I s sue #142vol. XIII, No. 9F e b r u a r y 1 9 8 9

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

Publisher Insert ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®Mike Cook 2 n d E d i t i o n P r e v i e w :

EditorRoger E. Moore

A 32-page look at the shape of games to come.

Associate editor Fiction editorRobin Jenkins Barbara G. Young

Editorial assistantKimberly J. Walter

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

12 This Means War! � Dan KretzerIf 327 badders fought 294 androids and a mutant squirrel in a tank, whowould win?

Art directorLori Svikel 22

Production staffPaul Hanchette Betty ElmoreKim Janke Carolyn Vanderbilt

Subscriptions U.S. AdvertisingPat Schulz Sheila Gailloreto

U.K. correspondentLyn Hutchin

The Well-Educated Spy � John C. BunnellDo you really know how to role-play a spy? This book tells all.

26 The Ecology of the Kech � Tony JonesThe most beautiful forest often conceals the most malign dangers.

30 Role-playing Reviews � Ken RolstonWarfare in miniature: two games made for everyone�s tabletop armies.

42

U.K. advertisingDawn Carter Kris Starr

The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserBreath-taking adventure is just a keystroke away with these MS-DOSgames.

56 Made-To-Order Clerical Orders � Michael HarrisonTemples and congregations, built from the ground up.

62 Arcane Lore � The readersFifteen more reasons why few monsters want to annoy druids.

D E P A R T M E N T S

3 Letters 40 TSR Previews 72 Dragonmirth4 Forum 52 Gamers Guide 76 SnarfQuest

10 Sage Advice 66 Convention Calendar

COVER

What you don�t know can hurt you (if it doesn�t simply eat you), as cover artist FredFields reveals this month. His painting also reveals the dangers of adventuring alone �especially in a swamp when you have great confidence in yourself but little else.

2 FEBRUARY 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.

Hits & missesDear Dragon:

Would you repeat �Good Hits & Bad Misses�from one of the previous magazines? One of myfriends had it and was showing it to me. Ithought that it was a good thing.

Robert CollinsMollala OR

Carl Parlagreco’s “Good Hits & Bad Misses”(issue #39) was, if memory serves, the onlycritical-hits article that this magazine has everrun. It has also been requested a number oftimes by readers, and if we ever do anotherBest of DRAGON Magazine Anthology, we willkeep it in mind. As a general rule, we do notapprove of critical-hit or critical-fumble systems,as they annihilate opponents of the PCs tooeasily (and often annihilate the PCs as well).Many critical-hit systems are also in question-able taste, being too graphic to be enjoyable.

Grateful readersDear Dragon:

I was pleased to note the citation of severalolder works of literature in the article �TheUngrateful Dead� by Tom Moldvay (issue #138).However, his reference to Samuel Johnson�s�17th-century dictionary� is mis-stated. In fact,Dr. Johnson�s A Dictionary of the English Lan-guage was first published in 1755, which placesit well into the eighteenth century. A minorerror, of course, but we in the profession ofEnglish have to have something to do. Now,does Jerry Garcia know about that title?

James CampbellNotre Dame IN

Dear Dragon:I especially enjoyed the article by Tom Mold-

vay in DRAGON issue #138, �The UngratefulDead.� There was obviously many hours ofresearch put into it. It was also well written.

There were two errors in the final copy. Ihope you will make corrections:

The stats on the gelloudes (page 30) list�Damage/Attack� as l-4/1-4/1-6/1-6. In the text,claw damage is stated as 1-6 hp each, and talondamage is l-8 hp each. Which is correct?

The stats on the spirit-ghoul (page 31) list�Damage/Attack� as 3. Shouldn�t this be a range?

Phred CainPrinceton IN

The “Damage/Attack” for gelloudes should bel-6/1-6/l-8/l-8. The “Damage/Attack” for thespirit-ghoul should be 1-3/1-3/1-6, as per theghoul.

Dear Dragon:I really enjoyed �The Ungrateful Dead� article

from issue #138, and I plan to use those mon-sters in my campaign. What are the experiencepoint values of these undead?

Eric RobertsonMcMinnville OR

The experience-point values for the monsterswere not part of the original article. Becausecalculating experience-point values is very time-consuming, we did not include them.

Snarfed!Dear Dragon:

In issue #139, �SnarfQuest� was on [episode]#62. In issue #138, it was on [episode] #60. Whathappened to �SnarfQuest� #61? Please respond!

Scott ShepardCottoes NY

No episodes of “SnarfQuest” are missing. Thenumbering system was fine through issue #138(episode #62). Issue #139’s episode was labeled#60, and issue #140’s episode was labeled #62again; the numbering system continues fromthat point. The numbering system has beencorrected in this issue’s episode (#66).

The three bestDear Dragon:

I felt compelled to compliment the followingarticles, which appeared in DRAGON issues#135 and 136: �When Game Masters Go Bad,� bySherri Gilbert; �The Mix-&-Match Module,� byMarcus L. Rowland; and especially �Fifty Waysto Foil Your Players,� by Jape Trostle. Althoughall are fine articles, the last is probably the bestI�ve seen in any gaming magazine.

Ideas such as foils move us away from psycho-pathic, greedy, and often moronic �adventurers�who feel out of place above ground or out ofthe fray. This article is a shining example of howto turn a campaign into interactive fantasyrather than wholesale slaughter.

These articles are also excellent due to theircompatibility with all FRPGs. Not all of yourreaders use AD&D® game material. Thesearticles make the magazine more universal.

Mark HorsfordAPO NY

We enjoy running articles that are applicableto a wide range of role-playing games. Many“generic game” articles are too vague to be ofuse, but we’ll look for those that have lots ofspecific and useful information.

2nd Ed KOs TOC!

Translated, the headline abovereads: �The inclusion of the AD&D®2nd Edition game preview in thisissue of DRAGON® Magazineknocked out our original ideas onwhat to put into the table of con-tents.� We had planned to devotethis issue to the AD&D OrientalAdventures lands, with part two ofDavid E. Martin�s �The Marvel®-Phile� as well, but we�ll run themboth later (our apologies to all con-cerned). What we are presentingnow is far more important.

Included in this issue of DRAGONMagazine is an in-depth preview ofthe coming revision of the AD&Dgame system. You�ll find informationon why the revision was done, whatit will look like, and what it includes(and what it doesn�t include). Thedesigners and editors will tell youexactly what to expect. (It is obviousthat you should only expect thebest.)

The AD&D 2nd Edition game willchange very little that we arealready doing in DRAGON Magazine.The original and revised editions arestill the same game, though theAD&D 2nd Edition game is morecarefully edited, better organized,offers more options, and hasimproved game mechanics. (By theway, the revised Player’s Handbookwill be out in March of this year,and the Dungeon Master’s Guide willbe available in May, with the mon-ster selections following quicklythereafter.) As David �Zeb� Cookhimself noted in DRAGON issue#l2l (page 13), �anything you likedin First Edition is legal in SecondEdition.� Thus, nearly all ofDRAGON Magazine�s AD&D gamearticles can be used with eitheredition, so all players will benefit.

Take the time to see where yourfavorite game is going. And whileyou�re at it, enjoy the rest of thisissue, too.

DRAGON 3

“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 CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. We askthat material submitted to “Forum” be eitherneatlv written by hand or typed with a freshribbon and clean keys so we can read andunderstand your comments.

Being an avid player of magic-users in theAD&D game, I am dismayed to see articles in�Forum� suggesting rules to help magic-userssurvive lower levels more easily. It seems thatthat idea of benefits and limitations, or gamebalance, has been forgotten. The limitations, inthe case of the magic-user, are 1) not being verypowerful at low levels and 2) dying easily at lowlevels. But, the benefits from these sacrifices, ifthe character survives, are great indeed. Surviv-al means the magic-user has the ability to usepowerful spells that can kill with a word, anni-hilate an entire army on command, and controlentities from [outer planes] while forcing hiswill upon them. I can�t imagine the resultingchaos in a world where almost all magic-users(including NPCs, as common sense would dic-tate) survived to high levels and had thesepowers, quite literally, at their fingertips.

I believe that magic-users should be rolled up

according to the Players Handbook and notmodified to allow easier survival, because thelimitations of the class are more than adequatelybalanced out at high levels.

Eric ParishWest Lafayette IN

Unfortunately, here�s another letter about themagic-user�s dilemma (the popular thought thatwe should make magic-users more powerful tosurvive early on). To help my PC, my DM startedletting him have special bonuses and find scrollsthroughout most dungeons. As a result, I havethe ultimate PC at level 20. All others are at mymercy, and my party must watch as my PCdestroys monsters too powerful for the othersbut just right for him. After three years, I mustfinally remove my character from the campaignin all fairness.

Dain A. Muller (issue #135) saw the problem Ihave. To avoid the frustration and disappoint-ment I had, start low-level PCs in dungeons thathave fewer dangerous encounters and moreriddles, puzzle-solving, and ways to coax playersinto correct playing of the rules. Give experi-ence points for solving certain situations. Gradu-ally add more traps and danger until you canrun a more regular campaign.

The mentor of one magic-user could have anillusion-using dungeon set up with minimal realdamage. True experience could be awardedbecause the party would be gaining knowledge.Eventually, the magic-user would be powerful

enough to begin other low-level adventureswithout the rest of his party suffering.

Jason KasperBuffalo WY

About experience-points for treasure: Experi-ence should be given as follows: 1) If the trea-sure is integral to the adventure; 2) If a personis progressing, level-wise, slower than everyoneelse is, through no fault of his own; or 3) If thecharacter is a thief and takes the treasurewithout violence.

Jim AmosWhitehouse TX

I agree with David Argall�s statement in issue#136 that some source of PC experience besidesmonster-bashing is needed. However, I cannotagree with his defense of the �gold equals expe-rience� system. Why should ascetic monks,scholarly sorcerers, and pious clerics be forcedto act like materialistic money-grubbers? Themoney-related experience system makes thegame revolve around the idea that only treasureis worth adventuring for. The paladin whoundertakes a holy quest to destroy an evil foe isout of luck unless said enemy has a rich trea-sury to loot.

If adhered to, this system also results in hugeamounts of cash in the hands of PCs. The DM,of course, wants to take the cash away from thePCs. Consequently, we have massive inflationproblems, with every service or item that PCsmight want being ridiculously overpriced (DMGtraining costs come to mind).

In short, the �gold equals experience�approach � far from being a useful thoughillogical simplification � generates more prob-lems than it solves and does not solve any prob-lems well. In some campaigns, including myown, it has been replaced by a system whichincreases the experience award for defeatingmonsters. I also give experience points forclever play, problem-solving, and the accom-plishment of goals or tasks. Most of these sys-tems are vaguely defined and rely heavily onDM judgment rather than hard-and-fast rules.However, they�re still an improvement.

Alan ClarkVienna VA

I am writing in response to David Argall�sletter in issue #136. His �Forum� article gives�good reasons why we give experience formagic and treasure.� The only �reason� he givesis for �some source of experience besides killingmonsters.� He describes in-play training as �dull,to be kept in the background where it won�tinterfere with the game,� and that such trainingshould be �off camera where we are not boredby it.� He goes on to say that giving experiencefor other actions can be tremendously complexand would favor one class over another. This, allof it, is absurd!

When we speak of other sources of experi-ence, we should broaden our view of the ques-tion to look at the whole picture. Why wouldgiving experience points for casting spells,picking pockets, opening locks, or successfully

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is publishedmonthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147, 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)248-3625. 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: 818761; fax: (0223) 248066(U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international).

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4 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 8 9

using skills unbalance the game or favor oneclass over another? A fighter fights; that iswhere the majority of his experience comesfrom. Thieves, clerics, and magic-users wouldbe at an extreme disadvantage when travelingsolo and not counting on that �group experiencefor monsters killed.� A fighter fights; a thiefopens locks, picks pockets, and finds traps; amagic-user casts spells and applies his greaterintellect to difficult situations; a cleric castsspells and often acts as a secondary fighter forthe party or (as quite often occurs) is almost asprotected as the magic-user because of hisability to heal. The druid is in the same boat asthe cleric.

But why limit experience allocation to thoseaspects of the game? There are other areas inthe game that challenge the player as well as thecharacter, like the solving of problems andriddles, and the quality of role-playing. Thesethings are worth consideration, and since thereis an infinite amount of possible situations toconsider, it would not be feasible to construct amethod of distributing those experience points.It must be left up to the impartiality of theindividual game master.

The simple fact that we are playing a role-playing game must be kept in mind when weterm things as boring or not. The fact thatsomething is boring is a problem for that gamemaster and the way he runs his game. How canone spend the money for training and not spendthe time for training? While I do not want to getinto an argument over realism, I must insist thatthis hardly seems realistic.

I have been playing the AD&D® game for 10years and have in that time played so manydifferent role-playing games that I don�t care to

count them, but my real love has been andalways will be the AD&D game. I have foundthat money is its own reward, not to be givenout in unbalancing proportions. This also goesfor magic. The fact that a fighter gets a magicalsword doesn�t make him a better fighter; in fact,if he used that sword at all times, he could quitepossibly become dependent on that sword togive him the edge in a battle instead of workingon his own personal edge, so why give himexperience? Does a dagger +2 make a thiefbetter at opening locks or finding traps? Itwould be absurd to think so.

Robin D. BrockColumbia MD

Up to a point, David Carl Argall�s case [in issue#136] is quite accurate. That point comes ingames in which experience points are almostexclusively generated by combat. In such games,experience is the only thing that matters; moneyexists for new weapons, spells, armor, andtraining to go up in level.

I personally think the additional spells, train-ing, armor, and weapons are sufficient to almosteliminate the risk of a character getting killedbefore he can acquire sufficient experiencepoints, but I concede that even killing a Duke ofHell provides scant experience points whendivided up among a party of eight PCs and fourhenchmen. If a DM wants to boost the overallexperience a party gets by adding in treasure,it�s his campaign.

The problem is that more sophisticated cam-paigns shouldn�t be locked into a fight-treasure-experience cycle. Any campaign thatencourages creative thinking, role-playing,teamwork, or tactical planning over monster-

bashing should find ways to reward such thingsor reduce the rewards for successful mayhem.

My letter in issue #122, which started thewhole issue rolling, made allowances for givingexperience for appropriate methods of spending(or even losing) money. One suggestion thatcame my way after that was from a DM whopermitted PCs to pay for refresher courses fromthe people who trained them to advance inlevels. The PCs didn�t go up levels, but they didpick up experience points from this training.The DM�s rate was 1 xp per 2 gp spent, but thatcould be reset to the traditional 1 xp per 1 gprate if a DM wants.

Actually, David Argall hurt his case with thecomparison to Joe Louis. The record of unbro-ken heavyweight boxing victories is irrelevant.What is the typical survival rate of PCs whofight appropriate level monsters going by therules? Excellent to incredible. Realistically, losingan individual combat doesn�t result in the deathof a character. Most characters are in negativehit points and heading toward death � but notdead � when they drop. Only the dumbestmonsters will finish off downed opponentswhile other party members are still attackingthem. Unless the party fights for an awfullylong time after that, someone will get to thefallen member(s) in time to provide some sort ofhealing. Add the fact that most PCs end up withthe best armor and weapons they can get ASAP,and the PCs soon become the few beings oftheir own levels who can hit their own armorclasses!

When I wrote my earlier letter, I didn�tinclude any of my own solutions to the prob-lems I brought up, like changing the weight of acoin from 10 to a pound to 100 to a pound, sothe coin weighs a little more than twice theweight of a dime and has few of the problemsfound with the standard gold piece. I also lookat the adventure before the players go throughit and calculate a ballpark figure for the experi-ence the PCs would get individually if they fareas expected (call it a passing grade). That figurebecomes the base experience reward for thatadventure. Individual members, or the wholeparty in some cases, may receive higher orlower amounts depending on how well or howpoorly they did.

Characters who are not supposed engage indirect combat aren�t penalized because theydidn�t fight this or that monster; they weren�tsupposed to fight under this system anyway. Ifyour character is there and doing his job com-petently, he has earned the passing-gradeamount of experience points.

Players have incentives to try and do morethan the bare minimum here, and have a betterchance of doing it just by being in character.Nor is a party that is somewhat large overpena-lized because a fixed number of experiencepoints are added for slaying monsters; gold andmagical items are divided by the number ofcharacters. I�d adjust the base value down ifmore characters were involved than I hadanticipated, but the bottom line is: �This is theamount of experience points your characterearned, based on what he was able to do,� not�This is your share of all the experience pointsmy calculator says you guys got.�

S. D. AndersonWhittier CA

Some time ago, several people wrote in aboutgetting rid of level limits for demi-humans. Theysaid the limits were balances for demi-humans�inborn advantages and longer life-spans. This isnot the case. These upper-level limits were putin place not to balance extra abilities or long

6 FEBRUARY 1989

lives, but rather to balance the option of advanc-ing in more than one profession simultaneously.Multiclassed characters are the main reason wesee so many dwarves, elves, gnomes, and suchin adventuring parties.

Those who run single-classed demi-humancharacters are getting the short end (no punintended), however. They can only advance amere two levels higher than their multiclassedcounterparts. We can soften this restriction byallowing unlimited advancement for single-classed demi-humans at an across-the-board[experience-point] penalty of 20-25%. This keepsdemi-humans from dominating the game whilemaking single-classed demi-humans attractive.

While on the subject of multiclassed charac-ters, I would like to respond to the suggestion ofnot allowing multiclassed fighters weaponspecialization. Why not? This makes multi-classed fighters more desirable. As a way oflimiting the power of this choice, you can rulethat a multiclassed fighter can only specialize inweapons allowable to the weaker (or weakest,in the case of triple-classed characters) class andby limiting multiclassed clerics to blunt weap-ons. Under this system, cleric/fighters wouldonly be allowed to specialize in (and use, if youwant to go that far) clerical weapons; cleric/fighter/magic-users would only be allowed tospecialize in the staff and sling! Note that thisapplies to multiclassed characters only; dual-classed characters are handled differently.

Another place where changes could be madeconcerns armor use � an area which, unfortu-nately, receives little attention except in argu-ments over the existence of banded mail!Everyone who is not expressly forbidden by therules to do so will want to wear plate mail, andwith the advent of Unearthed Arcana, I�mcertain that cavaliers aren�t the only ones run-ning around in field plate. Multiclassed thievescannot perform their abilities except in certainarmor, however, and it also might be wise tolimit multiclassed magic-users to certain armortypes; say that anything over chain mailrestricts movement too much for spell-casting.Likewise, cancel the surprise bonuses and spell-casting for rangers and penalize bow use insplinted or banded armor or better. The idea isto increase the diversity within the party andenhance the role-playing opportunities.

Marc SandersPeekskill NY

Will the AD&D 2nd Edition game include aconcept similar to the perception ability score inissue #133 (�Notice Anything Different?�)?Although it might complicate surprise, othersystems might be better defined, such as track-ing (rangers and barbarians), detecting backattacks (barbarians), and several thief functions.If surprise dice are changed to 1d10 (or a largerdie), both dexterity and perception would havemodifiers with the larger die giving a moreprecise range.

The sentinel NPC class (way back in issue #89)would be easier to use by making it a normalfighter with high perception scores (16 + ), withother special abilities added using proficiencyslots (such as parrying and blindfighting).

If a new spell, perceive, is added, spell-casterswould have a semidivinatory spell of greatversatility. Perceive would temporarily add 1-4points to the recipient�s perception score (cf.strength spell). This could be a substitute forpenetrate disguise and detect life, which,according to issue #42 of POLYHEDRON�Newszine, will be cut from the AD&D 2ndEdition game. A disguised thief could get a spell

cast on him that would hinder perception of hisidentity (overlook, the reverse of perceive?) and,if he was truly concerned with the cover, non-detection as well. Perceive would also be usefulto spell-casters who lack the level for castingfind traps or find the path, or who simply don�tknow these spells. Of course, since it would onlybe a first- or second-level spell, it would not findeverything, since the user would still rely on hisown senses and reason.

Timothy EmrickGranville OH

Occasionally, players complain that the abilityof some undead to drain levels is too powerful- one has to kill hundreds of wights in order tooffset the effects of being hit just once by onewight, and restoring levels by magic is muchharder than bringing dead characters to life.

Yet I believe that this terrifying power isentirely justified and has a place in the game.The reason is just this � terror. The walkingdead strike fear in the hearts of the most hard-ened heroes of fantasy literature, and the fearof losing hard-earned experience levels simu-lates it very well. In my campaign, I�ve had 6fh-8th level characters descend into an aboleth lair,negotiate with overwhelmingly superior forcesof kuo-toa, and stand guard as an NPC wizardconjured a major demon. Yet these brave adven-turers ran in terror at the first sight of a vam-pire and scrambled for their precious one-shotmagical items when the party cleric failed toturn a wight.

This fear of the living dead is very genuineand is much better than the sanity checksChaosium�s CALL OF CTHULHU® game useswhen the Investigators are confronted by thesupernatural. Thus, although the AD&D game isnot intended to be a horror game, horror isbrought into play in AD&D games much moreeffectively than in the game that is meant to bea horror game.

Ilya TaytslinAlbany NY

I recently finished reading the �Forum� letterswritten by Gregory Scott and David Howery[issues #134 and 137, respectively], and I feel Imust disagree with their thoughts on the fighterclass. I completely support the idea that fightersare becoming a dead class, their subclassesbeing much better characters to play � but onlyif you look at it their way.

The fighter class attracted me when a deadcampaign was resurrected last summer. I cre-ated a new character, a fighter, because theclass of my old character, the bard, was a crock.My PC started at 3rd level, about two levelsbelow the average party level, and worked hisway up to a 5th-level fighter before the cam-paign died once again. Throughout the entiretime, he was not a thug or a soldier; he was afighter. He had no need to work for anybodyand did not quite feel inclined to. He picked upjobs as he wandered the land searching for alost friend of his, until he joined a group ofadventurers at a tournament. There was nodesire to put him into a role like scout, knight,mercenary, or whatever. He may have become aprivateer like others in the group, if it wasn�tfor the death of the campaign. Any fighter couldfit into any of the areas filled by its subclasses,except for the ranger, who needs to be modifiedso he cannot be a walking-tank-type scout.(Whoever heard of secretively tracking anelusive enemy in a loud, clanging suit of platemail, anyway?) If my fighter would ever beContinued on page 61

DRAGON 9

by Skip Williams

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, CambridgeCBl 3LD, United Kingdom.

This month, �Sage Advice� covers apotpourri of questions on various exotictopics related to the AD&D® game � fromtarrasques to spaceships, and from psio-nics to the sizes of bags and boxes.

How long will a dragon staysubdued?

A dragon remains subdued indefinitely,as long as the subduing party clearly hasthe upper hand. An unintelligent dragonwhose alignment is not diametricallyopposed to its captor�s alignment andwhich is weaker than its captor is unlikelyto attempt escape as long as it is treatedwell (given its own treasure hoard, fedwell, disciplined firmly and frequently,and allowed a small measure of freedom).Intelligent, spell-using dragons are disloyaleven if relatively weak and dangerous ifthey believe they are as strong or strongerthan their captors. Such a dragon spendsevery moment scheming to escape or toslay its captor and usurp his holdings.

Is a wish necessary to kill a tarras-que? Is it necessary to reduce it to�30 hp? If the wish is necessary,does the creature get a savingthrow? Does the user get moved to atime when the tarrasque is dead ornonexistent (as suggested in thePlayers Handbook)? The tarrasque�sattacks are listed as l-12/l-2/2-24/5-50/l-10/10; isn�t the l-2 attack a bitweak for this monster? The descrip-tion states that the creature canrush only once per turn; does thisprevent the thrusting attack of itshorns?

The tarrasque is not slain until it isreduced to �30 hp and a wish is used.The wisher suffers no ill effects, and thereis no saving throw given to the tarrasque. The �1-2�. attack is a misprint; it shouldread 1-12 (the two 1-12 attacks are fromthe creature�s forelimbs). The creature canattack with its horns at any time; the only

10 FEBRUARY 1989

rush effect is an extra 6� of movement.

Is the hit-point rating for the hang.man tree correct? At 61 hp a year, a151-year-old tree would have 9,211hp and a one-year-old tree wouldhave a minimum of 69 hp.

This is a misprint; the hit-dice rating is 6,+ 1 hp per year. A 151-year-old tree wouldhave 6 HD + 151 hp.

What does the beholder�s anti-magic ray do?

It functions as an anti-magic shell in rayform. That is, all magic, from spells ormagical items, ceases to function whilewithin the ray.

Why do demon princes hide theiramulets on the Prime Material planewhere PCs can find them? Why don�tthey keep them on the Abyss, out ofa PC�s reach?

Demon princes hide their amulets allover the multiverse, not just on the PrimeMaterial, since they are as much at risk inthe Abyss as anywhere else from bothplane-traveling adventurers and otherdemons.

I believe there is an AD&D modulethat takes place aboard a spaceship.Which one is it?

The module is entitled S3 Expedition tothe Barrier Peaks. It has been out of printfor some time but might still be availablethrough your local retailer. This modulewas reprinted with three others as part ofS1-4 Realms of Horror, now in print.

Is the Temple of Elemental Evilbigger than the Players Handbook?

Maybe. The entire Temple of ElementalEvil, with its attached dungeons and out-erworks, is considerably larger than awhole case of Players Handbooks. On theother hand, T1-4 The Temple of ElementalEvil is 128 pages long, but so is the PlayersHandbook. While the latter sports a hardcover, the former comes with a booklet ofmaps; neither feature increases the pagecount, and the two product�s shippingweights are about the same.

How are psionic strength, psionicpoints, defense points, and attackpoints related? How does theexpenditure of attack and defensepoints reduce psionic strength?

Psionic strength is determined when acharacter is created. A character has a

maximum of one attack and one defensepoint per point of psionic strength. Psionicstrength is a constant, representing thecharacter�s maximum psychic potentialand his relative power in psionic combat;it is never reduced except through thereduction of ability scores or similar mis-haps. Attack and defense points representthe finite amount of psychic energy availa-ble to the character at any given time.Note that the use of psionic abilitiesrequire both attack and defense points(see the Players Handbook, page 111).

When a character acquires a psio-nic discipline that uses a level ofmastery, is the effective level ofmastery equal to the character�scurrent level?

No. When a character first acquires adiscipline, the level of mastery is level one,the character�s experience level notwith-standing. Thereafter, the level of masteryincreases each time the character gains anew level.

Is the thief�s hear noise abilitycontinuous, or does it require con-centration? Is the ability strictlylimited to listening at doorways?

The hear noise ability is neither auto-matic nor continuous. The thief mustquietly concentrate on hearing noise; if heis wearing a helmet, he must take it off. Athief is not limited to listening at doors; hecan hear faint sounds from any source.

Where are the weapon proficiencyrules in the AD&D game? The indexin the Dungeon Masters Guide iswrong.

The index is right. The page numbers inthe index are printed in two type faces (asexplained on page 228); the boldfaceentries refer to DMG page numbers, andthe regular entries refer to Players Hand-book page numbers. The entry for �Weap-ons, Proficiency� is given as pages 36-37(note the regular type, indicating the Play-ers Handbook). Additional proficiencyrules can be found in Unearthed Arcana,pages 18 and 26.

What does �c� mean? It�s mostoften used in front of a weapon�slength in the Players Handbook(page 39).

This an abbreviation for the Latin wordcirca, or �about.� This is used to indicatethat a number or date is approximate.

How do you pronounce �drow�?It rhymes with �cow.�

In the AD&D game, do gems andjewelry have to be sold before acharacter can get experience forthem? The DMG seems to indicatethat they must be converted intogold pieces first. The DMG alsorefers to conversion into a trans-Continued on page 71

In a world as unstable and hostile asthat of the GAMMA WORLD® game, large-scale battles are unavoidable. Rival CrypticAlliances like the Purists and the Mutation-ists, or the Restorationists and the Seekers(or the Red Death, which fights everyone)guarantee enough warfare to keep anentire continent in conflict, But there�smore mass combat where that came from.You also have rival tribes, cities, races,bandits, and religious fanatics. War itself iswhat made the Gamma World possible,and it stands to reason that it would be apart of any campaign.

The incorporation of mass-combat rulesinto GAMMA WORLD games can providenew challenges for those characters whohave come to a higher level of play. Someof the campaign goals listed in theGAMMA WORLD rule book could directlyinvolve the characters as leaders in a war.Uniting barbarian tribes, defeating tyran-nical lords and their followers, and tamingthe wilderness are all goals that suggestthe necessity of some form of mass com-bat. The following system takes theGAMMA WORLD third-edition rules anduses them to create a way of simulatingmass combat in the game.

Battle rankEach force of combatants is assigned a

battle rank (BR) by the GM. The BR iscalculated in the following way:

1. Find the average Rank of each soldier,not counting leaders, by finding the aver-age hit dice of a typical soldier. For exam-ple, 20 hoops (HD 15) and 40 badders (HD6) make up a force. Add all their hit dice[(20 × 15 = 300) + (40 × 6 = 240) = 540]and divide the total by the total number ofsoldiers (540/60 = 9). The result is a baseBR 9. Treat each vehicle the battle forcehas as one soldier and average its hit diceinto the BR; do not count drivers or gun-ners as soldiers in this case. (This latterrule applies to ships in naval battles, too.)

2. Modify the base BR according to theleader�s abilities. Treat the leader�s Rank asan ability score on the Ability Modifierstable on the back of the third-edition rulebook, and add its modifier to the BR; dothe same with the leader�s charisma. Add 5to the BR if the leader has military geniuscapability. For example, the leader of thehoop/badder force mentioned earlier isRank 7 ( � 1) and has a charisma of 16( + 2). The BR of the force after this modifi-cation is [(9 � 1) + 2 = ] 10. If the leaderhas military genius capability, the BR is 15.If the leader is a mutant, use his hit diceinstead of his Rank to determine theforce�s BR modifiers.

3. Determine the Tech Level of the aver-age weapons and armor used by the sol-diers, using the following table:

Tech level ModifierI � 5II � 2III 0IV + 2V + 5

To determine each soldier�s individualTech Level, average the Tech Levels of hisweapons and armor, rounding fractions uptoward the figure for weapons. If a soldierhas a laser gun and wears either chainmail or no armor, he is Tech Level III; theuse of Tech Level III or IV armor wouldmake him Tech Level IV.

For example, let�s say that the hoops inour example all have rifles (Tech Level III)and the badders all have crossbows andmorning stars (Tech Level II), with appro-priate armor for their Tech Levels. Theaverage Tech Level comes out to be[((20 × 3) + (40 × 2)) ÷ 60 =] 2.33, whichwe round down to Tech Level II, so 2 issubtracted from 10 for a BR of 8. If thehoops all had Tech Level IV gear, the aver-age Tech Level would be 2.66, whichbecomes Tech Level III for no penalty.

If a battle force�s soldiers have no weap-ons, subtract 10 from their BR unless theyhave claws or other such innate weaponry(treat these as Tech Level II). If the soldiershave ranged combat mutations (radiationeyes, hands of power, etc.) and no weap-ons, treat them as Tech Level III.

4. Find the average number of beneficialoffensive or defensive mutations the aver-age soldier has, and add that number tothe BR; subtract the average number ofdefects. For example, the empathy ofbadders would be fairly useless in a battle( + 0), but hoops have transform metal torubber and leap (the abilities of telepathyand mass mind would not be particularlyuseful in mass combat). Thus, the averagenumber of combat mutations is 0.66,which is rounded up to 1. Based on thisfigure, the BR goes back up to 9.

5. Modify the above BR figure for thearmy using modifiers for various combatsituations, including terrain, unusual com-bat conditions, strategy, artillery and seige

equipment, fatigue, hunger, morale,health, and troop ratios. These modifiersare listed in Tables 1-4, respectively.

Fighting the battleWhen the BRs of the two engaged forces

are finally modified, the troops are readyto fight the battle. Battle is conducted byrolling on the ACT Table on the back ofthe third-edition rule book, referencingthe modified BR on the top column. Theresult is that force�s battle result. Theplayers commanding each force roll diceon this table. The result factors (RFs) arethen compared and read as follows:

RFs equal: If RFs are equal, the forcewith the higher BR wins a Pyrrhic victory(see below). If both the forces have equalBRs, the fight is a draw (see below).

RF + 1: If a force�s RF is one higher thanthe other�s, that force wins a marginalvictory.

RF +2: If a force�s RF is two higher thanthe other�s, that force wins a tactical victory.

RF +3: If a force�s RF is three higherthan the other�s, that force wins a minorvictory.

RF +4: If a force�s RF is four higher thanthe other�s, that force wins a major victory.

RF +5: If a force�s RF is five higher thanthe other�s, it has achieved complete victory.

RF +6: If one force rolls Red and theother rolls Black, the Black-rolling force isput to rout.

Battle result descriptionsWhen a force loses soldiers, 75% of

them are dead, 20% are captured (orkilled, if the winner doesn�t want pris-oners), and 5% flee and never rejoin theirforce.

Draw: The two forces both lose 30% oftheir soldiers, 15% more each are consid-ered injured, and both forces must retreat

Table 1

Terrain and Special Conditions

ConditionTerrain is favorable for specific forceTerrain is not favorable for specific forceForce is attacking from a covered area (e.g., a forest) or

Modifier+ 2� 2

down a hillForce is attacking into a covered area or up a hillForce is landing on a beachNaval force is attacking land force

+3� 3+ 2

+2 for naval force,�2 for land force

Force is airborneForce is on sand, snow, or mudForce is in a radioactive zone and is not immune to radiationForce is wading through water or fording a riverForce has cover during a firefightEntire force has infravision or ultravision during a night

+ 5� 3� 2� 3+ 3

battle + 4Naval force is in very shallow water �2*Naval force must manuever in reefs � 4 *

* Applies only if the majority of the ships are large or are submarines.

DRAGON 13

from the field of battle.Pyrrhic victory: Both forces lose 40% of

their soldiers and 20% are injured, but thePyrrhic winner does not have to retreatfrom the field.

Marginal victory: The winner loses 30%of his soldiers and 10% are injured, and heholds the field. The loser loses 35% of hissoldiers and 20% are injured.

Tactical victory: The winner loses 25% ofhis soldiers and 15% are injured. The loserloses 40% of his soldiers and 30% areinjured.

Minor victory: The winner loses 25% ofhis soldiers and 10% are injured. The loserloses 50% of his soldiers and 40% areinjured.

Major victory: The winner loses 20% ofhis soldiers and 10% are injured. The loserloses 60% of his soldiers and 35% areinjured.

loser loses 75% of his soldiers and 25% areinjured.

Rout: The winner loses 1% of his forceand 5% are injured. The losing force is

Complete victory: The winner loses 15%of his soldiers and 5% are injured. The

completely destroyed. Those not killed arecaptured or flee in different directions.

Other combat resultsIdentity of soldiers: Casualties from a

battle are assessed in proportions equal tothe number of soldiers in the force andtheir hit dice. Using the hoop/badder armyexample, suppose that 50% of that force islost in a battle. Since badders have fewerhit dice than hoops, they should havesuffered more casualties in proportion totheir comrades; multiply the number ofsurvivors in the army by the ratio of bad-der hit dice to hoop hit dice [(30 × (6 ÷(6 + 15))], rounding to the nearest figure.The same is done for the hoops [(30 × (15÷ (6 + 21))]. This leaves only nine baddersand 21 hoops. Similar proportion equa-tions can be worked out for forces com-posed of many different types of soldiersand vehicles.

draw, the winner stays on the field ofbattle. The loser must move at least onemile away from the winning army in theopposite direction from which the attack

Holding the field: Unless the battle was a

Table 2

Strategy, Artillery, and Seige Equipment

ConditionForce has laid an ambush in terrain making it easy for the

Modifier

orce to hide + 4Force is defending a fortified position +3*Force is attacking a fortified position �3*Force is armed with artillery or explosives + 4Force charging through open terrain at an immobile enemy �3**Force is bunched together +3Force is attacking from more than one direction � 2Force is attacking with surprise + 3Force has enemy�s accurate battle plan + 4Force is attacking enemy while the enemy is camping + 2Naval force has one or more submarines with torpedos +3Naval force is attacking through minefield � 4Naval force is attacked by air � 5

* These values are negated if proper seige equipment is used by the attackersagainst the fortified position.* * This value is negated for flying forces.

Table 3

Fatigue, Hunger, Morale, and Health

ConditionForce is fatiguedForce is suffering from hunger or thirstForce fought another battle within 24 hours of the current

Modifier� 4� 3

battle � 2Morale is below 4 � 3Morale is above 12 + 4For every 5% of a force that is injured � 1Troops are heavily burdened on the average � 1Troops are unburdened on the average + 1

came.Injured soldiers: Injured soldiers heal in

one week. If the force has many medicalartifacts, injured soldiers can be healed inone day (at the GM�s discretion).

Vehicles: If any vehicle is lost, it is con-sidered to be destroyed and useless. If avehicle is �injured,� it remains damagedunless there is a specialist mechanic in theforce.

Prisoners: Each force leader shoulddecide if his army takes prisoners. If itdoes, 20% of all the soldiers that the losingforce �lost� are taken prisoner. Prisonersdo not try to escape except in isolatedcases, and they can be made to carrysupplies and do manual labor, such asbuilding bridges, hauling heavy artillery,or chopping down trees. Prisoners mustbe fed in order for them to do work.

PCs in combat: PCs are never killed as aresult of a battle dice roll. If 90% or moreof the PC�s force is injured or otherwisebecomes a casualty, the PC is also injured,but only at the GM�s discretion. PCs can becaptured or become lost if the GM wishes.

Troop morale: The morale of a force isequal to the average morale of its soldiers.For every victory, morale climbs 2 points;morale drops 2 points with every defeat. Ifthe army is hungry or tired, morale drops1 point.

Mixing forces: If two or more forces aremixed, do not bother with recalculating aBR for the entire mixed group. Instead,treat them as separate forces, and dividethe opposing force into as many groups asthere are forces in the mixed army. Forexample, a force of 100 jagets (BR 9) and aforce of 50 mutated humans (BR 12) jointogether to attack an army of 100 androids(BR 15). The player controlling theandroids decides that 40 will fight thehumans and 60 will fight the jagets. Thisgives you two different battles eventhough the forces may be hopelesslymixed together. The GM should use asimilar system when two mixed forcesfight each other.

Battle time: The time elapsed during abattle is determined by finding the aver-age number of soldiers in the two conflict-ing forces. The battle will take a numberof minutes equal to that average troopnumber (see also �guerrilla war� underoptional rules).

Fortified positions: A fortified position isany place in which a force remains immo-bile and has some type of fixed defense setup. The fortified position described on themodifier table represents a lumber wall. Ifthe fixed defense is made of stone,defenders get a +5 bonus and attackersget a �5 penalty. If the fortification ismade of a metal alloy other than duralloy,the bonus/penalty is + 8/� 8, and siegeequipment only deletes the attacker�spenalty, not the defender�s bonus. If thestructure is made of duralloy, the bonus/penalty is +10/� 10; in this case, siegeequipment reduces the penalty to � 5.

Firefights and melees: All of the rules

14 FEBRUARY 1989

were bunched together when the battlestarted (+3). The troop ratio is 100:60 or5:3, for a +8 modifier for the hawkoids.Modified BRs are now 12 for the hoops/

Table 4Troop Ratios

Ratio Modifier1:1 + 41 0 : 9 + 25 : 4 + 41 0 : 7 + 65 : 3 + 82:1 + 1 05 : 2 + 1 210:3 + 1 45:1 + 1 610:1 + 1 8More than 10:1 + 2 0

badders and 21 for the hawkoids.The dice are rolled, and the results are

64 for the hawkoids (a Yellow result on theACT) and a 26 for the unfortunate hoops/badders. The hawkoids have won by 3RFs, so they gained a minor victory, with20 hawkoids lost and 10 hurt. This leaves80 hawkoids with 12.5% of them injured;the injury figure is rounded down to 10%injured, and a �2 modifier for all upcom-ing combats is applied until all are healed.

The hoops/badders lose 60% of theirsoldiers, so 36 of the 60 are lost. Likewise,

above assume that the battle is wagedexclusively with either ranged weapons orwith melee weapons. If one force hasranged weapons and the other has onlymelee weapons, however, the force with-out ranged weapons must take a �2 RFpenalty on its battle roll, and the numberof soldiers lost or injured rises by 25 per-centage points per category (or as many ofthese 50 points as can be allowed). Themelee-weapon force is routed if 100% ofits soldiers are lost or injured. If there isno way for the melee-weapon soldiers toget at the ranged-weapon soldiers (say thatthe melee-weapon soldiers are on a boat),then the melee soldiers can cut loses byretreating immediately, for a loss of only2-20% (ranged-weapon soldiers take nolosses). If retreat is impossible, the melee-weapon soldiers are automatically routedwith no roll made.

Example of a battleThe hoop/badder force from our earlier

example (BR 9) is marching through agrassy field when it is set upon by anarmy of 100 hawkoids (BR 5, averageleader, Tech Level I weapons, two combatmutations). Assume that the hawkoids areattacking from the air (+5). and have sur-prised the hoops/badders ( + 3), but haveno other advantages: The hoops/badderswere marching in tight formation and

35% are injured, leaving all the remainingsoldiers, save three, hurt. To add to allthis, the force must retreat from the fieldin any direction (as the attack came fromabove).

Maintaining an armyMovement: Armies travel at the same

speed a party of adventurers would travelunless the entire force is traveling byvehicle. If every soldier is riding a vehicle,they travel at the vehicle�s speed. Fatigueslows a marching army to 75% normalspeed. If more than 30% of the soldiersare injured, marching speed is slowed tohalf the usual value. Any force with pris-oners or without pack animals to carrysupplies will travel at half speed, too.

Supply lines: If there is a route from thearmy to a friendly base with access tomassive amounts of supplies and means oftransporting them, the force can maintaina supply line. This prevents pack animalsor soldiers from having to carry as much,leaving soldiers free to fight and movequickly.

Guerrillas who are in areas where forag-ing is impossible can make small hits onexisting enemy supply lines. If the guerril-las do so, they will not be able to takeamounts of supplies sufficient to hurt themain force.

Morale: If a force�s morale ever dropsbelow zero, and there are still enoughsoldiers in the army for it to be considered

a force, it will automatically dissipate andcease to exist as a unit. If morale risesabove 25, there is a 75% chance that othermen from surrounding areas will come tojoin up for either payment or patriotism.Each day that the force�s morale is above25, it will gain 1-6 soldiers who will haveRank, equipment, and mutations so as notto change the force�s BR.

Payment: A mercenary soldier usuallycharges 1 gold piece per day per Rank. Ifsituations are extremely dangerous, hemay charge more. PCs who raise merce-nary armies must be able to handle suchfinancing. Once soldiers cease to be paid,they leave, with but one exception: If theforce is that of a city, tribe, Cryptic Alli-ance, or similar group of individuals, itwill fight without pay as long as the sol-diers believe they are furthering theirgroup�s cause or defense. A PC can alwayscount on people to resist if their homelandis invaded or raided.

Encampments: As a general rule, a forcemust rest for 12 hours and can travel for12 hours each day. An eight-hour stretchof rest is made at night, with an hourdevoted to setting up camp and an hourdevoted to breaking the camp down. Suchcamps are vulnerable to enemy attacks butare necessary. A midday rest of two hoursrequires no camp, only immobility.

O p t i o n a l r u l e s Tactics: A force using specific tactics

receives a +4 BR bonus if the opponent isnot using tactics. If both forces use tactics(encircle, strike and move, charge blindlywith force, etc.), then both get a +2 bonusunless the GM decides that one tactic isexceptionally effective or ineffective; theforce with the weaker tactic then gets a�2 penalty while the other force gets a+2 bonus. For example, if one force isattacking blindly against another forcewith no tactics, the first force will get a+4 bonus. But if the second one wastrying to encircle the first, then the GMmight decide that the charging soldierswill run deep into a jam. The GM thengives the encircling group a +2 bonus andthe charging force a �2 penalty.

Guerrilla warfare: If a force has a lot ofterrain to defend, it may wish to fightanother force with guerrilla tactics and sobecomes a guerrilla force. Guerrilla forcesare most effective against conventionalforces, though two forces can fight withguerrilla tactics against each other.

The advantages of guerrilla war are asfollows:

1. The guerrillas do not subtract fromtheir BR for their own Tech Level.

2. Mutations that would help in a guer-rilla war but not in conventional one (suchas camouflage) will be counted as battle-relevant mutations for guerrilla troops.The GM must decide which mutations areuseful ones in this case.

3. If a guerrilla force is native to the com-bat area, it gets a +5 modifier to its BR.

4. The number of soldiers lost and

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18 FEBRUARY 1989

injured is cut by half for guerrilla forces.5. The troop-ratio advantages are each

cut by half.However, guerrilla warfare has the

following disadvantages:1. There can be no positive modifier for

the leader�s abilities except for his Rank.2. For each day of combat waged, a

guerrilla force suffers a � 1 BR penaltydue to fatigue and exposure.

3. Supply lines (see below) cannot beestablished.

4. The guerrilla force is always split upinto groups of 10 or fewer soldiers, socommunication suffers. Specific tacticscannot be used by guerrillas, and ordersto move or attack take three days to get toall of the troops in an area.

5. No guerrilla force can route any otherforce, but guerrillas can be routed byconventional forces.

The requirements for guerrilla war areas follows:

1. The guerrilla war can only be wagedin mountains, forests, ruined cities, jun-gles, or rocky areas. Flat, open terrainmakes guerrilla warfare impractical. How-ever, if both forces are waging guerrillawar, then any terrain will do.

2. The guerrillas may not use vehiclesexcept for small cars or motorcycles. If atsea, guerrillas can use small boats.

3. The guerrillas must have some way ofgetting food and water. If they are nativeto the area, they can get these thingseasily. Otherwise, they must carry suppliesor forage any food. If the area does nothave any natural food sources in it or theenemy does not have supply lines to raid,the guerrillas will run out of carriedrations and the guerrillas will suffer fromstarvation.

The battlefield covers a much largerarea in a guerrilla war than in a conven-tional one. The GM and players roll sepa-rately each day to find how many soldierson either side are lost or injured, subtract-ing that amount from the army totals andmodifying BRs as necessary. A fatiguedguerrilla force may chose to rest a day bynot engaging the enemy; this is calledevasion. If the guerrilla leader elects toevade, conventional forces spend the dayhunting the guerrillas and will kill 1-6% ofthem. If both forces are guerrillas, nobodywill be caught on an evasion day. Evasiondays do not count for actual battle days,and they allow complete rest for guerril-las. Remember that it takes three days fora guerrilla force to receive orders, so if aleader elects to evade, he will not be ableto do so for three days.

At any time, a guerrilla force can elect togather together as one large force. Thistakes three consecutive days of combattime to get the orders out and three con-secutive evasion days to gather at a desig-nated place.

Playing out a guerrilla war can takehours of real time. There are many excit-ing adventures that PC guerrillas andleaders can have during this time while

the large-scale fighting rages on. If PCsmanage to do something on their own thataffects the enemy�s BR, the BR should belowered for the next day�s roll. Commandoraids, sabotage missions, and spying makegood guerrilla-war adventures.

The GM should have a good idea of thegeneral locations of conventional forceswhile a guerrilla war is on. The guerrillaswill be scattered around, but knowing thelocation of a large force will help guerril-las create logical tactics, such as blowingup a bridge before a conventional forcecan cross it (or while a conventional forceis crossing it) to buy more time for theguerrillas. Conventional forces may movearound the combat area and split intosmaller groups while waging war normal-ly. Even if a conventional force is split up,combat rolls are still treated as involvingone battle.

If a conventional force wants out of aguerrilla war, it simply leaves the area. Ifthe guerrillas want out, they must takethree days to notify their troops and oneday to leave.

Special effects on soldiers: The GMshould use his best judgment in adminis-trating any special problems or effectsthat might occur during a war. For exam-ple, if a force (for whatever reason] isstruck with a widespread illness, look up�Sickness� on the referee�s screen. It statesthat a PC gets a �2 CS in combat andmoves at half speed, for 1-6 days. Thus,the entire force receives a �2 to its BRand moves at half speed for 1-6 days.

Boarding actions: The previous gamerules easily accomodate naval battles inwhich ships attack each other from adistance. Sometimes two ships moveclosely enough for marine crews toattempt boarding actions; in such cases,each ship is given a BR determined bycalculating the BR of the combatants onthe ship, not counting the ships as vehi-cles. The winners get control of the othership, and the losers have to bail out in lifeboats and hope for the best.

No retreat: Whenever this command isgiven by the leader of a force before thebattle starts, the GM must check theforce�s morale. If the morale check ispassed, the force will not retreat from thefield if beaten by the first set of dice rolls.The victorious force must fight the loser ina second round of fighting, but at + 1 toits BR. If the �no retreat� force is beatenagain, its leader may order �no retreat�again; and if the morale check (now madeat � 1) succeeds, the force fights again (butthe previous victor now gets a + 2 to itsBR). With each subsequent defeat, thevictor gains a + 1 to its BR and the losergets a � 1 on its next morale check; thesepenalties are cumulative. Note that bothsides in a battle can declare �no retreat�and thus fight down to the last mutant.

Experience and Status levels: To deter-mine the experience points gained by aleader during a battle in which he is victo-rious, add up the total number of all the

enemy soldiers that were lost or injured,multiply this number by the enemy�s aver-age Rank, and subtract a value equal tothe number of the leader�s soldiers thatwere lost or wounded multiplied by theiraverage Rank. Leaders who lose a battlegain no experience.

If a character leads his community�sarmy to victory or defends his townagainst invaders, he gains two Statuslevels. If he loses such a battle, he losestwo Status levels, if there�s still a town leftto make the reduction mean anything.

Long-range missile strikes and bombing:Some forces, usually the dishonorable orsmart kinds, will get access to fiendishweapons like surface missiles or bombs. Ifmissiles are launched at a force, the vic-tims cannot do much about it. Each non-nuclear missile that hits will kill ldl0 + 5soldiers and injure twice that many, ordestroy one vehicle and wound 2dl0 men(firer�s option as to which). A Red attackresult means that the attack did doubledamage, and a Black result means themissile exploded before being launched.

Bomb-droppers are another story. Ifthere is a skywatching lookout for thetarget force, that force will be able to fireon any bombers flying overhead. Bombersmust fly lower than 100 meters in order tohave any chance of hitting their targetsunder �eyeball guidance,� unless they havesome advanced targeting mechanisms.

of 10 for mixed-up groups of this kind(assuming a mid-level Rank, some muta-tions, and a Tech Level average of III), then

Antibomber fire should be allowed for fiveturns before a bomb may be dropped(remember to subtract for range andtarget movement). Bombers must roll diceto hit their targets. A colored result meansthe bombers managed to get the sameeffects as a missile strike (see above). ARed result means that the bomb did dou-ble damage, and a Black one means thebomb exploded before being dropped.

Fission bombs are another story. If aplane or dirigible manages to get directlyabove a force and drops a fission bomb, itwill wipe out 90% of the force, with theother 10% receiving major injuries takingtwo weeks to heal; any PCs will survive,but just barely. Aircraft carrying fissionbombs must maneuver for 10 turns beforehaving position and must be below 100meters in altitude; this gives the victims ofthe bomb a fair chance to scatter or shootit down. If a force is ordered to scatterduring a bombing or missile strike, thedamage sustained will be halved. Dirigi-bles, because they cannot move quickly toescape the bomb�s effects, have a 90%chance to be destroyed on the bomb run.

Mixed-up forces: Sometimes a militaryforce has soldiers of all races, Ranks, andTech Levels. Determining the BR for sucha force is impossible; instead, just use a BR

modify this by the abilities of whoever isleading the force.

ConclusionMass combat can be a useful, challeng-

ing, and exciting part of a GAMMAWORLD campaign. You may choose to usethe rules as they are presented here orchange them to your liking. However youuse them, they can be of tremendousvalue when running an ongoing campaignworld.

20 FEBRUARY 1989

©1989 by John C. Bunnell THE SPYMASTER�S HANDBOOKMichael Kurland

T h e

Well-EducatedSpy

Facts on File 0-8160-1314-4 $18.95Espionage role-playing looks deceptively

easy. After all, if you�ve seen a few JamesBond movies, watched some episodes ofMission: Impossible, and paid attention tothe last year�s worth of newspaper head-lines about the CIA, you know how thespy game works. Right?

Wrong. Everyone knows TV and cinemaspies are far more glamorous than realintelligence agents, but few people realizethat newspaper coverage of the CIA�sadventures in Central America conveys animage of espionage that is almost assharply removed from reality.

This is where Michael Kurland and TheSpymaster�s Handbook come in. The bestespionage role-playing is, or should be,grounded in a solid, basic understandingof the real world�s intelligence-gatheringbusiness, and Kurland�s book is one of themost accessible and informative guides tospycraft you�re likely to run across.

The most critical test of any textbooklies in the quality and organization of itsinformation, and Kurland passes it handily.He begins by giving readers a workingvocabulary of intelligence terms � wordsreal CIA staffers use � and makes someimportant distinctions in the process.(There�s a difference between espionageand intelligence, and there are more kindsof intelligence than you can count on onehand.) And who makes up a spy agency�sstaff? Kurland has the answers and the jobdescriptions down cold. An intriguing testallows readers to evaluate their ownpotential as professional spies; it shouldalso be a valuable aid as gamers designPCs for espionage campaigns.

The handbook, though, is not simply acollection of lists. Kurland is careful toexplain how the various elements ofintelligence-gathering interact, and a hostof lively footnotes ably document thestrengths and liabilities of the varioushuman and technological techniques hedescribes.

Yet, while Kurland�s tome is certainly asolid textbook, his writing is orders ofmagnitude above traditional �textbookdull.� The aforementioned footnotes are anappropriate illustration: Kurland usesthem to expand and comment on issuesdiscussed in the main text, and the devicecreates an extra, personalized sense ofdimension in the material. A recurringframework applies much of the spy lore tothe Marx Brothers� nation of Freedonia,but Kurland�s humor is wise and under-stated, and the overall tone of the bookcombines a healthy dose of common sensewith a mild-mannered sense of the absurd.While Kurland treats his subject withseriousness and respect, his outlook isfirmly upbeat and positive � an unusualcharacteristic and a refreshing one.

The material on the structures of theworld of espionage is neatly applied in

How do you role-play a spy?This book tells all.

22 FEBRUARY 1989

24 FEBRUARY 1989

sections devoted to historical spies andintelligence operations. Though the depthof the individual segments varies (a chap-ter on Benedict Arnold goes into remark-ably fascinating detail, while one on theElizabethan spymaster Sir FrancisWalsingham is unaccountably brief),Kurland�s stories are well told and wellchosen, aptly conveying the subtle strate-gic nuances of the situations he describes.

Only two aspects of the manual are lessthan satisfying. One of them is the con-cluding chapter on codes and cryptogra-phy, which is surprisingly unoriginal. Thematerial presented is accurate and practi-cal but not terribly inspiring, and itignores electronic cryptography almostcompletely; Kurland does, however, cor-rectly recommend David Kahn�s The Code-breakers as the essential resource forthose seeking more depth in this area. Theother disappointment is comparativelytrivial but no less irritating; the cover artand contents page are positively garishand heavy-looking, in sharp contrast to thegraphically smooth and well-illustratedinterior of the handbook.

But then, perhaps that�s intentional. AsKurland stresses, spies are supposed to beinconspicuous, and certainly no one wouldexpect a volume as unglamorous inappearance as The Spymaster’s Handbookto be such a useful repository of espionagelore. The manual is highly recommendedfor enabling spy gamers to add realism totheir campaigns and for giving all readersa better insight into real-life intelligencethan newspapers and spy fiction usuallyprovide.

by Tony Jones

The Ecologyof the

K e c hWhat evil lurks in the heart of the forest?

Taken from a lecture series given by theesteemed naturalist and sage Oparin, onthe subject of dangerous creatures of thewoodlands:

The kech is another of the foul fiendsthat make the woods a dangerous place

for inexperienced adventurers and trav-elers. The physical appearance of the kechis perfectly suited to an arboreal life. Itsleathery skin is green, ranging from alight, silvery green similar in hue to theunderside of a leaf to the deep green of

oak leaves, and this coloration makes itpossible for a kech to remain unnoticed inthe trees. A kech also possesses long armsand legs, complete with handlike feet,which make it easy for it to move fromtree to tree as does a monkey.

Male and female keches are similar inappearance, although the female is smallerand lighter in color. Adult males are 5-6� inheight and weigh 120-150 lbs. Adult femalesstand upright at 5� and weigh close to 100lbs. Both genders are lithe and well muscled,and can walk upright as well as race on allfours. A kech�s face is very humanlike (per-haps keches are some accursed offshoot ofthe human race that became adapted toliving in the trees), but the eyes are blood-red in color and pupilless, and the mouth isfilled with many blood-letting fangs. Also,the nose of the kech is smaller than a nor-mal human�s � almost unnoticeable � andthe ears can only be distinguished from therest of the head by close scrutiny. Althoughmammalian, a kech has only a few traces ofhair on its body.

Keches are wily creatures made infa-mous by the many snares and traps theyset to capture careless and unsuspectingprey, much like those human trappers useto catch the small fur-bearers on whichthe trappers make their living. Thesesnares are nearly impossible to detect byany but skilled woodsmen and druids.� Akech often covers its hunting territory �an area of indeterminate size which

26 FEBRUARY 1989

includes several well-traveled paths, roads,and animal trails � with as many as a half-dozen of these traps. And the more kechfound in the same area (for these crea-tures are commonly found in groups), thelarger the hunting area and the greaterthe number of pitfalls present.²

However, keches do not fully rely on thevarious traps and snares they set to catchall their prey. They actively patrol theirhunting areas looking for suitable prey (ofthe human variety) most of the day andnight, resting only in the heat of the dayand the middle of the night. Keches neverattack a group of four or more individualsunless the group looks particularly weak,unobservant, or careless. If the kechespossess two-to-one odds in their favor,they may attack any human gathering.Keches will try to separate larger partiesinto smaller ones by various means,attacking the smaller parties separately.Their hunting territories are always heavi-ly forested, for keches are excellentclimbers and stay in the trees as much aspossible.

One of the keches� favorite ways toseparate larger groups is to mimic thesounds of a human in trouble � a ploythat some companions and I learned aboutfirsthand during an expedition to investi-gate these beings. A kech will call for helpin a local human tongue, seeking to lurevictims into traps and ambushes. Thesecries are remarkably realistic but can bedistinguished from actual human voices bycareful listening and attention. Whilestudying these creatures, our party wit-nessed the death of one of our retainers,who fell into a covered pit when herushed to aid another retainer whom hebelieved was screaming in distress. Thecrier turned out to be one of a pair ofkeches. While I cannot urge that cries forhelp be ignored, travelers must use theutmost caution when these creatures areknown to be about an area.3

Keches can stalk prey silently in thedeep forests (although they can still beheard by thieves and elves if an attempt ismade to listen closely). In addition, kechesare difficult to track as they leave falsetracks and use other such ploys to avoidbeing followed. Because of their leaflikeskin and silence, keches often succeed inattacking their victims with surprise.4 Byhiding in the branches of trees, a kech candrop on an opponent from above, knockhim off his feet, and bite and claw at him;this is the keches� favorite method ofassault.5 Keches also use their prehensiletoes to hang from limbs, using their clawsas victims pass underneath. Keches some-times rush victims on the ground in aneffort to kill or disable one or two of them,fleeing with their prey before the victims�allies have a chance to retaliate.

Keches normally choose to disable prey,clawing and biting at the faces and necksof victims rather than killing them out-right. This is especially true of attacksagainst humans, whom kech prefer to

torture before killing and devouring.6Once an opponent is disabled, the kechmoves on to attack another foe, returningto kill the incapacitated one after othervictims present are also incapacitated.Keches rarely kill more prey than neces-sary for survival, but their hatred forhumans is so great that they kill as manyhumans as possible without endangeringt h e m s e l v e s .

Keches are extremely evil and rapaciouscreatures who view nearly all other crea-tures as food � especially humans, whomthey seek to kill, maim, and destroy with-out restraint. The reason for this hatredcan only be speculated upon; perhaps ithas something to do with man�s disregardfor the forests or with some ancient feudbetween man and kech. The only crea-tures keches are known to associate withare su-monsters. These associations rarelylast more than a week or two because ofthe chaotic nature of the su-monsters, butduring this time the number of raids onhuman settlements nearby increases great-ly. Whole villages have been destroyed bythe combined might of the two.7

Although intelligent, keches hardly everuse tools or weapons of any sort, prefer-ring instead to use subtlety and brutestrength to kill prey. Keches speak a lan-guage that seems totally incomprehensibleto outsiders. The language of the kech is atongue filled with much chittering andwhistling, sounding for all the world likesquirrel�s chatter. Scholars have spentmany years studying captive keches in aneffort to understand them, but have man-aged to translate only a few words thusfar. Keches can also speak a few words ofCommon learned from those they havecaptured or overheard previously. Beingintelligent creatures, keches never con-tinue fighting if the odds turn againstthem or if they are sorely wounded. Theywill even flee their lairs if attacked byoverwhelming numbers, leaving behind alltheir treasure.

Small groups of keches sometimes bandtogether for mutual protection and forgreater ease in dispatching foes. Suchgroups are led by the largest male, whodecides where the traps are placed andwhich victims the group attacks. Thegroup contains an equal ratio of females tomales, with only a slight male plurality insome cases. These groups infrequentlyraid forest settlements of humans forvictims. These raids are lightning-quickforays in which the keches quickly kill upto a dozen victims and carry them back totheir lairs deep in the woods. Becausethese raids always take place in the depthsof the night, it is even harder to avengethose carried away.

The lair of a band of keches is alwaysdeep in the forest and surrounded bymany traps and places for ambushes.Those foolish enough to follow a kechback to its lair rarely return. The lair itselfis a crude structure made of tree limbslashed together with vines to provide

protection from the elements. Kechesremain in the same general area and usethe same home for no more than a year;this reduces the chances of both overhunt-ing the surrounding area and being discov-ered in their lair. The treasure found in akech lair is gained mainly from that kechs�previous victims and is scattered about thelair along with the bones, clothing, andother belongings of their victims. Kechesdo not value treasure as such, althoughthey use it in their traps to catch greedyhumans.

Keches are not prolific creatures, thank-fully. Male and female keches mate aboutonce every three years in the spring;permanent mating pairs are not formed.The young, usually one but sometimestwo, are born the following spring. Allfemales help care for the young, but themales provide only protection for themand do not help in any other way. Youngkeches grow very slowly; it takes 20 to 25years for them to grow to full size, where-upon they become capable of reproduc-tion themselves. According to the recordsof several adventurers, no more than fouryoung keches have ever been found in thelair at one time, regardless of the numberof adults also present.8 Keches are long-lived creatures, however, which is one ofthe few things that saves them from even-tual extinction. Females average about 150years, while males often live to be 175years old. With age comes cunning andcleverness, making the older keches themost dangerous of all.

In summary, keches can be dangerous

DRAGON 27

foes, especially for unwary and inexperi-enced adventurers. Even seasoned adven-turers respect these foes for their cunningand cleverness. And it is doubtful they willever cease to trouble mankind as long asthere are forests for them to inhabit.

Footnotes ¹The snares set by a kech should be

treated as those created by the third-leveldruid spell snare. Also, the other types oftraps used by keches are 90% undetect-able by most characters. Druids and rang-ers, however, subtract 5% for each levelthey have when trying to detect traps setby a kech.

²A single kech covers as many as 20square miles of forest a day when search-ing for prey. For every other kech in addi-tion to the first, add another 10 squaremiles of forest covered, though the kechwill travel together in a single group andwill not cover the whole area every day.

3 Keches are good mimics, being exten-sively familiar with the sounds humans introuble make. Using this talent, they oftensucceed in luring victims to their deaths.The base chance for a kech to successfullymimic a cry for help is 90% minus 5% perintelligence point of the-victim. If the kechis successful, NPC victims are attracted tothe direction of the voice, believing thatsome human is in trouble. Otherwise, the

have a 15% chance to hear them, andgnomes (so rare that they are often forgot-ten about, even by sages) have a 20%chance. A kech�s base chance of surprise isabout 83%, but if the attack takes place atnight, it becomes 95% (surprising 19 out of20 times). The reduction by half of allchances of tracking a kech applies only tothose with tracking skills (rangers, barbar-ians, etc.). All others have only a 10%chance to successfully track a kech.

5 Unsurprised characters must make asuccessful dexterity check on 1d20 toavoid being struck by a falling kech, whichmakes a single �to hit� roll at +2 for theattack. Surprised characters are notallowed a dexterity check. Any characterfallen upon is immediately knocked to theground, with the kech automatically claw-ing and biting the victim (no �to hit� rollrequired). In addition, the character mustmake a saving throw vs. paralyzation orbe stunned for 1-2 rounds more; a success-ful saving throw means the character canscramble back to his feet the followinground. Failure also means the characterremains prone and is at �4 to hit anddamage. The attacker, on the other hand,is at +4 to hit for the number of roundsdetermined above. This applies only tokeches attacking from above and not tokeches surprising opponents while on theground. Falling attacks are made from a

required, or when a natural 20 is rolled,there is a 40% chance the kech has hit itsopponent in the face or throat for thefollowing effects (roll ld20):

1d20 Effectl-3 Both eyes blinded4-7 Left eye blinded8-11 Right eye blinded12-17 Face hit18-20 Throat torn open

Blindness caused by an attack is-perma-nent unless healed by magic. A damagedthroat causes the loss of l-6 hp per rounduntil the blood loss is stopped or until thecharacter dies. A face hit leaves scars thatpermanently reduce the victim�s comeli-ness by one.

7 There is a 15% chance that 2d4 su-monsters are also found any encounterwith four or more keches.

8 Kech young are born with 1 HD andare about 1� tall. For every six years fol-lowing birth, a kech gains 1 HD and grows1�. Keches with less than 4 HD are agileand fast, but are unable to attack oppo-nents. After that time and until they reachadulthood, they can claw for 1-2 hp dam-age and bite for 1-4 hp damage. Other-wise, kech young are exactly like adults inappearance and (unless they are less thanone year old) have the same innate abili-ties. There will rarelv be more four youngin a kech lair at any one time.victim simply hears creature screaming.

4 Thieves may detect the approach ofkeches on a successful listening roll; elves

height of 5-30�.6 Whenever the kech�s modified �to hit�

roll is four or greater than the number

28 FEBRUARY 1989

©1989 by Ken Rolston

Tripping the the tabletop fantastic30 FEBRUARY 1989

excellent excuse for playing with toy soldiers, even if you are an adult. In fact,considering the expense of purchasinglead miniatures, the patience and skillnecessary to paint them, and the complex-ity of fantasy miniatures wargaming rules,fantasy miniatures wargaming might be abit intimidating for prospective beginners.Getting into fantasy miniatures wargamingis not as easy as getting into role-playinggames or getting into fantasy or historicalboard gaming. There are a number ofdaunting obstacles for the would-be fanta-sy tabletop gamer.

First, you need lots of lead figures �hundreds of expensive lead figures, Arulebook, pencil, and paper get you start-ed in fantasy role-playing, and one gamebox gets you started in fantasy or histori-cal board gaming. But tabletop miniaturesrequire those metal miniatures. Those ofus familiar with role-playing games areused to man-to-man combat systems,where fights with more than 10 partici-pants can be pretty cumbersome, andwhere large-scale melees are nightmarishand difficult to conduct. Most fantasyminiature wargame rules are designed forlarge-scale combat with 100 to 300 figureson the table at a time. Medium-scale minia-tures systems handling 20- to l00-figureconflicts (called �skirmish� rules) are avail-able for science-fiction settings (GamesWorkshop�s WARHAMMER� 40,000 andFASA�s BATTLETECH® games are goodexamples); oddly enough, they are notavailable for fantasy settings.

As mentioned earlier, you need lots ofexpensive lead figures. Second, you haveto paint all those figures. Board games arepurchased ready to play, and role-playinggames require a lot of preparation for thegame master, though he can purchaseadventure and campaign packs to lightenthat burden. The players, on the otherhand, only have to roll up one charactereach. With tabletop miniatures, however,you have to paint all the toy soldiers first

Toy soldiers are lots of fun. They lookneat, and you can zoom them around andhave pretend battles with them. I don�texpect a lot of argument here. Most of youhad a lot of fun with toy soldiers whenyou were kids, and, if you managed toavoid the compulsory growing-up exer-cises of post-adolescence, you can proba-bly still have lots of fun with toy soldiers.

Fantasy miniatures wargaming is an

Finally, because fantasy miniatureswargamers have been such a tiny slice ofthe fantasy gaming pie, most game pub-lishers have devoted little energy to devel-oping well-designed, well-presentedfantasy miniatures game systems andsupplements. There are jillions of interest-ing, moderately well-designed role-playingand board games around, but you won�tfind a lot of shelf space devoted to table-top miniatures in your local hobby shop.

Does this sound intimidating? It is, actu-ally, but things aren�t really as bad as allthat. Take the imposing expense of minia-

tures. There are now plastic miniatures(suitable for beginners) available at a frac-tion of the cost of metal miniatures. Fourexamples come to mind: Games Work-shop�s WARHAMMER Fantasy Regiments(60 figures for $22.95), Skeleton Horde,and Space Marines; and FASA�s BATTLE-TECH Plastitech (16 robots for $10.00).Some miniatures companies also offerreasonably priced starter units and multi-ple packs of metal figures, or occasionallyoffer discounts on older items. Clearancesof discontinued figures at conventions areanother source of cheap lead.

Miniatures are relatively expensive, but(for some of us, anyway) they sure areworth it. As the miser thrills in handlinghis lumps of precious metal, so do minia-tures hobbyists thrill to the hoards of leadthey amass. Aside from the impulse tohoard heavy metals, there is-also the col-lector�s impulse � a compulsive diseaseafflicting many hobbyists. There are lotsand lots of really nice-looking miniatures,smartly sculpted and rich in fantasy flavor.For those of us who have discretionaryincome and imaginations irrevocablyderanged by fantasy literature, we justhave to have this stuff.

About the intricate and time-consumingart of painting miniatures: To my utteramazement, it is nowhere as difficult as Ionce imagined it to be. I always thoughtyou needed an inhumanly steady hand, atrained eye for form and color, and thepatience of a saint. Well, all of those thingswould sure help, but they aren�t neces-sary. It�s incredible how much of figurepainting is simple technique � some stand-ard concepts and procedures for basicpainting, and some nifty cheap tricks forachieving special effects that strike thenaive eye as miraculous. To prove this, seeJeanne McGuire�s �Through the LookingGlass� column on painting undead guys inDRAGON® issue #138. Skeletons are anexcellent choice for beginning paintersbecause of their maximum of appeal andminimum expenditure of sweat. And thereis something else worth noting aboutpainting miniatures: It is a handicraft, justlike quilting, macrame, and model-building. It�s wonderful to exercise youreye-hand coordination in shaping a beauti-ful object, and a well-painted figure is ajoy to behold and a pleasure to seeadmired in the eyes of your friends.

Finally, regarding the dearth of decentminiatures rules systems: Two fantasytabletop rules systems are reviewedherein. Both are quite good, and one ofthem is being vigorously supported by amajor game publisher. Both provide excel-lent opportunities to place handsomelypainted fantasy miniatures in serriedranks and march them with fanfare andpageantry across the tabletops into epic.conflicts between the forces of law andchaos, good and evil. The miniatures rulesdescribed below have all this and more:squabbling, scabrous orcish hoards;resplendent elven hosts; soaring flights of

dragonkind; and dead guys on parade.�Your orders, general?��Toy soldiers! Forward, march!�

CHAOS WARS�: Rules According toRal For Miniature Fantasy Battles

28-page booklet, four reference sheets,and a four-page painting guide

Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. $11.95Design: Bob Charrette, Charles Crane, and

Richard Smethurst

Several years ago, Ral Partha, a well-

Rules presentation: The presentation

known United States miniatures company,distributed a free, four-page set of medi-

of the rules is clean, concise, and well

eval tabletop rules called �The RulesAccording to Ral for Medievals.� (A coher-

structured. The rules themselves are

ent four-page set of wargaming rules is aminor miracle in itself.) The system was

limited in number, fairly simple and coher-

simple, clearly presented, and quite play-able. However, these rules weren�t a fanta-

ent in concept, and relatively unencum-

sy miniatures system, and fantasy was thehot genre, not medieval historical wargam-

bered with special cases and exceptions.

ing. So, although �The Rules According toRal� was in many ways a notable achieve-ment, it remained little more than acharming curiosity.

The current boxed edition of the CHAOSWARS game is a development of the origi-nal medieval system for fantasy tabletopwargaming. These rules are intended toprovide a beginner with a simple, inexpen-sive introduction to miniatures wargam-ing, or to provide experienced tabletopgamers with a quick evening�s worth ofgaming.

Ease of scenario design: Veterans ofrole-playing games and board wargamesare likely to be unfamiliar with one of thebig hassles of miniatures gaming: design-ing scenarios with balanced opposingforces. In role-playing gaming, there is lessemphasis on competition; in board gaming,the sides are balanced by the designer. Butfor tabletops games, designing a fair fightbetween two fantasy forces is prettytricky. Most games have point-cost systemsfor comparing forces, but working out thepoint costs for troops, heroes, wizards,and monsters is an annoying chore.

In this department, the CHAOS WARSgame is relatively painless. The point-costsystem is quick and simple. Also, the gameincludes four scenarios with completetroop rosters, which are excellent practi-cal examples of the application of thepoint-cost system for balancing forces. Asto how reliable this point-cost system is inproviding balanced forces, that�s anotherquestion. My suspicion is that spell-castersare too cheap, but I can�t be sure withoutabundant play-testing experience. In anycase, since this system is more for begin-ners and informal friendly games, it�s notsuch a big deal if the sides aren�t perfectlybalanced, as long as everybody has fun.

Examples and diagrams clarify the ruleswhere necessary. The presentation of the

The flavor of combat is less decisively

point-cost system is a little too concise(initially, I found some undefined refer-

dramatic than in other systems� I�ve played,

ences puzzling), but with patience andcommon sense, I figured it out on the

mostly because the rout of a unit does not

second pass. Again, being able to refer tothe examples of point-cost rosters in the

trigger morale tests in neighboring units.

scenarios was a big help.

In Ral Partha�s rules, the resolution of each

Because the rules are so simple, they areneither very specific nor explicit. In play-testing, we frequently had to interpret the

engagement doesn�t affect the overall

intent of the rules where specific circum-stances were not explicitly covered in therules. For example, in the first scenario itstates: �Archery fire may not be directedagainst aerial units except in clearings�Hey, if archery against aerial units is nogood in the woods, how about spells? Wedecided the woods obscured aerial unitsfrom sight, but we might easily havedecided the opposite.

A certain amount of ambiguity is to beexpected with any miniatures system, buta cheerful tolerance for it and a friendlyatmosphere for resolving such issues arenecessary for enjoying this game. Gamersaccustomed to more explicit systems mayinitially be disconcerted by the absence ofmany familiar miniatures rules conven-tions, such as restrictions on maneuversand formations. All things considered, theintent of the rules is clear, and a disputecan usually be settled by specific referenceto some part of the text, since the game ispresented in accordance with the commonconventions of wargaming rules language.

Pace of play: The pace of play of theCHAOS WARS game is fairly brisk. Thespell-casting segment of a turn is moreinvolved than in any other fantasy minia-tures system I�ve ever played, partlybecause spell-casters can cast a number ofspells each turn and partly because thestatement of intent to cast alternatesbetween opposing sides, with resolution ofeffects made after all spells are cast. Witha couple of high-ranking spell-casters oneach side, spell-casting can take some time;likewise, it requires careful note-taking forsmooth resolution after spells have beendeclared.

Movement, on the other hand, is swiftand none-too-subtle. Units, creatures, andcharacters zoom across the table, slaminto one another, and sit and whack awayuntil one opponent is eliminated or runsaway. Unlike other miniatures systems I�veplayed, there are no careful maneuvers,changes of formation, wheels, or prepara-tions to charge. Terrain effects are signifi-cant but uncomplicated. Tacticalmaneuvers don�t require precise adjust-ments or fine judgments of rules andcircumstances. Essentially, you just movetoward another unit, then shoot or fight.

DRAGON 33

tactical situation on the table, while thebreaking of a single unit can signal a deci-sive shift in the game in most other sys-tems. In this sense, Ral Partha�s rules don�tproduce the dramatic, satisfying battleclimax that is the feature of the best war-games and miniatures systems.

Fantasy flavor: For fantasy trooptypes, the special abilities and disadvan-tages according to race are not fancy ordetailed, but they are appropriate andsatisfying. Individual heroes, wizards, andmonsters are rather imposing compared toregular units, perhaps as befits a Conan-style heroic fantasy atmosphere, but this isless appealing if you prefer more gritty,human-scale table warfare.

The nicest fantasy feature of Ral Partha�srules is the treatment of magic. Spell-casting is abundant in this system and fullof tactical subtlety. Each spell-caster has alimited number of spell points, but he canuse them all each turn rather than onceper game. In addition, a spell-caster canthrow several different spells in each turn,being limited only by his number of spellpoints. Defensive magic can be cast toprotect units and individuals from oppos-ing spells, further enriching the spell-caster�s tactical choices. All spell-casterswork from the same spell list, and allmagic-users can use all the spells on thelist. As a result, although there is littledifferentiation among spell-caster abilitiesin the basic game, there are a lot of spellsto work with. (There are special necro-mancy and summoning advanced ruleswhich give wizards of those specialties amore distinctive flavor.)

A note for experienced tabletop gamers:As far as I can tell, this magic system couldbe grafted directly onto the WargameResearch Group historical tabletop rules[see mention of this game at the end ofthis article]. I have no suggestions forcreating the point-costs of such spell-casters in the WRG � that needs to bedetermined by play�testing � but the basicmagic rules concepts are quite compatiblewith WRG mechanics.

Campaign setting: This game systemtakes place in a universal conflict calledthe Chaos Wars. An interdimensional rifthas been torn in the fabric of space andtime. Wizards and demons skilled in navi-gating this rift can travel to any place andto any time. The concept is appealing � aninterdimensional war involving troops andheroes from the historical past and thescience-fiction future, as well as standardfantasy troops, monsters, wizards, andwarriors. Unfortunately, the treatment ofthis appealing concept is not fully realizedin the CHAOS WARS game, nor is it fol-lowed up in subsequent supplements..From scattered, undeveloped referencesthroughout the text, you sense a lot ofneat ideas that got away.

For example, the game comes with ablister pack of five figures � a warrior, acyborg operative of the Rim Patrol, awizard, a swashbuckler, and a Soviet sen-

34 FEBRUARY 1989

try armed with an AK-47 � collectivelyreferred to as �The Press Gang.� The fig-ures are nice and the concept of a team ofcross-time recruiters is clever, but thePress Gang does not figure in any of thescenarios in the rule book, and the refer-ence sheet concerning the Press Gang onlyhints at their intended function in tabletopplay. Also, there are numerous referencesto �dimension-roving mercenary bandsknown as the Free Companies,� but nodescriptions, explanations, or appearancesof these bands are made in the scenarios.

The scenarios: The four scenariosincluded in the rule book are among thebest features of the game. In one sense,providing scenarios for miniatures gamesis always problematic, since they are oflimited utility unless you just happen tohave the mix of figures needed in thescenario � a very unlikely event. How-ever, the inclusion of scenarios is valuablefor a number of reasons.

First, developed scenarios can be goodexamples of how to set up your own table-top scenarios � how to arrange terrain,how to establish point costs and balancesides, and how to design victory condi-tions. For beginners, seeing a variety ofdifferent table layouts, battle rosters, andvictory conditions is especially importantin developing a sense of how miniatureswargaming works.

Second, tabletop scenarios can be excit-ing and inspiring models for home-grownscenarios and campaigns. The first sce-nario, �The Destruction of Benden Woods,�is particularly good. This scenario featuresan elven force defending sacred, magical�Heart-Trees� from an invading force oforcs and beastmen. The battlefield isalmost completely wooded, giving theelves a decided advantage in movement,but this tactical advantage is balanced bythe liability of having to defend the 11magical trees from attack.

Not having the specific miniatures listedfor the scenario wasn�t a big problem. Ididn�t happen to have the beastmen orknights mounted on bumblebees called forin that scenario, but because the battleroster included detailed charts of abilitiesand point costs for all the units, charac-ters, and monsters, it was relatively easyto substitute some skeletons for the beast-men and some WARHAMMER 40,000 space elves with jump packs for theknights on bumblebees. (Boy, did the inter-dimensional rift concept come in handyhere or what?)

Finally, scenarios can show by examplethe best features of a game system andcampaign setting in a way that text cannever achieve as effectively. For example,one scenario, �The Doom Legion Marchesto War,� features an army with demonoids,lizardmen, and skeletons fighting shoulderto shoulder with colonial British and mod-ern American and Russian infantry, gang-sters, and a robot. The statistics for theseexotic units are listed in the troop rosterand serve as examples for gamers who

want to set up their own mixing pot ofcross-time warriors.

Evaluation: The CHAOS WARS game isa simple, fairly clean, nicely presented setof fantasy miniatures tabletop rules. Quickand easy to learn and play, this game ismost suitable for beginners who want toget their feet wet or for experienced fanta-sy or historical miniatures gamers whojust want an occasional evening of fast-and-dirty fantasy tabletop warfare. Therules themselves are admirably clever andcoherent, but probably not detailed orspecific enough to satisfy experiencedminiatures gamers. The fantasy elementsare well served, particularly the magictreatment, which is exceptional. The fourscenarios included are excellent models offantasy tabletop conflicts and effectiveexamples of scenario and army composi-tion. The campaign concept, an interdi-mensional war across rifts in space andtime, is imaginative and inspiring. Thoughthe game itself is unfortunately sparse inits development of this concept, gamersand campaign builders may be veryexcited by the possibilities this themepresents for blending fantasy, science-fiction, and historical elements in tabletopconflicts. In all, considering quality andvalue for the money, the CHAOS WARSgame is highly recommended for experi-enced and prospective tabletop gamers.

As a final note, available through yourlocal hobby shop or by mail from RalPartha, are two one-sheet Ral Partha �WarBulletins� containing CHAOS WARS fantasytabletop scenarios. The address is: RalPartha, 5938 Carthage Court, CincinnatiOH 45212.

WARHAMMER� FANTASY BATTLE,3rd Edition

304-page hardbound bookGames Workshop Ltd. $34.95Design, development, and editing: Bryan

Ansell, Richard Halliwell, Rick Priestly,and Jim Bambra

If you�re serious about fantasy tabletopgaming, WARHAMMER FANTASY BATTLE(WFB) is probably your only choice. Thebasic and advanced game rules offer mostof the wargaming features associated withserious historical miniatures gaming, inaddition to the magical, heroic, and role-playing elements necessary for a satisfyingfantasy setting. The WARHAMMER cam-paign world, with its distinctive races andnationalities, rich campaign background,and epic themes, is an ideal setting formany fantasy scenarios and campaigns.

The WFB systems are elaborate, modu-lar, comprehensive, and endlessly supple-mented. The rules are designed to beformal, detailed, and explicit, though anambivalent attitude toward rules lawyersand lack of polished, formal wargaminglanguage make reading, learning, andreferencing the rules harder than it mightbe. The systems have been tested overyears of friendly and competitive play, and

the successive editions of WFB and theseries of hardback supplements and arti-cles in White Dwarf (the Games Workshopmagazine) are abundant evidence of acommitment to develop and enrich thesystems and campaign setting.

Third edition: How is the third editiondifferent from the second edition? Well, tostart with, the third edition is an enor-mous hardback that includes a new andexcellent introduction to assembling andpainting armies, and an introduction todressing tables for war (an invaluablefeature for beginners). The third editionalso adds new options and complexity toall phases of tabletop conflict � maneuver,command control, psychology, combat,special rules for exotic weapons, warmachines, fantasy beings and races, and soon. The third edition also greatly expandsits treatment of the WARHAMMER cam-paign setting, including and elaboration ofmaterial extensively described in WAR-HAMMER FANTASY ROLE-PLAY (seeDRAGON issue #124, �Role-playingReviews�). There is a new scenario, com-plete with player information sheets andtroop roster pullouts, and plenty of newBattle Magic spells for your wizards.

Game preparation: There�s no pointin learning fantasy miniatures rules unlessyou have miniatures to push around and anice table on which to do so. The introduc-tion offers plenty of practical advice andtechniques for painting and table-dressing,and it is accompanied by nice, big, appetiz-ing color pictures of what things will looklike when you own several hundred lovelypainted figures and several boxes full ofpretty table scenery.

The rules: There are two rules sec-tions: basic and advanced. The basic rulesare fairly complicated, dense, and intimi-dating. The presentation is well illustratedwith diagrams and examples, and the textis friendly and conversational, but the textis certainly wordy, too, and the structureand organization are not well designed forscanning and reference. In this respect,the second edition, with its simpler rulesand more open layout, is easier to read,learn, and reference. The rules concerningformations, maneuvers, and charges aremore detailed and have more options inthe third edition, and the treatment ofrouts is improved. Otherwise, most of thesystems remain essentially similar to thesecond edition. These systems are tolera-bly simple and coherent, once you�vestudied them and played a few times, butlearning the rules requires patience, tenac-ity, and dedication.

A lot of the material in the advancedrules is simply adorable chrome � refine-ments beginners don�t need to know toenjoy fantasy tabletop gaming. These niftybits provide some of the great charm ofWFB. For example, there are a number ofcharming special troop types: goblinfanatics who whirl cannonballs like der-vishes and plow into enemy and friendlyunits with devastating effect; and the

Chaos ratmen�s Warp-Fire Throwers,fantasy flamethrowers broadcasting tor-rents of Primal Chaos to warp and distortvictims with loathesome mutations.

But a lot of the stuff in the advancedrules seems pretty esential to the basicgame � a point-cost system, for example,to balance sides in a conflict, and thecharacter-models rules (that is, rules forindividual characters as opposed to units),without which you have no mighty-thewed barbarian heroes or fireball-tossing wizards. Although beginners canignore the fancy details of special-weaponsrules, war machines, and chariots, theystill need to plow through a lot ofadvanced rules before they can set uptheir first fantasy tabletop scenarios. Forexample, even the scenario provided in thebook presumes knowledge of thecharacter-models rules.

Finally, regardless of my whining aboutpages and pages of complex rules, I realizeI just have to have all this stuff. It�s neat.There�s sure a lot of it, and I wish it wereeasier to digest, but now that I�ve got it, Iwouldn�t settle for anything less. No otherfantasy miniatures system offers a fractionof the detail and color that WFB offers.And the system works. I particularly likethe new rules that permit fancy maneu-vers if the unit or leader passes his leader-ship test. I also admire the system forsetting scenery for competition games,which also provides a quick and service-able layout for off-the-cuff Saturday nightgames. And I�m especially glad that some-one decided to quadruple the point cost ofskeletons � they�ve always been too cheaprelative to their effectiveness on the table.

Magic: There are lots and lots of spells,as well as many kinds of wizards (battlewizards, demonologists, necromancers,illusionists, and elementalists) and plentyof magical devices, complete with pointcosts. The variety of spell effects and thespell-point limits imposed on spell-castersmake efficient tactical use of magiciansand magical devices difficult to master, buttheir flavor and charm in fantasy tabletopwarfare will be immediately evident, evenfor beginners.

WARHAMMER campaign setting:Here, my enthusiasm for WFB is unquali-fied. This stuff is great. Most of the famil-iar fantasy races and monsters arerepresented � orcs, elves, dwarfs, half-lings, ogres, giants, and so on � but theirvague stereotypes are transformed intovivid identities through distinctive appear-ances, cultures, and behaviors. WAR-HAMMER orcs are adorably crude andblithely murderous. Dwarf society pro-duces a peculiar, suicidal character typeknown as the Trollslayer, a dwarf whopaints his-bare torso, sports an orangeMohawk haircut, and seeks death in com-bat with a troll as a vocation. Giants areprovided with an enchanting selection ofspecial attack modes: stomp and grind,pick up and squash, pick up and eat, jumpup and down, yell and bawl, and so on.

There are a number of fantasy beingspeculiar to the WARHAMMER setting: theSkaven (CHAOS WARS game Ratmen), theFimir (one-eyed giant brutes), and theSlann (Aztec warrior frogs). And the great-est fantasy resource of the WARHAMMERuniverse is the Realm of Chaos � a blanketrationalization for the most bizarre anddemented horrors imaginable.

Part of the vividness of the WAR-HAMMER setting comes from the steadystream of metal miniatures produced byGames Workshop. The marketing advan-tages associated with publishing minia-tures games to support miniatures sales isevident to even the most naive consumer,but the real appeal of mutually supportingminiatures games systems and miniaturesdesigns should not be overlooked. Whenskillfully and enthusiastically executed, alinked game system and campaign cangreatly enhance the value of a miniaturesline to the consumer, and vice versa.

The scenario: One scenario is provid-ed, an ambush of a force of elven cavalryand archers by a horde of orc and goblinwarriors and wolf riders. The scenarioand set-up instructions themselves aredetailed, clearly presented, and charming.Cut-out counters are provided for thosewho don�t have the appropriate miniaturesat hand � that is, for most of us, since Iknow relatively few gamers with 32 paint-ed elven cavalry figures lying around. Theplayer handout sheets offer colorful narra-tive introductions (the orc sheet beingpresented in the risible WARHAMMERorcish-cockney-bully-boy dialect), summa-rize the tactical situation, explain the tableand deployment, and provide detailedtroop rosters.

What is not provided is a listing of thepoint costs of the units and charactermodels � a bad thing, since the victoryconditions are defined in terms of pointvalues, and because it ruins the scenarioas an practical illustration of setting troopcosts for a beginner. The scenario is alsomore involved than an ideal introductoryscenario, requiring lots of figures andknowledge of some advanced rules. Afterthe extensive beginners� introduction topainting miniatures and table layout, I�dhave expected some practical advice onsetting up scenarios, with several exam-ples of varying complexity, from a simplerookie skirmish to a sprawling, epic battle-field as a challenge and inspiration to theveteran gamer.

Evaluation: The major reservations Ihave about WFB concern its presentation.The text is dense and wordy. The wealthof diagrams is good, but their captionsaren�t always clear. The abundance ofphotos, illustrations, and paintings is oftenvisually stimulating, but many of thesegraphics are of marginal or negligiblerelevance to the accompanying text. Theblack-and-white photographic reproduc-tion is surprisingly poor.

However, WFB offers the most compre-hensive and full fantasy-flavored tabletop

DRAGON 37

miniatures systems and campaign settingsavailable. Because of the bulk and awk-wardness of the rules presentation in theWFB volume, it is not a quick or easysystem to learn, though the basic systemsthemselves are not particularly compli-cated. Nonetheless, the payoff is consider-able. The rules produce a satisfying,moderately fast-paced table action, with allthe bells and whistles necessary to satisfyfussy wargamers and excitable fantasygamers. The fantasy campaign setting issimply super. The series of revised edi-tions, supplements, and magazine supportarticles indicates that Games Workshop isinterested in and capable of catering to thegamer�s appetite for new features, refinededitions, and elaborated fantasy campaignmaterials. For someone contemplating amajor investment of time and energy inpainting armies and learning rules, this isof considerable importance.

WARHAMMER� ARMIES176-page hardbound bookGames Workshop, Ltd. $34.95Compiled and developed: Nigel Stillman,

Rick Priestly, Matt Connell, RichardHalliwell, and Brian Ansell

The presentation of WARHAMMERARMIES, by contrast with WFB, is excep-tional. The layout is good-looking, wellorganized, and well structured, with effec-tive graphic cues for reference. The illus-trations are keyed to the subject matter.The color photographs are invaluablepainting guides for their individual trooptypes � particularly the spectacular two-page color photographic treatments ofsample Bretonnian, Skaven, Chaos, andorc armies, presented unit by unit, withpoint values listed for each. Within eachtroop type, the individual unit types arepresented in an identical, graphicallyexplicit format, each accompanied by anillustration of a representative of that unittype. Other graphic features include 13full-color paintings of troop types, stand-ards, and shield designs, and numerousblack-and-white illustrations of shield andbanner designs scattered through the textas fillers.

Rules supplements and revisions:The most significant rules modificationsconcern changes in point values for char-acter models and elite units, reducingtheir costs to encourage their use on thetable, and wholesale reevaluation of spell-point costs for wizards. The spell-pointcost revisions are quite significant; forexample, most first-level Battle Magicspells are considerably cheaper, and somegross higher-level spells (like Create Magi-cal Bog and Vorpal Hurricane of Chaos)have been doubled in cost. Another valu-able improvement is the four-page pullout,�Rules Summary and Reference,� a com-prehensive summary of the sequence ofevents during a game turn � somethingthat would have been greatly appreciatedin the basic game.

Other attractive supplemental featuresinclude: rules and optional attack modesfor Elven Wardancers (a unique acrobaticwarrior-troubadour troop type); rules thatlet wizards magically bind hosts of mon-sters, chaos beasts, and ethereal beings totheir bidding; and imaginative new abili-ties for magical weapons, armor, stand-ards, and musical instruments. Also, abestiary section describes 14 new creaturetypes, including black orcs, rat-ogres,unicorns, and war boars.

Army lists: The army lists themselvesdetail troop types and point values for 11major fantasy armies: Dark Elves (sinister,high-class bad guys), Wood Elves (typicalforest-loving archers), High Elves (fancyhigh-fantasy aristocrats), the Army of theEmpire (late Medieval Teutonic types),Bretonnians (chivalric Frenchmen), Chaos(beastmen and Chaos knights), Skaven,orcs and goblins (boar and wolf riders, orcwarriors, and goblin skirmishers), dwarfs(tough, fearless troopers-supported byfancy war machines), Slann, and Undead(necromancers, skeletons, and so on). Theaddition of bound hosts as permitted trooptypes is a clever and easy way to addswarms of fantasy monsters to tabletopconflicts. In this fashion, bears, boars,ghosts, wights, dragons, and such can beappended to a fantasy army.

WARHAMMER ARMIES also provideslists for smaller allied or mercenary unitsof other fantasy troop types � Fimir,pygmies, halflings, zoats, ogres, giants,Nipponese, Norse, etc. � in addition tosmaller units of the major troop typeslisted above. These allied or mercenaryunits can be attached to a larger majorarmy. I like this idea a lot, since it permitsyou to collect and paint a variety of fanta-sy types for your own army. On the otherhand, the rules for allied and mercenaryunits make me suspicious of their value onthe table. Allied and mercenary units areliable to go bad on you in various circum-stances, and I�m not comfortable aboutbuying and painting an army that is likelyto turn on me in the middle of a battle. I�malso not persuaded to believe that thetactical advantage of mixed troop typesbalances the troop unreliability created bythese mercenary and allied rules.

For each army, the number, character,and outfitting of each unit or hero type isspecified and given a point cost. There isalso a handy, step-by-step introductionexplaining how to use the army lists toselect the figures, units, and characters foryour own WARHAMMER army.

Evaluation: The clarity and appeal ofthe WARHAMMER ARMIES volume iseffective and refreshing. The rules supple-ments and troop lists will be greatlydesired and admired by WFB gamers. Fornewcomers seriously interested in fantasyminiatures, or veteran tabletop gamerslooking for a complete fantasy system,WFB is a recommended purchase, andWARHAMMER ARMIES a highly recom-mended first supplement.

Other tabletop systemsOther fantasy tabletop systems and

supplements of interest include:Chainmail: These simple tabletop medi-

eval and fantasy miniatures rules are thegranddaddy of the D&D® game, withsystems familiar to anyone who�s playedthe latter. Chainmail is available as a collec-tor�s item from the TSR Mail Order HobbyShop [P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147].

AD&D® BATTLESYSTEM� supplement:This is a right-minded, clean, component-rich, and unconvincing adaptation ofAD&D and D&D game systems for table-top gaming. The wargaming-style unit-combat rules are well presented andplayable, and a good mix of counters isprovided for those with modest miniaturescollections. But I have little faith in theprovisions for adjudicating the myriadmagical effects of AD&D or D&D gameson the tabletop, and little faith in the pro-posed system for creating point costs forarmies. This a promising package, butwithout a simpler, cleaner application ofmagic and fantasy feel, I cannot recom-mend it for beginners.

Rules According to Ral for Medievals:These four-page guidelines are for medi-eval historical tabletop warfare. Remark-ably simple, these rules work! RulesAccording to Ral for Medievals is availablefrom Ral Partha for 25 cents (see addresslisted earlier).

Wargame Research Group Rules: TheWRG rules are sure-enough Ancient andMedieval tabletop wargaming guidelinesfor serious tabletop historical gamers,being complex, detailed, and wargaming-explicit. The sixth edition has notes forfantasy adaptations. The 7th editionrevised is excellent, with new rulesemphasizing maneuver and commandcontrol.

WARHAMMER 40,000: These rules are forscience-fantasy tabletop wargaming with acampaign setting combining fantasy races(orks and stunties) and fantasy themes (thetaint of Chaos and demonic entities) withfantastic futuristic weapons and hardware.Included is a skirmish system which pro-duces an emphasis on individual figuresrather than units of figures. This is a goodchoice for tabletop beginners with limitedbudgets of time and money for purchasingand painting figures.

WARHAMMER SIEGE: These rules pro-vide guidelines for conducting tabletopsiege warfare. They are well organizedand clearly presented in wargaming rulesstyle. WARHAMMER SIEGE may be usedwith WFB and WARHAMMER 40,000systems.

Realm of Chaos: This is a WFB and WAR-HAMMER 40,000 supplement detailing theendless multiplicity of mutations, abilities,and derangements of the Servants ofChaos. These rules include troop lists andacres of charts.

DRAGON 39

NEW PRODUCTS FOR JANUARY Weasel�s Luck

GAZ10 The Orcs of TharD&D® Gazetteerby Bruce HeardOrcs are rude, crude, and socially unaccepta-

ble, which is why everyone likes them. Learnmore about your favorite monsters in this 96-page Gazetteer for the D&D® game�s KnownWorld � and get an updated version of the ORCWARS board game that appeared in DRAGON®issue #132, as well as a player-character genera-tor for orcs, goblins, gnolls, and more!Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 9241

Lords of DarknessAD&D® module anthologyintroduced by Ed GreenwoodBring the undead to life! This 96-page source-

book and adventure anthology pits your playercharacters against every sort of undead inexistence, in scenarios for every level of PC.Visit graveyards, tombs, ruins, and places younever dreamed you�d meet the undead. All ofthe scenarios are set in the FORGOTTENREALMS� setting but may adapted to othercampaigns.Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 9240

Mad Monkey VS the Dragon ClawAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS�/

Oriental Adventures moduleby Jeff GrubbTwo rival gods of the Orient declare war, and

their martial-arts minions are in the front lines� with the player characters caught inbetween! This 64-page module will challenge allOriental Adventures PCs.Suggested Retail Price: $7.95/£5.95Product No.: 9242

DRAGONLANCE® Saga Heroes novelby Michael WilliamsGalen Pathwarden certainly had no idea he

would be forced to serve for a year as a knight�ssquire. He also hadn�t planned to face the hor-rors of the journey on which his master, aKnight of Solamnia, led him � through shape-changing swamps, across illusion-trapped plains,and into the Scorpion�s Nest, the lair of theultimate illusionist.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8325

R e d S a n d s TSR� Books novelby Paul B. Thompson and Tonya R.

CarterAfter escaping from the sultan�s foolproof

prison, a rebel nomad acquires some unusualtraveling companions: a panther shape-shifter, aheretic priest, a young noble, and a cowardlythief. This fast-paced Arabian adventure pits thefive against the Sultan�s deadliest soldiers,monsters of the desert, wicked necromancers,and worse.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8203

NEW PRODUCTS FOR FEBRUARY

DLE1, In Search of DragonsAD&D® DRAGONLANCE® moduleby Rick SwanWhy are the good dragons dying? You need to

know, and soon. The power of Good is weaken-ing on Krynn, and you and your fellow adven-turers must find the ancestral graveyard of thedragons of Good �while the forces of Evilmove to stop you. Novice- and intermediate-level

characters may participate in this quest.Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 9243

Revenge of the FactoidsGAMMARAUDERS� expansion gameby Douglas NilesThe bioborgs just keep getting bigger and

better! The most bizarre science-fantasy boardgame is now even more bizarre with the addi-tion of this expansion game, featuring newrules, maps, factoid cards, and mutant mon-sters. And watch for the GAMMARAUDERS�comics from DC Comics, available now!Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.95Product No.: 7016

TS4 Brushfire WarsTOP SECRET/S.I.� module anthologyby Lots O� PeopleEverything you�ve ever wanted in an action-

packed spy scenario is here � and lots of it, too.This module anthology was designed to linkwith TSAC5 Commando, providing hours ofmodern military-espionage adventuring againstthe worst that the worlds terrorist groups canthrow at you.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£5.95Product No.: 7633

RED STORM RISING� gameBoxed family board gameby Douglas NilesThe superpowers collide head-on in Europe,

and you control the outcome! Warsaw Pact andNAM forces meet gun-to-gun in this familyboard game, the sequel and companion game toTHE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER� game alsoproduced by TSR. The set includes basic andadvanced rules, 116 plastic bases, 320 counters,four 10-sided dice, and a 32-page rules andscenarios book. The two games can even belinked for the ultimate World War III conflictsimulation.Suggested Retail Price: $19.95/£14.95Product No.: 3027

Streams of SilverFORGOTTEN REALMS� novelby R. A. SalvatoreThe heroes of The Crystal Shard have

returned, and now they�re hunting for thelegendary dwarven home, Mithril Hall. Followtheir quest through the savage North, the mosthostile land where anyone has ever dared tolive, in the second volume of the Icewind DaleTrilogy: Streams of Silver.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8415

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

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER™ & ©1988 Unlted StatesNaval Institute. All Rights Reserved.

RED STORM RISING is a trademark owned by and used underlicense from Jack Ryan Enterprises Ltd. and Larry Bond.©1989 Jack Ryan Enterprises Ltd. and Larry Bond. All RightsReserved.

40 FEBRUARY 1989

©1989 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser

Computer-game ratings

X Not recommended* Poor* * Fair* * * Good* * * * Excellent* * * * * Superb

Fight dragons and sink carriers with MS-DOS

We continue to receive requests for more information about IBM micro-computer entertainment software. Home and business users are buying MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) computers by the thousands, mostlydue to the low prices of IBM PCs, XTs, ATs, and clones. Also of consumerinterest are the new families of speedy, number-crunching 80386-basedmachines and the new IBM Personal Systems/2 (PS/2) computers. Softwaredevelopers and publishers are finding new wealth in PC/MS-DOS-based soft-ware. We�ll cover some MS-DOS games in this months column. All MS-DOSreviews were done on the Tandy 4000 personal computer.

PCs require video boards to run any of the various IBM graphics modes.Sometimes a game won�t run on your computer because it only handlesmonochrome (black and white) colors, but several products enable PC usersto run color graphics games even with only an installed monochrome card.

John Houghtby Jr. of Shabbona, Ill., told us about a program called Softgraffrom Sunrise-Littleton Technology Group, 15200 Shady Grove Road, RockvilleMD 20850. This little $29 software program (add $2 shipping and handling)allows a PC to function as though it were a color system. The program iscompatible with all Hercules-compatible video boards. With it, different col-ors appear as varying shades of one color on your monitor. This programworks with self-booting games!

More help came from Sergeant Michael Hardee of Copperas Cove, Tex.,who explained that there are programs on many bulletin board systems thatmake color games playable on monochrome PC systems. These are publicdomain programs usually available at no cost to users unless the bulletinboard itself charges an access fee. Sergeant Hardee writes:

�The three files usually appear under one file name: SIMCGA.ARC. (TheARC extension refers to a file-compaction system that enables large files to becode compressed for faster downloading and uploading. ARC files must beUNarced using an appropriate program!) After you UNarc this file onto adisk, you name the three files SIMCGA.COM, SETCGA.COM, and SETMONO-.COM. These files will only work after the computer is rebooted with DOS. Ifa user wishes to play a color game, he must execute SIMCGA.COM first. Youexecute the SETCGA.COM file, and you can start the game. When you finishthe game, activate the SETMONO.COM file, and the computer returns tonormal monochrome graphics mode.�

One last change to our column�s format. We received a few letters fromreaders saying that they don�t want easily readable game hints. The �Clue cor-ner� will stay at the end of the column, with a warning not to read any furtherif game hints aren�t appreciated. We hope we can assuage those few who com-plain about the hints and still keep the majority tipped as best we can.

Reviews

Interstel(distributed by Electronic Arts)1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

Empire * * * *

MS-DOS version $49.95We thoroughly enjoyed Empire in the

previously released versions for the AppleII family, Macintosh, and Atari ST com-puters. Now the game is available for bothIBM micros and the Commodore Amiga,and each is truly worthwhile. All versionsthat we have tried are similar in screenpresentation, except for the target-sightcursor on the Commodore Amiga. The MS-DOS version supports many graphicscards, including monochrome, CGA, andEGA. The keyboard and mouse are alsosupported. Both 3½� and 5¼� programdisks are in the box.

Interstel uses a currently popular meth-od of copy protection for Empire. Youmust enter a word from an indicated pageand line number in the manual. If theword entered is correct, the game allowsyou to play; if not, you�re kicked out of thegame. We have expressed our distaste forcopy protection before, so we won�t boreyou with it again. The game�s copy protec-tion does lower its overall rating.

One small error in the manual statesthat a cruiser�s initial production time is 42turns. It�s actually 36 turns. For thoserunning the program on a Tandy com-puter (as we did), hitting the BREAK keylocks up the game. Some Tandy usersmight also be able to use their joystick inmouse mode. We used a mouse and foundthis to be a smooth interface for this game.

By setting certain switches when youboot the game, you can decide what modeyou wish the game to start in. For exam-ple, entering �Empire/I� forces the gameinto EGA graphics mode, and �Empire/K�activates only the keyboard as the I/Odevice.

Drop-down menus access all play com-mands as you build your armies andnavies to defeat human or computer oppo-nents. As many as three players may playsimultaneously. The save-game option isalways accessible from the main menu.The game offers Army, Fighter, Destroyer,Troop Transport, Submarine, Cruiser,Aircraft Carrier, and Battleship units. Eachunit has its own special strengths and

42 FEBRUARY 1989

weaknesses. It doesn�t take long for astrategist to learn how to effectively com-mand each unit to its maximum efficiency.For the IBM, Empire is a well-ported ver-sion by Interstel and earns high marks forplayability, ease of use, and dollar value.

Data East USA470 Needles DriveSan Jose CA 95112(408) 286-7074

Ikari Warriors * * * *

MS-DOS version $39.95Karnov * * * * ½

MS-DOS version $39.95PC gamers can really get hands-on

arcade excitement with these MS-DOS-translated versions of Data East�s popularcoin-operated arcade games. Both gameshave a superb arcade feel with an IBM orcompatible equipped with an EGA or aTandy computer with the Tandy graphicsboard. Although the detail with theseboards is not as crisp nor as colorful as theoriginal coin-operated versions, you won�tnotice any difference after a few minutesof play. One or two players can participatein either game.

Of these two games, Karnov most closelyretains the feel of the coin-operated ver-sion. One major change with the micro-computer version of Ikari Warriors is thelimited scope of sideways movement. Doyou recall the horizontal-scrolling capabili-ties of the coin-operated version as youshot and grenaded your way through theenemy forces? With the PC-translation,movement is strictly vertical. This does notafford your on-screen hero the sameopportunity to avoid incoming grenades,bullets, and rockets as offered in the coin-operated game. You�ll find yourself hop-ping all about the screen, trying to remaincalm and select your targets while avoid-ing incoming fire.

Either the keyboard or a joystick can beused to control your character. As withthe coin-operated original, you can entertanks when they are flashing on screen(only make certain you find the fuel neces-sary to keep these armored helpmatesmoving). Rocks and walls are also helpfulin stopping bullets, but they don�t offermuch protection from grenades. Thejoystick mode is by far the most enjoyableway to play this arcade game.

Karnov is our favorite of the tworeviewed offerings. In it, a fireball-throwing Russian must battle a hugedragon to capture the Treasure of Baby-lon. This is a fantastic arcade game. Thedragon has descended upon a village towreak havoc with its treasure in hand.Unfortunately, the dragon has evil minionsto prevent the hero Karnov from defeatingthe dragon and returning the treasure tohis own people. Karnov can use 10 devicesin his quest, ranging from boots that dou-ble his jumping range to a shield thatprotects him five times from death. Manyoptions are hidden and can only be

Karnov: A dinosaurand one darn toughRussian.

Battlehawks: Thecalm before thestorm.

Battlehawks: A20,000’ dive intohell.

DRAGON 43

Battlehawks: Oneplane, one carrier,

one survivor.

retrieved when the hero is wearing specialglasses. One scene requires Karnov to useswimming goggles to go underwater. Youcan use either the joystick or keyboard tocontrol Karnov; we found the joystick themost acceptable method.

Data East has nicely ported Ikari War-riors and Karnov to the MS-DOS world;these are enjoyable arcade experiences.Neither game may be copied, and youmust boot your system with the game diskin drive A. Fortunately, Data East has seenfit to include both 3½� and 5¼� disks intheir product packages. The games sup-port Tandy, CGA, EGA, MDA, and HGCgraphic modes. They are also available forthe Commodore 64/128 and the Apple IIcomputer.

Konami, Inc.815 Mittel DriveWood Dale IL 60191(312) 595-1443

ContraMS-DOS version $39.95Rush�N Attack * * * ½

MS-DOS version $34.95Gamers take note: You must keep your

original game disk for these games in driveA, as Konami games are copy protected.This protection scheme is uncalled fortoday. Contra simply refused to cooperatewith our Tandy 4000 computer. Not onlydid the HDINSTALL.EXE program on thegame disk not install the game on the harddisk drive (because the required subdirec-tory could not be created), but the gamecould not be run from drive A either. The

44 FEBRUARY 1989

system simply locked up upon entering�Contra�. Such being the case, Contra is agame you should avoid.

The same situation did not occur withRush�N Attack, which arrives on two 5¼�floppy disks. This is a great arcade gamethat would rate higher were it not for thecopy-protection scheme. As a first-rateguerilla, you�re behind enemy lines tryingto free prisoners of war. There are enemyguards to dispatch, helicopters to avoid,and attack dogs to eradicate. One or twoplayers can use either the keyboard or ajoystick to move the on-screen commando.The joystick is the most enjoyable way toplay the game. Keep a sharp eye for ene-my soldiers attired in white: They�ve gotspecial weapons that will come in handy ifyou can obtain them. Always displayed areyour current number of lives and carriedweapons. By jumping or lying down whennecessary, you can avoid some incomingenemy fire.

Neither of these games comes in 3½�disk format. All MS-DOS Konami gamessupport CGA, EGA, and Tandy graphicsmodes. Other Konami arcade gamesinclude Jackal, Boot Camp, Gradius, JailBreak, and Iron Horse. They are also avail-able for the C64/128, and a few are for theCommodore Amiga.

LucasFilm Games(distributed by Mediagenic)P.O. Box 2009San Rafael CA 94912(415) 662-1966

Zak McKracken and the Alien

Mindbenders * * * ½

IBM, C64/128 versions $44.95, $34.95Battlehawks * * * * *

IBM micros version $49.95LucasFilm Games is responsible for the

smash-hit Maniac Mansion. The team atLucasFilm incorporated an easy-to-useinterface in that game that enables playersto command the action through point-and-click procedures. They have advanced thismethod of command with Zak McKracken.Additionally, LucasFilm has incorporatedenough surprises in the game to inspireany gamer with at least 50 hours ofintriguing (and often humorous) play.

This game has some basic niceties thatmany other PC/MS-DOS-OS/2 game devel-opers have overlooked. The IBM versionsupports Tandy, EGA, CGA, MCGA, andHercules graphics modes. Second, notknowing what type of disk drives theplayer has, the company has thoughtfullyincluded both 3½� and 5¼� game disks inthe game�s package. A joystick, mouse, andkeyboard are all supported.

This is a good game, though not anexceptional game. Playing the role of ZakMcKracken (ace reporter and hack writerfor the infamous tabloid, The NationalInquisitor), you set out to interview a two-headed squirrel. You end up investigatinga worldwide epidemic of stupidity causedby alien invaders. By solving clues, com-manding a variety of characters, andmanipulating on-screen tools, you solvethe adventure.

The game has the feel of a motion pic-ture. You are treated to fades and dissolvesinto cut-away scenes that enhance play.The sound effects, however, are onlymediocre. The colors on our Tandy 4000machine were crisp and absolutely superbin presentation.

The interface we found most enjoyablewas the mouse. We pointed the mousecursor to items on screen and used thekeyboard to enter the actual commands.The first five keys on the left-hand side ineach of the three letter-key rows of thecomputer keyboard activate all commands.The single-letter commands do not makeany sense until you realize that LucasFilmdesigned them to be friendly with thekeyboard layout. Players accustomed tosingle-letter commands that comply withpast game commands will need a fewminutes to readjust their thinking.

The puzzles that proliferate the adven-ture are good, but not innovative by anymeans. An intriguing puzzle occurs duringan airline flight; it deals with both thebathroom and the microwave. Also, whenyou finally meet that dual-headed squirrel,be prepared to dig deep.

There are a couple of drawbacks to thegame � certainly nothing to prevent yourenjoyment of the adventure, but draw-backs all the same. For example, when youdo locate the squirrel in the northwest,you might decide to walk toward a partic-ularly scenic mountain. Suddenly, withoutany warning, you are halted and cannot

Microsoft FlightSimulator; Version

2.0: From warmskies . . .

Microsoft FlightSimulator; Version

2.0: . . . to coldstatistics.

Baal: The TimeWarriors vs. the God

of Evil.

46 FEBRUARY 1989

move in the mountain�s direction, thoughthere�s nothing to indicate you can�t moveonwards. You�ll find this same sort ofinvisible barrier in almost every gamelocale � not that its a bad programmingdecision, mind you. However, with mostadventure-game offerings, there is usuallya given reason why something logicaldoesn�t take place. In Zak McKracken, thisis not the case. You have to accept that youcan�t finish your move simply because thegame designers didn�t loop your activitythrough that area.

Zak McKracken is, in spite of minorproblems, an enjoyable game. It doesn�treach the heights of Lucasfilm Game�s�Maniac Mansion, a five-star-rated offering.Still, Zak McKracken is certainly worthpurchasing if you enjoy a good adventure.

Battlehawks, on the other hand, is aphenomenal game! If you own an IBMmicro or compatible, you absolutely mustpurchase this air-combat simulator. Theunparalleled animation beats that found inmost other IBM products (although thenew Microsoft Flight Simulator does comeclose in quality, but with a much lowerexcitement level). The flight controls areexacting; they are also smoothly interfacedinto the game. This simulation is as closeas you can come to participation in WorldWar II air combat without endangeringyour own life. The aerial combat is remi-niscent of the battle films depicted in oldnewsreels. LucasFilm hired several WorldWar II combat pilots as technical advisorsto complete this massive project.

Each plane and ship can scale accuratelythrough 1,500 different magnifications.The tracer fire, both incoming and outgo-ing from your plane, is very realistic.Direct hits on enemy aircraft can lead toshattering explosions directly in front ofyour plane. The fiery remnants of theenemy craft tumble into the ocean farbelow. You can even hear ditching planessplash down. Hit a ship with your bomb ortorpedo, and you see smoke and fire bil-low up from the vessels decks.

You have the option of flying either anAmerican or Japanese plane in 1942.There are four basic missions: fighterescort, fighter intercept, torpedo run, anddive-bomb attack. You train for thesemissions beforehand; this step is an abso-lute must! There is nothing as fear-inspiring as a 20,000�-dive straight downtoward an aircraft carrier. You wait untilyou reach 1,500� or less to drop yoursingle bomb and immediately level off toevade flak. Try flying 100� above thewaves as you angle in on an enemy shipfor a torpedo attack! Attempt thesemaneuvers without practice, and you andthe enemy ship will easily become one!

There are a dozen training missions,each of which requires several attemptsbefore you master the technique. With theInstant Replay option, you can also recordyour attack and view it after safely evad-ing enemy defensive fire to see if yourbomb or torpedo struck home. If you find

your craft under attack from the rear,your tail gunner can spring into action.

This combat simulation comes with acomprehensive user manual. Expertlywritten, the text and graphics not onlyexplain how you should fly but give in-depth historical backgrounds on Americanand Japanese aircraft used in the Pacifictheater. As you succeed in battle, you evenget medals and promotions.

The game supports full EGA and 256-color VGA boards. You can fly with eitherthe joystick, keyboard, or the mouse. Wefound the mouse to be the most accurateinput device. This is a challenging andexciting offering. LucasFilm has set a newstandard for computer-based, air-combatsimulations. As far as MS-DOS software isconcerned, it appears that LucasFilmGames is light years ahead of the competi-tion. Don�t dawdle with this one; rush outand buy Battlehawks right away.

Microsoft Corporation16011 NE 36th WayBox 97017Redmond WA 98073-9717(206) 882-8080

Microsoft Flight Simulator,Version 2.0 * * * * *

MS-DOS version Price n/aIf you own a PC/MS-DOS machine, you

should also own this updated version of

the Microsoft Flight Simulator This pro-gram is almost as spectacular as the previ-ously reviewed Battlehawks. Designed byBruce Artwick of SubLOGIC Corporationfor Microsoft, MFSV2 leaves little to bedesired in the realm of flight simulation.Pull-down menus control everything fromthe type of plane you pilot to the weatherconditions. You can also use the keyboard,joystick, or mouse to operate your air-plane. The world you fly over consists of10,000 square miles. Night flight comescomplete with city lights. Any graphicadapter is fully supported, and the gamehas fast solid-modeling imaging if run on a286- or 386-based computer. VFR and IFRflight instruments are included. You canfly a Cessna 182 or Gates Learjet 25Gaircraft, or try your hand jockeying a cropduster or Sopwith Camel in the game�sentertainment mode. There is also a flightrecorder for flight playbacks.

Novice pilots should attend groundschool and graduate up to altitude flying.You learn as though you are participatingin a real flight-training environment. You�lllearn how to taxi and how to becomeproficient at attitude flying. Other maneu-vers include crosswind takeoffs, finalapproaches, accelerated maneuver stalls,steep turns, and working into basic airporttraffic patterns. There�s even an aerobaticscourse that�ll test the limits of your seatbelt. Microsoft has included formation

flying and crop dusting for seat-of-your-pants flying. You can even fly with a part-ner by connecting two IBM microstogether through their serial ports or via amodem. The user�s manual includes air-port runway maps for 23 airports andfour national flight charts.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Version 2 isone of the finest software flight simulatorsever programmed for an IBM microcom-puter or compatible. This flight simulatorleaves nothing out. The crispness of full-color, flicker-free animation and the true-to-life feel of piloting any of the selectedaircraft are amazing.

Spectrum HoloByte2061 Challenger DriveAlameda CA 94501(415) 522-3584

PT-109 * * * *½

MS-DOS version $39.95Falcon AT * * * *

MS-DOS version $59.95Gordon Walton and the staff at Digital

Illusions have completed an extremelyworthwhile conversion of the PT-109Torpedo Boat Simulation to MS-DOS com-puters. After playing this World War IIstrategy-and-action game on the AppleMacintosh (see DRAGON® issue #140), werealize how the MS-DOS offering takes fulladvantage of EGA graphics boards with

DRAGON 47

bright colors and smooth animation. Eventhe shell bursts are captured with realism.The-only area with which we could findfault is basically a problem with MS-DOS-based computers: the program�s sound.The call to general quarters sounded asunlike a klaxon as a cat sounds like acanary. Otherwise, the user interface forkeyboard commands is logical and easy tolearn, and the included �PT-Boat Tactics�booklet reveals how PT-boat skippersfought in the Pacific theatre.

Fortunately, the game is not copy pro-tected. You can copy all of the necessaryfiles to a subdirectory on your hard disk,which speeds up disk access when calledfor by the game. However, those with 3%�disk drives must send Spectrum HoloByte$12.50 (along with the registration card)within 60 days of the purchase date toreceive the micro disks in return. Thesame is true for those who need 5¼�disks if they buy the 3½� package. Whencombined with the lack of quality soundeffects, this results in a four-star-plusrating and not a five-star rating for PT-109.

Falcon AT is yet another flight simulatorfor IBM AT micros or compatibles; yourcomputer must be running an Intel 80286or 80386 central processing unit. If your system has an advanced EGA video board,this three-dimensional flight simulator isan awesome offering. With a superiorheads-up display, 12 missions, and five

48 FEBRUARY 1989

skills levels, you�ll swear no element hasbeen left out of this F-16 fighter simula-tion. Falcon AT is far more exciting thanthe Microsoft Flight Simulator, but not asaction-packed as Battlehawks from Lucas-Film. However, Falcon AT possesses moreadvanced flight controls and weaponrythan any other MS-DOS-based simulatorwe�ve seen on the market, which meansthat this simulator takes a while to learnhow to use. In the same breath, we muststate that if you only buy three flightsimulators during the next six months,make certain Falcon AT is one of them.This simulator offers flight complexity andhigh action, and even has the ability toengage in head-to-head dogfights via amodem!

Epyx, Inc.600 Galveston DriveP.O. Box 8020Redwood City CA 94063(415) 366-0606

Final Assault * * * *

MS-DOS version $39.95This mountain-climbing simulation is

innovative, exciting, and intriguing. Withversions for all dominant micros, the MS-DOS release supports all of the populargraphics modes. The game is copy protect-ed. You select a trail to conquer the moun-tain, then pack a rucksack for the climband set your departure time. During thetrip, you learn how to hike, jump quickly,and use your supplies effectively. Climbingon ice is no fun, but you can master thisafter some practice. You can also stop andsave your in-progress game.

M a s t e r p l a y P u b l i s h i n g C o r p . 8417 Fun State StreetTampa FL 33634(813) 888-7773

Star Saga One: Beyond theB o u n d a r y * * * ½

MS-DOS version $79.95Star Saga is a multi-faceted, role-playing

space adventure that provides a combina-tion of book-based and computer-managedadventures. The game introduces severaldifferent characters who interact not onlywith the human players but also withthemselves. This offering requires theplayer to read passages from variousscenarios found in 13 scenario pamphletsand six character booklets. Also includedin the game box is a host guide, playingboard, and player tokens. Patience, theability to read text and instructions, and awillingness to use the computer only as arecord keeper are the keys to this game�senjoyment. After the first few turns, eventhe most addicted computerphile willenjoy this text- and book-based adventure.

Publishing International333 West El Camino Real AvenueSuite 222Sunnyvale CA 94087(408) 738-4311

Pharaoh's Revenge * * * ½

MS-DOS version $29.95If you enjoyed Broderbund�s Lode Run-

ner, you�ll find this arcade game enjoyable.Unfortunately, the game presents a graph-ics and animation technology that is nolonger considered state-of-the-art. Thisarcade offering has a median-repeatabilityfactor, meaning that you�ll probably comeback for additional play a few times beforerealizing there are other, more advancedarcade games for your IBM micro or com-patible.

Sir-Tech Software, Inc.P.O. Box 245Charlestown Ogdensburg MallOgdensburg NY 13669(315) 393-6633

Wizardry IV: The Return ofWerdna * * *½

MS-DOS version $59.95If you haven�t completed or at least

extensively played any of the Wizardryscenarios (specifically Wizardry I), thendon�t even think of attempting this fourthscenario in the Wizardry series. This is anexpert-level-only scenario. Two problemsspoil an otherwise exciting adventure for atargeted audience group: copy protectionand CGA-only graphics. What we do likeare the complex plots, combat (as experi-enced from the other side of the fence),and one of the most unique plots everprogrammed onto a floppy disk. This timeyou are Werdna, and you must escapeyour tomb. If you think other fantasy role-playing games are hard, and if frustrationis an emotion you can�t handle, TheReturn Of Werdna is definitely not for you� but if you are an experienced fantasyrole-playing or Wizardry player, no otherscenario can offer more bang for yourbuck. This adventure possesses over 400adversaries to delay and offer Werdnacontinuous demise at every corner. Buythis offering, and your evenings will cer-tainly be cut out for you for quite sometime to come! [More information on thisgame appeared in DRAGON® issue #130.]

MS-DOS in reviewRecalling the drought of quality enter-

tainment software for MS-DOS machinesjust a few months ago, and the CGA-onlyor monochrome games that proliferatedthe market, the system has come a longway in a short time. Developers are finallycommitting the money, time, and effortnecessary to produce quality entertain-ments for MS-DOS systems. It should beobvious to any computer gamer that theMS-DOS environment is rich with enter-tainment offerings and is no longer astodgy, business-only computer system.You can have as much fun with a Tandy orIBM micro as with any other system onthe market today. The one real differenceseems to rest in the graphics and soundpresentation of IBM or clone machines �they just aren�t up to par yet with other

computer systems. But watch what�s com-ing around the corner: IBM�s PresentationManager and Microsoft�s OS/2 operatingenvironments provide a much richergraphic interface. If only IBM would letthe consumer decide which operatingenvironment suits his needs. Thank heav-ens companies like Tandy/Radio Shackexist, for they seem to understand thesystem quandary many MS-DOS or OS/2users face and offer a variety of standardmachines with numerous options.

Broderbund Software17 Paul DriveSan Rafael CA 94903-2101( 4 1 5 ) 4 9 2 - 3 2 0 0

Shufflepuck Cafe * * * *½

Apple Macintosh version $39.95Our lone, non-IBM review is of a new

Macintosh arcade game that found spacein this column because of its high quality.Shufflepuck Cafe contains eight of thegalaxy�s weirdest creatures, who have buta single obsession: to be the best shuffle-puck player. Similar to air hockey, theobject of shufflepuck is to beat your oppo-nent by shooting a puck past his defensesand scoring against the opposite edge ofthe playing table. You must also defendyour side of the table from your oppo-nent�s maneuvers, slams, and rebounds.

Shufflepuck Cafe runs on any Macintoshand offers outstanding three-dimensionalanimation. If you wish to practice beforesuffering humiliating defeats by an oddassortment of alien creatures, challengedroid DC3-ALSO. If you find that DC3cannot provide you with enough sport,you can alter his settings to make him themost powerful adversary you�ll ever face.

After selecting one of the eight adversar-ies, the Macintosh screen shows you seat-ed at the game table. Your opponent eyesyou from the other end of the table andtries to psych you out with some of theweirdest sounds and glares ever found ina computer game. In the upper-left cornerof the screen is a scoreboard maintainedby a barroom droid. Each of the eightopposing life forms has a unique personali-ty that becomes quite clear when it scoresagainst you or you score against it. Coup-led with outstanding digitized soundeffects, the reactions of these beings arequite lifelike, considering the alien charac-ter of some of these opponents.

Your mouse controls the on-screen pad-dles, which can be altered to suit youroffensive and defensive needs. Power andBounce are other paddle attributes thatcan also be adjusted. If you find playingthe eight opponents easy (which we doubtuntil you complete several hours of game-play), you can adjust the paddle to handi-cap your gameplay.

When you feel confident enough to takeon the Champion, you can move on to atournament game. This mode pits youagainst each of the opponents, from theweakest player to the Champion, in order

of their gaming capabilities. If you lose justone game, you have to start over again. Ifyou succeed in beating all opponents, youearn the title of Champion.

Shufflepuck Cafe is a great relief fromthe many mundane shoot-�em-up arcadegames that still flood the market. A fast-paced game, Shufflepuck Cafe allows youto study your opponent�s strategies anddevise your own maneuvers to countertheir strengths. With fluid animation anddigitized sound, this game is suited forsolo play or for activation during a party.The individualized personalities add a newdimension to arcade gaming. The onlydrawback to this game is that once youhave defeated all opponents, the gamedoesn�t offer any more challenges andcould become boring. We certainly hopeBroderbund decides to release a newopponent data disk containing some moreshooters.

Strategic Simulations, Inc.1046 North Rengstorff AvenueMountain View CA 94043-1716(415) 964-1353

Pool Of Radiance Clue Book * * * * *

This publication is an invaluable aid thatdiscloses the gaming secrets of the Pool OfRadiance AD&D® game adventure, a com-puter role-playing game licensed to Strate-gic Simulations by TSR, Inc. This is the

definitive guide to success for Pool OfRadiance. The clue book covers everyaspect of the adventure, from the variousmissions and adventures to the availablespells and their power parameters. All ofPhlan and its surrounding area, specifi-cally those locales where you must com-plete the various quests, are fully mapped.There are even discussions of how tocreate characters and preferred method ofcombat. As a guide, it�s up to the user howmuch he or she reads when trouble rearsits head. The information is all containedin 63 pages. We recommend you don�tread all of the clues; if you do, it coulddecrease the enjoyment of figuring outhow to avoid or negate the numerous,well-devised predicaments. If you facecertain death and have no where else toturn, a few page flips might not hurt. Theclue book is $12.95 and worth it.

News and new products

Accolade550 South Winchester BoulevardSuite 220San Jose CA 95128(408) 985-1700

A multi-level, arcade-action game calledRubble Ghost has been released for avariety of computer systems. Your task isto have the bubble ghost blow a bubble th-

DRAGON 49

rough a castle�s 35 hazard-filled rooms.There are also secret passageways thatcan save time and help you avoid some ofthe more difficult levels. The program isavailable for IBM micros and compatibles,Atari ST, Apple IIGS, and CommodoreAmiga at a price of $34.95. The C64/128version sells for $29.95.

Accolade�s first military-simulation game,Steel Thunder, has also made its debut.This is the first American tank simulationthat places the player in the midst of mod-ern tank warfare in today�s global hotspots: Cuba, Syria, or West Germany. Theplayer receives his orders at the start ofthe game and selects one of four Americanbattle tanks. The tanks are then equippedwith appropriate weaponry, missiles, andammunition. An overhead map, gunnerand commander screens with powerfulscopes, and a keyboard overlay are used.The game is for the C64/128, for $29.95.

Electronic Arts1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404( 4 1 5 ) 5 7 1 - 7 1 7 1

Released for IBM micros and compati-bles is Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic.This science-fiction role-playing mysteryhas players attempting to stop the destruc-tion of valuable cargo transports by myste-rious raider-ships in the Caldorre System.In this adventure designed by Karl Buiter,

you are in command of a high-performance warship equipped withsophisticated combat systems and a skilledcrew. With these elements at your com-mand, you must execute classified ordersin an attempt to secure the safety of theFederation transports and insure thefuture development of civilized spacesettlements. There are more than 150separate illustrations and a top-down,animated view of characters and bounda-ries. A unique Battle Helmet gives playersa camera-eye view of the action and afirst-person feeling of movement. Topperformance depends on tactical planning.In addition to the strategic selection ofweapons and armor, entrepreneurial skillsare necessary when there is a need topurchase additional equipment, weapons,or advanced training. The 5¼� disk ver-sion is $49.95. A combination 3½� and5¼� package retails for $54.95. Graphicsmodes supported include CGA, EGA, orTandy 16 color.

The Bard’s Tale II: The Destiny Knight isnow available for the Apple IIGS. Designedby Interplay Productions, this sequel toThe Bard’s Tale is 50% larger in code sizeand features an expanded dominion forexploration and adventure; it also incorpo-rates advanced combat and magic systems.The Bard’s Tale II revolves around yourattempts to halt an evil force by reassem-bling parts of a magic wand. The price of

this game is $49.95. Versions are availablefor the Apple II, C64/128, and CommodoreAmiga. Also available is a clue book forassisting players through a variety of thegame�s dungeons.

Epyx, Inc.Epyx has introduced Space Station Obliv-

ion for IBM micros and compatibles, withversions for the C64/128, Amiga, and STavailable next year. Far in the future,immigrants from Earth have found a newhome on the planet Evath. The moon,Mitral, is mined by prisoners who areunleashing poisonous vapors that threatento annihilate all. Your job is to drill in eachof Mitral�s 18 sectors to release the vaporsthat threaten to demolish the solar system.

Another goody from Epyx is Battleship,released for the C64/128, Atari ST, Com-modore Amiga, and IBM micros and com-patibles. This is the Epyx version of theclassic strategic board game from MiltonBradley. You secretly hide your carriers,subs, destroyers, torpedo boats, and bat-tleships on a grid map. From there on, it�shide-and-seek as each player tries to blowthe opponent�s fleet out of the water. Theprice is $29.95.

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

The company responsible for The Bard’sTale and Wasteland now introduces BattleChess, an animated chess game wheremedieval figures combat each other uponcontact for positioning on the playingfield. Battle Chess combines a magnificentchess-logic system with colorful and dra-matic graphics, animation, and sound, allof which enhance the game of chess. Amove such as knight takes pawn (NxP)comes to life as the bold knight, resplen-dent in his armor of silver or ebony, salliesforth to slay the opposing foot soldier.Battle Chess provides an opening library of30,000 moves. A variety of settings letsyou play against the computer, yourfriends, or lets the computer play againstitself. Ten different levels of play are avail-able to challenge your skills, and modemcapability allows you to link players indifferent locations. The game is currentlyavailable for the Commodore Amiga com-puter for $49.95.

PsygnosisLiverpool, U.K.

This English-based company hasreleased Baal, a game with a mix of strat-egy and arcade action. Baal, the supremeGod of Evil, has dispatched an undeadarmy to steal a dreadful weapon ofdestruction, a War Machine. You mustguide the Time Warriors through threedifferent domains, each full of monstrousbeasts. The War Machine has been hiddenin 18 different pieces which you mustfind: There are over 250 highly detailedscreens, more than 100 monsters, and

50 FEBRUARY 1989

over 400 traps. This game has beenreleased for the Atari ST and the Commo-dore Amiga.

Clue corner

Warning: Read no further if you don�twish game hints!

Several readers have written lettersasking for the required format for submit-ting game hints. Simply write or type theinformation you wish to share in a letterand mail it to us. We can also be found on-line in three database services; if you haveaccess to an on-line service, send messagesto the following electronic mail addresses:

GEnie: HLESSERAppleLink: HLESSERAppleLink, Personal Edition: LesserHYour letters must be legible. Write out

your thoughts, your hints, your gripes,and your hurrahs, then send them to:

Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser179 Pebble PlaceSan Ramon CA 94583

The Bard�s Tale II (Interplay)The person that appears to be your best

friend will turn out to be your worst ene-my! Of particular importance when fight-ing powerful opponents is the Sword ofZar. After fighting the statues in the sec-ond level of Dargoth�s Tower, this weaponcan be found in the second level of theMaze of Dread after you solve a colorfulriddle. This sword is deadly when thrownas a missile while the Archer�s Tune (#l) isbeing played. Also, in the snare of theDestiny Stone, try using the arrow cluefound in the manual. The clue starts whenyou enter the door past the magic mouths.

Luke ClosseyCarlsbad, Calif.

The Bard�s Tale III (Interplay)For anyone having trouble making it to

level four of Unterbrae, your best friend isa sword. In Arboria, do not pay for Gilles�Gills at the Wizards Guild, as you canlearn it from a fisherman for 500 gold.Nuts can also help you win the Nightspear,but you must get them and then give thema drink of Water. Blue rhymes nicely. Becertain to tell the prices: CHAOS. TheRainbow Dragon can help your quest inmore ways than one.

Cody SimsAddress not given

In the sixth dimension, when you killWerra, you will only find Werra�s Shield.Don�t worry! When you venture into theseventh dimension, you will findHawkslayer dead and you can get theStrifespear from him. And speaking of theseventh dimension, it would be a goodidea to use seven party members at thislevel, as time can get pretty tough. Forexample, Tarjan�s Warriors have 9,999 hitpoints! Mike Anderson

Sherwood Park, Alberta

There is a trick to obtaining HarmonicGems. First go to the storehouse in SkaraBrae, but before you enter the building,insert the original character disk in yourdisk drive. Now enter the storehouse.After you are in the storehouse, removethe original character disk and insert yourcopy disk. Take all that you wish from thestoreroom, Harmonic Gems included, andthen leave. The empty storehouse will besaved on the copy disk, but not the origi-nal character disk. If you need more Har-monic Gems, simply insert the originaldisk in the drive and repeat this process.

Sean KeoughPeterborough, Ontario

Might and Magic (New World Comp.)Search Algary�s shops for more travel to

exotic places!Erick Flint

Bloomer, Wis.

Ultima IV (Origin Systems)Mystic Armor is located in the middle of

the Oak Grove, but you must be eightparts Avator in order to retrieve it. MysticWeapons are in the training room at Ser-pents Castle. For the Resurrection Spell,try A, B, C, D, E and Mandrake Root!Lastly, the words of passage are �Amo,��Ver,� and �Cor.�

The Mantras for the shrines are thesame as they were in Ultima IV Also, youcan only reach the Shrine of Spirituality ifyou enter a moongate at midnight. Forthose who aren�t afraid of heights, ask theLord of Empath Abbey about the Grapple.When in Minoc, follow Shenstone thearmorer around, and he may lead you to asolution for the odd door.

Christopher OzolsEden Prairie, Minn.

Jon Cylka and Mark CalverieHamburg, N.Y.

The Green Stone is found in DungeonWrong. The White Stone is found besidean ankh in a mountain. You can only getthere by blinking or by balloon; it is totallysealed off! The Black Stone is found atmidnight in the Moonglow gate. (Type s tosearch for it.) The Rune of Humility is inthe village of Paws. The Rune of Honestyis under Mariah on her gold in the town ofMoonglow. (Just leave the gold alone!)Talfourd (the ruler of Yew) knows aboutthe Rune of Justice. The Shrine of Justiceis East then North of Yew. Finally, theShire of Compassion is east across twobridges from Castle Britannia.

I had a little trouble starting thisfantastic game. . . . I kept starving to deathand succumbing to poisonings. These hintsshould help in these regards. To preventyourself from starving to death, drop offShamino and Iolo at the inn in Britain untilyou have garnered enough money to buyfood for all three of you. I recommend youpurchase your food in Moonglow where itcosts the least. Don�t get your food fromthe fields or tables because such actionswill move you away from the path of theAvatar. Lastly, if you don�t have the H.M.S.Cape Plan when you cross the ocean,make certain you have plenty of An Nox(cure poison) spells, because those nastysquids delight in poisoning you!

Albert HoweRossmoor, Calif.

Most product names mentioned in this column aretrademarks owned or licensed by the companies thatproduce those products. Use of the name of anyproduct without mention of trademark status shouldJohn R. Morris

Address not given not be construed as a challenge to such status.

Ultima V (Origin Systems)Hint #l: The crown is on the top level of

Blackthorne�s castle. Hint #2: Look for thescepter in the mountain tower east ofLock Lake. Hint #3: These islands havetowers; the one south of the Codex, theone to the south of Skara Brae, and theone east of Jhelom. Hint #4: SEARCH for theskull keys in the northwest part of Minoc.Hint #5: Use these keys to get into the topof Lord British�s castle and GET the magiccarpet.

Justin PhillipsBellvue, Wash.

DRAGON 51

54 FEBRUARY 1989

DRAGON 55

by Michael Harrison

Made-to-OrderMade-to-OrderClerical OrdersClerical Orders

Helpful hints for clerical assemblies

Temples are an important focal point of many AD&D® game campaigns,because of the key role they play in both society as a whole and the lives ofplayer characters. A well-developed temple organization can be the DM�smost effective means of guiding and constraining a cleric PC. It can alsoprovide occasional information and assistance to the players, while itspolitical interests can be a powerful source of intrigues and adventuregoals. At times a major threat can even test its full military, healing, orfinancial resources.

In order to meet such challenges, a DM needs to know a great deal abouta temple and its members. This can be a problem if this information hasnot been developed in detail. The following system is designed to solve thisproblem by quickly enabling the DM to determine how many clericsbelong to a temple and what their levels are. Some additional informationis included that might prove helpful as a reference when a temple is beingdeveloped in greater detail.

T e m p l e o r g a n i z a t i o n

a n d h i e r a r c h y

T o b e g i n w i t h , w e n e e d t o d e f i n e w h a t

c o n s t i t u t e s a t y p i c a l r e l i g i o u s o r g a n i z a t i o n

f o r g a m e p u r p o s e s . T h i s a r t i c l e a s s u m e s

t h a t t h e a v e r a g e t e m p l e c o n t a i n s q u i t e a

f e w n o n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s a n d l a y b r e t h -

r e n . T h e s e a r e N P C s w h o s e a c t i v i t i e s h a v e

l i t t l e t o d o w i t h e x c i t i n g g a m i n g b u t e v e r y -

t h i n g t o d o w i t h t h e � r e a l � f u n c t i o n s o f a

t e m p l e . ( W h a t a d v e n t u r e r w o r t h h i s s a l t

w o u l d w i l l i n g l y s p e n d a l i f e t i m e c o p y i n g

m a n u s c r i p t s o r s w e e p i n g f l o o r s ? ) T o g e t h e r ,

t h e a d v e n t u r e r s , n o n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s ,

a n d l a y b r e t h r e n o f a t e m p l e m a k e u p t h e

r e l i g i o u s o r d e r . I n t h e m a n n e r o f b u r e a u c -

r a c i e s e v e r y w h e r e , a d v e n t u r e r s a r e g e n e r -

a l l y s u b o r d i n a t e t o t h e i r a d m i n i s t r a t i v e

c o l l e a g u e s o f e q u a l r a n k .

56 FEBRUARY 1989

N o n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s f o r m t h e b a c k -

b o n e o f t h e t e m p l e h i e r a r c h y . T h e y o v e r -

s e e t h e d a y - t o - d a y f u n c t i o n s o f t h e t e m p l e ,

p e r f o r m t h e m a j o r i t y o f i t s r i t e s a n d r o u -

t i n e s e r v i c e s t o t h e p e o p l e , a n d u n d e r t a k e

v a r i o u s s c h o l a r l y p u r s u i t s . H a v i n g l i t t l e

u s e f o r c o m b a t s k i l l , t h e y r a r e l y v e n t u r e

i n t o t h e w i l d e r n e s s , a n d o f t e n v i e w t h e i r

a d v e n t u r i n g c o l l e a g u e s a s v i o l e n t a n d

u n d i s c i p l i n e d ( t h o u g h n e c e s s a r y b e c a u s e

o f t h e g o l d , g l o r y , a n d p o w e r t h e y b r i n g t o

t h e t e m p l e ) . T h e y a d v a n c e i n l e v e l m o r e

s l o w l y t h a n a d v e n t u r i n g c l e r i c s , b u t w i t h

l e s s h a z a r d .

A t y p e o f N P C w h i c h f i l l s t h i s r o l e a d m i -

r a b l y i s d e s c r i b e d b y L e n L a k o f k a i n h i s

a r t i c l e � T h e C l o i s t e r e d C l e r i c , � w h i c h

a p p e a r e d i n D R A G O N ® M a g a z i n e # 6 8 . M r .

L a k o f k a l o c a t e s h i s c l o i s t e r e d c l e r i c s i n

s e p a r a t e a b b e y s w h i c h h a v e l i t t l e c o n t a c t

w i t h t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d , a l t h o u g h t h e y

m i g h t j u s t a s e a s i l y b e p l a c e d i n r e g u l a r

t e m p l e s . N o r m a l c l e r i c s w h o a r e r e t i r e d o r

h a v e s u b s t a n d a r d p h y s i c a l a b i l i t i e s c o u l d

a l s o b e s u i t e d t o t h i s p u r p o s e .

M o s t t e m p l e s a l s o i n c l u d e a s i z a b l e n u m -

b e r o f l a y b r e t h r e n d r a w n f r o m t h e g e n -

e r a l p o p u l a c e . T h e s e u n u s u a l l y p i o u s

l a y m e n f i l l o u t t h e r a n k s o f t h e o r d e r a n d

p e r f o r m a m u l t i t u d e o f m i n o r t a s k s f o r t h e

t e m p l e . T h e y w o r k a t u n r e l a t e d o c c u p a -

t i o n s i n t h e i r d a i l y l i v e s a n d l i v e i n o r d i -

n a r y h o m e s a w a y f r o m t h e t e m p l e

g r o u n d s . T h e i r c l e r i c a l p o w e r s a r e m i n i -

m a l ; t h e y h a v e u n d e r g o n e t h e c e r e m o n y

o f d e d i c a t i o n , b u t n o t i n v e s t i t u r e . H o w -

e v e r , t h e i r n u m b e r s m a y i n c l u d e i n v e s t e d

d e a c o n s a n d a r c h d e a c o n s w i t h v e r y l i m -

i t e d s p e l l - c a s t i n g a b i l i t i e s .

I f c l e r i c s a r e a l l o w e d t o u s e o r i s o n s

(clerical cantrips, presented in DRAGONissue #108), they should be granted tononadventuring clerics and perhaps to lay

The official rules regarding followers forPC clerics deserve a special note. The

brethren as well.

P1ayers Handbook (page 20) states that an8th-level cleric who establishes a place ofworship receives 20-200 fanatically loyalfollowers of unspecified type who servewithout pay, in addition to a number ofmen-at-arms whose exact types aredetailed in the Dungeon Masters Guide(page 16). These provisions are clearlygeared toward the typical PC who estab-lishes a new religious stronghold, gener-ally in the wilderness. In such a case, the20-200 followers represent zero-levellaymen who contribute a variety of skillsand occupations to the new communityand also serve as lay brethren in its tem-ple, while the men-at-arms constitute thetemple�s guard force. However, thesefigures may not be appropriate for anestablished temple, especially in a settledarea. The system presented here is intend-ed for use in developing an establishedtemple. A newly constructed one willevolve into a similar organization if itsurvives its early years.

Temple sizeIn fleshing out a temple hierarchy, the

DM needs to begin by determining thenumber of clergy in the temple. Start withthe total population of the town (or otherworship area), then decide what percent-age of the population actively serves asclergy of one sort or another. While sub-stantial variation occurs from one place toanother, this figure is generally between2% and 10% of a town�s inhabitants. (Ifthese figures seem high, remember that,since the gods are visibly real and active intheir world, a high proportion of the pop-ulace is actively involved in their worship.)Then, based on the number of temples inthe town and the popularity of each,decide what fraction of the town�s totalclergy serve in the temple in question.This allows an estimate of the actual num-ber of clergy in the temple. (The numberof nonclerical worshipers is 10-20 times as

58 FEBRUARY 1989

great, but remember that many of theseattend only on major holy days, just as in

For example, the frontier town of

our world.) At least 10 clergy are normally

Almeira has a population of 10,000. As itspeople are not noted for their piety, only2% of them are active clergy � about 200.

required for a temple to be viable.

Since the town has five temples, theyaverage 40 clergy each. The temple ofChauntea, goddess of agriculture, is themost popular, and has 80 clerical types.The temple of Mystra, goddess of magicand the moon, is the smallest, being fre-quented by magic-users, alchemists, and afew lycanthropes. It has 15 clergy.

In contrast, the city of Nap has a popula-tion of over 50,000 and, being the capitalof a warlike theocracy, is a center of reli-gious and military activity. Its 5,000 active-ly involved clergy (10% of the population)are divided among 25 temples, and aver-age 200 per temple. The largest temple isthat of Tempus, god of war, with over 400clerics. The smallest is that of Ilmater, godof the poor, which has only 27 clergy.

Next, decide what proportion each ofthe three types of clergy accounts forwithin the total just determined. Theactual ratio differs between temples, anddepends on the popularity and goals ofeach deity. In most temples the bulk of theclergy are lay brethren, especially if thedeity is a popular one. A popular deity�stemple might have a ratio of 10% adven-turers to 20% nonadventuring clerics to70% lay brethren. The equivalent figuresfor an unpopular deity might be 20%,30%, and 50%. Secret or banned templesare, of course, another matter and mayconsist entirely of adventurers.

In making these calculations, precision isnot essential. A town of any size alwayshas room for one cleric more or less! Thepercentages given above should be regard-ed as no more than loose guidelines, soestimates are fine � but avoid having toomany round numbers in the final totals.

For example, the temple of Chautea ofAlmeira fits the 10 : 20 : 70 ratio typical ofpopular deities� clergy, having 8 adventur-ing clerics, 16 nonadventuring clerics, and56 lay brethren. The small temple of Mys-tra has a higher proportion of adventurers

maintaining its fortunes. Its 15 clericaltypes are in a ratio of roughly 25 : 25 : 50� 4 advrenturers, 3 nonadventurers, and 8lay brethren (including 2 semiretiredmagic-users). The temple is notoriouslocally for its shape-changing acolytes.

In Naf, the huge temple of Tempus alsohas a high proportion of adventurers,again with a ratio of about 25 : 25 : 50. Inthis case, the reason is the warlike natureof its deity. Its clergy includes 97 advrentur-ing clerics, 102 nonadventuring clerics,and 228 lay brethren. The temple of Ilma-ter has relatively little use for adventurers,since its clergy concentrates on minister-ing to the poor. Its clerics include only 2adventurers, 11 nonadventurers, and 14lay brethren.

If a temple contains shrines to friendlydeities who have no local temples of theirown, 1-3 clerics of each deity may bepresent, adventurer or otherwise.

LeadersNow the levels of the temple�s clerics

must be determined. The first step in thisprocess is to decide the leader�s level. Atemple can be led by any type of cleric(adventuring or nonadventuring) of suffi-cient level. (Of course, the larger the tem-ple, the higher this is likely to be.) Ifrandom determination is desired, use thefollowing procedure which relates theleader�s level to the size of the temple. Thenumbers in this procedure can be tailoredto fit the general spread of levels in aparticular campaign.

Add the total number of adventuringand nonadventuring clerics in the temple.Divide this number by five (rounding up)to get the base level for this calculation.Then add the roll of 2d4. The end result isthe level of the temple leader. The leaderof a temple must normally be at least 8thor 9th level, so any result lower than thisshould be rerolled except in special cir-cumstances.

For example, the temple of Chauntea inAlmeira has 8 adventuring and 16 nonad-venturing clerics for a total of 24. Dividingby five and rounding up yields a base levelof 5th. The roll of 2d4 produces a 6, indi-cating that the leader is 11th level. Thetemple of Mystra, has only 7 clerics, givinga base level of 2nd. The roll of 2d4 pro-duces a 5, for a result of 7th level. Since a7th-level cleric cannot lead a temple, thedice are rerolled until a suitable result (9thlevel in this case) is obtained.

Past a certain point, though, the leader�slevel cannot continue to increase in pro-portion to temple size without becomingimpossibly large. An upper limit must beset. Therefore, if the temple has morethan 60 clerics, the base level describedabove (the total number of clerics dividedby five) does not increase above 12. In-stead, if the number of clerics is between61 and 90, add the roll of 2d6 rather than2d4 to the base level of 12; if it is between91 and 120, add 2d8; and if it is above 120,add the roll of 3d6.

For example, the temple of Tempus inNap has 199 clerics, making it the largesttemple in the Western Reaches. Because ofthe upper limit, this number is treated asif it were a 60, giving a base level of 12th.Since 199 is more than 120, the additionalroll is made with 3d6 rather than 2d4.This results in a 13, indicating that thetemple is headed by a 25th-level cleric (thisleader could have been anywhere from15th to 30th level).

The temple leader can be either a desk-bound adventurer (25%) or a nonadven-turing (or cloistered) cleric (75%). Note,however, that Lakofka�s cloistered clericcannot exceed 11th level. If you are usingthis type, any result of 12th level or higherhas to indicate an adventurer.

Clerical levelsThere are two ways to determine the

levels of a temple�s remaining clerics; thesemethods are as follows.

If a fairly even distribution of levels isdesired, roll the largest type of die whosenumber of sides is equal to or less than theleader�s level, once for each cleric. If thetemple is large, roll for groups of clericsrather than individuals.

If low-level clerics are desired as mostcommon, divide the temple�s clerics intogroups of approximately equal size. Roll1d4 for each cleric in the first group, 1d6for each member of the second group, andso on up to the largest appropriate die (thetype used for the first method above).

As a special note, the first method is bestfor adventurers. An even distributionseems reasonable in this case, since low-level adventurers tend either to die or toadvance to other levels fairly quickly.Either way, the short time they are likelyto remain at any particular (low) levelkeeps their numbers down. The secondmethod seems better for nonadventurers,since they progress more slowly thanadventurers, live in much safer conditions,and spend a much larger percentage oftheir careers at low levels.

The DM may wish to assign positions ofresponsibility to some of the organization�shigher-ranking clerics. These areas ofresponsibility might include the followingduties, which can be combined or dividedup in whatever way seems appropriate.

● Treasury and financial affairs● Upkeep of temple records● Manuscript procurement and copying● Level training● Management of temple adventurers● Management of temple lay work force

(including lay brethren)● Management of temple guard and

other defenses● Organization and planning of services,

rites, and holy days● Direction of music and chorus● Upkeep of buildings and grounds● Acquisition and storage of supplies

If the temple is not too large, it may be

possible to develop each of its adventuringclerics (and possibly nonadventuring cler-ics as well) as detailed NPCs. Even if thatisn�t possible, a few NPCs could be devel-oped. Every PC cleric should be personallyfamiliar with at least one temple superiorwho provides instruction, information,and discipline.

For example, the temple of Mystra inAlmeira has seven clerics and a 9th-levelleader. Therefore, 1d8 is rolled to find thelevel of each of the four adventuring cler-ics, while 1d4, 1d6, and 1d8 are rolled forthe three nonadventuring clerics. Thelevels of the former turn out to be 1st,3rd, 6th, and 8th, while the latter are 1st,4th, and 7th. The high priest overseeslevel training. The 8th-level adventurer isgiven responsibility for defense and super-vising the other adventurers, while the6th-level cleric acts as quartermaster incharge of upkeep, supplies, and lay breth-ren. The 7th-level nonadventurer super-vises the treasury, the temple records,scribes, and holy services. The temple istoo small to have a choir.

Physical designThe official rules contain many scattered

clues concerning the internal design oftemples. One of these is the Players Hand-book�s requirement (page 20) that an 8th-level cleric�s shrine must have a floor areaof at least 2,000 square feet, and a 9th-level cleric�s temple have at least 2,500square feet. Since these areas correspondto linear dimensions of 40� X 50� and 50�X 50� respectively, this rule is not likely topresent much of an obstacle. Anotherimportant comment is the Dungeon Mas-ters Guide�s paragraph on �Evil Areas�(page 66), which applies to both evil andgood temples. A scale area of up to 10� X10� for a shrine, or up to 20� X 20� for atemple, can be specially consecrated togood or evil. Within this area, all turningattempts by clerics of opposed alignmentsare at a penalty � a substantial one in thecase of a temple. (Interestingly, no extantspell is known to cause such an effect. Anaddition to the ceremony spell is proposedat the end of this article in order to fill thisgap.) This rule has an important bearingon temple shape and layout, since themost vital rooms will be contained withinthe bounds of the evil or good areas.

The temple�s location and purpose helpanswer some basic questions about itsphysical design. Is it a shrine or a truetemple? An urban edifice, a countryestate, or a clifftop retreat? One buildingor a cluster? How strongly is it fortified?(Remember that a cleric can construct afortified temple for only half the usualcost, thanks to religious help.) Are thegrounds walled or unwalled? Do theycontain any important terrain features(streams, ponds, woods, etc.)? Is the tem-ple a self-sufficient entity, or does itdepend on nearby townspeople for itsneeds? Its architectural style should be

considered too. Keep in mind that many ofthe most striking and distinctive types ofarchitecture in the real world are associ-ated with religious edifices. Almost infinitediversity is possible in a fantasy world.

DMs should be as creative as possible inmatching the form of a temple to theneeds of its organization. Nevertheless, itmay be helpful to define some terms com-monly used in traditional church architec-ture. In the familiar cross-shaped church,the long central area is the nave and theside halls are transepts. The area contain.ing the altar and seats for the clergy andother functionaries is called the chancel.This area is often raised above the others.A pulpit or lectern may be present nearthe altar. An apse is a vaulted, semicirculararea projecting directly behind the chan-cel; this area most likely contains a large,highly visible holy symbol. Adjoining thechancel to or near the side is a privatechanging room called the sacristy. Sacreditems and vestments are kept here. Avestibule or narthex serves as the publicentrance to the nave. Overhead are gal-leries or clerestories whose windows lookdown on the roofs of lower structures

The public worship area should be largeenough to hold the full congregation on amajor holy day. This area can be anyshape, as long as the altar is clearly visiblefrom all points. The entire area is usuallyadorned with as many fine paintings,statues and sculptures, murals, wall hang-ings, etc., as the temple can afford. The

DRAGON 59

colors of the deity are prominently fea-tured. A separate area for a choir may belocated to the side or rear, or in a loft.

The centerpiece of any temple is itsaltar, which is placed to dominate the mainpublic worship area. The altar�s specificform depends on its function in the orga-nization�s rites, but it is certainly made of,the finest materials, draped in the deity�scolors, and surmounted by an enormousholy symbol. It is likely to be heavily pro-tected by defensive magic and possiblytraps. Any item which is to be placed onthe altar must be purified by means of aceremony: consecrate item spell. If this isnot done, the offenders sustain damage:2d6 if their alignments match that of thealtar�s deity, 3d6 if either ethics or morali-ty differ, and 4d6 if both differ.

Many temples also have a smaller, pri-vate worship area and altar. This is espe-cially true of sects that practice secretrites, which are usually carried out in aninner sanctum seen only by the temple�spriests and perhaps a favored few others.Since an altar must be used in the creationof a cleric�s magical items, a private innersanctum is also useful for this purpose,perhaps with a workroom and other nec-essary equipment nearby.

The inner sanctum may also include oradjoin the high priest�s sanctuary, which isone of the most guarded rooms in theentire temple. The sanctuary is the desti-nation of word of recall and succor spells.It is also used for meditation and prayer,for the seclusion required in the creationof magical items, and as a resting place forthe high priest�s body when he is travelingastrally or recovering from a resurrection

spell. It or a nearby room may feature amagic circle, a thaumaturgic circle ortriangle, or a pentagram for use in sum-moning an aerial servant (or for other,darker rites of summoning). All of theseare excellent reasons why the sanctuary iskept an inviolable refuge!

Somewhere in the vicinity of the altar orinner sanctum can be found the fabu-lously expensive font where holy or unho-ly water is created (Dungeon MastersGuide, pages 114-115). It is likely to beplaced in a manner that allows for com-fortable viewing when it is used for scry-ing by means of the holy font spell. (Theconcept of holy water seems a particularlyChristian one; DMs may wish to exercisetheir imaginations to come up with othersubstances that might serve the samefunction for various deities.)

Some of the other features that might befound in a temple complex (but not ashrine) are listed below. Only a large tem-ple would include all of these:

l A library and scriptoriuml Living quarters for clergy and servantsl Guest quartersl A dining areal A large kitchen and larderl Meeting roomsl Cloakrooms, storerooms, and closets

60 FEBRUARY 1989

l A protected storeroom for magical itemsl A treasure vaultl A bell towerl A music rooml A wine cellarl A healing areal Shrines to closely affiliated deitiesl Guardroomsl Barracksl Practice areas for weapons trainingl An armoryl A smithyl Cells or a dungeonl Crypts containing the remains of

former high priestsl A graveyardl Stables including stalls for magical

mountsl A garden for herbs and vegetablesl An orchardl A vineyardl A greenhouse (mundane or magical)

For the contents of indoor areas, seeAppendix I to the Dungeon Masters Guide(�Dungeon Dressing,� particularly the listof �Religious Articles and Furnishings�)and Appendix 2 to Legends & Lore (�Tem-ple Trappings�). Magical items that aremost likely to be used in a temple includecandles of invocation, a dicerion of lightand darkness, incense of meditation, anecklace of prayer beads, clerical rods andstaves, various healing potions and oint-ments, and a library of clerical and protec-tion scrolls.

WealthIt may occasionally be important to

know how much money a temple�s leadershave access to in an emergency (or when aparticularly brazen thief manages to breakinto the treasure vault). A wildernessstronghold�s standard income of 9 sp perinhabitant per month (Players Handbook,page 20) seems an insufficient guide to thissubject. The size of the treasury can varyenormously from one temple to the next,typically ranging anywhere from 100-10,000 gp per cleric. A suggested methodof calculating a temple�s wealth isdescribed as follows.

Multiply the roll of 1d100 × 100 gp tofind the average gp per cleric. (If desired,this roll could be modified to reflect thepolitical fortunes of the temple, theamount of greed inherent in its philoso-phy, the wealth or poverty of its surround-ing area, etc.) Multiply this figure by thetotal number of adventuring and nonad-venturing clerics in the temple (excludinglay brethern) to determine the actual sizeof the treasury. Of course, in a real emer-gency, a temple might call in favors, appealto other temples of the same deity, or evensell assets to supplement its resources.

For example, the temple of Tempus inNaf is the flagship temple of the statereligion, and so has a + 50 bonus to its1d100 roll. A 62 is rolled on the dice, foran adjusted figure of 112. A figure of11,200 gp per cleric multiplied by 199

clerics give its treasury the staggering sumof 2,228,000 gp. Since the temple of Ilma-ter follows a creed of poverty, ld30 isrolled instead of the usual 1d100 A roll of9 on this die gives a result of 900 gp percleric, for a net treasury 11,700 gp �poverty indeed for an urban temple!

DefensesAlmost every temple has many areas

where secrecy and protection are of para-mount importance, and the defensivearrangements of each temple shouldreflect this. A contingent of fighters isoften present to serve as guards, and sometemples even have castle-type fortificationsfor them to defend. Paladins or cavaliersmay be on hand to lend assistance.Thieves might be employed to install com-plex locks and deadly (or immobilizing)traps to guard vital areas (a magical forgetspell cast at the conclusion of the workcan help safeguard the temple�s mostimportant secrets from such hirelings ifthe job was a quick one). The services of amagic-user or illusionist might be engaged,either to set magical traps or to serve aspermanent members of the guard force.Additionally, evil clerics are likely to useundead to augment their guard forces,and major temples of any alignment maybe defended by appropriate creatures ofthe Outer planes at times of special need.

But the temple�s clerics most frequentlyemploy their own spells. These includeglyphs of warding (see �The Glyphs ofCerilong� in DRAGON issue #50 and �MorePages from the Mages� in DRAGON issue#69 for some excellent examples), symbols,and short-term wyvern watch spells forarea defense. Forbiddance spells are usedalmost universally to protect temples,although many a high priest might find itnecessary to exclude certain public areasfrom its effect so as not to embarrassvisitors of differing alignments who misstheir saving throws. Guards could beimbued with spell ability, and might beassisted by a golem or an aerial servant ifdanger is suspected. Strategically placeditems can be brought to life via animateobjects spells, while magical vestment canhelp a cleric caught without armor.

It goes without saying that a ceremony:consecrate ground spell will have beencast on the grounds of any temple beforeconstruction, since the edifice would oth-erwise be certain to collapse eventually(see also the effect of this spell on grave-yards). Presumably, consecrated ground isnot vulnerable to dispel magic spells, oth-erwise temples would be much too vulner-able to their enemies. This can be justifiedby assuming that the deity takes an inter-est in maintaining the magical power ofthe consecrated ground. Thus, the onlyway to desecrate such an area is to rituallydefile its associated altar, as described inthe Dungeon Masters Guide (page 66).

If you think that desecrating or destroy-ing an altar is too easy for someone who

gains access to it, consider giving everyaltar an inherent magic resistance � per-haps 75% for a greater god�s altar, 60% fora lesser god�s, and 45% for a demigod�s. Ifthe temple is abandoned, these figures arelowered by 1% for every decade the altarhas gone unused, to a minimum of 10%,5%, and 1% respectively. Furthermore, ifany character other than a high priestattempts to desecrate an altar, there is achance equal to the altar�s current magicresistance than an aleax (FIELD FOLIO®tome, page 11) emerges from the altar andattacks. If several characters are partici-pating in the defilement, roll separatelyfor each. And remember the penalty sug-gested above for touching an altar with aunconsecrated item.

As mentioned previously, the creation ofareas specially dedicated to good or evilrequires a special spell. The followingaddition to the ceremony spell is proposedfor this purpose. Its effect on opponents�saving throws and clerical spells is inaddition to the undead-turning penaltyspecified in the Dungeon Masters Guide.

Ceremony: ConsecrateTemple (Invocation)Level: See below Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 1 hourDuration: Perm. ST: SpecialAE: One areaExplanation/Description: Consecratetemple requests a cleric�s deity to confer ablessing upon a newly completed shrine ortemple, providing it with holy or unholypower through a permanent link to thePositive or Negative Material plane.Although ceremony is a first-level spell,the ability to consecrate temple is notavailable to the cleric until he is at a high-er level. It can only be cast by a cleric of atleast 8th level (for a shrine) or 9th level(for a temple). The blessing affects a scalearea of up to 10" X 10" for a shrine or20� X 20� for a temple. Within this area,clerics of opposed alignment suffer apenalty on all saving throws and attemptsto turn or control undead.

The exact area to be consecrated andprotected must first be outlined with anappropriate holy substance. The deity�sattention is then attracted by means of asacrifice of great value. In the case of ashrine, the sacrifice must be worth eitherone-half or one gold piece per square foot,and confers a penalty of either -1 or -2respectively. In the case of a temple, thesacrifice must be worth either one-and-a-half or two gold pieces per square footand must also include a valuable magicalitem. It confers a penalty of -3 or -4 andrenders it impossible for an opponent toinvoke the direct aid of his deity (e.g., bless, chant, prayer or gate spell). An evilcleric can substitute living sacrificeswhose total experience-point value is equalto the required monetary value of thesacrifice.

ForumContinued from page 9resurrected, he would surely become a rankingmember on a pirate ship and maybe go on tobecome a leader at the base camp of the priva-teering operation. He might even make a com-plete alignment change and rule a small part ofa kingdom, but he would still be a fighter, andnothing else.

I would like to add some house rules that areused in the campaigns I play in and the one Irun. First of all, European barbarians are notallowed simply because they are overpowered.Paladins have remained a subclass of fighters,and cavaliers have been limited in their startingassets; they also cannot increase their abilityscores. Rangers, simply out of the desire to playthem as they were meant to be played, may notspecialize and cannot wear armor heavier thanchain mail. This helps bring the fighter back toa decent strength among his peers, even thoughthere are more �frilly� and attractive characters.To me, the fighter is great just the way he is.

Mike SpecaKingwood TX

I was quite interested to see Jon Slobin�s �JustHow Big Is This Bomb?� in your July 1988 issue.I have long been interested in this kind of appli-cation of basic physical reasoning to gamingproblems, and I commend Mr. Slobins�s pursu-ing it. [However,] some of his statements don�tmatch up with what I�ve read in my ownresearch on explosives.

To begin with, Mr. Slobins says that 100 lbs. ofTNT would release about 20 joules of energy.According to the texts I have read, one gram ofTNT releases one kilocalorie of energy, equal to4,187 joules. Based on this, 100 lbs. wouldrelease 190 million joules. One joule is a remark-ably small amount of energy; a fist blow is 25-100 joules, and an ordinary light bulb consumes50-100 joules each second � and neither one�seffects much resemble those of 100 lbs. of TNT!

Mr. Slobins�s scaling also seems a little lessthan perfect. It�s most convenient to work in themetric system; in that system, 1,000 gramsequal 1 kilogram, 1,000 kilogram equal 1 tonne,and since a tonne is only 10% larger than anEnglish ton, we can have the next two steps of1,000 give us kilotons and megatons with littleerror. But multiplying by 1,000 in Mayfair�s DC�HEROES game is the same as adding 10 APs. Sowhen Mr. Slobins puts a gram of TNT at 1 APand a kilogram at 9 APs, he has them too closetogether � though his AP values for tons,kilotons, and megatons are properly spaced at10-AP intervals.

A useful rule of thumb with explosives is thatthe range of serious injuries increases as per thecube root of the explosive charge. In otherwords, if you want to double the lethal radius,you have to subtract 3 APs of blast effect foreach 1 AP of range (not 2.5 APs). One gram ofTNT can cause serious injury at a one-meterrange; one kilogram (1,000 times larger) at 10meters; one ton at 100 meters; one kiloton at1,000 meters; and one megaton at 10,000meters. A typical hand grenade, with 125 gramsof charge (not the roughly 2,000 grams Mr.Slobins�s table suggests), will cause potentiallylethal injury at 5 meters (roughly 16').

I suggest modifying Mr. Slobins�s table asfollows. Let zero APs of explosive force equalone gram of TNT (4,200 joules). Then 32 gramsof TNT � roughly one ounce � would have 5APs of explosive force. Since the cube root of 32is 3.2, lethal effects would go out to 3.2 meters

(10½ feet) —close enough to zero APs of dis-tance. This, then, would allow use of zero APsas the base range at which explosive effectswere figured, as Mr. Slobins proposes. I pointout that a 5-AP attack, with the average roll of11, will cause 3 RAPS, which is just enough totake a normal human being to negative BODYand thus cause a risk of death. In other words,with this adjustment, all the scales are properlyadjusted to each other and the effects will be ofthe right magnitude.

Mr. Slobins proposes the example of a 100-megaton explosion at one-mile range. Onemegaton would be 40 APs of explosive force,and multiplying by 100 would give an added 6APs, totalling to 46. One mile is just barely over9 APs of distance, but by DC HEROES gamerules, it is treated as 10 APs. So the net effect ofthe explosion would be 46 - (3 X 10) = 16 APs.This will still kill any normal human being; theadjustment isn�t substantial, but it producesslightly more accurate results and also is slightlyneater as a computation.

I emphasize the word slightly; Mr. Slobins�sapproach is fundamentally sound, and I�m onlytinkering with details. I do think, though, thatsuch tinkering is not only gratifying for its ownsake but also produces a more satisfactorygame. [My suggestions are] an attempt to makea good thing better.

William H. StoddardChula Vista CA

DRAGON 61

Animal/Bird Call (Conjuration/Summoning)

Created by: Craig DudekLevel: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: 0 CT: 1 roundDuration: Special ST: NoneAE: 12” radius (+ 1"/level, bird call)Explanation/Description: These tworelated spells are simplified versions ofanimal summoning (they are also knowncollectively as animal magnetism spells).Before casting, the druid must decide ifthe spell is an animal call or a bird call, asthe verbal components are different. Aftercasting, all animals (or birds) within thearea of effect that are susceptible to theanimal friendship spell will come to thedruid. Once most of the animals or birdsarrive, the spell duration begins for oneround per level. During this time, all calledanimals/birds are charmed; they will stayand not harm the calling druid or otheranimals or birds called. To others, they actnormally, fighting if attacked as if theywere cornered; no other control is evidentto onlookers without the use of furtherspells (e.g., detect charm). After the spellduration has expired, the called animals orbirds leave the area and return to theirnormal territories, the charm lifted. Thematerial components are two handfuls ofanimal or bird food appropriate to thetype of spell being cast; the food is eatenby the animals called.

Coalstone (Alteration)

Created by: Christopher KroughLevel: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: One turnDuration: Special ST: NoneAE: One stoneExplanation/Description: This spellcreates a magical stone � diamond-hardbut black � that burns as a glowing coalat the bearer�s command. The materialcomponent of this spell consists of a burn-ing piece of coal and a diamond of any size(the latter being consumed in the spell�scasting). Even when cold, the stone has adull, crimson glow, deep within it, and hasa natural value equal to the original valueof the diamond used, plus 20% (in additionto any magical value). The coalstone givesa dim radiance within a 5�-radius circle,and burns anyone (including the bearer)for 1 hp damage per round held if noprotection against fire is used.

Whether used or not, the coalstoneburns out in time, crumbling into a fineblack dust. The length of time the coal-stone burns depends on the size of thediamond component. In any case, thecoalstone burns at a rate of 1 day/gp valueof the original stone, with a maximum of 1year/level of the caster.

When the magic-user casts this spell, hemust grip both the burning coal and thediamond in his fist as if crushing them. Hemust be bare handed and will take 1 hpdamage per round of casting time, unlessprotected against fire. Coalstone can beused to ignite any commonly flammable

material in one round (e.g., oil, tinder,candles, and torches). Such stones can alsobe dropped into a pot or cup for cookingpurposes (the stone is not extinguished byimmersion in liquid), or be carried in afireproof container for warmth.

Druidsight (Evocation)

Created by: David UlrichLevel: 2 Components: V,S,MRange: 15� CT: 3 roundsDuration: 12 turns ST: Special

+ 1 turn/lvl.AE: One animalExplanation/Description: By means ofthis spell, the druid is able to see throughthe eyes of another animal and perceivethings as that animal would. Animals whoare on friendly terms with the druid, suchas pets or summoned animals, require nosaving throw. Normal animals receive anormal saving throw. Familiars and poly-morphed or shape changed creatures arenot subject to this spell. The subject ani-mal can be commanded telepathically toscout, spy, or stand guard at distances upto 100 yards plus 10 yards per level of thecaster. The material components for thisspell are a bit of food desirable to theanimal.

Hailstone (Evocation)

Created by: Andrew KasarskisLevel: 2 Components: V,SRange: 5” + 1”/lvl. CT: 4 segments

over 2nd levelDuration: Instant ST: NoneAE: See belowExplanation/Description: When a druidcasts this spell, one or more magical hail-stones are formed to attack a particulartarget or targets. A caster may opt toproduce five hailstones which each do 1hp damage if they hit, or a single hailstonewhich hits automatically and causes1d4 + 1 hp damage. The druid gains oneadditional automatic-hit hailstone forevery two levels beyond 2nd level, eachsuch stone doing 1 hp damage per level ofthe caster. These small ice chunks travel ina direct line from the caster�s finger, firingat any number of objects in a round pro-vided the caster has enough hailstones.The missiles fracture on impact with hardobjects (shields, helmets, metallic armor,walls), causing half the initial damage ofthe hailstone (1 hp minimum damage) toall creatures within 3� of the point ofimpact. As the automatic-hit hailstones ofhigh-level druids travel much faster thanthose of lesser druids, the range of the icesplinters produced by such hailstones isincreased by 1� for every 1 hp additionaldamage caused. It should be rememberedthat hailstones will not fracture on softsurfaces (though they do damage to thetarget if the target is living) or tolerateextreme heat.

Sense Direction (Divination)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 1 Components: V,S,M

R a n g e : 0 CT: 4 segmentsDuration: Instant. ST: NoneAE: The casterExplanation/Description: This spellinstantly tells the druid which cardinaldirection he faces. The spell will also tellthe caster his depth underground or alti-tude aboveground. The material compo-nent is a small lodestone held in the hand.

Sharpleaf (Alteration)

Created by: David UlrichLevel: 2 Components: V,S,MRange: 5’ CT: 5 segmentsDuration: 1 turn/lvl. ST: NoneAE: SpecialExplanation/Description: When cast,this spell causes leaves of any type tobecome rigid and razor sharp, effectivelybecoming knives. These sharp leaves canbe wielded or thrown, causing 1-3 hpdamage if a successful �to hit� roll is made.The leaves can also be crushed and crum-pled prior to the casting, then serving ascaltrops doing 1-2 hp damage. Threeleaves per level of the caster can be affect-ed. If mistletoe is used as the object of thespell, 1 hp additional damage is added. Thematerial components for this spell are theleaves used in the casting and sap from ahardwood tree sprinkled on them.

Shatter Stone and Metal (Alteration)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 5 Components: V,S,MRange: 6� CT: 3 segmentsDuration: Perm. ST. Neg.AE: SpecialExplanation/Description: This spellcauses metal or stone objects, totaling nomore than 5 lbs. weight per level of thedruid, to explode into shards of sharpprojectiles. Items to be affected get a sav-ing throw vs. crushing blow at � 1 on thedie roll for every two levels of the druid(see the Dungeon Masters Guide, page 80;magical items gain bonuses as noted there-in). Creatures standing within 5� plus 1�per 5 lbs. weight of the shattered objectare hit by the shards of the item. Shardsdo 1 hp damage per 5 lbs. weight of theobject. Damage taken is reduced by anamount equal to the target�s armor classsubtracted from 10; thus, AC 5 reducesthe damage taken by 5 hp. The materialcomponent is a miniature stone hammer.

Sink into Earth (Alteration)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 5 Components: V,S,MRange: 0 CT: 1 segmentDuration: Special ST: NoneAE: SpecialExplanation/Description: The druidcasting this spell may choose to sink him-self or-one nonliving object into the earthfor a distance of up to 5�-per level, mea-sured from the point at which the objectrests on the earth. The object or druid sosunk may come back to the surface at willor automatically so when one day per levelof the druid has past. While sunk, the

DRAGON 63

druid or object is completely safe fromburrowing creatures or movements in theearth. In addition, the druid enters a stateof hibernation, requiring no food or waterfor the duration of the spell. If a cave orother opening lies beneath the objectwhen this spell is cast, the object dropsthrough the roof of the cave and lands onthe floor, taking no damage, whereuponthe spell continues where it left off. Thematerial components are a miniatureshovel and a bit of earth.

Splinter Wood (Alteration)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 3 Components: V,S,MRange: 6� CT: 2 segmentsDuration: Perm. ST: Neg.AE: SpecialExplanation/Description: A step beyondwarp wood, this spell causes one woodenobject to explode violently into thousandsof splinters. The druid can affect up toone spear shaft worth of wood per level(one axe handle, seven arrow shafts, or 7lbs. of wood are equivalent to one spearshaft). Targets to be affected gain a savingthrow vs. crushing blow at � 1 for everytwo levels of the druid (see the DMG, page80; magical items gain bonuses as notedtherein). Any creature within 2� plus 1�per 20 lbs. of the splintered object will bestruck by the splinters. The splinterscause 1 hp damage per 7 lbs. of the object,so a spear shaft would cause 1 hp damageto any creature holding it or within 2�.Damage caused by the splinters is reducedby a value equal to the armor class of thetarget subtracted from 10. Thus, a victimwith AC � 1 would be protected from(10 � ( � 1) = ) 11 hp damage. A victim�sdexterity is reduced by 1 point for every 5hp damage done by this spell until suchtime as all splinters are removed, whichtakes one round per 1 hp damage done.Splinters doing less than 5 hp damageneed not be removed. Additionally, victimswho are wearing no great helms or eyeprotection have a 5% chance per 1 hpdamage done by the spell (calculatedbefore armor-class reductions are made)of being blinded for 2-8 rounds.

Stonewood (Alteration)

Created by: Nathaniel DownesLevel: 5 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 8 segmentsDuration: Perm. ST: NoneA E : S p e c i a l Explanation/Description: This spellbestows the strength of stone on a givenvolume of wood without otherwise alter-ing its appearance or weight. A woodendoor or wall, for example, would have thesturdiness (and saving throws) of stone.Stonewood affects a maximum of 100square feet of wood per level of the caster,to a thickness of 1� (or any equivalentnumerical combination). Only one objectmay be so treated per spell. The material

64 FEBRUARY 1989

components of this incantation are a gem-stone of at least 500 gp value and a smallpiece of hardwood.

Thunderclap (Evocation)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 3 Components: V,S,MRange: 0 CT: 1 segmentDuration: Instant. ST: SpecialAE: 3” radius around druidExplanation/Description: To cast thisspell, the druid takes an oak leaf in handand slaps that hand against any hardobject (including the other hand). Theresult is a sound very much like a thun-derclap that can be heard for miles. Anycreatures within 3� of the druid arestunned and deafened unless a successfulsaving throw vs. spells is made; in thiscase, the victim is only temporarily deaf-ened for 1d10 rounds. If a target isstunned, it cannot initiate or continue anyaction for the remainder of the currentround or the next round. Attacks madewhile deaf are at �2 to hit. Deaf creatureshave a +2 on all 1d6 rolls to be surprised.The druid casting the spell is immune tothe spells effects.

Tracking (Divination)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 2 Components: V,S,MRange: 0 CT: 1 roundDuration: 1 turn ST: None

+ 1 turn/lv1.AE: The casterExplanation/Description: All living crea-tures or spirits leave psychic impressionswherever they go. This spell detects theseimpressions for the caster. The druid firsttakes an object closely related to the crea-ture being tracked, like a favorite articleof clothing, a lock of hair, some blood, etc.,and receives the quarry�s psychic patternby casting the spell on the object. Afterthis, any psychic trace of the same patternglows in the vision of the caster. The fresh-er the �tracks,� the brighter they glow.These impressions are visible up to twodays old per level of the druid. This spellcan detect the passage of creatures underthe influence of a pass without trace spell;it can also detect the passage of anotherdruid.

Warp Stone or Metal (Alteration)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 4 Components: V,S,MRange: 1"/lvl. CT 4 segmentsDuration: Perm. ST: NoneAE: SpecialExplanation/Description: Stone or metalobjects up to 5 lbs. weight per level of thedruid may be warped and made useless bythis spell. Any number of objects may bewarped as long as the total weight doesnot exceed 5 lbs. per level of the druid;these items must also fail a saving throw(see the DMG, page 80; magical items gainbonuses as noted therein). Creatures in

warping metallic armor take damage equalto the armor-class value subtracted from10; thus, AC 2 does 8 hp damage ifwarped. Warped armor is useless. Locksmay be warped open or permanentlyclosed with this spell; this is also true ofdoors with metal hinges or bands. Thematerial component is a small piece of ironore that can be crumbled by hand.

Weather Dome (Abjuration)

Created by: Tom HazelLevel: 4 Components: V,S,MRange: 4 CT: 1 roundDuration: 1 turn/lvl. ST: NoneAE: 30'-radius domeExplanation/Description: This spellbrings into being an invisible barrieragainst the elements over one person orobject upon which it is cast. The domemoves with that person or object. Insidethe dome, the temperature is comfortableand the ground is dry. The dome repelsmost effects of nature, such as rain, snow,hail, sleet, frost, high winds, desert heat,and extreme cold. These effects must benatural and not magical (i.e., a cone of coldstill affects those inside). This spell doesnot keep out natural catastrophes such asrock slides or sea waves, but does protectagainst tornados, hurricanes, andtyphoons. The material components are atent-shaped leaf and a l,000-gp or greater-value diamond, which are destroyed in thecasting of the spell.

Wind and Rain Protection (Evocation)

Created by: Mike RodgersLevel: 3 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 6 segmentsDuration: 1 rnd./lvl. ST: NoneAE: One creatureExplanation/Description: By use of thisspell, a druid can make one creatureimmune to wind or any form of precipita-tion. In essence, a shell is created aroundthe creature that no form of precipitation(including rain, sleet, snow, fog, hail, mete-orites, or any other natural objects fallingfrom the sky) can pass through. The shellalso reduces the speed of any wind touch-ing the protected creature by 10 MPH perlevel of the druid. Any form of magicalwind or precipitation is unaffected by thisspell, but spells that summon up a naturalwind or storm are affected. Any air ele-mentals attacking a protected creaturereceive a � 7 on all �to hit� rolls, and theprotected creature gets + 5 on all savingthrows vs. magical precipitation that doesdamage, as well as against air elementals.This spell in no way protects against light-ning or temperature extremes. The mate-rial component is a fan-shaped leaf, whichis crushed in the casting, and a 500-gp orgreater-value diamond, which is destroyedin the casting.

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 appiicable);4. Special events offered;5. Registration fees or attendance

requirements; 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 theannouncement as well. No call-in listingsare accepted. Unless stated otherwise, alldollar values given for U.S. and Canadianconventions are in U.S. currency.

WARNING: We are not responsible forincorrect information sent to us by conven-tion staff members. Please check yourconvention listing carefully! Our widecirculation ensures that over a quarter of amillion readers worldwide see each issue.Accurate information is your responsibility.

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 May issue is the last Monday ofMarch. Announcements for North Ameri-can and Pacific conventions must bemailed to: Convention Calendar,DRAGON® Magazine, PO. 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 canceled,the dates have changed, or incorrect informa-tion has been printed, please contact usimmediately. Most questions or changesshould be directed to either Robin Jenkins orRoger E. Moore at TSR, Inc., (414) 248-3625(U.S.A.). Questions or changes concerningEuropean conventions should be directed toTSR Limited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.).

❖ indicates an Australian convention.❉ indicates a Canadian convention.

66 FEBRUARY 1989

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR,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 should notbe construed as a challenge to such status.

DALCON '89, February 3-5 ❉

Dalhousie Simulations presents its third-annual gaming convention, featuring AD&D®,BATTLETECH*, KILLER*, and MONOPOLY*tournaments, as well as CALL OF CTHULHU*,WARHAMMER FANTASY BATTLE*, SQUADLEADER*, ROBOTECH*, and historical minia-tures game events. Also featured will be acasino-style raffle, a scavenger hunt, and aminiatures-painting competition. Conventionhours are 7 P.M. to midnight on February 3; 10A.M. to midnight on February 4; and 11:30 A.M. to11:30 P.M. on February 5. The convention will beheld in the McInnes Room, on the second floorof the Dalhousie Student Union Building. Theentrance fee will be $3 Canadian per day, or $5Canadian for the weekend. Write to: Dalsim, c/oEnquiry Desk, Dalhousie Student Union Build-ing, University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia,CANADA, B3H 4J2.

JACKSONVILLE SKIRMISHES 89February 3-5

SKIRMISHES challenges you to conquer theriver city at our second-annual JACKSONVILLESKIRMISHES, which will be held at the Jackson-ville Hotel, 565 South Main Street, Jacksonville,Fla. Events will include AD&D®, TRAVELLER*,STAR FLEET BATTLES*, CAR WARS*, BATTLE-TECH*, INTERCEPTER*, and SEEKRIEG* games,board gaming, a KILLER* tournament, dealers,an art show and auction, a miniatures-paintingcontest, demonstrations by the SCA, and otherrole-playing and gaming events. Reservationsmay be made through the hotel by calling: (904)398-8800. Room rates are $49 for single to quadoccupancy. Registration for the weekend is $18at the door. Write to: SKIRMISHES, P.O. Box2097, Winter Haven FL 33883; or call: (813) 293-7983 or (904) 246-1325.

REDCON 89, February 3-5 ❉

The Royal Military College of Canada will holdits annual International War Gaming Conventionin Yeo Hall on the campus grounds in Kingston,Ontario. Special guest for this event is LarryBond of the war-games club of USMA, WestPoint. Scheduled events include HARPOON*,BATTLETECH*, microarmor miniatures, Napole-onics, CENTURION*, and AD&D� tournaments,plus plenty of open gaming. Retail vendors andgame-company representatives will demonstrateand sell their wares. Registration is $7 Canadianat the door for the entire conference. Send anSASE to: RMC Combat Simulations Group, c/oOCdt Derek Buxton 4 Sqn., Royal MilitaryCollege of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, CANADA,K7K 5L0; or call: (613) 541-6277, between 7 and10 PM week nights.

WARCON '89, February 3-5Texas�s oldest gaming convention will be held

at Texas A&M University in College Station, Tex.

Featured events include an RPGA� NetworkAD&D® and a CHAMPIONS* Open Team tourna-ment, with a variety of board games, miniaturesevents, role-playing tournaments, a dealers�room, and 24-hour open gaming. Special guest isLarry Bond, U.S. Naval analyst, designer ofGDW's HARPOON*, and coauthor of Red StormRising. Preregistration is $8, or $11 at the door.Write to: MSC NOVA, P.O. Box J-l, Texas A&MUniversity, College Station TX 77844; or call:(409) 845-1515.

YAM CON VII GAME MARATHONFebruary 3-5

Held at the YAM Community Center in Oneon-ta, N.Y., this gaming convention will featurerole-playing, story telling, miniatures judging,board gaming, and more. (Some games arevariants.) Preregistration is desired but notrequired. Prices are $5 for preregistration, $7 atthe door, or $1 for each event. Write to: JoeO�Sullivan, Mail Officer, 5 Kearney Street,Oneonta NY 13820; or call: (607) 432-7333

THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN '89February 4-5

The Southern Illinois University StrategicGames Society will host the second-annualEgyptian Campaign at the SIU Student Centeron the campus of Southern Illinois University inCarbondale, Ill. Featured events include RPGA�Network tournaments, with AD&D®, BOOTHILL®, DIPLOMACY*, CIRCUS MAXIMUS*,RUNEQUEST*, CAR WARS*, GURPS*, BATTLE-TECH*, CHAMPIONS*, ROBOTECH*, ACE OFACES*, WINGS*, and SUPREMACY* games. Ascience-fiction and fantasy miniatures-paintingcompetition, Clay-O-Rama, an exhibitors� area,and more are also offered. Preregistration is $8for the weekend, or $5 per day at the door.Send a business-sized SASE to: SIU StrategicGames Society, Office of Student Development,Southern Illinois University at Carbondale,Carbondale IL 62901-4425; or call: David T.Blustein at (618) 457-6416 or (618) 453-5302.

ORCCON 12, February 10-13STRATEGICON will sponsor this convention,

which is to be held at the Los Angeles AirportHyatt Hotel. All types of family, strategic, andadventure board, role-playing, miniatures, andcomputer gaming will be offered at this conven-tion, as well as flea markets, an exhibitors�room, auctions, seminars, demonstrations, andspecial guests. Write to: STRATEGICON, 5374Village Road, Long Beach CA 90808; or callDiverse Talents at: (213) 420-3675

DUNDRACON XIII, February 17-20DUNDRACON is back at the Oakland Airport

Hyatt, 455 Hegenberger Road, Oakland, Calif.(Mention the convention name to get the special$65 room rate for single through quad occupan-cy.) This year�s convention offers numerousrole-playing games, with over 120 events in avariety of fantasy, modern, and science-fictionsystems. Also included are seminars, board

games, miniatures events, a huge dealers� roomand a flea market, a figure-painting contest, SCAdemonstrations and armor displays, and lots ofopen gaming space. Preregistration for theweekend is $20 to February 1, or $25 at thedoor. One-day registrations may be purchased atthe door for $10. Write to: DUNDRACON, 386Alcatraz Avenue, Oakland CA 96418; or callDorothy Heydt at: (415) 524-8321. *

FAL*CON �89, February 17-19This fantasy and science-fiction convention

will be held at the Howard Johnson�s Conven-tion Center in Meridian, Miss. Big-name guestsand many panels are featured, as well asAD&D®, TALISMAN*, KINGS & THINGS*,COSMIC ENCOUNTER*, CAR WARS*, KING-MAKER*, and STAR FLEET BATTLES* tourna-ments. An art show, art auction, indoor poolparty, masquerade and dance, SCA demonstra-tions, Civil War reenactment, hospitality suite,and dealers� room are also offered. Admissionfees for the weekend are $20; daily admission is$10. Send an SASE to: FAL*CON �89, PO. Box492, Meridian MS 39302; or call: (601) 693-0384.

GENGHIS CON X, February 17-20Attend a special birthday party with GENGHIS

CON X as it celebrates its 10th anniversary atthe Ramada Inn, Westminster, Colo. This eventis sponsored by the Denver Gamers Association.Gaming of all kinds will be offered, along withan official RPGA� Network AD&D® tournamentand a games auction. Miniatures events will bestaged by the Colorado Military Historians.Registration is $14 for the weekend until Janu-ary 31, or $17 thereafter. Write to: DenverGamers Association, PO. Box 11369, Denver CO80211; or call: (303) 433-3849.

OMACON 8.5 � GAME FEST, February 18This convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn Central, 72nd and Grover in Omaha, Nebr.,from 8 A.M. to midnight. Gaming events will beoffered in fantasy, historical, and science-fictiongenres (with prizes in several categories), with adealers� room and OMACON 9 preregistrationdiscounts. Admission is $5. Write to: OMACON8.5 � GAME FEST, c/o Star Realm, 7305 South85th Street, Omaha NE 68128.

BASHCON �89, March 3-5BASHCON �89 is the seventh gaming conven-

tion held by the University of Toledo�s Benevo-lent Adventures Strategic Headquarters(UT-BASH). This event features an auction, aminiatures contest, movies, game exhibitors/dealers, an RPGA� Network AD&D® tourna-ment, and more than 130 role-playing,miniatures, and board-gaming events. Theconvention will be located in the Student Union,third floor, at the University of Toledo�s MainCampus. The special guest of honor will be PoulAnderson. Send an SASE to: Student ActivitiesOffice, UT-BASH (BASHCON �89), 2801 WestBancroft Street, Toledo OH 43606-3390; or call:(419) 537-4654.

SIMCON XI: The New BeginningMarch 3-5

The convention will be held on the Universityof Rochester�s River Campus in the WilsonCommons. Events will include role-playingtournaments, war gaming, miniatures, movies,demos, and a dealers� room for war-gaming,role-playing, miniatures, comics, and science-fiction fans. Registration fees are $5 beforeFebruary 1, and $10 thereafter. Write to: SIM-CON X, P.O. Box 29142 River Station, RochesterNY 14627; or by calling: (716) 275-6186.

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TOTAL CONFUSION, March 3-5TOTAL CONFUSION will be held at the Shera-

ton Worcester Hotel and Convention Center. Itwill feature RPGA� Network AD&D® gametournaments, an RPGA Network GURPS* event,and other role-playing and board-gaming events.A costume competition and several seminarshave been added to this year�s schedule. Guestsof honor include Verne Wetherholt, John Astell,and Brent Nosworthy. A dealers� room, aminiatures-painting contest, and benefit eventsare also planned. Preregistration is $18 for allthree days, or $7 per day if payment is receivedby February 1; otherwise, costs are $8 per daythereafter. Hotel convention rates are available.Write to: TOTAL CONFUSION, P.O. Box 306,Northbridge MA 01534-1302.

CALCON IV, March l0-12 *This gaming convention will be held at the

Sandman Inn in Calgary, Alberta. Events willfeature a large variety of games, including anAD&D® tournament, miniatures contests, guestspeakers, and more. Send an SASE to: CALCONIV PO. Box 204, Station M, Calgary, Alberta,CANADA, T2P 2H6.

BATTLEDAY, March 11Cosponsored by the Cincinnati Adventure

Gamers and Wanna Play? The Game Store, thisone-day affair will be held at Saints Peters andPaul Hall in Norwood (Cincinnati), Ohio. Eventswill include all-day gaming, a BA�ITLETECH*event, AD&D® games, miniatures events, andmuch more. Write to: Wanna Play? The GameStore, 1555 Cedar Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45224;or call: (513) 542-3449.

COAST CON XII, March 17-19This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Gulf Coast Coliseum Conven-tion Center in Biloxi, Miss., with accommoda-tions at the Howard Johnson�s (call (601)388-6310 or (800) 654-2000 for reservations).Guest of honor is Joel Rosenberg, author of theGuardians of the Flame series. Other guestsinclude: Steven Sechi, designer of Talislanta andAtlantis; P. D. Breeding-Black, artist for Talislan-ta; and John Levene, who plays Sgt. Benton onDr: Who. Events include an RPGA� Networktournament, video rooms, a meet-the-guestsparty, a costume contest, filk singing, a charityauction, an art exhibit and auction, and a largedealers� room. Registration is $20. Write to:COAST CON, Inc., P.O. Box 1423, Biloxi MS39533.

NEO-VENTION VIII, March 17-19NEO-VENTION VIII will be held at the GardnerStudent Center of the University of Akron inAkron, Ohio. Featured events include RPGA�Network and miniatures events, a games auc-tion, and more. Write to: UGS, University ofAkron Gardner Student Center, Office #6,Akron OH 44325. For a quick reply, send a 25-cent stamp or SASE.

OWLCON X, March 17-19Rice University�s WARP and RSFAFA will hold

this gaming convention at Rice University.Registration will take place in Sewall Hall.Events include RUNEQUEST*, PARANOIA*, CARWARS*, TRAVELLER*, DIPLOMACY*, ILLUMI-NATI*, CIVILIZATION*, BATTLETECH*, STARFLEET BATTLES*, ADVANCED SQUAD LEAD-ER*, and AD&D® tournaments, with opengaming and with prizes awarded in someevents. Admission fees are $10 for all three daysbefore March 3, or $12 at the door. One-day

passes are $4 for Friday or Sunday, and $5 forSaturday. To preregister, send a check foradmission made payable to RSFAFA. Write to:OWLCON Preregistration, P.O. Box 1892, Hous-ton TX 77251.

ABBYTHON 7, March 18-19The Abbyville Community Center in

Abbyville, Kans., becomes a Guild Hall onceagain as the Abbython Adventure Guild hosts itsseventh-annual 24-hour role-playing gamesmarathon. New members are welcome. Bestplayers will be awarded prizes for their efforts.Admission is $5 if paid before February 18, $6thereafter, and $7 at the door. Send an SASE to:ABBYTHON, P.O. Box 96, Abbyville KS 67510.

GAMES 89, March 24-27This major Australian games convention will

offer role-playing, war, computer, and othergame events on a massive scale. Nongamingevents include: a formal dinner Saturday night(followed by other social events, such as cocktailparties, Easter egg hunts, etc.), show bags, films,lectures, and more. Convention fees are $16Australian for the weekend, or $5 Australianper day Write to: GAMES 89, P.O. Box 242,Lilydale, Victoria, 3140, AUSTRALIA; or call:(03) 726-7525.

I-CON VIII, March 31-April2Held at the State University of New York at

Stony Brook, Long Island, I-CON (Island Conven-tion, not Iowa Convention) will have guests ofhonor including Frederik Pohl and E. GaryGygax. Other guests include Joe Haldeman,Barry Longyear, Julius Schwartz, and the cur-rent Dr. Who, Sylvester McCoy: Gaming guestsinclude Martin Wixted and Greg Costikyan.More guests are confirmed daily, and a StarTrek actor-guest is in the works. Featuredevents include speakers, movies, autographsessions, and AD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, STARWARS*, and DIPLOMACY* games. Game mas-ters-are welcome. Advance tickets are $16 untilMarch 17, or $18 at the door. One-day passesare also available. Send an SASE to: I-CON VIII,P.O. Box 550, Stony Brook NY 11790.

MARCH FANTASY REVELMarch 31-April 2

Come to the fourth-annual MARCH FANTASYREVEL at the Harborside Holiday Inn inKenosha, Wis. Activities will include a war-gaming area, a silent used-game auction, adealers� area, and role-playing events. FeaturedRPGA� Network events include an AD&D®Grand Masters, AD&D® Masters, AD&D® Fea- ture, TOP SECRET/S.I.� Feature, and MARVELSUPER HEROES® Feature tournaments. Otheractivities include workshops, a gamers� banquet(please make reservations early), and an RPGA�Network members� meeting. Special guestsinclude Harold Johnson, Jean Rabe, and SkipWilliams. Fees are $8 a day or $16 for the week-end, if paid before February 1. Thereafter, feesincrease to $10 a day, or $20 for the weekend.RPGA� Network members receive a $2 discounton registration. Write to: Keith Polster, 2432Park Avenue, Apt. 6, West Bend WI 53095; orcall: (414) 338-8498. Gamers may also contact:Janice Ours, P.O. Box 840, Silver Lake WI 53170;or call her at: (414) 889-8346.

STELLARCON XIV, March 31-April 2This science-fiction, fantasy, and gaming

convention will be held at the Elliott UniversityCenter on the University of North Carolina atGreensboro campus. This year�s conventionfeatures authors Jean Lorrah and Allen Wold,

and game designer Steve Jackson. Guests willconduct panels, lectures, and readings fromnew or soon-to-be-released works. In addition,there will be an RPGA� Network AD&D® gametournament, a CAR WARS* event, other gametournaments, a trivia contest, a costume contest,and an art contest with entries from conventionpatrons (no charge), and a dealers� room; filmswill also be shown. Preregistration runs untilMarch 1. Admission prices until then are $12for the weekend, $8 for two days, or $5 for oneday. After March 1, admission prices at the doorare $15 for the weekend, $10 for two days, and$8 for one day. Write to: SF3, Box 4, EUC, UNCGreensboro, Greensboro NC 27412.

TECHNICON 6, March 31-April 2Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Science-Fiction

and Fantasy Club (VTSFFC), this sixth-annualscience-fiction, fantasy, and gaming conventionwill be held in the Donaldson Brown Center onthe Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va.Guest of honor is John M. Ford, author of twoStar Trek books and the PARANOIA* gamemodule Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues (win-ner of the 1984 World Fantasy Award and theCharles Roberts award for best role-playingmodule). Fan guest of honor is Chip Livingston.Convention activities include three 24-hourvideo rooms, three tracks of continuous gaming,a dealers� room, panels, the TECHNICON play,computer gaming, a masquerade, science-fictionJeopardy, a dance, parties, and more. Preregis-tration is $12 for students and $15 for others, ifpaid in advance. Otherwise, fees are $15 forstudents and $18 for others paying at the door.Write to: TECHNICON, P.O. Box 256, BlacksburgVA 24063-0256.

CONNCON, April 1-2Held at the Quality Inn in Danbury, Conn., this

convention features role-playing, board-gaming,and miniatures events. Two RPGA� Networktournaments will be held, one open to all play-ers and one for members only. A benefit eventwill be held; proceeds will go to the AmericanHeart Association. Preregistration is $10 for theweekend, if paid in advance. Registration paid atthe door is $15. Write to: Hobby Center, 366Main Street, Danbury CT 06810.

GAME FAIRE �89, April 7-9The tenth-annual GAME FAIRE convention will

be held at the Spokane Falls Community Collegein Spokane, Wash. Events will run from Fridaynight through Sunday afternoon, and includegame tournaments, microarmor and historicalminiatures, a video room, dealers� tables, role-playing games, board games, family games, agames auction, and a demonstration by the localSCA. Registration for GAME FAIR �89 is $10prepaid or $12 at the door. One-day member-ships are available at $5 for Friday or Sunday,or $6 for Saturday. All profits go to the WishingStar Foundation, a charity dedicated to helpingchildren. Write to: Merlyn�s, W 201 Riverside,Spokane WA 99201; or call: (509) 624-0957.

ROUNDCON IV, April 7-9The Round. Table Gaming Society will hold this

gaming convention at the Russell House StudentUnion on the University of South Carolinacampus. Events will include multiple-roundAD&D®� and CHAMPIONS* tournaments, single-event role-playing games of all types, miniaturesevents, a video room, a miniatures-paintingcontest, board games, and rooms for opengaming, with awards and door prizes. Preregis-tration is $3 if postmarked before March 15; forconfirmation of preregistration, please send an

70 FEBRUARY 1989

SASE. Write to: ROUNDCON IV, USC Box 80018,Columbia SC 29225; or call (803) 254-2601 or(803) 772-4784.

SCRYCON �89, April 8Able adventurers are needed to regain lost

shards of the Famous Crystal Monolith at SCRY-CON �89, the seventh-annual one-day tourna-ment sponsored by the seekers of the CrystalMonolith Gaming Club. This year�s conventionwill be held at the Red Hook Methodist Churchin Red Hook, N.Y. (approximately 60 miles southof Albany on Route 9). The tournament willconsist of AD&D® tournaments, alternategames, miniatures-painting contests, and ourpopular used-game flea market. Admission is $5for the whole day. Send an SASE to: SCYRON�89, P.O. Box 896, Pleasant Valley NY 12569.

VALLEYCON II, April 8-9Sponsored by the Northeast Wisconsin Game

Players Association (GPA), this gaming conven-tion will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. All forms of gaming will bepresented, including a 40� × 39� miniaturesbattle of the Assault on Hoth, strategic minia-tures and board-game battles, and role-playingevents ranging from the D&D® and AD&D®games to science-fiction games. Other eventsinclude a miniatures-painting contest, doorprizes, and much more. All game masters mustbe preregistered by no later than January 31.Ticket prices for game masters are $3 plus $2per event entered in the convention for one day,or $4.50 plus $2 per event entered in the con-vention for two days. To preregister, send yourname, address, telephone number, game systemyou wish to run, and the admission and entryfee (check or money order only) to: VALLEYCONHeadquarters, 1211 Morris Avenue, Green BayWI 54304. Game-master packets and schedulesmay be picked up at the convention. Send anSASE to the address above, or call: Brian Severaat (4141494-7313.

BAMACON III, April 14-16This science-fiction, fantasy, and gaming

convention will be held at the Econo-Lodge(formerly the Stagecoach Inn), located at 4810Skyland Boulevard East in Tuscaloosa, Ala.Special guests include Hal Clement, NancySpringer, Brad Strickland, Phil Foglio, MaryHanson-Roberts, Allen Hammack, Dr. MaureenKendrick, and many others. Featured eventsinclude author and artist panels, an art showand auction, a Friday night ice cream reception,an AD&D® game team tournament with $210 incash prizes, many other tournaments withprizes, filksinging, author readings, a Saturdaynight costume contest (with cash prizes), amasquerade ball (right after the contest), and anall-you-can-eat banquet ($6, scheduled for Sun-day at 10 A.M.). Membership is $15 if paid beforeFebruary 14, $20 thereafter, and $25 at thedoor. Dealers� tables are $40 (includes one freemembership). Hotel rates are $29.38 for one tofour people (mention BAMACON III). Write to:BAMACON III, University of Alabama, P.O. Box6542, Tuscaloosa AL 35486; or call: (205) 758-4577 or (205) 758-2186.

DEF-CON I, April 15-16Sponsored by THE CLUB, this gaming conven-

tion will be held at the Howard Johnson�s inPortage, Ind. (intersection of Route 20 and U.S.249). Special events include group vs. grouprole-playing, and RPGA� Network and computertournaments. Other events include AD&D®,MARVEL SUPER HEROES®, CHILL*, TWILIGHT: 2000*, and BOOT HILL® games. Fees are $3

preregistered, or $5 at the door. Prices are fromfree to $3 per game. Write to: David Machin,719 Jumper Road, Valparaiso IN 46383; or call:(219) 759-2530.

AMIGOCON 4, April 21-23This science-fiction, fantasy, and gaming

convention will be held at the Holiday InnSunland Park in El Paso, Tex. Melinda Snodgrassis author guest of honor, and Frank Kelly Freasis artist guest of honor. Other guests includeWalter Jon Williams, Rick and Pati Cook, Jenni-fer Robertson, Mel White, and George AlecEffinger. Advance membership fees are $12.Registrations purchased at the door are $15 forall three days, or $7.50 for one day. Write to:AMIGOCON 4, P.O. Box 3177, El Paso TX 79923.

CHATTANOOGA COMICS, CARDS, & COL-LECTABLES SHOW, April 21-23

This semiannual collector�s show will be heldat the Eastgate Mall on Brainerd Road, just off I-75, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Show hours are 9 A.M.to 9 P.M. Friday and Saturday, and 11 A.M. to 6 P.M.Sunday. Guests will include representativesfrom Marvel Comics. Events will include anAD&D® game tournament (which begins Friday,with winners announced Sunday); an ongoingDRAGONLANCE® board game; video showingsof Star Trek Bloopers, The X-Men, and more; anauction hosted by our own Freddy Krueger; anda costume contest Saturday night. Admission tothis show is free! The entire mall is the show-room area; it will include comic books, baseballcards, Star Trek and Dr. Who memorabilia,Japanese animation, gaming , and other events.Dealer tables are $100 each, or $150 for two.Tables are 8� long. Write to: Amazing World ofFantasy, 2518-C Shorter Avenue, Rome GA30161; or call: Dana Pinkard (show chairperson)at (404) 235-2179, or Patrick Swinford at (404)234-5309.

SALUTE �89, April 21-23 *This gaming convention will be held at the

Best Western King�s Inn, 5411 Kingsway, Burna-by, B.C., Canada. Featured events will includetable-top miniatures, board gaming, and fantasyrole-playing. In addition, 7th-edition 15mmAncients, SQUAD LEADER*, and D&D® gametournaments will be held. A miniatures-paintingcontest will also be held, along with trade standsand a swap meet. Write to: Barry Kemp, Con-vention Director, SALUTE �89, 5850 RumbleStreet, Burnaby, B.C., CANADA V5J 2C4; or call:(604) 526-4463 or (604) 437-3038.

COSCON 89, April 22Sponsored again this year by the Circle of

Swords, this one-day gaming convention will beheld at the Butler County Community College inButler, Penn. Scheduled events will includeRPGA� Network tournaments, board games,miniatures events, and other role-playinggames. Also included is a dealers� room and aminiatures-painting contest. Registration is $6until March 31, and $8 thereafter. Send an SASEto: COSCON, c/o Dave Schnur, 127 CrosslandsRoad, Butler PA 16001; or call: (412) 287-6797 or(412) 283-1159.

Sage AdviceContinued from page 10

portable medium before experienceis awarded. What constitutes atransportable medium? Do magicalitems have to be retained and usedbefore experience is awarded forthem?

Gems and jewels don�t have to be sold,but the experience value of these items isequal to their sale value in gold pieces.The DMG says treasure must be removedfrom the dungeon and converted into atransportable medium (i.e., carried on thecharacter�s person) or stored in a charac-ter�s stronghold (residence). That is, trea-sure must be taken to a safe place,appraised, and assigned to PCs before anyexperience is awarded for it. A transport-able medium can be anything the PC findsconvenient. Likewise, experience is award.ed for items that are added to a charac-ter�s hoard, use notwithstanding. Noexperience is awarded for an item sold forcash or traded for goods or services.

It's quite possible that your manu-scripts and I have already met. Ifthe editors receive a gaming ar-ticle, but the author has not sent aself-addressed, stamped envelopewith the manuscript to allow for areply, the editors give the manu-script to me, and . . . well, let's notdwell on that.

Give the editors ( and your manu-scripts) a fair break. With each ar-ticle you send us, enclose a SASElarge enough to permit the easy re-turn of the manuscript, should itrequire rewriting or be unsuitablefor use. Canadians and residentsof other countries should encloseinternational postal coupons, avail-able at local post offices.

Don't let your article come myway. Be sure to use a SASE with all your submissions.

How many gold pieces can thevarious containers listed in theAD&D game rules hold?

The following unofficial capacities havebeen extrapolated from the DMG encum-brance list. They will give you somethingto work with for the time being:

Backpack: 400 gpBelt pouch, large: 200 gpBelt pouch, small: 100 gpBoat: See the Wilderness Survival Guide,

page 44Box, large: 200 gpBox, small: 50 gpChest, wooden: 15 gp per gp of encum-

brance (see the DMG, page 225)Chest, iron: 3 gp per gp of encumbrance

(see the DMG, page 225)Land vehicles: See the WSG, page 33Sack, large: 400 gpSack, small: 100 gpSaddlebag, large: 1,000 gpSaddlebag, small: 250 gpShip: 900 gp/hull point (see the DMG,

page 54)

What happens when a character isreduced to 1 hp?

Nothing. Characters in the D&D andAD&D games don�t -have to worry until theyare reduced to zero hit points (or less in theAD&D game; see the DMG, page 82).

What does a one-way door looklike when viewed from the wrongside?

This is up the DM. In many campaigns,the �wrong� side of a one-way door lookslike a normal door. In other campaigns,they can�t be detected at all. In still others,they can�t been seen, but they can belocated by touch or tapping.

What exactly is a composite bow?Why should a character buy one? Inthe AD&D game, a long bow costsless and shoots farther than even along composite bow.

A composite bow is made up of layers orwood, bone, and sinew (this is the �com-posite�). They are more difficult to makethan a one-piece bow (often called a selfbow), hence the greater cost. Compositebows offer two advantages over self bows:They are more powerful for their size; along self bow is longer than a man is tall; along composite bow has about the samerange but is only about 4� long. Compositebows can be specially built to allow forstrength bonuses. One local campaignfigures the cost of such special bows asequal to the base cost for the bow plus anequal amount per bonus point of damage,so that a bow allowing + 1 hp damage fora 16 or 17 strength is twice normal cost, abow allowing +2 hp damage (18 strength)is triple the cost, etc.

What is the creature pictured onthe cover of the Manual of thePlanes?

The creature is an astral dreadnaught,as as-yet undescribed monster thatinhabits the Astral plane. Its game statis-tics may appear in a future DRAGONMagazine.

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