhold. A faint roar of cascadingwater echoed from some distant source.Suddenly, Mata heard footsteps. Theyoung warrior hefted his. axe.

But the shape that stepped forth was noogre. Its canine face and swept-back hornswere clearly visible. A deep chill ranthrough Mata. A servant of the dark god!The grip on his axe loosened as the formlifted a wickedly clawed hand and pointedtoward his shield.

�You serve the smiling one?� it hissed.Mata felt a sudden flash of cold as the

monster�s eyes flared with a blue light. Hehesitated�and shook his head.

�How, then, came you by this shield?� itwhispered once more.

�I. . . I found it,� Mata stammered, �inone of the caves below.� For a moment, theinfernal beast stood its ground. Then, witha sudden blow, it knocked the axe fromMata�s hand.

�Leave here, manchild!� it screamed.Mata did not hesitate. He scrambled out

of the cave, sliding down the cliffs until hereached the valley floor below. When hisnerves calmed, he offered a short prayerof thanks to the smiling goddess. But whenhe looked at his shield, he gasped in hor-ror. The image of the goddess was gone.

In a situation like this, most DMs can seethat Mata has committed a grievous sin bydenying his faith in the smiling goddess.What options are open to a DM for cor-recting such behavior? What prohibitsMata from simply shrugging off his mo-mentary lapse and returning to his villageas if nothing had happened?

One option useful for correcting these

by Greg Minter

situations is to set up a special adventurefor that character: a quest. In historicalreferences and as defined by Webster�sNinth New Collegiate Dictionary, a quest is�a chivalrous enterprise in medieval ro-mance usually involving an adventurousjourney.� In the AD&D® game, quests aremore strictly defined for game purposes asthe result of a quest spell. As described onpage 224 of the AD&D 2nd Edition Play-er’s Handbook, this spell �enables thepriest to require the affected creature toperform a service and return to the priestwith proof that the deed was accomplished.�

Quests are religious in nature; theyallow the DM to form bonds betweenplayer characters and their deities basedon real experience rather than on abstractprinciples. They are solitary adventures aswell, and promote resourcefulness andingenuity even more than a group adven-ture. When run skillfully, quests makeplayers more aware of the deities� pres-ences in the game world and breathe lifeinto the PCs� chosen religions.

Quests allow DMs to avoid the �all play,no pay� syndrome. If a character doessomething that radically deviates from hisalignment, it is the DM�s duty to steer thecharacter onto the right track. A quest isjust the tool to help the DM do that.

In practical terms, quests have twoadvantages. First, to run .a quest requiresonly one player and the DM, which meansthat a quest can take place almost anytime,anywhere. Second, these one-on-one ad-ventures allow the DM to really get toknow a player and his character. Otherplayers may be involved in one person�squest by taking the roles of major NPCs and monsters that the PC must cooperatewith or overcome.

The medieval RomanceWhere did the concept of the quest

come from? Most people first think ofKing Arthur and his knights� quest for theHoly Grail. The tales of Arthur, however,are really the crowning glory to an entirebody of tales, called romances, that devel-oped and flourished in medieval Europe.

These tales spread throughout Europefirst in oral form, through bards and sto-rytellers who traveled from court to courtentertaining for room and board. Eventswere often twisted to ensure that thenight�s audience was well pleased�detailssuch as the winner of a battle or the victorat a tourney, which could be altered on awhim to guarantee a good meal.

The romance contained a series of setelements. In many of them, a determinedyoung man ventures forth into the world,usually to prove his worth. He engages ina series of violent, often brutal and bloodyclashes with both human and supernaturalfoes. He encounters a beautiful womanwho is often in distress. After defeating allopponents and rescuing the woman, hereturns to his sovereign with his honorfully restored.

These stories reached their height ofpopularity in France in the 12th and 13thcentury. That period produced many greatworks, including the famous Song of Ro-land. Eventually, these tales made theirway into English literature through trans-lations such as Malory�s Morte d’Arthurand Layamon�s Brut. Often, these ro-mances were mistakenly taken as histori-cal accounts of events that had actuallyoccurred. In fact, much of Geoffrey ofMonmouth�s then-definitive history ofEngland was based on these tales.

These romances were popular for anumber of reasons, but perhaps most ofall because their tales of service to Godand country, and the sense of �honor� towhich each adventurer was sworn, reaf-firmed the beliefs of the medieval court.

Quests in AD&D® gamesIn the AD&D game, the duty of assign-

ing a quest has been given to the priest inthe form of a fifth-level spell. Since a spellof such high level may only be granteddirectly by the cleric�s deity, a quest is notto be taken lightly by either the clericassigning it or the character receiving it.

Although quest can be used as an attack.form (forcing a foe to retrieve an objectfrom a distant land), a cleric may alsoassign a quest to a member of his ownchurch or alignment. The PHB tells us thata character who agrees to a quest is auto-matically bound to its terms, even if such

an agreement was gained �by force ortrickery.� A character of the same religionas the cleric cannot avoid a �just and de-served� quest (he gets no saving throw),and characters of different religions buthaving the same alignment save at -4 ifthey try to resist. This is perhaps the onlyspell for which a PC�s own saving throwmay be worse than the enemy�s.

This article presents ideas on how todesign such �just and deserved� quests foryour own game world, primarily for good

or neutral characters. Although questsrequire some additional preparation on

DRAGON 53

the part of the DM, the advantages of suchwell-run, one-on-one adventures outweighthe extra effort spent in preparation.Quests allow players to steer charactersinto directions that large parties mightfind inappropriate or even trivial, thusfilling their characters� off time in uniqueand interesting ways. These excursions forindividual characters can help flesh out acampaign, filling it with NPCs who canreturn to haunt the entire party. (And, asnoted earlier, other players may help outby taking unique roles.)

Perhaps most importantly, quests allowthe DM to spend some quality time withindividual players. Individual characterscan easily get lost in large campaigns.Nothing discourages a player more thanthe feeling that his character�s wishes arebeing ignored. In a quest, the character isthe party!

Preparing for questsTo effectively incorporate quests into a

campaign, the most important thing by faris to make it clear to the players whattheir characters� deities expect from them.If you haven�t aleady done so, write abrief synopsis of what each deity in yourgame world�s pantheon expects of hisfollowers�a record to which both you andyour players can refer. You may wish touse one of the more detailed descriptionsin the Legends & Lore volume when com-piling these synopses. The detailed ac-counts for the various deities will give youa good idea of what should go into codesyou develop on your own. A sample codemight look something like this:

Ramat Gan, �Light Bringer� (lawfulgood): The followers of Ramat Gan mustact under these basic guidelines:

1. Selfishness and greed are the greatestsins and should be avoided at all costs.

2. Never hide allegiance to Ramat Gan.3. Show fearlessness in-battle; to die in

such a manner ensures reincarnation in ahigher form.

4. Distribute excess wealth directly tothe needy or to the church to spread theteachings of Ramat Gan.

If there are particular offenses or typesof behavior that the deity finds offensive,write them down in their order of impor-tance. This will help later when you mustdecide on the level of difficulty of thequest. Make sure each player understandsthe code of behavior for the deity he haschosen to follow. The code must be clearenough for both the player and the DM toagree on when a character has done some-thing that merits his being sent on a quest.

Initially, you may wish to limit the use ofthe quest spell to NPC clerics, which willallow you to control both the design andrewards for quests in your game world.Making a particular NPC both a religiousfigure and political sovereign dominant inthe lives of the PCs usually works well; thecombination of church and state is too

54 DECEMBER 1989

persuasive for most PCs to ignore.Once your players have participated in

several quests, you can let the players ofpriests� design quests for other charactersin the party. As DM, you are acting thepart of the deity and must reserve theright to approve any quest the playersdesign. This prevents the assignment ofunfair quests and regulates the level ofreward granted.

Try to customize each quest to challengethe character�s abilities. If the character isa fighter, it is a better adventure for himto meet an unknown warrior who defendsa misty bridge than to battle an evil highpriest�s mummy in an ancient pyramid.For a questing cleric, the opposite mightbe true. Try to make the character use hisabilities in creative and resourceful ways.Most importantly, reward such behavior.

Keep close track of a character�s equip-ment. In a large party, it�s reasonable toassume that someone has a grapplinghook. In a solitary adventure, the chanceof the character having this (or any ob-scure item) can no longer be relied upon.

If the quest is being carried out concur-rently with an ongoing campaign, keepclose track of how long the PC is gone. Hemay come back in several days, or he maycome back in several years! The charactercould return to a countryside that hasbeen ravaged or to a village whose inhabit-ants no longer recognize him.

If both the player and the DM are wellprepared, it should be possible to completea quest in a single evening. Give the playersome background of the nature of thequest a few days in advance. In this case,give the character the same informationhe would normally receive from a clericwhen the spell is cast upon him. Thisallows the player to develop some idea ofhow his character will deal with the prob-lems he is about to face and allow him toprepare accordingly. There�s no point inhaggling over the price of supplies at thelocal outfitter.

Designing questsGenerally, there are three major types of

quests: quests of atonement, sanctionedquests, and voluntary quests. Each type ofquest is further subdivided into threelevels of difficulty: minor, major, and great.

The type of quest is determined primar-ily by the level of motivation or free willdemonstrated by the character. (This ideais explained in more detail under the sec-tion describing each type of quest.) Thelevel of difficulty is determined by theseriousness of the offense being rectifiedor by the reward being sought.

Suppose, for example, that Edmar, apaladin PC, has committed an offenseagainst his deity�s beliefs. You have decidedthat a quest is in order. Haying given Ed-mar several opportunities to atone for hisoffense, you send a powerful priest tobind him to atonement with a quest spell.

Suppose you also know that the lichFeinjav is gathering an army of goblins on

the northern border of the PCs� principal-ity, but that the PC party�s attention isfocused on a family of fire giants terroriz-ing the southern border. Depending on theseriousness of his offense, Edmar might beassigned one of the following quests ofatonement:

If Edmar�s offense were minor (he hasneglected one of his religious duties), sendhim to spy on the goblin army, gather asmuch information about them as he can,and report back to the king.

If Edmar�s offense were major (he hasaccidentally desecrated a holy object),send him to Feinjav�s headquarters to stealthe plans for the goblin attack.

If Edmar has committed a great offense(he has blasphemed in despair while cap-tive in the fire giants� dungeon), send himto slay Feinjav and destroy the goblins.

Note that as the level of difficulty for aquest increases, so does the level of dan-ger to the PC. Remember, however, thatonly one character is attempting this task.Usually, a deity will not send one of hisfollowers on a mission for which there isno chance of success. To do so wouldlessen the number of followers the deityhas and thereby diminish his strength onthe Prime Material plane.

Quests of atonementA quest of atonement is given as punish-

ment to a character who has, in the eyesof a cleric, offended his deity and hasfailed to make a satisfactory act of repent-ance. This type of quest is simply metedout when the offending character hasfailed to use his free will to make amendswith his deity. The character�s motivationfor carrying out such a quest is to preventthe continued loss of his attributes, suchas the saving-throw loss given for thequest spell.

Although a quest of atonement is usuallyassigned by a cleric in the offending char-acter�s party, it is not unthinkable that anNPC cleric completely unknown to thecharacter might assign the quest. As theDM, you can justify such a random act byhaving the NPC cleric claim divine inspira-tion: �I was told to watch for a paladinbearing an orange sun on his shield; thegoddess instructed me to send him to thedistant land of Olek, where he would meeta man of great power. . . .�

Imposing a quest in the middle of anadventure can be very disruptive, particu-larly if the character is important to theparty. As always, assign the quest only ifthe character has clearly broken the codeof behavior established for followers ofthe deity. Make it clear that it is in the bestinterest of everyone for the character tofollow, the code established by his deityand to seek help in atoning for his sins assoon as possible. Table 1 is an example ofwhat you might want to construct for adeity in your own game world.

Sanctioned questsA sanctioned quest is undertaken by a

DRAGON 55

character who belongs to a well-definedorder or group that is somehow closelyassociated with a deity but is not part ofthe actual hierarchy of the church. Anorder of paladins or a monastery fits intothis category.

Sanctioned quests are requested when acharacter of such an order has witnessedan act that violates not only the code ofbehavior for his deity but the code for hisorganization as well. Referring to suchquests as “sanctioned” merely indicatesthat the character is voluntarily undertak-ing a quest that is in accordance with whatboth his deity and his order expect. Thequesting PC is essentially consulting withthe hierarchy of his deity’s church toensure that his plans are in accordancewith the church’s views.

The degree of difficultyassigned to asanctioned quest is determined by threemajor factors:

1. The object of the attack;2. The perpetrator of the attack; and3. The seriousness of the attack.With sanctioned quests, the actions

required are often clear to both the DMand the player. If an evil knight is wander-ing the countryside killing innocent vil-lagers, only the death of the knight mightbe deemed sufficient punishment for suchcowardly acts. For less-serious offenses,more lenient punishments are in order.Table 2 lists reasons for sanctioned quests.

Note that special consideration is madewhen the subject of an attack is an impor-tant member of the church or the organi-zation to which the character belongs.Since it is generally in the deity’s interestto promote the activities of groups loyal tohim, attacks on members of these groupsare looked upon with great interest.

Based on Table 2, if Edmar the paladinhappened upon slavers abducting awoman and child, he would be assigned amajor quest when he approached a clericwith a report of the crime. The abductionof the woman and child is considered anattack upon innocents. On a broader scale,the existence of a slaver ring could beconsidered an attack upon the character’sorder because the goals of the two organi-zations are directly opposed.

Voluntary questsA voluntary quest may be granted to a

character who approaches a cleric seekingto further the cause of his deity throughpersonal sacrifice. A voluntary quest mayalso be granted if the PC has witnessed aninjustice he wishes to rectify but is notassociated with an organization of the typeindicated in the section on sanctionedquests listed earlier.

Many Arthurian tales not directly tied tothe search for the Holy Grail may be classi-fied as voluntary quests. In these in-stances, heroes left Camelot to seek outgiants, dragons, or black knights (“for Godand country”) simply to drive evil forcesfrom the young kingdom.

In any event, the major consideration

56 DECEMBER 1989

for voluntary quests is purity of motive.With such quests, the character usuallyhas some idea of what he wants to accom-plish. Table 3 provides examples of reasonsfor voluntary quests.

In the sections that follow, you will seethat the rewards for quests increase asdoes the purity of the motives that pro-moted the character to undertake thequests.

Just rewardsEdmar (the paladin used earlier) tracks

down the leaders of the slavery ring, slaysthem in righteous indignation, and returns20 abducted orphans to a nunnery. Whathappens then: bright lights and heavenlytrumpets? Although heroes in medievalromances often refused fantastic treasuresfor their brave deeds, most AD&D gamecharacters have at least some need forworldly wealth. [See �Glory, Danger andWounds,� in DRAGON® issue #125, forrole-playing notes on this topic.]

Rewards for the successful completionof a quest may vary from deity to deity. Inevery case, however, the DM should deter-mine what boon is to be granted beforeassigning the quest. By planning while youhave time to think things through, you canavoid granting too much or too little whenthe time comes to mete out rewards.

Although regaining the good graces of adeity might be reward enough for a char-acter performing a quest of atonement,the DM must also consider recompensefor sanctioned and voluntary quests aswell as the exceptional execution of questsof atonement. It is, after all, in the deity’sinterest to grant some sort of reward to acharacter who has served him well; thecharacter becomes an example by whichothers may be persuaded to that deity’sfaith.

Determining the type of reward to begranted in a two-step process. First, basedon the type and level of difficulty for thequest, you must first determine the re-ward level; second, based on the rewardlevel calculated, you must determine howgreat a reward of the type sought shouldbe granted.

Reward level: The reward level can becalculated quickly and easily if you knowboth the type and level of difficulty as-signed to the quest. In this case, consultTable 4. First, read across until you reachthe column for the type of quest com-pleted. Second, read down until you findthe level of difficulty. The intersection ofthe row and column indicate the sug-gested reward level for that type of quest.Thus, for a minor quest of atonement, areward level of zero is granted. For avoluntary major quest, however, the re-ward level is three.

Note that the reward levels increasefrom atonement to sanctioned to volun-tary, and from minor to major to great.This structure is designed to rewardquests undertaken with the purest motivesfirst and the greatest danger second. The

reward level for a voluntary minor questis identical to that for a great quest ofatonement—primarily because a deity hasmore reason to give favor to the characterwho undertakes a quest of his own voli-tion rather than to the one who takes on aquest as punishment for an offense.

Suggested rewards: Once you havedetermined the reward level granted forthe successful completion of the quest,refer to Table 5 to determine the sug-gested limitations for each type of reward.Each of the reward categories listed in thetable are described hereafter.

Treasure or magical items: One medievalromance tells of the quest of Huon, one ofthe Twelve Peers of France. After killing arelative of the king who had provoked himinto a duel, Huon is banished from thekingdom until he returns with a lock ofthe beard and the four back teeth of anearby Saracen emperor. Along the way,Huon gathers a number of magical itemswhich help him complete his quest: armorthat helps him defeat a giant, a ring thatgains him entry into a city, a goblet thatfills for the pure of heart, and a horn thatsummons aid from the land of faerie.

Granting such magical items is the mostappropriate reward for the character whodoes not have a specific return in mindbut who deserves some sort of boon none-theless. Use Table II.A, II.B, and II.C (page120) in the AD&D 1st Edition DungeonMasters Guide to help determine the typeof treasure or magical items granted forsuccessful completion of a quest. (As indi-cated earlier in the article, you shouldprobably do this before beginning thequest so that you have the option of givingthe items rolled to the character as heperforms the quest.)

Gaining a special ability: Sir Gawain, oneof Arthur’s nephews and second amonghis knights only to Sir Lancelot, had astrange enchantment placed upon him.Whenever in battle, his strength increasedas the sun rose to its zenith until, as thenoon hour approached, he became almostinvincible. As the sun set, however, hisstrength waned and he became a “normal”man again.

Gawain’s special ability is often the char-acteristic by which he is identified. Simu-lating such a special gift is difficult in theAD&D game world, but it can be done bygranting the power of a wizard’s orpriest’s spell as an innate ability to thecharacter who has successfully completedthe quest. A special ability such as thismarks the character as favored by hisdeity, making him unique among his peers.

The reward level determines the maxi-mum level of the spell to be granted as anability, according to Table 5. Thus, if areward level of 3 is calculated, a first-,second-, or third-level spell could begranted as an ability.

You may wish to limit the frequencywith which this ability may be used by thecharacter (e.g., three times a day) to pre-vent its abuse, or allow the character to

call upon the ability only when in gravedistress.

Gaining attribute points: If a characterhas lost attribute points due to some eventin his past (e.g., he found a cursed itemthat drained his strength away), you maywish to allow the character to recoverthose points through the performance of aquest. If one of a character’s attributes isparticularly low or unfit for the charac-ter’s chosen class (e.g., a wizard with amediocre intelligence score), you mayallow the character to raise that attributeas well.

Note that, according to Table 5, pointsmay be recovered more easily than theymay be gained. This seeming discrepancyreflects the idea that the deity may moreeasily restore lost attribute points thanaugment a character’s natural attributes.Restoration merely gives back somethingthe character once had. If the restorationof the number of attribute points listedunder the reward would raise a charac-ter’s attributes beyond their original levels,the DM should decide if the character’sexecution of the quest merits this bonus.

Regaining life levels: Suppose Belfin, a9th-level ranger, has traveled deep into avast wasteland with his companions torecover a relic that once belonged to hisdeity. Upon entering a seemingly aban-doned temple, his party is attacked by agroup of wraiths. Belfin loses two lifelevels in a desperate battle, but the others,including the party’s cleric, are killed.Belfin finds himself in a desolate area withno possible chance of regaining his levels.What motivates him to undertake suchtasks for his deity in the future?

Regaining life levels has always been afavorite reason for characters to seek outquests in campaigns. Note that levels mayonly be regained—not gained—through theperformance of a quest, and that the re-ward level for the quest must be at least atwo (see Table 5) for any recovery. A maxi-mum of three lost life levels may be re-gained, and only for the completion of avoluntary great quest.

When life levels are regained, experi-ence points are restored to the lowestexperience-point value of the level towhich the character is restored, regardlessof his experience-point total at the time heoriginally lost the level.

Take the case of Belfin once again. Sup-pose at the time of the attack he had375,000 xp. Also suppose he lost twolevels, which dropped him to 75,000 xp.He undertakes a voluntary major quest,which allows him to recover those levelsbut only to the bottom of the 9th level forthe ranger class (300,000 xp).

RestrictionsIf quest is used as an offensive spell, any

type of character can be compelled toperform a quest. A cleric could, for in-stance, send a chaotic-evil thief on a questto visit his deity’s distant temple in anattempt to convert such a character.

58 DECEMBER 1989

Only characters who serve a deity, how-ever, should be allowed to assume a sanc-tioned or voluntary quest, as these questsare undertaken in the spirit of service tothat deity. This restriction prevents acharacter who proclaims no specific faithfrom seeking a quest merely to reap therewards.

Certain classes (such as clerics and pala-dins) are likely to end up on quests moreoften than others. These characters’ inti-mate knowledge of their chosen faithsshould help them recognize any actionsthat are inappropriate for followers oftheir deity.

Allowing quests for other classes (suchas thieves or fighters) is a decision the DMmust make. A deity of thieves could de-mand that his followers execute his assign-ments well and demand recompense for abungled caper in the form of a quest. Suchcases are often interesting to play, they areusually highly workable, and they arechallenging to design. However, rewardsshould be measuredsure and status, not

only ingodlike

terms of trea-gifts of per-

sonal power.Optional restrictions: Since a charac-

ter is expected to prove his worth byundertaking a quest, you may wish torestrict him in a unique way that reallytests his mettle. Some of the followingrestrictions can be more trouble for acharacter than you might imagine:

1. Limit or prohibit his use of magic on aquest.

2. Limit or prohibit his use of magicalweapons, or give him some other class-related handicap.

3. Prohibit the character from revealinghis name, origin, or alignment.

4. Prohibit the character from speaking.5. Prohibit the character from perform-

ing some common task, such as washing(to mortify the character’s flesh).

6. Place a time frame on the quest (e.g.,return within one week).

Small touches such as these give a questthat extra dimension that makes it special.If you do limit the character while he is ona quest, make sure that the punishmentfits the crime. Mata, who lied about his

Table 1Reasons For Quests of Atonement

Minor questsl Lack of fervor in faith.l Poor performance of a duty required by the deity.l Neglect of a religious duty.

Major questsl Violation of a deity’s code due to special circumstances.l Accidental desecration of a holy object or holy site.l Continued neglect of one or more religious duties.l Neglect of duty resulting in harm to others.l Blasphemy in the heat of battle.

Great questsl Intended desecration of a holy object or holy site.l Knowing violation of a deity’s code with no extenuating circumstances.l Blasphemy in despair.l Denial of faith.l Blasphemy in pride.

Table 2Reasons For Sanctioned Quests

Minor questsl An attack upon one’s own person by a member of an opposing sanctioned order.

Major questsl Attack upon a member of the deity’s church hierarchy.l Attack upon a person unable to defend himself.l Intentional desecration of an object or site holy to the deity.l Attack upon the order itself by another organized force. (The mere act of organizingan order whose goals directly conflict with the goals of the PC’s order could beconsidered an attack.)l Attack upon the order’s sovereign.l Attack upon the order’s leader.

Great questsl Attack resulting in the death of the order’s leader.l Attack resulting in the death of the order’s sovereignl Attack on the deity with which the group is aligned.

faith to the demon in the opening seg-ment, might be compelled to claim affilia-tion with a deity offensive to him whileperforming his quest. This odious dutywould point out to Mata the true nature ofhis denial in a way that a speech from acleric never could.

In the end, the real purpose of the questis to bring the character into closer spirit-ual alignment with his deity. Althoughquest has no doubt been used by many acharacter as a powerful offensive spell,remember that literature and historyshows us many individuals who soughtquests of their own volition. Once youhave exposed your characters to the joysof questing, who knows what might hap-pen? They, too, may join the ranks ofLancelot, Huon, and the rest.

Sage AdviceContinued from page 14

My DM says that a specialist wiz-ard gets one bonus first-level spellfor each level of experience he has.Is this correct?

No. A specialist wizard gets one bonusspell for each level of spells he can cast.For example, a 5th-level wizard can castfour first-, two second-, and one third-levelspells; if he is a specialist, he gets threeextra spells, one of each level.

There seems to be an error in thedescription for the second-levelwizard spell, fool’s gold. Shouldn�tthe creature viewing the gold sub-tract one from its saving-throw rollfor every level of the caster?

Yes, but the creature’s wisdom adjust-ment (if any) applies to the save.

Table 3Reasons For Voluntary Quests

Minor questsl Any quest whose main objective is to prove oneself worthy of serving the deity.

Major questsl Prompted by the desire for righteous vengeance; the PC is morally outraged by an act

that is offensive to his deity and wishes to avenge it.

Great questsl The purest form of quest; a difficult service undertaken by a PC in the spirit of service

to his deity.

Table 4Reward Level For Quests

Quest A t o n e m e n t Sanctioned VoluntaryMinor 0 1 2Major 1 2 3Great 2 3 4

Table 5Suggested Rewards for Quests

Reward levelTreasure/magical

itemsSpecial ability gained

Attribute pointsregained

Attribute pointsgained

0 1 2 3 4- Table II.A* Table II.B* Table II.C* Table II.C*

( + 10 to roll)- First-level Second-level Third-level Fourth-level

spell spell spell spell- 1 2 3 4

- - 1 2 3

Life levels regained** - - 1 2 3

* Refers to tables in the AD&D 1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide, page 120.** Life levels are regained by restoration of experience points to the lowest experience-point value of the level regained.

Do bards have to spend a profi-ciency slot on a musical instrument?What happens to their ability toinfluence reactions if they do not?

That is entirely up to the DM. If the DMdecides a musical instrument is necessaryto influence reactions, I suggest bardseither learn an instrument for “free” orthat they be required to automaticallyspend a proficiency on an instrument. Onthe other hand, a bard might very well beable to sing or speak well enough to influ-ence reactions without an instrument; thisis a common practice in the real world.

Can a ranger (or other character)who uses two weapons parry withone and attack with the other?Would the character get a betterarmor-class modifier is he parriedwith both weapons?

The only way to parry in the AD&Dgame is to forfeit all attacks, whether thecharacter is using two weapons or one.

The description of the wizardspell, animal growth, suggests that atongues spell can be used to conversewith animals�but the descriptionof the tongues spell says it cannot.

A tongues spell allows the caster tocommunicate only with creatures thathave language. The reference to thetongues spell in the description of theanimal growth spell is an error.

How close must a creature come toan object with an attraction spell(the reverse of an avoidance spell)cast on it before the object movestoward him? Does the object movequickly enough to inflict damage ifit strikes the creature?

The object moves when the creaturecomes within 1’. The object moves quicklybut does not inflict damage when it strikesthe creature.

If a light spell is cast upon a pieceof chalk, can the chalk be used towrite glowing messages? If the spellis cast on a rock, can you break therock in half and have two half-strength light effects? If the spell iscast on a vial of water, will the wa-ter glow?

No, no, and no. A light spell illuminates a20’ radius. Casting it on an object simplymakes the effect mobile. The spell has oneand only one center of effect; if the objectthe spell has been cast upon is broken,spilled, or worn away, the spell stays withone portion of the object or becomesimmobile, fixed in space. It might be possi-ble to transfer the spell from one object toanother by casting it on a mutable object.For example, if the spell is cast on an openvial of water, the spell will be transferredto the vial if the water is allowed to evapo-rate away.

DRAGON 59

DRAGON 61

The Game Wizards What do the simple folk do?

Camelot, a wonderful Broadway playand motion picture, had a scene in whichthe royalty of the castle sat around thepalace and wondered what the simple folkdid. It turned out that simple folk didexactly what the royal folk did. Much tomy horror, I have discovered the samething: Being a TSR administrator is stillmuch the same as being a simple gameplayer.

I have proudly taken up the job of pub-lisher for the TSR magazines. What doesone do as publisher, you might ask? Oneworks very hard at not rocking the boat.TSR has an excellent editorial staff, peoplewho put out 110% all the time. You mightnot like everything you see in TSR’s maga-zines, but you have to admire their suc-cess stories. The readership of thesemagazines has made them the best in theirindustry, and we are going to make themjust a bit better.

So, I am looking at the most successfulmagazines of their type and wonderingwhat can be done to improve them. I hada few thoughts—none of them were inex-pensive, however. I got the staff togetherand talked about some ideas for improvingthings, and, wonder of wonders, the staffliked some of my plans, Wait till you seethe good stuff that’s going into these maga-zines in the months to come!

But, being a happy dictator, I also giveyou the chance to make your magazinesbetter. I would like your constructivecriticism of DRAGON® Magazine andDUNGEON® Adventures, with helpfulsuggestions to make them even better.Send all such letters (not expecting an-swers but expecting results) to:

Overworked James M. WardTSR, Inc.P.O. Box 756Lake Geneva WI 53147U.S.A.

Why put U.S.A., you might ask? Youwould be amazed how much of TSR’s mailgoes to Geneva, Switzerland!

Now, let me wear two hats for a minute.I am also the director of TSR’s CreativeServices. There are thousands of you outthere who want to become game designersrind writers for our company. Althoughthis is a noble ideal, the glory road is filledwith rocks! If you are interested in writingfor the magazines, send a self-addressed,stamped envelope for their writer’s guide-lines. If you are interested in writing forthe game department, you are probably

by James M. Ward

out of luck. If you aren’t an already pub-lished game designer, it won’t happen forsure. This isn’t because you don’t havewonderful ideas; it’s because there are toomany of you out there! TSR can’t afford totrain hundreds of new game designerswith wonderful ideas. We have to use thebest, we’ve found most of the experiencedpeople we need, and TSR can only do somuch product in a year. The bottom lineon writing for TSR is: Get experience withother game companies or by writing forour magazines (or other gaming maga-zines), and you still have only a smallchance of ever writing for TSR. Enough ofthat. On to nicer things.

The editor of this fine magazine has tolet me say almost anything I want, so Ithought I would tell you what the “royal”folk do at TSR. Right now, the creativestaff is playing Games Workshop’s SPACEHULK* game quite a lot. This game’s priceis way too high, but it’s fun, I never playthe aliens because there is much morehonor in winning as the Space Marines.Milton Bradley’s FORTRESS AMERICA*and AXIS & ALLIES* games are alsoplayed frequently, and I am a great fan ofGDW’s IMPERIUM* and HOUSE DIVIDED*games. TSR is putting out a new BATTLE-SYSTEM™ booklet (available by the time ofthis issue), updated for AD&D® 2nd Edi-tion game play, so many of us have beenbusy painting our miniatures. Ral ParthaEnterprises has been producing wonderfulAD&D metal miniatures, and itsDRAGONLANCE® and FORGOTTENREALMS™ boxed sets are all the rageamong the painters here at the company.

On the computer-game front, I havelately been playing SSI’s Sword of Aragon.SSI is the only computer-game companywith the official AD&D game license. Ihave helped SSI put a few games together,and SSI’s Pool of Radiance and Curse ofthe Azure Bonds games have been bigsuccesses. Sword of Aragon is a fantasygame not set in a TSR world, and it isinteresting but unusually frustrating—frustrating in that I can’t get my armies towin all their battles (sigh). I’ve playedabout 10 SSI games and haven’t found aclunker yet.

As I look into the future at 1990, I see alot of bright spots with astoundingproducts. TSR is going to put out a newscience-fiction role-playing game. TheAD&D Horror boxed set will please every-one. The SPELLJAMMER™ boxed set will

be supported with great modules andaccessories. The Horde is going to hit theForgotten Realms, and boy, is somebodygoing to be sore! Finally, we aren’t whistling, twirling, orsinging alone. Let me assure you that thecreative staff and I listen to what you haveto say about TSR products, and we reactquickly to your criticisms. Your input isappreciated.

So, as I sit in my creative publishingpalace, I already know what the simplefolk do. I was one.

* indicates a product produced by a company other thanTSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products. The use of the name ofany product without mention of its trademark status shouldnot be construed as a challenge to such status.

62 DECEMBER 1989

©1989 by Hartley,Patricia, and Kirk Lesser

Reviews

64 DECEMBER 1989

Through Purgatoryto the ends

of the universe©1989 by Hartley,

Patricia, and Kirk Lesser

We have made mention, on several occa-sions, about the illegality of copying soft-ware. It really shouldn�t become a part ofa true gamer�s repertoire of skills. To fur-ther point out the futility of such dishon-est work, remember when we stated thatsome publishers have rather unique meth-ods by which they try to defeat illegalsoftware duplication? We received aninteresting letter from Marshall Vale ofPawtucket, R.I., in which he writes:

�While reading DRAGON® issue #141, Inoticed a rather humorous letter aboutAlternate Reality. The writer complainedabout not being able to join unions or getany jobs. What the writer had was a pi-rated copy of Alternate Reality. When Ibought my copy of Alternate Reality forthe Atari ST, I attempted to make a backupfor personal use. The backup copy seemedto work, but, like the writer in issue #141said, I couldn�t get any jobs, let alone enterany of the taverns; join guilds, or evensave the game. Frustrated, I tried myoriginal copy and, lo and behold, everything worked normally. Apparently, Alter-nate Reality uses copy protection in theform of a burned hole in a sector of thedisk. If that hole isn�t there, then the pub-lisher gives you a taste of the game, butyour character will eventually die of hun-ger. I find Alternate Reality to be a veryenjoyable game and am sad that futureversions will not be released.�

We have a column full of top-rated (andnearly all five-star) products for you thismonth. These offerings will provide hoursof entertaining challenge and adventure!

Computer game ratings

X*** ************

Not recommendedPoorFair

GoodExcellent

Superb

Interplay Productions1575 Corporate DriveCosta Mesa CA 92626(714) 545-9001

Dragon Wars * * * * *

Apple II version $49.95You can�t do much more with graphics

on an 8-bit system than Brian Fargo andhis fellow geniuses have managed to codeinto their new fantasy role-playing adven-ture, Dragon Wars. Gamers will be amazedat the high-quality, on-screen graphicspresented throughout the adventure.

On an island-dotted world called Oceanais an island, Dilmun, which is said to bepopulated with dragons. Your party ofadventurers sets out to find this fabledisland; unfortunately, Purgatory is in theway. Your party is imprisoned by Purgato-ry�s officials who follow the dictates ofNamtar, their ruler, otherwise known asthe Beast from the Pit.

Here you are: naked, without weaponry,and forced to scrape whatever living ispossible from the streets of Purgatory.This slum is a dangerous area, and youmust live by your wits if you are evergoing escape. Believe us, escape is fore-most in your mind, because your quest isnow to depose Namtar and protect Oceanafrom falling beneath the heels of thisdictator.

Your first goal in Purgatory must be tofind weaponry. You�ll probably also find adisreputable inn where tidbits of informa-tion can be gleaned from the bartender.Weapons can be found at the black mar-ket, northwest of an area where blood-sport is practiced for important papers. Toacquire sharpened steel, one must havemoney. Successful encounters usuallyreward the victor with a coin or two, butdon�t expect to become rich at the start ofthe game through combat.

Even though the game possesses a�Where am I?� feature that allows you tosee, on-screen, your current location, weadvise thoroughly mapping every step youtake in Purgatory. Eventually you�ll cometo the realization that there are a coupleof ways to escape this dreadful place.These exits can be found by listening andby use of each of your party members�skills. A rather unique exit can be tried byusing the wall around Purgatory as yourguide�but don�t get claustrophobia andpanic. If you are injured, there is a healerwithin Purgatory, but rest assured thathealing costs money.

One location within Purgatory seems togarner use in many FRPG systems thesedays, and that�s the arena. There, combatis offered and rewards are given. It seemsas though many game designers came upwith this idea simultaneously as onemethod of allowing novice adventurers toobtain something valuable without requir-ing massive amounts of experience tocomplete. With Dragon Wars, the arenacombats are quite interesting and, thanksto the save-game feature that should beaccessed prior to combat, there is littlerisk to your party.

Beyond Purgatory, the encounters be-come more difficult, but there are manyareas where wonders await you. Wanderthrough the Mystic Woods and map care-fully. Get tossed into jail in Phoebus. Theseare part of your quest to take care of

Namtar�s crooked business.Your party consists of four characters,

with room allowed for as many as threenonplayer characters (NPCs). The NPCsare met in the streets and other locationsthroughout the game, and you have todecide whether an individual is worthy ofjoining your group. You can create yourown PCs or import them from anothergame. If you manage the latter, be advisedthat none of their magical items and only afew of their most minor spells will make itthrough the transfer process.

Characters possess numeric representa-tions of strength, dexterity, intelligence,experience, skill levels, and the like. Points

are spent to create your characters, and itis best to concentrate on a specific skill setrather than to generalize. Most skills don�thave to be above level one to be of use toyou. Skills can be increased through playor purchased during the adventure. Char-acters you designate as spell-casters mustmaster Low Magic before they can learnthe other magic skills. Fortunately for all,there is someone within Purgatory whocan assist in that regard.

Now we get to the magic employed inOceana. The evil Namtar has banned allmagic (except for his use�we never saidNamtar was stupid!) and enforces this lawusing the anti-magic police known as the

DRAGON 65

Stosstrupen. In order for a character toacquire a spell, he must possess a scrollthat imparts the information for the cast-ing of that spell. Once used, the scrolldisappears, but the knowledge of that spellremains with the PC for life (which insome cases can be rather short). If one ofyour PCs finds a Dragon Stone, have himseize it; these stones reenergize a charac-ter’s magical capabilities. You cannot winthis quest unless your PCs use their spellscreatively (but not all spells will be under-stood when discovered).

You start out with Low Magic, whichincludes mundane but highly effectivemagics such as Mage Fire, Charm, Luck,Lesser Heal, Mage Light, and Bedazzle-ment. We recommend you immediately getyour mitts on Mage Fire and Lesser Heal,as you’ll need them.

High Magic is a much more powerfulgroup of spells, and there is a rumor thata teacher of this skill lives somewhere inthe Eastern Isles; getting there could beinteresting! Such spells as Poog’s Vortexand Ice Chill are among High Magic’s 20various, potent magics.

Druid Magic is for use by those in tunewith animals and the world’s elements, butit is not as powerful as High Magic. DruidMagic users can use such spells as DeathCurse, Fire Blast, Insect Plague, Whirl-wind, Scare, Brambles, Greater Healing,Poison Cure, Create Wall, Soften Stone (aneat way to leave certain places), InvokeSpirit, Beast Call, and Wood Spirit.

Another magic class is Sun Magic, theonly legal magic remaining in the land andthe most potent of all magics. There are 20Sun Magic spells, but not all of them haveknown effects. Such goodies as Radianceand Mithra’s Bless are in this spell group.Sun Magic spells are hard to locate.

There are three miscellaneous spells:Zak’s Speed for increasing your party’sdexterity; Kill Ray, which annihilates any-thing within its beam (perhaps even de-stroying the caster); and Prison, whichdumps weight on your opponents and pinsthem down.

But let there be no doubt that fighting isimportant to this game. You have manyoptions in combat situations, involvingeither quick combat or else deciding everymove for each of your characters. You cantry to disarm an attacker, cast a spell,dodge an incoming blow, or run away.Those in your group behind your leadfighters should be armed with missileweapons to help the cause.

Movement is accomplished by usingyour Apple II’s cursor keys or the mouse.You can always tell on-screen what yourdirection is, thanks to a compass arrow—that is, unless you happen to run into aspinner or teleporter. Secret doors are allover the place; all you have to do is tobump into a wall and suddenly you end up,in a strange location. There is said to be a

location, in the depths of the Magan Un-derworld, known as the Well of Souls,

where a dead adventurer might beresurrected.

With Dragon Wars comes a manualcontaining more than 160 text descrip-tions As you journey through Oceana tosuch exciting places as Forlorn, Phoebuson the Isle of the Sun, Lansk, Rustic, andthe legendary Isle of the Damned, you’llrun into on-screen messages advising youto read a certain paragraph in the manual.Some paragraphs simply offer informationabout your current location or give anencounter that you can file away in yournotebook. Others impart important datathat require you to take an action thataffects the way the game is played. Eachquery should be thought about before youanswer the computerized game master.

Dragon Wars may not present a newinroad to playing a computerized FRPgame, but it does present the gamer withan exciting quest, superb 8-bit graphics,animated characters, puzzles, mapping,hack-and-slash, new magics, and an oppor-tunity to explore a world of fresh encoun-ters. The enemy is truly evil, and you’llenjoy taking on his army of nasties.

Dragon Wars holds up extremely wellwhen viewed in comparison with 16- and32-bit adventure games on more sophisti-cated systems. It’s thanks to the likes ofInterplay and Origin that 8-bit gamershaven’t been ignored, but their gamingsystems haven’t remained static. Compan-ies like these progress onward with better.games and richer environments. If you’rean Apple II gamer, buy Dragon Wars!

Cinemaware Corporation4165 Thousand Oaks BoulevardWestlake Village CA 91362(805) 495-6515

The Kristal * * * *½

Commodore Amiga version $49.95The Kristal is awesome. The game’s

graphics are stunning, the level of playerinteraction with the program itself is state-of-the-art, and it is probably one of themost frustrating games at an arcade levelwe’ve ever played. As a member of Cine-maware’s Interactive Movie series, The

Kristal is actually based on a stage playentitled The Kristal of Kronos. The game isspace adventure at its best, where thequest revolves around your attempt, asthe space pirate Dancis Frake, to find theKristal. You’ve got to be brave, with a goodheart and noble spirit (and also darnedadept at handling your joystick) if youwish to succeed.

The graphic interface is quite advancedand, given practice, quite intuitive. Yourscreen has a main view window, witheither a personal status or “objects col-lected” window at the bottom of thescreen. In the main view window are seenall your activities, from walking to and froto piloting your spaceship. The statuswindow consists of five information areas,which reveal (among other things) yourpossessions, the number of skringles youhave earned (skringles being the moneyused in this galaxy), your strength andpsychic values, and which of four 3.5”game disks you need to insert.

Your spaceship is a wonder of JulesVerne and H. G. Wells science fiction, witha few ultrasophisticated objects thrown in.You pilot your craft using a pilot’s wheelreminiscent of those from galleons and trimasted ships of old. Two antiquatedcannons appear on either side of yournavigation station; they fire shot that iseffective against an odd and dangerousarray of hostile aliens. A navigation chartappears on your ship’s view screen whenit’s time for you to select a destinationplanet. Inside the ship, pay attention to thedestination distance meter, the ship’sshield-strength meter, the destination alertmeter, and the ship’s speed meter.

When you arrive at your planet, you’vestill got a bit of maneuvering and battleaction to survive before you can orbit andland. (If all it took was some simple ma-neuvering to get to the planet, gamerswould be disappointed.) The denizens ofspace take great pains to defeat yourplans. They’ll come at you from all sides,firing their weapons as soon as they arewithin range of your ship. These energybursts deplete your shield strength ratherquickly if you aren’t careful. Through

DRAGON 67

judicious control of your ship�s speed, youcan hang back enough to allow the aliensto come into view; then you can carefullyduck-shoot them from a distance. As thesenasties come in waves from the planet,you can quickly speed forward for a shortperiod of time after the first attack, thenwait for the second wave. Shoot, moveforward, wait, shoot, then move to theplanet.

Above all, save your game often. Weadvise saving your game each time youwipe out a wave of angry aliens.

You�ll also find yourself engaged insword fights with other space pirates.They are quite good with their weapons,so become proficient in this art as quicklyas possible. Your joystick affords 16 differ-ent movements, depending upon whetherthe fire button is held down or not whenyou move your joystick.

Collect everything you can, learn how todestroy aliens, improve your sword-fighting skill, and most of all, be patient.One especially kind feature of this game isthat should you be destroyed in space ordie because you neglected to bring aboarditems that would have allowed you to live(such as life-support systems), the gamerestarts from the point where you boardyour ship. You�ll save a lot of games inprogress before you defeat the powers ofChaos.

In our copy of this game, we had a slightproblem at the start of the adventurewhen the program began to switch sceneson us. We�d walk to a new section of aplanet, but the next scene loaded wouldn�tbe the proper one. Usually, the scenerepeated the last one shown, and ourcharacter would bump into nonexistentwalls, unable to move in directions thatseemed open on-screen. By backtrackingand reentering the scene, the programusually sorted out the problem but onlyafter several attempts to locate the correctscene.

Other than this minor annoyance, TheKristal is a fantastic offering that Amigagamers should gobble up!

Lucasfilm Games.P.O. Box 2009San Rafael CA 94912(415) 662-1800(415) 662-1902 (consumer support)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade—The Graphic Adventure *****

PC/MS-DOS version $49.95Indiana Jones is back! This time he joins

his father in a great adventure. Based onthe film of the same name, Indiana Jonesand the Last Crusade—The Graphic Ad-venture (herein called IJ—GA) allows youto become Indiana Jones and search forthe Holy Grail. Indy faces many obstacles as he navigates through sewers and cas-tles, and he needs cunning and wit to getpast German soldiers and others who cross his path.

IJ—GA has excellent graphics and anima-

6 8 D E C E M B E R 1 9 8 9

tion. The game arrives on eight 5.25� disksand provides the player with many hoursof enjoyment and adventure. The gamerequires no typing at all. All of the com-mands and inventory are presented in thelower portion of the screen. Those whohave enjoyed Lucasfilm�s other adven-tures, such as Maniac Mansion, will findthe player-interface most comforting;those who haven�t are in for a treat.

The top three-fourths of the screenoffers a graphic representation of Indy�scurrent location. With everything pre-sented on-screen for the user, there isminimal difficulty in performing tasks. Forexample, to open a door, the player clickson the �open� command, then doubleclicks on the door to be opened. The on-screen Indy then proceeds to open thedoor, if it isn�t secured.

Another on-screen menu selection is the�What is� feature. To use it, you click onthe �What is� command, then move yourcursor into the graphics screen and ontodifferent important items there. You thenfind out what each item is and know whatrequires further investigation.

The game follows the adventures of theJones boys as depicted in the movie. How-ever, there are some plot differences. Thegame�s creators watched both the filmingand editing of the movie, which allowedthem to write into the game some placesand people that weren�t included in themovie but were in the original script.

Players can actually be smarter than themovie�s Indiana Jones by performingactions different from those seen in themovie. Cleverness is measured by twonumbers called the Indy Quotient (IQ).One number shows how well the playerhas been doing on the current game. Thesecond number reveals how well the userhas done in all the situations he has playedto that point in time. IQ points are scoredwhen solving puzzles, getting past obsta-cles, or finding key objects.

There are several ways to solve prob-lems, which are known as episodes. Youcan only score once for solving an episode.Once the game is completed, gamers cango back to the same puzzle and solve it in

a different way to receive additional IQpoints, which are added to the overallgame score. The maximum possible pointsfor a series is 800.

During the game, Indy will find himselfin caverns or mazes. The screen changesto a distant, top-down perspective andreveals only those parts of the maze thatIndiana Jones can actually see from hislocation. By using the mouse and clicking,the on-screen Jones moves to the locationthe player designated as his destinationwith another mouse click.

Indiana Jones can converse with on-screen figures. As a person talks withJones, you select Indy�s answers from fouron-screen responses. Some conversationstake quite some time to complete, but allare important to the game as additionalinformation can be revealed thereby.

Indiana can also start a fight with acharacter. The screen shows Indy and hisopponent confronting one another. At thebottom of the screen is a power bar thatshows the potential power behind Indy�spunches. When the punch bar is at itsmaximum, it�s time to let the fists fly. Afterthrowing a punch, the power bar disap-pears and takes a few seconds to recoverif Indy doesn�t punch again right away.Thus, Indiana Jones can hit for maximumdamage, or he can throw several punchesof low power to keep his enemy off-balance. Either combatant can block por-tions of his body from attacks. The winneris easily determined by a knockout.

Included in the game box is a diarywritten by Indiana Jones� father. The diaryincludes descriptions of the various Grailsas well as offering hints to players intough situations.

This game has many tricky puzzles.Should you get stuck, the consumer-support section at Lucasfilm is alwayshappy to help anyone who is in a tightspot and can�t figure out what to do. Lu-casfilm is to be commended for this sup-port. We�d like to offer one important hintfor those starting out: Be certain to shufflethe letters on the desk in your office!What you don�t see is a critical key to atome of data.

IJ—GA is definitely worth the moneyand is heartily recommended. It is the bestof the Lucasfilm adventure offerings andonce again establishes the company as ahigh-quality publisher of superbly craftedgames. This game is also available for theAmiga and Atari ST for $49.95 each.

The Software Toolworks19808 Nordhoff PlaceChatsworth CA 91311(818) 885-9000

Beyond the Black Hole *****PC/MS-DOS version $49.95

We don�t even want to know how theycreated this game, because it is so enjoy-able that it goes beyond addiction. It�s likethe first time you ever played Pong onyour video game system over a decadeago. You knew something outstanding wastaking place, but how it was done wassecondary. Beyond the Black Hole (BBH)presents the first true stereoscopic gameever designed to run on a PC/MS-DOScomputer. The result is an outstanding 3-Darcade game that�ll have you wearing thisgame�s 3-D glasses for hours!

Supporting CGA/EGA/VGA graphicboards, BBH presents the best display inits full 16-color mode. Not copy protected,the game is easily installed on your harddisk. Plus, you can command your �craft�through space using the keyboard, a joy-stick, or a mouse.

You are a scientific officer sent to investi-gate some strange phenomena. Usingcartography orbs, you must check out avariety of objects in space. Two reboundfields are located on the left and right sideof your screen (remember Pong?). Thesesimply make certain your cartography orbis reflected back into the middle of thescreen when it reaches the outermostedges of the current screen.

The orbs require. fuel, especially as youquite literally dive from the peak of yourorbit into the objects center-screen. The3-D perspective has your orb flying above,below, and to the sides of these objects.Strike an object with the orb and yougarner points. Watch out for fuel pirates,and be certain to maneuver your orbthrough the fueling pods to reach theservice center itself.

There are other surprises in store forany lucky person playing this offering.BBH not only presents new programmingtechnology for games but also an excitingarcade platform that would be fun evenwithout the 3-D environment. However,with the 3-D environment and the in-cluded glasses, BBH is more than a treat:BBH is fantastic.

News and new releases

Capcom USA (408-727-0400) will donate$50,000 worth of video games and hard-ware to 10 hospitals and pediatric wings in

California. The games will enliven the livesof hospitalized children. Each hospital willreceive two Nintendo systems with moni-tors, plus a Commodore Amiga and C64/128 computer with TV monitors, andapproximately 20 video games for eachsystem. Once this California project iscompleted, Capcom will consider a na-tional program as well. Capcom should behighly commended for its commitment tonormalizing the lives of children in anatmosphere that can be intimidating.

Epyx (415-368-3200) has released a high-action adventure game entitled ProjectNeptune. Set 150� deep in the North Sea,this is a top-secret, covert operation inwhich you become Rip Steel, special agent.Allied Intelligence reports indicate that theYellow Shadow is mining uranium througha network of undersea bases to build anuclear stockpile for sale to the highestbidder. His network of bases must bedestroyed. You�ll be airlifted to the NorthSea drop site, then travel by power ski to arendezvous with a one-man attack subspecially fitted with two miniature torpedolaunchers, starboard chambers for under-water concussion devices, and a portchamber for acoustic decoys. You�ll alsohave scuba gear, a spear gun, and apropeller-driven platform. Add sharks anda need for speed, and the adventure be-comes more exciting with each newscreen. Project Neptune is for the Commo-dore Amiga and Atari ST for $34.95. Ver-sions for PC/MS-DOS, Macintosh, andApple IIGS computers are coming.

Interstel (713-486-4163) has now re-leased its sequel to the smash science-fiction adventure hit, Star Fleet I. The newrelease, Star Fleet II—Krellan Commander,is for PC/MS-DOS micros. You are now aCommander in the evil Krellan ImperialFleet. There are over 10 ship types, dozensof critical ship systems and advancedweapons to control, hundreds of starsystems to conquer, and legions of elitewarriors for planetary invasions. In ship-to-ship battles, you pit Krellan battle-cruisers against seven classes of Alliancevessels. You can send boarding parties tocapture enemy ships and even take pris-oners to interrogate, torture, or use asslaves. At higher ranks, you can personallycommand the invasion and conquest ofplanets. You are rated for each mission,and promotions and special honors areawarded. The game supports both EGAand CGA graphics modes and costs $59.95.The game includes three 5.25� disks, withtwo 3.5� disks also available from thecompany.Medalist International (301-771-1151) isgoing to release what it considers to beone of the strangest games ever producedfor computer gamers. Called WeirdDreams, this offering is for PC/MS-DOSmachines, the C64/128 and CommodoreAmiga, and the Atari ST This game placesplayers into the subconscious mind of ahospital patient as he undergoes surgery.You�ll encounter giant wasps, carnivorous

rose bushes, and a psychopathic lawnmower. Other bizarre screens show fishflying through the sky, a person trappedinside a cotton-candy machine, and ademonic soccer ball. How you confrontthe many unusual challenges affects thepatient�s health on the operating table!

Also from Medalist is Xenophobe, aclassic arcade game of alien extermination.With its combination of action, high-techweaponry, and detailed graphics, the gamelets you select two men from a squad ofnine. These fighters must then face acontinuous wave of strange creatures withnames like Rollerbaby, Snotterpiller, andTentacle, each with its own way of knock-ing human attackers out of action. Thesoldiers can fight back with a variety ofweapons, including a smoke gun, laserpistol, lightning rifle, and hand grenades.The arcade game will be released in for-mats for the C64/128, PC/MS-DOS, Commo-dore Amiga, and Atari ST computers.

Starglider II, the third Medalist release,pits the player against the Egron Empire,which has plans for complete galacticdomination. A peaceful planet, Novenia,thwarted the empire�s earlier attempt.Now the Egrons want revenge and arebuilding a space station with enoughpower to destroy Novenia instantly. Thespace station has been placed somewherewithin a distant solar system known asSolice. To protect the station, the Emperorhas placed devastating plasma beam pro-jectors on each of seven nearby moons,which are additionally guarded by theEmperor�s elite corps of starfighters. Guesswhat you�ve got to do? Piloting the most advanced starship in the galaxy, StargliderII, you must travel throughout the Solicesystem in search of more potent weaponrythan the single laser cannon you startwith. You�ll have to defeat the fighters, thebeam projectors, and the space stationitself. The game is to be released for PC/MS-DOS and the Macintosh computer.

MicroSpeed Inc. (415-490-1403) hasintroduced the first precision trackball forthe Commodore Amiga. Called the Am-TRAC, it uses fingertip control and a largetracking surface for exact on-screen cur-sor positioning: Standard features includea direct plug-in replacement for themouse, less than 4.25� wide, and a cursor-drag lock button to eliminate the need tohold down the button to drag the cursor.There is also a three-button control. Theprice is $99.

Mindscape (312-480-7667) has intro-duced Shinobi for the C64/128. You mustwage war against a relentless army ofterrorist attackers using Ninja might andmagic. Deep in the caverns of the cityroam members of an evil terrorist net-work who have kidnapped the children ofthe world�s leaders. Dozens of beastlygolden Buddhas, deadly flying fireballs,and an evil helicopter will try to stop youbefore your mission is a success. The priceis $34.95. Versions are coming for PC/MS-DOS, Commodore Amiga, and Atari ST

DRAGON 69

computers.Omnitrend (203-658-6917) has an-

nounced the Interlocking Game System(IGS). It allows multiple games to interactwith one another and share data. Thismeans that players can bring charactersfrom one game into another game, play,and then return to the original game withtheir experienced retained. The first gameto contain the IGS interface will be Breach2, followed by Rules of Engagement. Onceboth titles are available, players can playthese games individually or as one largegame.

Origin (603-644-3360) has publishedQuest for Clues II. This is a compendiumof clues and solutions for nearly 50 of themost popular text adventure and fantasy role-playing games. The publication in-cludes an impressive collection of com-plete solutions, clues, and detailed maps.The price is $24.99.

Also from Origin is Space Rogue, thefirst of its kind in science-fiction, 3-Dspaceflight simulation. Available for PC/MS-DOS, Apple II, and C64/128 computers,this game costs $49.95. This sophisticatedsimulation incorporates the best elementsof role-playing and adventure. The playerexplores a realistic universe during thepursuit of a profitable career in space. Thegame is not a linear progression of questsbut a novel story where combat, finance,politics, and reputation affect the courseof events.

Premier Technology, Inc. (415-882-7766)has just signed an intent for Maze Warsfrom MacroMind and has acquired twoother games from PBI Software: NetTrek—The Real Version and Strategic ConquestPlus 2.0. All are for the Apple Macintoshcomputer. Maze Wars will be updated (withcolor, improved game play, speed, graph-ics, and MultiFinder compatibility) forrelease soon.

Strategic Simulations, Inc. (408-737-6800)now lets you instantly generate AD&D®game characters with Dungeon Master’sAssistant, Volume II: Characters and Trea-sures. This is a time-saving utility that enables Dungeon Masters to generatedetailed player or NPCs and large treasurehordes in moments. The price, for C64/128and Apple II computers, is $29.95.

Another new SSI offering is Sword ofAragon. The Duke of Aladda has died andleft his last will and testament to you, hisonly child and heir. It is your father�s wishthat you extend Aladda�s dominion andeventually sit on the emperor�s throne inthe city of Tetrada. You must raise andequip an army of bowmen, cavalry, infan-try, mages, and priests. Hire mercenariesif you must. Just remember that, even in amagical world, you still have to deal withthe harsh realities of limited budgets andresources. You�ll lead your armies againstthe demonic rulers of the Eastern Realmswhile defending Aladda against the plun-dering raids of goblin hordes. Move acrossthe strategic map and zoom into the tacti-

70 DECEMBER 1989

cal map when you engage in battle againsthuman or inhuman monsters. The price,for PC/MS-DOS computers, is $39.95.

Clue corner

The Bard’s Tale III (Interplay)To create an archmage with ease, all you

need is a medium-level adventuring partyand a first-level conjuror or magician. Goto the Mad Gods temple in Skara Brae. Sayto the priest, �Chaos.� This sends youdirectly to Unterbrae. Now, remember therhyming word is �blue,� and a sword isyour best friend. After you have reachedthe third level, kill Brilhasti ap tarj, andyou will be automatically transported tothe Old Man. After you have raised yourcharacters, you may notice that your first-level mage is now a first-level archmagewho knows all of the spells from the firstfour realms of magic.

Steve MooreClarkston MN

Curse of the Azure Bonds (SSI)Dark elven weapons and armor dissolve

in sunlight; even though they are magical,don�t depend on them too much. Iwouldn�t bother weighing down yourcharacters with this equipment.

Scott StoecherBath MI

Hillsfar (SSI)Never use the Detect Traps spells. In-

stead, always travel with Tasslehoff infront of the group because he, being akender, is handy with gadgets and can seethe traps and disarm them. Just don�t runwith him because he will sometimes misstraps.

When jumping over small holes, Sturm�sdexterity helps a lot. Go back until youcan�t see the hole anymore. Then, run allthe way back to the hole and jump it.Sturm is best for this because he is fast. Ifhe gets killed, there is still a chance ofwinning the game.

To get to the lower levels of Xak Tsaroth,look for huge holes in the wall. These aresewers, and you can slide down them tothe next level.

Matt FoySterling VA

Wizardry V (Sir-Tech)[Regarding a letter written by Amanda

Gupta published in issue #148,] in thecharacter roster, a mage named Jaana wasoverlooked. Jaana is a 2nd-level mage, andshe can be found with the Resistance,below the city of Yew (there is an entrancethrough a fireplace). Although I don�t quiteagree with Ms. Gupta�s recommendationsas to which characters should be incorpo-rated into your party (except in the case ofSaduj), since any character can becomepowerful with training and time, I think it

would be safe to classify Jaana as an admi-rable addition to the party (furthermore, ifyou don�t like her, you can leave her at aninn as you can any character).

Secondly, Ms. Gupta�s letter gave me aunique perspective on Ultima V that Ididn�t have before. If the roster of charac-ters (including Jaana) is counted, you willdiscover there are 12 names. One of thosenames, Saduj, has special significance. Ifyou spell Saduj�s name backward, you willfind that it spells Judas, the traitor amongJesus� 12 apostles. Since the player as-sumes the role of the Avatar in Ultima V, afigure who is supposedly of the highestmoral standing and, in a way, is a messen-ger of virtue to the land, the symbolicpattern falls into place. I offer this just as alittle insight into Richard Garriot�s thinkingbehind the game. Richard Garriot, to thosenot familiar with the name, is �Lord Brit-ish,� the father and creator of the Ultimaadventure series.

David BealsWestport MA

Before you venture into the finaldungeon of Doom (beneath the Mines ofShame), you must recover the three crownjewels of Lord British. The Amulet can befound at Lord British�s final battlegroundin the Underworld. Follow the directionson the Journal of the Scribe Remoh, andyou will not become lost. The Amulet isneeded to guide your heroes through thedarkness that surrounds Lord British�sprison.

The second crown jewel is the Crown. Itcan be found in the highest tower ofBlackthorn�s castle. Beware of the stonemonsters that guard it.

The last crown jewel is the Sceptre. Onemust traverse the mountains near LostHope Bay and enter the Shadowlord�scastle itself: Stonegate. Answer well theDaemon�s riddle, or die. Be aware also ofthe bottomless pit. The Sceptre is used todispel magical fields that even the spell AnGrav cannot dispel.

You�ll find the Sandlewood Box of LordBritish high in Castle Britannia. You mustenter the chambers of the Lord. Behind awall lies the Sandlewood Box, but themusic of the harpsichord holds the key.Talk to Sir Kenneth of Lighthouse Grey-haven for insight.

Ian SmithHalifax, Nova Scotia

That�s it for this issue. Please rememberto honor the hard work of the program-mers who write the code that brings thesoftware to life on your computer. If youhave some tips you would like to sharewith fellow gamers, please mail them to usat 179 Pebble Place, San Ramon CA 94583.Until next month, game on!

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Time of the DragonAD&D® DRAGONLANCE® boxed setby David �Zeb� CookOn one side of Krynn is the great continent of

Ansalon, familiar to all who have adventuredthere by AD&D® module, book, or computergame. But what of the other side of the world?Explore the bizarre and hidden lands of Krynnin this set, complete with four poster-size maps,

Continued on page 75

72 DECEMBER 1989

Want to get in touch with a favorite artist? Here�s how!

We’ve received a large number of letters recently forsome of the artists who have done work for DRAGON®Magazine. We normally forward mail to the artistsfrom our offices, but we have obtained permissionfrom some artists to publish their addresses so thatyou may contact them directly.

Letters to Clyde Caldwell, Jeff Easley, and Fred Fieldsshould be sent to: TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake GenevaWI 53147.

Letters to any artist not given here should be sent to:[Artist’s name], c/o DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111,Lake Geneva WI 53147. Always enclose a stamped enve-lope with your name given on the return address, so wecan forward the letter to the artist after completing theaddress on the envelope.

Denis Beauvais61 Chablis StreetAylmer, QuebecCanada J9H 5P9

Larry ElmoreP.O. Box 358Leitchfield KY 42755

Carol Heyer925 Avenue de los ArbolesThousand Oaks CA 91360

Daniel Horne570 North 23rd StreetApt. 12 APhiladelphia PA 19130

Keith Parkinsonc/o Shadow GraphicsP.O. Box 101Lake Geneva WI 53147

Ken Widing212 South 5th StreetGrand Haven MI 49417

Robin Wood26384 Ford RoadSuite 102Dearborn Heights MA 48127

74 DECEMBER 1989

Continued from page 72

24 full-page reference cards, and two largegame booklets.Suggested Retail Price: $18.00/£11.95Product No.: 1050

NEW PRODUCTS FORDECEMBER

TM5 Kara-Tur Trail MapAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS� trail

mapby TSR StaffWhat’s the quickest way to get to the capital

of Shou Lung? You might want to know thatlittle tidbit when the bakemono come calling onyour caravan, and the best thing you couldpossibly have is a copy of this trail map! You geta 26” x 38” map that you can mount on yourwall for easy campaign reference.Suggested Retail Price: $5.95/£2.95Product No.: 9402

AD&D® Monstrous Compendium, VolumeThree

AD&D® 2nd Edition accessoryThis volume concentrates on the monsters

unique to the FORGOTTEN REALMS™ campaignsetting (as well as dinosaurs and beasts of theice ages). Creatures that have appeared in theFR module series and the FORGOTTENREALMS™ novels are now here for use in yourcampaign—no matter where it is located. All 64pages are five-hole punched and perforated foreasy insertion into the Monstrous Compendiumbinder.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 2104

BATTLESYSTEM� Miniatures RulesAD&D® 2nd Edition accessoryby Douglas NilesThis 128-page book, illustrated with dozens of

full-color photographs, is just what miniatures-gaming enthusiasts have been waiting for! Itfeatures a brand-new self-contained rulessystem for playing out battles with miniaturefigures, and it includes information on how todesign your own battle scenarios, how to con-vert characters and creatures from yourAD&D® game campaign into BATTLESYSTEM™game terms, and how to paint figures andconstruct terrain to make your battle scenescome to life.Suggested Retail Price: $14.95/£9.95Product No.: 9266

REF6 Complete Fighter ManualAD&D® 2nd Edition accessoryby Aaron AllstonMost gamers enjoy a good fantasy fight, and if

you are one of those that do, this book is foryou! You’ll get new types of weapons, and magi-cal items. Plus, the fighter class is expanded intoseveral new subclasses. Don’t let some wimpmage bully your character around with afireball — get this book first!

Suggested Retail Price: $10.95/£9.95Product No.: 9259

FR9 Bloodstone LandsAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS�

accessoryby R. A. SalvatoreThis book gives you rich details of the chal-

lenging and dangerous territory first seen in thehigh-level H module series. It includes rules totake inexperienced players and DMs step-by-step through the modules, including tips forgood play and how to set up your own cam-paign in Bloodstone.Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 9267

PC2 Top BallistaD&D® Creature Crucible #2by Carl SargentDo you have the Right Stuff? Would you go up

in a gnome-made airplane to prove it? Thisexciting D&D® accessory presents flying con-traptions and flight rules for hilarious hours offun. Explore the incredible gnomish flying city,Serraine, if you dare. Join the few, the proud,the Top Ballista!Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50

Pool of RadianceFORGOTTEN REALMS� novelby James M. Ward and Jane Cooper

HongLocated on the northern shore of the Moon-

sea, the fabled city of Phlan has been overrunby monsters led by a mysterious being. Threecompanions find themselves in the position ofdefending the soon-to-be ghost town against arival who is more powerful than they had beenled to believe. Based on the computer game ofthe same name—which has already sold over75,000 copies.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8417

* U.K. price includes VAT.

Unless otherwise noted:® and ™ denote trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1989 TSR. Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES is a trademark of the MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. All Marvel characters. names, andthe distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of theMarvel Entertainment Group, Inc.©1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BUCK ROGERS is a trademark used under license from TheDille Family Trust. ©1989 by The Dille Family Trust. All RightsReserved.

Product No.: 9255

DRAGON 75

If that sounds like an improbable head-line, how about:

�Marilyn Monroe Was a Skrull!��New York Housewife Bears Captain

America�s Love Child!��Elvis: Was He Reincarnated As the

Hulk?�You won�t see those titles at the local

newsstand, but in the Marvel Universe, it�sanother story. Newspapers like the Na-tional Enquirer probably run as manystories about the Fantastic Four as they doabout Joan Collins.

What would the world be like if superheroes were real? How would Americachange if some Americans had the powerto level entire cities? This article covershow the Marvel Universe (hereafter calledthe MU) has adapted to its many superbeings, what things could happen in a GM-created super hero universe, and whatmight happen if super heroes turned up inyour home town. Though this article isoriented toward the MARVEL SUPERHEROES� game, its ideas are applicable toother super hero RPGs.

The Marvel UniverseIn the MU, there have been super he-

roes as far back as World War I. The cur-rent heroic age, starting with the FantasticFour, has lasted a little over 10 years (eventhough comic books about it have beenappearing for nearly 30). Costumed heroesand villains are a fact of life.

That doesn�t mean the public believeseverything it hears. Outside New YorkCity, few people have seen super heroes inaction, and some suspect their powers andadventures are exaggerated, at leastslightly, by the press. The weirder thenews is, the more skeptical the public is.Iron Man is a lot easier to accept than Dr.Strange, let alone some blonde guy claim-ing to be the Norse god of thunder.

76 DECEMBER 1989

Spider-ManTo Wed

Vanna White!The Marvel Universe� meets . . . the real world

by Fraser Sherman

Not everyone likes super heroes, either.These heroes are very powerful, andpower corrupts. Look at Iron Man�s recentrampage against armored criminals; atMagneto, a former mutant terrorist; or atDaimon Hellstrom�would you trust some-one once called the Son of Satan? Somesuper heroes aren�t even human; there aremutants, synthozoids, androids, and aliensrunning around under those masks.

But the majority of people would admitthat superheroes do a lot of good. Societyneeds them. That�s why the law turns ablind eye (in the MU) to so many of theiractivities. It�s understood that you don�tmake a fuss when super heroes commitbreaking and entering, trespassing, assaultand battery, and other illegal activities inthe cause of justice. That�s why so manypeople in comics say they don�t like vigilan-tes. If they were in this world, taking thelaw in their own hands and answering tono one, I doubt I�d like them, either.

The �blind eye� helps some heroes morethan others. Spider-Man has been har-assed a lot by police over the years, largelydue to The Daily Bugle’s campaigns againsthim. The Avengers, on the other hand,have enjoyed government backing formost of their existence. New PCs may findtheir situation closer to Spidey�s; thepolice�perhaps even other heroes�areunlikely to trust masked strangers untilthe strangers prove themselves.

Then there are other problems. In real-world America, it�s unconstitutional toimprison a man in a cardboard box. But inthe MU, super heroes did it to the Absorb-ing Man once, as it was the only way tokeep him from using his powers to escape.The law has had to change to deal withsuper villains; punishments like this arenot considered unconstitutional if they�renecessary to keep a villain in jail.

Another precedent was set a few years

ago, during the trial of the Wraith (MarvelTeam-Up #51). Being mind-controlled isnow a valid defense against criminalcharges. (Professor X and Moondragonwere called as expert witnesses; theWraith, his father�s mental puppet, wasfound not guilty.) No doubt other attor-neys have used that defense since, evenwhen it�s not true. When it is true, it mustbe very difficult to prove.

The law appears to give nonhumans atleast basic human rights. For all the hatredleveled at mutants, no one has ever arguedthat as non - Homo sapiens they aren�tlegally human (which would mean theyhad no rights whatsoever). Although he�s asynthozoid, the Vision�s marriage to Scar-let Witch has been accepted by everyone,a good precedent if people ever ask �Isartificial life really human?�

On the other hand, the new MutantRegistration Act requires mutants to regis-ter their names and whereabouts with thegovernment. Although it hasn�t beentested in court yet, the act strikes me asbeing unconstitutional. Nevertheless, theMU government is going ahead with it.

For more on the subject of super heroesand the law, I highly recommend RobertG. Ingersoll�s �Law is an Ass� column inThe Comics Buyers Guide. It is very in-formative on such questions as suingsuper heroes, what constitutes a legalarrest, and whether Matt Murdock knowsanything about the law.

Of course, the government may step inas well. The American government haswanted its own super heroes since the1940s, when FDR commissioned a projectto create an army of super-soldiers (theproject was sabotaged after it createdCaptain America). Today, Marvel Americaemploys the mutant group Freedom Force.Super agents are certainly useful, but theyaren�t necessarily reliable. Many militant

Resisters, who oppose the Mutant Regis-tration Act, used to work for the govern-ment as the Mutant Force. S.H.I.E.L.D.tried to develop a super team, but half itsrecruits turned out to be traitors. And the

Would the situation be the same in thereal world? Would you accept Captain

U.S.S.R. has developed many super heroes

America as your President? Or would youfear that a super police force become as

(Crimson Dynamo, Black Widow, the Uni-

bad as the Sentinels in the MX Future inFlames module series? Look at the way

corn, etc.), but many of them have re-

people in the real world resist or succumbto the temptations of power, and decide

belled or defected.

for yourself. Loyalty might be a hero�smost valuable trait.

Business will be affected by super he-roes, too. In the MU, property can beinsured against damages caused by superhumans (I imagine there are personalinjury policies, too). �Super hero insur-ance� is probably pretty cheap in mostparts of the country; how many people inMilwaukee are likely to claim damages?But in New York, where buildings areleveled almost daily, premiums must betremendous.

There will be clauses and exemptions,too. Insurance companies don�t pay fordamages caused by acts of war, so anyonewho lost his house during the Wraithwarin the Rom comics is out of luck. And,contrary to a recent issue of Avengers, thecompanies probably didn�t pay whenNamor lead an Atlantean invasion ofAmerica, either. There may be other, spe-cial exemptions that may be fairly obvious(�Read the fine print. We don�t pay fordamages caused by Galactus.�).

Super heroes haven�t affected the rest ofthe business world much, but at least twonew businesses have developed involvingsuper humans. One supports the super-powered mercenary�people like LukeCage, Paladin, or Silver Sable, who operateas heroes for hire. On the other side of thelaw, we have Justin Hammer and theTinkerer, who create and repair the so-phisticated equipment today�s high-techvillains need.

Surprisingly, there has been little effortto merchandise super heroes except incomic books. When the Fantastic Fourappeared, they were contacted by the MUversions of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, whosuggested adapting the FF�s adventuresinto a comic book. The heroes agreed, andthe book was such a success that Marvelhas been signing up heroes ever since(Nova #5 shows how Marvel goes about it).Steve Rogers once drew for his own Cap-tain America comic.

New worlds So far we�ve covered how super beings

have affected the MU, A new world, inwhich your PCs are the world�s first he-roes, would be another story.

To start off, the PCs have got to get

78 DECEMBER 1989

Also, people won�t be as nice about

people to believe in them. If they�re the

heroes bending the law as they are in theMU. It�d be one thing to stop a crime in

very first super beings, people are going to

progress, but assaulting suspected felonsand breaking into alleged hideouts won�t

be skeptical (�Special effects can do any-

go over well with the American Civil Lib-erties Union. The heroes might even find

thing! Didn�t David Copperfield make the

themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit.Before long, the �heroes� may run when-

Statue of Liberty disappear?�). There may

ever the police appear, the way Spider-Man has done so many times.

even have been fake super humans trying

The government may finally decide toaccept this sort of unique law-enforcing

to cash in with trickery (�Give me all your

activity. Then again, it might require superheroes to register with the police, as well

money! You can see by my costume that

as slap umpteen regulations on them. Thegovernment might even forbid super

I�m a powerful super villain!�).

heroes to operate unless they work for thepolice, the FBI, the CIA, or some otherofficial organization (or have them do itfor at least a couple of years to provethemselves, then let them free-lance). On alocal level, towns might want residentheroes to carry a bond against propertydamage or perform 20 (or 30, or 50) hoursof community service a month as a good-will gesture.

On the bright side, a nation that idolizesVanna White ought to be really impressedwith people who can fly. Super heroescould become the hottest celebritiesaround�invited to be on the �TonightShow,� begged to endorse politicians andproducts, become the stars of movies, TV,comic books, or even role-playing games,A starstruck America might forget anyfears they had of these heroes, so long asthe heroes don�t get beaten or fail toooften. PCs may meet or become heroesmore concerned with saving their careersthan saving lives. Or heroes could becomeso popular the public will let them getaway with almost anything.

Then there are the super villains. Howwould a world like ours keep them impris-oned? If a PC captures a super-poweredcyborg, would it be cruel and unusualpunishment to remove or deactivate thefoe�s bionic limbs? If it were possible totake away criminals� super powers, wouldit be legal? And what about insurance? Ina new world, insurance companieswouldn�t be prepared to pay for the kindof damage super humans can do. Wher-ever your PCs start operating, insurancerates will skyrocket�if the companiesdon�t just cancel everyone�s policies. Thecurrent malpractice insurance crisiswould be small potatoes by comparison.

Getting startedTo show some of the real-world situa-

tions that can affect any universe, ask

yourself what would really happen ifsuper heroes turned up in your hometown�or, say, my home town.

Fort Walton Beach sits next to a majormilitary installation, a center for nonnu-clear weapons research. That makes thetown a natural source for PC or NPC ori-gins (�The laser cannon imploded, and Sgt.Farren�s glowing with energy!�) and pro-vides plenty of classified secrets for crimi-nals to steal. And if the military everdecides to create its own super heroes, theresearch and development will probablybe done here.

The military would take a keen interestin any super heroes who appear in town,monitoring or spying on them to learnwhose side they�re really on. Perhaps themilitary would even try to learn the he-

roes identities�in the interest of nationalsecurity, of course.

Ft. Walton Beach is also a tourist town.Tourism-related business might be dividedon the PCs� presence, both pro (�Thinkhow safe they�ll feel with the Protectorswatching over them.�) and con (�Every-one�s afraid Wolverine�ll be in the condonext door!�). And there�s a conservativereligious faction here, the kind that findsD&D® games to be �satanic.� I doubt it�d bepleased if real magic-using super heroesappeared (or worse, a �false god� likeHercules or Thor).

Not everyone in the area with superpowers will become a super hero. A copwho gets powers might decide to use thembut as a cop (�This badge means morethan any stupid costume!�). What about anIRS agent who reads minds? Or a salesmanwho mentally compels people to meet hisprices? Or a farmer who grows superplants? (�Just got a green thumb, I guess.�)

Do your players have any politicalviews? Perhaps they�d like to have theirPCs act on them (comic-book heroes seemto have no politics beyond upholding thecause of Good, but we�re talking realityhere). A new, hazardous landfill has be-come big news in this area; perhaps theheroes would like to crusade against it.But what if the landfill�s backers arethreatened by an eco-terrorist and the PCshave to protect the backers? What if thelocal KKK head is targeted by an assassin,and a black PC is asked to help save him?Suppose the PCs meet a hero who is idealin every way except for being an out-spoken bigot?

If one of the PCs is a mutant (and lives inthe MU), would he protest the MutantRegistration Act or sign up? Perhaps he�dwant to be a test case that a civil-rightsgroups could use to challenge the law inthe courts. Or what if a mutant equivalentof Martin Luther King appears, urgingnonviolent protest in the name of mutantrights? What would happen if he came toFt. Walton? Would the PCs want to getinvolved? This sort of politics might not beto everyone�s taste, but players with

Continued on page 91

Draconians (Ral Partha Enterprises)

Miniatures� product ratings

* Poor* * Below average* * * Average* * * * Above average* * * * * Excellent

Inn with stables and half-timber house (Greenfield Garrisons)

Photos by Mike Bethke; painting by Ann Smolinski

80 DECEMBER 1989

Terrain makers andterrain destroyers

©1989 by Robert BigelowMost countries in which this column is

read have a special day of gift-giving dur-ing December. With this in mind, thismonths column will focus on figures andaccessories that you can put on your wishlist or give to your friends.

Before we dig into the grab bag ofproducts, I want to issue a very specialthanks to all the judges who did such afantastic job at filling the Strategic andMiniatures gaming areas at the 1989 GENCON® game fair. I have been remiss in notthanking everyone before now. We ex-ceeded the goals set for the number ofgames in almost all areas of play.

Reviews

The first two reviews go together underthe heading of scenery and landscaping.Scenery is one of the most important partsof a well-balanced miniatures game. It

allows you to hide figures, set up realisticambushes, impede movement, and providedefense points for troop protection. Scen-ery, in the form of buildings or naturalfeatures, allows you to plan the best possi-ble ways to use your troops.

To this end, miniatures gamers use manyobjects to represent terrain features. Someobjects require much work to evenvaguely resemble what they are supposedto represent, but some require almost nowork at all. The following are included foryour inspection.

G H Q2634 Bryant Avenue SouthMinneapolis MI 55408

Terrain Maker: ¼� Gaming Hexes(TM2, Streams and Shores) * * * ½

GHQ has long been a major force in theproduction of armor miniatures in 1/285thscale, both for World War II and modernscenarios, and it has high-quality 1/2400thship reproductions suitable for eithergaming or display. Now GHQ has enteredthe scenery market.

The stream-and-shore hex set contains48 hexes, material to make either eight or16 pine trees, a color illustration that alsoacts as a package front, and a set of in-structions on how to arrange the hexesinto the desired shapes. These items comein a tubular plastic bag with no real pro-

tection for its contents, so be sure you geta set that is free of injury.

The hexes are made out of hard styro-foam with slightly rounded edges. Eachhex is ¼� thick, 4½� long, and 3 15/16�wide, with each hex face being 2¼� long.The tree-making material comes in twopieces, each about 1� long. The scenery-making system is based on the use ofhexes ½� thick (one hex piece stacked onanother), and there is enough material tobuild anything from a stream to a smallriver across the width of a 4� x 8� table.The directions show you how to workwith the material and plan the layout thatyou want to build. Read the directionscarefully, especially the part on how toplan for banks.

This system is not for beginners whoexpect everything to come out perfectlythe first time. It is going to require realplanning, especially if you want to use thehexes for anything more than one particu-lar scenario. You will have to take a hexsheet and work out a universal hex pat-tern, which will be difficult because of thesmall hexes. You can probably count onruining some hexes in the cutting-and-shaping phase until you learn to do itcorrectly. You will also have to provide asafe, ventilated painting area to apply apermanent finish to the hexes. Rememberthat this is a Styrofoam product and youcan use only latex paints; oil-based paintswill melt the hexes.

This is a good scenery source for experi-enced modelers but cannot be recom-mended for novices. It can be mated withother products to provide transition piecesor used to turn out very nice dioramas,but it takes a lot of time to prepare thisproduct for use, time that could also beused for figure painting. The cost is highfor the area covered, but it is reasonablefor small projects at $6.95 per package.The base-unit pack, which consists of ½� -thick hexes (12 to a package), costs $6.95.

TSR, Inc.P.O. Box 756Lake Geneva WI 53147

buildings available during the Middle Ages.Building materials then were mostly clay,wood, plaster, or straw, and roofs wereusually made from straw or slate. Stonebuildings were most often reserved forwealthy churches, defensive structures, orother multistory buildings. The buildingsincluded in the kit are not as representa-tive as a historically accurate mix mighthave been. There are no all-straw or all-wood buildings with little or no plaster;the majority of these buildings have fin-ished plaster-type walls with stone bases.The only all-stone buildings are churches.The buildings in this set do representdwellings in a fairly old and establishedheart of a city.

The kit also contains two large mats withdifferent floor and street plans. Each layoutmat actually has three different floor plansthat should be separated at the not-always-obvious marking lines (look closely along

the edges for the scissors, which show thecutting line). The mats represent well-developed urban areas with buildings andstone avenues, courtyards with wells andfountains, and palace grounds with moreopen area than buildings.

Last but not least is the 64-page bookletof urban background and adventures,which is excellent for those unused to cityadventures or unsure of how to use thisset to best advantage. The book does notreally help when the buildings and matsare used to fight siege battles or large-scale wars.

This set has a couple of small problems.The directions for assembling the build-ings are not as clear as they should be andcan give fits to people who have neverdone paper assembly before. In particular,there are two buildings that do not appearto fit together until you put the walls ofone at an angle; this at least should be

Pursuit lance (Ral Partha Enterprises)

Cities of Mystery (TSR #9262) ****½Cities of Mystery was produced as

accessory for TSR�s AD&D® FORGOTTENREALMS� campaign setting. Although itserves well in this regard, it also is a boonfor the miniatures player.

Cities of Mystery comes in a flat box thatcan also be used as a storage box if you donot assemble the buildings permanently. Itcontains four accordion sections, eachsection containing the punch-out sheetsneeded. to assemble 7-9 buildings. Thebuildings are printed in color on heavyconstruction paper. The house piecesneeded for construction are pre-cut, so asimple punch of the finger is all that�srequired to remove the buildings fromtheir sheet.

The buildings depicted on the sheetsrepresent a good cross section of the The Joker and Batman (Grenadier Models)

DRAGON 81

marked. The second problem concerns themethod of assembly; as there are no in-serts for tab construction, you usuallyhave to use tape. If the tape is removed,the building backs will tear.

This set is highly recommended. Two ofthe floor plans fit in Games Workshop�sMighty Fortress set, and Greenfield Garri-son�s �Wall Sections� can be modified to fitaround the floor-plan sheets. The $15.00retail price is good for just the scenariobook alone.

Greenfield Garrisons2814 InmanFerndale MI 48220

GG 2104 European Half -TimberHouse ****GG 2119 European Inn withStables ****

The village inn was a center of life inmedieval times. There, townsfolk woulddrink and gossip, and travelers would rest,safe from outside perils. The inn fromGreenfield Garrison accurately portraysan average hostel from this period. Theminiature is 2¼� wide, 6¼� long, and4¼� high. It is made of a blown plasticlikefoam that will accept any type of paint.The building is solid throughout, but thematerial used is fairly workable and canbe hollowed out with care.

The inn itself is a two-story structurewith wooden bracing over wood-and-plaster construction. The bottom half ofthe inn consists of an entryway and alarge three-bayed stable, a normal con-struction of the times. The traveler�srooms are on the second floor and loft.The angled roof has molded shakes inplace of shingles (shakes are wooden shin-gles split from logs).

Greenfield Garrison has also produced ahalf-timbered house having three stories,including the loft rooms. It is much likethe inn, but the house�s first story is ofbrick and stone. The second floor and loftextend beyond the first floor, overhangingstreets and alleys around it. Traditionally,this house would be owned by a rich manor have a store in the bottom half with thefamily living above. It could, if used withthe inn, be where the innkeeper and hisfamily and helpers live.

There are some disadvantages to thesestructures. The buildings are 15mm scale,but their size lends to their use with25mm figures. You�ll occasionally findsome pitting, spots that did not fill all theway; these can be filled with putty. Thebuildings are easy to prime with any paint.

I highly recommend these buildings inspite of the time you might take in paint-ing and minor fixing. They are light-weight, easy to store and transport thoughthey can be a bit bulky. The house is $5.49and the inn is $5.89.

M-3 Miniatures33 Mario CourtPlymouth MI 48170

8 2 D E C E M B E R 1 9 8 9

1003 Command SupportGroup * * * *½1005 Recovery Unit ****1010 Assault Tanks * * * *½

The Little Wars convention this year hada treasure trove of new miniatures andnew miniatures companies. One suchcompany at the convention was M-3 Minia-tures, which playtested a new rules setand vehicles. These vehicles have grandpossibilities for use with FASA�s BATTLE-TECH® and RENEGADE LEGION� games,as well as with Steve Jackson Games� CARWARS® and OGRE®/GEV® systems.

Each of the three M-3 samples submittedfor review this month contains severalminiatures and has multiple uses. Suffi-cient vehicles are given with each packetto form either a lance or a stand-apartunit, and all are 1/300th scale.

Set 1003 is a command support group.Included are an eight-wheeled truck with a satellite dish and either a spotlight orradar unit, a tank trailer with a weaponmounted on the front, a wheeled cabtractor, a tracked heavy-duty tractor, and aheavy tracked trailer that measures justover 2¼� long. The detailing on theseunits is good, with clear and well-donetracks, bogey wheels, doors, windows, andgrill work. The wheels and tires on thosevehicles having them are a little more ovalthan circular, but this does not detractfrom the models. According to the pack-age label, these vehicles can be used as agroup, forming a mobile command postwith satellite receiver, a MASH unit, and acooling truck (which can also be a fueltruck). These figures are well molded forthese purposes.

Set 1005, the recovery unit, consists offive vehicles. One is a large flatbed trailerwith a crane attachment, having a cabin atits front. The trailer is supported by foursets of tracks and is 2½� long and ¾"wide. The tractor to pull this trailer is amassive, armored, tanklike vehicle with atow wheel on the rear deck. The thirdvehicle is a four-wheeled, flat-topped vehi-cle with missile launchers mounted on therear. The fourth is a large vanlike repairvehicle with wheels in front and tracks inthe rear. Its nose is rounded, and it hasseveral observation windows. The fifth is arepair vehicle with a flatbed, mounted ona 12-wheeled chassis, with a tubularholder mounted on the rear and a seriesof cabin and tool holders on both sides.This can be a field repair and recoveryunit for �Mechs in BATTLETECH games.The detail on these units is good but notquite as good as that on the commandpack. Tread detail is good, but a couple oflinks are badly formed and the treadsseem to be slightly angled. The edges areslightly ragged on the flatbed but can befixed easily. The wheel detail is very good,but the windows lack shape and �appear tohave been added as an afterthought. As awhole unit, this is. good,

Set 1010 is said to contain assault tanks,and the figures are definitely that. No

matter what set of rules you use, thesetanks should be feared by their opponents.Each vehicle body measures over 7/8� wideand 1½� long. A turret is roughly half thesize of its vehicle, not counting its massivegun or rocket arrays. Each vehicle�s mo-tive power is provided by four treadsspread equally under the body, protectedby side skirts and armor. The vehicles aresaid to weigh 100 tons each, and theirweapons� arrays are awesome. Detail onthe vehicles is crisp, with excellent gratesand individual rockets shown in theirlaunchers. The only disappointments arethat the middle two tracks go only halfwayunder each vehicle, and a little flash is oneach vehicle�s rear.

These vehicles are excellent and can beused with many games. While the statisticsgiven for them on their packages easetheir use for BATTLETECH games, statsfor other games should be easy to create.These vehicles will extend the number ofminiatures scenarios you can play, allow-ing you to attack an enemy commandcenter or recover valuable fighting units.These figures are $4.75 per package.

Scotia Micro Models32 West Hemming StreetLetham, AngusScotland DD8 2PU

Simtac, Inc.20 Attawan RoadNiantic CT 06357

F6B-8 Goblin Cavalry withSpears ****F6B-10 Goblin CavalryCommand ***½

In previous columns, you�ve seen severalexamples of 15mm figures suitable for usewith TSR�s BATTLESYSTEM� game or RalPartha�s RULES ACCORDING TO RALsystem. The advantages of 15mm scaleover 25mm scale are many, with lowerprices being just one. But one of the prob-lems with 15mm figures is the limitednumber of figures available (most arefrom Alliance).

Scotia now introduces its fairly extensiveJacobite Fantasy line. This series closesmany of the gaps in the Alliance line andoffers you more reasons to �go smaller.�

The two samples submitted to me areboth goblin cavalry. The first set consistsof five goblins riding wolves. The goblinsare armed with spears and short swords,and they wear caps that look like cornuco-pias. They are also outfitted with packs,sleeping bags, and canteens, and are wear-ing clothes over chain mail armor. Theyhave stubby legs and long noses, and theirfaces are wrinkled up so they appear to bewearing riding goggles. Their wolves areof two distinct types, both having exagger-ated facial expressions, ribs sticking out,manes, and overly bushy tails. One type ofwolf is merrily trotting along, while theother has his ears back and is leaningforward in an attack position.

The command set contains three goblinsand their mounts, with the same types ofwolf castings as the cavalry set (twowolves trotting and one attacking), Thegoblin commanders all have shields butlack sleeping gear or packs. Two are carry-ing staves with long flags furled and headsmounted on the ends. The third goblin isblowing a bugle.

Most of the figures are of good quality.Since they are 15mm (even though theyare a little big for that scale), they lack thedetail usually found on 25mm figures.Some of the different castings� ends arenot as well defined as they should be. Thewolves� manes and tails are slightly exag-gerated. You can also see several moldlines on the figures.

These are, however, good multiple-usepurchases. The figures are just largeenough that they can be used as nuisancemonsters in 25mm scale or very effectivegoblins in 15mm scale.

Grenadier Models, Inc.P.O. Box 305Springfield PA 19064

Grenadier Models UK Ltd.19 Babage Road, Deeside Clwyd, WalesUnited Kingdom CH5 2QB

6506 Batman Metal Figure Set * * * * *People in the United States have had a

50-year love affair with Batman. TheCaped Crusader has had his own comic,spin-offs galore, his own TV series, andrecently a major motion picture. His fansread about his duels with legendary vil-lains and see him grow through the years.

The set submitted for review containedtwo figures in 58mm scale. Both figuresare cast more as display miniatures thanas action or game-use miniatures. Thefigures are Batman and his most famousarch-rival, the Joker.

The Batman figure seems to be facingoff an adversary and daring him to do hisworst. He stands with feet apart, legsstraight, chest thrown out, and shouldersback. His belt with all its many compart-ments is well done but lacks the bat sym-bol from the older comics, having just asimple buckle.

Batman�s familiar cowl masks a face setin stern determination. The bat symbol,raised slightly, stands out on his chest. Thefigure gives off an aura of strength. Theonly failing this figure has is the blendingand lack of definition between the left sideof the face and the cowl.

The Joker figure captures the essence ofthe clown prince of crime. His famousshoes with spats and striped cuffed pantsare clearly noticeable; the stripes arelightly etched on the trouser legs. His vest,string tie, and tuxedo jacket with its widelapels and long tails are depicted as ifwindblown. His gloves and cuffs are alsowell done. Perhaps the most telling fea-tures are the look on the Joker�s face and

the actions of the figure. His long jaw jutsforward, and his face is twisted in mania-cal laughter as he tears at his hair.

These are excellent figures; I could findlittle wrong with them. I highly recom-mend these as Christmas gifts to anyonewho is a fan of this legendary figure. Theset�s price is $8.95.

Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc.5938 Carthage CourtCincinnati OH 45212

10-808 Pursuit Lance * * * *½

FASA�s BATTLETECH game remains oneof the hottest ones going, and the demandfor figures increases as its popularitygrows. Ral Partha has responded in partwith its lance packs. The pursuit lancepack is the newest issue.

The pursuit lance contains four �Mechs:two Commandos, a Jenner, and a Vulcan.It also contains the large hexes that act asstabilizers and prevent damage to eachcompleted �Mech. A small piece of wirecompletes the package. Ail the �Mechshave been released previously as singlefigures.

A Commando is a 25-ton �Mech armedwith wrist- and chest-mounted short-rangemissiles (SRMs) and a medium laser. This�Mech is designed as a stealth-type scoutand, as per BATTLETECH Technical Read-

out 3025, is not designed for toe-to-toeslugging. Each Commando miniature hasits right arm extended as if to fire. Thedetail is good with joints and panel linesclearly marked, but there is flash underthe arms and along the middle of each�Mech at the waistline. Both �Mechs hadalmost identical flash, so it may be time toremake the mold.

The Jenner is a 35-ton, fast-moving�Mech armed with SRMs and lasers; it hasfair armor and jump capacity. The minia-ture is excellent with no flash and veryclear lines and engraving. The only prob-lem encountered with this �Mech was thatthe back of its �head� did not completelyfill, and it came out at an angle.

The last �Mech is the Vulcan. This 40-tonanti-infantry unit is armed with a flamer,medium laser, machine gun, and an auto-cannon. It also has the advantage of morearmor than either of the other �Mechsherein, and has almost as small a targetfront as the Jenner. The model is excellentwith no flash, good engraving, and well-done holes.

I�m not really sure what this �pursuitlance� is supposed to pursue. If it�s chasingundamaged medium �Mechs, I wouldrather be at HQ than leading the chase. Ifit�s chasing infantry, that�s overkill. I�m notsure that I would have made the samechoices for �Mechs in this package.

Detail on Draconian priest (Ral Partha) Photo by Ral Partha Enterprises

DRAGON 83

I do recommend this unit as a purchaseif you need these �Mechs for other units.They�re less expensive in packs than hav-ing to buy them as singles. This pack is$12.00.

10-501 Draconians *****Draconians are the harbingers of evil in

TSR�s AD&D DRAGONLANCE® saga. Thesedragonlike humanoids cannot be confusedwith reptile men or a host of similar crea-tures: They stand alone!

The Draconians box set submitted forreview held 10 of these scaly terrors. Allare excellently cast, with some light flashon the priest figure and no deformitiesnoted. Three of the figures are larger thanthe rest (which are obviously fighters).The three large figures are a priest, aDraconian champion, and a leader.

The priest wears robes and a breastplate. The robes are bordered by a verydetailed scarf that falls to the ankles. Thisfigure has impressive amounts of detail onits belt and breast plate, and the entirefigure shows meticulous care in sculpting.The talons, the sharp teeth, and the well-done nose, eyes, and crest all speak ofpower and leadership.

The leader figure wears chain mail and abreast plate. Designs appear on the breastplate, shoulder protectors, and backplates. The foot coverings that wraparound the feet appear to be cloth andallow the talons to protrude. The gloves

are bulky, metallic in looks, and again onlyexpose the talons. Even the head is ar-mored, with only the muzzle, teeth, nose, and eyes exposed. The only unarmoredparts of its body are the large leatherywings extending from its back. The lead-er�s sword is sheathed; the only weapon itseems to have is its meanness.

But the leader doesn�t need weaponswith the champion handy. This huge fig-ure is even more heavily armored than theleader, having overlapping armor platesheld up by a large belt. It is hunched for-ward in a menacing pose, as if looking fortrouble (the huge serrated sword that it

holds shows it knows what to do withtrouble when it finds it). On this figure,even the muzzle is armored and only thewings remain unprotected.

The individual fighting troops are armedwith a variety of weapons, including bows,flails, a smaller serrated sword, and ahalberd. Most of the troops carry shieldsof varying designs and sizes; armor rangesfrom none to plate. The chain mail thatsome of the troops wear is somewhatragged (by design), and some is well fitted.The facial features are excellent, withhorns and armored heads. These figuresare very well sculpted.

84 DECEMBER 1989

This is an excellent set and is highlyrecommended to anyone who wants tothrow a serious obstacle into a party�spath. The figures can also be used as dis-play pieces with equal ease. The set is$12.95.

Game Designers� WorkshopP.O. Box 1646Bloomington IL 61702-1646

Soldiers of the Queen * * * *½

The British colonial period during the1800s is one of the most interesting partsof English history. It was said that �the sunnever sets on the British Empire,� and thevarious uniforms worn by troops on colo-nial duty were known throughout theworld. Now GDW has extended the BritishEmpire by adding Mars to its sphere ofinfluence in the SPACE: 1889� game.

The figures in the set submitted forreview have uniforms representative ofthis period, with the piping and beltspictured so often in movies and books.The back of the box shows a representa-tive selection of unpainted figures and liststhe types and numbers of soldiers in-cluded. (This box back also includes aconfusing mistake. The box says that thereare 20 figures included, but if you add upthe list you�ll find only 18. This was aprinting error, as two �soldiers advancing�were neglected.)

The enlisted troops have basically identi-cal equipment and differ primarily inposture. The troops all have pith helmetswrapped with the cloth or mosquito net-ting standard for that time. They havewell-detailed tunics with prominent raisedpiping on the sleeve and epaulets on theshoulders. The pockets and buttons areclearly seen, and the belts and suspendersare nicely done. Canteens are detailedeven to their cloth covers. Ammo pouchesand bayonet sheaths are also evident. Thepants have wrinkles from the well-detailedboots. However, on my figures and onsome figures purchased at my shop, therifle butts were not totally filled in. Therifle barrels and bayonets are slightly toolarge, and an occasional off-center moldline appears, with features not quite linedup on either side.

The officer figures have the same gooddetailing for tunics, boots, and trousers astheir troops but lack some of the latter�sequipment. Officers do have well-donepistols with evident cylinders, swords withthe proper hand guards, and excellentholsters and map or ration bags.

The major and his horse are stand-alonefigures. While the major has all the equip-ment of the other officers, he also has aset of binoculars, including the case. Thebinoculars are almost perfect in detail,with adjustment knobs and clasps on thecarrying case. The horse is excellent withexceptional equine detail including teethand well-detailed eyes. The saddle, mane,and harness details are somewhat exagger-ated but can be painted perfectly.

These figures are excellent and can beused for colonial wargaming or for SPACE:1889 role-playing. The book enclosed withthe set gives detailed painting instructionsfor many other countries� soldiers as wellas for Great Britain. This unit also lendsitself well to expansion with colonial figuresfrom RAFM Miniatures or Ral Partha. Allyou need to get started in historical wargames are a set of miniatures rules (or theSPACE: 1889 Soldier�s Companion) and apack of plastic Zulus. This package is highlyrecommended, even at $20.00 retail.

With these trinkets, we close the re-views for this month. If you have anyquestions or comments, send them to meat: Friends� Hobby Shop, 1411 East Wash-ington, Waukegan IL 60085. I can�t prom-ise to get right back to you, as this is mybusiest time of year. Until next month,Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

DRAGON 85

indicates an Australian convention.indicates a Canadian convention.indicates a European convention.

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is a service to our readersworldwide. Anyone may place a free listingfor a game convention here, but the follow-ing guidelines must be observed.

In order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timely infor-mation, all material should be either typeddouble-spaced or printed legibly on stand-ard manuscript paper. The contents ofeach listing must be short, succinct, andunder 150 words long.

The information given in the listing mustinclude the following, in this order:

1. Convention title and dates held;2. Site and location;3. Guests of honor (if applicable);4. Special events offered;5. Registration fees or attendance re-

quirements; and,6. Address(es) and telephone number(s)

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, newsletters, and othermass-mailed announcements will not beconsidered for use in this column; weprefer to see a cover letter with the an-nouncement as well. No call-in listings areaccepted. Unless stated otherwise, alldollar values given for U.S. and Canadianconventions are in U.S. currency.

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Copy deadlines are the last Monday ofeach month, two months prior to the on-sale date of an issue. Thus, the copy dead-line for the December issue is the lastMonday of October. Announcements forNorth American and Pacific conventionsmust be mailed to: Convention Calendar,DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Announcementsfor Europe must be posted an additionalmonth before the deadline to: ConventionCalendar, DRAGON® Magazine, TSRLimited, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom.

If a convention listing must be changedbecause the convention has been can-celled, the dates have changed, or incor-rect information has been printed, pleasecontact us immediately. Most questions orchanges should be directed to the maga-zine editors at TSR, Inc., (414) 248-3625(U.S.A.). Questions or changes concerningEuropean conventions should be directedto TSR Limited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.).

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSRInc. Most product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products. The use of the name ofany product without mention of its trademark status should notbe construed as a challenge to such status.

GAMEFEST �90, December 8-10The Gamemasters Guild of Waukegan, Ill., is

hosting this event. RPGA™ sanctioned events arescheduled, as well as D&D®, STARFLEET BAT-TLES*, and BATTLETECH* games. Other eventsinclude historical and fantasy miniatures andboard games. Call: (312) 336-0790.

MACQUARIECON �89, December 8-10The Macquarie University Role-Playing Society

will host Australia’s largest role-playing conven-tion at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.Events will include AD&D® PARANOIA*, CALLOF CTHULHU*, JAMES BOND*, TRAVELLER*,STAR WARS*, MERP*, WARHAMMER*, SPACE:1889*, JUDGE DREDD*, and board games andfreeforms. Registration is $30 Australian for theweekend or $3 Australian per session with a $7registration fee. Write to: M.U.R.P.S., P.O. Box1577, Macquarie Centre, North Ryde NSW 2113,AUSTRALIA.

TRITICON I, December 8-11Students Tempted by Adventure, Fame, and

Fortune (S.T.A.F.F.) will host their first conven-tion at the Price Center on the University ofCalifornia—San Diego campus. Events willinclude AD&D®, BATTLETECH*, CAR WARS*,and COSMIC ENCOUNTERS* tournaments;DIPLOMACY*, HOW TO HOST A MURDER*,GAMMA WORLD®, TRAVELLER*, and WAR-HAMMER* games, and a live dungeon. Prizeswill be awarded to tournnment winners. Otherevents include open gaming, SCA demonstra-tions, a figure painting contest, a dealers room,and a flea market. Registration is $12 ($10) atthe door for the weekend, and $5 ($4) each dayat the door (UCSD students receive the dis-counted rates in parentheses; include ID num-ber when registering). Write to: TRITICON IPrice Center, E-30, UCSD, La Jolla CA 91093.

WINTER FANTASY, January 5-7, 1990The RPGA™ Network will sponser WINTER

FANTASY at the Ramada Inn Airport at Milwau-kee, Wis. Special room rates are available bycontacting the hotel at (414) 764-5300. Sanc-tioned events include AD&D® Grand Masters,AD&D ® Masters, AD&D® Feature, AD&D®

Benefit, MARVEL SUPER HEROES™, TOPSECRET/S.I.™, PARANOIA*, and other tourna-ments. Other activities include a writers semi-nar, Saturday morning breakfast, Sundaybrunch, open gaming, and a dealers’ area. Allgaming is free except for the benefit tourna-ment. Limited preregistration is available toRPGA Network members: contact Network HQ

for a form. Registration fees for the entireweekend are $15. Send a SASE to RPGA™Network, P.O. Box 515, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

WOTTACON �90, January 6The Guild of Melee and Magic’s second con-

vention will be held at Goldsmiths’ College, NewCross, London SE14. Wottacon will have live-action, tabletop, and PBM rolw-playing, as wellas war gaming and board games. There will becompetitions, demonstrations, a large numberof trade stands and rooms in which to game.Write to: Alan Bishop 127 Queen Adelaide Ct.,Penge, London SE20 7EB, UNITED KINGDOM;or call: 01-659-4857.

suites. Guests will include Michael P. Kube-McDowell, Robert E. Vardeman, David Cherry,Danny Gill, Wilson “Bob” Tucker, Stan Bruns,and Dick and Nicki Lynch Registration is $25 bymail or at the door. Send an SASE to: CHATTA-CON XV, Box 23908, Chattanooga TN 37422; orcall: (404) 591-9322 (no collect calls, please).

CHATTACON XV, January 12-14CHATTACON XV will be held at The Chatta-

nooga Choo-Choo, Chattanooga, Tenn. Accom-modations are $60 flat, $85 for sleeper car

NEW MEXICON I, January 12-14This science-fiction/science-fact convention

will be held at the Las Cruces Hilton Inn. Inaddition to gaming, featured are a variety ofpeople from science and the arts to hold paneldiscussions and give demonstrations and lec-tures. Confirmed guests are G. Harry Stein asscientist guest of honor; Real Musgrave as artistguest of honor; James P. Hogan as author guestof honor; and Jim Davidson, Laurie Wiggins, Dr.Mike Hyson, and Greg Kennedy as scientistguests. Author guest speakers will be WalterJohn Williams, George Alex Effinger, SonniCooper, and James Theisen. Write to: NEWMEXICON I, Box 3836, New Mexico State Uni-versity, Las Cruces NM 88003-3836; or call LewMaestas evenings at: (505) 522-0115, or GaylordTeague at: (505) 521-3828.

GAME-A-THON 7, January 14-15This 24-hour convention will be held at the

Town Center Hall, 11740 E. Telegraph Road,Santa Fe Springs, Calif. A variety of role-playinggames, board game tournaments, and miniatureevents will be featured, including AD&D®,CHAMPIONS*, PARANOIA*, SHADOWRUN*,STAR WARS*, GURPS*, AXIS & ALLIES*, CIVILI-ZATION*, EMPIRE BUILDER*, WARHAMMERFANTASY BATTLES*, WARHAMMER 40,000*,BATTLETECH*, and ADEPTUS TITANICUS* games. There will also be computer games,continuous movies, seminars, demonstrations, afigure painting contest, and a hucksters’ room.Advance registration is $5 until January 8.Registration at the door is $7.50. Write to:GAME-A-THON 7, c/o Santa Fe Springs Gamers’Assn, P.O. Box 2434, Santa Fe Springs CA 90670;or call Callahan at: (213) 863-7893.

86 DECEMBER 1989

PROJECT GENESIS �90, January 14-15Project Genesis is expanding to two days! It

will be held at the Ramada Inn, 324 E. ShawAvenue, Fresno, CA. Tournament and openevents include AD&D®, BATTLETECH*, STARFLEET BATTLES*, STAR WARS*, TOON*, andother games. Also scheduled are computergaming, Japanimation, a miniatures contest, anda swap meet. Preregistration is $6 for both daysbefore Jan. 2; after that, all registrations are$10. Dealers, swappers, and judges are wanted.Write to: PATCO, c/o Phillip S. Pittz, 5415 E.Washington, Fresno CA, or call (209) 255-4682.Make checks payable to Phillip S. Pittz.

PANDEMONIUM VII, January 20-21The General Staff is pleased to announce that

Pandemonium VII will be held at the RyersonHub Cafeteria, Jorgenson Hall, Ryerson Poly-technic Institute, 300 Victoria St., Toronto,Ontario. Highlights include two game auctions,over 50 tournaments, a miniatures contest, andmany local dealers. Prizes will be awarded totournament winners. Registration at the door is$10 Canadian per day. Write to: PandemoniumVII, c/o 17b Wales Avenue, Toronto, Ontario,CANADA M5T 1J2; or call: (416) 597-1934.

CANCON �90, January 26-28Come to Canberra, Australia, for three days of

miniatures and board gaming! Also role-play inAD&D®, CALL OF CTHULHU*, MEGATRAVEL-

Box 1016, Canberra, ACT, AUSTRALIA, 2601(non-Australian residents should send Interna-tional Reply Coupons, not SASEs); or call: +61-62-54-9926.

GENERICON VI, January 26-28Sponsored by the Rensselear Science Fiction

Assoc., it will take place on the campus of theRensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NewYork. Guests of Honor are Barry B. Longyearand Pat Morrisey. Other guests include Chuckand Sue Rothman, Jeff Carver, David Kyle andEsther Friesner. Events include numerouspanels, story circles, an art show, a hucksters�room, a video room, and a Japanimation room.Games include AD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, CLAY-O-RAMA, BATTLETECH*, and STAR FLEET BAT-TLES* games. Memberships are $12 before Jan.19; after that, they�re $15. Write to: GenericonVI RSFA, c/o Rensselear Union, Troy NY 12180.

WARCON �90, February 2-4Texas� oldest gaming convention will be held

at Texas A&M University in College Station, Tex.Featured events include an RPGA� AD&D® andCHAMPIONS* Open Team Tournaments. Otherevents include a variety of board games, RPGs,miniatures, a dealers� room, and 24-hour opengaming. Registration is $8 before the conven-tion, and $11 at the door. Write to: MSCNOVA,P.O. Box J-l, Memorial Student Center, TexasA&M University, College Station TX 77844; or

mingham, Ala. (formerly the Holiday Inn�Medical Center). The guests of honor will beRobert R. McCammon and Jennifer Roberson.Other guests include Buck and Juanita Coulsonand Bill Bryer as well as guest artists LarryElmore, Doug Chaffee, Ruth Thompson, andCraig Brasfield. Events include an art show, ashort fiction contest, miniatures contests, a suitewith gaming, a masquerade, a video room, adance, and Southern hospitality! Registration is$15 until Jan. 15, $20 thereafter. Write to:CONTINUITY �90, c/o P.O. Box 55302, Birming-ham AL 35255-0302.

JACKSONVILLE SKIRMISHES �SOFebruary 9-11

SKIRMISHES presents this role-playing andwar gaming convention at the JacksonvilleMotel on the Riverwalk, 565 South Main Street,in Jacksonville, Fla. Room rates are $52 for oneto four persons. Events will include AD&D®game features, along with TRAVELLER*, STARFLEET BATTLES*, CAR WARS*, and SEEKRIEG*games. Other events will include board gaming,a KILLER* tournament, dealers, a miniatures-painting contest, demonstrations by the SCA,and many other role-playing and historicalevents. Hotel reservations may be made bycalling: (904) 398-8800. Registration is $18 forthe entire weekend. Send your registration feeto receive a program booklet. Write to: SKIR-MISHES, P.O. Box 2097, Winter Haven FL 33883;

LER*, RUNEQUEST*, ROLEMASTER*, MERPS*,CHAMPIONS*, and EVENTYDE* games, plusfreeforms and an RPGA� Network triad ofAD&D®, PARANOIA*, and TOP SECRET/S.I.�games. Write to: Canberra Games Society, GPO

call: (409) 845-1515.

CONTINUITY 1990, February 9-11This convention will be held at the Parliament

House at 20th St., and 4th Avenue South, Bir-

or call: (813) 293-7983.

DUNDRACON XIV, February 16-18This convention will be held at the Oakland

DRAGON 87

Airport Hyatt, 455 Hegenberger Road, OaklandCA 94621 (mention our name for special rates).Events include over 120 sponsored games in avariety of formats�fantasy, modern, and sci-ence fiction. Plus seminars, board games, minia-tures, a huge dealers� room, a flea market, aminiatures contest, SCA demonstrations andarmor displays, and a lot of open gaming space.Registration is $25 until Feb. 1; $30 at the doorfor the whole convention, or $15 for one day.Write to: DUNDRACON, 386 Alcatraz Avenue,Oakland CA 94618.

GENGHIS CON XI, February 16-18Staged by the Denver Gamers Assoc., this

convention�s activities include board games,role-playing, computer games, miniatures,auctions, and a miniatures-painting competition.Events include AD&D®, VICTORY IN THE PA-CIFIC*, CIVILIZATION*, KINGMAKER*,ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER*, BATTLETECH*,JOHNNY REB*, NAPOLEONICS*, COMBINEDARMS*, EMPIRE*, and PARANOIA* games, withRPGA� tournaments, and the nationally knownPUFFING BILLY* tournament, a railroad gamecompetition. Registration is $15 for the weekenduntil January 31, $20 after that. Write to: Den-ver Gamers� Assoc., P.O. Box 11369, Denver CO80211; or call: (303) 443-3849.

NOT-A-CON, TOO, February 23-25�Too� is the second of its kind to be held by

the Clemson University Adventurers� Guild.

games, and board games are planned, includingAD&D®, D&D®, CAR WARS*, STAR FLEETBATTLES*, TRAVELLER*, BATTLETECH*, CALLOF CTHULHU*, CHAMPIONS*, and HARPOON*games. Many of the events will be tournamentswith prizes for top players. Preregistration is$15 for the weekend, or $10 per day. Registra-tion at the door is $20 for the weekend, or $12

per day. Gamers under 17 are free if accompa-nied by an adult. All who attend will be eligiblefor door prizes. Write to: LEHICON II, P.O. Box1864, Bethelehem PA 18016-1864.

There will be a two-round AD&D® 2nd Editiontournament, a two-round CHAMPIONS* tourna-ment, and a STAR WARS* tournament, withopen gaming and (we hope) an organized fan-tasy art show. Costumes are encouraged. Regis-tration is $15 for the weekend, or $10 per day.The preregistration deadline is Jan. 20. Write to:Adventurers� Guild, Box 7979, Clemson Univer-sity, Clemson SC 29632; or call John Jay Jacobsor Mark Stofega at: (803) 654-2103.

CHIMERACON VI, March 2-4After a year�s absence, CHIMERACON returns

to the University of North Carolina�s CarolinaUnion. Among the many guests are Paul B.Thompson and Tonya R. Carter. Gaming guest ofhonor is Rob Bell. An expanded gaming area willbe open all weekend, along with Japanimationfilms/videos, an art show, comics, dealers, acomputer room, the Outer Limits Cantina,panels and demonstrations, writers� workshops,and a costume contest. Special lodging rates areavailable. Registration is $9 for one day, $12 fortwo days, or $15 for the entire weekend. Prere-gistration is $12 for the weekend. Write to:CHIMERACON VI, 625 Hinton James, UNC-CH,Chapel Hill NC 27514; or call: (919) 933-4703.

WOLFCON III, March 2-4WOLFCON is back for its third year in Arcadia

University�s Beveridge Arts Centre. Some of theparticipants are: the Fantasy Field Trip Society,the Dr. Who Society Prydonian Academy, theMonty Python Appreciation Society, and TheStranger the Better club. There will also be twomovie rooms, work-shops, lectures and opengaming, along with movie, short story, costumeand art competitions. Preregistration: $10Canadian until March 1, $12 Canadian at thedoor. Write to: WOLFCON, Wolfville, N.S., CAN-ADA B0P 1X0; or call: (902) 542-7133.

OWLCON XI, March 9-11Rice University�s WARP and RSFAFA will hold

this convention at Rice University. TournamentsLEHICON II, March 2-4

The Lehigh Valley Gamers Assoc., will sponsorthis convention at the Sheraton in Easton, Pa.Special room rates are available by mentioningthe sponsors. A wide variety of RPGs, war

will be held for RUNEQUEST*, PARANOIA*,CALL OF CTHULHti*, TRAVELLER*, DIPLO-MACY*, ILLUMINATI*, CIVILIZATION*,

8 8 D E C E M B E R 1 9 8 9

90 DECEMBER 1989

BATTLETECH*, STAR FLEET BATTLES*, ASL*,WORLD IN FLAMES*, and, of course, AD&D®games. Open gaming and other tournaments arealso available. Prizes will be awarded for sometournaments. Registration will be held in SewallHall. Pre-registration fees are $10 for a three-daypass. Registration at the door will be $12 for athree-day pass; $4 for Friday or Sunday, and $5for Saturday. Write to: RSFAFA, OWLCON Pre-Registration, P.O. Box 1892, Houston TX 77251

SCRYCON �90, March 10Sponsored by the Seekers of the Crystal

Monolith Gaming Club, this eighth annual one-day tournament will be held at OakwoodSchool, 515 South Road, Poughkeepsie NY.There will be AD&D® and other games, a minia-tures contest, and a flea market. Preregistrationis $6, or $8 at the door Write to: SCRYCON ’90,P.O. Box 896, Pleasant Valley NY 12569. Space islimited, so please preregister!

ABBYTHON 8, March 24-25The Community Center in Abbyville, Kans.,

once again becomes the Guild Hall for theAbbython Adventure Guild’s eighth annual 24-hour RPG marathon. New members are wel-come, and the best players will be awardedprizes for their efforts. Admission is $7. Writeto: ABBYTHON, Box 96, Abbyville KS 67510.

EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN �SO, March 24-25This convention will be held at the Student

Center of Southern Illinois University at Carbon.dale. A wide variety of events are offered,including an RPGA™ AD&D® tournament,miniatures judging, and a games auction. Prere-gistration is $8 for both days; one- and two-daypasses are $5 and $10 at the door. Send a SASEto: S.I.U. Strategic Games Society, Office ofStudent Development, Southern Illinois Univer-sity Carbondale IL 62901-4425; or call: John P.Hults at (618) 457-8846.

KETTERING GAME CONVENTIONMarch 24-25

This convention will be held at the Rose E.Miller Recreation Center in Kettering, Ohio.Events include extensive board gaming, FRPGs,miniatures, a dealers’ area, and a game auction.Admission is 50 cents per day for those 12 andunder, $2 per day for those 13 and over, or $3for both days. Write to: Bob Von Gruenigen,2013 Gay Dr., Kettering OH 45420.

COASTCON XIII, March 30-April 1This convention it will be held at the Missis-

sippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and ConventionCenter in Biloxi, Miss. Guests include Joe W.Lansdale, Sandy Peterson, Robert Petitt, WalterIrwin, George Alec Effinger, Gregory Nicholl,and Sidney Williams. Events include gamingtournaments, a dance, an art show, an auction,filksinging, a dealers’ room, movies, a costumecontest, a live-action RPG, and a charity auction.Registration is $15 until Feb. 1; or $20 at thedoor. Write to: COASTCON XIII, P.O. Box 1423,Biloxi MS 39533-1423.

I-CON IX, March 30-April 1The East Coast’s largest convention of sci-fi,

fantasy, and science fact will be held on thecampus of the State University of New York atStony Brook on Long Island. Scheduled guestsare Steve Jackson, Alan Dean Foster, RobertBloch, C. J. Cherryh, David Kyle, Timothy Zahn,Patricia McKillip, and Sam Moskowitz. Eventsinclude an art show, print shop, dealers’ room,two movie tracks, a writers’ workshop, gaming,

Japanimation, comics, media guests, science andtech speakers, artists, authors and editors, twovideo rooms, film previews, and slideshows!Registration: $16 until December 31, $18 untilMarch 15, or $20 at the door. One-day passesare available at the door. Send a SASE to: I-CONIX, P.O. Box 550, New York NY 11790.

PENTECON �90, March 30-April 1The Cornell Strategic Simulations Society! is

sponsoring the 2nd annual PENTECON to beheld at the Cornell campus in Ithaca, N.Y. Eventsinclude TITAN*, DIPLOMACY*, CAR WARS*,and AD&D® games, as well as many other RPGsand war games; a dealers’ room, open gaming,and bridge are also offered. Preregistration is$8. Write to: Cornell Strategic SimulationsSociety, c/o Peace Studies Program, 180 UrisHall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853.

STELLARCON XV, April 6-8This sci-fi/fantasy/horror convention will be

held at the University of North Carolina atGreensboro. Featured are guest speakers, pan-els, discussions, and writers’ workshops. Tenta-tive guests are Marion Zimmer Bradley, HalClement, Dennis and Kristina Etchison, SamGrainger, Joe Lansdale, Frederick Pohl, Richardand Janice Preston, and Allen Wold. Otheractivities include a dealers’ room, art and cos-tume contests, SCA, Japanimation, schlocktheater, fan clubs, model displays, a cabaret,open gaming, and films. Registration beforeJanuary 31 is $8 per day, or $20 for the week-end; after January 31, it’s $10 per day, or $25for the weekend. Inquiries are now being ac-cepted for the dealers’ room, advertising in theconvention program, and for additional spon-sors. Write to: STELLARCON XV, Science FictionFantasy Society, P.O. Box 4, Elliot UniversityCenter, UNCG, Greensboro NC 27412.

JAXCON SOUTH �90, April 20-22Jacksonville’s Cowford Dragoons are hosting

the South’s oldest full-service gaming conventionat Jacksonville Florida’s Civic Auditorium. Fea-tured are: RPGA™ AD&D® adventures, withAD&D®, SNIPER™, CIVILIZATION*, GHOST-BUSTERS*, SEEKRIEG*, NAPOLEONICS*,BATTLETECH*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, WRG*,ILLUMINATI*, SPACE 1889*, TRAVELLER*,ELEMENT MASTERS*, WARHAMMER*, ROBO-TECH*, STAR WARS*, and microarmor games.There will also be computer and board gaming,a swap meet/flea market, a dealers’ area, andmovies. Write to: JAXCON SOUTH ’90, P.O. Box4423, Jacksonville FL 32201.

OURCON II, April 20-22This year’s convention will be held on the

campus of the University of North Carolina inChapel Hill. There will be three RPGA™ AD&D®tournaments, as well as open gaming, boardgames, miniatures, and CLAY-O-RAMA. Write to:OURCON II, 605 Jonesberry Road, Box SS-7,Carrboro NC 27510.

ORIGINS/DRAGON CON �90, June 28-July 1The 1990 National Gaming Exposition and

Trade Show will be held at the Atlanta Hiltonand Towers, Atlanta, Ga. Guests of honor areTom Clancy and Doug Niles, with more guests tobe announced. Role-playing, strategic, minia-tures, and computer game tournaments will beheld around the clock. Other activities includepanels and workshops, game and consignmentauctions, a masquerade, an art show and printshop, and video rooms! Write to: ORIGINS ’90,Box 47696, Atlanta GA 30362.

CONJUNCTION, July 27-29This convention will take place at New Hall

College, Cambridge, England. The guest ofhonor will be Gregory Stafford. Events includenumerous RPGs, panels, a masquerade, and adealers� area. Membership is £12 for those over18. Write to: CONJUNCTION, 25 Wycliffe Road,Cambridge CB1 3JD, UNITED KINGDOM.

1990 GEN CON® Game Fair, August 9-12Make your plans now to attend the biggest

and best game convention of them all, at theMECCA Convention Center, Milwaukee, Wis.! An�Early Bird� registration form is located withinthis issue. Be one of the first to reserve yourspot for this incredible game fair. We�ve pulledin over 10,000 people for two years running!Write to: 1990 GEN CON® Game Fair, PO. Box756, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

GEORGIA FANTASY CON �90September 28-30

This celebration of fantasy and horror is goingto be held at the OMNI International Hotel andConvention Center, Atlanta, Ga. The guest ofhonor is Michael Moorcock, with many moreguests to be announced. Events include fourtracks of panels and workshops, a masquerade,an art show and print shop, video rooms, art,and consignment auctions! Write to: GEORGIAFANTASY CON, Box 148, Clarkston GA 30021.

EditorialContinued from page 5

Other conventions have done similarthings (and I would love to hear from theirorganizers to find out how they did it).

The RPGA Network offered one piece ofadvice to me on this topic. If you want todonate some of your convention�s pro-ceeds to a helpful organization, contactseveral such organizations long before-hand and let them know what you areplanning. Get them to respond and explainhow they will use your donation, thenchoose the one that you feel will do thebest job. If you are going to help others,help them wisely.

A convention may even support severaldifferent organizations and causes, ifdonations are made from different events.These events could be made regular con-vention features, offering the most chal-lenging tournaments or entertainingauctions.

If you do nothing else, you can alwaysset up a secure box for voluntary contri-butions, advertising its presence to allgamers and staff. At the end of the con, leteveryone know how much was collected�and keep a year-by-year track of yourdonations (that seems to encourage betterdonations over time).

At Home: Okay, so you aren�t a conven-tion organizer or even a convention goer.But you have meetings with your fellowgamers at your home. You can still help.

Set up a voluntary tithing system foryour campaign. Does your paladin have tomake his monthly donation to his church?Toss a quarter into a piggy bank each timehe does so. Does your thief have to givethe guild a cut of his weekly profits? Dropa dime into a jar after you cross off hisgold pieces. Is it time for your warrior tobuild a castle? Toss a dollar into the kitty.After three months, add it all up and sendit off�with everyone�s contribution goingto his or her favorite real-world cause�and start over again. Even dumping pocketchange into your �savings� can add upover the weeks.

And what if you live alone and play sologames? Toss a quarter into the pot everytime you play out an adventure on paperor on your computer, and see it add up.

Picking a cause is easy, and every playercan have a different cause. What worriesyou most: disaster relief? educationalquality? pollution control? medical ad-vancement? Does your local library,school, or hospital need a new wing? Doyou have brothers, sisters, cousins, orfriends who live in areas hard-hit by disas-ter or poverty? Have you had enough ofsitting around and listening to the newsrather than making the news yourself?Then do something about it!

The Bottom Line: It is a fact that 99%of all player characters do not care aboutanyone else but themselves. That�s theway things are in most role-playing games.But that does NOT have to be the waythings are in real life. You are greater thanthat, and you can make a difference in thelives of thousands, if not millions, of peo-ple in any part of the world you choose.

And all you have to do is play games.Hell of a system, isn�t it?

For the good of our world, give it yourbest.

Spider-manContinued from page 78

strong views might enjoy putting them tothe test.

A final thoughtYou don�t have to make your game �real-

istic� if you don�t want to. Realism is notan end in itself. If you think the real worldwould hate, fear, and outlaw super heroes,but you and your players don�t like thatidea, don�t use it. The purpose of realismin gaming is simply to make the gamemore enjoyable. RPGs are meant to be fun,after all.

MARVEL, MARVEL SUPER HEROES, MARVELUNIVERSE, and all Marvel characters, names, andlikenesses are trademarks of Marvel EntertainmentGroup, Inc.Copyright ©1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.All Rights Reserved.

DRAGON 91

92 DECEMBER 1989

ForumContinued from page 7

Slipping down behind the altar, the magegulped down three potions of extra-healing,then cast an invisibility spell and fell asleep.Tymora was with him, and he was not discov-ered. Memorizing a few spells when he awoke,he recast the invisibility spell and continued on.He went into another room, this time the sleep-ing quarters of the monsters. Still invisible, hebacked into a far corner and waited. Inside theroom were three orcs, one being extremelylarge. One orc left just as the mage completed aweb spell over the doorway. Facing the twoother orcs, he cast a flaming sphere spell andkilled one orc instantly. The second, whilewounded, charged the mage with his bastardsword +1 raised; the blade bit deep. The magedispatched the orc with a series of magic missileattacks, then searched the bodies. On the largerone, he discovered a brass key. There was onlyone way to go, so he continued on.

Coming to a large iron door, he placed the keyinto the lock. When he entered the room, theremaining orc was at the other end of the room,preparing for battle. He wore full plate mail andwielded a two-handed sword +1, with a broochof absorption pinned to his breast. When themage entered, he cast a magic missile spell. Theorc survived and gulped down a potion ofsuper-heroism. With a wild battle cry, he lungedforward. The mage then cast a lightning boltspell that was promptly absorbed by thebrooch. The orc swung wildly and hit the magetwice. The mage then cast a burning hands spellat the orc and destroyed it. Exhausted, heflopped down and sighed. He had faced a hand-ful of �wimpy� monsters and barely survived.The adventure was finally over!

In the above example, some simple humanoidswere made more powerful and challenging by afew simple one-shot or weak magical items. Italso made the mage think about what he shoulddo when encountering lesser humanoids, andwhat defenses they might have up their sleeve.

Jason DunnCalgary, Alberta

I am writing in response to David Howery�sarticle, �The Corrected Cavalier� (DRAGON issue#148). That is a somewhat facetious title sincethe AD&D cavalier class was fine long beforeMr. Howery �corrected� it. I will respond toeach of his arguments or changes in order.

First of all, Mr. Howery claims the zero-levelHorseman and Lancer levels are �weak andunnecessary.� This restriction was put into therules to make the cavalier class a bit weaker,which Mr. Howery seems to want in the firstplace. A cavalier not of the appropriate socialclass should have to go through those levels as asubstitute for the training that an upper-classcavalier has received all of his life. These zerolevels also serve another function: that of keep-ing the cavalier field from getting overcrowded.These levels provide role-playing opportunities,with the reward of the enhanced abilities of thecavalier if the Horseman/Lancer survives.

The +3 hp bonus at 1st level is justified if youfigure the possible number of hit points if thecavalier had proceeded through the zero levels.To compensate for the difference, a characterstarting at 1st level should be awarded these.Also consider the fact that a cavalier has beentraining for the better part of his life, and 3 hpdon�t seem so �unfair.�

The biggest gripe I have with Mr. Howery�sarticle concerns the protection from fear auraof the cavalier, which he describes as �a semima-gical power that is completely beyond a cava-lier�s training.� Paining has nothing to do withit. In any combat situation in which a combatantdisplays fearlessness in the face of danger, thatfearlessness is contagious and instills courage inthose allies nearby. A cavalier is the living defini-tion of fearlessness, and anyone subjected tothat aura should be similarly affected.

The cavalier�s training is pure discipline. Thisdiscipline includes the mind as well as the body,and when combined with a cavalier�s firm andsingular determination to fight and dominate, itmakes the cavalier�s 90% resistance to mindattacks easy to justify. In battle it is even easier.Consider the cavalier�s battle lust as somethingapproaching insanity. Against an insane charac-ter, mind attacks are similarly useless.

Mr. Howery states that �a cavalier is trained incombat, not magic�; thus they should be more,not less, susceptible to illusions. On the con-trary, the cavalier is trained every day in com-bat with that which is real and can be killed.The discipline of the mind comes into playagain. [The saving-throw bonus vs. all illusionsis] not so much an ability to resist them as it is,because of a cavalier�s firm base in reality, aninability to believe.

In the next paragraph, Mr. Howery kills theidea of cavalier�s functioning at negative hit-point totals. Once again, it goes back to thecavalier�s training. The cavalier is probably inthe best physical condition of any class. Com-bine this fact with the aforementioned cavaliermind-set, and it�s not hard to see how a cavalierwould find the willpower to remain consciousafter reaching or surpassing zero hit points.However, I do agree with Mr. Howery that thisshould not be restricted by alignment.

While I agree that a cavalier will not foolishlycharge into a very obvious defeat, if there is anychance at all for even a marginal victory or for achance to gain great honor, the cavalier will dojust as the book [Unearthed Arcana] says. In anycase, a cavalier will never retreat.

Now we�re into the modifications.Cavaliers are a class of their own, not a sub-

class of fighters, and should remain such. Sincethe cavalier already uses the combat and savingthrow tables for fighters, there is no need forthis modification.

The rules concerning social class, horseman-ship, proficiencies, and starting money shouldremain as per Unearthed Arcana, because theywere obviously correct to the cavalier class. Mr.Howery gives no reason or explanation as towhy the changes are made or even needed.

Mr. Howery�s argument against drow cavaliersis absurd (�Drow cannot become cavaliers, sincehorses are not used underground.�). Even if adrow was raised most of his life underground,as a member of the upper class he would haveample opportunity to ride many beasts, notnecessarily horses. The skill is transferable�thus the rule that drow must be sponsored sothey can receive the proper training. Who�s tosay, however, that a drow was born under-ground? And how many of those drow adven-turers still live underground? There are manyopportunities for a character that is a drow tobecome a cavalier.

As to armor, a cavalier�s armor is, as Un-earthed Arcana states, a �badge of station.� Thusa cavalier will wear nothing but the best armor,no matter where that cavalier may be. If acavalier cannot endure hardship, he shouldhand in his weapons and retire.

There is no reason to change training rules orfollower tables, as they are quite adequate theway they are.

The cavalier should be able to expect hospital-ity from any like-aligned cavalier, being that acavalier is a noble from another kingdom.Restricting hospitality to those cavaliers whoown castles is off the wall. Also, a cavalier doesserve a lord; he is not self-serving. Just as apaladin serves his god with all his heart, so doesa cavalier serve his liege.

Mr. Howery creates a cavalier class with abalance similar to the original, but it is muchless original and fun. If one cannot live with thepower of a cavalier, or the problems that onemust endure to remain a living cavalier, oneshould play a fighter.

Daniel J. Stephans IIWinona MN

I am writing in response to David Howery�sarticle, �The Corrected Cavalier,� that appearedin issue #148. I believe this article�for the mostpart�deprived the cavalier of all his uniquenessand credibility. In the AD&D game, in whichwizards and dragons run rampant, cavaliersshould be the stuff of legends. Look at St.George, King Arthur, and Sir Lancelot du Lakeand the other Knights of the Round Table. It isobvious that Mr. Howery is seeking to bring thecavalier down to a more balanced level, essen-tially becoming an ordinary fighter.

The alignment restrictions I agree with totally,but I would add that a lawful cavalier should bea rarity due to the reckless and chaotic behaviorassociated with the cavalier�s desire for combat.The zero-level Horseman and Lancer levels arenecessary. Why? Because you can�t transform asquire into an above-average jouster overnight.The +3 hp bonus at 1st level is justifiable.Cavaliers are supposed to be the toughest peo-ple around. Isn�t it logical that �tough� wouldequate to �more hit points� in AD&D gameterms? The ability to increase strength, dexter-ity, and constitution scores may seem unfair, butlook at how a cavalier must accomplish hislevels; he must be trained by another cavalier atleast two levels higher than himself. This train-ing comes from an established hero, a knightwho is highly skilled and a superb warrior. AnyJoe Schmuck can be a fighter, but a cavalier hasmany more requirements to meet in order tobecome a knight (e.g., higher ability scores,social class status, and racial limitations.)

The protection from fear aura should not beallowed; that is unfair. However, the cavalierhimself should be immune to fear, regardless ofits origin. I think this because knights shouldn�thave to back away from a fight or have tosurrender unwillingly. �Cavalier� is not synony-mous with �coward�; the two words are anto-nyms. This is the same reason why a cavaliershould be 90% resistant to mind attacks. Picturethis: A brave and bold knight, known through-out the land for his heroics, engages a mummyin combat; he fails his save and goes runninghome, a whimpering and sniveling coward, toface his people.

The +2 bonus to saves vs. illusions is veryimportant to the cavalier�s sense of pride. Howwould you feel if you attacked something thatwasn�t real? Though the cavalier knows nothingof magic, he is trained for reality. He knows theeffects a crucial blow from his long swordwould have on an ogre and how that ogreshould react to the blow. An illusionist control-ling an illusory ogre might not know this. Fur-thermore, that illusionist may be unfamiliarwith the fatigue associated with five rounds of

melee combat. Therein lies the reason for thebonus to his saves vs. illusions. The cavalier isaccustomed to sweat, blood, pain, and exhaus-tion, especially if he is a veteran of some war.

The ability to function at negative hit points iseasy to justify. Cavaliers are excellent warriors,used to sparring with fellow knights or engagedin lethal combat with some foe. Shouldn�t thatmean that they are less susceptible to the dam-age they might have sustained from being hit,bruised, beaten, and bloodied for most of theirlives? Mr. Howery is right about this powerbeing linked to alignment. It should be open toall alignments. Healing rates should be at nor-mal rates.

Charging at all opponents in sight is definitelya foolish idea. Cavaliers may be gutsy and brave,but they are not stupid. Would a 3rd-levelcavalier charge a type III demon? There is acorrection to be made here in the article, how-ever: Cavaliers are always reckless. It�s theirnature. After many dungeon adventures, per-haps a certain cavalier would tone down hisreckless nature. Maybe he had run into toomany pit traps earlier in his career, and now hechecks floors for stability where he thinks thereis reason to do so.

Cavaliers should not be a subclass of anything.They are separate because this is a highly skilledprofession. Mounted combat is a cavalier�sspecialty; he is born to the saddle. All the rulesfrom Unearthed Arcana on this should stick.

Most of the other changes made to the class Ican live with, except for the note on paladins.Paladins are the epitome of knighthood, thepurest and most noble cavaliers. �Sub�-classseems to make this class appear less importantthan the cavalier; it is the other way around.But it is accurate as far as gaming terminology isc o n c e r n e d .

Knights are what AD&D game heroes shouldbe. You must take into consideration the aspectof pure fantasy. Any poor peasant boy playingin the cobblestone streets of some large citymight happen to see a muscular and grim-facedknight ride by, decked out in a shiny suit ofplate mail, sitting atop the largest horse the boyhas ever seen. This sight might inspire the boyto become a swordsman of some type later inhis life, in order to become a great hero like thatknight. Perhaps he would only receive aweapon-specialized fighter status due to hissocial class, but being a knight would always behis dream.

So, one can easily see why the cavalier classshould remain unchanged (save for a fewthings) and stay as powerful as it is. Taking someof the class�s powers takes away from its reputa-tion. Cavaliers should be looked upon as themedieval, superpatriotic, gung-ho Marines. Theyare meant to be the finest warriors of the landbecause they are men who dedicate their livesto a military lifestyle. A cavalier knows swords,armor, shields, heraldry, strategy, pride, glory,courtesy, and service to either a cause, person,or an order of knighthood. Above all else,though, the cavalier knows how to fight! That iswhat he lives for and dies (gloriously) for.

Jeff CliberEmmitsburg MD

I am writing in response to two commentariesmade in issue #145. I�ve been involved in AD&Drole-playing for almost 10 years now, and I�velearned a few things that can improve the role-playing image and gain players (and possibly

Continued on page 108

DRAGON 93

Make the Most ofYour Missions

Illustration by Larry Elmore

Mission starters for TOP SECRET/S.I.™ games

Agent Thompson, codenamed Pong, wasslumped in his deck chair on the bridge ofhis yacht. His back ached from the strainof too many hours standing at the wheelavoiding Hawaiian Coast Guard vessels. Hehad successfully thwarted smugglers fromreaching their conspirators off the coast ofOahu. Now the yacht�s holds were filledwith contraband to be delivered to theshipyards in San Diego. There would beno publicity for this job�just the usualpayoff in some obscure location.

Wonder where I’ll be sent next time? hewondered. This mission was a lot like myfirst—what is it now—ten years ago. Howmany different missions could there be?

Pong checked his fuel gauges and plot-ted a course to Point Loma. The missions Iget are different, yet they have someuncanny similarities. If I condensed, all themissions I’ve taken to their essences, with-out the different faces, places, and twists, Iwonder if I’d find that I’ve been having the

94 DECEMBER 1989

by Merle and Jackie Rasmussen

same adventure for the last decade. . . .The thought was too depressing. He

sighed, stood, and called down to the nextdeck. �Colleen, could you come up andtake the wheel?�

�Yes, captain,� came a musical voice. �I�mon my way up.�

Pong looked again at the sea. �Remem-ber to keep a lookout for the usual subma-rine and airborne counterattacks. I�llcheck for mutineers among the crew.�

�Aye-aye, captain.� Flame-haired Colleenappeared on deck. Pong had never heardher climb the stairs.

�Has the contraband been searched forexplosives, listening devices, and location-finders?� Pong recited from long habit.Even as Colleen gave her reply, Pong�smind wandered elsewhere. He glancedtoward the setting sun behind the sternand felt the ache in his bones. These sorts of things are becoming old hat to me. I’dbetter make sure the lifeboat is well provi-

sioned. Did I reload my pistol after thatstowaway was discovered? And we mighthave a typhoon or shark attack. . . .

What does an Administrator do whenthe players have sent their characters onevery published TOP SECRET/S.I.� adven-ture available? He must think up all-newadventures, of course. But what does anAdministrator do when the agents havecompleted every mission he can think of?The Administrator could disguise old plotswith new settings, tougher bad guys, anddeadlier weapons, but this leads tocharacter-trait inflation, device hording,price increases, and more violence.

The Administrator could also twist andcombine a multitude of old plots into aconfusing mass of mystery and complica-tions. Some players may enjoy this, butplayers lacking the patience or role-playing skills to unravel such Gordianknots will react by having their agents

shoot at everything that moves. The play-ers will miss valuable clues and plot sub-tleties painstakingly arranged by thealready weary and frustrated Administra-tor. What can be done?

This article is an aid for the Administra-tor who is caught in a war of escalatingfirepower or is frustrated with playerapathy. Herein are �mission starters.�

Mission starters are short (in some cases,extremely short) Administrator�s briefingsgiving the background of each mission anddetails on �what�s really going on.� Missionstarters allow each Administrator to detailthe subsequent events in the adventure tosuit his gaming style. These adventureintroductions are spark plugs to ignite theimagination, springboards to launch newcampaigns, breaths of fresh air to enlivenstale gaming sessions. Mission starters aresources of new ideas to help an Adminis-trator create a full-fledged espionage cam-paign or a �quick� one-night mission withlittle preparation required.

Breaking the moldAn Administrator who wishes to breathe

new life into a stale espionage campaignmust be prepared to break the mold fromwhich his previous adventures have beencast. There is no reason why one or more

missions cannot be set in atypical timeperiods or settings in the 20th century.Adventures could be set in World War II,the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or theArab-Israeli Wars, or built on any othermodern historical event, such as the cap-ture of Gary Powers by the U.S.S.R., theBay of Pigs invasion, or attacks by thePLO. The names of real people or organi-zations could be incorporated into youradventures, or the adventures could bebased on spy novels and movies withespionage and antiterrorist themes.

An old set of DRAGON® Magazine writ-ers� guidelines gave some module-designtips to explore, focusing on the need fornew, exciting, and exotic settings, whichare expected in espionage-style RPGs. Asthe guidelines noted, environments likethe Peruvian Andes, the steaming junglesof Thailand, the outback of Australia, andthe inner cities of the American east coastare as different as can be, and are allworthy of consideration. Adventures canoccur aboard submarines, supersonic jetliners, and anywhere else that a secretagent might face death for high stakes.

When creating adventures, I often pickan interesting setting first and design themission second. DRAGON Magazine mod-ules �Dr. Yes,� �Mad Merc,� and �Operation:

Whiteout� were all designed in this man-ner, as were Operation: Sprechenhalte-stelle, the adventure that came inside theboxed 1st-edition TOP SECRET® game, andTS006 Ace of Clubs, another early TOPSECRET module. Then, too, I was asked todo a series of mission starters for Orion�sTaurus Bureau in TS3 Orion Rising. All ofthese missions had to occur within a spe-cific geographic area. I guess I�m not theonly one who thinks location first andmission second.

Location need not come first in missiondesign. In �Operation: Meltdown,� whichappeared in the TOP SECRET Companion,I picked nonplayer character types beforethe setting. I wanted ninjas, neo-Nazis,organized crime figures, and terrorists topopulate the module. Next, I had to figureout where each of these NPC types wouldbe found, and so I chose Japan, the Ama-zon rain forest, Sicily, and the Middle Eastfor the locales. Finally, I created a plotcombining all of these diverse charactersand locales (including the Concorde) into acohesive whole. If you try this, use care toavoid having the resulting plot seem con-trived, overly complex, and unrealistic.

Relationships between well-developedplayer characters and NPCs create inter-esting and rewarding role-playing experi-

DRAGON 95

ences. Interactions based on theserelationships enhance the plot by addingdepth, reality, and complications, butmissions should not be based solely uponthem. An exception to this might be in anadvanced role-playing campaign whereallegiance to the agency is being tested bythe infiltration of an “enemy” agent in theparty. Emotional relationships amongcharacters and between characters andNPCs can also be tested during a mission,but such testing itself should not be thereason for having the mission.

Beyond changes in settings and charac-ters, there are other areas on which youcan focus your attention when designingunique missions for your players’ agents.For example, according to Raymond Ben-son’s The James Bond Bedside Companion,certain elements commonly appear in IanFleming’s James Bond books. These recur-ring elements, which Fleming combined sosuccessfully in each of his novels, are:Places, Girls, Villains, Villain’s Employers,Villain’s Projects, Minor Villains, Bond’sFriends, and Highlights. The Highlightsincluded gadgets, violence, gambling,exciting discoveries or meetings, and usu-ally include the climax of the story.

These same elements appear in the Bondfilms by Eon Productions and also includea new element: the Obligatory SacrificialLamb. Some character we are meant to

like is threatened or killed in each film.The films also rely far more on gadgets asplot devices than do the books. If youinclude each of these elements in yourmission, you have a good start.

But though these elements make eachsuch book and film interesting and enter-taining, it is the plotline that turns theseelements into a good story. The settingsare where the action in each story hap-pens. The characters make the plot hap-pen through their, actions and thoughts.An espionage story in your own backyardwith next-door neighbors as NPCs could beextremely thrilling if the plot connectingthese two elements is well conceived andwell written.

For Administrators, who are storytellersafter all, these plots are the PCs’ adven-tures. An Administrator may have pre-pared the required locations and NPCs,but the players provide most of the action.Therefore, an adventure doesn’t always goas the Administrator plans.

The plot’s afootGeorges Polti, in his book, The Thirty-Six

Dramatic Situations, proposes that allfiction stories can be distilled to threedozen basic plot situations. Each of thesebasic situations has several subdivisionsthat can be considered variations on atheme. Each situations can be combined

with one or more others to create a com-plex plotline. The skill with which thesesituations are developed, combined, andwritten is what makes the differencebetween a good and a bad storyteller—orAdministrator.

Each plot situation given in Polti’s bookcontains several essential elements, withlists of items that can be used as theseelements. Any item on an element list canbe interchanged with any other item onthe list within a story. For example, theelements of the situation “Madness” areMadman and Victim. Under the element“Madman” are listed: Mad Scientist, Reli-gious Leader, Military Leader, Politician,and Terrorist. Under the element “Victim”are listed Captive Subject, UnquestioningFollowers, Ordinary Citizens, OppositionParty Members, and Innocent Bystanders.A plot can be constructed in which a MadScientist (Dr. Frankenstein) interacts witha Captive Subject (the Monster), an Un-questioning Follower (Igor), OrdinaryCitizens (Frankenstein’s fiancee), Opposi-tion Party Members (the town’s burgomas-ter), and Innocent Bystanders (thetownspeople). Another series of plots canbe constructed in which a ReligiousLeader interacts with all the listed Victims,as in a situation like that involving theReverend Jim Jones a few years ago.

Eric Heath, in Story Plotting Simplified,

96 DECEMBER 1989

adds a third element to Madness: Cause. Inmany espionage plots, the Cause is WorldControl by some devious and devastatingmeans invented by a master criminal.Smaller-scale Causes by less-powerfulantagonists lend themselves to more be-lievable plotlines. A small-time arms smug-gler trying to make an excessive profit byselling obsolete weapons to Afghan rebelsis a more likely real-world story. A well-developed Third World mission may bemore satisfying than saving the world.

Making a missionTo create your own mission starter, you

must first choose a dramatic situation. I�vemade your job a little easier by reducingPolti�s 36 situations to six that deal primar-ily with espionage role-playing. These are:Deliverance, Revolt, Daring Enterprise,Abduction, Obtaining, and Madness, asgiven in the tables in this article.

Under each situation are listed essentialelements. Pick an item from each elementlist or add your own items. Using thesechosen items, compose your own missionstarter. Keep in mind that items on theelement list need not be individual humanbeings or concrete items. Abstract ideassuch as liberty, national security, alle-giance, and love can also be at stake.

For example, under the situation Deliv-erance are listed these elements: an Unfor-tunate, a Threatener, and a Rescuer. Youchoose a fellow agent, a secret policeforce, and the PC agent team to fill theserespective slots. You decide to set theaction somewhere in Latin America. The

fellow agent was working under the coverof journalist when she disappeared duringa period of martial law in a capital city.Your agency believes she is being held in acell in a country jail outside the city limits.This little example was made up and typedout on the spot. Imagine what you cancreate with some time, research, and aknowledge of your players� characters.

After each element list are the types ofjobs that agents in this situation are likelyto perform. Most of these jobs were takenfrom the Table of Missions in the originalTOP SECRET rule book (page 12) and Table12: Additional Jobs in the TOP SECRETCompanion (page 19).

Sample mission startersCold Wars: Cryolite, used in the manu-

facture of aluminum, is found only inGreenland. Someone is smuggling it off theisland. Agents are to find out who thesmugglers are and how the smuggling isbeing done. (Instead of cryolite, you coulduse cocoa from Ghana or sables fromSiberia.)

Spear of the Gods: Web has developed aland-based energy weapon that can trackand damage aircraft and space vehicles inlow earth orbit, such as the Space Shuttle.Agents are to confiscate the weapon plansand destroy the device.

High Jacks: Suborbital supersonic air-craft developed by several countries arenow believed to be the chosen targets of

Continued on page 102

DRAGON 99

100 DECEMBER 1989

DRAGON 101

Make the MostContinued from page 99

European terrorists sponsored by Web.Agents are to prevent a suborbital skyjack-ing by a crewman in the pay of a WestGerman radical group�but which crew-man is the ringer?

Channel Changers: France and Englanddecide to build an English Channel tunnelconnecting the two countries. Terroristaction and sabotage at the opening cere-monies in the tunnel must be prevented.

Oops! Our Mistake! The Agency acciden-tally supplied a very important operativewith the wrong briefcase. She is assignedto a difficult mission deep inside foreignterritory. Instead of a standard agencybriefcase, she was issued a �reduced effi-ciency� briefcase, commonly known in thebusiness as a �slow death special.� Theinside of the case is radioactive, and thehandle is permeated with contact poison.The agency regrets the blunder and wantsthe briefcase back. The unsuspectingagent�s delicate mission is not to be jeop-ardized. The PC team is assigned to re-cover the briefcase, replace it with theproper variety, and return without alert-ing the enemy�and, if possible, withoutalerting the agent.

Highrise Hijinks: A skyscraper becomesthe site for industrial espionage. A newlydeveloped electronic device shields com-puter keyboards from emitting electro-magnetic signals that can be picked up bysensitive surveillance devices. Agents areassigned to pursue rival company thieveswho break into offices and attempt to stealthe device prototype or its plans.

More Than You Bargain For: The nervecenter of a vast arms-dealing and terror-ism empire is headquartered within theconfines of a Middle Eastern open-airmarket populated with cutpurses, cut-throats, and cut-outs. The agents mustshut this operation down�permanently.

Rumble in the Jungle: A secret Nazistronghold deep in the Amazon rain forestis camouflaged as a solar energy researchstation, including natives, piranha, ma-chine guns, and quicksand. Agents mustinvestigate the stronghold but must notdisturb it or its inhabitants (a later missionwill do that).

Mine for Keeps: Radioactive material arebeing mined and smuggled out of the OldWest. A treacherous mining zone, secretlyburied beneath a tourist-filled ghost town,becomes a site for dynamite, disappear-ances, and daring deeds.

You Must Sea To Be Shore: A modernpirating operation is based several fathomsbelow the ocean�s surface at the site of a crumbling shipwreck. The area is in anational historical site protected by thelocal government. The agents must gatherevidence to show that the operation existsand must be shut down, but they cannotdamage the site in any way.

Safari Sogoody: An isolated animal com-pound for zoo specimens, situated on theAfrican plains, turns out to be a plush,well-concealed, and well-protected hide-away for a fabulously wealthy mastercriminal who runs a pan-African poachingcartel. The agents discover this by acci-dent while on a different mission�and themaster criminal wants them dead.

It’s Dr. Jekyll—You’d Better Hyde! Adiabolical mad scientist tries to scare cap-tive Orion agents to death in his labyrin-thine lair of physiological and psychologi-cal endurance tests. Agents must escapefrom his guarded castle laboratory com-pound in a mountainous wilderness re-gion. Mountain climbing and wildernesssurvival skills are necessary.

Squeaky Wheels Get the Grease: Merce-naries and Arab extremists believed to beworking for an oil cartel begin destroyingoil drilling platforms in the North Sea,Venezuela, and in the Orient. It is believedthat terrorist activity will decrease worldoil production and increase oil pricesamong oil-producing nations. It is fearedthat attacks will occur on the Siberian and

102 DECEMBER 1989

Alaskan pipelines. The agents must put astop to the sabotage.

Agents on IceThis mission starter is presented as an

example of a more elaborate backdrop fora series of adventures, possibly a smallcampaign.

Background: A wealthy, pro-WesternArab country is in desperate need of wa-ter, and it will pay any price to get it.American aid is sought and soon given,and a bizarre plan is hatched. In Novem-ber, a massive iceberg is located by satel-lite just east of the Antarctic Peninsula,north of the Weddell Sea or Queen MaudeLand. Why not take the iceberg to theMiddle East?

The iceberg is quickly streamlined withdemolition charges, then lassoed by sur-face and submarine tugs using harpooncannons to shoot cables into the ice; thecables have tension-release connectorsthat snap if the iceberg suddenly rolls dueto melting. The abovewater surface of theiceberg is covered with a heat-reflectivematerial, and motion detectors are plantedto predict rolling. The most economicalvessels to serve as tugs are nuclear-powered ships and submarines. Threesurface vessels steer the iceberg and pro-

vide some pull. Submarine vessels providethe major muscle to move the iceberg’senormous mass below the water’s surface.One surface tender and one submersibletender supply crew changes, food, oxygen,and other supplies to the tug vessels. Toconserve momentum, the vessels neverstop towing. Smaller vessels and aircraftserve as current f inders and weatherpatrols. Security and rescue craft protectvessels in intersecting shipping lanes.

The entire trip is scheduled for six tonine months from late December to earlyJuly. The total distance traveled is approxi-mately 12,000 nautical miles, of which5,000 miles is in cold current to reducemelting. The shortest straight line distance

The best route to haul the iceberg back

across all the currents is 6,000 nautical

to the Arab country lies in the direction ofthe Antarctic circumpolar current known

miles. At the destination site, the iceberg

as the West Wind Drift toward Australia.The iceberg will then be pulled northwardacross the Indian Ocean into the West

will be mined and the ice dissolved. A

Australian Current, then must travel alongthe South Equatorial Current until near

slurry of ice water can be pumped ashore

the East African coastline, where it willtravel north to the Middle East. The ice-berg must hug the coastline so it will notbe carried back out to sea by the Equato-rial Counter Current. The iceberg shouldcross the equator in July, August, or Sep-tember during the wet monsoon season,before the dry monsoon season of winterstarts to blow against the ice.

lines do not reach.Trouble: World environmentalists are

upset about the entire operation. Theyargue that if the iceberg sinks an atomic-powered vessel, the radioactive damagecaused to marine life would be cata-strophic. The effects of large quantities offresh water in tropical and subtropicalwaters is unknown. The environmentalimpact of abundant fresh water in aridregions is another unknown.

Many Middle Easterners consider theplan a terribly expensive folly costingmillions of dollars. Other Middle Eastern-ers fear exploitation by industrializednations loaning money for the project,providing technical support, and spread-ing Western ideals all along the waterpipelines. Due to the tensions in the Mid-dle East and the added environmentalistoutcry, the project is considered at graverisk from sabotage and outright attack onland and at sea.

Notes: This would be a superb multises-sion adventure in which the Administratorcould toss numerous unique NPCs, plottwists, and deadly surprises at the PCagents. Tension should be maintained at ahigh level throughout the adventure, withagents chasing down clues and plots as theiceberg convoygoes its way. The climax ofthe adventure, if and when the icebergreaches the Middle East, should be one the

Assignment: Agents are assigned to theiceberg task force to detect and preventinterference with the project. Using allavailable means, the iceberg is to be es-corted safely from origin to destination.

to either storage tanks or pipelines. Tankertrucks and other ships will transport freshwater to remote regions where the pipe-

agents will remember for years to come—if they live through the fireworks.

Plot Situations For Espionage RPGS

Deliverance

Unfortunate Threatener RescuerFellow agent Secret police Agent teamDiplomat Terrorist AntiterroristsPassengers Skyjacker Hostage negotiatorsVillagers Military dictator Freedom fightersDefector Oppressive government Underground railroad

Jobs: Rescue, prison/jail break-in, defection, prevent rescue, prevent prison/jailescape, defection protection, guard duty.

Revolt

TyrantForeign agencyPolitical groupCriminal groupDrug smugglersStudent groupStreet gangOppressive government

ConspiratorSecret agentOpposition party memberDetectiveNarcotics officerPolice informerRival game memberFreedom fighters/revolutionaries

Jobs: Infiltrate, pass secret information, identify group leaders, reveal secret plans,disable major group function, subvert a group, destroy a group, foment unrest,prevent riot, assist coup d’etat, guard against revolution.

Chart continued on next page.

104 DECEMBER 1989

Daring Enterprise

Bold Leader Object AdversaryBomb disposal team Explosive Bomber Fire investigators Burning structure ArsonistSky marshall Aircraft SkyjackerSecurity expert Alarm system Cat burglarDetective Stolen item ThiefInternal security Industrial equipment SaboteurCustoms inspector Contraband SmugglerInspector Counterfeit currency CounterfeiterHandwriting expert Forged signature ForgerCoast Guard member Vessel Modern piratePolice investigator Land vehicle Car theft ring

Jobs: Prevent/Investigate arson or bombing, locate stolen goods, detect/trace coun-terfeit currency/forged documents, prevent industrial sabotage, install alarm sys-tems, locate stolen goods, transport goods, handle animals, administer polygraph/stress test, guard duty, prevent skyjacking/hijacking/piracy, arrest suspect.

Abduction

Abductor Abducted ReasonKidnapper Heir/Heiress R a n s o m Terrorist Passengers Publicity for causeRival agency Fellow agent InformationSecret police Protester Intimidate other protestersYour agency Fellow agent Training purposes

Jobs: Bodyguard, prevent skyjacking/hijacking/piracy.

Obtaining

Solicitor Adversary Who is RefusingInterrogator Rival agent with secretAssassin Troublesome targetMugger Victim of crimeBlackmailer Person with questionable pastExtortionist Person with something of valueInvestigator Agent with valuable informationPrivate investigator Suspect being followedCommunications expert Jammer/Detector operator

Jobs: Interrogation, bodyguard against assassination/mugging, protect againstblackmail/extortion/investigation, evade surveillance, lose tail, shadow suspect,Communicate, prevent communication.

Madness

MadmanMad scientistReligious leaderMilitary leaderPoliticianTerrorist

VictimCaptive subject

Cause Create life

Unquestioning followers Mind controlOrdinary citizens TerritoryOpposition party members Political powerInnocent bystanders Publicity

Jobs: Neutralize (render ineffective, not necessarily kill), take into protective cus-tody, arrest suspect.

Further readingBenson, Raymond. The James Bond Bedside Companion. Dodd, Mead & Company: New

York, 1984.Heath, Eric. Story Plotting Simplified. The Writer, Inc.: Boston, 1941.Polti, Georges. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. The Editor Company: Franklin, Ohio,

1921.

DRAGON 105

ForumContinued from page 93

friends) to continue gaming.In support of Mr. Bryan Walker’s letter on the

destruction of the AD&D game’s image, I mustsay he has given an excellent analysis. Themovie, Mazes and Monsters, gave the AD&D®game a terrible image, and I should know fromexperience. My parents went from supportive,trusting souls to panic-stricken, nervous war-dens of my gaming habits. Mind you, we aretalking about a guy who was (and still is) adependable, sociable honor student, not thepsychotic animal that has been the classic stere-otype to the general public. Try as I did tochange my parents’ attitudes, they only tight-ened their monitoring. Only long, persuasivediscussions would allow me release for a fewhours. I got to the point where I was tempted tosneak out or deceive my folks in order to playmore often.

Finally, I found a way to achieve more gamingtime and give my parents more confidence inthe game and me. My parents had never seenme play, so I invited my fellow gamers to myhome. Once my parents saw who my fellowplayers were and talked to them, they relaxedand trusted my judgment on how much involve-ment I had in role-playing. I think that part ofthe fear of the game involves the mystery ofwho is playing the game with you. When par-ents see [bad] public images, like the terribleones Mr. Walker encountered at the convention,they develop the idea that their sons and daugh-ters are flirting with terrible people. Your par-ents have probably never seen your fellowplayers before, and they fear those playersmight influence you in a bad way. Parentstypically worry about peer-pressure situations,and role-playing is often categorized as one. It isa sad situation brought about by the terriblerumors the game has gained.

I believe that by letting your parents knowyour gaming associates, they will be more openand trusting of your gaming habits and of yourfellow players. As long as you’re capable ofhaving constant company and having gamerswho are both flexible and give a good impres-sion, and if you have parents who are open-minded (or at least happier to know yourfriendships and activities), I think you canimprove the setting in which you play. Maybethis won’t work for you or maybe you don’tcare, but I think it works given time and pa-tience. It may even disperse the cloud of super-stition around the AD&D game and improveyour family’s relationships.

To Mr. Michael Townsend (and all concerned),I reply that I know what it is like to play with ahandicapped individual and how gaming givesone a sense of meaning. I had a friend who wasblind, and role-playing gave him more confi-dence and a more sociable attitude. He becamea great player to have around.

As to the question of finding more gamers, Ihave noticed that most role-players are also avidcomic-book and fiction-novel readers. At myfavorite store, the owner had developed a role-player’s bulletin/network for people to look forfellow gamers. I simply added my name and,within weeks, found people to continue playinggames. Go to your local book store or comicstore and see if the owner has (or has consid-ered) having such an announcement board ornetwork. If not, suggest it or even develop it forhim if he can’t. Usually, independent dealers aremore open to this idea than large chains likeWaldenbook’s, but try wherever you can. If the

108 DECEMBER 1989

store also sells the AD&D game or similar role-playing products, it will probably be more opento such an idea (since this will bring repeatbusiness). Try it and see if you can find thegamers you’re looking for.

Alex MartinMesquite TX

I am writing in regard to a letter written byStanley Bundy that appeared in issue #143. I am11 years old, and I enjoy both the D&D® andAD&D games. With 1½ years of experience as aDM, I strongly suggested playing a non-evilcharacter to all of my players. So far, only onehas played an evil character, but he greatlydisrupted the game and ruined it for the others.

The stories that people hear about D&Dgames are most likely started by nonplayersoverhearing a game with evil characters. Whenparents hear these stories, they do what goodparents would do and protect their child fromthis “cult” of role-players. My mother has heardthese stories, too, but she does not stop mefrom playing because of the mental and creativeaspects of the game. But others have not beenexposed to this, and I have problems findingplayers for my campaigns.

The best way to stop these rumors is to stopthe use of evil characters—which, after readingMr. Bundy’s letter, I have done. When I readwhat happened to the group of 200 in Corbin, Irealized my own shortage of gamers was petty.But I still felt compelled to write this letter.

Dan HumphriesMercer Island WA

I have just finished last month’s issue and amforced to respond to the battle that continues tobe debated in “Forum.” I am not talking aboutthe struggle between Good and Evil, but ratherthe struggle about Good and Evil.

I have been reading DRAGON Magazine forsix years now, and I have played role-playinggames of all types for the same amount of time.It still amazes me how many people write in andvoice objections to those who play evil charac-ters in the AD&D game.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not a psycholo-gist, and I don’t pretend to be an authority onrole-playing, I also do not worship Satan, beatmy dog, abuse my girlfriend, take drugs, orhave a criminal record. However, according tosome people who have written in to “Forum,” if Iplay an evil character in a game, I might as wellbe in any or all of those categories.

Some people suggest that the choosing of anevil character is actually linked to the person’ssubconscious personality, and any evil acts hischaracter commits during the course of thegame will therefore be possible in his real-lifepersonality as well. I say, “Dragon dung!”

Is the actor who portrays a mass murderer ina film then considered psychotic himself? Is theperson who wrote the script automatically abloodthirsty madman?

I have played evil characters and good charac-ters in equal proportions over my experience asan RPG enthusiast. The flavor of the game camefrom successful role-playing of the character Ichose, not from slaying innocent townsfolk orsacrificing victims to an evil deity.

The whole reason for the success of theAD&D game (and others like it) is singularlybased on role-playing. Good and Evil within theconstraints of the game make no difference. Alawful-good paladin is just as removed from mypersonality as a chaotic-evil assassin. I find itdifficult to believe that average people of thesort that play the AD&D game could aspire toeither of these extremes in the real world.

I choose to play these characters to experi-ence a different personality, to role-play, notbecause I have a desire to seek out and destroyall Evil in the world or to become the Dark Lordhimself. My characters may have these ambi-tions, but these characters are pieces of paper. Iplay the AD&D game, like many gamers, as ahobby and a release. (I would also like to addthat I am just as mentally stable now as I wasbefore I played the AD&D game regularly.)

It has also been said that the AD&D game wascreated to preserve the struggle between Goodvs. Evil, with Good always being the victor. Thisis totally inaccurate. The fact that there is anassassin character in the game shows that it wasnot created for the Good only.

This whole suffocating attitude borders onparanoia. I believe it was this fear that causedthe controversy a few years back about theAD&D game as a whole. One girl I talked toduring this time said to me, “You play that?That’s an evil game.” She obviously knew noth-ing about the AD&D game. I am assuming,however, that most people who write in aboutthis subject do. I would expect then, that theyrealize that it is only a game, and its purpose isto role-play. Though I take the game itself veryseriously, it is fantasy. It is not reality.

Michael J. NataleWestborough MA

LOOKING FORMORE GAMERS?

You may think you�d have to tra-vel to another planet to find agame convention. Finding friendswho are also gamers can be aproblem, too. Put your scoutsuitaway and turn to the ConventionCalendar in this magazine. Theremay be a game convention closerto your home than you�d think �and conventions are a great placeto find friends who share your in-terests. Whether you like board-games, role-playing games,miniature wargames, or justbrowsing around, a game conven-tion can be all you�ve hoped for.Plan to attend one soon.

DRAGON 109