Issue #159Vol. XV, No.2

July 1990

PublisherJames M. Ward

EditorRoger E. Moore

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Assistant editorDale A. Donovan

Art directorLarry W. Smith

Production staffGaye O�Keefe Angelika Lokotz

Tracey Zamagne

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

U.S. advertisingSheila Gailloreto

Jim Atkiss

U.K. correspondentand U.K. advertising

Sue Lilley

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4 JULY 1990

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

Beyond the Sky ItselfJourney into the depths of space, astral and arcane.

Rough Times on Refuge � Ed GreenwoodStrange things happen at the largest arcane shipyard among thecrystal spheres.

Bazaar of the Bizarre � Steven E. SchendA glove that explodes, a ring that moves ships: new magic fromwildspace.

Voidjammers! � Randal S. DoeringWant to hitch a ride in the Astral plane? Here�s how!

The Dragon�s Bestiary � the TSR staffThree monstrous reasons why arcane space is a dangerous place.

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

To the Ends of the MARVEL UNIVERSE TM � David Edward MartinFaster than a speeding photon: starships for super heroes.

The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserCasting spells with music, and casting bombs with flair.

The Waiting Woman � fiction by Peni R. GriffinShe had stood guard for a thousand years. Lord Kettry felt that waslong enough.

Pulling a �Con� Job � Thomas M. KaneBe a legend in your own time: Run your own game convention!

The MARVEL®-Phile � Dale A. DonovanA minotaur can make a fine wizard�s apprentice, and other surprises.

Rhythm Warriors � Joseph R. RavittsMartial arts can be a way of life: the battle dancer NPC class.

The Role of Books � John C. BunnellMeet Jack Fleming. He�s been killed once. He won�t let it happen again.

Down with the Titanic � Lawrence SchickIt�s 1912, and you are there�thanks to live role-playing!

Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowWhat�s better than plate mail +5? An 80-ton missile tank!

D E P A R T M E N T S

5 Letters 39 Sage Advice 86 TSR Previews6 Editorial 42 Gamers Guide 94 Dragonmirth

36 Forum 84 Convention Calendar 96 Twilight Empire

COVER

It was just another crystal sphere until the half-elven captain saw the double planet.When he ordered his privateer to move in and investigate, another surpriseappeared�the Spelljammer itself was in orbit! What�s a clever captain to do next?Robin Wood presents this stunning scene, �The Privateer,� for our July cover. Forinformation on prints, write to: Robin Wood, 15981 Woodland Drive, Dearborn MI48120, U.S.A.

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.

Live & in color!Dear Dragon:

I�ve recently read a G.M. magazine articleabout live role-playing in England. I was won-dering if you know about any LRPGs in the U.S.,preferably near western Pennsylvania.

Steven T. VoigtPittsburg PA

Funny that you should write to us aboutLPRGs just now. In this issue, we have �DownWith the Titanic!� by Lawrence Schick, whichgives many of the details on how LRPGs arerun. Details on contacting the Society for Inter-active Literature are given at the end of thatarticle. Another writer has sent us a pamphleton NERO, the New England Roleplaying Organi-zation; for information on this group, write to:NERO, c/o the Gamemaster, 212A MassachusettsAvenue, Arlington MA 02174, U.S.A. Conventionlistings and notes in your local hobby shopsmight give leads to other LRPG groups.

Recycle it?Dear Dragon:

I have not been involved in environmentalissues until recently, when the Earth Day festivi-ties began. I began to consider the implicationsof the discussions during the week of Earth Day,and I began recycling all of my cans, bottles,and newspapers.

Then one day soon afterward, my gaminggroup got together for our weekly meeting.After the adventure was completed, I noticedthat we had used 17 sheets of paper! Thatequates to at least 900 sheets of paper everyyear. I assume that this is the average for mostfour- or five-person groups. Considering thehundreds of thousands of gamers worldwide,this creates cause for some concern.

If all the gamers reading this magazine beganrecycling the paper used in their campaigns andalso began using recycled paper, we could put alarge dent in the amount of paper being usedevery year. I also wonder if DRAGON Magazinewould consider using recycled paper in theprinting process.

I am not asking gamers to make any bigchanges, just a few small ones that can make abig difference.

David S. MorganBeatrice AZ

TSR did not do a lot of recycling (as far as Iknow) until the last couple of years, when a GirlScout troop leader set up containers in thebuilding for aluminum cans. This year, a num-ber of other recycling projects are being dis-cussed, among them beings ways to recycle thetremendous amount of paper that we gothrough. As I write this, motion-detecting lightswitches are being installed in some offices andrestrooms, which should save a lot of money onelectric bills (of course, if you lock yourself in arestroom stall for a long time. . . click. �Hey!�).

Game referees and players can always bringused paper (with one blank side) from theirschools or workplaces to game meetings, for useas character notepads, message sheets, hastilydesigned diagrams of monster-filled dungeonrooms into which your group has just beenteleported, etc. I bring home large quantities ofused paper for my son to draw on and turn intoairplanes. If you�re going to throw paper out, itmight as well be thoroughly used!

And as for printing DRAGON Magazine onrecycled paper, we don�t because it simply isn�tavailable at the moment. But we�ll keep it inmind.

A few concernsDear Dragon:

I have a few concerns that I hope you canhelp me with:

1. What is the oldest undiscovered mistake inthe history of DRAGON Magazine? Kim Mohanmentioned something about this in issue #102(page 3) but refused to say anything else aboutit. If you cannot tell me what it is, could you atleast give the readership a general hint if, infact, this mistake is still undiscovered?

2. Are there any plans for producing SSIcomputer games that are based on a TSR gamebesides the AD&D® game? For example, I thinkthat a GAMMA WORLD® computer game wouldbe very interesting.

3. How about a SPELLJAMMER� computergame from SSI?

4. Are there any foreseeable plans for a masscompilation (perhaps a hardcover book) of all ofthe variant classes and races published inDRAGON Magazine?

5. Did Waldorf or Tharizdun destroyGreyhawk? If so, how does Mika continue toadventure in the so-called destroyed lands? Orshould I just disband all cohesion as I usually do?

6. Is there any such thing as a lawful-neutraldwarven paladin? I seem to recall something ina previous issue about just such a character. Ifso, what are the rules for one?

Zach HowardCrownsville MD

1. We don�t know the oldest un-discoveredmistake in the history of the magazine becauseit is still undiscovered (nyuk, nyuk).

Continued on page 7

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is publishedmonthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 SheridanSprings Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States ofAmerica. The postal address for all materials from theUnited States and Canada except subscription orders is:DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111 (201 Sheridan SpringsRoad), 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).

Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available fromgame and hobby shops throughout the United States,Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limitednumber of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the booktrade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., andin Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Sendorders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department,Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A.; telephone: (800) 638-6460 toll-free except Alaska (call (800) 492-0782 toll-freein Maryland). Newsstand distribution throughout theUnited Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 BrixtonRoad, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone:01-733-4444.

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Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues isavailable from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop(P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or fromTSR Ltd. For a free copy of the current catalog that listsavailable back issues, write to either of the aboveaddresses.

Submissions: All material published in DRAGONMagazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub-lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary aremade prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomesunsolicited submissions of written material and artwork;however, no responsibility for such submissions can beassumed by the publisher in any event. Any submissionaccompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope ofsufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published.We strongly recommend that prospective authors writefor our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us.In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed,stamped envelope (9½” long preferred) to: Writers’Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the aboveaddress; include sufficient American postage or Interna-tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope. InEurope, write to: Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd; include sufficient return postage orIRCs with your SASE.

Advertising: For information on placing advertise-ments in DRAGON Magazine, ask for our rate card. Inthe United States and Canada, contact: AdvertisingCoordinator, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, 201 SheridanSprings Road, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe,contact: Advertising Coordinators, TSR Ltd.

DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc.Registration applied for in the United Kingdom. All rightsto the contents of this publication are reserved, andnothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in partwithout first obtaining permission in writing from thepublisher.

® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR,Inc. ™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Mostother product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products. Use of the name ofany product without mention of trademark status shouldnot be construed as a challenge to such status.

©1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Wis.,

U.S.A., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Sendaddress changes to DRAGON Magazine, TSR, Inc., P.O.Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. USPS 318-790,ISSN 0279-6848.

DRAGON 5

Morals: Modern vs. Medieval

Craig H. Barrett�s �Forum� letter in theJune issue (#158) brought up several goodpoints regarding alignment in the AD&D®game. Briefly, he said that he�d like to seepractical examples of alignments in atypical AD&D scenario. How differentlywould a lawful-good being act from achaotic-good creature in a given situation?And more important, why would he actdifferently? Craig also states that all play-ers and DMs bring a lot of modern moraland ethical �baggage� with them wheneverthey play, and he reminds us that thismight be incongruous in a game that isloosely based on the society of medievalEurope.

He went on to point out that what wefind morally permissible today and whatthe people in medieval Europe thoughtwas acceptable are, in many ways, vastlydifferent. Slavery, religious inquisitions,the Crusades, and witch hunts didn�t hap-pen by accident; they all were, at one timeor another, supported by various govern-ments and churches. Barrett�s centralquestion was, do we adopt these historicalvalues into the modern game�s systems,and the alignments specifically?

Although the concept might make aninteresting experimental campaign, for thegame as a whole I must answer no. It�sobvious to me that, when reading throughthe alignment descriptions in both theAD&D 1st and 2nd Edition games, the align-ments are described from a modern moraland ethical standpoint. This is a moderngame after all, designed by modern people�with all their attendant �baggage.�

Many of the basic freedoms we take forgranted now (freedom of speech, and eventhe right to quit our jobs if we choose),were unthinkable in medieval times. It�shard for many of us to put ourselves inthe place of the medieval serf who couldnot quit the tract of land that he farmedfor his feudal lord.

Also, applying artificial concepts like thegame�s alignments to real life just doesn�twork (I tried to do just that in an earlydraft of this editorial). Perhaps the mainreason why doing that is all but impossibleis because so many people have differingopinions on the issues of today. A primeexample is the group of people that feelthat AD&D, and RPGs in general, are evil.I don�t agree with them, but they areentitled to their opinions.

Even with nine alignments, the AD&Dgame is basically still a game of black and

6 JULY 1990

white. Good is always good, and evil isalways evil. Reality has no such absolutes.Reality is all the varying shades of gray,which makes sorting out the good fromthe bad very difficult at times. I believethat the AD&D game�s relative simplicity isone of its main attractions. You know thatbig, red, fire-breathing lizard is evil, andit�s up to you to stop him. That certaintyisn�t very common in real life.

Craig also took examples of rulers fromhistory (King Richard the Lionhearted,King Louis XI of France, and others) andasked if these men, who are now regardedas �good� leaders, would be lawful goodwithin the game. He didn�t think so, and Iagree with him. All alignments simulatecertain ideals in a form compatible for usein the game, but they�re not applicable toreal life.

Assigning alignments to real people isterribly difficult, but it is possible to applymany of the game�s alignments to fictionalcharacters. Using media sources, here�show I see the nine alignments:

Lawful good is epitomized by almost allof John Wayne�s early films, especiallythose in the World War II genre. Also,Three Hearts and Three Lions, a fantasynovel by Poul Anderson, has for its heroHolger Carlsen, a man who is not onlylawful good but also is the perfect exampleof a paladin.

I agree with Craig that neutral good isthe �best� good. Unconcerned with law orchaos, neutral-good beings are only inter-ested in goodness (e.g., the ends, not themeans). Numerous TV heroes, especially

on police/crime shows, qualify as neutralgood. They�re willing to bend a law or twoin order to get the bad guy.

Chaotic good is exemplified by many ofErrol Flynn�s movie roles. His Robin Hoodis the ultimate chaotic-good hero. BurtLancaster�s early films also have a definitechaotic-good theme, especially The Flameand the Arrow and The Crimson Pirate.

Examples of lawful evil range from SirGuy of Gisbourne and the Sheriff of Not-tingham to the TV and movie versions oforganized-crime syndicates of today. Forcomics� readers, both Lex Luthor and theKingpin of Crime are lawful evil.

As neutral good is the best of the best, soneutral evil is the worst of the worst. Aneutral-evil character is out for only himself.His methods of getting ahead don�t matter, aslong as he gets there. He cares for nothingand no one other than himself. Many TVvillains qualify, eliminating any obstacles totheir advancement as they arise.

Chaotic evil is the alignment of the terri-ble horrors that kept us up all those nightswhen we were younger. From giant moviemonsters bent on the destruction of Japanto the demons of the AD&D 1st Editiongame (they are the best examples), they de-stroy simply because they feel like it.

Lawful neutral is the domain of many ofthe media�s satirical ideas of government.Huge, self-perpetuating bureaucraciesfilled with self-important pencil-pushersare wonderful examples of this alignment.To lawful-neutral beings, rules exist fortheir own sake.

Chaotic neutral can be demonstrated by

one particular fictional character that is notnormally equated with gaming: DaffyDuck. In some of his films, Daffy is thehero; in others he plays the villain to BugsBunny�s good guy. And in all of his films heis completely unrestrained; he lets hisemotions and temper get the best of him,and he�s never too concerned over theconsequences of his actions. Your chaotic-neutral character need not act like Daffy(your DM wouldn�t appreciate your cack-ling and bouncing off the walls, I�m sure),but keep him in mind when you get stuckin an alignment dilemma.

To sum up, you can�t apply alignments toreal life. The AD&D system is far toosimplistic to adequately represent theintricacies of modern (and medieval) soci-eties. There are far too many differingviews on who and what is �good� or �bad�to make any absolute decisions about reallife. Talk to your DM about how he seesthe various alignments, work out somebroad outlines, and don�t let reality messup your enjoyment of the game.

1990 GEN CON® Game Fair errata:The insert in issue #156 incorrectly re-ported that the Gamemasters Guild ofWaukegan was one of the organizers forthe miniatures and board gaming events atthis year�s convention. The point of con-tact for this gaming area is Glenn Johnson,who may be reached by phone at: (708)356-5069.

LettersContinued from page 5

2. Mention was made of a BUCK ROGERS�computer game in �Buck is Back,� in issue #157.The GAMMA WORLD game has been discontin-ued and we have stopped running articles on itin this magazine, but just between us, I agreethat such a computer game would be veryentertaining. POLYHEDRON� Newszine willcover the GAMMA WORLD game.

3. Again, this is a neat idea, but we will haveto wait and see what comes up.

4. The chances are about nil for any hard-bound compilation of DRAGON Magazine mate-rial. However, we are still taking votes formaterial for a future �Best of� anthology (as perthe reply to a letter in issue #158). Write downthe articles and material you would most like tosee in such an anthology, and send your votesto: DRAGON Magazine Anthology, PO. Box 111,Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.

5. Waldorf claimed to have destroyed thelands of Greyhawk (see DRAGON issue #137,�Letters�), but this was fixed later on by anassortment of characters (see issue #149, �Let-ters�). Tharizdun was himself destroyed orimprisoned long before he or his followerscould destroy the world of Greyhawk (see WG4The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, now out of

print). Mika (of Rose Estes� GREYHAWK® novels)would never notice anything different regard-less of what either of these two did. You candisband all cohesion if you like, but I haven�t thefaintest idea of what you mean by that.

6. The reference to lawful-neutral dwarvenpaladins came from an editorial comment Iadded to a �Sage Advice� question in issue #118,page 69. Basically, a poorly explained rule in anextremely old set of rules for the D&D® game(Supplement 1, Greyhawk) produced someconfusion that allowed oddities like the above toappear The glitch was fixed in later rule books,but a few of the more unusual character typescontinued to see play in various campaigns.

�Come, then, if ye are so bold. See whatthe deeps of wildspace have to offer,� Elmin-ster said, and he smiled at me, almost sadly.�But mind: The Realms, now�they�re home,an� ye know enough to recognize troublewhen it raises blade or hand to smite ye. Yewill have no such comfort in space. Someplaces even the gods avoid!�

He gestured toward the Helm�dark, si-lent, and menacing. It waited patiently. �Sit,�he said simply, �and take thy vessel to thestars. Only remember this: When ye sail,there�s always one extra crew member atthy elbow.�

He paused. Silence stretched. I sighed andasked, as expected, �And who might thatbe?�

He smiled again. �Why, Death, of course.�

Adventures inthe SPELLJAMMER� campaign setting

by Ed Greenwood

Arcane space, the endless stellar cam-paign setting introduced to AD&D® gameplayers in the SPELLJAMMERTM boxed set,has unexplored corners aplenty�so many,in fact, that given the violent and danger-ous state of affairs that governs much ofknown wildspace, any adventurers whotried such wholesale exploration wouldundoubtedly spend their lives in such aneffort�both cheaply and soon!

Many hidden delights and dangers ofarcane space will no doubt come to light inthe years to come. Here is one known tomany who venture into the unknown, adestination that serves beleaguered space-farers as a way-base. Here, aid and sup-plies can be had, pleasures await, and

intrigue and menace also lurk. Here is thelegendary spacehaven of Refuge.

Refuge is the name of both a moon andthe base thereon, found in a small crystalsphere near Realmspace. Established andcontrolled by the Arcane, it is the largestoff-world base known to spacefaring hu-mans where the Arcane build, repair, andmodify ships (for the usual high prices).Safer and far more tightly controlled thanthe famous Rock of Bral, Refuge is used bymany prudent and good-aligned adventur-ers in space as a �vacation destination�

Refuge�s large sun has only one planet,its single moon Refuge, and a small outerplanetoid.

10 JULY 1990

Welcome The Guardian RingThe outermost planetoid is known as

Welcome to spacers; sighting it assuresthem that they�re in the right sphere forRefuge. Those who�ve visited before alsoknow that a strong defensive navy waitson Welcome (which has hidden, inner-cavern repair docks of its own), ready fortrouble. These spelljammer craft, of allknown designs (scorpion and turtle shipsare well represented, but the Arcane playno favorites among races and designs ofspacecraft) are crewed by humans andhalflings loyal to the Arcane of Refuge.

At least 50 ships are based on and inWelcome, many docked in covered cratersor tunnels. They serve to escort or towcrippled ships into Refuge, to quarantinesuspected �plague ships� (carriers of dis-ease) or �bomb ships� (sent regularly bythe neogi and the eye tyrants, who wouldlike to seize Refuge), and to break up anyrunning battles that come into the spherefrom the flow outside.

Refuge itself is protected by a ring of 24stone golems floating around the base.These guardians are a gnomish inventionknown as �space golems.� They can befound elsewhere in space, usually guard-ing planetoid bases or gnomish cities onworlds that gnomes share with threaten-ing neighbors.

Fitted with minor helms, each spacegolem has these statistics: AR 1; Saves as:stone; Weight: one ton; MC C. Its SR de-pends on the spelljammer aboard it (in thiscase, all are priests of at least 5th level,giving the golems SR 2). Each golem has 60hp (6 hull points) and carries only enoughair for very short voyages (e.g., to Wel-come and back) or for close-range battles.The slow power of each space golem hasbeen lost in its conversion to a ship (itaffected the operation of the helms andwas removed).

A dozen or so sarphardin are always tobe found around Welcome, enjoying theshow. Welcome has its own radiance,provided by the Glowmoss Gardenstended on its surface. The properties ofthis beneficial natural growth and theabilities of the sarphardin are described inthe SJR1 Lost Ships accessory.

BelowThe uninhabited world that Refuge

orbits provides visiting ships with freefresh water and air, but the Arcane recom-mend that visitors not land there to ex-plore or attempt their own repairsbecause the world (known as Below) isvery dangerous.

The reason that Below is dangerous isbecause the Arcane have a sophisticatedbase there that they don�t want anyone tofind. They regularly stock Below withnasty roaming monsters gleaned fromhundreds of worlds to discourage bothsnooping and settlement (DM�s note:Everything from cartoon characters tomodern soldiers can confront PCs onBelow, which is covered with dense tropi-cal jungles and shallow seas.)

The Arcane run expensive, carefullyguided monster hunts on Below as plea-sure outings for space-weary adventurers.These can serve as rest-and-recreation,experience building, and warm-up outings,but adventurers with �great hunter�dreams are warned that assassins andpirates view such outings as excellentopportunities to take target practice, elimi-nate rivals or targets they�ve been hired tokill, or pick up a few useful magic items orgood weapons by eliminating the owners.

The captain (in all cases, a 4th-levelwarrior) and the spelljammer work in achamber within the golem�s head. Theeyes of a space golem emit continual lightbeams when metal covers are slid backfrom two wands nested in stone nichesjust beneath the eyeballs. The eyes alsoserve as viewports for the crew.

A large cabin on the golem�s back con-tains four gunners (all 1st-level warriors)and two medium ballistas. The space go-lem can also ram (treat as a normal ramattack) and use its fists to punch or grab.The fists of the golem are controlled bythe captain and his second, operatinglevers set around them in seats located infront of the helm. Each fist may strikeonce per round (at THAC0 7 and strength22) at a ship or target in the same hexonly, doing 2-12 hp damage. Every 10 hpdamage equals 1 hull point (round frac-tions down) if directed against a ship.Attack rolls of 19 or 20 also mean acritical-hit result against the ship. A blowthat strikes a character does 2-12 hp dam-age. Items on or held by struck charactersshould save vs. crushing blow, and a suc-cessful strength check by the victim isrequired to avoid falling once struck.

A �grab� attempt by the golem can grap-ple a ship or shear off its superstructure(depending on what item the hands con-troller was grabbing at). A ship can begrappled for up to two rounds before thegolem�s hand slips free.

If a victim is grabbed, the grip does 3-24hp crushing damage, takes the characteroff his feet, and forces all items worn orcarried by the character to save vs. crush-ing blow at - 1. Grasped characters maywriggle free in two rounds. If held on theround after being grasped, a charactermay automatically strike the hand with aweapon but may not cast spells or per-form other intricate activities (such asdrinking potions, reading, picking locks,

getting items out of backpacks, and thelike). If the hand tries to grab anotherbeing, the original victim automaticallyescapes. If the hand strikes a blow atanother object while grasping a victim, thevictim receives 1d8 hp further damage.

Each golem�s hand is considered to have10 hp (1 hull point) for purposes of break-ing it to render further grabbing attemptsimpossible. The shoulder of a golem is alsoconsidered to have 10 hp or 1 hull pointfor the same purposes.

A golem can throw grasped beings orrocks, doing 2-20 hp (or 1-2 hull point) dam-age to things struck by such missiles. Themissile itself suffers double that damage!

The golems are usually crewed by hiredhuman spacers. Each command cabincontains the captain, the on-duty spell-jammer, and an off-duty spelljammer whohas full spells. The spelljammers are allpriests of not less than 5th level, so thatthey can heal their fellow crewmembers.

The Arcane, who don�t miss a trick, havetaken care to establish temples to all ofthese priests� gods in Refuge, to give spac-ers a place to worship (a 5% tithe of allofferings goes to the Arcane) and to per-mit the priests to gain spells in answer totheir prayers.

The Salvage RingThe Arcane buy fragments of old space-

ship hulks (no questions asked) for scrap-reuse, salvage, and spare-parts purposes.These are tethered together in a huge ringorbiting Below, inside (�below�) the orbitof Refuge. Any ship limping into Refugeminus its turret, mast, anchor, or the likecan find a replacement�for a price.

Pirates, scavvers, and other spacefaringmonsters have been known to lurk amidthe grinding, ever-changing chaos of theSalvage Ring, but the Arcane use hiredGiff patrols to prevent all attempts to stealfrom the ring or permanently settle in it.

Arcane tradeOn Refuge, the Arcane sell a wide vari-

ety of helms, weapons, and so on. Forthose who can afford it (the term �Arcanerobbery� is used in arcane space in thesame way we speak of �highway rob-bery�), just about anything is available onRefuge�in every size and in matched sets.

Special orders appear mysteriously onRefuge by means of Arcane subterfuge.Their most common trick is to release abarge from a planetoid known only to the Arcane, on the outer edges of the crystalsphere, on a course that will bring it be-hind Below. The needed materials areshuttled up to the barge from Below�s baseby one of the spacecraft that the Arcanekeep hidden there. The barge then pro-ceeds grandly on to Refuge, appearing�out of nowhere� and enhancing the repu-

DRAGON 11

tation of the Arcane for mystery andpower. Such barges are often towed bysarphardin.

Link-hopsVarious small flitters run regularly be-

tween Below, the Salvage Ring, and vari-ous points of interest on Refuge, includingthe banks, safe-storage area, dry docks,hospitals, casino, and taverns. Flitters aretypically ships in the worst possible condi-tion (to discourage theft) and are alwaysunarmed. Their crews, however, are al-ways heavily armed with rare magicalitems (sets of iron bands of Bilarro anddarts of paralyzation are favorites) as wellas conventional weaponry, and are trainedand positioned so as to protect the helmand spelljammer from attacks.

Refuge�the surfaceRefuge�s surface appears to be a huge,

well-tended garden, studded with luxuri-ous homes (rental villas for spacefarers)and occasional larger structures�thebanks, the Great Vault (a safe-storagefortress), several large hotels, two drydocks, some hospitals (perhaps the mostadvanced medical treatment centers foundin known space), an elegant if sometimesdeadly high-stakes casino, and severaltaverns. These larger features are widelyseparated for safety�s sake, in the event ofan attack from space. Refuge is not unde-fended, of course. Here and there amidthe plush gardens, heavy catapult andheavy ballista turrets rise on stony towers,their ammunition stored in caverns be-neath them.

Refuge has very seldom been attacked,however. The Arcane are said to defend itwith a secret weapon�some sort of planarvortex that sucks ships into a whirlingmaelstrom in space, from which theynever emerge! (It is not known whethersuch a weapon is in place on Refuge orwhether this is merely a clever rumorstarted by the Arcane; few seem eager tofind out.)

Refuge�withinThe interior of Refuge is honeycombed

with many secret tunnels. These lead toalcoves and chambers crammed withoxygen-producing plants, prison cells,helm and locator storage vaults, etc. Themoon�s atmosphere is artificially renewedon a constant basis by several hiddencrowns of the void (detailed in SJR1 LostShips), as well as by the plants, trees, andmosses on the surface and in the tunnels.

A common (and true) legend amongvisitors to Refuge holds that there is asecret way or three into every building,and that it is possible to travel betweenany two places on Refuge without everemerging on the surface�if one knowshow. The Arcane do not encourage beings

12 JULY 1990

of other races to roam the darkened,muffled tunnels, but almost everyone whovisits Refuge takes at least one curiouslook into the dark ways below, often whilevisiting one of Refuge�s taverns (such asthe rowdy Horn Sharr). Those who havedone so often report that strange crea-tures and even weirder animated metalautomata move through the tunnels fromtime to time. Powerful wizards are oftenseen enjoying a quiet pipe by the light ofsome dancing lights as they stroll homethrough the dark�and no one bothersthem. Beings of lesser power, however,avoid using the tunnels except in despera-tion or in large groups; most regulars ofRefuge use one or two short, known un-derground routes and ignore other oppor-tunities to go below. The oldestinhabitants of Refuge sometimes whisperabout the Watcher Below�a gigantic be-holder that drifts silently along the light-less ways, killing and eating thosecreatures it catches, and taking any valu-ables they carried�including magicalitems, which it uses against opponents.

These tales are true and yet not true.For example, the Watcher Below exists,but it is an undead beholder controlled bythe Arcane, used to capture, slay, or robspecific creatures. It uses no magic exceptthat of its surviving eyestalks, but it al-ways cleans up after itself by taking bodiesand gear away to hidden caverns using itsmouth. The items are retained by theArcane; if they don�t see a use for an in-tact body, it finds its way onto the fertil-izer shuttle to Below�or onto the plates ofdaring eaters who sample special menus inthe casino.

Business on RefugeBanks: The banks on Refuge guarantee

return of all monies. If they are robbed(and no one can remember a successfulhold-up or theft from a bank on Refuge),all deposits are covered. They also give outinformation on accounts to nobody exceptheirs in the event of the proven death of adepositor. Several currencies are in use,gold pieces being the standard for smallamounts, and gems or smoke-powdercharges seeing common use for largeramounts. The Arcane are equipped tohandle all currencies except slaves, andthey often take ships or ship equipment�in trade� for discounted values.

Admittance to an account is by presenta-tion of a secret symbol drawn by theaccount holder in his own blood, matchedagainst a specimen left in the banks keep-ing. A pass phrase must be used simultane-ously, and this admits the account holderto a heavily armored chamber. Inside areseveral guardian golems whose weaponsand powers are well displayed (includingglowing rods that have no function at allexcept to give would-be robbers a fear of

some unknown, vastly powerful weapon)and an expressionless Arcane banker,whose considerable weapons and powers(as chosen by the DM) are hidden untilneeded.

The Great Vault: One bank administersthe safe-storage area: a series of securecaverns in which depositors can leavetheir magically imprisoned friends, foes,monsters, or artifacts for rainy-day use orto meet a future debt. It is rumored thatthis vault contains magical items of awe-some power, but that the Arcane contriveto lose spheres of annihilation and theorbs of world-rending developed by madillithids (a weapon whose making is nowthankfully a lost process).

Dry docks: The dry docks on Refuge arevast. Each can handle 30 ships at a timeand is always full, except for the twoemergency bays the Arcane keep open toaccommodate those clients who barelymanage to limp (or crash) into Refuge.

There is no better repair facility in all ofspace, when it comes to repairing a widevariety of ships and replacing key compo-nents (such as helms, weapons, and armorplating) in a short time. The rates are verysteep, but the work is very good. Shipcaptains who nurse aging galleons andvenerable ships of even older designsaround the spaceways often take theirvessels to no other mechanics. This is thereason for Refuge�s constant dock waitinglist. �It�s worth the sail to Refuge,� as thesaying goes.

Hospitals: Refuge�s hospitals are alsovery good. High-level clerics of Ptah andseveral gods of healing, succor, and mercyare in constant attendance on the sick.Notable among Refuge hospital staff areexpertise in the recognition and treatmentof all manner of poisons (bolstered by thepresence of a heavily guarded, lush, andsprawling antidote garden), and represen-tation on staff of all major spacefaringraces, so that conditions and symptomspeculiar to a race can be swiftly diagnosedand treated.

Mercenaries and more: There are Giffmercenaries for hire on Refuge (and onecan buy the smoke powder to hire themhere, too). It is true, as they say, that �youcan get anything you can afford� on Ref-uge, but the Arcane are interested inkeeping everyday conditions on Refugeitself and in its crystal sphere very muchas they are now. An adventurer wishing topurchase several thousand warships andthe ammunition, crews, and weaponry togo with them would encounter delays,quality control problems with the weap-ons, all sorts of beings who�d like to parthim from the money with which he�ll payfor all of this, and so on.

Trouble on RefugeAll is not well on Refuge (of course).

Dopplegangers, mimics, and mind flayershave begun to infiltrate the populace, andthere have been several nasty little strug-gles between various rival groups amongthem and the Arcane. Smuggling cabalsand military brotherhoods have alsothought it a good tactic to take a hand ortwo in how things are run on Refuge, andare joined by individual thieves, fences,and mercenaries.

Visitors to Refuge may be recruited byone or more of the rival factions in thisongoing covert power struggle. Moreoften, visitors are manipulated to serve asunwitting tools in this or that plan. Thisoften involves the PCs attacking an �en-emy� who thinks them to be in the hire ofa rival, and whose forces may be killed orweakened in the battle�while the �ene-my�s� property is stolen or vandalized bythe manipulators. If this sounds compli-cated, be warned: This sort of intrigue isthe order of the day on Refuge!

The lawJustice on Refuge is administered by the

Arcane, who have a loose, unwritten, butwidely understood code of behaviorroughly equivalent to that of most toler-ant, merchant-dominated medieval cities(such as Waterdeep in the FORGOTTENREALMS� campaign). The Arcane serve ason-the-spot, no-delay judges, and theycustomarily consider appeals only uponoffers of astronomical bribes.

Most punishments involve confiscationsof goods and fines. The Arcane willinglydeal in mortgages and other forms ofcredit, because survival as spacefaringbeings for debtors often depends on Ar-cane supplies, giving the Arcane a goodchance of collecting what is owed.

The Arcane have no regular police onRefuge, only a sort of �dogcatcher� teamof Arcane that arrives to charm, hold,drug, bind, or cage unruly beings of anyrace, then cart them off to a �coolinghouse� to simmer down, receive medicaltreatment, or be quietly interrogated andterminated. This force is used only as alast resort, after hirelings have failed tokeep the peace. Its composition and weap-onry are left to the DM. Beings who reallyanger the Arcane can expect to be strip-ped of all belongings and �accidentally�introduced into the clutches of illithid orneogi slavers, far from their homeworldsor allies.

The Arcane themselves keep a low pro-file, except for a few ambassadors whocan always be reached for quiet negotia-tions, such as Nuath (usually to be foundat the third table on the right at the aptlynamed The Low Dive tavern), and Maalu-bryn (who frequents the benches, pools,and bowers of The Sly Wink Dining andWining Gardens for Friendly Folk). There�smore money to be made in allowing the

other spacefaring races to continuallyfight and scheme among themselves.

The Arcane keep law and order, how-ever, in a curious manner. Temporarilyhired hit teams of adventurers are oftenassigned to guard visitors, control crowdsat entertainments, assassinate or guardindividuals, break up disturbances andgatherings, foil expeditions into the under-tunnels, and so on. Adventurers who visitRefuge may be called upon by a short,impeccably polite human or two; theseurbane types represent the Arcane in lessimportant negotiations of all sorts. Theseinclude the roly-poly, mustachioed manknown only as Harmond and an urbane,witty, calculating lady (whose hair is al-ways swept into fantastic arrangementsinvolving filigreed crowns and gem-dangling tiaras) known as Vrentyna of theHundred Keys (to mens� rooms, tavernregulars say, not joking). For 1,000 gp aday, a little job like breaking up a tavernbrawl that�s expected to erupt in the nextthree days may seem attractive indeed.

But taking on such commissions, ofcourse, will win PCs the undying enmityof those who are behind the troubles.Such troublemakers tend to be agents ofthe neogi, beholder, or illithid races, aswell as a few dangerous humans whothink themselves fit to rule all of wild-space. The DM can spin many continuingadventures out of such alliances and ha-treds, to bear out the rueful spacer sayingthat �There�s no safe place like Refuge.�

Regulars of RefugeThe DM is encouraged to develop a

small cast of enigmatic regular NPCs topeople Refuge. A few suggested charactersare given here, though their true naturesand powers are left to the DM to foil thoseplayers who Read All And Know TooMuch.

Halass �The Nimble�: This cynical,smooth-tongued little man is often seen inthe taverns of Refuge, his hands toyingwith the curves of a flagon. The level ofthe liquid within never seems to go downmuch, and Halass never seems to do muchor go anywhere much�save perhaps on astroll through the park paths to the nexttavern. Yet he seems to know where any-thing or anyone can be found on Refuge�for a price.

Questioners who reveal too much toHalass may find out the hard way that hegot to a particular place or thing beforethey did, and removed something (orseveral things) that they were after.Whether he is himself a master thief ormerely has very good connections remainsunknown. It is certain that three neogiusing magical disguises once assaulted himin a tavern on Refuge�and wound upvery dead, without even managing to spillthe little man�s drink.

Strantor �One-Eye�: This 7�-tall, battered-

looking, laconic man sports an eyepatchand some well-used blades at all times. Hecan be seen in taverns and festive houseson Refuge, watchfully guarding this orthat temporary employer. Strantor is saidto be one of the best bodyguards any-where, with several magical tricks hiddenabout his person, including somethingmysterious and terrible under hiseyepatch. He is quite callous and readilycuts his losses and leaves if a client getskilled or is taken by strong forces. But henever switches employers in the middle ofa job nor takes bribes. One must havesome rules, after all, even on Refuge.

Asreena Chalorna: An agile dancer ofhaunting beauty, Asreena came to Refugesome years ago in the hold of a pirate shipwhose crew had almost entirely suc-cumbed to some strange malady. Thecaptain and his last hands soon perished inthe taverns of Refuge, presumably fromthe same sickness (cynical observerstermed it �a surfeit of poison�), andAsreena claimed the ship and its cargo asher own. Selling it off to a desperatebuyer, Asreena became instantly wealthy.

Over the years since, a series of shrewddeals, fast courtships, and timely maladiesamong her husbands have made Asreenavery wealthy indeed. She still enjoys court-ing and marrying visitors to Refuge,however�and has managed to avoid beingkilled by the few who escaped herclutches yet left most of the contents oftheir purses and coffers behind.

Shaundan Thyritar, �The Mad One�: Thistall, gaunt, heavily muscled adventurerwas once a bold and proud pirate captainbut is now a mere shadow of his formerself. He met up with some strange beast inthe starry deeps and did not escape withhis sanity intact.

�The Mad One� spends much of his timedrinking alone in the taverns of Refuge,watching those around him suspiciouslyand loudly whispering, �I know the secretof the Arcane!� If he ever did know thissecret, Shaundan�s crazed mind cannotrecall it now, even with magical scrying,curing, or other aid.

Shaundan whiles away his time in hisown little world, occasionally emergingwith glee and gusto to participate in atavern brawl, attacking indiscriminatelybut with deadly intent. He also offer him-self to aid causes or needy PCs that heoverhears, and accepts hire-money as abodyguard, adventurer, or even cargo-loader (all of which bring him coinsneeded for his tavern visits). Occasionallylucid and even noble and heroic, he isunreliable and erratic�but PCs may findhis helping hand when they least expect it,in the taverns, tunnels, and dark depths ofRefuge.

Belndorn �The Battleaxe�: This hearty,hardened space veteran carries the scarsof a hundred space-combats and can

DRAGON 13

gruffly tell you all about every one ofthem, too. A dwarf of considerable battleskill, Belndorn is never without at leasttwo throwing-axes (even when surprisedin bed!) and a lit, stinking cigar. He wearsan incongruous mixture of clothing fromseveral worlds, with odd pieces of armorunderneath (bolstered by magical bracers),and disgusts the delicate of stomach by hishabit of chewing his cigars from one endwhile smoking them from the other.

Belndorn is willing to pitch into a tavernbrawl for the fun of it all. For a price (or ifa beautiful human, elven, or dwarvenfemale catches his eye), he�ll even accom-pany PCs on an adventure or an outing ortwo on Refuge, but he�ll never stop emit-ting gruff and salty advice from onebreath to the next. He regards all elvenmales as spineless, silly dandies, and mosthuman male spacers as pitiful idiots�andhe tells them all so. His continued survivalis a testament to his speed, skill, and hid-den magical items that he�s picked up overthe years. Like many spacegoing dwarves,Belndorn seems to have less trouble work-ing with magic than the dwarves ofKrynn, Oerth, and Toril.

Helm-ho, the Faceless Void: This mysteri-ous being can often be found in tavernback rooms and private parties of Refuge,and he takes particular delight in sitting

quietly in darkened bedchambers until theoccupants of said rooms are up to some-thing interesting (particularly plottingadventuring deeds that skirt laws closely,or involve secrecy)�whereupon Helm-homakes it clear that they�re not alone.

When attacked, Helm-ho always laughsand does nothing. He (or it�the voice isdeep and masculine, but that may notmean anything) appears as a man-size suitof full plate armor with an open-frontedhelm. There is nothing in the helm; itseems to be worn by something eyelessand invisible. If Helm-ho is attacked, thesuit of armor simply�and abruptly�fallsapart with a clatter, revealing nothing tobe within.

There will be no further trace of Helm-ho for at least 2-12 rounds, even if thearmor is locked in a chest, scattered, ordestroyed. Then Helm-ho will reappear,with new armor if necessary, and greet hisdestroyers with the same deep, jovial voiceas before.

The true nature of this being remains amystery. Several adventurers have man-aged to assemble half a dozen useful suitsof armor on a visit to Refuge by judi-ciously destroying Helm-ho at the righttimes. The greedy are warned that theArcane seem angered by attacks on Helm-ho (who may serve them as a spy of sorts),and they often send hired hit teams to dealwith those who attack the walking, talkingsuit of armor.

Rescue is at handEvery so often, the local adherents of

the Pragmatic Order of Thought (a mili-tary brotherhood described in the SPELL-JAMMER boxed set) launch a raid againstwhat they see as lawless or shady ele-ments on Refuge. The Arcane find thePOTS forces useful as a �wild card� thatbreaks up the budding plans of the variouscabals and factions that wish to seizecontrol of Refuge. The Arcane thereforelet this brotherhood operate freely.

PCs who wind up imprisoned or en-slaved may be rescued by a POTS raid.The DM should stage a raid for local colorand entertainment soon after the PCs firstarrive on Refuge, then save the POTSforces for later PC aid. In this case, POTSmembers will attack whoever the PCs�captors. are, in a noisy, breakneck, danger-ous assault. At least one rescuer will holda flaming torch high, to let everyone knowwho�s responsible. Injured PCs could wellwind up in a hostel or safehouse run by amember of POT, listening to a lot of plansand appeals for temporary PC aid in as-saulting this prison or that slaver.

The DM should use this helping handonly if the PCs are unable to free them-selves. It should never occur so often thatPCs begin to rely upon it was a backup.Remember the Sembian saying: �Adventur-ers dig their own graves.�

14 JULY 1990

Personal itemsAtmosphere cloak: Also known as a

cloak of air pockets, this appears to be anaverage cloak and hood. When wornoutside any planetary atmospheres, thecloak magically doubles the size of thewearer�s air envelope, which greatly in-creases a character�s survival time awayfrom a ship or planetoid. A human-size airenvelope increases to hold enough freshair for 4-40 turns.

When the cloak is worn in the presenceof fouled or stale air, the cloak generatesfresh air around its wearer three timesdaily. This envelope exists only within thehood of the cloak, which must be pulledaround the wearer�s head to be of use.This pocket of fresh air stays in effect for2-20 turns, after which there is a 1-4 hourdelay before it can generate another freshair pocket. Note that this does not conferimmunity to poisonous gases; the cloaksimply adds fresh air within the confinesof the hood but does not remove anypoisons from the air. However, the wearerdoes gain a + 1 to his saves vs. poisonousgases and vapors either in wildspace orwithin planetary atmospheres. (Cost: 9,000gp; XP value: 1,000)

Boots of star striding: These bootsare similar to all magical boots, shrinkingor expanding to fit any S-M size creature.However, their usefulness is limited tospace adventurers. These boots allow awearer to walk along a gravity plane with-out drifting away from the ship. The bootsallow movement across any gravity planes,though movement is half normal due tothe lack of a solid surface.

A character falling or jumping from aship toward a gravity plane will come torest on the plane with no oscillationthrough the plane. Any character fallingprone on the plane will remain there;when the character orients himself as towhich end is up and changes his position,the boots interact with the gravity planeand the wearer �bobs� up to the surface ofthe gravity plane until he stands on it.

The boots allow for running and jump-ing to other gravity planes at the wearer�sregular movement rate. Due to the flexibil-ity of the gravity planes, the boots give thewearer a Jumping proficiency when usedto leap onto other gravity planes (see page61 of the 2nd Edition Players Handbook).The wearer can also use the Jumpingproficiency when jumping from the grav-ity plane to the ship with no damage orpenalties. (Cost: 20,000 gp; XP value: 3,000)

Orbus ring: This rare ring appears tobe carved from ivory with strands ofplatinum twining around the band. Nomagical effects are noted by the wearer ofsuch a ring unless he sits in a spelljamminghelm. The ring, utilizing the remains of anorbus and some of its residual magic,increases a ship�s SR by one rank. Thus, a

16 JULY 1990

7th-level transmuter seated at a minorhelm would move the ship at SR 2; with anorbus ring, the ship moves with SR 3.

These rings are highly prized by spell-jamming mages and have been touted as agreat increase in spelljamming technology.Actually, the secret of making orbus ringswas lost for nearly a century until a hid-den cache was discovered on the Rock ofBral. The original rings varied in intensity,some even granting an SR bonus of + 3!Gamalon Idogyr, an expert on magicalitems and spelljamming magics, is cur-rently the only known distributor of thenew orbus rings. The methods of theircreation remain a closely guarded secret(Cost: 18,000 gp; XP value: 2,000

Ship ItemsCabinet of air restoration: With the

recent flood of groundling adventurersmoving into space, the Arcane have intro-duced a new item needed on many heavilyladen ships: an air supply device. Many ofthese are being included with helms tonew buyers (instead of offering helmswith portal locators), but they are also soldto older customers at the given price.

The cabinet of air restoration works onthe same principle as a furnace helm, bydrawing magic from magical items. Thesmall cabinet stands 2� tall by 1� wide; twosmall doors in its front open to reveal ahollow area 10� square in size. The frontand sides of the cabinet are of dark hard-wood, but the base and repository withinthe cabinet seem to be made of crystal�the same crystal found in many minorhelms. When an item is placed inside thecabinet, the crystal glows a deep green,brightening when it is producing fresh air.When a charged magical item is placedwithin the cabinet, 1-3 charges are imme-diately drained away prior to any use.With each subsequent use, the cabinet ofair restoration drains one charge from amagical item and generates 50 cubic yardsof fresh air, enough to support up 12people for one week before the air be-comes foul; one command word activatesthis function.

A second command word activates thefull potential of the cabinet of air restora-tion, allowing it to regenerate the entireair envelope of the ship. When com-manded, the cabinet drains 1-8 charges forevery 10 tons of the ship and restores theatmosphere by one rank. For example, torestore the atmosphere of a hammershipfrom fouled to fresh air, the cabinet woulddrain 6d8 charges from the item. Theatmosphere is now completely fresh andwill support a crew of 60 for four to eightmonths with its regenerated atmosphere.(Cost: 6,000 gp)

Cloaking helm: Developed by a teamof Arcane and wizards of no small mea-sure, the cloaking helm has once againexpanded the levels of spelljamming tech-

nology. Developed ostensibly for the Seek-ers to aid them in their surreptitious infor-mation gathering, the cloaking helm cameinto high demand with militaristic move-ments across the stars. As word leaked outof these new helms, assassins appearedvirtually overnight, slaying many of thewizards involved in their creation. Thosefew who survived are scattered about thestars, reclusive as many wizards are. Thecloaking helms are sold through the Ar-cane now, but they are making space atreacherous place to travel.

The cloaking helm allows the spelljam-ming mage to divert power from movingthe ship to wrapping an illusion of emptyspace about the ship. This prevents theship from being seen from afar. The cloakdoesn�t inhibit the spelljamming magefrom seeing the surroundings of the ship,although those on deck can see only 300�in any direction.

The only way to detect a cloaked ship,without ESP, detection, or scrying spells, isby noticing a refractive effect the cloakedship has on bright light. If a cloaked shippasses closer than 1,000 yards to anothership, the space covered by the cloak ap-pears blurry, and light coming from be-hind and through the cloaked shipchanges colors, creating a slight rainboweffect around the edges of the cloakedship. This is hard to see at a distance of1,000 yards, but it can be spotted by look-outs expecting trouble (give a base 10%chance to spot a cloak, and modify accord-ing to situations).

The cloak can be maintained for a maxi-mum of three turns a day and can be

active only when the ship is below spell-jamming speed. Standard invisibility rulesapply; if the cloaked ship attacks by usingramming or missiles, any contact with theillusion causes it to dissipate. Thus, acloaked ship cannot attack while cloaked(though it gains a + 4 on surprise rolls ifentering the battle cloaked, dispelling theillusion with a ram to an enemy!). (Cost:350,000 gp)

Everfull cask: These casks appear tobe the same as any water containersfound aboard ship. Each contains a specialenchantment that causes the cask to fillwith five gallons of fresh spring wateronce a day. If the cask is damaged or itscover is lost, no water is created. Thecasks fill themselves and do not operateusing command words.

Created by a clerical order of Eldath,everfull casks fulfill a multitude of pur-poses within Realmspace. Ships with thecasks need never worry about short watersupplies or foul water during long voy-ages. Planetary colonies with water short-ages are aided by reliable sources ofwater. And the Eldathian priests whocreate these wonderful items raise moneythrough the sale of the everfull casks tofinance temples to Eldath throughout

civilized space. This money also bringsmore of Eldath�s clerics into space, thusleading to a spreading of her religion. It iswidely proclaimed by her priests thatEldath�s word will flow across the stars,and the goddess of singing waters will befound everywhere in her water and wor-ship. As of yet, Eldath�s worship is stilllimited to Realmspace, but her followers

are growing steadily, and her priests�words may yet be proven true.

Note: These casks will not work effi-ciently if the ship carrying them leavesRealmspace. Each cask then produces onlyfive gallons of water per week when out-side the crystal sphere of the Realms,because of the limited influence of Eldathbeyond Realmspace. (Cost: 3,600 gp)

Figurehead of wondrous power:This sort of carved statue, usually a simpledecoration on the prow of any seafaringship, has been magically endowed with avariety of powers to benefit a spelljam-ming ship. The magic resides in the carv-ing process and the wood itself. Fewmages know woodcraft well enough tomake them alone, and even fewer wood-carvers know the magecraft to powerthese impressive items.

Each of the three known types of figure-heads is carved from a different wood andbears a different gem. It taps into thespelljamming energies of a ship, allowingits powers to become activated. The fig-urehead operates only under the com-mand of a spelljamming mage of 10th levelor greater, and the ship must have a majorhelm for the item to fully function.

The figurehead of attacks is carved fromash wood and has a ruby embedded in itsbrow. When used with a major helm, thefigurehead of attacks allows the spelljam-ming mage mobility while seated on thehelm. Usually a spelljamming mage�senses� the ship around him, but this itemallows the mage to propel the ship andsimultaneously focus his senses throughthe figurehead, as if his spirit inhabited itsbody. The figurehead is also animated bythe mage, and as long as the mage main-tains his concentration, the figureheadremains mobile. (Many owners of this itemsimply place it on deck to fully use itspowers.) The figurehead of attacks evenallows the mage to engage in combat whilethe mage is on the helm. The figureheadattacks as a warrior with a level equal tothe ship�s rating. Its hardwood fists eachdo 1-4 hp bludgeoning damage. If themage�s concentration is broken by a criti-cal hit on the ship, difficult maneuvering,acceleration to spelljamming speed, etc.,the figurehead becomes motionless and nolonger under the mage�s control. Thefigurehead of attacks can be animated forup to 20 consecutive rounds once perweek. (Cost: 54,000 gp; XP value: 5,000 xp)

The figurehead of disguise is carvedfrom cherry wood and has a large blackonyx set in its forehead. Whereas theother figureheads of wondrous power areusually human in form, this figurehead isusually carved to resemble a couatl, its tailstretching beneath the prow and its wingsembracing the sides of the ship. When thespelljamming mage activates this item�spower, the ship�s image wavers for around until the illusion is set. Each figure-

Artwork by Roger Raupp

head of this type is keyed for a differentbut flawless illusion that alters the ship�sappearance. The figurehead can erect anillusion of additional armaments, mannedand ready; it can project illusory top sailsor armor plating, making the ship appearto be impregnable. The figurehead createsonly one specific illusion that lasts untilcontact with the illusion dispels it. Manypirates would hesitate to attack a shiploaded to the gills with bombards andcrack crews manning the ropes! The illu-sions are not effective in battle, and theylast only until dispelled or until the mageloses concentration on the illusion. Theseillusions can be summoned no more thanonce per day. (Cost: 27,000 gp)

As its name suggests, the figurehead ofspeed boosts the ship�s rating. Carvedfrom beech and granted emerald eyes, thisfigurehead adds two effective levels to thespelljamming mage for determining theship�s rating. Thus, a 12th-level mageseated on a major helm and utilizing afigurehead of speed acts as a 14th-levelmage, effectively moving the ship at SR 7instead of the normal SR 6.

This figurehead is active only at tacticalspeeds. However, this additional speedmakes it more difficult to maneuver; theship loses one maneuverability rank due toincreased speed and abnormal control ofthe ship. The speed does not affect truetravel times, since it doesn�t operate atspelljamming speed. The figurehead ofspeed can be used for a cumulative dura-tion of one hour per week; after one hourof enhanced speed in one week, the fig-urehead remains inoperable for 1-4 days,recharging its magics. (Cost: 36,000. gp)

�Griffon�s claw� grappling hook:This elaborately carved grappling hookresembles a giant raptor�s claw. When acommand word is spoken, the hook Levi-tates up and flies toward its target(pointed out by the controlling character)up to ZOO� away. The claw has a THAC0 of12 and digs into the wood of their targetship. The claw cannot be removed fromthe wood, but the wood may be cut andthe claw will remain in it. Only a secondcommand word from the controlling char-acter releases the claw�s grip. (Cost: 450 gpper set of two; XP value: 50)

Mage Shot: Mage shot is a generic termused for a number of magical weaponsfound in Realmspace. The term refers toceramic catapult shot, either enchanted orfilled with some potions. All mage shot isweighted for a light catapult, and only oneshot can be fired at a time.

Mage shot can be filled with any potionthat has external effects, such as oil ofimpact or oil of fiery burning. Some mageshot contents are new and do not conformto any of the known magical oils. A few ofthe more common missiles are describedas follows. The cost of mage shot dependsupon the potion it holds.

D R A G O N 1 7

The light ceramic of the mage shot isquite strong and will not shatter while instorage or while rolling loose on deck.Only high-speed impact with its targetcauses the shot to break open, releasing itsmagical contents. Note that giants, withtheir missile-throwing abilities, are strongenough to use mage shot effectively.

Shatter shot is a variant of mage shotfilled with a mixture that causes an explo-sion upon impact. The fluid expands rap-idly when it comes into contact with air,and it essentially blows the stone apartwhen it hits. Persons within 30� of theimpact area take 1d12 hp damage fromshrapnel. If a shatter shot hits a ship�s hull,it causes 1d2 hull points damage. (Cost:750 gp per shot; XP value: 80)

Skunk shut is a catapult stone filled witha liquid that evaporates quickly in openair; the thick green fluid combines withthe air in a ship�s atmospheric envelopeand generates a greenish, billowing fog.The fog expands to a 20�-radius cloudcentered on the point of impact, duplicat-ing the effects of a stinking cloud on crew-members within its confines, and obscuresnormal vision within the cloud. This mal-odorous fog dissipates in 2-8 rounds, butits stench lingers for an additional 2-12rounds. If the optional morale rules areused, the effects of skunk shot weakensthe morale and fighting spirit of the crewby - 2. In addition, the cloud mingles withthe atmospheric envelope of the ship,reducing the fresh air in the atmosphereby one weeks worth and may possiblycausing premature fouling of the atmos-phere. Skunk shot will not deplete thequality of air in an atmosphere envelope ifthe envelope is already fouled. (Cost: 450gp; XP value: 50)

Termite shot is a magical catapult stonethat releases a brown, molasseslike syrupupon impact. The syrup immediatelybubbles and spreads out over a 5-10� diam-eter area, eating away at the wood of thetarget ship. This substance dissolves andweakens the wood, with each successfulhit causing 1d4 hull points damage perround for 1d3 rounds. No known sub-stance will stop this effect, but dispelmagic halts its progress after one round. Itis rumored that mages are working on avariant of termite shot that is equallyeffective on the rock and ceramic ships ofthe illithids and the neogi. The researchprocess goes slowly, as the blood of purpleworms and umber hulks cannot be com-monly found without great risk. (Cost: 630gp; XP value: 70)

Oil of fire stilling: This magical oil ispurchased in five-gallon casks, and eachcask holds enough oil to treat a galleon�smain deck and masts. When applied towooden planks, the oil�s magic permeatesthe wood, giving it flame resistance.Freshly treated wood gains a + 2 versusfire for 5-50 days. If the wood comes in

18 JULY 1990

contact with flame, it contains the flame,not allowing it to spread. However, the oildries out the wood, reducing its effective-ness to 4-40 days on subsequent applica-tions. This oil has become quite popularwith ships that sail the Flow, lessening thedangers of critically damaging a ship whilesailing the flammable sea of space, (Cost:1,800 gp per five-gallon cask)

Unique devicesBlackjammer�s cutlass: Revered by

pirates and freebooters throughout wild-space, Blackjammer�s cutlass is notoriousas the ultimate freebooter�s weapon. Thepossessor of this weapon is usually held tobe a great captain as well as a fierce war-rior. If this cutlass is wielded in battle, themorale of the associated pirate crew gainsa +3 bonus.

This weapon is a heavy cutlass of an-cient design, with an elaborate hilt depict-ing a sailor being keelhauled. The blade isremarkably light compared to other cut-lasses, but the standard damage applies(1d6/1d8). The blade does not resemblemetal except for the hilt, its cutting edgebeing a nonreflective black substanceresembling onyx.

The cutlass�s power resembles that of adefender sword, but it allows for nochoice of defense and offense bonuses.The sword grants a +2 to armor class anda + 2 to hit and damage. In addition, thecutlass is intelligent and can speak Com-mon and Elvish. Its knowledge of naviga-tion and seamanship is exemplary andmay account for the exceptional leader-ship abilities shown by its possessors. Thecutlass can also conjure darkness 15�radius three times daily; its wielder is ableto see through this magical darkness.

The swords personality is quite strong,and accounts tell of the cutlass singingbawdy sea chanties and telling ribald jokesthat make even a sailor blush. It reinforcespiratical activity in its wielders, willingthem to attack shipping for plunder or formere entertainment. Over time, a personwho has wielded the cutlass will talk likethe sword itself, constantly mutteringobscenities and repeatedly saying �Arg!� tohimself.

Blackjammer�s cutlass is reputed to havebeen forged in an old space colony withinthe Tears of Selune. It was not long beforemany shuddered in fear of the pirateBlackjammer. This pirate, named more forhis weapon and its powers, raided earlyspace outposts until his death 95 yearspast. Since parting from its initial owner,Blackjammer�s cutlass has seen its share ofbattle. Most recently wielded by oneElsun, captain of the pirate ship DragonClaw, the cutlass has been missing sinceElsun�s death at the hands of the ElvenImperial Navy. Attacking a merchant cara-van enroute to Krynnspace, Elsun and thecutlass were repulsed by an attendant

Man-o�-War and Elsun was killed. Thecutlass fell overboard in the melee and isassumed to be adrift in the Flow betweenOerth and Krynn. (XP value: 3,000)

Gauntlet of Tamus: This heavy steelgauntlet�s origin is unknown, despite anynumber of people who claim to know the�truth of such matters.� This device, madeof light chain mail and sheathed withmetal plate, has become a much-prizedtool for the giff�an item so great in powerand danger combined that it would suit noother race. The gauntlet of Tamus re-ceived its name in an isolated skirmishduring the Unhuman Wars. A giff merce-nary found the gauntlet within a cave onan asteroid in the Calotian system. Wear-ing it into battle against some very sur-prised elves, this giff found the gauntlet�spower of generating explosions of tremen-dous force much to his liking. Though hesoon succumbed to excessive damage inbattle (mostly caused by the gauntlet),Tamus secured a place for himself in gifffolklore.

As any giff will tell you, the gauntlet�scorrect name is The Mighty Gauntlet ofColonel Tamus Ewdun, Field Commanderand Sub-Admiral of the Fleet. The gauntletcan create an explosion three times perday, not unlike a fireball but withoutflames, that does 5-40 hp damage to anyopponent within 5� of it. The blast is cen-tered on the gauntlet, subjecting thewearer to half damage. Nonetheless, thisfits the bill for the perfect giff weapon: Itlooks impressive with one�s uniform, itdoes tremendous amounts of damage, andthe explosions are fantastic displays ofthunder and fury. It matters not at all thatthe wearer is subject to damage as well;any true giff would smile in the heart ofsuch an explosion�it is the mark of agreat warrior. The gauntlet�s explosioncan, if used against ships, do 1d4 hullpoints damage.

One other drawback of this item, andthe main reason why the giff have re-tained it themselves, is that the gauntletshrinks to fit the hand it is placed on andwill not come off! Its magic seems tied tothe wearer�s life force, since the gauntletcomes loose upon the wearer�s death.There are many mysteries sages wouldlove to see answered about this item; quitefrankly, though, there are few that wish toget close enough to its current wielder toask about it.

The gauntlet of Tamus is currently wornby General Saerlg Tomojak, diplomaticenvoy for the giff to the Rock of Bral. Hisviolent temper, undimmed even afteryears of military discipline, makes him apoor diplomat; nevertheless, people con-sider what Saerlg�s angry fist can do andconcede to his wishes. As such, the giffhave received many �favors� from PrinceAndru in return for keeping Bral�s land-scape intact, (XP value: 1,000)

DRAGON 19

The Astral plane is a big place, emptyand lonely to those persons who dare totravel it. It is also dangerous, home to themarauding githyanki, and used by all sortsof unpleasant travelers from the outerplanes as a halfway point in their jour-neys. Anyone who explores the Astralplane is pretty much on his own and mustbe ready at any time to be attacked, lost tothe psychic wind, or flung into anotherplane by accidentally passing through theinvisible backside of a color pool, as de-tailed in the AD&D® Manual of the Planes.There is, however, a safer way to travelthat forlorn plane of silver mists.

About a thousand years ago, an arch-mage by the name of Peregrin becamebored with adventuring on the PrimeMaterial plane. He had overcome the mostdeadly foes of his world and had no inter-est in politics or a life of quiet research.Forsaking his home plane forever, hepacked up his belongings and set off toseek a life in other realities and planes. Hewandered dozens of planes, frequentlycrossing the Astral as he did so, and even-tually it dawned on him that he could dosomething greater than simply wander inboredom. He decided to help travelers getaround in the Astral plane, making theirlives more interesting and exciting.

Drawing upon his extensive knowledgeof the planes, Peregrin traveled to a dozenworlds to secure the materials and crafts-men for the vessels that would accomplishhis dream. He envisioned a fleet of mightyships that would sail the Astral plane,picking up voyagers from thousands ofworlds and realities and taking themwherever they wished to go. No beingwould be discriminated against on thebasis of race or alignment, so long as eachobeyed ships� officers when on Peregrin�svessels.

The obstacles were frightful. The githy-anki deeply resented the organized intru-

20 JULY 1990

An Astral taxi service for AD&D®1st Edition games

by Randal S. Doering

sion into their realm and attacked Pere-grin many times, driving his vessels intopsychic windstorms to ruin them and killtheir crews. Outer-planar beings, thinkingthe vessels would be easy pickings, rav-aged Peregrin�s ships time and time again,often before the ships could completetheir maiden voyages. Peregrin did notgive in. He sought alliances with mightybeings of Neutrality and Good, and boundevil creatures to his will. He single-handedly blasted his way to a face-to-face

confrontation with the queen of the githy-anki (this was long ago, when she wasmuch less powerful than she is today) andforced her to call her people off fromraiding his vessels. He negotiated dockingports in a hundred realities and forced thenatives to accept his will when negotiationfailed. Over the past 500 years, he hasforged a mighty empire in the Astralplane, dedicated to helping the travelers ofthat plane get to their destinations quicklyand safely.

The voidjammersThe instruments of Peregrin�s will are

the voidjammers: 10 heavily armed,lightning-fast ships that cruise the Astralplane by means of a bizarre form of men-tal control. Each vessel is responsible for athousand stops along its line, makingabout 10 stops a day and completing acycle every 100 true days. The vesselsnever physically leave the Astral plane, forthey are not seaworthy; instead, theycruise past various color pools and pick upwhoever is waiting for transport there.Similarly, these vessels drop passengers offwhen the appropriate pool comes up. Thevoidjammers avoid wormholes at all costs,for such disturbances can damage or evendestroy the ships.

Voidjammers are each roughly the sizeof a large merchant ship. Each is crewedby 30 sailors of many races and worlds, allprofessionals at sailing the Astral void.While their work in sailing the ship isminimal (the navigator and engineer domost of the actual work), these personsare responsible for such tasks as shiprepairs, picking up and greeting passen-gers, making sure passengers are dis-charged at their proper destinations,loading and unloading cargo, and manningthe ship�s intrinsic weapons systems. Alsoincluded in this category are such personsas the chief cook and several assistants,valets, maids, and other servants. Sailorsare all warriors of 2nd-5th level, though avariety of other classes is represented(DM�s choice). all are able to defend theirship in close combat if necessary.

Most of the fighting, however, is accom-plished by the ship�s professional marines.Every vessel has three warriors of 9th-12th level. (There is a 15% chance for oneof these to be a ranger. No paladins willsign on with Peregrin�s rather neutraloutfit.) In addition are a priest of 8th-10thlevel, a wizard of 12th-15th level (there isa 10% chance that this individual is anspecialist, instead), and a thief of 10th-12thlevel. Peregrin does not sign on druids, forthey have little use in this plane. The ma-rines have a full complement of magicalitems, as appropriate for characters oftheir levels, all created especially for usein this plane. Details are given later in thisarticle.

Most of the time, these heroes do noth-ing except stand around and look impres-sive. But when the vessel is threatened,whether by outside forces or unruly pas-sengers, the heroes take care of the prob-lem. They are ordered to use theminimum amount of force necessary tocorrect military problems, but outrighttermination of hostile beings is not uncom-mon (especially when dealing with passen-gers from the lower planes). In a direemergency, where the encountered diffi-culty is almost certainly going to over-

whelm the vessel, a cry for help will besent to Peregrin himself, This worthy willarrive in 5-10 minutes, bringing with himenough firepower to level several smallcities. For these reasons, most regularpassengers aboard the voidjammers arecareful not to antagonize the crew.

In addition to the sailors and the ma-rines, there are a host of officers whosejob it is to actually run the vessel. Thesepeople are: the chief engineer and hisassistant, a navigator and his assistant, acommunications mage, a passenger direc-tor, a mate, and the captain. It is vital tonote that all of the crew members aboarda voidjammer are at home on the Astralplane, being physically there (not merelyastrally projected) and well used to itsconditions. Spell-casters aboard thesevessels are totally familiar with all Astralspell changes. The DM should play theseNPCs as the dedicated people they are.

The most important person aboard avoidjammer is the chief engineer. The vitalqualifier for this job is a powerful psionicmind, followed by great willpower (wis-dom) and intelligence. In addition, thechief engineer must have another vocationas well, usually that of a spell-caster. He iscross-trained to take the place of the com-munications mage if necessary. The chiefengineer�s job is to operate, maintain, andrepair the ship�s engines, as well as per-form maneuvers and avoiding obstacles.These tasks require an understanding ofthe standard engines for a voidjammer.

Due to the nature of the Astral plane,conventional means of propulsion as sailsor oars are useless. Using crude kineticenergy�that is, pushing off rocks�issometimes useful, but it is slow and im-practical for any serious movement aboutthe plane. Mental power, on the otherhand, is fast and simple. It also does notapply to objects. Peregrin understoodthese facts when he set out to design thevoidjammers, and he devised a propulsionsystem that could overcome the inherenthardships. He searched the planes until hefound a brilliant silver metal that conductsmental energy like copper conducts elec-tricity. He named the metal mindex, and itforms many of the struts and supportswithin the voidjammer�s frame. The metalruns throughout the vessels length, stemto stern, and can be likened to a greatweb. The center of that web is the engineroom. Here several thick mindex cablesconnect the strut-web to the engines,which are two boxes each 2� in diameterand attended by all sorts of magical de-vices. Within the boxes are brains takenfrom freshly slain mind flayers. The brainsare kept in nutritive baths and transportedto their boxes, where magic sustains theirlives. The brains are operated upon toremove the personality and will of theindividual mind flayer while preservingthe great psionic power and complex

psychic structures of the creature�s mind.In this state the brains are useless, lack-

ing the will to make them do anything.Here the chief engineer comes into thepicture. The chief engineer must psioni-cally connect with the mind flayer brains,through such disciplines as telepathicprojection, telepathy or telepathic projec-tion, giving them direction and purpose.The mind flayer brains are used as ampli-fiers for the chief engineer�s will, sendingpower to the mindex struts and causingthe voidjammer to move as if it had a mindof its own. Since there are two mind flayerbrains acting as one, a voidjammer has aneffective movement rate of 480� per min-ute, or 48�. This makes the ship very fastin relation to just about anything else inAstral space (with the exception of thegithyanki), and it has given the voidjam-mers a reputation for fast service thatsimply cannot be matched by any othermeans of transport in that plane.

The brains used in each voidjammer canvary as to exact psionic strength, but thepair aboard each individual vessel mustmatch exactly; that is, if one mind flayerbrain-engine has an 18 Intelligence and320 psionic ability points, its twin mustalso have an 18 Intelligence and 320 psi-onic ability points. Otherwise the brainswill not operate in tandem and will end uptearing the vessel apart.

Originally, Peregrin tried using five orsix mind flayer brains for engines, but hefound that creatures of lesser mentalability than that of a mind flayer couldhandle only two such brains at once. Heexperimented with the brains of lesserpsionic creatures but found that theywere not able to survive outside theirbodies without more support than theywere worth. When he used brains fromnonpsionic creatures, he found that thedisciplines of telepathy and the like couldnot properly motivate the �disabled�brains into functioning. As a matter offact, the only brains that work better thanmind flayer brains are those of githyanki,but Peregrin is already on touchy groundwith that race, and he did not think thattaking various powerful brains from thatrace would help his relations with them.Rumor, however, says that the flagship ofhis fleet, the Voyager, runs with two githy-anki brains as engines. These brains areable to move the huge vessel at a rate of96�, making it able to pace the fastestknown creatures on the Astral plane.Since the Voyager never runs from a fight,there is no confirmation on whether theship can actually move this quickly or not.

There are disadvantages to this unusualmovement system. The mind flayer brainsare not actually sentient, but they are aliveand psionically active. Unfortunately, thepersonality-removal process injures thebrains� psionic attacks and defenses. If thevoidjammer is psionically attacked, the

DRAGON 21

chief engineer must psionically link withthe brain-engines and attack and defendfor them, as they will be destroyed by anyattack that tears through their defenses.The brains initially have no attackstrengths and only half their normal de-fense strengths. For example, a mindflayer brain with 300 psionic ability pointshas only a defense strength of 75 points. Achief engineer with a psionic ability of 200would have 100 points of attack strengthand 100 points of defense strength, addedto the 75 defense points of each mindflayer brain. If psionically attacking crea-tures can tear through the 250 defensepoints of the mind flayer brains and thechief engineer, they can destroy the en-gines and bring the voidjammer to a halt.The mind flayer brains can take only onepoint of psionic damage before burningout, for they have no will of their own tostave off psychic harm.

As noted earlier, the chief engineer isresponsible for maintaining the health ofthe mind flayer engines, since they deteri-orate over a period of several centuries.He is fully conversant with the methodsused to gather the brains (whether or nothe agrees with these methods), the func-tioning of the magical devices used to keepthe brains alive, and any symptoms ofmental deterioration in the brains. He isfamiliar with the mindex web and mustconstantly check it for damage and wear.All of these activities take tremendousenergy and dedication. For this reason,these men and women are paid 5,000 gpper true month, a wage that most of themproudly tell inquiring passengers.

The chief engineer�s assistant must pos-sess the same qualities as the chief engi-neer but does not have nearly as muchexperience with the engines as his supervi-sor. The assistant can operate the ship inan emergency but otherwise does little.

Second in importance only to the chiefengineer is the navigator, the person re-sponsible for seeing that the ship keeps itscourse and makes the proper stops alongits route. This task is extremely difficult,for the Astral plane has no stars to steerby and no magnetic poles to attract acompass. Navigation is much likeengineering�accomplished by mentalability. The navigator is expected to memo-rize the location of hundreds of colorpools and wormholes and be able to seewandering color pools ahead of time inorder to warn the chief engineer of thedanger. Navigators need a minimum of 17intelligence to handle their jobs, as well assome training with scrying devices. Scry-ing is the most important part of the navi-gator�s job. The navigator must constantlyscry ahead of the vessel, searching forwandering color pools and newly formedwormholes that could send the ship intoanother plane or rip it apart. Special crys-tal balls in the navigation room allow the

22 JULY 1990

navigator to scan for indefinite periods oftime, placing the strain of viewing on thedevice rather than the viewer. These de-vices are created for Peregrin by residentsof the quasi-elemental plane of Mineralsand are unique to voidjammers. Thesecrystal balls are enchanted to shatter iftaken from their vessel, thus keeping theirsecrets. It is not known if any spell-castercan operate one of these devices or ifspecial training is required.

All navigators are illusionists. Theirlevels vary greatly, but none are lowerthan 5th level because the spectral forcespell is required of every navigator. Navi-gators restrict their spells to informativeand miscellaneous magics, leaving combatspells to the marines. Navigators must beillusionists in order to operate and updatethe great three-dimensional maps that letthem travel through Astral space. Eachnavigation room has permanent illusion-based spells showing thousands of blink-ing lights of many colors (for color pools)and twisting gray ropes of varying lengths(for wormholes). There are also dozens oftiny pictographic images, representinghazards along the route of the voidjam-mer. During normal operation this map ishidden, kept invisible by the navigationroom�s magics. If the vessel comes upon anew color pool, wormhole, or other fea-ture, the navigator causes the appropriatesection of the map to appear and adds thenew feature. Additions are created byusing a spectral force spell, using theaudio capability to make verbal notes thatautomatically play when the navigatorwishes to hear them (the map is enchantedso that these spells are made permanent inthe navigation room). Thus, if the voidjam-mer encountered a githyanki castle, thenavigator could open the section of themap pertaining to the ship�s current posi-tion and check it for information on thecastle. If the castle wanders and is not onthe map, the navigator waits and see whathappens, then enters its image onto themap with a verbal tag, such as �Hostilecastle bearing red banners with six greenstars across the top, avoid at all costs.� Ifthat ship comes upon such a castle again,it will know to avoid the castle. Deletionson the map are caused with a simple dis-pel magic spell. Navigation room maps areconsidered 20th-level magic for purposesof dispelling. Maps are also useful fortimes when the ship is off course, perhapsas a consequence of being attacked orafter a psychic wind. In this case, thenavigator has to fix on some familiar ob-ject on the map, then seek to guide thevessel back to that point. During thesetimes the navigator becomes the mostimportant person aboard the vessel, for itis up to him to avoid the many hazards ofthe Astral plane and save the ship.

The navigator�s assistant is responsiblefor running messages between the naviga-

tor and the captain (such as, �There�s acastle about an hour ahead�) and similarlegwork. He also receives tutoring in theillusory arts and the use of the navigationroom maps. Learning the maps takes yearsof careful study, and an attentive naviga-tor�s assistant commands great respect inhis own right.

Next on the hierarchy of the voidjammeris the communications mage, a mage of11th-15th level who specializes in informa-tive divination spells (a diviner, in AD&D2nd Edition terminology). This person�stask is to keep communications runningbetween parts of the ship (maintainingmini - crystal balls set in each importantroom) and between the individual voidjam-mers. He is required to have the followingspells memorized at all times: comprehendlanguages, magic mirror, message, readmagic, teleport, and tongues. In addition,the communications mage has in his officea crystal ball with clairaudience, set forcommunication with other such crystalballs in the fleet. He is expected to makedaily checks with the Voyager to reporthis vessel�s condition and any special diffi-culties. If the communications mage failsto check in, Peregrin shows up in within1-3 turns, as noted earlier in this article.The communications mage is also expectedto be the ship�s chief diplomat, using hislanguage ability to talk with any beingsencountered in the course of the journey.He is thus required to have a high cha-risma as well as an astute mind and apenchant for communication spells. Thecommunication mage does not meet regu-lar passengers but instead deals withunusually powerful creatures (such asvarious outer planar beings) that might beencountered.

The passenger director, like the com-munications mage, is required to have ahigh charisma and must either be a magewith comprehend languages and tonguesor possess items that confer those abilitiesupon him. It is his job to greet passengersand familiarize them with the vessel�spublic and off-limits areas and with Pere-grin�s policy of noninterference, as well asto show passengers to their quarters andsee to their comforts. The passenger direc-tor is the crewmember with whom trav-elers interact the most, as it is his job is toanswer passengers� questions and keepthem entertained on their journey. Per-haps the most important qualification forthis job is being neutral in alignment, forthe passenger director must deal withpassengers of all alignments and beliefsand must offend as few of them as possi-ble. The passenger director talks freelywith passengers but carefully avoids topicsthat give away information about Pere-grin, the voidjammers, or the business ofthose vessels. Thus the passenger directorcould explain color pools and wormholesto interested passengers, but he will never

tell which planes are represented by whatcolor pools or what wormholes lead towhat planes. Doing this could lead trav-elers to try their own travel on the Astralplane, depriving the voidjammers of cus-tomers and income. For the same reason,these people will not describe spell distor-tions on the Astral plane; by keeping pas-sengers in ignorance, the passengerdirectors increase the chance of havingthe voidjammers used repeatedly. Simi-larly, passenger directors do not discussthe layout of voidjammers, the make-up oftheir crews, crew capabilities, etc. All sucha person will say about Peregrin is that heis the wizard who owns the vessels. Topicsthat are free for discussion include thepsychic wind, the two means of Astraltravel (physical and by astral projection),descriptions of some of the common in-habitants of the plane, various tales andlegends (made up by the DM as needed),and the personal travels of the passengerdirector prior to taking his current post.(This is a golden opportunity for DMs todevelop interesting and powerful NPCswith whom the characters may interacttime and time again. After all, the voidjam-mer that serves the PC�s world will alwaysreturn, and passenger directors do notchange very often.)

The mate is a fighter of 9th-12th leveland is in charge of all the ship�s minorfunctions, including scheduling, inspectionof the marines, and communications

reck-ups. The mate is not required to be

a particularly dangerous foe in combat,since this is not part of his job; the re-quirement of being a high-level fighterinsures that the person has had combatexperience and can command the respectof his subordinates. A high charisma isuseful for this position, and most mateshave 15 + charisma scores. Passengershave many opportunities to talk to themate, since he has duties all over the ves-sel. The mate is restricted from speakingon the same topics as the passenger direc-tor but can otherwise chat with passen-gers as much as the DM likes.

The final officer detailed here is thecaptain, who can be an adventurer of anyclass and is 12th-15th level, thus being themost experienced crewmember aboard.The captain�s prime requisites are three:the ability to make clear, fast decisions; ahigh (15 or higher) wisdom; and an abilityto work closely with people (charisma of15 + and a strong lawful streak). His job isto oversee the other crew members andbear responsibility for everything thathappens aboard his voidjammer. Thecaptain keeps a strict log of everythingthat happens, insures the smooth opera-tion of the vessel, and settles disputesbetween passengers and crew. The cap-tain also makes decisions involving overallship�s operations, such as whether thevessel enters battle or flees and if thevessel will divert from its course for anyreason. Although the captain�s job is theleast physically demanding of any aboard

(even the communications mage has tospend hours bent over crystal balls, men-tally straining to communicate with othervoidjammers), the captain is ultimatelyresponsible for the fate of the vessel andmust answer to Peregrin if things gobadly. Few crewmembers feel envious ofthe captain�s position.

Passengers have almost no opportunityto talk with the captain, since his dutieskeep him constantly busy. There is oneexception to this, however. If the travelersappear to be particularly powerful (andthey would have to be very powerful todraw attention on a voidjammer!), thecaptain invites them to talk with him. Hedisplays discreet interest in the mission ofthe travelers, particularly if they antici-pate serious trouble while on his ship. Healso explains that such powerful peopleprobably have powerful enemies and thathe would appreciate not having his shipbecome a battleground for passengers andtheir foes. The captain in return revealsany interesting stories he has heard to thetravelers, possibly leading to rich adven-tures on the Astral plane. Captains are notmuch for small talk as a rule, and whenthey do decide to talk for a long time, theyare careful to avoid taboo subjects (thosenoted with the passenger director). Themain purpose of a captain�s talking withsuch travelers is to gauge their intentionsand possibly take extraordinary precau-tions to safeguard the ship and its person-nel while those travelers are aboard. If

DRAGON 23

high-level characters use the voidjammersystem frequently, they may become goodfriends with the captain of their vessel,and this could lead to some very interest-ing and exciting adventures. After all,captains got all that experience some-where before they became captains ofvoidjammers, and they now know manypeople on many planes. Chances are thatthey know quite a few sites suited forhigh-level adventure, too.

Physical constructionEach of these great ships is the size of a

large merchant ship, 80� long and 25�wide. Since these ships operate on mentalpower, there are no oars or sails, and theupper deck is clear of rigging and otherobstacles. The hull is made of hardwoodand is magically reinforced to possess 50structural points (as per the 1st EditionDMG, page 54). Spells and chemical treat-ments used upon the hull reduce firedamage to one-quarter of what is rolled,and lightning has no effect at all on avoidjammer. In addition, a powerful anti-gravity spell of Peregrin�s own devising (aninth-level spell) removes most of thevessel�s mass, allowing the brains thatdrive the vessel to move its great bulk.

As noted under the chief engineer�sdescription, the entire hull is laced withthe rare metal mindex, culled from anasteroid belt in an alternate Prime planeknown only to Peregrin and worked byfriends of his on the elemental plane ofEarth. This silvery metal lets the brain-engines interact with the voidjammer as ifit were a living creature and adds nostrength to the hull itself (mindex is actu-ally very soft and offers poor support).Voidjammers obey the laws of flight formovement, as given on pages 50-53 of the1st Edition DMG, and they are consideredmaneuverability class B for turns andmaneuvers. A voidjammer can start andstop instantly at full speed, due to the factthat the motive power source is mental,although this may be rough on personnelif the sudden acceleration/deceleration isnot expected.

Voidjammers have three decks. Theupper deck is open and is used for obser-vation. Also, the Marines spend most oftheir time up here, watching for trouble.There is a scorpion mounted to the frontof the vessel along with its ammunition,and a heavy catapult is mounted to therear of the upper deck. A small aft cabinholds ammunition for the catapult, bothrocks and barrels of oil. The catapult sitson a rotating platform that can be turnedto face in any direction. These siege weap-ons are useful against githyanki forts andany other hostile fortifications that mightdrift into the vessels way. At the prow is asteel ram that can be used against hugecreatures and any vessels that the githy-anki might care to throw against the void-jammer. This weapon is detachable,allowing for a fast retreat. Because thespecial antigravity spell lessens the ship�s

mass, rams do only half the damage statedin the 1st Edition DMG.

The second deck is divided in half acrossits middle by a heavy bulkhead and isseparated by a locked door. The forwardsection is for crew use, and on this sideare the engine room, the communicationsroom, and the navigation room. The cap-tain�s quarters are also on this level. At-tached to the captain�s quarters is a specialchamber designed for use if the ship�scrystal ball is destroyed or malfunctioning.This is the teleport room, designed so thatthe captain can send himself to the Voy-ager itself if things are going badly. Thistiny room will teleport only the bearer ofthe captain�s ring (each captain has aunique ring) and has only one setting, thereceiving room aboard the Voyager. Thischamber is used only in dire emergenciesand is locked most of the time.

The rear section of the second deck isthe passenger�s quarters. No hatches linkthe passenger quarters to the third deck,and only one door leads to the crew�ssection. This door is wizard locked (by a20th-level magic-user), openable only byspecial keys carried by each officer. It isnot to be used by passengers, and passen-gers who try to force it open are promptlyexpelled from the vessel. Portholes linethis level, allowing crew and passengers tolaunch missiles and cast spells at attackers.The third deck comprises crew quarters,marines� quarters, and supply areas forthe vessel. Huge cargo doors here areconnected to the holds, for use by trav-elers with large amounts of cargo. Theonly other entrance into here is throughthe crew workrooms, and passengerscaught here are thrown off the vessel,preferably through a color pool to a hos-tile plane. This is made very clear to allboarding passengers.

Fees and servicesPassengers boarding a voidjammer can

expect a comfortable stay in plush rooms,interesting company, and a speedy trip totheir destination plane. They will be pro-tected from the Astral�s hazards by a com-petent crew and can conserve their ownenergies for their destination. In addition,passengers have the benefit of beingguided by experts, so they are guaranteedof ending up where they wish withouthaving to put up with the nasty conse-quences of experimenting with variouscolor pools and such. But all of these serv-ices have a price. The standard fare forusing the voidjammer�s services is 2,500gp, one way, if the passenger is going toanother plane serviced by the voidjammerin question; if a ship-to-ship transfer isinvolved, the fee rises to 3,500 gp. If thatthe vessel must veer totally out of its wayto deliver the passenger, the fee rises to5,000 gp.

Why would anyone bother to stayaboard a voidjammer for days when ittakes only a few hours for travelers ontheir own to find color pools and be on

their way? Many travelers in the Astral donot have a strong idea of where they aregoing, other than �to an outer plane,� orperhaps �to another Prime plane.� If theygo on their own, they can end up literallyanywhere in the multiverse. When theytake a voidjammer, passengers can say,�We want to go to the Nine Hells,� or �Wewant to go to a Prime plane where magicis stronger than it is in our plane,� andthey will end up there, guaranteed. Thevoyage takes longer, but that might well beworth it to travelers with little or no expe-rience on the Astral plane. Also, as notedabove, passengers aboard a voidjammercan talk with others who have traveled theplanes and may know of spell changes,interesting adventuring areas, etc. Withthe rules enforced aboard the voidjammer,parties of good-aligned creatures can talkto neutral and evil creatures withoutfearing conflict stronger than harshwords. The vessel affords an excellentopportunity to increase the passengers�knowledge of other planes and how totravel there.

outpostsPeregrin�s vessels do not rely upon ran-

dom chance to pick up passengers. Thewizard has set up a system to promote hismethod of travel and insure that word ofit circulates around the worlds he serves.Every destination world served by thevoidjammers has a small outpost staffedby Peregrin�s people, dedicated to seeingthat important sages and others �in theknow� about the planes are informed thatthe voidjammer service is available. Thesestations are always located in hard-to-get-to places far from civilization to weed outthe idly curious and those who violentlydisapprove of other-planar travel. A typi-cal outpost consists of a single fortifiedbuilding with 10-15 personnel, all experi-enced adventurers from that world, withone advisor who has been trained byPeregrin�s staff and knows how thingswork on the other side of the planar cur-tain. These people talk with potentialtravelers, advising them on the fees andtimes involved in transit. They find out where the travelers are trying to go inorder to give that information to the void-jammers ahead of time and allow a sched-ule to be set up in advance. For this, eachoutpost has a crystal ball on hand, spe-cially set to communicate with the void-jammer that services that world (thedevice is useless for any other function).Most importantly, these people travel andspread the word that the service is availa-ble. In game terms, this means that mostsages who specialize in other-planar travelwill have heard of the voidjammers, as willleaders of religions that have favorableviews of planar travel and many powerfulmages. When characters go to find outabout travel to and through other planes,they will be told that the voidjammerservice is available and can decide to ei-ther use it or try such travel on their own.

DRAGON 25

From there, the characters may travel tothe outpost and take ship with a voidjam-mer. Outposts have one other vital pur-pose: they give secure places for thevoidjammer�s crew and passengers to stop,rest, and eat. Each outpost has cooks andis heavily stocked for this purpose (see the�Ship�s routine� section for details).

Ship�s routineA voidjammer�s routine seems chaotic to

passengers but follows a basic pattern. Atthe start of each business run, the com-munications mage takes transmissionsfrom the worlds served by that vessel andsees who needs to be picked up fromwhere and what their destinations are. Hegives this information to the captain, whothen decides the route and gives the navi-gator directions for setting a course. Thechief engineer is given that course andsets the vessel upon its way. As the vesselstarts picking up passengers, the passen-ger director greets and briefs them, col-lects their fares, and takes them to theirrooms. The ship goes on in this manner,picking up as many passengers as it can ina 12-hour �work day� and dropping pas-sengers at their destinations. At the end of12 hours, the vessel stops at a color poolwith an outpost on its other side. Thoseofficers and crew who are tired from theirday�s work (the chief engineer, navigator,communications mage, and assistants) arelet off for sleep, as are spell-casting crewmembers who need to rest and to relearnspells. Passengers will not be let off unlessthis is their destination world, for Peregrindoes not like passengers to see how differ-ent outposts are set up. Most of the crewremains aboard the ship, making minorrepairs (the vessel constantly hits tinychunks of matter, and these take a toll asthe vessel journeys across the plane).Those persons on shore leave return earlythe next day, and the routine starts again.As a note, the voidjammers set their time-pieces by a 24-hour clock, as this is thesystem used on Peregrin�s home world.

PeregrinMale human 24th-level mage

ARMOR CLASS: 2 (bracers of defense, AC2)

MOVE: 12; 96 in the Astral, due to a ringof his own devising

HIT POINTS: 45NO. OF ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL ABILITIES: Spell immunities from

high intelligence and wisdom; uniquespells

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 5% (robe of thea r c h m a g e )

ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutralPSIONIC ABILITY: 350

Attack/Defense modes: All/AllPSIONIC DISCIPLINES: Minor: cell adjust-

ment, domination, empathy, molecularagitation, precognition; major: energycontrol, telepathic projection

26 JULY 1990

SPELLS: As selected by the DMS 1 0 I 2 0 W 1 9D 4 C14 CH18

The master of this line of majestic ves-sels is included here for the DM to use asan NPC with whom high-level PCs might interact. Characters under 15th levelshould have no opportunity to meet thisman, for he avoids guests and considerspeople under this level to be small fishwho should be bettering themselvesrather than pestering him. It is recom-mended that PCs never battle Peregrin.Rather, he can motivate characters to trydaring plans of their own and can serve asan inspiration for high-level characterswho wish for something unusual to do.

Peregrin the Wanderer hails from amagic-rich Prime Material plane where theability to think meant the ability to usemagic. His superior intellect andimagination allowed him to rise to a posi-tion of great power, so that by the age of15 he ruled an empire of hundreds ofthousands of inhabitants. He was chal-lenged countless times and always won,and by age 20 he controlled a vast conti-nent. At this point he began to see whathis life held for him. Until now it had beena game to overpowering the minds of hisrivals and see who could win the most inthe contests of magic and will. Now Pere-grin wanted to do something meaningful,and he saw little hope for it. He couldcontinue at his current pace and rule hisentire world within a decade, but whatafter that? Take over one world or manymore? The administrative life bored theserious young man, and he did not fancy afuture of court sessions, legislative tasks,and dictating the lives of millions. Instead,he handed the reins of power to less tal-ented but more willing friends, then leftfor the Astral plane and its gateways toadventure.

The mage had a lot to learn. The rest ofthe multiverse, he discovered, enforcedharsh limits on the use of magic, and helost most of the power that had beforebeen inborn talent. He wandered theAstral for weeks, trying to figure out colorpools and seeking help in understandingthis strange new universe he had entered.Unfortunately, the only creature that camealong was a mind flayer looking for a bitof lunch. It instantly attacked, and Pere-grine barely managed to overpower themonster (he has felt pure hatred for therace ever since). Several days after thisincident, Peregrine chose a color poolleading to the plane of Concordant Opposi-tion. He appeared in a tremendous library,in the middle of which was an ancientman who introduced himself as Thoth.There, Peregrine�s reeducation began.

Now Peregrine is perhaps the mostpowerful human residing in the Astralplane. He lives aboard his flagship, theVoyager, a vessel over 150� long that boastsfive decks, enjoying the company of nearly

100 other adventurers recruited fromdozens of planes. The arch-mage has ma-tured and no longer roams other planes,preferring to wander Astral space with hisfriends. He investigates and charts newcolor pools and unusual parts of the planeitself, always eager to find new worldsbeyond the planar veils.

Peregrin is driven by a need to organizeeverything that he encounters, to pullorder from chaos and tame that which iswild. He set up the voidjammer line tohelp travelers get from plane to plane withgreater ease, feeling that it would bepointless and stupid to die on what isbasically a transit plane when what onereally wanted to do was get to a moreinteresting place. He puts tremendousenergy into the navigation room of theVoyager and has created the largest mapof the Astral plane now in existence (it issaid that he regularly updates Thoth�s ownmaps of that plane, returning the favorthat deity did for him). He sets up outpostsfor his voidjammer line on almost everynew world he discovers, adding a newship to his line about once a century.

Peregrin does not fight with weapons,which is why he has no listed attacks. Henever initiates combat, giving even themost vile opponents the chance to leave inpeace. When he is forced to fight, how-ever, he uses his great magics to devastat-ing effect. His philosophy of combat is tocause losses to his enemy in excess of 100times what they have done to him, todiscourage future actions against him andhis vessels. He has devastated entire gith-yanki fortresses for merely threatening hisships and once brought down the ceilingsof several underground mind flayer citieswhen that race dared to attack one of hisvessels.

To aid him in such instances, Peregrinkeeps three items. The first is his robe ofthe archmage, created by him on gaining18th level. The second is a ring of wiz-ardry that doubles first- through third-level spells, which he took from thegithyanki queen the first time they battled(rumors among the officers of his fleet saythat this is why the githyanki hate Pere-grin, but it is more likely that this is justone of many reasons why that race wouldlike to see him destroyed). Finally, he hashis staff of the magi, a gift from Thoth tohelp him on his quest for order. Peregrinhas dozens of minor magical items, butthese are the three that are with himwherever he goes.

Peregrin is an elitist, believing that thosewho really want to succeed will do so. Hehas no pity for those who fail and has notolerance for anyone under 15th level,preferring to deal with those closer to hisown caliber. He tends to be snobby towardfighter-types, believing magic to be supe-rior to mere muscular might, but he triesto be open-minded and can get over this if

Continued on page 101

DRAGON 27

28 JULY 1990

TheDragon�sBestiaryCreators

Andeloid: Harold JohnsonMetagolem: Troy DenningInfernite: Timothy B. Brown The call of the wildspaceArtwork by Thomas Baxa

by the Arcane (a.k.a. the TSR staff)

To start at the beginning, the SPELLJAMMERTM Appendix for the AD&D® 2nd EditionMonstrous Compendium was written so that TSR�s designers and editors could go nutsand have a really massive party. The details of how this was worked out need not concernus here; it is sufficient to say that TSR�s most dedicated party animals outdid themselvesand produced a volume that contains some of the most outrageous fantasy creations everseen in any AD&D game.

The staff also created too many monsters, and a number of the beasts wound upappendix-less. We hereby present a few of the extra monsters from the darkest depths ofwildspace for the amusement of all DMs and the horror of all players. Three morewildspace monsters will appear in the POLYHEDRON� Newszine (two of those monstersby DRAGON® Magazine editors!). And if you get the SPELLJAMMER Appendix to theMonstrous Compendium (TSR Product No. 2109, $9.95/£6.50), you�ll get even more funand terror. It�s a jam to remember.

30

AndeloidAndeloid

CLIMATE/TERRAIN:FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:

TREASURE:ALIGNMENT:

Any (as per hosts)Very rareSolitaryAny (any; never sleeps)Parasite (as per hosts)Animal�l (variable; as perhosts)Nil (as carried by hosts)Neutral (as per dominant host)

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVEMENT:HIT DICE:THAC0:

NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:

MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:MORALE:XP VALUE:

110 (AC of individual hosts)1 (see text)2-24 (plus sum of hosts� Hit Dice)19 or better (as per hosts�THAC0s + 1)1 (as per hosts)Special (as per hosts)Controls victims (as per hosts)Immune to weapons, cold, andmost spells; saving-throw bo-nuses (as per hosts)20%Spore T; ooze S (variable)Fearless�20 (fanatic�M)As per andeloid�s Hit Dice withHit Dice modifiers as appropri-ate (plus the XP value of each ofthe hosts); spores have no XPvalue

Initial statistics are for an active �ooze� (an andeloid withouthosts); values in parentheses are for a composite (an andeloidwith hosts).

The andeloid is a slimelike creature that forms a symbiotic linkbetween its victims (�hosts�), joining their flesh together to form asingle creature. In all the crystal spheres, few creatures are as bi-zarre or horrifying as these andeloid composites, chimericalmeldings of individual beings.

An andeloid may be encountered in its inert state as a roundcrystalline spore about the size of a fist (3� across). This spore hasa shimmering, shifting color and waxy texture, often being mis-taken for an unusual gem (AC 0, hp 4). A spore becomes active,assuming a flat, oozelike shape 2� in diameter, once it has been ex-posed to at least one point of damage from heat or flame, or onceit is left within 5� of a live potential host for 2d6 rounds. A sporetakes no damage from fire, though an active andeloid is not so im-mune (see �Combat�).

An andeloid without hosts is nearly mindless and has only onedriving purpose�to take over a host. However, an andeloidcomposite is a group personality based on its component parts,directed by the most intelligent being in the composite and modi-fied by the strongest attitudes of the other hosts and by the needsof the andeloid itself to survive and grow. A composite of severalintelligent beings acts as if governed by a committee.

Combat: An active andeloid without a host moves slowly and liesin wait for a potential host. Anyone touched by the ooze mustmake a save vs. poison to avoid infestation (unconscious victimsawaken if the save succeeds). A conscious victim can repel or killthe andeloid with flame or with a few spells noted later (they areimmune to all other spells). Once the andeloid succeeds in infest-ing a victim, it bonds with the host�s psyche and cannot be drivenoff, though it can be slain by spells or fire. A host taken over byan andeloid appears to have been covered with a ½� -thick trans-lucent slime; useful tools and weapons are retained, as is clothing(though the latter becomes soaked).

When a victim is added to a composite, a limb or body part ofthe host is stuck as if by glue to another host. Within a month, theflesh of the two creatures merges, and the united creature (a com-posite) cannot be separated normally into component hosts. If theandeloid is slain before a host merges with the composite, the vic-tim may make a System Shock roll once per round to pull free.Creatures that have been fully melded into a composite will dieonce the andeloid binding them dies; their bodies cannot be sepa-rated again except by using a wish or heal, but they may be raisednormally.

An andeloid composite combines many benefits of its hosts.The number of Hit Dice and hit points of a composite equals thetotal of those of the andeloid and its hosts (Hit Dice are used incalculating saving throws only, not THAC0 scores). Any damagesuffered is subtracted from that total and is shared by all hosts ofthe composite. (Note that though an andeloid is immune to manythings, this is not necessarily true of its hosts.) Special immuni-ties, resistances, and defenses of any one host are shared by allother hosts. A composite gains +4 on saves vs. poison. All of thehosts are simultaneously slain once the hit-point total of the ande-loid and its hosts reaches zero. However, the andeloid itself is notslain if not attacked by fire or spells; it is instead rendered dor-mant for 2d8 turns, after which it re-forms into a 2 Hit Dice oozeagain and must hunt for new hosts.

A composite retains its hosts� attack forms. If a host can makeseveral attacks, it makes one less than normal if that limb hasmelded to the composite, A host attacks with a +1 bonus to itsnormal THAC0. Damage done is as normally done by each host.Special attacks must be directed by the host that possesses thatability, but these are lost if the body part with those abilities ismelded with another creature in the composite. Conversely,weaknesses of component hosts are shared by the entire compos-ite, though a natural ability or defense may cancel a weakness.

The following spells have special effects on the andeloid, in ad-dition to any beneficial effects to hosts: cure disease causes 3d6points of damage to the andeloid; neutralize poison causes 1d6

DRAGON 31

Andeloid

points of damage to the andeloid; regeneration causes 2d10 pointsof damage to the andeloid and forces it to save vs. death magic orbecome dormant for 2d8 turns; restoration causes 3d6 points ofdamage and forces the andeloid to save vs. death magic or be de-stroyed. In this way hosts may be rescued from a composite.

Composites cannot fly or swim. Their land movement ratesequal those of their slowest moving hosts.

An andeloid�s overriding purpose is to survive and grow. Anintelligent composite always attempts to capture powerful be-ings, if it can do so safely, in order to add them to the composite.The size of a composite is limited by the andeloid�s Hit Dice.Young andeloids have only 2 Hit Dice, but gain 1 Hit Dice perthree months of growth to a maximum of 24 Hit Dice. The total ofall hosts� Hit Dice and levels cannot exceed that of the andeloidbinding them. If a composite tries to �collect� a victim that hastoo many Hit Dice to be controlled, all attempts to turn that beinginto a host will fail.

In an effort to improve the composite, the andeloid may decideto absorb an entire host as food to provide space for an addition.This requires the decision of the controlling ego, and a period oftime equal to one week per Hit Die of the host (see �Ecology�).This intentional absorption results in the melding of the absorbedpersonality�s ego, altering the dominant ego accordingly.

Habitat/Society: Generally, intelligent races do not tolerate ande-loids, which are sought out and destroyed as quickly as possibleto prevent infestation. However, chaotic species may accept a sin-gle composite that has reached its current size limits. Some

chaotic-evil and insane races may view melding with an andeloidas tantamount to becoming a hero of legend.

Since andeloids are driven by their dominant personalities,they can be either good or evil in nature. However, because of theloathing felt for andeloids by many races, there is a greater ten-dency for them to be savage monsters instead of benign, helpfulcolonies. Due to this lack of acceptance, composites tend to in-habit remote regions or follow nomadic lives traveling wildspace(if one host of a composite has spelljamming powers) and crystalspheres, staying in no place for long. Any treasure found is con-verted to easily carried items or cached on remote asteroids ormoons.

Ecology: As long as its hosts are able to feed, the andeloid drawssustenance from its hosts� feeding. An andeloid may survive with-out food for a week, converting its hosts� stores of fat into energyto provide its hosts�s needs. After a week of such deprivation, theparasite must begin to convert its hosts� Hit Dice into food at therate of 1 Hit Dice per week, starting with the Hit Dice of its weak-est host. As the Hit Dice are absorbed, the body of the host losingthe Hit Dice is absorbed and eliminated from the composite.

After the andeloid is forced to consume all of its availablehosts� Hit Dice, it becomes dormant a week later, forming sporesthat can survive for eons without air or sustenance. As many suchspores are created as the andeloid itself has Hit Dice.

Andeloids do not reproduce other than by creating spores. Anandeloid newly created from a spore has no memories of any pre-vious existence.

In fern i teInfern i te

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Fire-based worlds, volcanic

FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:

INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:

ALIGNMENT:

vents, dim solid starsRareKiln or subject citizensAnyMolten rock or metal, and flam-mable itemsAverage (8-10)Y ( x 3), V (armor and weaponsonly)Lawful neutral

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVEMENT:HIT DICE:THAC0:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:

10-100394+3151 o r 2By weapon type (see text), or2-8/2-8

SPECIAL ATTACKS: Bear-hug flame damage, magmamissiles, fireteam advantages,spells possible

SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:MORALE:XP VALUE:

RegenerationNilM (6� tall)Elite (14)650 (more for magicians andleaders as appropriate)

Infernites are a race of intelligent humanoids inhabiting manyknown fire-based worlds. They are fire-based themselves, andsome are proficient in the use of magic and spelljamming craft. In-fernites are the same size as humans, more powerful but of com-parable intelligence. Socially, they are more rigid, structured, andsingle-minded of purpose than any humans.

Combat: To an earth-based creature, a single infernite is a formi-dable opponent. It is of great power and skill, and its hot, flamingbody can roast most creatures. If that were not bad enough, in-fernites rarely engage in combat in groups of less than five, all ofthem being highly trained soldiers accustomed to close combat,missile fire, and military discipline. Such a military group isknown as a kiln.

An infernite can also throw off chunks of molten rock andmetal from its own body, each missile causing 2d4 points of dam-age at a range equal to that of a thrown dagger (1/2/3); two suchmissiles can be hurled per round. However, each time an infernitethrows a chunk of itself as a missile weapon, it loses 1 hit point.�Magma throwers� will no longer use their inherent missile weap-ons once they fall to 10 hit points or below.

Infernite weapons are the same as those commonly found onearth-based worlds (except that the metals won�t melt). Most in-dividuals have swords that cause 1d8 points of damage plus 2d6points of additional flame damage. The members of a kiln arearmed with other weapons, as noted later.

Also, the intense heat of infernite bodies does 2d6 points ofdamage per round to creatures in physical contact with them. Re-alizing this, infernites are known to engage in bear-hugs to killtheir foes (to-hit roll at +2 required, which can be broken by vic-tim if a roll to open doors is made, once per round).

Cold is especially effective against infernites, doing double thenormal damage. Even in temperatures that humans considercomfortable (up to the boiling point of water), infernites suffer1d3 points of damage per round. Water causes 1d10 points ofdamage per gallon poured onto an infernite.

One infernite in six is a magician, able to cast spells as a mage of

level 1-10, Ironically, infernite magicians are well versed in theuse of cold spells; until they reached wildspace, infernites foughtonly each other. Typical spells include affect normal fires, chilltouch, chilling hands (the cold version of burning hands), icestorm, wall of ice, and cone of cold. All infernite magicians havean inherent ability to create improved phantasmal force once perday (at their mage level of ability) in addition to all other powers.

A group of infernites, whether on the ground or in wildspace,will be organized into kilns of five infernites each. Kilns are typi-cally organized in one of these four fashions:

Pike team: Four armed with pikes (1d6 +2d6 points of firedamage) and one magma thrower.

Close combat team: Two armed with swords, two magmathrowers, and one magician.

Magical team: Three magicians, one magma thrower, and oneusing a sword.

Missile team: Four magma throwers and one charged with re-supply.

The pike team is often used in large battles; a few hundred suchteams are organized into a phalanx. Close-combat teams andmagical teams are more frequently used in piracy and boardingactions. The missile team is a support team designed to enhanceany combat situation, the resupplier carrying additional materialto replenish the other members (see �Ecology�).

When in their formations, teams provide both a +1 to hit foreach member and a - 1 to their Armor Classes. A team loses thesebenefits if it is reduced to three or fewer members.

Infernites are able to manipulate their fluid bodies to flowthrough cracks and around obstacles. They can pass through anycracks or holes that are at least 6� across at their normal move-ment rate. Also, when body material such as hot coals or lavapresents itself, infernites have the ability to bond with it and re-generate 1 hit point every other round given no interruptions (see�Ecology�).

Habitat/Society: Fire-based worlds are difficult for earth-basedcreatures to imagine. Physically, such a world offers many of the

DRAGON 33

Infernite

same challenges to its inhabitants. For instance, there is no needfor infernites to wear clothing or construct buildings to protectthem from the elements on their worlds, and they make no terri-torial claims because of the flowing of their molten lands.Whereas human culture grew diverse in relatively static environ-ments, infernite cultures developed very unyielding structures onturbulent, everchanging worlds.

Infernite communities contain 10-100 individuals. One leaderis in addition to this number and has maximum hit points, maxi-mum wizard abilities, and the ability to cast a plane shift spellonce per day, taking up to 50 infernites in physical contact with it.Spelljammer crews have the normal number of crew, with theships� captains being leaders and all crew being organized intokilns.

The individual infernite has very little freedom of choice, nordoes it expect any. The offspring of each parent take on that par-ent�s role in society, be it soldier, leader, administrator, or worker.Leaders enjoy the absolute confidence of those under them. Onceworking for a particular leader, an infernite is bound to thatleader for life; when that leader dies, its subjects cease taking onnourishment and quickly perish as well. Interestingly, inferniteleaders nearly always disagree on some point of policy, leading toferocious battles between their followers until one leader and allhis followers die�a frequent occurrence that limits their other-wise fast-growing population.

Infernite leaders and mages have spelljamming capabilities,and leaders sometimes order large metallic spelljamming vesselsto be built. The metal of the hulls is forged to withstand the greattemperatures generated both within and without. To a human,the outside of an infernite ship is as hot as a cookstove, and its in-terior like a volcano�s core (ships in this state are hereafter re-ferred to as �hot,� though infernite crews often complain becausetheir ships are kept too �cold�). A ship has a single leader; if thatleader is lost, the ship is left to cool in the icy cold of space. Origi-nally, infernite spelljammer ships used the same designs as wereused for ships that sailed their molten seas, but they have since

adopted common for the i r spe l l j amming vesse l s . Usecommon ship statistics for their vessels; all statistics apply except�save as� which should be thin metal. Infernite spelljammingships cause an additional 1d3 points of hull damage when ram-ming, from their intense heat, and will automatically set ablazeany wooden ship or rigging it comes in contact with. The q�nidar(from MC7) are a race of creatures despised and hunted by the in-fernites.

When a leader divides (see �Ecology�), it divides its subjects be-tween its offspring. By whatever agreement, one leader thenleaves with its subjects, more often than not to travel to anotherworld by spelljamming ships or plane shift. Infernites have colo-nized many known fire-based worlds by traveling through inter-planar gates opened by their leaders, since they cannot cross thePhlogiston (see �Ecology�). They also enjoy such places as vol-canic vents, world cores, hot gaseous worlds, and dim red stars.

When encountered, infernites rarely do business with creaturesfrom earth-based worlds. Their pirates often raid in search ofhardened metals or magical items that can withstand the heat oftheir bases. They defend what is theirs tenaciously.

Infernites do not venture into the Phlogiston, as the heat fromtheir ships is magnified and the infernites �burn out.� A �hot� in-fernite ship that enters the Flow causes a 100�-radius explosion for30d6 points of damage to non-fire-based beings (see page 10 of theConcordance of Arcane Space in the SPELLJAMMER� boxedset). Infernites themselves must save vs. death magic at -4 eachround they are in the Flow, or die.

Ecology: Infernites are beings of molten metal and rock, some-what akin to fire elementals. Their bodies are rather fluid butmaintain a humanoid appearance virtually all the time. There isonly one sex; reproduction is accomplished through a long proc-ess of fission. Each infernite divides itself in a week-long ritualonce every four months. However, reproduction can be highlyaccelerated when the community, be it a world, colony, or star-ship crew, is either threatened or is preparing for war. In such aninstance, the community consciousness naturally takes over,forcing individuals to seek out sources of body material and beginreproducing once per day. Since leaders divide their power whenthey divide, they will try to avoid reproduction indefinitely. Bodymaterial is drawn from the surface of a dim star, the volcanoes ofan earth-based world, the surface of a fire-based world, or fromhuge kilns stoked by the infernites themselves. The infernites lit-erally become one with the new body material and force them-selves to divide more often. This process can continue as long asthere is still a perceived threat to the community or until the bodymaterial runs out. In a short time, the infernites can create wholearmies to perpetuate their race and their ambitions.

In a similar process, infernites can heal damage done to them-selves. If there is a source of body material at hand, they can healone point of damage every other round by bonding with it. Forinstance, in a missile fire team, the missile users stick their handsinto a vat of molten material to gain back hit points and continuefiring. Fighting infernites on their own worlds is always a costlyventure.

On their own worlds, infernites tend to eat just about every-thing. On earth-based worlds they can eat anything that nor-mally burns: wood, coal, oil, etc., but eating �cold� food brings

a

their body temperatures down gradually�those that have beenforced to live on earth-based worlds for extended periods of timeeventually cool down and die. Water-based worlds are shunnedby infernites, and air-based worlds exhaust their fuel quickly,

burning them out.

34 JULY 1990

MetagolemMetagolem

CLIMATE/TERRAIN:FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:ALIGNMENT:

AnyVery rareSolitaryAnyElectricityVery (12)VariesAny

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVEMENT: HIT DICE:THAC0:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:MORALE:XP VALUE:

1 (5% of 2-5)6 to - 23 to 159 (40 hit points)311d10 to 9d10Magical spellsImmune to electricityNilS to M (3-6� tall)Fearless (20)12,000 to 16,000

Metagolems are hollow metallic constructs that have been givenmagical life; they resemble humanlike beings such as humans,elves, dwarves, and gnomes. There are as many varieties of meta-golems as there are metals, ranging from those made of copper tothose made of platinum alloys. Like normal golems, metagolemsare animated by elemental spirits. However, they are also givenconsiderable intelligence and can speak. Metagolems have no freewill, though, and always strive to fulfill the wishes of their crea-tors. The methods of creating metagolems are not widely known,but only wizards of 18th level and above can make them. A meta-golem has the alignment of its creator and an equivalent Strengthof 15 for purposes of carrying and lifting items.

Generally speaking, the more exotic the metal, the better themetagolem�s armor and speed. Statistics for metagolems made ofcommon metals are given below:

MetalCopperTin

AC SJL * Movement Damage6 1 3 1d105 1 4 2d10

Bronze 4 2 5 3d10Iron 3 2 6 4d10Steel 2 3 7 5d10Silver 1 3 8 6d10Electrum 0 4 9 7d10Gold - 1 4 10 8d10Platinum - 2 5 11 9d10

* Spelljammer levels, for use with major or minor helms.

Combat: Metagolems are quite intelligent and employ sound tac-tics in battle. Aside from their limited selection of spells, theynever use weapons, preferring to rely on their fists instead. Al-though quite intelligent, they are completely emotionless and cannever be swayed from their goals.

Metagolems can cast magic missile, web, fly, flaming sphere,fireball, and stinking cloud spells once each per day at the 10thlevel of ability. They are immune to all Illusion/Phantasm,Enchantment/Charm, and Alteration wizards� spells, and to allspells in the Charm sphere of priest magic. They are not damagedby any attack involving electricity (such as a lightning bolt spell),instead gaining energy from such attacks (see �Ecology�).

Habitat/Society: Metagolems are magical automatons created bypowerful wizards to accomplish certain goals, such as protecting

or flying a spelljammer ship, chasing down hated enemies, col-lecting treasure, and so forth. They have no society as such, butthey do seem to bear a strange fondness for others of their kind.Occasionally, several metagolems can be found relaxing togetheron worlds particularly prone to violent lightning storms.

Often, a metagolem will join a party of adventurers if it is clearthat doing so will prove beneficial to accomplishing its master�sgoal. Although a metagolem makes a surprisingly amiable com-panion, it is usually mistrusted, for its companions never knowwhen the metagolem�s true instructions will interfere with thegroup�s plans. There have even been reports of metagolems join-ing spelljammer crews, then leading mutinies for the purpose ofaccomplishing their secret goals.

Ecology: As with other golems, metagolems can be created onlyby powerful wizards. However, unlike regular golems, metago-lems occasionally require a supply of energy�in the form ofelectricity�in order to continue functioning. Hungry metago-lems are known to insult powerful wizards for the sole purpose ofmaking the mages so angry that they cast lightning bolts at themetagolems. Every hit point of damage from electricity powers ametagolem for one week, to a maximum charge of 100 weeks ofcontinuous operation. Without this power, metagolems becomedormant until given a new charge.

DRAGON 35

�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 eitherneatly written by hand or typed with a freshribbon and clean keys so we can read andunderstand your comments.

In issue #146, the editorial talked about com-puter RPGs. I personally agree with just aboutall of the points hit by Roger Moore. However,in issue #151, on page 66, Alan Grimes wrote aletter that I did not agree with at all.

Mr. Grimes states that there is no role in-volved in a binary program. Of course thereisn�t! The role involved is through characterscreated by the binary program. Let me give anexample.

I have owned an IBM clone computer foralmost three years. The first program bought bymy family for me was The Bard�s Tale. In TheBard�s Tale, I created a character, a paladin,named Baxian. Baxian and his gang of othercharacters have been my alternate personas, asMr. Grimes puts it. Baxian has been my number-one character even through The Bard�s Tale II.He and I have been through countless battles,just like some fighters in an AD&D campaign.The interaction that Mr. Grimes fails to see isthere. The computer is just the channel that theplayer uses to play the game, just as a DM is alsoa channel for an AD&D game.

Mr. Grimes states that the essence of sponta-neity is not included in a computer RPG, thateverything the computer does is by a programthat is given and known. The program is given,but not known (at least in the IBM version). Theprograms are normally written in some assem-bly language that only someone who can readthat assembly language understands How canyou know how to solve the game or know whatthe game will be like if you can�t read the pro-gram language?

Next, Mr. Grimes mentions the fact thatgamers who really enjoy the game will find timeto play Where I have lived, few people will takethe time to play a good D&D® game I have beeninterested in D&D and AD&D games for aboutsix years In all that time, I have played just afew complete adventures. All I have to do isturn to my computer, and I have something thatalready has an adventure for me to play, or Ican continue an adventure that I stopped to eatdinner, or whatever. You can�t tell your gamingfriends to pack out to the porch and wait whileyou and your family eat dinner can you?

Mr. Grimes says that he did some quick calcu-lating to figure out how many Ks of memorywould be needed to have just three books worthof AD&D manuals on disk. This calculating maybe correct, but Mr. Grimes left out the elementof data compression. By compressing the data,those 37 disks could be compressed into justfive or six disks An example: SSI�s Pool of Radi-ance program needs at least 384K of RAMmemory to operate; the program would havecome on about 15 disks, but because of thecompression, it came on three. The then-

compressed five or six disks of manuals wouldbe easily used by any computer user.

Regarding the removal of the GM: In thegroups I�ve played in, most of the players didn�twant to be the GM, and a game wouldn�t getgoing. A computer will be the GM for you, and agame can start right away without having towait for an adventure to be created.

In closing, computers are going to be part ofthis world, whether you like it or not. Plenty ofimagination can be used while playing a goodcomputer RPG. Computers don�t need imagin-ation, but the programs they interpret give it toyou in the face.

Dan HowarthHolbrook AZ

According to the AD&D 2nd Edition PlayersHandbook, any PC who becomes �undead isautomatically an NPC! His goals and ambitionsare utterly opposed to those he held before.�This statement disregards the character who,because of a desire to further his magicalpowers, chooses to become a lich. The Mon-strous Compendium says that liches �have castaside their places as living beings by choice.�One can�t justify removing the PC status from acharacter who chooses to become undead.Liches are described as undead who �seek tofurther their own power at all costs.� From this,one can conclude that liches, contrary to thestatement in the Player�s Handbook, retain theirgoals and ambitions after entering the state ofundeath. The lich�s choice to become undead,seclude himself from society, and search �forpower in strange planes unknown to even thewisest of sages� can eliminate any fears of losingthe delicate balance of power in the game andprovide some adventures for the higher-levelcharacters.

Spectres, wights, and wraiths-all powerfulforms of undead�do have the power to draincreatures� energy. If a character is killed by aspectre, wight, or wraith using its energy drain,then he is doomed to become one of the crea-tures that killed him. The new undead is nowunder the control of the monster or its master.If that was the end of the character, then onecould see why the PC would have to become anNPC. But that is not the case. The MonstrousCompendium explains that �once a characterbecomes a spectre, recovery is nearly impos-sible, requiring a special quest.� How can some-body complete a quest when he is an NPC? Isthe DM to say, �Okay, your character�s masterwas slain, and he has completed his specialquest, sustaining only minor injuries; he is nowback under your control�? That does not seemto be in the spirit of the game.

While there are obvious cases where PCs whobecome undead must be taken by the DungeonMaster, not all cases should be treated as such.

Erik MartellaSalinas CA

Very often when playing RPGs, a player findshimself in a situation where he has to choosebetween playing his character as he believes thecharacter would act, or doing what the player�sown common sense tells him to do. The puristschool of thought would have the player role.play no matter what the consequences. Most

players, though, would agree that there shouldbe limits.

Here�s an example from a game I recentlyplayed at a convention in my region. At onepoint, one of the players reached a situationwhere her character, who was rather impetu-ous, was likely to do something that she as aplayer knew would be rather risky. She veryrightly did as her character would and had tosuffer the consequences Fortunately, all wasmade right, and she was not eliminated fromthe game because of her character�s rash action.

As the game progressed, one of the playerssuggested a way for my character to accomplishour goal immediately. This could have accom-plished only one of two things. Either it wouldhave ended the game before any of the players(including myself) wanted it to end, or it wouldhave put us into a bad situation for which wewere not yet prepared. Even though it wouldhave been something my character might havedone, I did not do it and I feel I made the cor-rect decision.

Perhaps the most ill-advised example that Iever saw of someone role-playing his characterwhen he should not have happened severalyears ago, when a player whose character wasan outlaw of evil alignment had his PC kill therest of the party and make off with all of theloot. The tact that his character was an eviloutlaw was not an acceptable explanation, foreven an evil character will find that he mustcooperate with those around him in order tosurvive. This character found a heavy bountyhad been placed on his head, and his playerfound that the rest of the regular players re-sented his actions�including those of us whowere not playing that night-and he soon leftthe group.

To sum it all up, a player should role-play hischaracter the best way that he can, exceptwhen that role-playing acts to the deterrence ofthe other players� completion of and enjoymentof the game.

John Patrick WallPalatine IL

My own linguistic gripe with the AD&D gameis the incredible list of pole arms in the [1stEdition] Players Handbook, most of which areonly to be distinguished by which way the hookon the end points, while beer is given one entryunder �ale,� Nowhere have I seen an article onthe rich variety of beers, wines, and spirits thatexisted in medieval times. There isn�t even adifference between fish, flesh, and fruit in thefood listings. Weaponry, on the other hand, islisted at encyclopedic length�hardly a situationlikely to discourage hack-and-grab playing! Italmost gives the impression that the AD&Dgame is essentially for connoisseurs of obsoletearms. The presumably �realistic� distinctionbetween bill, guisarme, bill-guisarme, halberd,and holy water sprinkler, with no guidelines orpictures given, only confuses simple folk likemyself.

A little effort to make players think aboutwhat their characters are actually eating whenthey open up their �standard rations� might addmore realism to the game (famous last words:�Are you sure beef is supposed to be thisdark?�) My point: Conan and King Arthur were

3 6 J U L Y 1 9 9 0

bothered about the quality of their pint, as wasthe legendary brewer-king Gambrinus.

Paul ArblasterLeuven, Belgium

This letter is in response to Ahmed Amin�s ofissue #155. I firmly believe that players shouldbe given the opportunity to have their charac-ter�s raised from the dead. The key word isopportunity. I am not saying that a character israised every time he dies. That mentality iswhat�s responsible for such horrors as 25th-levelPCs with armor classes of - 12 and + 10 luckblades. What I am saying is this: Give yourplayers a chance. Dying can be a very valuablelesson and often a spiritual experience, allowingfor more intense role-playing.

First of all, it is important that players (andtheir characters) understand and accept thePCs� own mortality. No PC is going to live for-ever. Just as in the real world, not everyone in agame world believes death is permanent, andnear-death experiences can be quite common.The �dead� have been brought back to �life� allover the world today and while to us this is aresult of technology, it is a result of magic in thefantasy realm. Raise dead and resurrection areboth high-level spells. Would you deny thesespells to your PCs when they reach the appro-priate level? If not, then doesn�t it stand toreason that there are NPC priests out therecapable of these spells?

The best way to handle it is to deal with eachcase individually. When I am faced with it, I askmyself a series of questions. For instance: Is thecharacter presently on a quest or mission of areligious nature? This includes missions forother deities or their temples, if it benefits afellow party member�s religion. (This assumesthe word �voluntarily.�) Has he completed anysuch tasks for his church in the past? Is he adevout follower? If he�s a cleric, has he been agood one-spreading the word, making neces-sary sacrifices, etc.? �Yes� answers to any ofthese questions deserve special considerationsfor the PC. In the case of fighters, consider this:A fighter who did not die in battle or a paladin/cavalier who did not die honorably may neverbe �at rest� and could merit a second or eventhird chance. Exactly how did the PC die? If itwas a truly stupid, foolhardy action on his part,permanent death may be a far more valuablelesson. If, however, he was tricked into drinkingpoison by a cunning 8th-level assassin losingthat point of constitution may be lesson enough.

Now consider the dead PC�s god. If he was aworshiper of Athena, he may already be inHades, and if so, he probably won�t be comingback (just ask Persephone). A follower of Thorwho was above 4th level may already be inAsgard training for Ragnarok. Still unsure? Howabout a meeting:

Zeus: �Jared of Almar, I understand you wishto return to your plane. Why?�

Jared: �I was having fun! Olympus is a drag.�Jared will be hailing Charon�s cab any minute

now. However, if you replace Zeus with Diony-sus, Jared may be home in time for happy hour.

If you decide to allow the resurrection, makesure it wasn�t free. Require a sacrifice of money,a magical item, or services. For high-level PCs,how about donating a piece of land and financ-ing a new temple? Or how about finding a long-lost religious artifact or defeating an evil cult?

Finally, as we all like to remind each other, theultimate decision is yours. After all, it may betime for a new character, especially in the caseof alignment violators or players who just don�tunderstand their characters� classes fully. Youcan always put limitations on your resurrecting

rules. A good friend of mine never raises PCswho were below 5th level

When I asked my players how they�d feel if Isaid there�d be no more raising from the dead�well, let�s just say I�ve DMed red dragons thatwere less hostile Give it a try A wise DM knowswhen resurrection is appropriate and will gainhis player�s respect They may even (egad!)thank you for it!

Maribeth HassGreenfield WI

Have you ever felt degraded by others forplaying the D&D game? Did you identify withShawn DeMers in issue #132 or Michael Drakein issue #146? There seems to be a lot of peoplewho think that the D&D game is in some wayharmful. It also seems that the vast majority ofthem have never played or have even seen agaming session and therefore will never knowthe benefits of gaming.

Gamers and nongamers may not be aware ofthe benefits of gaming. There is more than justentertainment going on here. When you gatherfor a gaming session, you find companionshipwith fellow gamers. Even it you don�t notice it,you are being accepted and validated as a hu-man being. This may not seem like a big deal,but think about it: What would it be like not tobe recognized as a human being? The gamingsession is, in its own way, related to supportgroups. Gamers can talk to others about prob-lems and get feedback on their lives. It is anescape, just like reading a romance or adven-ture novel, only while gaming you are creatingthe adventure. Gaming also exercises your mathskills and your cognitive processes.

As a gamer (and human being), you are usedto facing difficult situations, be it passing animportant test or facing a war clan of orcs.Facing others who think of the D&D game assome weird, childish game is a little differentbut no less difficult. To be better armed againstthese people, it is suggested that you researchthe history of your game and ask those whoattack you to sit in and observe what really goeson at a gaming session.

David Raymond GawareckiWinona MN

I am writing in response to Robert Morrison�sletter in issue #151�s �Forum� concerningweapon specialization. Mr. Morrison states thatweapon specialization unbalances play at higherlevels, and that characters naturally becomemore proficient with weapons.

Weapon specialization is the exclusive use ofone weapon and the devotion of one�s life to theuse of that weapon. The bonuses given to aspecialized character are a result of the charac-ter�s intensive study and practice of thatweapon. He has achieved a greater understand-ing of that weapon than most other charactersever could.

During that character�s life, he is assumed topractice daily with that weapon When a char-acter advances in level, all that practice andtraining is assumed to have finally made achange significant enough to warrant an in-crease in his bonuses.

Other classes can also become more proficientwith a weapon. Although they cannot becomeas skilled with a weapon as a specialized fighter,their advances are taken into account by lower-ing that character�s THACO score.

I�ve looked at the D&D game�s weapon-mastery system and feel that it is grossly unbal-anced. It allows any character to become asskilled in the use of a weapon as a fighter, whichmakes the latter class lose much of its appeal. It

is ludicrous to assume that a mage or a thief canbecome as proficient in a weapon as a classwhose very basis is fighting.

Brian HicksRedlands CA

Per the �Forum� letter of James R. Collier inissue #152: My (now-defunct) campaign worldswere set in various technological stages depend-ing on governmental pressures, availability ofmagic to accomplish the same ends, and thediffering socio-religious viewpoints on inventive-ness. Areas such as Englene, with a repressiveempress and high population of state-backedwizards, kept their technology at Middle Ageslevel (c. A.D. 900-1200), though some oddlyanachronistic things would appear in the dockareas. At the other end of the scale, the city ofTriask was positively Renaissance because of itsencouragement of invention. The rest of themain world fell into various stages between.Magic does not have to preclude technology, asone imagines even powerful wizards may likean alternative to going out to the garderobe ona cold night.

My campaign also included high-level conjur-ers who were �dimension fishers,� bringing inodd items from other Prime Material planes insearch of riches or knowledge. You could have atelephone appear in your wizard�s conjuringcircle, but even if you know how to use it, youwouldn�t necessarily understand the principlesof its operation. Your wizard certainly isn�tgoing to be able to create a telecommunicationsnetwork with one phone. On the other hand,the basic principles of the butane lighter mightbe understandable to a patient wizard (someprimitive lamps had the same basic principle),but that same wizard isn�t going to be able tomanufacture those devices.

Finally, your mage may conjure a silk scarf outof thin air�but did she create it? This is adecision for DMs to make individually, but I�vealways ruled that �created� items were takenfrom elsewhere. There�s always room for diver-sification. The use of bread-mold poultices inthe Middle Ages was based on superstition andit lasted until Pasteur came along.

Guns are something any wizard group thatintends to survive is going to oppose; as thesaying goes, guns are the great equalizer. Themost noble paladin or practiced mage can beshot down by a near-sighted granny. In fact, mycampaign worlds had crossover characters fromEarth who started an antigun movement be-cause guns lead to the sort of progression ofnastiness that results in nuclear weapons. Thethought of some drow terrorists with nuclearweapons should be enough to derail that pro-gression. However, technological progressionisn�t all interrelated and could go off in quitedifferent directions in a world that has magic.

The above really doesn�t matter too much inany case. With the AD&D 2nd Edition andSPELLJAMMER rules, such normally interre-lated fields as biochemistry and physics havebeen repealed. It now becomes questionable ifyour �human� character has cell differentiation,so it would be entirely possible that steamcannot be used to create pressure (no steamengines, whistling tea kettles, or�since hotgases don�t expand�hot air balloons). Eventechnology as simple as windmills may fail tofunction, due to campaign variances in frictionand inertia. Technology and science involvemore decisions for the individual DM.

Gregg SharpBuckeye AZ

D R A G O N 3 7

38 JULY 1990

by Skip WilliamsIf you have any questions on the games

produced by TSR, Inc., �Sage Advice� willanswer them. In the United States andCanada, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON®Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: SageAdvice, DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120Church End, Cherry Hinton, CambridgeCB1 3LD, United Kingdom. We are nolonger able to make personal replies;please send no SASEs with your questions(old SASEs are being returned with thewriters� guidelines for the magazineenclosed).

Once again, the sage tours the AD&D®2nd Edition game, with some scenic stopsin unusual areas. DMG is the 2nd EditionDungeon Master�s Guide.

The description of the troll in theMonstrous Compendium says thatany hit with a �natural� 20 severs alimb. Does this apply to attacksagainst other creatures? If not, whydoes the game have the seventh-level priest spell regenerate?

Trolls are thin and rubbery, and areprone to being hacked apart, althoughhacking apart a troll doesn�t do muchgood. Unless the DM creates his owncritical-hit system, it�s not possible to hacklimbs off other creatures in combat. How-ever, swords of sharpness, monsters suchas green slime, crude forms of medievaljustice, and many other hazards in thegame can lead to the loss of limbs�hencethe regenerate spell.

The Monstrous Compendium, Vol-ume One lists statistics for greaterrakshasas, but gives no experience-point values for them.

Greater rakshasas are the Rhuks, Rajahs,and Maharajahs.

One of my players wants to run anultimist character from POLYHE-DRON� Newszine issue #23. This is apowerful class. Is it intended for PCuse or just for NPCs?

Neither. The ultimist is a piece of satire.In this case, the mockery is directed atplayers who insist on having characterswho can do anything and everything. Trynot to laugh too hard if you player asksabout playing an ultimist again.

When can we expect to see rulesfor psionics in the AD&D 2nd Edi-tion game?

A handbook on psionics is tentativelyscheduled for release in early 1991. Staytuned for further developments.

How much does it cost to build acastle, tower, or other fortification?

I couldn�t find this information inthe DMG.

This information is presented in DMGR2The Castle Guide (TSR Product #2114),available now.

Can a spellfire wielder (from FR7Hall of Heroes, pages 49-50) everreturn to his original class? Can aspellfire wielder absorb clericalspell energy? If so, is this voluntaryor involuntary? What happens tospellfire wielders who absorb moreenergy than their limit? How do youdetermine if a character can havespellfire ability?

A character with spellfire powers neveractually leaves his original class. However,to gain experience in his original class, thecharacter must refrain from using anyspellfire abilities during an adventure. Ifthe character does use a spellfire ability,all experience earned during that adven-ture goes toward the character�s spellfirelevel, except for individual experienceawards for the character�s original class(see the DMG, page 48), which are lost.

Spellfire wielders can absorb magicalenergy from almost any source: spells ofall types, breath weapons, gaze attacks,and just about anything else. At the 1stlevel of spellfire ability, absorption is invol-untary; the character drains any magicwith which he comes in contact, includinguseful magical items and healing spells(only rest or nonmagical healing can healdamage to the character). Absorption isstrictly voluntary at 2nd level and above.

Exactly what happens if the characterexceeds his limit is unrevealed. I suggestthat either the character becomes unableto absorb more energy once he reachesthe limit and consequentially is affectednormally by any magic with which hecomes in contact while �full,� or he ab-sorbs the excess and automatically re-leases one level of energy each segment(10 times per round), suffering 1-6 hpdamage each time, until his total energyfalls back into the �10 x constitution�category.

Spellfire is a variant type of magic cre-ated by Ed Greenwood in his novel of thesame name. Only the DM can decide if aparticular character can have the ability. Itseems likely that only one spellfire wieldercan be alive at a time on any given world,and that the ability is hereditary.

Why can�t halflings be rangers?Halflings can be clerics, and rangershave a few clerical spells. Why can�tgnomes be bards? Gnomes areknown for their sense of humor andshould have access to some kind ofjester-type abilities. Why can�t [my

favorite race] become [my favoriteclass], since [several dozen goodreasons why this race/class combi-nation is justified exist]?

Game logic and game balance requirethat demihumans have limited character-class options. According to game logic,halflings don�t become rangers becausethey aren�t inclined to be. Halflings whoreally like the outdoors and nature be-come druids. Halflings who are nimble andgood at hiding become thieves; that�s justthe way halflings are. Gnomes who feelroguish become thieves themselves. Thosewho tend toward flashy expositions be-come illusionists. (Illusionists, by the way,have an almost infinite capacity for vividstorytelling and practical jokes, as even aquick look at the spells in the illusion/phantasm spell school will show.)

Only humans have the ability to becomeany class they want to be (ability scorespermitting), and they can advance all theway to level 20. That�s what makes hu-mans unique. Demihumans have com-pletely different psychological, physical,and spiritual makeups from humans; that�swhat makes each demihuman race unique.Overall, demihumans are not nearly soversatile or adaptable as are humans,because all have special skills and limita-tions derived from their heredity andculture that simply close some doors tothem when they seek professions. Gamebalance requires that each race in thegame be equally playable. If demi-humans�with their infravision, specialresistances, and special abilities�couldfreely choose from every character classin the game, there wouldn�t be muchreason to play a human character. As I�vesaid before, the D&D® and AD&D gamesare games of choices; to get something,you�ve got to give up something else. Goodplayers make the right choices most of thetime and know how to capitalize on theircharacters� strengths while finding waysto circumvent their weaknesses. Whilechanging the rules to eliminate characterweaknesses is one way to circumventthem, it isn�t a clever or heroic one.

DRAGON 39

Earth isn�t the only world that needs heroes

by David Edward Martin

Role-playing in the MARVEL SUPERHEROES� game is not restricted to havingyour heroes battle evil on Earth. Many ofthe greatest triumphs of the Avengers, theFantastic Four, and the X-Men have oc-

But before you can go adventuring intothe far-flung reaches of the universe, youfirst need a way to get there. A variety of

curred in outer space. Why not take your

means to reach the stars exists, frompersonal flight using superpowers to the

campaign to the stars, too?

use of external or mechanical means.Some examples of spacefaring methodsinclude:

Slower Than Light (STL) drives: STLships can reach speeds up to that of light.If such a ship is intended for interstellarflight, it may be equipped with suspended

Faster Than Light (FTL) drives: FTLships are capable of exceeding lightspeed,but they still travel in �realspace.�

animation chambers or a life-support

Advanced FTL drives: Better enginesenable advanced FTL starships to attain

system capable of sustaining passengers

speeds 10 times faster that normal FTLdrives.

for years or centuries.

Warpdrive: Warpdrive ships are capableof entering hyperspace and thus attainingFTL speed. Warpdrive ships might belimited to STL flight in normal space.

Advanced warpdrive: Better warp gener-ators enable a starship to travel at speeds100 times faster than can be achieved bynormal warpdrives.

Teleportation: Instantaneous travelacross the universe for individuals orsmall loads is possible with this power.

Stargate: A stargate uses a form of tele-portation. A fixed-location device (the gate)instantaneously teleports an entire space-craft to another stargate. Stargates areassumed to be rare, being so powerful.

The type of stardrive determines itsspeed range. The power rank numberdetermines its basic speed value, which isthen multiplied by the standard modifierfor that class of travel. Table 1 shows thebasic starship types and their speed forthe MARVEL SUPER HEROES game.Table 1

Starship Types and Speeds

Speed (in multiples of lightspeed)Rank FTL A-FTL Warp A-WarpFE 2 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 KPR 4 4 0 4 0 0 4 0 KTY 6 6 0 600 6 0 KG D 1 0 1 0 0 1K 100KE X 2 0 2 0 0 2K 200KRM 3 0 3 0 0 3K 3 0 0 KI N 4 0 4 0 0 4 K 400KAM 5 0 5 0 0 5 K 500KM N 75 7 5 0 7.5K 750KUN 100 1 K 10K 1 MX 150 1.5K 1 5 K 1 . 5 MY 200 2K 2 0 K 2 MZ 5 0 0 5 K 50K 5 M1000 1K 10K 100K 1 0 M3000 3 K 30K 300K 30M5 0 0 0 5 K 50K 5 0 0 K 50M

K = 1,000; M = 1,000,000.

In the wink of an eyeStargates and teleportation systems and

powers enable travelers to instantaneouslycross long distances. Travel time is limitedby the amount of time it takes to makeeach jump and the number of jumps nec-essary to cover the desired distance. Most

Table 2Starship Flight Category

1 d 1 0 0 Category0 1 - 1 0 STL11-25 TRL26-45 A-FTL46-55 STL/Warp56-75 FTL/Warp7 6 - 8 5 A-FTL/Warp86-90 STL/A-Warp9 1 - 9 5 FTL/A-Warp96-00 A-FTL/A-Warp

MARVEL UNIVERSE™teleportation systems are designed tohandle individuals or small loads. Theymay be placed on planetary surfaces orbuilt into spacecraft of any sort.

Stargates are immense portals capable ofhandling entire starships; these devicesoften appear to be titanic doors or hoopsmiles across. Objects must be able to phys-ically pass through a stargate in order to“se it. Starships can be moving at sublightspeed when they “se a stargate, althoughthe ship must be piloted very accurately.The Shi’ar are the primary users of star-gates; they maintain a network of themthrough the universe, including one within10 lightdays of Earth. At this time, thegates are heavily guarded at the Shi’arends.

A portable stargate was left in Manhat-tan by Shi’ar agent Davan Shakari. Thisstargate is currently powerless and thuscan only receive travelers. However, it canbe made operational by a power source ofat least Shift-X intensity (for example,

Firelord’s cosmic power). ‘This stargate’sexistence is known to the X-Men, X-Factor,Firelord, Lilandra, Misty Knight, and JeanGrey’s parents. Although it was last seenon the roof of Misty Knight’s apartment,the current location of the stargate isunknown. Unless the stargate is repro-grammed, it will send any user to theunnamed world within the Shi’ar Empirethat holds the M’Krann Crystal. This bar-ren world is normally uninhabited. Thisstargate can be reprogrammed by anIncredible Reason FEAT

Natural spacewarpsThe structure of the Marvel Comics’

universe is riddled with spacewarps.These function as interdimensional tun-nels that enable any ship capable of FTLflight to swiftly cross enormous distancesin even less time than usual. Earth is nearone of the largest junctions of spacewarpsin the universe, a crossroads for half theknown starfaring races. This is one of thereasons why Earth keeps attracting somany space travelers. Known warps in-clude several linking Earth with variouspoints in the Andromeda galaxy and oneto the Kree Empire in the Greater Magel-lanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milkyway galaxy.

Your own starshipThe MARVEL SUPER HEROES Advanced

Set contains the basic procedure for build-ing your own starship. If takes anAmazing Reason FEAT to design a star-drive capable of FTL flight. The ResourceFEAT is X rank for a basic FTL ship, higherfor a more advanced model.

Sometimes a powerful energy source canbe used to modify an STL ship to FTLspeeds. One such example was the “se ofThor’s Mjolnir to propel a Quinjet betweenthe stars. Such an energy source must be ofat least Unearthly rank, and the ship to be somodified must have at least an STL drive.

Starships can also be directly gained bya variety of means, proper and improper.Ships may be recovered if abandoned,stolen from their owners, or rebuilt fromparts scavenged from damaged vessels.Terrans kidnapped by aliens might over-throw their captors and seize the aliens’ship for themselves. A starfaring race maypresent a Terran with a starship as a giftor reward, such as when Prince Dezangave a Skrull starship to the FantasticFour. If all else fails, travelers can alwaystry buying a starship, assuming your PCscan find one for sale.

Table 3Starship Speed Ranks

1 d 1 0 0 Speed rank01-08 F E09-16 P R17-24 TY25-32 GD33-40 EX41-48 RM49-56 I N57-64 AM65-72 M N73-79 UN80-85 X86-90 Y91-94 Z95-97 C100098-99 C30000 0 C5000

Table 4Starship Passenger Loads

Maximum1 d 1 0 0 passenger load01-20 121-60 1-1061-90 1-10091-99 1-1,000

00 1-10,000

Tables 2-4 can also be used to quicklygenerate a starship with a few rolls of thedice. Table 4 determines the number oftypical humanoids that can be kept aliveby the life-support system, allowing atleast one chair or berth for each potentialpassenger. If a cargo ship is desired, sub-tract 1-10 crew-beings and multiply theremaining number of passengers by 200lbs. to get the starship’s cargo limit.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES is a trademark of theMarvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Marvel charac-ters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereofare trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment group,Inc. ©1990 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllRights Reserved.

Loom (Lucasfilm Games)

Magic, adventure, and the joys(?) of atomic war

©1990 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser

Before we delve into this month�s re-views, we�d like to define the differences,as we see them, among the games wereview. For software gamers, there arefour basic genres of entertainment: ani-mated adventures, role-playing simula-tions, arcade/action games, and strategygames. At rare times, you might find asingle offering encompassing two of theseenvironments.

Animated adventures are graphicallyrich, musically superior adventureswherein you become the lead (and onlymajor) character on a quest. This game islike a motion picture, an interactive moviethat is played out for your enjoymentbased upon your decisions at variousbranches of the adventure.

DRAGON 47

A role-playing simulation differs in thatyou must create a party of characters toaccomplish the quest. These simulationsare usually based upon a specific role-playing system, such as TSR�s AD&D®game or GDW�s MEGATRAVELLER� game.You control everything these characters doand attempt to gain experience for themso that the ultimate goal of the game canbe accomplished.

Success at an arcade/action game de-pends upon your skills in manipulating ajoystick to control your character. Thesegames usually require face-to-face con-frontations with enemies, and your sword-or magic-wielding accuracy depends uponhow well you manipulate the I/O device(mouse, joystick, trackball, keyboard, andso on).

The strategy game is designed for thosewho are tacticians. These gamers followhistorical and futuristic confrontationswith fanatical attention to detail. Move-ment points, individual squad strengths,choice of weaponry, terrain�all are im-portant in determining how a war is won.Many offerings allow players to restruc-ture history itself and usually allow forhundreds of hours of gaming because ofthe product�s intricacies.

Reviews

Computer games� ratings

X Not recommended* Poor* * Fair*** Good

* * * * Excellent* * * * * Superb

Lucasfilm GamesP.O. Box 10307San Rafael CA 94912(415) 662-1902

Loom * * * * *

PC/MS-DOS version $59.95Brian Moriarty, whose Infocom text

adventures are now classics, wrote Loom.He wanted to create a fantasy adventurethat moved away from the stereotypicalcharacters found in the majority of fan-tasy worlds�orcs, trolls, hobbits, and thelike�and he succeeded! One reason Loomreceives our five-star rating is that it hasan original plot and great craftsmanship.Within Loom, you�ll encounter a variety ofguilds whose followers specialize in spe-cific crafts, such as crystal-makers andblacksmiths; there are even shepherdswho possess no mean skills.

48 JULY 1990

Loom (Lucasfilm Games)

You can save games in progress, which ishighly recommended. As soon as you havecompleted a scene to your satisfaction,save it! You simply press the F5 key tosave, load, or continue play. You may alsoselect one of three modes of play: Stand-ard, for regular game play with a littlehelp from on-screen items; Practice, tolearn the mechanics of the game beforestarting the adventure �for real�; andExpert, which does away with some of thevisual assistance.

Accompanying the disks is a Dolbystereo tape that helps you to enjoy theadventure by leading you into the worldof Loom before you boot the software.And you�ll also find a red gel that is thegame�s copy-protection device. You mustdefine certain portions of drafts (musicalspells) for specified guild icons, and theonly way these musical icons are readableis through use of the red gel.

Loom follows the life and times of oneBobbin Threadware. Bobbin is with theGuild of Weavers and starts the adventuretotally inexperienced in the ways of magic.Believe us, by the end of the game, he�llknow a great deal! In Loom, sound be-comes magic. A thread is a combination offour musical notes ranging from c to c�.Each series of threads produces a draft�aspell. A correct draft produces an effectupon its target.

To cast drafts, Bobbin uses the magicstaff of the Elders. You�ll find this staff,called the distaff, on-screen below theanimation window. Below the distaff ismusical staff notation, with the letters c, d,e, f, g, a, b, and c in the seven sections ofthe notation. Each note represents a sec-tion of the distaff.

You select the target for your magic byclicking on it with the on-screen cursor.The target becomes identified with bothits picture and its name appearing in thelower-right corner of the screen. You thenactivate your draft in one of three ways:click on specific sections of the distaff thatcorrespond to the musical notes; click onthe notes found in the notation; or enterthe notes via the keyboard.

As you play the notes that make up thedraft, your distaff sounds each note whileilluminating that section of the distaff. Ifyou are successful, you see that your

target is illuminated in white, shining light.If the draft was incorrect but still bonafide magic, the target is illuminated withreddish light. If you performed an incor-rect draft, nothing will happen except thatBobbin will acknowledge that it probablywas not a draft in the first place.

If your draft is correct, its effect willoccur after the target is illuminated. Forexample, one of the earliest drafts youlearn is that of dyeing. As this draft worksonly on wool, you soon note that once thewhite illumination has ceased, what wasonce plain, white wool is now colored.(Don�t forget that wool can also be founda-hoof!)

Little occurs within this engrossingadventure that should not be taken noteof. Write down what is seen, heard, orsaid. The most minuscule fact could easilybe overlooked, and that fact might affectthe adventure 20 scenes down the road.One enjoyable aspect of Loom is that theadventure was designed to be won. Weguarantee that anyone with a modicum ofcommon sense and delight in fantasy willwin this game. It won�t sit on your soft-ware shelf gathering dust.

Yes, there is a great deal to learn and agreat deal to listen to, but the effort isworth the outcome. Not only is Loomdelightful to run, but it is a visual treat aswell. As with all Lucasfilm Gamesproducts, the programming that producesthe animation, graphics, and sound is allfirst rate. The AdLib score is also topnotch, and we can only imagine how de-lightful the Roland MT32 MIDI soundtrack must be.

The secret to the game�s success is thecharacterization of the hero, Bobbin. He isan extremely likable individual, with asense of humor as well as a sense of re-sponsibility. The manner in which you, asBobbin, overcome the adventure�s trialsrequires logical thought.

The game also comes with a Book ofPatterns, your personal diary of spellweav-ing. Two drafts are already completed inthe book: Opening (e c e d) and Transcen-dence (c� f g c). However, the latter spell is not draftable until the end of the game,after you have acquired knowledge andskill and have been awarded the 8th note.Oh, we forgot�when you start the game,all you know are the three notes c, d, ande. You�ll gain the other notes as you suc-cessfully complete various parts of theadventure. As you learn various drafts,write them down in the Book of Patterns�in pencil, as you will probably make mis-takes in your assumptions. Also, shouldyou start a new game while having savedan old game, the drafts will be different.For example, Kirk and Hartley playedLoom separately. Hartley�s draft for Emp-tying was: g e e d. Kirks draft was: g f f e.As you can tell, cheating by looking atsomeone else�s drafts won�t help!

Loom is so good that it retains its five-star rating despite minor technical difficul-ties encountered early in the adventure.

Three of the early animated scenes pro-duced butchered text on the screen. If twolines of text were displayed and Bobbinmoved off the right side of the screen,then half of the previous text remainedon-screen when the new screen appeared.Incoming, new text was superimposed onthe old text, making it hard to read. Thiswas especially true during the first view-ings of the Loom itself. A minor point butone that should be addressed in futurereleases. We also experienced one gamecrash that occurred early in the game,when we double-clicked on a target andstruck a note key at the same time. How-ever, this crash was the exception, as it didnot occur again. Kirk managed to reachthe adventure�s conclusion in six hoursand Hartley in eight hours, at the Standardlevel of play.

The problem with Loom is that�well, itends! The adventure is engrossing andexciting, especially as you uncover themeans to cast magic in scene after detailedscene. It is extremely disappointing whenthe story comes to its conclusion. Brianand the creative folk at Lucasfilm Gameshave managed to create truly memorablecharacters and, like a good book or finefilm, you hate to leave them after spendingso many good hours with them close athand.

However, be of good cheer. For if youanalyze the last few scenes of Loom, yourealize there must be a sequel in theworks. After all, how many Lucas filmsmanaged successful sequels? And believeus, Loom plays far more as an interactivemovie on your computer monitor than asa software game. We recall that Chaos hasan important feather in its possession, andthe Pattern can be repaired! All those whowere lost must be reunited with Bobbinand the Elders.

This review boils down to the fact thatLoom is special. It is highly entertainingand is so unusual that you must experi-ence it. We recommend its purchase.

This game was reviewed on a PC/MS-DOS AT clone with an EGA board and EGAmonitor plus the AdLib sound board. It isplayable through use of the mouse, joystick, or the keyboard. The PC/MS-DOSversion requires an IBM microcomputer orclone or a PS/2 with at least 512K of mem-ory. The game supports VGA, EGA, CGA,MCGA, and Tandy 16-color video boards.Also supported are AdLib and CMS soundcards. For those fortunate (and wealthyenough) to possess the Roland MT32Sound Module or Roland�s LAPC-1 SoundCard, you�ll need 640K of memory and ahard-disk drive. Loom can be upgradedfor $10 to address these advanced MIDI-compatible sound systems. Even though ahard-disk drive is not required, we highlyrecommend it as there are six 5.25� gamedisks and the scene access is far fasterwhen read from the hard disk. An installa-tion program for transferring the filesfrom the floppy disks to your hard disk isincluded.

Gunboat (Accolade)

Accolade550 South Winchester BoulevardSan Jose CA 95128(408) 985-1700

Gunboat * * * *

PC/MS-DOS version $49.95Gunboat is a river combat simulator thatputs the gamer into the pilot�s chair of aPatrol Boat Riverine (PBR). These boatswere skillfully employed in Vietnam andare likewise engaged in difficult missionsin this simulation. As you complete eachmission, you are promoted and earnmedals. You start out in Vietnam and,when you earn your second lieutenant�sbar, move on to battle the drug kingpins ofColumbia. Make the grade of lieutenantcommander and you�re patrolling thePanama Canal Zone. Each mission is welldesigned and certain to put you in theheat of action.

Using the keyboard, the function keys,and the (preferred) joystick, you movethrough a number of stations aboard yourPBR, including those for the pilot, thestern gunner, and the midship gunner.After you have equipped your PBR, thesestations can be brought into play by sim-ply pressing their corresponding keyboardkeys. From the pilot station you can alsocommand your crew to Open or CeaseFire (you don�t have to man the gun em-placements unless you have a good feel forhow the simulation is commanded). Youcontrol the spotlights and the ship�s speed,and can identify targets for your gunners.

Gunboat is a fine combat simulation. Theonly historical area I found deficient was

in the Vietnam combat environment. Hav-ing served with the Mobile Riverine Forcein Vietnam in 1968, I know that hostileencounters with the VC did not consist ofthe enemy actually exposing themselves toour fire by walking directly to the water�sedge from jungle concealment and open-ing fire on our PBRs with small arms. Mostof the time, incoming fire was directedfrom concealed, fortified emplacementspacking heavy machine-gun and mortarweaponry.

A second problem is that a code wheel isneeded to enter the actual simulation, andwe found one correct code entry was notrecognized by the program. When thisoccurs, you are forced to practice yourgunnery. Fortunately, a hit of the TAB Keybrings you back to the codewheel copyprotection method, and you can try again.Accolade doesn�t dump you to DOS assome games do, requiring that you rebootthe game.

Keep an eye on your damage reports,keep your joystick powered forward, andkick the enemy�s butt. Gunboat is an excit-ing and better-than-average combat simu-lation. It is the first PBR simulation I�veseen, and it offers a constant challenge toincrease your grade through commandingdifficult missions. It is worth adding toyour software library.

The game requires an IBM PC, XT, AT,PS/2 or compatible computer supportingVGA/MCGA, EGA, CGA, Tandy 16-color, orHercules MGA graphics boards. It supports Ad Lib, CMS, Roland MT32 soundboards. The game requires 512K RAM.

DRAGON 49

UBI Soft Entertainment Software(distributed by Electronic Arts)1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

Iron Lord * * * *

Commodore Amiga version $39.95Originally developed in France, this

fantasy game sports some of the mostunusual graphics, animation, and soundyet released in a computer entertainment.Playing this game is like interacting with amotion picture. The change of musicaltheme and tempo matches your speed asyou gallop from town to town. No matterhow many times we played this game, themusic never interfered with play.

You are trying to rouse the inhabitantsaround your ancestral castle in order tobattle the Army of Chaos. Your uncle,Zolphar, usurped the throne from yourfather in a bloody coup years ago. Now it�sup to you to get revenge and inherit yourcrown.

You can visit seven locations in yourattempt to build an army. First is yourcastle, which serves as your HQ. This isthe only area where you can save yourgame, a point that can become a hin-drance. If you gain influence in an area,you must ride back to your castle at oncein order to save the game; should you bekilled in the next sequence, you then won�tlose all of your time and effort in reboot-ing. You can declare war from your castle,but only after you build your army.

Other areas you can visit �include: theSeer�s Cottage (perhaps some magic isavailable there!); the towns of ChatenayMalabry, Lorando, and Torantek; the Tem-plar Abbey; and the Miller�s Cottage. Some-times you�ll be asked to intercede forsomeone and right a wrong, such as col-lecting overdue payment for services. Youcan also engage in a first-rate archerycontest, games of chance such as dice, andan arm-wrestling competition to increaseyour influence.

The final battle is awesome. You mustassemble your volunteers in an all-outeffort to defeat the Army of Chaos. Don�teven think of trying this unless you haveat least one regiment of soldiers at yourcommand. You must also keep in mindyour troop�s morale. There are two stagesto the battle: troop movement and combatitself. If you survive the onslaught, you�vestill got to get through the Labyrinth andits dangerous surprises before you canbattle your evil uncle. Swords and keyscan be found on each level. Should you getthrough a Labyrinth level, you must stillsucceed at an arcade phase that pits youagainst monsters who enjoy throwing acidat you!

Ah, but all is not so perfect. For exam-ple, the game requires that you use both amouse and a joystick. The former is re-quired for your character�s activities, suchas selecting your destinations on the on-screen map, walking about, and selecting

50 JULY 1990

Iron Lord (UBI Soft Entertainment Software)

Welltris (Spectrum HoloByte)

items from a menu (such as Discuss orBuy). The latter is required for combat.This means that you must drop the mouseto take up the joystick to parry an attackand to inflict damage on an assassin;within three or four slices, you�re mince-meat. The game does not simply restart;you must reboot your Amiga with IronLord�s disk one in your dh1: drive. Thisseems somewhat awkward, especially asmost action sequences in other entertain-

ments do not require grabbing a differentI/O device for special sequences.

Iron Lord is a very good game. It couldhave been a great game where it not forthe confusing I/O device requirements andthe fact that you can only save the game inone location. Despite these drawbacks,Iron Lord will remain in our active libraryas we forge ahead and try to defeat theArmy of Chaos and that rotten uncle!

Spectrum HoloByte2061 Challenger DriveAlameda CA 94501(415) 522-1164

Welltris * * * * *

Macintosh IIx version $39.95Once again, Alexey Pajitnov has coded a

truly marvelous arcade treat. He is knownfor his first work, Tetris, that won majorsoftware awards from magazines andpublishers alike. Now Welltris offers thegamer an even more complex gamingenvironment.

What a player notices immediately whenplaying the Macintosh version of this gameare the striking colors in the authenticRussian artwork and the strident Russianmusic (written by the talented folk at EdBogas Productions). Welltris is a step be-yond Tetris in that you are given threedifficulty levels and five speed settings.Until you believe you have mastered thegame, start at the slowest speed, then,watch and learn how this highly addictivearcade game can drive you up the wall.

In Welltris, random blocky shapes tum-ble down a 3-D four-walled well. As theshapes drift toward the bottom of thewell, you can turn them on their sides andmove them around the wall itself. You aretrying to position the pieces so all fit onthe first layer of the well. As other piecestumble downward, you fit the shapestogether in carefully fitted layers. You canrequest that a shape be previewed by theprogram before it drops down the well.This helps you figure a fit for the shapebefore it actually falls. If you can fit thepieces so they form a line from one wall toanother wall, that line is removed and youcan fit more pieces on that level. You�llcontinue to fit pieces as long as there isroom at the bottom of the well. Each suc-cessful fit scores points. The higher thespeed at which you fit the pieces, themore points are awarded. If you can clearthe entire well, you�ll be rich with points!

This game�s copy protection is quitesensible. You are shown a flag of one ofthe republics within the Soviet Union andare asked either the republic�s name, itsarea in square miles, or the name of itscapital city. You leaf through the user�sguide, locate the flag, and type in theanswer.

A word of warning to Macintosh II play-ers: Remove the 32-Bit QuickDraw filefrom your System Folder before you startplay. If you don�t, your system will crash.The alert is not found within the manual,but a call to Spectrum HoloByte assuredme that the company is fixing this.

Welltris is certainly the finest arcadegame we�ve played so far this year. It willtake one heckuva program to top this oneas far as its total play-to-dollar ratio, andwe doubt whether many gamers will evergrow tired of playing Welltris. The chal-lenge, sights, sounds, and constantlychanging facets make this game an experi-ence not to be missed.

New World ComputingP.O. Box 2068Van Nuys CA 91404(818) 999-0607

Nuclear War * * * * ½

Commodore Amiga version $49.95When Balance of Power fails, it�s time

for Nuclear War. In this tongue-in-cheekgame, one player competes against fourworld leaders. The object of the game is tobe the only surviving nation on Earth witha population of at least one million people.The other leaders are also trying to accom-plish this goal. However, the other leaderseach have a personality flaw that affectshis strategy. Personalities include a pacifist(Jimmy Farm), a liar (If-icky Dick), and awarmonger (Ronny Raygun).

The game is divided into a series ofturns. A divided screen reveals your ownnation and the others in the current game.The screen corners show the world lead-ers and their reactions to you. On eachturn, you can readily see how many peo-ple another leader has in his nation. Youcan also tell how other world leaders arereacting to that leader on a scale of 1-100.These reactions are a major force in help-ing you determine your moves.

Each turn leaves many options available.First, you can use propaganda againstanother leader in hopes of turning severalmillion of his population to your corner.Propaganda doesn�t always work, and youcan actually lose folk instead of gainingthem. You can also have your populationbuild for a turn in hopes of making mis-siles, bombers, warheads, and strategicdefense systems. The numbers and kindsof weapons created depends on how manypeople are in your nation. Building formore than one turn is called stockpiling,and that hurts your relationships withother countries.

A player can also prepare a missile orbomber during a turn. During the follow-ing turn, you can load nuclear megatonageup to the limit of the missile or bomberpayload. Missiles range from the 10-megaton capacity Carnage missile to the100-megaton capacity Pacifier missile. Amissile carries its payload to a target and isthen lost. The two bombers, the NP-1 (forNuclear Postman) and the GR-2 (for GrimReaper), have a 50- and 100-megaton ca-pacity respectively and can each attackseveral different targets.

For defense, the player can set up aLaser Net Defense System that destroysincoming missiles during that turn. Orthere�s the Peacekeeper MegaCannon,which can be utilized to keep any missileor bomber out of striking distance.

Once you�ve selected an option for the.current turn, the screen changes to aworld overview and the moves orderedfor the turn are then carried out. Randomevents�earthquakes, meltdowns, popula-tion explosions, 16-ton weights, flyingsaucers, and mass defections�bringcheers of hope or cries of anguish to any

country, If a country�s people are com-pletely obliterated, that country uses itsfinal strike. This means the country firesoff its entire arsenal of missiles andbombers at countries ranging in orderfrom the least favorite nation to the mostrespected nation. If someone actuallybecomes the victor, his name is etched intothe game�s hall of fame.

Considering the dire nature of thegame�s subject, some gamers will probablynot like its treatment of war. Then thereare others who enjoy games like Balanceof Power or Defcon 1, and they will thinkthis tongue-in-cheek nuclear-war game is areal treat. Many gamers will find the hu-mor in the comic characterizations ofworld leaders to be entertaining. Thegame is certainly challenging.

My only criticism is that only one personcan play this game against four computeropponents. I would much prefer havingthe option of four human competitorswith the computer available to fill anyempty character slots. Otherwise, if acomic treatment of nuclear war doesn�toffend you, go out and get Nuclear Warand irradiate someone.

News and new productsAccolade released Chris Crawford�s

Balance of the Planet in time for Earth Dayon April 22nd. This game takes a complexissue and, turns it into an engrossing, fun-filled simulation with a high degree ofaccuracy. You are appointed by the UnitedNations to the post of High Commissionerof the Environment. The powers of theoffice involve levying taxes on industryand granting subsidies to worthwhileactivities. Issues to be grappled with in-clude acid rain, water pollution, nuclearaccidents, global warming, consumergoods, and starvation. Points are given forindustrial productivity and the absence oftoxic pollution. The simulation is availablefor the Macintosh or PC/MS-DOS com-puters at $49.95.

Broderbund Software (415-492-3200) hasreleased Wolfpack, a detailed graphicsimulation of World War II naval combatbetween German U-boat wolf packs andAllied convoys. The simulation is for PC/MS-DOS computers at $54.95. Each screenfeatures 256-color VGA graphics, and thegame fully supports AdLib, Sound Blaster,and Tandy Sounds. You can choose sides,and the simulation comes with 12 easy-to-understand scenarios of various levels ofdifficulty. There is also a detailed missionconstruction set so players can createtheir own scenarios.

A second offering from Broderbund isPrince of Persia, for PC/MS-DOS and AppleIIGS computers. This game has a suspense-ful plot with a romantic Arabian Nightsatmosphere. You combine exploration andpuzzle-solving as a young visitor withwhom the beautiful Princess, the daughterof the Sultan, has fallen in love. The Grand

DRAGON 51

Vizier Jaffar, intent on seizing the thronehimself in her father�s absence, plans tomarry the Princess. You are thrown into adungeon, and the Princess is given anhour to choose between the Grand Vizieror death. You escape from the cell and�well, there are more than 250 screens inthis adventure. A continuation featureallows you to stop playing and then re-sume at your current level.

Data East USA (408-286-7080) has re-leased North & South, a strategy game forPC/MS-DOS and Atari ST computers at$39.95, and for Amiga computers at$44.95. You use strategy and skill to guideyour troops through famous Civil Warskirmishes. With four stages of battle,players are able to control different num-bers of armies and territories, launchattacks, and travel from state to state asthey confront the challenges on their wayto victory. There are three levels of diffi-culty. You can start the conflict in any yearfrom 1861 to 1864. This game includesIndian attacks, storms, and unexpectedreinforcements.

Another Electronic Arts-distributed labelis Strategic Simulations, which has re-leased Second Front and Waterloo. SecondFront is one of the most detailed wargames SSI has ever published. It is adivision-level strategic game that extendsfrom Berlin in the west to Stalingrad in theeast and covers the entire Russian Front.One or two players command over 150German divisions and over 200 Sovietdivisions, with data available down toindividual tank, plane, and infantry-squadlevel. Pop-up menus and state-of-the-artgraphics are used to direct air operationssuch as interdictions, airlifts, and strategicbombings. You can control productionfacilities or let the computer handle pro-duction. The price is $59.95 for PC/MS-DOS and Amiga computers.

Waterloo enables you to recreate one ofthe greatest military battles of all time.Static 3-D scenes of the state of the battlemay be viewed from any position or in anydirection, and the battle is controlled bygiving orders to the generals in text form.The generals interpret orders according totheir nature; an impetuous general willcharge in with everything, while a morecautious general will shell the enemy forhours. The price is $59.95 for Atari ST,Amiga, and PC/MS-DOS machines.

Media Technology (301-926-8300) is nowshipping Dragon�s Lair: Escape FromSinge�s Castle. Based on the videodisc gamecreated by Don Bluth, this is the latestsequel in the continuing adventures ofDirk the Daring. Princess Daphne hasbeen captured by Singe the Dragon andspirited away to the innnermost recessesof the castle. As Dirk, you must save herfrom the clutches of the Evil Shapeshifterwho lurks deep within the catacombs.Only 512K of RAM is required, and thegame can be installed on any Amiga hard-disk drive for $69.95; versions are plannedfor the Apple Macintosh and Atari ST

52 JULY 1990

computers.MicroProse Software (301-771-1151) is

now marketing Paragon Software�s Mega-Traveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy,based on the role-playing game by GameDesigners� Workshop. Players assumecontrol of five unique characters as theytravel to the Spinward Marches on thefrontier of the shattered realm of theImperium. The character-generation sys-tem provides five military classes andmore than 70 talents and abilities. Eachcharacter is controlled separately in real-time combat sequences on the ground andin space, with more than 30 weapons andweapons skills. MegaTraveller 1 will bereleased for PC/MS-DOS computers.

Sierra On-Line (209-683-4468) has re-leased Codename: Iceman, a fictional butall-too-real look at the espionage and poli-tics of a clash between the superpowers.Released for PC/MS-DOS computers, itcosts $59.95. Additional versions will bereleased soon for the Commodore Amiga,Apple Macintosh, Atari ST, and NEC 9801computers. This Tom Clancy-style techno-thriller is set in the year 2000. Although itis an animated adventure game, it offers afull submarine simulator, and much of thegame takes place underwater. Using akeyboard or an optional mouse, you canwork the gauges and steering wheel in thesub. An improved parser provides a muchmore life-like feel to the action.

Also from Sierra is Conquests of Came-lot, a King Arthur adventure, for PC/MS-DOS computers. You travel from Camelotto the Holy Land in search of the HolyGrail. The search will test your character�swill, faith, and physical prowess. Con-quests of Camelot features combat thatbrings role-playing elements into this 3-Danimated adventure. The price is $59.95,and a cluebook is coming for $9.95.

Taito (604-984-3344) is releasing severalnew entertainments for the NintendoEntertainment System, including TargetRenegade, Wrath of the Black Manta,Dungeon Magic, and Indiana Jones and theLast Crusade. Coming for Game Boy areFlipull and Space Invaders.

Clue corner

Autoduel (Origin)In the final mission, head east when

coming back from Watertown. Don�t stopat truck stops if you can help it or elseyou�ll get shot.

Gavin SnyderFt. Lauderdale FL

The Bard�s Tale II (Interplay)1. To gain a lot of experience points

quickly, take a party of two medium-levelcharacters out on their own and seek outsorcerers. You will find that if you letthem call up 55 ninjas and you disbelievethem BEFORE you kill the sorcerers, youwill receive 65,280 xp!

2. If you have a party of four characters,

you will have to double the number ofninjas disbelieved to get the same amountof experience.

3. When fighting conjurers with a two-character party, 50 wolves called up bythe conjurers are worth 30,848 xp. With aparty of six characters, 50 wolves areworth 10,602 xp.

Murray WeissmanGlenside PA

Battletech (Infocom)1. The best �Mech is a modified

Commando.2. The spare parts are in the northeast

corner of the cache. The Phoenix Hawklab is in the southeast section of the cache.

Andy AhnnAnaheim CA

Mechwarrior (Infocom)[C64/128 version:] If you don�t have a

�Mech, go to the arena and sign in. In thearena, if you cycle through your targets,you will find one called Enemy Spectatorin the west wall. Destroy it and go throughthe hole in the wall. You�ll have lost yourdeposit, of course, but you will havegained a �Mech. Although it�s a Locust, it�sbetter than no �Mech at all.

After you find Dr. Tellhim, go exactly inthe direction he specifies to get to the StarLeague cache.

Gavin SnyderFort Lauderdale FL

1. Shoot for the legs of an enemy �Mech,as your salvage profit will be higher.

2. Always leave one �Mech (with yourcrew) on guard at the mission objective.

3. Try to get missions like guard duty�make the enemy come to you.

4. As the enemy approaches you, moveto the side. Most of the time you will beignored. Volley on the enemy as they pass.

5. As your reputation increases, betterpilots and gunners will appear. Drop yourweakest-skilled gunner/pilot before youenter the bar.

6. Learn where the pause key is!David Waters

APO NY

1. Traveling to the bar at Lands End willput you on the path toward tracking downyour family�s killers and recovering thechalice. Accept the pirate Grig Griez�smission but feel free to return later to payhim back for any acts of treachery. Some-times the �Mech complex will also havevisitors that can help you.

2. Remember that the clock is runningeven as you try to gather the funds tobuild your lance of �Mechs. Select missionsthat involve only short trips, unless youbelieve the payoff is particularly high for alonger trip.

3. A good way to obtain more credits isto sell your Jennifer at Land�s End, performGriez�s mission, then go to a planet where�Mechs are cheaper to purchase. If you are

determined to find out the chalice�s loca-tion right away, do not bother to buy anew �Mech. Once you have that informa-tion, you will have enough money to buy anew �Mech.

David RakonitzMenlo Park CA

Pool of Radiance (SSI)In Sokal Keep, you don�t need to fight

the undead! Translate the dead elf�s wordswith the translation wheel. Use the middleword on the random undead patrols, thetop word on the groaning spirits, and thebottom word on the pale spirits.

When you enter Podal Plaza, sneakaround. Head toward the center of theplaza. When you get to the auction, listenfor comments. This will tell what kind ofobject is for sale.

There is also a manual in Menthor�slibrary that you can sell for 25,000 gp.Also, keep some Detect Magic spells handyand cast them after a fixed battle; youmight get a surprise!

Christopher OzolsEden Prairie MN

(Want to �find� some interesting items?)First, be certain that one of your charac-

ters has at least 10 to 15 arrows. Next,have your cleric or magic-user cast a De-tect Magic spell. Enter one of the weapon�sshops in the city. Choose the �View� optionand view the character with the arrows.(The arrows should not be readied!) Now,choose the �Half� option and continue tosplit the arrows down into smaller units.Even when your character�s backpack canhold no more items, continue to split thearrows. Continue to watch your screendisplay for a magic object. I have done thismany times, and each attempt has resultedin a mysterious item that appears in thecharacter�s list of items. The object may bejust about anything. Usually I received acursed bag, but on one occasion, a LongSword + 3 and a Broad Sword + 2 ap-peared. Be warned that sometimes, whenthe object appears, it will take the place ofanother object in your pack. But that�s thechance you take to obtain somethingworthwhile!

A. J. VelezStonington CT

The captain of the Buccaneer�s Camp isworth fighting. Memorize a Detect Magicspell for use after the fight!

Eliminating all the spectres in the grave-yard first will save a lot of trouble later.

It pays to help the Nomads.Quicklings can be put to sleep.There are fourteen 8th-level fighters

guarding the Boss. Be prepared!The Baglione Brothers

Columbia MD

Once you have found the stairway en-trance to Tyranthraxus�s lair, use the Dustof Disappearance before you enter. En-camp outside the entrance, get ready, and

use the dust. This will render your entireparty invisible. Go down the stairway, andyou will be immediately confronted by anumber of guards. Spread your party out.Have your magic-user cast as many Fire-ball spells as he or she can manage. Thenclose in with the rest of the party andclean up. Tyranthraxus will confront youand ask you to make a choice. Vote toattack. Then close in on him immediatelyand hammer him with no mercy. Enjoy theensuing experience-point award!

I also have another suggestion; do thiseach time you start Pool of Radiance. Afteryou load a saved game, and before startingthe adventure, remove all characters fromthe party and then add them back. Thiskeeps the current statistics of your charac-ter in the character pool list. If a characterdies, drop him when encamped and savethe game. Restart the game and add thedead character back to your party fromthe character pool list. This is a great giftfrom the Silicon God himself!

John Martin, Jr.Skiatook OK

1. An easy way to conquer the slums isto hire two heros, find and enter a com-bat, then accidentally (oops!) cast a spell(either a Sleep or a Stinking Cloud) onthem�but don�t target them!. Once down,kill them; don�t worry if you�re good, theheroes were evil. Their plate and two-handed swords are both + 1. Use thistechnique to get rid of the trolls and theogres in the slums as well. Put the heros infront, let them take most of the damage,then kill them near the end of the combat.

2. In the evil pyramid, to get to the pollu-tion�s source, go to the first room to theright of the entrance and enter (do notthrow a rock). The rock-throwing se-quence is as follows: 0 (as above), then goto the opposite teleporter and throw threerocks before entering, then throw threeagain, and then one rock. . . .

3. A certain fighter in the maze has amost interesting long sword.

Ted YepCalgary, Alberta

(Werner Hager of Boulder Creek, Calif.,claims that he and his friends Josh Bendonand Joe Brigham conquered the game intwo weeks flat! Here are his tips.)

If you find an item on your equipmentlist called Of Displacement Fortress, go tothe nearest temple and get Remove Cursecast on that character. Then sell that itemfor a large amount of cash. You�ll noticethat your character will start regeneratingany damage at 1 hp/round.

If you are also having a hard time withthe game, you really should purchase the FORGOTTEN REALMS� module, FRC1Ruins of Adventure, from TSR. It is basedon this computer game and offers severalimportant clues. But don�t trust everythingyou read! [In reality, Pool of Radiance wasbased upon FRC1, not vice versa. JimWard, of TSR, Inc., points out that killing

the vampire in the graveyard isn�t quitethe same when you compare the moduleversion to the computer game, so watchout!�The editors]

If you are having difficulty gettingthrough the mazes of Valjevo Castle, fol-low these directions:

1. Go through the west entrance to themazes. A map to the first maze may befound under Journal Entry #41.

2. Go to the southeast corner of themaze and save your game here.

3. Turn north and head straight throughthe poisonous thorns. If one of your char-acters dies, restart and try again.

4. Once you are through the thorns, gothrough the east door. Turn south and gothrough what seems to be a wall. At thetop of the stairs is a secret door.

Abel StrongGreenville MI

That�s it for this month. Again, pleaseremain considerate of fellow gamers. Tipsand hints about games that can save themfrom doom and devastation might bereturned in kind one day! Mail your gameclues to The Lessers, 179 Pebble Place, SanRamon, CA 94583, U.S.A. Until nextmonth, game on!

DRAGON 53

54 JULY 1990

ISULMARI

It happened one time that the wizard Hath was young andtook the wanderlust. He left the cities and wizards of thenorth and went where his feet took him.

One day he stopped to lunch upon the broad flat rock inthe farthest meadow of the Kettry lands, where the firstoffspring of the first mating of mountain ponies and low-land horses ran at the heels of their dams. Hath sat lickinghis fingers and admiring the river valley below him, and avision seized him between one bite and the next.

Hath saw the southlands stretched below, altered in thewarp of time. He saw engines of war rolling up from be-yond the south. He saw valiant armies ride forth, to becrushed and scattered by men of strange aspect withstrange weapons like no magic he knew. He saw the inva-sion thunder northward to his feet, and just as it wouldengulf him, the flat rock beneath him opened up and ahundred shining warriors rode forth. He saw a hundredwarriors, brave and skillful, with swords of might, keepingall the lands north of Kettry free.

Worst of all, he saw himself at the head of these war-riors. When Hath woke and saw the horses peacefullygrazing around him, he trembled and he wept. With asore heart, he laid aside his wanderlust and set about thetask laid on him.

At the monster-guarded lake of Ralanan he built anisland from huge bones dredged out of the depths bymagic. He bargained with the dwarfs, detecting for themlost hoards of dead dragons and glittering veins of un-touched ore. In exchange, they built his battlementedkeep and forged armor and weapons finer than any seenbefore between the mountains and the sea. As they builtand labored, he went searching, bringing together thesons of lords and farmers, kings and fishermen, to learnthe arts of war and sorcery.

All year they dwelt upon the Isle of Bone, learningevery art that it would be good to know when the terrorcame from the south. No stranger set foot upon the isle, but once a week a crofter rowed to the steps below thegate, bringing fruit and bread and meat. For this he waswell paid. Hath was training the greatest warriors that theland had seen, and not a king or a general but wouldspend his asking price to train their sons with him.

Each Midsummer they embarked in silken-sailed shipsto gather on the crofter�s field and tourney with all com-ers. It had been called the Low Field, but it became theField of Merry Battles. Those comers who acquitted them-selves well were admitted to the training, while those stu-dents who were beaten were turned away. So famousbecame these tourneys that men came from the bleakest,farthest northlands and bore strange swords out of thedesert south of Griffinvale to compete in them. Menwould leave their sweethearts, their wives, their children,and their kings to train a year upon the Isle of Bone.

The crofter�s eldest daughter, Sulmari, grew to her fullage, witnessing these tourneys and working hard to feedthe crowds that came. All women were forbidden to speakto the warriors of the Isle, for Hath feared the soft edge ofa woman�s voice against the hard edge of duty�but she

heWaitingWoman

By Peni R. Griffin

Illustrations by Martin Cannon

DRAGON 59

60

had eyes. A day came on which she noticed one man outof all of them, one who seemed to her as much better thanhis fellows as the moon is better than the stars�morehandsome, more graceful, kinder to his horse, quicker tosmile, sweeter to laugh, greater-hearted in victory. Hereyes sought this Balan out wherever he might be, andsometimes it seemed his eyes sought hers in return.

It was her dear despair and her unhappy pride that hewas as fine in the fray as any of his peers, and year byyear he returned to the Isle of Bone. Her father growingold, Sulmari assumed the task of carrying provision to theIsle. Never could she set foot on it or exchange a wordwith any man there but Hath; but sometimes she heardBalan�s voice or saw him from afar. On those days sherowed slowly home, to move silently about her work andlook carelessly upon the farmers, fishermen, herders�yes,and warriors�who came to court her.

Year by year, the tournaments went forward. Year byyear, fewer and fewer new warriors were admitted, andmore and more contests ended in draws as there came tobe less and less to choose among the warriors of the Isle ofBone.

At last, the summer Sulmari was thirty, came a greatfray in the Field of Merry Battles. Three days and threenights it raged; in the end, Hath, drooping with weari-ness, called a halt, for it was clear that the hundred menremaining were so evenly matched that not one could gainadvantage of another.

Hath clapped his hands. The field fell silent. Small boysran out with water for the warriors. Sulmari saw Balanruffle the hair of the boy who gave him drink, and smile,and let the boy hold the sword the dwarfs had forged.

Hath was an old man now, his beard the color ofDeath�s eyes, but he spoke out fair and strong of his visionand the terrible engines from the south and his shiningwarriors. �Here before you now you see those warriors,�he said, �and if they are not the greatest of the regionsbetween the mountains and the sea, it is because theirsuperiors are not yet born. Who the invader will be, orwhen he will come, I know not; but these hundred will await him beneath the flat rock, though they sleep a thou-sand years in readiness. We ride at daylight for Kettry.Let none hinder us.�

A hush fell over the Field of Merry Battle. Sulmari�sheart grew cold and still. As the warriors retreated to theirtents and the crowds murmured, she withdrew to her ownroom and provisioned herself for a journey.

A great crowd surged after the hundred as they leftLake Ralanan forever, and Sulmari was, but one among athousand. The hosts, fell away as the miles passed, andonly a handful rode onto Kettry lands to see the rock splitapart and the warriors file wordlessly in. With a wave ofhis hand Hath closed the rock, and the people dispersed totheir own places�all save one.

Sulmari approached Hath as he sat upon the rock, gaz-ing out over the rolling country of his vision. He knewher, and he bade her sit beside him. Together they gazedsouthward, and she told him how her heart was set.

�He does not know you,� said Hath.�He may,� said Sulmari. �Fifteen years have I waited,

and would wait a thousand more for that bright chance. Ihave been patient with your rules, Hath. I have let hope

JULY 1990

serve for action when I might any year have gone amongthe tents and tried to steal him from you.�

Hath moaned softly. �You know not what you ask!Think of it�a thousand years or more, maybe! Thetongues and ways of men will change; we will be a hun-dred strangers, leaping from sleep to war; and maybeyour Balan will fall before you hear his voice. You are afoolish woman. Go home.�

�You are a foolish man,� said Sulmari. �Will you re-main awake here, alone and old? On the day of waking,would you be tired from centuries of care, or fresh fromsleep? Yet someone must stay awake, lest sword and ar-mor rust, and the hair of your shining warriors grow longto bind them to their beds. Better me than you, surely, topolish and clip and clean through the long years?�

Hath felt his age lying heavy on his bones and consid-ered the long, dull years to come. The more he wouldpersuade her, the less he wished to face those years him-self. At length, then, she won him over. And thus it is,when we pass the Field of the Flat Rock at twilight, it is awoman�s form we see, looking southward for the war thatwill end her waiting.

IILORD KETTRY

He was three years old when he first heard the story of theWaiting Woman. His nurse, Adi, liked to take the chil-dren to picnic on the flat rock, and it was a natural tale totell young Kettry of Kettry and his older sisters as they atecold chicken and gathered dandelions. He was seven yearsold before he saw her, however, for the field was the far-thest from the house, and till then he was not allowed toroam at evening. It was a warm summer night, and hewas thinking of other things entirely, urging his pony afterhis sister Violet as they rode for home and supper.

She stood on the outward thrust of the rock, lookingdown on the first faint lights of Rosetown on the riverbelow. Her clothes looked gray in the twilight�long, thinclothes, not like the full skirts and lacy bodices womenusually wore. Kettry turned his head to look at her as herode behind her, and as he did a rabbit jumped and hispony shied.

Kettry cried out once and then had control again. Inthat time she had turned, her body arrested in midmotionas if she had been about to leap off the rock to his assist-ance. He waved at her. She waved back. Her face was toofar away to see, but he felt her eyes follow him as he rodeafter Violet.

�How long has the Waiting Woman been there?� heasked that night as the children sat around the window,fresh, clean, and ready for bed.

�Oh, a thousand years or so, maybe,� said Adi, knit-ting beneath the lamp.

�Then it must be almost time for the invasion.�Violet shuddered. �I hope not!��Sit still,� said Saffron, the oldest girl, who was braid-

ing her little sister�s hair. �It might come along any daynow, but that�s always been true. Hath�s vision didn�t tellhim when the invasion would come.�

�True enough,� said Adi. �It might be another thou-sand years yet.�

�Poor lady,� said Kettry. �What does she eat?��Magic,� said Adi. �Don�t you worry about her. She�s

made her own bed, and it�s her own doing if she don�t lieeasy.�

Kettry found he did worry, though, or at least think ofher. By day there was never any trace of her, though thehands who rode the south pastures assured him she wasthere without fail at sunset. �She comes out for air then,�said Young Flandru. �I think the sunlight hurts her eyes.�

�Is she nice?� asked Kettry.�Oh, she�s good, all right. We had a mare, couple years

ago�you�re too little to remember�got loose to foal inthe last winter storm, and Sulmari brought her under therock to save her and the foal. You got no call to fear her.�

�I don�t!� said Kettry scornfully. �I mean�is she nice?Is she friendly?�

Young Flandru laughed. �Now that�s not a word I�dever think in the same thought with her! She never speaksto me. She never speaks to anybody, unless she needs to.�

Kettry thought about that. �That�s rude.��She can�t afford to go around making friends, just to

watch them get old and die. It�s hard enough on her with-out that.�

�But�doesn�t anybody ever talk to her?��My old man talked to her once. Long, long time ago.�Kettry rode down to the cottage where Old Flandru

spent his days in the sun and found him willing enough totell over a tale he had already told many times�yes, andmany others, too, which distracted Kettry from his inter-est only during their telling. �Y�see, boy,� said Old Flan-dru, peering at him through milky eyes, �people�d hardlybegun to breed horses back in them days. It wasn�t nothousand years�six, seven hundred, maybe�but that�slong enough to breed finer horses than old Hath everdreamed of.�

�Our horses,� said Kettry proudly.�Ours, aye. That Sulmari, she�s got eyes in her head

and brains behind them. Every now and then she�ll wakeone of the horses and lead it out to trade. I struck a dealwith her, back in your granddaddy�s time, when he�dgiven me charge of a string to trade for new blood stock.�Here he went off, tangentially, on a discussion of the finerpoints of Kettry horses in general and these in his chargeparticularly, what he was trading them for, and what waslost or gained in the bloodline because of the deals hestruck. Kettry waited patiently for his subject to return.

�I had to go right past the flat rock at dawn, and shewas waiting for me. Only time I ever saw her come downoff the rock, or any time but evening. She had a bay geld-ing to trade for a dapple gray. Gray was too big and had amean streak; we�d trained him for a war horse. Bay wasnice�bit coarse�but I couldn�t use the tackle. Would�vebeen laughed off the horse lot. She threw in a couple ofright pretty rings for boot. Your mama�ll have those, Ireckon.�

�But what was she like?��Oh�skinny. All those years of living on magic, most

like. She had a good set of hips; I noticed that. Put somemeat on her, she�d be fit to bear any number of kids, orwould�ve been if she�d started earlier. She talked funny,but she had a good hand on a horse.�

Kettry went about his life, learning his letters, hissword, and his studbook with the thought of that slim,lone figure under all his other thoughts. When there was agreat baking or he brought home game from river, wood,or pasture, he would go round by the flat rock and leavesome choice bit there�a pheasant, or a mess of clams, ora napkin of sweet rolls. The next day they would be gone,but whether she had taken them or left them to the merryskipping goblins who sometimes held their revels on therock, he could not tell.

He saw her more as he grew older, but could not gainspeech with her. When she saw him approach purpose-fully, she clambered down the rock and disappeared, leav-ing behind only a smell like lightning. This troubled him,for whatever Young Flandru said, it could not be good forher to dwell alone and friendless so long. When his moth-er�s cat kindled, he chose a kitten from the litter and left iton the rock with a ribbon round its neck, just as the sundeclined. He stayed to watch her find it, and the sight ofher bending to pick it up and hold it to her cheek struckhim with an unexpected blow of happiness. When hisfather�s prize bitch whelped, he chose a puppy for her, andthereafter she did not appear alone upon the rock.

�I don�t know why you think she needs your presents,�protested Violet.

�Never rebuke a generous heart,� smiled Saffron.�But he�ll be giving her a horse next!��She doesn�t need a horse,� said Kettry. �She never

goes anywhere.�Saffron, as the eldest, was to inherit the land, leaving

Violet and Kettry to pursue their interests. Kettry earlyshowed an aptitude in arms that led his father to seek forhim a position in the King�s host. In his early youth, hegot a place in the capitol in Morenidor, where he foundinterest enough and occupation enough that he did notthink of the Waiting Woman for weeks at a time. Only,when the discontented junior officers spoke slightingly ofthe chances of war being seen again between the moun-tains and the sea, he would remind them of Hath�s vision.Also, among his friends there numbered a young, studi-ous count possessed of lively sisters and a passion for theform and history of language. From him he learned theshape and accent of the tongue that would have been spo-ken when the Isle of Bone was a great war college andSulmari rowed upon Lake Ralanan.

It was a hot issue among the men of the garrison whowas the best at sword and shield, or upon horseback, orwith a bow. Many contests were held in fact to determinethe superiority of this one or that one; by candlelight,many more were held in fancy, in which some championof the day was compared to some champion of times past.�I would there were some way to try those old heroes!�complained Selko of Old Woman Creek, who had foughthis way out of the ranks and proved his might against allcomers, nor ever tired of so proving it. �There�s no manin the garrison hasn�t yielded to me, and the game growsstale.�

�You could try yourself against the heroes under my flatrock,� suggested Kettry.

Selko snorted. �Against any number of sleeping men,even you could emerge victor.�

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�They may awake,� said Kettry. �Sulmari can wakehorses and trade them for better ones. Why not so withmen? She wakes him, you fight, and if you win he re-mains awake, and you sleep till the invasion.�

Selko laughed. �No, let them rest and be on hand tocomfort each other when they wake in a strange time!�

He went home for Violet�s wedding. With him hebrought gifts� silks and jewels and pictures, a horse of thenew strain developed in the high pastures of Titherland,and a bright bird of the Western Isles that he had taughtto say his mother�s name. One package he carried to theField of the Flat Rock in the dusk of his first day home.Sulmari vanished as he came, but he left the packagewhere he had left so many things, and stole away.

Next evening he stayed late in Rosetown, among thelaughter and music of the wedding, but the night after herode out alone. She stood in her accustomed place, ageddog and cat with her, and he flinched in disappointment atthe sight. She wore none of the fine clothes he had boughtfor her. He rode closer.

She turned and saw him�as she always turned and sawhim�but did not vanish down the south face of the rock.His pulse thudding in his throat, he rode till he was at theedge of the rock. She stood still, the dog by her side, thecat in pursuit of invisible things upon the stone. Shetossed him his package and he caught it. �You are a sweet

boy, Lord Kettry,� she said in a voice that sounded to himlike water after drought, �but I can accept no more ofyou.�

Kettry�s mouth was so dry he almost could not ask:�Why not?�

�I think you know why. Are there not many women inRosetown and Morenidor who could accept your gifts?�

�Why should you alone of all womankind never knowthe pleasure of a new dress?�

�It is my choice.�He recovered his wits then and answered her in the old

language the count had taught him. �You came late intoHath�s plans, and he perforce provided ill for you. It is noshame if you accept my poor attempt to make it up to you.�

Sulmari was silent so long he feared he had chosen thewrong tongue, but soon she spoke as he had, only moreeasily, without groping or hesitation. �I am well provided,Lord Kettry. Where did you learn that speech? It has beendead these many hundred years.�

�Not dead, but sleeping. How are you provided?�Her eyes lay on him, and their touch was sweet. The

last of the sunset vanished, the dog scratched, and the cathurled itself upon a rustle in the grass. �Dismount andenter, then, if you would see.�

He dismounted. She made a short, sharp movementwith one hand. Silently, but with a smell like lightning, therock opened along its steep face. Sulmari descended bymeans of steps upon the inner face of the rock. Kettry lefthis horse to graze.

She led him into darkness. They pushed back an ob-struction like a tapestry and came into a low room. Thedog went at once to the hearthrug, the cat to a cushioned chair. Here were a table, chairs, and a narrow bed, a tallcupboard and an iron chest. The floor was made of earth,

6 2 J U L Y 1 9 9 0

the walls of stone. The fire burned low, without fuel, andall the furnishings were heavy and old, of unfamiliar pat-tern and strange shape. There was a bright light in thestone ceiling, of a nature Kettry could not fathom.

Sulmari raised the lid of the iron chest. �You see? If Idesired it, could I not walk as fine as your mother�LadySaffron�the queen, even?� The strange light glinted on ahost of precious stones, on coins, on rings and brooches,armlets, necklaces, tiaras fine as any worn at court�yetnot one stone of it was faceted, and the shapes of the goldwere odd and solid. Some pieces resembled jewelry he hadseen in Morenidor: heirlooms of distant generations,dwarf-work bought with sums that must be whispered offor awe. The Waiting Woman shut the lid. �Will you becontent now and get about your life?�

�No,� said Kettry. �How can I return to my home andmy garrison, telling this tale, and admitting that I came sofar and left without a sight of the sleepers?�

Sulmari smiled wanly. His heart swelled against hisbreastbone. �Come, then. But having seen, you must gohome�and no more foolishness.�

A second tapestry lay against one wall, so faded withtime he scarce could make out the subject, but it mighthave been the building of the Isle of Bones. Beyond was along cavern, deathly cold, where one hundred beds ofstone stretched out of sight. Beside each bed stood a horsein rich caparison of a sort Kettry had never seen before,but he knew the types of horses from the oldest studbooks.

The wizard Hath lay on the first bed, in loose clothes ofstrange cut with big, knuckly hands folded under his graybeard. The others bore weaponed men in mail of glitter-ing dwarf work and surcoats of all colors. Weapons andarmor were as clean as if used yesterday. The sleepers�hair and beards were neatly trimmed�in a style the courtwould have found ugly�and nowhere was dust or cob-webs or any sign that these men had lain down centuriesbefore.

�Which is Balan?� asked Kettry, and wished that hehad not.

Sulmari drew a wavering breath and walked to a manin a surcoat the color of flame. His hair and beard weredark, his features plain, his hands those of a good work-man: large and square and broken nailed. His eyeballsrolled beneath his lids, and his chest rose and fell evenly.Kettry saw at a glance that the chestnut horse beside him was the best of the hundred, good Kettry stock from thetime just after the light desert horses were introduced fromthe south. Sulmari bent above Balan�s face, pressed hislips with hers, and covered his workworn hand with her own before she said to Kettry gently, �Will you go now?�

So Kettry departed, but he did not sleep that night.Back in Morenidor, he threw himself into his life. He

practiced till he defeated Selko three times running, whichno man had done before. He attended balls and studiedtactics; he interested himself in the breeding of more intel-ligent cats. He had to tell the story of his visit to the Wait-ing Woman many times and flattered himself that he didso with composure. His friends were all courting and mar-rying, but for him no woman roused any but the mostfleeting desire, and his dreams were haunted by sad eyesin the dusk.

His friend the count had a sister with whom Kettry rodeand walked and danced till the town grew expectant ofthem. One night as they sat together, this Revliri kissedhim with a fervor that made him start, and shudder, anddraw back. The look upon her face made him remorseful.�I never meant to mislead you,� he stammered.

�I�m not the misled one!� she interrupted him in toneshalf anger and half scorn. �Aren�t you ashamed to pinefor one whose heart was lost to you before ever you wereborn? Sulmari is a phantom and a mist behind your eyes.�

�Sulmari is as real as you, and more!� protestedKettry.

Revliri tossed her head. �When did things begin to bereal in more or less degree? I think you are afraid, Kettry.If you want her so, why do you leave her there? No, youwant love�s shadow and you fear its substance: the womanwho knows pain and jealousy and age, the woman withwhom you might really live and who might really hurtyou!�

�You are a jealous, spiteful woman, and your mouth isfull of lies.�

�You are a feeble, �fearful man, and your life is full oflies!� She stalked away from him, and he never saw hermore.

That night and the next night, Lord Kettry did notsleep. The third day he applied for leave and rode south-ward alone. He arrived at the Field of the Flat Rock in thedusk and saw her upon the rock, dark and slim against theglare of sunset. Spurring his horse, he called in a thunder-ous voice, �Sulmari.

She motioned with her arm as if to fend him off, but shestayed. �It would be better if you had not come,� she said.

�And why is that?� he demanded. �Do I turn yourheart from your long faith? Do you fear me?�

�No,� she said, � but you are a good, a kind, a gener-ous man, and it hurts me that I have hurt you with myfaith.�

�My pain is my own, as yours is yours,� said Kettry,�and why either should continue I cannot say. WakeBalan.�

�No! I gave my pledge���Nor will you break it. Wake Balan. Tell him I chal-

lenge him for his place among the warriors. If I win hewill be yours, and your children can tend the warriors asthey sleep.�

�You will not win,� declared Sulmari. �If you thoughtyou would, you would not challenge him.�

�That�s true enough!� He spoke as quickly as he could,mixing old tongue and new. �Your whole life�your wholelove�is a snare and an illusion, and I will free you fromit! He will wake and not know you. If he loved as youlove, could he have gone to sleep, not knowing you wouldbe here when he wakes? Can his love, that might come tobe, compare to mine that is?�

�You don�t know him!��Nor do you! But you will not believe it till you see the

stranger in his eyes, and then your heart will break! Buthearts are strong�your heart more than any�and oncefreed from your long dream, you�ll see the worth of mine,and it will be our children who carry out your task.�

Her mouth grew thin. �You presume much, my boy!�

�I risk much.� But he could not remain hard with her,and the cat aided him by rubbing on his leg. He held outhis hands. �What I gave you, I gave freely and neverasked return.�

�Very well,� she said, �but when Balan has defeatedyou, you will learn the greatness of your error at such costI would weep to think of it�were I able.� She did not takehis hands but turned her face southward. �Come restedand breakfasted, about dawn. This is no time forchallenges.�

Lord Kettry did not go home but stopped in with thehands, who were much surprised and made him welcome.He told none of them his plans but wrote a letter to Saf-fron and his father, sealed it, and gave it into Young Flan-dru�s keeping.

In the dawn he met Sulmari at the rock, the first timehe had seen her by daylight: as fair and pale as a candle inthe sun. She said not one word to him but led him be-neath the stone, and they stood one on either side of Ba-lan�s bed. �Are you sure you wish to do this?� she asked.

�Don�t be afraid,� said Lord Kettry. �This will be theend of all your waiting.�

Sulmari bent and laid her hand on Balan�s face, sayinga word in a language even older than her own.

Balan stirred and blinked. Kettry saw his eyes focus onher face, and at the joy that leaped behind them his heartstopped.

�Sulmari,� whispered Balan. �No. It�s another dream.��It is waking, Balan,� she answered, �but only for a

little while.�He drew her face down and kissed it�once, twice,

thrice�breaking off the last kiss with a shudder andthrusting her away as he sat up. �Business first, and allour lives thereafter. How far is the enemy?�

�No enemy. Not yet. Only comes a foolish boy, withdreams he doesn�t understand, who would try his strengthwith yours.�

Balan looked at Kettry then for the first time. His facewas open and genial, reflecting back the light of Sulmari�seyes. �Better leave it, son. That�s no life for a youngman.�

�That is for me to say,� said Kettry.Three days and three nights they fought, and men and

women gathered like dreams around the edges of the flatrock. Many times Kettry longed to lay his sword down,but he held the look that had passed between Sulmari andBalan in that moment of waking, and grimly fought on.Time and again he would have lost, but arts do not standstill, and tricks had been trained into his arm that Balanhad no chance of knowing. Time and again these tricksforestalled Balan and made him laugh. It was one of thesetricks at last, learned from Selko, that sent the heavy an-cient sword clattering to the rock and brought Lord Ket-try�s point into the hollow of his rival�s throat.

Balan blinked three times in surprise. �I yield me,then, unto the better man!� He fell upon his knees, itmight be in weariness, or in respect. Lord Kettry did notcare, for the world roared in his ears, and his legs gaveout beneath him.

No lack of hands were by to help him up and carry foodand drink to his lips, but none of the hands was Sulmari�s,

DRAGON 63

and he cared nothing for them. When he could walk, hethrust Saffron aside and went to them. She nourishedBalan in little bites and sups on the edge of the flat rock.The eyes she turned on Lord Kettry were not the eyes thathe had known, for all the sadness of her waiting had goneout of them. Kettry knelt before her. She laid her coolhand on his cheek. �This is not the end you looked for,and I cannot even tell you I am sorry.�

�I knew, when I saw him know you on his waking, thatthat end could not be. He left me only one service I couldperform for you.� He turned to Saffron. �Look after thesetwo.�

�Of course I will,� said Saffron. �Come home now.�Kettry shook his head. �I have a duty to perform, and

it were best to do it now before I shirk it.�

Once more Sulmari led him below the rock, where hewas bathed and dressed and led to the bed where Balanhad lain. He took his place among the shining warriors,wondering what they would think of him when they wokeand found him their companion.

�Bear greeting to my friends when they awake,� saidBalan. �You are the fittest man I�ve seen to be amongthem.�

�You honor me too much,� said Kettry, �but I thankyou.�

Sulmari said nothing, but the last thing he knew beforehe slept was the light touch of her mouth upon his mouth,and this he carried into his long, long dream.

Pulling a �Con� JobSo, you really want to run a convention?

by Thomas M. Kane

We wanted to share the thrills of adven-ture with new people. We wanted to helpgamers meet each other, and we wantedto propagate the hobby. We also wanted aproject to justify taking money from theStudent Senate, so our Table Gaming Clubestablished its not-quite-annual UMF-CON.Soon after that, the Maine Wargamer�sSociety invited us to co-sponsor its largerMAINE-CON convention, and we gladlyworked on it, too. In the course of it all,we cleaned up peanut shells, hosted a�Smurf Kill,� and managed business trans-actions with help from a Hindu economistwho spoke only a variant of English. Ifyour club can brave dangers like this, youwill find no project more exciting thanholding a small gaming convention.

Square onePeople go to game conventions to play

war games, and in some form of karmicretribution, convention planning takesthese gamers and subjects them to thechaos, boredom, frustration, and bureauc-racy of real war. You already know every-thing you need to have a convention�games, a place to play those games, andpeople to play them. The difficulty comesin assembling all this in the right place atthe right time. Without some central orga-nization, convention organizers will argueover trivial matters�and forget to securerest rooms.

You should probably name two or threepeople convention chairpersons to directall activities. Decisions take too long when

more than three people try to wranglethem out, but if there is only one chairper-son, he might vanish at a critical moment.The primary role of convention chairpeo-ple is to decide what needs to be done andto make sure that somebody does it ontime. Each convention chairperson needs alist of everything that has to be done andwhen it must be accomplished. Althoughthese things all seem obvious, they reallycan be forgotten. The Table Gaming Clubstarts work on UMF-CON in September,then holds the convention during earlyspring. Our UMF-CON timetables run asfollows:

1. Choose a date: Set the date at leastsix months in advance, and make sure itdoesn�t overlap other important dates.

2. Locate a convention site andhosts: You cannot hold a conventionwithout a building. Finding one is the mostimportant and often the most expensiveand difficult part of running a convention.If you do not know of a good site, trycontacting public buildings like colleges,technical schools, armories, high schools,community centers, or�for the wealthy�hotels. Perhaps you will find a completelynew sort of place to have a convention. Ifa rich friend offers you a country man-sion, grab it. Find a building and be sureyou can have it before you advertise.

Obviously, it is far easier to run a con-vention if the staff already controls a site,so look for co-sponsors who own a build-ing. The most helpful co-sponsors arecollege student organizations. A gamingclub would be ideal, and bureaus incharge of recreation or general entertain-ment might also help you. Official univer-sity groups can usually reserve collegebuildings free of charge. College gameclubs also provide a staff of able assistants.Furthermore, if the game club receivescollege funding, it will not only havemoney but the members may be eager tospend it. Many organizations on a fixedbudget have to use everything they get,because anything they do not spend willbe deducted from the next year�s allot-ment. If you cannot find a university spon-sor, hobby shops or local chambers ofcommerce may help you locate a conven-tion site.

You need more than a building, however.Be sure that your gamers have places to

park and that rest rooms are available.Find tables, chairs, and as much gamingequipment as possible. In an overnightconvention, you might look for a placewhere gamers can sleep. The owners ofyour building may insist that the conven-tion carry insurance. Peter Irce, ofMAINE-CON, told us that he cannot insurehis convention because it is so safe. Sincethere are no known life-threatening disas-ters at game conventions, insurance com-panies cannot compile risk statistics. Mr.Rice avoids this problem by buying insur-ance in the name of his hobby shop.

3. Contact other sponsors: You maywant other services to be provided at yourconvention, such as food. Some publicbuildings have contracts with a certainconcessions company like the ARA con-glomerate. If your convention site hassuch an arrangement, you need only contact the official food agency and discussthe convention with them. Otherwise, youmay still be able to find local merchantswho would be glad to sell snack food atthe convention. Usually, local merchantsoperate independently from the conven-tion staff�they do not pay you, and youdo not pay them. You can make similarbargains with owners of hobby shops,who can sell miniatures, books, and gamesat the convention. Inviting a store to bringits wares not only provides another attrac-tion for your gamers but also motivatesthe store to promote your convention.

If you want guests of honor, you mustcontact them quickly. Celebrities rarelyadd much to a convention, so avoid paying

honoraria. However, some authors activelyseek chances to speak at conventions,hoping to promote their books. Using awell-known name makes your conventionsound bigger and might attract a few fans,so if you think you can persuade a well-known person to offer some sort of game-related seminar, then try. You should makearrangements to pay the hotel and travelfees for your guests if at all possible, andyou should let them know far ahead oftime if their fees will be covered.

After making business arrangements,you might look for people who are simplyhelpful. Recruit as many gamers, gameclubs, and civic groups as you can. Gaminggroups may have special services for con-vention planners. Issue #47 of DIPLO-MACY® World mentions a DIPLOMACYHobby Events Coordinator who assistswith publicity and provides informationon nearby game fairs, to prevent competi-tive scheduling. If you are interested inthis service, write to: David Hood, 604Tinkerbell Road, Chapel Hill NC 27514,U.S.A. As word of your conventionspreads, game companies might ask you todistribute advertising material for them.You should cooperate, because associationwith established companies not only pro-motes them but lends legitimacy to you.

4. Submit magazine announce-ments: Mail these the very day you knowthat there will be a convention. Nearly allof your guests will find your conventionthrough convention listings in magazines.Most magazines take several months toprint convention notices, and you want

readers to see your ad in several issues.Many periodicals, including DRAGON®Magazine, announce conventions withouta charge, while others request a slight fee.

5. First mailing: After obtaining theabsolute necessities, most conventionsdistribute their first advertising flyers. Aflyer should describe the convention ascompletely as possible and give an addresswhere interested gamers can write topreregister. Hobby shops will usually handout these flyers. Small numbers of leafletsmay be produced with a school ditto ma-chine, photocopier, or even computerprinter, but when you have a large num-ber of pamphlets, it is worth the money tohave them professionally printed. If youcan get a mailing list of gamers, perhapsfrom another convention or hobby store,sent a flyer to everyone on the list. Thepost office offers bulk mailing rates toanyone sending over 200 identical pieces,if they are sorted by zip code. Ask forrules and forms at your post office.

5. Precise planning: After the firstmailing, you should have about twomonths to wait for responses. During thistime, pick GMs and schedule the conven-tion�s games, choosing rooms for eachevent. Two role-playing games can usuallyco-exist in a classroom-size area. Try tofind a large room, like a cafeteria, for allboard games and miniatures events. Otherevents, such as seminars or live role- playinggames, often need rooms of their own.

6. Second mailing: About one monthbefore the convention, distribute a secondleaflet. At the same time, write preregis-tration forms. If these are short, includethem with the second advertisement, butif this costs too much postage, you canreserve preregistration papers for peoplewho write to you for more information.Each preregistration form should providea complete schedule of events and GMs,mention all fees, and warn players howmuch experience they will need to enjoyeach event. List any convention rules onthese forms and try to provide mapsshowing the way to the convention fromsome major highway. Do not ignore thesecond mailing just because you havealready sent out a first one. Most adver-tisers find that one letter only piques theaudience�s interest�it takes two to makepeople respond.

As the convention draws closer, put upposters about it in any available location.Gamers may see them in pizza shops,grocery stores, laundromats, or almostanywhere else. Write to radio stations andlocal television stations, too. They oftenprovide public service messages for free.Sometimes a local-color story on yourconvention might result. You can also tryto put articles into newspapers, but pur-chased newspaper ads seldom attractenough people to be worth the expense.

7. At the convention: A conventionchairperson should be available through-out the convention. If possible, he shouldhave a number of assistants to run er-

rands. Most of the problems at the conven-tion involve getting people to the rightrooms, so post floor plans of the conven-tion site and have each game display a signwith its name and scenario. The conven-tion chairperson on duty should also keeptrack of how many people register foreach event. Few GMs want more thaneight people in one game, so if an event istoo popular, some gamers will have tomake second choices. You will have a farbigger problem with games which do notattract enough players. The chairpersonshould warn GMs quickly if their eventhas too few players. This gives the un-lucky GM time to enter another event as aplayer.

Conventions will never make anyonerich, but they can boost a club�s budget.Both our tiny UMF-CON, in Farmington,Maine, and the enormous TRI-STATE-CON,in Cincinnati, Ohio, earn between $2-12with each registration fee and authorizesanctioned GMs to charge up to $2 pergame. You may charge a slightly higher feefor gamers who fail to preregister. How-ever, only a tiny fraction of gamers willpreregister, so do not make the penaltymore than a few dollars. Visitors who donot wish to play should be allowed in free.This lets nongamers find their children,spouses, or friends�and watch yourgames. If you can get some novice in-trigued enough to start playing games, youhave not only helped your convention, butgamers everywhere.

Your gamers can give you more thanmoney. Get names and addresses fromeverybody at the convention. A mailing listis not only useful for your own advertis-ing, but every game store and conventionorganizer in your area will cover it. Youcan sell the list, bargain with it, or give itaway to seal a friendship.

You will get more gamers, from moredistant places, if your convention lastsseveral days, but complications multiplymany times on the first night. The gamersneed places to sleep and eat completemeals. If they cannot do these things onthe convention site, they must find placeswhere they can, and then be guided backonce games begin again. Fortunately, afterthe first night, a convention usually runssmoothly again. If your gamers must findtheir own motels and restaurants, becareful not to schedule the convention atthe same time as another tourist event.

You can do nothing kinder for yourgamers than to provide cheap places to eatand sleep. If your convention grows largeenough to promise hundreds of gamers,some motels and restaurants may offeryou discounts. Until then, a dormitorywould be ideal, and a gymnasium is a goodplace for gamers to lay out sleeping bags,especially if it has rest rooms and showers.In the summer, you might merely offer anopen field, where gamers can pitch tents.If you do offer such facilities, be sure thatthe gamers understand and will obey anyrules or mandatory �check out� times.

G a m e s a n d g a m e m a s t e r sThe gamers care little or nothing for

schedules and convention chairpeople.They come to play games, and they willjudge you by the quality of your gamemasters. The best game masters can befound by visiting other conventions andplaying in their games yourself. Most GMswill be flattered if you invite them to yourconvention. The convention�s staff willprobably also include skilled GMs, andthey deserve the chance to run games.Once you have picked these favorites,weed out the rest ruthlessly. Myriads ofGMs will beg to run their games as soon asthey hear of the convention, and a fewmay be worth inviting, but remember thatit is always easier to locate new GMs thanto find players for excess events.

Much of the convention�s schedule willbe developed by individual game masters.If you have any control over the gamesthey offer, try to fill roughly half yourslots with popular, tried-and-true gamessuch as TSR�s AD&D® game. The otherhalf should be devoted to exotic eventsand games that the gamers might neverget to play except at your convention.Seminars, workshops, and videotapes canbe fascinating, but they often lose theirparticipants to games. Large conventionssometimes offer an open gaming areawhere any gamer may run an unsched-uled event. Unfortunately, this sometimesdrains too many people from officialgames. Furthermore, open gaming attractsall the people who never get to GM be-cause they are just not skilled enough.

A convention�s games should not only befun to play, they should generate a festive,carnival atmosphere. Encourage the use ofminiatures and spectacular play aids. Forexample, the Maine Wargamers Society,which runs MAINE-CON, has redrawn theAvalon Hill Game Company�s DIPLOMACY®board on a huge piece of poster paper,decorated it with coats-of-arms for eachnation, and substituted realistic figurinesfor the game�s usual counters. There issomething stirring about tables of tanks,hexagon grids, and colorful Napoleoniccuirassiers. Furthermore, they give news-paper photographers something tophotograph�which will attract people toyour next convention.

Try to find some games that gamers mayjoin at any time, so that when charactersdie in role-playing adventures, the playerscan still have fun. TRI-STATE-CON, inCincinnati, holds a continual ACE OFACES® tournament (by Nova Games) thatplayers may enter and leave at will. AtUMF-CON, we have a room of boardgames from which gamers may choose.Players may register for the board gameroom normally, but anyone who pays foranother event and loses a character isallowed in free. One attendant watchesthe whole area and occasionally serves asan opponent.

Continued on page 70

DRAGON 67

68 JULY 1990

Pulling a �Con� JobContinued from page 67

Miniatures games can also be used as�pick-up� events. Each side can have a setof units of used by new arrivals. Unusedtroops may be controlled by the ArmyCommander or left as idle reserves. Crea-tive GMs might develop rationalizationsfor this. Certain German generals in Stalin-grad and American commanders in Viet-nam were notorious for flying into abattle, meddling with the strategy, thenbeing airlifted away at crucial (and danger-ous) moments.

A gamer who takes a prize home willremember your convention fondly. If youoffer contests, game companies will oftenprovide gift certificates as awards forwinners of tournaments featuring theirgames. Medium-size publishers, who needyour publicity but can afford to distributefree products, are usually the most help-ful. Iron Crown Enterprises and MayfairGames are especially interested in smallconventions. When you give prizes, avoidawarding money or doing anything elsewhich can be construed as gambling.Always be sure to indicate which eventsoffer prizes in your program and to sched-ule plenty of noncompetitive role-playingadventures. One of role-playing�s biggestattractions is that nobody �loses.� Even insomething as bloodthirsty as a war game,many gamers want the camaraderie ofopposing teams in which the members alllive or die together.

L i v e r o l e - p l a y i n gNo other game matches the Intensity of

live-action adventuring. This is role-playing with a difference, in which theplayers actually do what their charactersdo and see what they see. Their mutualwill to believe crushes all self-conscious-ness; players act like adventurers, notactors. Live role-playing requires extensiveplanning, superb GMs, and the numbers ofparticipants which can only be found atconventions.

Try to place live-action games in a cozyarea, with dim, flickering lights. In theshadowy light, players imagine all thevivid details that they cannot actually see.The equipment for live role-playing will beeasy to find. Scraps of bright cloth caneasily become tapestries; figurines,wooden ornaments, and many other itemscan evoke ancient pageantry; and lightingcan be provided by flashlights hiddeninside paper lanterns. All players shouldreceive props to remind them that theyare performing as fictional characters.Costumes work well to create this aura,and they can be very simple. For example,almost any piece of cloth or fur can be-come a cape. Note that capes make anideal handout for a medieval game, sincethey are clearly archaic, can be worn byeither sex, and hide modern clothing wornunderneath. Do not schedule more thanone live game for a single convention.

Since live role-playing works by a sort ofmob psychology, you want to force every-one who might participate into the onelive event: But note that if even one partic-ipant becomes tired of live role-playingand behaves disruptively, the whole eventmay be ruined.

If you can find some archaic recipes anda place to cook, a �medieval banquet�provides gamers with something to eatand a game at the same time. You cancertainly charge extra for this sort ofevent. Health-food stores may sell primi-tive ingredients. A local chapter of theSociety for Creative Anachronism mightalso give you some assistance.

It will be easier for live role-players toremember who their characters are andwhat they want if you pass out charactersheets, like those used in traditional role-playing games. Although it may seemunrealistic for people to carry documentsreminding them who they are, it is farworse when they need to ask. The charac-ter sheets should give the players goalsand also list several potential allies orenemies to help participants meet othercharacters. It will take some time for theplayers to recognize each other, so encour-age them to ask necessary questions�incharacter. Instead of saying, �Are you onmy list of secret conspirators?�, playersmight say �Pardon me�do we share anerrand, perhaps?�

The most common mistake in live role-playing is in the choice of scenarios. Livegames are weak where dice-and-papergames are strong�live-action cannot sup-port swashbuckling quests. There is sel-dom enough space for long treks atconventions, and no safe way to simulatecombat (though the Lazer Tag game mayhave made live modern/science-fiction wargames more feasible). Instead, live gamesshould foster conniving and detective-work. Choose a setting that makes vio-lence impossible. One of the bestscenarios, and certainly the most popular,tells characters that they are witnesses toa murder and must uncover the killerbefore someone accuses them. Many pre-packaged scenarios with this theme areavailable at hobby and toy shops.

One compromise between pure intrigueand fighting might be to assume that theplayers are all disarmed, but each com-mands henchmen or armies �offstage.� Forexample, they might take the roles ofdiplomats and government ministers at-tending their leader as a coup d�etat goeson outside. When players order theirforces to fight, they give their orders to agame master who poses as some sort ofmessenger. The GM resolves combat out-side the room, using standard war-gamerules. Perhaps he might fire a cap pistol orcreate other sound effects. Later, the�messenger� reports the outcome.

The game master of a live role-playinggame needs an extraordinary skill at ma-nipulating crowds. First, he has to intro-duce the scenario without a boring

speech. The players will enjoy the gamemore if they get a chance to choose theircharacters, but the GM must ensure thatthey look like the people they are sup-posed to portray. Each character musthave an exciting role in the story�but therole must be capable of being altered if nosuitable player can be found. It is almostimpossible to get exactly the right numberor type of participants you want.

During the game, if players do not turntheir conflicts into an exciting story orcannot move toward any resolution withinthe time allotted, the GM must subtlyintervene. He cannot even rely on unex-pected NPCs, since each character has tobe a real person. Usually, the only �NPC�will be the GM himself. The GM mustsense when the conflict reaches its climaxand then end the game soon afterward.After the game, the GM should conduct apublic debriefing. Everybody will want toknow what their companions were reallyplanning, and all players like to boast oftheir cunning tricks.

Costume contests are often popular, buthave many drawbacks. There is a wholesubculture of gamers and nongamers whospecialize in costuming. Unfortunately,costumes make most nongamers vaguelynervous. The people who portray fantasyrole-playing as a sinister cult can only bestrengthened by pictures of bearded mendressed as druids and brandishingsculpted Indonesian daggers. It�s best thatyou ban weapons and military parapher-nalia. It is natural for gamers to try tooutdo each other�s costumes, and if weap-ons are allowed, a sort of arms race willcause real swords to drive out cardboardreplicas. If anyone is injured, you will getdisastrous publicity�and possibly law-suits.

A f t e r t h e c o n v e n t i o nWhen the convention is over, make sure

that your sponsors will welcome anotherone. Clean the convention site and replaceanything that has been damaged. Thankthe people who participated, and considerpresenting small gifts to anyone who wasparticularly helpful. When you pick direc-tors for your next convention, try to keepat least one of the old chairpeople andselect one new chair. This way, somebodywill always know what to expect, but youcan eventually train your entire staff torun conventions on their own.

If your convention did not attract re-porters, write your own articles on it andsubmit them to local papers. These aremore likely to be printed if you representyourself as an interested citizen, not as aconvention promoter. Editors especiallylike stories with interesting black-and-white photographs. When dealing withreporters or writing news articles,, remem-ber that most newspaper readers are notgamers. Therefore, describe the games assimple adventures, easy to play.

Continued on page 78

70 JULY 1990

M A R V E L

An empath and an apprentice

by Dale A. Donovan

I�m baaaack. The first thing I must do this month is to thankeveryone who wrote in with comments and suggestions for thenew �MARVEL-Phile.� The amount of mail I received forced me toroll on the Stun table, but I made my roll. Thank you all for yourinput. You will be seeing some of your suggestions in upcomingmonths.

There are two areas on which I received quite a few questions,so I thought I�d take the time to address them now. Several peo-ple asked why there was no �MARVEL-Phile� in issues #157 or#158, and just how often would the column appear in the future?In May, I decided to take the month off from doing the column,and this column was originally slated to appear in the June issue,but a lack of time on my part and space in the magazine pushed

T HE MARVEL®-PHILEthe column back to this issue. I plan for the column to appearbi-monthly, so you can look for another one in issue #161.

I also received quite a bit of mail from those who disagreedwith some of my ideas on attributes and Powers. The perfectexample of this is Captain Britain. The Official Handbook of theMARVEL UNIVERSE®, Update �89, stated that Cap was able topress 90 tons. In the game, that qualifies as Unearthly Strength,so that is the rank I gave him. I do use the Handbook as well asthe comics themselves for my sources, so I have reasons forassigning the ranks I do. But if you disagree with my decisions onCap or any character, that�s okay. If you want Cap to only haveIncredible Strength in your campaign, go ahead. It is your game,after all.

This month, I�ll discuss two of Doctor Strange�s right-handbeings: the empath Topaz, and Doc�s current apprentice, Rintrah.

DRAGON 71

MARVEL

TOPAZ�Empath

F TY (6)A GD (10)S TY (6)E EX (20)R GD (10)I IN (40)P IN (40)

Health: 42

Karma: 90

Resources: TY (6)

Popularity: 3

POWERS: Topaz has numerous psychicpowers, the full extent of which are notknown at this time. She has the potentialto be one of the most powerful psychicson Earth, and has demonstrated extraordi-nary abilities in times of crisis during herlife. As all of her abilities are psychic, theyutilize Topaz�s Incredible Psyche as theirPower rank.

72 JULY 1990

Telepathy: Topaz can perform the Men-tal Probe Power Stunt as well as normalTelepathy.

Psionic Attack: Topaz possesses thispower at Incredible rank for range andintensity.

Empathy: Topaz is also an empath, ableto read the emotions of others.

Emotion Control: Topaz can instill ordrain emotions from people. Although shecan influence multiple targets (in the samearea she is in), she can work with only oneemotion at a time.

Telekinesis: Topaz is also able to use thispower at Incredible range and intensity.

Healing: Topaz can heal damage to her-self and others, using her Psyche score toreplace the subject�s Endurance. She canheal any number of subjects once per day.Her abilities are such that she can evenreunite a person�s soul with his body, if thetwo should become separated.

HISTORY: Topaz has no knowledge ofher parents or even if Topaz is her realname. Her first memories are of growingup as a street urchin in India. When warbroke out, she was placed in a prisoncamp where she met the sorcerer, Taboo.It was under Taboo�s tutelage that Topazdiscovered her powers, and she subse-quently used them to help Taboo andherself escape from the camp.

As Topaz grew to adulthood, she actedas a familiar for Taboo and his sorcery.They eventually moved to take up resi-dence in southern California. At one point,Taboo tried to force Jack Russell (theWerewolf; see DRAGON® issue #126, �AMARVEL® Monster-Phile�) to hand over toTaboo a book of black magic known as theDarkhold (see issue #126, �The MARVEL-Phile�). Neither Russell nor his familypossessed the book, and Taboo orderedTopaz to kill Jack Russell. Sensing thegoodness within Jack, Topaz refused.Taboo then ordered Russell and Topaz outof his home.

Topaz was soon attacked by Taboo, whostole a portion of her soul for arcanepurposes. Taboo was killed soon there-after, and the missing portion of Topaz�ssoul returned to her. She subsequentlymoved in with Russell and his family, andshe and Jack fell in love, but neither everacknowledged the extent of their feelings.It was not long thereafter that Topaz andRussell traveled to Transylvania to visitone of Russell�s relatives, and they cameinto conflict with the master vampirehimself, Dracula (see issue #126, �TheMARVEL-Phile�).

Topaz�s powers began to fade after this,and she returned to India in an attempt torestore them. There she encountered asorcerer, Doctor Glitternight, who put her

into a trance and removed the �dark side�of her soul. Topaz fainted, but later recov-ered to the point where at least some ofher abilities returned. Glitternight took hisportion of Topaz�s soul and infused it withblack magical energy from his own body,then transformed the whole into a beastthat would do his bidding. Topaz returnedto California with Glitternight�s monstertrailing her. Upon discovering it, JackRussell changed into his werewolf shapeto fight and destroy the beast.

Still later, Glitternight returned andtransformed Topaz into a winged harpy-like being under his control. Topaz�s truepersonality reasserted itself, though, andshe returned to her human form. Glit-ternight later vanished as a result of amystical battle with another being.

Many months later, the demon Mephistotransported Topaz to his dimension andinformed her that on her upcoming 21stbirthday her powers would reach theirpeak. She would be so powerful, he toldher, that she would even be able to de-stroy Mephisto himself. As Mephisto triedto kill her, Topaz gained full control overher powers and unleashed energy thatripped Mephisto apart.

Mephisto eventually reformed himselfand sent his demonic minions after Topaz.They overpowered her and cast a spellupon her that would remove the portionof her soul that contained her powers,were she ever to escape. The demons thenplaced her within bedrock to imprison herphysical body. It was here that she spenther 21st birthday.

Later, Topaz�s physical body was re-leased by an energy outburst from an-other of Mephisto�s captives, FranklinRichards. The now rock-encrusted form ofTopaz made its way to Earth, where itbattled Earth�s Sorcerer Supreme, DoctorStrange. Realizing that a human wastrapped within this form, Strange releasedTopaz and brought her to his home in NewYork City, but she was now missing theempathic portion of her soul, as per thedemons� spell. Topaz had trouble control-ling her own emotions as well, and hersanity suffered. (It is unclear whether themissing portion of her soul was the sameportion that Glitternight stole. There is noclear evidence that Topaz regained theportion that Glitternight stole, even afterJack Russell destroyed the beast that Glit-ternight created with it.)

The alien sorcerer, Urthona, capturedthe missing portion of her soul and soughtto use it and Topaz as part of his schemeto kill Doctor Strange and become theSorcerer Supreme himself. To this end, hecontacted Topaz, showed her what hepossessed, and offered to return her soulto her if she betrayed Doctor Strange. Inher unstable frame of mind, Topaz agreed,

MARVEL

allowing Urthona to transport Strange�shome and all his mystical talismans toUrthona�s home planet. There, Urthonatook both Topaz and Strange�s servant,Wong, prisoner.

Strange, who was wounded in one ofUrthona�s attacks, now shared the body ofthe being known as Rintrah (see below)and journeyed to Urthona�s planet. Duringthe ensuing mystical battle, the bottlecontaining Topaz�s lost soul was broken,and Topaz�s powers returned to her in full.Urthona was defeated, and Strange, Rin-trah, Wong, and Topaz returned to Earth.

More recently, Topaz traveled to Britainand became involved with the mysticSisters of Glastonbury Tor, the descen-dants of those women who had cared forKing Arthur after his final confrontationwith Modred. The Sisters tried to instructTopaz in the use of her great powers.Topaz has subsequently returned to NewYork, the outcome of her instruction un-known. Whole once more, Topaz con-tinues to be a staunch ally of DoctorStrange, Wong, and Rintrah.

Role-playing Notes: In your campaign,Topaz might appear when she is on anerrand or mission for Doctor Strange.Despite her powers, Strange would notsend her on what he considered to be anoverly dangerous mission. Topaz is not ahero in the typical sense; she does not puton a costume and fight villains. She is abackground character, using her mentalabilities and her healing to help others(heroes included). She could appear andsave a dying hero, then ask for his helpwith her mission.

RINTRAH T M

Apprentice

F GD (10)A GD (10)S RM (30)E RM (30)R GD (10)I EX (20)P RM (30)

Health: 80

Karma: 60

Resources: PR (4)

Popularity: 0

POWERS: At present, Rintrah has theability to perform only a handful of magi-cal feats. He does qualify as a Disciple ofthe Order School of Magic, and he has thepotential to become a great sorcerer, espe-cially if he remains a student of the Sor-cerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.

As with Roma (issue #155), Rintrah�smagical powers are given in a formatcompatible with MHAC9, Realms of Magic.If you do not own this supplement, simplytreat each spell as a mystical Power oper-ating at the same rank.

Mastery Level: Disciple of the OrderSchool of Magic

PersonalAlteration�Appearance: Remarkable

(30).Astral Projection: Good (10).Shield�Individual: Excellent (20).

UniversalEldritch Bolts (Bolt of Bedevilment):

Excellent (20).

DimensionalDimensional Aperture: Excellent (20).

HISTORY: Rintrah is a sentient, other-dimensional being who is sensitive to thepresence of magical forces and has thepotential to become a powerful sorcerer.Through unknown circumstances, Rintrahbecame the apprentice of the other dimen-sional sorcerer known as Enitharmon theWeaver. It was during this time that Doc-tor Strange first encountered Rintrah.Strange took his magical Cloak of Levita-tion, which had been damaged in battle, tobe repaired by Enitharmon. After therepairs were made, Enitharmon badeRintrah to return Strange�s cloak to him,back on Earth.

Rintrah encountered Strange not longafter Strange�s body had been gravelywounded by a servant of the alien sor-cerer, Urthona. Rintrah returned the cloakand gave his permission for Strange�sastral form (as per the spell) to enter hisbody. The two consciousnesses now shar-ing Rintrah�s body took Strange�s ownhealing body, borrowed a starship fromReed Richards, and traveled to Urthona�splanet. Here, Rintrah/Strange battled anddefeated Urthona, thereby releasing hiscaptives, Wong and Topaz. They all thenreturned to Earth.

Rintrah subsequently accompaniedStrange on a few of his exploits, thenreturned to Enitharmon. Recently, how-ever, Rintrah has returned to Earth andhas asked Strange to take him on as anapprentice. Strange agreed, and Rintrahhas taken up residence in Strange�s homein New York City.

Role-playing Notes: Rintrah wouldmost likely appear in a campaign accompa-nied by Doctor Strange or while on amission for his mentor. Rintrah is the typeof being who might well bite off morethan he could chew with regard to villains.Somewhat headstrong, he could get him-self into a situation where he might needhelp from the heroes. He�s not afraid tomix it up in melee; his Strength serves himwell in this instance.

One other item of interest is the fact thatThe Gamer�s Handbook to the MARVELUNIVERSE, Vol. 6, should be in your storesby the time you read this. Pick it up andget lots of new characters and updates ofsome of your old favorites.

That�s it for now. If you have any com-ments or suggestions for this column, sendthem to: The MARVEL-Phile, DRAGONMagazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES is a trademark of theMarvel Entertainment Group, inc. All Marvel charac-ters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereofare trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group,Inc. ©1990 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllRights Reserved.

DRAGON 73

74 JULY 1990 Artwork by Ronald Wilber

Many players brought into an AD&D®1st Edition Oriental Adventures campaignwill never again accept a game worldwithout martial arts. After playing a monkor a kensai, players see combat withoutconsideration for sophisticated techniquesas stumble-bum affairs. As a result, someDMs use all of the Oriental Adventurescharacter classes in every imagined worldand country, not merely the Kara-Tursetting or its equivalent. However, there isan alternative. Characters can go to awholly different continent having nothingof an Oriental nature, yet still havingmartial arts�but martial arts of a uniquenature. A study of real-world historyyields examples of systematized fightingstyles worthy of comparison to the Asianmethods yet completely independent inorigin. Perhaps the best example comesout of Africa, by way of South America.

During the colonial era, many blackslaves escaped from Portuguese masters inBrazil to form communities hidden in thejungle. To defend themselves against whitepursuers or hostile Indians, the formerslaves developed a style of fighting basedon the combat methods of their Africanancestors. This came to be known ascapoeira (pronounced cop-WAY-rah), andits practitioners are capoeiristas. A newNPC class is offered here, based on thecapoeiristas (whose art is still practicedtoday) but using the simpler name of bat-tle dancer.

The most distinctive features of capoeiraare its highly acrobatic nature (includinghandsprings and spinning like a top onone�s head) and the fact that all its tech-niques are learned and practiced tomusic�music that has served to pass alongthe oral traditions of the displaced Afri-cans who devised the system. Regardlessof whether or not battle dancers are con-ceived of as living anything like thefugitive-slave existence of the originalcapoeiristas, this cultural flavor and astrong sense of community solidarity areessential to the class.

To make a quasi-African zero-level NPCinto a battle dancer, there must be a ca-poeira circle for his training. This circleconsists of five or more battle dancersstanding in a ring, simultaneously demon-strating movements and singing capoeirasongs, while close at hand are two ormore other persons (who can; at need, benoncombatant members of their commu-nity) playing musical instruments. Thecapoeira circle not only provides trainingbut can (as will be described later) conferon its participants a sort of collectivemagical-clerical ability. This gives thebattle dancers� villages a fighting chance ofsurvival in a world that ruthlessly de-mands the use of spells to deal with someperils, yet without having any of the famil-iar spell-casting types present. In this way,normal PC types are just as strange to thebattle dancers as the battle dancers are tothe PCs. At the same time, though theirsurvival as a group is promoted, no single

battle-dancer character is outrageouslyunbeatable.

When creating the tropical territory inwhich far-traveling PCs can encounterbattle dancers, it is suggested that any onebattle-dancer village be part of a confeder-ation of three or more such villages, andthat there be several separate confedera-tions in the region. If there are cities in thearea, there could be some urbanized battledancers as well.

Note that battle dancers can serve bothas warriors and spell-casters, but they arenot as flexible as the specialized classescan be. In a capoeira culture, almost noother classes will be found. It is possiblethat a capoeira culture having contactwith other parts of the world might findits old ways eroding under the influenceof the outside world, with some hostilitybetween the generations that practiceeither the battle-dancing ways or the�new� and more specialized ways.

B a t t l e d a n c e r s t a t i s t i c sA battle dancer must have a strength of

not less than 14, a dexterity not less than14, a constitution not less than 12, and acombined intelligence and wisdom not lessthan 17. Any charisma score is allowable,but an individual with charisma lowerthan 8 will never rise above 9th level. Abattle dancer gains no bonus for excep-tional ability scores, nor can he ever havea second class. Table 1 shows most of therelevant information on the class�s abili-ties. This class is patterned after the monkof the 1st Edition Players Handbook.

Battle dancers have six-sided hit dice,with two dice at 1st level. Those of thisclass must be human, and they use thecombat and saving-throw tables of fight-ers. Weapons usable by them are axes(hand), blowguns, clubs, daggers, darts,javelins, knives, spears, swords (one-handed), and any sort of stick (bo or jo) orstaff. Oil and poison cannot be used asweapons. One weapon is learned at 1stlevel (with a new weapon gained everytwo levels thereafter), and a nonprofi-ciency penalty of - 3 applies to the use ofunfamiliar weapons. Though they do notuse armor, they can use shields, but whiledoing so they forfeit the use of their spe-cial unarmed attacks. Any magical weaponor shield can be used by a battle dancerwithin the above restrictions, as well asany magical item that can be used by anycharacter class and (as is described later)certain magical musical instruments.

Due to their wilderness life, these char-acters must choose their first four non-weapon proficiencies gained at 1st levelfrom the lists in either Oriental Adven-tures (page 15, under �jungle barbarians,�excluding armorer, chanting, dancing, andmusic) or the Wilderness Survival Guide(page 12, excluding charioteering, moun-taineering, riding, and cold or desert sur-vival). All proficiencies chosen must beappropriate to the campaign environment.One new nonweapon proficiency is earned

for every two levels after the 1st.The majority of battle dancers are of

neutral-good alignment: morally goodbecause the survival value of cooperationhas taught them to cherish love and loy-alty; philosophically neutral because, whilea hatred for slavery inclines them awayfrom excessive lawfulness, the disciplineof capoeira equally inclines them awayfrom chaos. No battle dancer can be of anevil alignment, as slavery, woe, and treach-ery are opposed to all of a battle dancer�sbeliefs.

Just as monks gain special abilities withadvances in rank, so do battle dancersacquire abilities relating to the power ofmusic. They improve in movement speedand inherent armor class much as monksdo, and they inflict increasing amounts ofdamage (to human-size foes only) withtheir fists and feet. Because capoeira dif-fers from any fighting method that mostcharacters will have ever seen, its practi-tioners have a chance to completely sur-prise opponents with their handspringingkicks, flying takedowns, and other move-ments (see Table 2). Monks, ninja, andsohei have less chance than others ofbeing thus surprised, and no such personwill be caught off-guard by battle dancersmore than once.

The surprise attack against a non-battledancer foe is rolled for at the start ofcombat, regardless of which antagonist isthe aggressor�unless the combat beganwith a successful surprise attack by thenon-battle dancer foe. In that case, thebattle dancer will get his chance at thevery start of the second round. A success-ful attack for the battle dancer means thathis opponent automatically suffers themaximum damage that the battle dancer isable to deliver by kick or punch (unlessthe opponent�s armor class is 4 or. better,in which case a normal damage roll ismade). Thereafter, the battle dancer caneither break off and retreat, or else makea regular attack at + 1 to hit probabilitybefore the opponent can act again.

Battle dancers have many special abili-ties. These include the following:

They can perform the martial-arts spe-cial maneuver Instant Stand automatically,a talent that takes up no special-maneuverslot and can be performed at any level (seeOriental Adventures, page 104).

They can each sing, dance, and play 1-2musical instruments, as per the appropri-ate nonweapon proficiencies, well enoughto earn a modest living as an entertainerin a city.

In brawls involving no weapons, a battledancer�s adversary does not gain attackinitiative if he charges to attack. Also,while brawling, the battle dancer gains a+ 2 bonus to his armor class against un-armed combatants, thanks to acrobatics.

The traditional songs of the capoeiraculture, describing the exploits of gods,goddesses, and heroes, have beneficialeffects on members of this class. Anybattle dancer hearing these songs sung by

DRAGON 75

a colleague of 6th level or higher will beimmune to all fear for the duration of thesinging.

The radius in which a battle dancer�ssinging or instrument playing has a benefi-cial effect on others of this class equals 10�per level of the singer or musician. Thebattle dancer�s voice will carry beyond thisradius, but special abilities such as thoselisted here are more limited in effect.

A 2nd-level battle dancer (Handstander),while hearing the singing of a 6th- orhigher-level colleague, gains a +2 on sav-ing throws against psionic blasts and allenchantment/charm spells and thosepowers involving mental control.

A 3rd-level Handwalker, hearing ca-poeira songs sung by a 6th-level battledancer, gains the same benefits he wouldgain from a chant spell. The chant spellcan work cumulatively with the capoeirasong after a one-round delay in which thebattle dancer who is singing adapts hissong to blend with the cleric�s chanting.

A 4th level Handspringer is immune toharpy songs and the bards musical charm.Also (due to their skills at team actions), iftwo or more 4th- or higher-level battledancers fight side by side, each gets a + 1bonus in armor class.

At 5th level, a Headspinner can movesilently, hide in shadows, and hear noisesas a 1st-level thief; these abilities progresswith rank. Also, if two or three battledancers of this level or higher team upagainst a single opponent (which battledancers of good alignment will not dounless the necessity is great), one memberof this team per round (selected randomly)gains an extra attack.

A 6th-level Rhythm Warrior is able tobenefit lower-level brethren by his sing-ing, as previously noted; however, hecannot do so while personally engaged inmelee. It is also at 6th level that he be-comes able to give qualified zero-levelcharacters the instruction in music andmovement that will turn them into 1st-level battle dancers. Moreover, theRhythm Warrior can handle a magicalbardic instrument without suffering harmand, given 2-7 days to study such an in-strument, has a 15% chance of being ableto use it as a bard might. (This chance goesup another 15% with each level gained, sothat a 9th-level battle dancer is 60% likelyto master any musical magic item he ac-quires.) Finally, the Rhythm Warrior issurprised only on a 1 in 6.

The Dancing Warrior, level 7, receiveschant spell benefits when he hears anymusic not of a definitely hostile nature. Ifhis fellows are singing, regardless of theirlevels, the Dancing Warrior gains doublethe chant benefit from hearing them.

The Singing Warrior, level 8, is able tosing with benefit to all colleagues while heis fighting, and he can be heard eventhrough a magical silence spell or effect.

The 9th-level Music Warrior enjoys aspecial importance in the capoeira hierar-chy. For a 5th-level battle dancer to make

76 JULY 1990

the passage to 6th level, he must spend aday having his musical skills examined bya 9th- or higher-level battle dancer. Thereis a 10% chance for every wisdom point ofthe candidate less than 18 that the MusicWarrior will have to give an extra 1-8 daysof musical coaching before the candidateis promoted.

The Contra-Master, level 10, acquires anadded point of charisma upon reachingthis rank. He cannot now be surprisedexcept by opponent using magical spells orpowers such as teleportation or ethereal-ness. Also, any 1st- or 2nd-level battledancer who observes a Contra-Masterserving as a practice sparring-partner fora Master (10th-level or above) will enjoy a10% bonus on any experience points hemay earn in the following week.

The 11th-level Master of Equilibrium isimmune to all mental attacks (including allenchantment/charm spells, possessions,and attempts at mind reading, mind con-trol, and psionic assault), as long as he oranother Master is singing. If another battledancer or a noncombatant member oftheir community has been charmed, hyp-notized, etc., the Master�s song will act as adispel magic against this influence. Fur-thermore, the Master can know alignmentof any being heard singing�regardless ofsuch disguising powers as misdirection oraura alteration.

The 12th-level Uncle of Masters (a fe-male holding this rank would be calledMother, not Aunt, since these titles derivefrom the matrilineal system of many Afri-can cultures) is immune to all death magic(including the monk�s quivering palm) aslong as he or a colleague of Master rank issinging. Also, the Uncle of Masters is ableto teach allied non-battle dancers to singcapoeira songs well enough to conferbenefits on battle-dancer listeners. Suchteaching takes a number of weeks equal to30 minus the student�s wisdom score.

The Great-Uncle (or Grandmother) ofMasters, level 13, gains an overall 25%magic resistance from sheer will-force aslong as any battle dancer can be heardsinging or playing a musical instrument.Moreover, if any mortal character of evilalignment uses ESP or telepathy on theGreat-Uncle of Masters, the innate grace-fulness and beauty of the mind being readwill require the mind-reader to save vs.spells or change alignment to that of theGreat-Uncle. (Evil extraplanar creaturesreading a Great-Uncle�s mind will notchange alignment, but they will temporar-ily forget their evil intentions, initiating nohostilities for 2-5 rounds.)

Combat skills: When a battle dancerranks high enough to make more than oneattack per round, the number of attacksmade is the same whether he uses aweapon or not. If a shield is also used, nounarmed techniques can be used and thebattle dancer�s number of attacks must bereferenced on the table at the top of thenext column:

Battledancer�slevel1-56-1011+ 11+

Weaponattacks per

melee round1/13/22/1

When armed but shieldless, the charactercan choose how many of his attacks willemploy his weapon and how many willemploy a foot, fist, or elbow. If an armedbut shieldless battle dancer is fightinghumanoid foes only, then once in anycombat, after two rounds of using onlyunarmed attacks, the battle dancer canmake a feint with his weapon (causing nodamage), followed by an unarmed attackthat enjoys a +4 bonus to hit because ofthe feint, If this sneak attack succeeds, itdoes double normal damage and can befollowed up with a weapon attack at +2to hit against the foe. Monks, ninja, andsohei are less susceptible to this strategy,so the unarmed portion of the above tactichas a +2 to-hit bonus and does only nor-mal damage, while the armed follow-uphas but a + 1 bonus to hit.

Rising in rank: There is less exclusiv-ity and conflict involved in battle-dancerlevel gains than in those for monks. Upthrough level 9, there is no limit on howmany characters may hold each rank. Theonly limit on the number of Contra-Masters (level 10) is that, in any one ca-poeira culture, the number of Masters ofEquilibrium (level 11) cannot exceed thenumber of Contra-Masters, lest a Masterbe without a Contra-Master sparring part-ner to keep him in practice. This is impor-tant, because a major function of Contra-Masters in the capoeira culture is to keepMasters in mental and physical condition.Any Master who fails to work out with a Contra-Master at least one a week whilenot adventuring will gain only one-halfnormal experience credit for the nextadventure he undertakes. A Master whopasses a full year without working out oradventuring�not counting the ordinaryhunting of common game�will drop alevel in rank.

Thus, if a community has Masters andContra-Masters in equal number, anypromotion-eligible Contra-Masters will justhave to wait until two or more MusicWarriors climb to Contra-Master rank,unless there exists another capoeira com-munity of friendly alignment that has anextra Contra-Master available for transfer.For this reason, many Contra-Masters willtake Music Warriors out on frequent ad-ventures so that one Music Warrior, risingto fill a Contra-Master�s post, will free thatContra-Master to seek his own promotionto Master. In such a case, the former Mu-sic Warrior usually becomes the sparringpartner of the former Contra-Master whohelped him to rise in rank.

The promotion from Contra-Master toMaster involves combat, but no one isdemoted thereby. In fact, it is not againstthe Master of Equilibrium that the Contra-

Master fights, but against any of thesecombinations of opponents, in order ofpreference: two fellow Contra-Masters, inimmediate succession; one fellow Contra-Master, followed by fighting two SingingWarriors simultaneously after a brief rest;or a Singing Warrior and two DancingWarriors simultaneously on one day, fol-lowed by fighting two Music Warriors inimmediate succession the next day. Thesecombats are fought unarmed and to theaccompaniment of capoeira music (per-formed by Masters where possible) fromwhich both sides draw benefit. Damage istreated as subdual damage, not killingdamage. Once the would-be Master haspassed the trial by combat, he spends 2-5days composing an original capoeira song(a creative opportunity for any DM withmusical or poetic talent). Upon performingthis song for the community and teachingit to enough people to use it in a capoeiracircle, the character is initiated as a Mas-ter of Equilibrium.

The promotion to Uncle/Mother of Mas-ters is conducted in a somewhat moremonklike fashion. There can be only oneactive Uncle of Masters in any capoeiracommunity. The eligible Master fights thereigning Uncle (as with monkish promo-tion, the challenger here temporarilyacquires powers equal to the incumbent).If the challenger loses, he drops in experi-ence points to the minimum number for aMaster of Equilibrium. If the challengerdefeats the Uncle of Masters, the loserdoes not drop in rank, but the defeatedUncle of Master must do one of threethings, as decided by the victorious newUncle of Masters. First, he can go intosemi-retirement, occupied mainly withnoncombatant activities like song compos-ing. (In this case, the defeated Uncle�sfighting ability will drop one level after ayear, and another level every six monthsthereafter; but if and when the successorUncle goes on to achieve the topmost rankin capoeira, the ex-Uncle, if less than 60

years old, can resume normal activity andwork upward in level again). Second, hecan leave the community, accompaniedonly by two or three high-level followersand their families, to found a new settle-ment not less than two days� travel away.Third, he can remain in the old settlementwith a similar handful of companions (plusanyone unfit for travel), while the newUncle of Masters leads the majority of thevillagers away to found a new communityin some desirable location.

The Great-Uncle/Grandmother of Mas-ters is like the monkish Grand Master ofFlowers in that there can be only oneholder of this title per region. However,the highly artistic and fraternal nature ofcapoeira makes it feel inappropriate todecide possession of the top rank merelyby the outcome of a slugfest. Two alter-nate methods of filling the position aresuggested, both operating on the assump-tion that the Great-Uncle holds lifetimetenure and that a contest for this rank can

Table 1Battle Dancer Experience and Skills

6-sided Inherent No. of Unarmed ExperienceLevel Title hit dice AC Move attacks damage points

1 Tumbler 2 9 14" 1 1-3 0-2,5002 Handstander 3 9 15" 1 1-4 2,501-4,7503 Handwalker 4 8 16" 1 1-6 4,751-9,0004 Handspringer 5 8 17" 5/4 2-8 9,001-17,5005 Headspinner 6 7 18" 5/4 2-12 17,501-40,0006 Rhythm Warrior 7 7 19" 4/3 2-16 40,001-80,0007 Dancing Warrior 8 6 20" 4/3 4-16 80,001-160,0008 Singing Warrior 9 6 21" 3/2 3-18 160,001-320,0009 Music Warrior 10 5 22" 2 2-20 320,001-600,000

10 Contra-Master 11 4 24" 5/2 3-24 600,001-900,00011 Master of 12 3 25" 3 4-24 900,001-1,200,000

Equilibrium12 Uncle/Mother 13 2 26" 4 3-20 1,200,001-2,000,000

of Masters13 Great-Uncle/ 14 1 27" 9/2 4-32 2,000,001+

Grandmother of Masters

Table 2Surprise Attack Success Probability

vs. non-martial- vs. non-martial- vs. ninja, sohei, vs. ninja, sohei,artist who never artist who has or monk of or monk of

Level of saw capoeira seen capoeira same or of higherbattle dancer combat before once before lower level level

1 2 % 0 % 0 % 0 %2 5 % 0 % 0 % 0 %3 10% 1 % 0 % 0 %4 15% 5 % 0 % 0 %5 25% 10% 1% 0 %6 35% 20% 5 % 0 %7 45% 30% 10% 1 %8 55% 40% 15% 5 %9 65% 50% 20% 10%

10 80% 65% 25% 15%11 90% 75% 30% 20%12 95% 85% 35% 25%13 99% 90% 40% 30%

DRAGON 77

occur only when he dies or retires:1. All candidates are told by their gods in

a vision to undertake some quest benefi-cial to the order of battle dancers as awhole. The one who best fulfills the mis-sion becomes the Great-Uncle/Grand-mother of Masters. As all battle dancersare NPCs, the DM can decide the winnerof this contest with a single die roll. Sim-pler yet, just arbitrarily create a characterwho is assumed to have accomplished thequest or will meet the PCs as he is pursu-ing it.

2. All candidates must compose newcapoeira songs, to be judged by the oldGreat-Uncle (if living) or by an assembly ofall Masters of Equilibrium; the best songearns the promotion. This would be verymuch in the capoeira spirit. Again, if com-pressing the process is desirable, one dieroll or DM�s fiat would settle the contest.

T h e c a p o e i r a c i r c l eT h e c a p o e i r a c i r c l eWhat follows is a typical set of capoeira-

circle spell-like powers, which the DMmay modify from one confederation oralignment to another:

If the leader of a capoeira circle is ofRhythm Warrior level or above, the songs

of that circle can, once a day, render anonmagical weapon temporarily able todamage weapon-resistant monsters. Thisweapon will gain no to-hit or damagebonuses, but it can hurt all monsters re-

gardless of the magical bonuses usuallyrequired to hit them. The duration of thispower in combat is a number of roundsequal to the experience level of the circle�sleader, plus the number of other battledancers who joined in singing over theweapon. If not used immediately, theweapon will hold its special power for atime equal to the circle leader�s charismatimes 12 hours. A circle with a Masterleading can empower two weapons perday; with an Uncle of Masters, a weaponcan remain empowered for twice as longas usual; and a Great-Uncle of Masters can,over his lifetime, permanently empower anumber of weapons equal to his wisdomscore. (The DM can decide whether thesong-enchanted weapons will workequally well for all wielders or for onlybattle dancers.)

With a Dancing Warrior or above asleader, the circle can cast (once each perday) a �half-strength� version of curedisease and neutralize poison spells�thatis, the victim�s life will be saved, but hewill need time to recuperate. With aContra-Master or above as leader, thesespell effects will be of full clerical quality.

With a Singing Warrior or above asleader, the circle can cast remove curseand control weather.

With a Music Warrior or above as leader,dispel magic can be cast.

With a Contra-Master or above, strength

can be cast on all in the circle.With a Master leading, dispel evil, exor-

cise, heal, and tongues spells can be cast.Once a year, with an Uncle of Masters

leading, the circle can invoke the directaid of some powerful creature such as alammasu or baku. With a Great-Uncle ofMasters, the ceremony can be done twicea year.

B a t t l e d a n c e r s a n d o t h e r sB a t t l e d a n c e r s a n d o t h e r sIf player characters of non-Oriental

types happen upon battle dancers, theyshould not find these NPCs too terriblyastonishing�at least, not if they�ve everseen thief-acrobats before. But OrientalAdventure types may be very taken abackby them�not because of their surpriseattacks or techniques, but because�realizing battle dancers to be a kind ofmartial artist�Oriental-type characterswill expect battle dancers to act like deni-zens of Kara-Tur . . . and the battledancers will not do so.

Members of the capoeira culture, evenones of lawful alignment, are cheerfullyindifferent to many of an Oriental charac-ter�s concerns for honor and �face.� Inparticular, a samurai�s readiness to commitseppuku will strike battle dancers as ridicu-lous, since a man who throws away hisown life is depriving family and friends ofhis help and protection. And an Orientalcharacter who tries to engage a battledancer in a psychic duel is likely to achieveno greater result than having the battledancer ask him, �Are you feeling ill?�

Whether visited by �Eastern� or �West-ern� player characters, these �ThirdWorld� martial artists should serve to lendcolor to a far-ranging campaign�and forceadventuring parties to stay on their toes,or else land on their backs.

Pulling a �Con� JobContinued from page 70

As a final note, naming conventions isactually a form of poetry. Like the sonnetand haiku, convention names are wonder-ful because of the information which canbe expressed within such strict limitations.I personally admire names such as PELI-CON, CON-FUSION, CON-TEMPLATION,and especially GENGHIS-CON. Our TableGaming Club decided to flatter the PowersThat Be and name our convention UMF-CON, for the University of Maine in Far-mington. Function triumphs over formonce more.

I want to thank Lori Buck, Michael Grif-fen, Elizabeth Mauzy, Michael McDonald,Randy Carsten, Martin Meader, LindaWhite, Jeannine Petriel, and the rest of theTable Gaming Club for figuring all this out,and Peter Rice�s Maine Wargamers Associ-ation for bringing MAINE-CON to UMF.Thanks also to Lonnie Barnett of TRI-STATE-CON and to Keith Polster ofBOARSHEAD MID-SUMMER REVEL foroutside advice.

78 JULY 1990

DRAGON 79

Sunrunners, Wolfwalkers, and one-eyed rats

REDWALLBrian Jacques

Avon 0-380-70827-2 $4.50One of the two bookstores I visit most

often keeps Redwall in the science-fiction/fantasy section; the other has it shelvedwith the children�s books. Either choice isdefensible. Author Brian Jacques haswritten the sort of novel that can be readeither as a memorable bedtime story or asa wise and adventurous epic with surpris-ing and understated maturity.

Redwall Abbey is a medieval countrygathering place, home, and cultural centerfor those living for miles around. In Jac-ques� world, it�s quite unremarkable thatits proprietors are mice, that a badger isits chief security officer, or that a varietyof other small woodland creatures look toRedwall for sanctuary and protection.That protection is tested severely, how-

©1990 by John C. Bunnell

ever, when a fearsome troop of invadersarrives under the leadership of Cluny theScourge, a huge one-eyed rat whose tail istipped with a poison-treated steel barb.Only the restless young Matthias is able torouse Redwall to mount a defense, andonly Matthias may be able to track down alegendary sword which may be instru-mental in Cluny�s defeat.

Jacques successfully treads a razor-thinbalance in portraying his animal charac-ters, treating them all as people while notlosing the flavor of their animal natures.Asmodeus the serpent, Basil the hare, andwhite owl Captain Snow are especiallydistinctive, and Jacques� frenzied charac-terization of a loft full of sparrows isneatly contrasted with the relatively placidabbey below. And unlike many writers ofanimal literature, he has a sure grasp ofhis characters� relative sizes, giving hisbattles a startlingly authentic feel.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the one weakpoint is the apparent connection betweenMatthias and a long-ago mouse known asMartin the Warrior whose tapestry por-trait hangs in Redwall. The link is vague atbest, and the riddle-poem that sends Mat-thias in search of the missing sword relieson an implausible, forced anagram formuch of its impact. But this single tenuousthread isn�t significant enough to unravelJacques� otherwise extraordinary weaving.Redwall offers one of the best animals-eyeviews of a world I�ve seen in quite sometime, and it offers younger readers anideal bridge between Tolkien�s The Hobbitand the realms of so-called �adult� fantasy.

SUNRUNNER�S FIREMelanie Rawn

DAW 0-88677-403-9 $4.95The third massive book in Melanie

Rawn�s �Dragon Prince� series presents areal problem. Others have noted, cor-rectly, that the Dragon Prince novels areobsessed with complexity and are longeron hand-wringing than they are on adven-ture. But Sunrunner�s Fire accomplishesone feat that almost makes it requiredreading: It transforms one of Rawn�s majorcharacters from nominal protagonist tofull-fledged villain in completely believablefashion.

The individual in question is the Sunrun-ner lord Andry, who has spent most of thefirst two novels firmly in the camp of HighPrince Rohan and his twice-mageborn sonPol. Sunrunner�s Fire finds Andry becom-ing more and more involved in translatinga unique scroll of ancient magical lore, andincreasingly haunted by images of a war-torn future that only he seems able toperceive. Andry�s passionate drive to pre-vent his visions from coming true leadshim to launch a campaign to wipe out hissorcerous opposition�but zeal rises toobscure his judgment, and the sweepturns into a deadly pattern of persecutionthat may bring about the very disasterAndry originally sought to avoid.

The transformation would be morecompelling if it weren�t buried among atleast two other major plots. Unfortunately,Andry�s fall is crowded to one side byPrince Pol�s assumption of real politicalimportance and by the intricate under-

80 JULY 1990

cover maneuvering of the Stoneburnerfaction that is the Sunrunners� rival insorcery. While Andry is hardly the onlywell-constructed character in the novel, heis certainly the most distinctive, and it�sfrustrating to watch him being upstagedby events and authorial emphasis.

Thus the dilemma. Rawn�s series can�t beeffectively picked up in midstream, so it�snecessary to wade through some 1500pages of lush but undistinguished narra-tive to get the full effect of Andry�s meta-morphosis. (No, I am not exaggerating.)That�s entirely too much to ask of any butthe most voracious readers, which makesit impossible to recommend Sunrunner�sFire and its predecessors as a whole. ButRawn�s character-crafting ability is like-wise too good not to deserve notice in thiscase. A DM who could pull the same trickwith an NPC would score a spectacularcoup for his campaign. Gamers are there-fore informed�and warned: Read Rawn atyour own risk.

WOLFWALKERTara K. Harper

Del Rey 0-345-36539-9 $ 3 . 9 5I�ve now lost all opportunity to be first in

my high school graduating class to have anovel published�Tara K. Harper hasbeaten me to it with Wolfwalker. On bal-ance, though, I can�t complain, not about abook that smoothly combines familiarpremises with a convincing knowledge ofwoodcraft and wilderness.

The clearest parallel is to the Elfquestcycle, as both that series and Harper�snovel focus on intimate telepathic bondsbetween their protagonists and powerfulwolves. But the wolfwalkers of Asengarare human and extremely rare, and thewolves of Asengar feel a touch less hu-manized than their counterparts in

Elfquest lore. There�s a vague resonancewith Anne McCaffrey�s tales of Pern, sinceAsengar also appears to be a lost or aban-doned colony world where humanitycoexists with peculiar predators (worlagsand badgerbears) and six-legged ridingbeasts.

McCaffrey lends a testimonial quote tothe novels cover that accurately capturesthe tone of the tale. Aside from a brief anddangerous foray into a trading city, mostof the tale takes place along the route of adesperate chase in which the roles ofpursuers and pursued regularly changehands. There�s a hair-raising whitewaterrapids sequence, a trek up a sheer cliff,several captures and near-captures, andthe terrain ranges from broad plains tothick forests to snowbound mountains.And throughout, woodlore and outdoors-manship are emphasized in a fashion thatprojects authenticity without lecturing.

But if the novel maintains a solid senseof adventure and pace, it leaves an occa-sionally unsettling puzzlement behind.Harper�s wide-ranging geography is some-times difficult to follow, especially withoutan accompanying map, and stretchescredibility in a tale that limits its charac-ters to no better than mounted travel. Hernomenclature occasionally defies logic;most names seem entirely made up, withtwo specific exceptions: a Pacific North-west Indian tribal reference (Celilo), and aperfectly ordinary 20th-century name(Gunther). And most peculiar is healer-heroine Dion�s abrupt comprehension ofcellular biology when she finally achievesmastery of a long-lost psychic healingtechnique.

The inconsistencies, however, aren�tenough to cost Wolfwalker its appeal.Between the familiar-sounding nature lorebalanced against a faraway narrative lilt,and an amiably drawn if slightly raggedcast of adventurers, Tara Harper�s novel isa thoroughly intriguing effort�and a realboon to referees looking for ways to spiceup a wilderness setting, whether in anAD&D® game campaign or a low-tech SFmilieu.

INTO THE SHADOWSJordan K. Weisman, ed.

FASA 1-55560-118-9 $ 5 . 9 5Two warnings going in: I have had only a

very brief look at FASA�s SHADOWRUNTM

game on which this anthology is based;also, the broadly (and increasinglyvaguely) defined realm of cyberpunk SF isnot one of my major interests. This anthol-ogy, though, caught my eye for two rea-sons. First, as a native Northwesterner, I�mnaturally interested in an RPG campaignset in my own metaphorical backyard.Second, the anthology is amazingly wellproduced for its price, with 11 crisp full-page illustrations and nine stories packedinto an attractive large-format paperback.

The limited biographical data includedsays that one contributor lives in Virginiaand another on Long Island. That�s appar-

ently typical, because none of the storiesuses more than minimal local color fromthe Pacific Northwest. As far as this vol-ume is concerned, the game might as wellbe set in San Francisco or Los Angeles.Geography and place names are ade-quately researched, but any sense of re-gional personality is missing. Thephenomenon extends to the art, which(except for the stylized Indian-totem �S� ofthe SHADOWRUN game�s logo) highlightsthe cyberpunk and fantasy aspects of thenarrative rather than drawing on North-west traditions and culture.

On their own merits, the stories rangefrom average to distinctive, with a reason-able balance between rapid-fire teamworkaction and lone-wolf suspense. On balance,the better work is in the latter category,with solid contributions from Nyx Smithand Lorelei Shannon concerning a drivenshapechanger and an eccentric �decker�(Shadowrun�s word for mind-to-mindcomputer hackers). Smiths �Striper� isparticularly absorbing, with value foranyone looking for a tiger�s-eye view oflycanthropy, though its entirely appropri-,ate use of Tolkien�s �Uruk-hai� may havebeen unwise. Best of the team-orientedtales are Michael Stackpole�s �It�s All DoneWith Mirrors,� with solid character inter-play and a spectacular climax, and Ken St.Andre�s �Turtle in the Tower,� which fea-tures a better-than-average treatment oftarot-style fortunetelling.

The background information is wellpresented, with enough to establish theflavor yet not so much as to remove themystery and tension. Jargon is kept eitherminimal or intuitive (I had no troublefiguring out what �Mr. Johnson� meant,for instance). But the book doesn�t quitework as the �braided anthology� describedon the cover copy. Robert Charrette�sopening story works on its own, but not asa setup for what follows; thereafter, onlythe Smith and Stackpole entries seem toconnect successfully.

DRAGON 81

Still, Into the Shadows is a smooth andcrisply executed introduction to the SHA-DOWRUN universe. Gamers curious aboutthe system�s flavor will be well satisfied,and the production values make the collec-tion a striking value in its class.

CROMM

I have letters in my files about KennethFlint, whose work I hadn�t read since one ofhis early novels rubbed me the wrong way.So when Cromm came along, it seemed only

Kenneth C. FlintDoubleday

fair to give him a chance to live up to my

0 -385 -26749 -5 $19 .95

(hardcover)

correspondents� accolades. Unfortunately, it

Doubleday

didn�t happen�but keep in mind that this

0-385-26750-9 $8.95

(trade paper)

new novel is contemporary horror (or �darkfantasy�), rather than the Irish mythic his-tory for which Flint is better known, soCromm�s problems may not be typical ofFlint�s other work.

Not that the ground is entirelyunfamiliar�Flint draws on Irish lore forthe title character, an ancient, apparentlypre-Celtic creature whose cult practicesblood sacrifice and whose followers arepursuing California-born Colin McMahonfor reasons that Colin himself doesn�tcompletely understand. It seems that Colinis the reincarnation of a Celtic warriorwho dealt Cromm a crushing defeat manycenturies past, and Cromm�s forces are outto prevent a repeat performance.

Also caught up in the plot are Gilla De-cair, an elusive, perhaps immortal wizardwho just may be one of the Tuatha deDanann; Megan Conroy, the apparentreincarnation of Colin�s predecessor�s onetrue love; and St. Patrick, whose spiritualpower is essential to Cromm�s ultimatedestruction. Propelled unpredictably byGilla, events skip back and forth betweenwaking dreams of Colin�s earlier life andhis efforts to prevent Cromm from spread-ing his reborn cult beyond the bounds of aremote Irish village.

Yet for all the time-jumping, the narra-tive feels inevitably linear, with no realtwists or unexpected incidents separatingpoint A from point B. At the same time,the internal logic is hard to unravel com-pletely. Flint�s tale has Cromm, Gilla, andPatrick all wielding real mystic powers,which makes for puzzling cosmology by20th-century standards.

Most seriously, though, Cromm suffersfrom a peculiar schizophrenic blandness.The dream sequences are acceptable, if abit thin, as high fantasy, but not sufficientto dominate the yarn. The present-daymaterial is darker but just as thin�itdoesn�t induce the sort of tension or fearneeded to make the tale work as horror,and it�s focused too narrowly on Colin tosustain the atmosphere required to makeit work as �dark fantasy.� The variouselements cancel each other out to produce

82 JULY 1990

a mood best described as forgettable.Again, this isn�t an indictment of Flint�s

work as a whole; all indications fromCromm support those who have enjoyedhis heroic fantasy. But I�d guess that thosefans may find this new tale something of adisappointment, and horror devotees willfind better pickings elsewhere.

DRAGONDOOM

especially good, but by being noticeably

Dennis L. McKiernanBantam

better than I expected. Longtime readers

0-553-28337-5 $4.50

may recall that Dennis McKiernan�s Iron

This book surprised me�not by being

Tower trilogy is near the top of the shortlist of books I actively encourage peoplenot to read (mostly since anyone who�sread Tolkien has read them already). Dra-gondoom is still set in McKiernan�s highlyderivative world of Mithgar, but at last he�sdeveloped a storyline of his own and haspopulated it with a couple of the mostdangerous dragons this side of Tiamat.

Gamers will find the tale�s focus familiar.A troop of men has decided to seek outand destroy one of the last remainingdragons in Mithgar, thereby acquiring themassive hoard assembled by Sleeth overthe decades. But success brings morecomplications than riches, as three sepa.rate difficulties arise. Sleeth�s loot provesfar too massive to transport efficiently.Black Kalgalath, who with Sleeth�s deathbecomes Mithgar�s last living dragon, hashis own designs on the treasure as well asan eye for revenge. And the dwarves fromwhom much of Sleeth�s hoard was stolenquickly assert their own claim.

comfort. Dragondoom takes McKiernanbeyond his previous penchant for rewrit-ing Tolkien; now he�s merely writing aTolkien pastiche, rather as numerousauthors have written post-canonical Sher-lock Holmes adventures.

That�s a mixed recommendation at best.But what McKiernan does right this time isencouraging enough to be worth noting,especially to gamers for whom the dra-gonlore and the bond between Elyn andThork should provide a wealth ofcampaign-adaptable material.

BLOODLISTP. N. Elrod

Ace 0-441-06795-6 $3.50Bloodlist may be a vampire novel, but it�s

by no means a typical vampire novel. It is,in fact, a certifiably weird vampire novel.In part it�s a gangster yarn set vaguely in1930s Chicago. In part it�s an apocryphalSherlock Holmes tale. And in part it�s aromantic mystery (first in a series, ofcourse), in which newly made vampireJack Fleming conducts an ongoingpersonal-ad search for the woman whotransformed him into a member of theundead.

The vagueness of the period is a productof several factors. There are no specificdate references and only a few chronologi-cal cues, most of them subtle. But whiletextual tags point to a date around 1936,the cynical first-person narration feels 10or 20 years ahead of its time, and theHolmesian element pushes the atmospheretwo decades in the other direction. Theresult is confusing and frustrating, ratheras if someone had slipped an early ThreeStooges short into a series of MTV musicvideos.

It should be noted that Sherlock Holmes,strictly speaking, doesn�t appear (presum-ably Elrod ran into copyright difficulties),but the intent is clear. Protagonist Flem-ing�s sidekick calls himself Charles Escott,emulating a well-known Holmes alias, andexhibits numerous Holmesian mannerisms

On the down side, McKiernan�s proseretains the air of artificial formality thatadds distance without quite setting amood, and Mithgar itself remains muchtoo close an analog to Middle-earth for

Kalgalath, meanwhile, is plotting andwatching in formidable fashion. Thosewhose adventuring characters have

Into this arena of conflict come Elyn,surviving sister of Sleeth�s human de-stroyer, and Thork, sworn to avenge hisslain dwarven kin and destroy Kalgalath.Though adversaries by heritage, the twojoin forces against the deadly black dragonand his minions, and the bulk of the novelchronicles their joint quest to find and killtheir common foe. McKiernan sketchesthe pair�s uneasy relationship with pre-cisely understated effectiveness, a wel-come first in the Mithgarian cycle.

short work of AD&D game dragons are in

ble fortress. Added to the creature�s enor-

for a nasty where Kalgalath is con-cerned. McKiernan gives his fire-drakediabolical intelligence, a host of minionand magical aids, and a nearly impregna-

mous physical might, these accoutrementsmake Kalgalath nearly invincible. Onlysupreme ingenuity and force of will�plusa certain amount of magic�allows Elynand Thork any hope of success.

including a penchant for ingenious dis-guises. Escott, in fact, nearly steals thebook from Fleming, whose partial amnesiaand lack of local contacts severely limit hisability to investigate on his own.

But Elrod�s sharp vampire�s-eye view ofthe powers of the undead goes a long wayto making up for her strange plot andcharacter structuring. We get excellenttreatment of such diverse problems asmaintaining a supply of native earth,crossing water, and the advantages andlimits of an intangible mist form, alongwith Fleming�s adjustment to such vulnera-bilities as silver, sunlight, and the problemsof maintaining a respectable wardrobe(the up-and-coming vampire is much moredurable than his suits, which don�t regen-erate after being shot).

Bloodlist is ultimately more intriguingthan satisfying, especially when it�s settingup the series premise, which seems super-fluous to the self-contained organized-crime puzzle around which the novelrevolves. When Elrod is busy with plotand character rather than atmosphere,her writing is tight and effective. Problemis, that�s only about two-thirds of the time.On balance, though, the tale is intriguingenough to be worth a look. (And thatconclusion has nothing to do with the factthat Elrod includes DRAGON® Magazineeditors Roger Moore and Barbara Youngamong those she acknowledges in herdedication.)

R e c u r r i n g r o l e sNew novels from both Diane Duane and

Charles de Lint have made recent debuts,which should be more than enough goodnews for a reader�s bookshelf. Duane�sHigh Wizardry (Delacorte, $14.95) con- tinues her lively series about teen spell-casters Nita and Kit, shifting the focus toNita�s sister Dairine. As usual, there areample quantities of high drama, high ad-venture, and impish wit (�What did shedo?� she said. �She went to Mars and leftthe door open!�). Computer enthusiasts inparticular will enjoy this outing, involvinga laptop wizards manual and a race ofsentient silicon-based beings.

Drink Down the Moon (Ace, $3.50) findsCharles de Lint back in the realms offantasy. Some of the cast returns from hisearlier Jack, the Giant Killer, but equallyprominent are two musicians: the humanJohnny Faw and the half-faerie Jemi Pook.De Lint is as good as ever at drawingcharacters and creating atmosphere, butthe plot suffers somewhat from a split infocus and from its resemblance to EmmaBull�s War for the Oaks. The novel remainshighly readable, but it�s not de Lint�s bestwork.

A number of series have new entries toreport, the most notable being Sunshaker�sWar (Avon, $3.95) from Tom Deitz. Thelatest tale of David Sullivan, the MacTyriegang, and the intrusion of magical conflictinto everyday Georgia demonstrates De-itz�s ongoing knack for blending the trials

of the real world with high-stakes tensionon a cosmic scale. This is one fantasyseries that has genuinely grown in scopeand thoughtfulness with each new vol-ume, rather than falling into an infiniteloop of recycled plots. Also in this above-average camp are Revolution�s Shore (Ban-tam, $3.95), second in Alis Rasmussen�sHighroad trilogy of intricate space adven-tures, and The Dark Hand of Magic (DelRey, $4.95), latest of Barbara Hambly�schronicles of untrained wizard Sun Wolfand his companion the Starhawk. Rasmus-sen continues to bring a refreshinglyliterate style to her darkly operatic swash-bucklers, while Hambly�s portrayal ofmercenary warfare remains convincinglybalanced against the twin enemies ofintrigue and magic.

For some reason, Craig Shaw Gardner�ssecond Cineverse book, Bride of the SlimeMonster (Ace, $3.95) doesn�t grate on theimagination as much as the first. Perhapsit�s because Gardner broadens his satiricscope in this entry, attempting to skewereverything from animated cuteness tooversymbolic art films. But labeling thenovel satire is still being generous, andthose looking for more intelligent humorwon�t find the search difficult.

�Wildly variable� is the only phrase thatcovers a pair of recent Star Trek entries.The Pandora Principle (Pocket, $4.50) is asolid, occasionally sparkling book fromnewcomer Carolyn Clowes, whose novelably fills in much of Saavik�s mixed Vulcan-Romulan background. If she can learn totemper her enthusiasm for italicized dia-log, Clowes should become a first-classstoryteller before long. But Jean Lorrah�sexperience can�t save her �Next Genera-tion� novel, Metamorphosis, (Pocket,$4.95) from a bad case of rampant confu-sion. Besides introducing yet another raceof unexplained godlike aliens, Lorrahutterly undercuts her exploration of Data�sperennial quest for humanity with a cli-max stolen from prime-time TV soap op-eras. Appropriately, this is the only StarTrek novel to date carrying a disclaimerthat says it doesn�t necessarily reflect the�official� Star Trek universe.

Last but not least, Dragon Wing (Ban-tam, $18.95) begins an ambitious newcycle from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hick-man. This one is complicated, with com-peting schools of subtle magic at work farbeyond the knowledge of most of thecharacters. Two Weis-and-Hickman hall-marks stand out: a distinctive, richly imag-ined setting, this time in a fragmentedworld of floating asteroid-like lands andaerial trading convoys (inspirations mayhave included James Blaylock and MichaelReaves); and a central theme concernedwith achieving flexibility within rigidsocietal structures. Only a very occasionallapse of idiom mars the narrative�referring to the odd Prince Bane as a �kid�just doesn�t sound right in this carefullyconstructed milieu. Nonetheless, the DeathGate cycle is off to an imposing start.

DRAGON 83

CONVENTIONCALENDAR

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 and succinct.

The information given in the listing mustinclude the following, in this order:

1. Convention title and dates held;2. Site and location;3. Guests of honor (if applicable);4. Special events offered;5. Registration fees or attendance re-

quirements; and,6. Address(es) and telephone number(s)

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, newsletters, and othermass-mailed announcements will not beconsidered for use in this column; weprefer to see a cover letter with the an-nouncement as well. No call-in listings areaccepted. Unless stated otherwise, alldollar values given for U.S. and Canadianconventions are in U.S. currency.

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 December issue is the lastMonday of October. Announcements forNorth American and Pacific conventionsmust be mailed to: Convention Calendar,DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Announcementsfor Europe must be posted an additionalmonth before the deadline to: ConventionCalendar, DRAGON® Magazine, TSRLimited, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom.

If a convention listing must be changedbecause the convention has been can-celled, the dates have changed, or incor-rect information has been printed, pleasecontact us immediately. Most questions orchanges should be directed to the maga-zine editors at TSR, Inc., (414) 248-3625(U.S.A.). Questions or changes concerningEuropean conventions should be directedto TSR Limited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.).

indicates an African convention.indicates an Australian conventionindicates a Canadian convention.indicates a European convention.

8 4 J U L Y 1 9 9 0

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSRlnc. 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

NOTE: Be aware that there are now at leastfour SF/fantasy/gaming conventions with verysimilar names: ICON, held in Iowa; I-CON, inLong Island, N.Y.; I-KHAN, in Colorado Springs,Colo.; and I-CON, in British Columbia. Otherduplicated convention names have been noted(e.g., DEMICON in Des Moines, Iowa, and Aber-deen, Md.). Plan carefully!

ECONOMYCON III, July 6-8This convention will be held at Alma School in

Mesa, Ariz. Events include AD&D®, BATTLE-TECH*, BATTLE FOR MOSCOW*, CIVILIZA-TION*, and SUPREMACY* games, with opengaming, Japanimation, World War II micro-armor, and the LOST WORLDS* fantasy-bookgame. Write to: ECONOMYCON, 2740 S. AlmaSchool #16, Mesa AZ 85202.

ARCANACON VIII, July 12-15Random Incorporated is again holding this

nonprofit convention, at the Collingwood Educa-tion Center in Melbourne, Australia. Eventsinclude AD&D®, CALL OF CTHULHU*, RUNE-QUEST*, WARHAMMER 40,000*, and HUNTERPLANET* games. Write to: ARCANACON VIII,Random Inc., P.O. Box 125, Parkville 3052, NSW,AUSTRALIA.

ATLANTICON �90, July 13-15This convention will be held at the Baltimore

Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel and the BaltimoreConvention Center. Activities include gamingand free game demonstrations, game auctions, aflea market, 24-hour open gaming areas, anddiscount coupons for all preregistrants. Regis-tration: $14 for the weekend prepaid, or $18 atthe door (one-day passes also available at thedoor). Write to: ATLANTICON, P.O. Box 15405,Baltimore MD 21220; or call: (301) 574-5066.

COSCON �90, July 13-15Sponsored by the Circle of Swords, this gam-

ing convention will be held at Slippery RockUniversity in Slippery Rock, Pa. Events includefirst-run RPGA� tournaments and events, boardgames, a dealers� area, a flea market, and aminiatures-painting contest. On-site housing isavailable. Registration: $10 until June 30, or $15thereafter. Write to: Circle of Swords, P.O. Box2126, Butler PA 16003; or call: Dave Schnur at:(412) 283-1159.

QUIN CON V, July 13-15This three-day event will offer RPGs, fantasy

and historical miniatures, board and cardgames, and RPGATM events. A special tourna-ment for the Hemophilia Fund will also takeplace. The guest of honor will be game andmodule designer Lester Smith. This event willbe held at the Roadway Inn in (Quincy, Ill. Askabout special rates for convention attendees.

Registration: $5/day or $12 for the weekend,preregistered. Write to: QUIN CON V, 3632Maine St., Quincy IL 62301 (include an SASE); or

call: (217) 223-8498.

DOVERCON VI, July 14-15It will be held this year at the University of

New Hampshire�s Memorial Union Building(MUB) in Durham, N.H. Activities include anRPGA� AD&D® tournament and many othergaming events, a film festival, and miniaturesand art competitions. Registration: $15 at thedoor, or $10 for one day. Dealers and judges arewelcome. Write to: DOVERCON VI, P.O. Box 753,Dover NH 03820.

CASTLECON III, July 20-22This convention will be held at the Holiday Inn

Bethesda, in Bethesda, Md. Events include SF,fantasy, gaming, music, costumes, computers,science, and friendship. Registration: $18 untilJune 30; $25 at the door. Write to: FanTek, 1607Thomas Rd., Fort Washington MD 20744.

CHIMERA, July 20-22This science-fiction convention will be held in

the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, Ill.Guests of honor are Connie Willis, HowardWaldrop, and Gardner Dozois. Other guestsinclude Richard Knaak, Fred Pohl, and BarbaraG. Young. The seminars are all designed to makethe reader of SF more than just a consumer,Registration: $40. Write to: CHIMERA, 1016Columbian, Oak Park IL 60302.

I-KHAN, July 20-22This convention will be held at the Holiday Inn

North in Colorado Springs, Colo. Special guest ofhonor will be Andrew J. Offutt. Tournamentsinclude AD&D®, WARHAMMER 40,000*, CARWARS*, SKY GALLEONS OF MARS*, andBATTLETECH* games. Other activities includeopen gaming, a movie room, a pre-1960s movietheme costume contest, a dealers� room, aminiatures-painting contest, and our own versionof Highlander: Registration: $15, plus a $1 fee perevent. Write to: Miniatures War gamers Guild,2354 S. Academy Blvd., Colorado Springs CO80916; or call: Perry Rogers at: (719) 392-2656.

CON-TEST �90, July 21Sponsored by the Lebanon Area Gamers�

ASSOC., this convention will be held at Kaspar�sArk, north of Lebanon, Pa. Events includeAD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, SHADOWRUN, andAXIS AND ALLIES* games. There will also beAD&D®, BATTLETECH*, and CAR WARS*tournaments sponsored by the New EnglandPeddler. Other activities include a miniaturespainting contest, with a $2 entry fee per figure.Registration: $5 before the convention, $7.50 atthe door. Write to: Lebanon Area Gamers�Assoc., 806 Cumberland St., Lebanon PA 17042;or call: (717) 274-8706.

CONJUNCTION, July 27-29This convention will take place at New Hall

College, Cambridge, England. The guest ofhonor will be Gregory Stafford. Events includeno game tournaments, but there will be panels,a masquerade, films, and a dealers� area. Therewill also be combat demonstrations, live-actionrole-playing, PBMs, workshops, and a real alebar. Membership is £12 for those over 18. Writeto: CONJUNCTION, 27 Terront Road, LondonN15 3AA, UNITED KINGDOM; or call: JohnDallman at: 01-802-8723.

OKON �90, July 27-29The region�s largest SF convention will be held

at the Camelot Hotel in Tulsa, Okla. Guests ofhonor include Hal Clement, Tom Kidd, MarkSimmons, David Lee Anderson, and Brad Sinor.Events include AD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, WAR-HAMMER 40,000*, STAR FLEET BATTLES*, andCAR WARS* games. Write to: OKON, PO. Box4229, Tulsa OK.

DARCON I, July 28Sponsored by Darkstar Fantasy Concepts, this

convention will be held at the Hillbrow Recrea-tion Center in Johannesburg, South Africa.Events include AD&D® and SF games, varioustournaments, and a dealers� room. Registration:R5 per player. Write to: DFC DARCON I, EvanDempsky, 24 Vincent Rd., Rosettenville-ext,Johannesburg (Tvl), R.S.A., 2197.

GFR ROLEPLAYER DAYS �90, July 28-29The Gilde der Fantasyrollenspieler proudly

presents this convention at the Burgerschaf-thaus, Gorlinger Zentrum 15, Cologne (Koln),West Germany. Many games will be featured.Registration: DM 6/day or DM 10/weekend.Write to: GTR, c/o Bernd Streckman, Bruchstr.48, 4030 Ratingen 1, West Germany.

PROJECT GENESIS VII, July 29PATCO presents this fantasy gaming convention

at the Ramada Inn in Fresno, Calif. Tournamentsand events include AD&D®, BATTLETECH*,STAR FLEET BATTLES*, STAR WARS*, andTOON* games, with computer gaming, Japanima-tion, a miniatures contest, and a swap meet.Registration: $3 before July 13; $5 thereafter.Dealers and judges are welcome! Write to:PATCO, c/o Philip S. Pittz, 5415 E. Washington,

DALLASCON �90, August 3-5The southwest�s largest gaming convention

will be held at the Le Baron Hotel on Regal Rowin Dallas, Tex. Tournaments include AD&D® andBATTLETECH* games. Other activities includeWARHAMMER*, SHADOWRUN*, CHAMPIONS*,AXIS & ALLIES*, and ROLEMASTER* games, aswell as seminars, an auction, a painting contest,and a dealers� room. Send an SASE to: DALLAS-CON �90, P.O. Box 867623, Plano TX 75086.

FAMILYCON I, August 3-5This family-oriented convention will be held at

the Holiday Inn in Timomium, Md. Activitiesinclude a dealers� room, hands-on science pro-gramming, and SF and fantasy panels for allages. Write to: FAMILYCON, 3309 Taney Rd.,Baltimore MD 21215.

I-CON I, August 3-5Victoria�s first SF convention will be held at

the Ramada Inn in Victoria, B.C., Canada. Guestsof honor include Michael G. Coney, Donna Barr,and Nichelle Nichols. Events include panels, anart show and auction, videos, gaming, a writers�workshop, art and costuming demonstrations, adiplomatic reception, a masquerade, twodances, a dealers� room, and live theater. Regis-tration: $30 Canadian ($28 U.S.). Dealers arewelcome. Write to: I-CON, P.O. Box 30004, 104-3995 Quadra St., Victoria, B.C., CANADA V8X5E1; or call: (604) 383-1123.

OMACON X, August 3-5This pro-space, gaming, and comic convention

will be held at the Holiday Inn Central inOmaha, Neb., and is sponsored by Nebraskans

Fresno CA 93727; or call: (209) 456-1668. for the Advancement of Space Development.

Guests of honor include Rick Sternbach, JohnFord, Bjo nimble, and Art Bozlee. Write to:OMACON, P.O. Box 37851, Omaha NE 68137.

CAPITOLCON VI, August 4-5This event will be held at the Sacred Heart-

Griffin High School in Springfield, Ill. Featuredevents include board and miniatures war gam-ing, FRPGs, vendors, and a used-game auction.Write to: Bill Wilson, 99 Cottonwood Dr., Cha-tham IL 62623; or call: (217) 483-5797 or (217)523-0916.

1990 GEN CON® Game Fair, August 9-12Make your plans now to attend the biggest

and best game convention of them all, at theMECCA Convention Center, Milwaukee, Wis.We�ve brought in over 10,000 people for twoyears running! Write to: 1990 GEN CON® GameFair, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

BATTLETECH*: OPERATION GREENFLAG, August 11-12

This mid-Atlantic regional BATTLETECH*convention is the first official FASA-sanctionedtournament to be held at the Central PennBusiness School in Summerdale, Pa. Featuredwill be a vigorous round-robin and four-personlance competitions. Open gaming will also beavailable both days. Registration: $8-12, depend-ing on the date of registration. Attendance islimited. Write to: M. Foner�s Games Only Empo-rium, 200 Third St., New Cumberland PA 17070;or call: (717) 774-6676.

Continued on page 101

DRAGON 85

NOTE: The dates in this column have been

dates for these products.changed to reflect the on-sale (not shipping)

NEW PRODUCTS FOR JULY

PHBR4 The Complete Wizard�s HandbookAD&D® 2nd Edition supplementby Rick SwanIf you thought you had the wizard class

figured out, think again! This invaluable refer-ence book expands the realms of the wizardclass, with new character kits, ingenious usesfor common spells, and a vast array of newinformation opening wide the doors for wizardseverywhere.Suggested Retail Price: $15.00/£9.95Product No.: 2115

RAVENLOFT� campaign setAD&D® 2nd Edition boxed setby Bruce Nesmith and Andria HaydayEnter the world of Gothic horror and super-

natural suspense with this set, which introducesan entire line of horror products to terrify yourPCs and their players! The RAVENLOFT� gameworld has rules all its own; once your characterenters it, he may never leave�alive. Spice upyour campaign with horror!Suggested Retail Price: $18.00/£11.95Product No.: 1053

MC6 Monstrous Compendium, Vol. 6:Kara-Tur Appendix

AD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMSTM

accessoryby Rick SwanThe strangest and deadliest monsters of the

Oriental realms are brought together in thisvolume, ready to be unleashed into your cam-paign! Designed to be added to your MC binder,this appendix describes the creatures of Kara-Tur down to the last talon and fang, all inAD&D® 2nd Edition game format.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 2107

NEW PRODUCTS FORAUGUST

Legends and LoreAD&D® 2nd Edition accessoryby Jim Ward and Troy DenningUpdated for the AD&D® 2nd Edition game,

this volume has the details on the deities of 11different cultures. Each entry on a deity de-scribes his avatar, how he interacts with mor-tals, and ways in which that deity can be used ina campaign. Both players and DMs will find thisvolume invaluable for their campaigns.Suggested Retail Price: $20.00/£12.50Product No.: 2108

MC7 Monstrous Compendium, Vol. 7:SPELLJAMMER� Appendix

AD&D® SPELLJAMMERTM accessoryby TSR StaffVirtually everyone at TSR had a hand in

producing this assortment of creatures, beast-ies, and baddies that inhabit wildspace. Fill your

86 J U L Y 1 9 9 0

AD&D® campaign with beings the likes of whichhave never been seen before! If you love theSPELLJAMMER� game, this one is for you!Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 2109

WGR1 Greyhawk RuinsAD&D® GREYHAWK® accessoryby Blake Mobley and Timothy B.

BrownThe ruined towers of Castle Greyhawk are an

open challenge to adventurers (of all levels)everywhere! But few who have entered thecomplex of almost 1,000 rooms have returned!You can take your PCs to their highest levels ofexperience with just this 128-page dungeon.Suggested Retail Price: $15.00/£9.95Product No.: 9292

FRA2 The Black CourserAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMSTM

accessoryby Troy DenningThis second adventure in the Horde Trilogy of

modules takes the PCs back to the lands be-tween the western Realms and Kara-Tur as theHorde continues its march eastward!Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 9290

Hollow World Boxed SetD&D® Boxed Setby Aaron AllstonUnbeknownst to the inhabitants of the Known

World, their planet is hollow! The interiorsurface is a wondrous realm of new races andmonsters and they are ready to try life onthe other side�the sunlit surface side! Thisboxed set brings to life all the strange andwonderful beings that exist in this new �world,�as well as new adventures, methods to link theinner and outer worlds, and maps of this bi-zarre new setting. Do not miss this one!Suggested Retail Price: $18.00/£11.95Product No.: 1054

The FORGOTTEN REALMS� AtlasAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS�

accessoryby Karen Wynn FonstadThe FORGOTTEN REALMSTM campaign setting

has never looked better. By the author of manyfantasy world atlases, this book contains all themaps for the Realms, from the Sword Coast tothe farthest reaches of Kara-Tur. It includes allthe maps for 1990 Realms products and re-counts every novel published to date.Suggested Retail Price: $15.95/£10.95Product No.: 8442

25CR1 Mars in the 25th CenturyXXVc� game sourcebookby Ray WinningerThe most powerful planet in the solar system

is vividly described in this accessory for theXXVc� game. Learn about the inhabitants ofMars, human and otherwise, and discover thefull power of the organization known as RAM.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 3563

Dragon wallEmpires Trilogy, Book Twoby Troy DenningThe Horde has breached the Dragonwall and

now threatens the Oriental land of Shou Lung,whose armies are no match for the barbarianhorsemen. Shou Lung�s only hope lies with ageneral who is descended from the barbariansthemselves!Suggested Retail Price: $4.95Product No.: 8479

First Power PlayThe Inner Planets Trilogy, Volume Oneby John MillerThis is the first book in a bold new trilogy that

promises to be the best in high-tech SF. Thistrilogy will chronicle the XXVc� universe and istied to a computer game from SSI!Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 3561

GANGBUSTERS� Role-Playing Game1920s adventure RPG, 2nd Editionby Steven E. SchendThis reprint of the popular Roaring Twenties

RPG turns back the clock to the days of Prohibi-tion, flappers, and machine-gun-toting gangs!This revised version, in a single 128-page book,contains all the rules and many of the adven-tures that made the original game such a hitwith action, movie, and game buffs!Suggested Retail Price: $20.00/£12.50Product No.: 7009

DRAGONLANCE® saga graphic novel, #5by Roy ThomasThis volume recounts the last section of

DRAGONLANCE Chronicles, Volume Two, Drag-ons of Winter Night. In it, Sturm faces thecouncil of Solamnic Knights and the dragon-lances fall into the hands of the forces of Good.Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 8435

OutbankerTSR� Booksby Timothy A. MaddenPatrolling the far perimeters of their star

system�s gravity well, the outbankers protecttheir home colonies from the powerful dread-noughts of the vast, covetous Corporate Hegem-ony. This is the story of Outbanker CommanderIan S. LlacKenzie. Follow him to the edge of hissolar system and beyond!Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8214

Unless otherwise noted:® and ™ denote trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES and MARVEL UNIVERSE aretrademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllMarvel characters, names, and the distintive likenessesthereof are trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group,Inc. ©1990 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All RightsReserved.

BUCK ROGERS and XXVc are trademarks used underlicense from The Dille Family Trust ©1990 The Dille FamilyTrust. All Rights Reserved.

88 JULY 1990

We all love tabletop role-playing games,of course; it�s great fun to get togetherwith a group of friends in heroic guise andtackle the forces of evil, defeating theenemy�s wretched minions in imaginarycombat and reaping the rewards of victoryfor our player characters. But after a fewyears of knocking the heads off orcs andpitching grenades at terrorists, you mayfind you want to try new ways of role-playing, and the limitations of tabletoprole-playing become all too clear. Yourcharacter can interact with the imaginaryworld of the game only through the lim-ited window of the game master�s atten-tion. That single person controls what yousee, who you talk to, and whether yousucceed or fail. You can interact to a lim-ited degree with your fellow player char-acters, but since they also must see theworld through the focus of the GM, every-one is primarily oriented toward the GM.And since there�s only one GM, the playercharacters must always find a consensusand work together, even when their goalsare so conflicting that they would preferto separate and do their own things. Sorry,players, no can do�splitting the party isjust too hard to handle in a typical table-top game.

So while creating group stories throughtabletop role-playing is certainly enjoyable,don�t you wish you could have greatercontrol over your part of the story? Don�tyou wish you could make your own deci-sions without being constantly steered bythe heavy hand of the GM? It can be done.There�s a new way to play role-playinggames that�s not simple, but it sure issatisfying. This article is all about it.

I live near Baltimore. Last March I at-tended BALTICON, the largest of the an-nual Baltimore SF and fantasy conven-tions. I was scanning through the programguide, looking for something new or inter-esting, and my finger stopped at a paneltitled �The Future of Interactive Litera-ture.� This sounded like it had somethingto do with role-playing games, so I stayedlate Saturday night to attend it. The roomwas filled with animated and articulatepeople who all seemed to know eachother. They had their own jargon and in-jokes, but I gathered that these folks hadbeen running and participating in livemultiplayer role-playing games involvingas many as 50 to 100 people at a time!They�d been putting on these gamesmainly at SF conventions, and the gamesseemed to involve more acting and story-telling than the usual live-action orc-bashing or �assassination� games. Theselive RPGs were written in advance byteams of GMs who created the basic plotsituations, then spent the bulk of theirefforts designing complex characters,focusing on their motivations and interre-lationships. Each player assumed the roleof one of these characters and played outthe game following his own judgment.

I was very interested, if only in whatkind of rules mechanics they could have

developed to handle a 50-player game. Iinquired as to how one got involved in thispursuit, and was advised that I should tryto attend the Society for Interactive Litera-ture�s annual convention, which is entirelydevoted to live role-playing games. The1989 convention, SILICON IV (from SIL:Society for Interactive Literature), wasonly two weeks away, so I would have toact fast if I wanted to register.

There were three simultaneous gamesscheduled to run at SILICON IV, and obvi-ously the thing to do was to sign up for oneof them. The games were �Escape Velocity:a cyberpunk game that was already full;�Cocabanana,� set in a banana republicduring a coup d�etat; and �RMS Titanic,�being run by the Mage�s Seal GM�s groupfor the second and final time. �Cocabanana�didn�t interest me much, so I signed up for�R.M.S. Titanic.� The application form askedwhat sort of character I wanted to play; Irequested a �smug, pompous, self-right-eous, upper-crust aristocrat.�

In the week before the convention, I gota couple of books on the Titanic and readup on the ship and its one-and-only voyagein 1912. The first-class passenger list wasstudded with some of the most famousnames of the day: English nobility, artistsand writers, and American robber-baronmillionaires. For me, the one characterwho really stood out was J. Bruce Ismay,president of White Star Lines and ownerof the Titanic, who went along on themaiden voyage to mingle with the aristoc-racy and lord it over the officers andcrew. He survived the shipwreck, tried invain to cover up the mistakes that led tothe disaster, and ended by living the restof his life in ignominy, a virtual recluse. Inone night he went from master of thelargest, most celebrated, and most elabo-rate vehicle ever built to scapegoat for twoangry nations. History�s verdict: servesh i m r i g h t .

SILICON IV was held in a hotel on thenortheast side of Philadelphia; on theFriday it began, I left work a couple ofhours early and drove on up. I checked inand found some roommates to share ex-penses with me, then picked up my char-acter packet, a handsome folder with anumber of loose-leaf pages inside. I re-treated to my room to read it. Quicklyskipping over the rules of the game andthe background material on the Titanic, Iturned to the character section, where Iread: �You are J. Bruce Ismay. . . .�

Well, this was just too cool for words. Ihad been cast as the master of the Titanic!I read on. As Ismay, I had several minorcharacter goals, but my main object was tomake sure that the Titanic beat the Olym-pic�s speed record for transatlantic cross-ing time, as I had a bet with J. P Morganthat would enable me to regain the controlof White Star Lines from him if I won.(Morgan was supposed to have been onthe Titanic�s only voyage, but an illnesskept him in England�more�s the pity.)

I read the game rules and was surprised

to see just how few there were. A coupleof pages of simple combat rules�with aparagraph apiece on pocket-picking, safe-cracking, and cheating at cards�seemedto be all that were needed. Far more spacewas devoted to the history and socialbackground of the ship and a passengerlist with short character descriptions.There were no rappelling rules, nothrown-object scatter tables, no fatigue-modified movement rates, no characterskill rules to speak of�clearly, this gamewas mainly about social interaction, andsuccess at character interaction was de-pendent on the player�s own skill. What aradical concept!

My character�s possessions were definedby a handful of paper coins, pound notes,and checks (for passing bribes and payinggambling debts), plus several �specialability� and �item� cards. These were3� x 5� cards that described abilities Ipossessed (e.g., Ship�s Knowledge�I knewmy way around the ship) and objects Iowned (e.g., a naval revolver). These cardswere to be shown to other players atappropriate moments to prove that I hadwhat I said I had.

At the BALTICON panel, I had gotten theidea that costuming could be fairly impor-tant at these games, so I had come pre-pared with several outfits: a suit with anold-school tie, a smoking jacket, and bestof all, a naval officer�s formal jacket. I�dpicked it up years ago at a used-clothingstore for no good reason other than that ithad looked cool, and now at last I had ause for it. I put on a white shirt, blackpants, and black bow tie, slipped a (bor-rowed) pocket watch in one pocket and a(borrowed) hip flask in another, thendonned my naval jacket. Thus nattilyattired, I went down to the Game ControlRoom to meet the other passengers.

The hotel had a large open indoor poolarea, fronted on two sides by two floors ofrooms, the upper floors giving out ontorailed balconies with spiral staircases thatled down to poolside. SILICON had rentedthis entire area for the weekend. TheTitanic�s Game Control Room was a suite on an upper level; outside �Deck B� waslined with deck chairs, and we could lookdown onto �Deck C� below us. There werefive GMs and about 25 players in thegame. Each player represented a fictional-ized version of an actual Titanic passenger,each with his own goals.

I soon found that the game was playedalmost exclusively between the players,wherever they happened to be, with onlyoccasional intercession by a GM whensomething needed to be resolved or ex-plained. (In fact, if you needed a GM, youhad to go and find one.) The GMs had setup the game, but the action was controlledand directed almost entirely by the play-ers. Essentially, each player tried to be-come his character for the duration of theweekend. Players were on their honor toact only on the knowledge their characterswould have, and I saw not a single abuse

DRAGON 91

of this trust. When somebody had a ques-tion or wanted to do something compli-cated, a GM might be called, but just asoften the players figured out what wouldhappen on their own and reported it tothe GMs later.

We players spent Friday night and Satur-day morning discreetly feeling each otherout and discovering who was who. At leastfour major subplots were already under-way: a murder mystery, a tangled espio-nage case, an art forgery scheme, andsomething having to do with Egyptianartifacts and spiritualism that I never quitefigured out. (�Rubbish!� I sniffed wheneverthe subject came up.) Plus there wereseveral financial schemes looking forinvestors (including a scheme of my own),an out-of-control fire burning in the bot-tom of coal bunker No. 6 that I had tokeep the passengers from discovering,some sort of smuggling plot, and a crazedsaboteur hired by J. P. Morgan to slow orstop the ship.

The game took place anywhere in thehotel characters happened to be, in anypossible combination of characters, whichmeant that no one person could possiblyknow everything that was going on. (Thismay be the only form of storytellingwhere this is true.) The GMs occasionallyintroduced new twists�for example, theghostly apparition prophesying doom thatappeared in the corridor during the char-ity art auction, sending all the spiritualistsinto a tizzy. (�Rubbish!�)

Costuming was optional and varied fromjeans and T-shirt to full Edwardian regalia.It wasn�t supposed to make a difference,but clearly a player in full costume had apsychological advantage over a playerwith none. The characters were of threemain groups: the ship�s officers, includingCaptain E. J. Smith; the high-class aristo-crats, such as the Astors, the Duff-Gordons, the Thayers and Wideners,Count Boris Romanoff, and Major Archi-bald Butt, a personal friend of PresidentTaft; and the lesser lights in first class,such as the �unsinkable� Molly Brown,mystery writer Jacques Futrelle, actressDorothy Gibson, cardshark C. H. Rol-maine, and Pinkerton man F. M. Curran.As J. Bruce Ismay, I was both a member ofthe upper crust and privy to the activitiesof the ship�s officers, which I found anexcellent arrangement. I got to swank itwith the Duff-Gordons and still cast thedeciding vote among the officers whenproblems came up. Whenever some newhorrible calamity befell the vessel, I wouldhave to go and explain it away to the first-class passengers, each time a little lessconvincingly than the last.

It was delightful. When I wasn�t escort-ing the glamorous Frau AntoinetteFlegheim to the Ladies� High Tea or dinnerat the Captain�s Table, I was ordering theCaptain to press on at full speed throughthe fog and not be so damned overcau-tious about a few reports of ice floes. Theother players worked busily at their own

92 JULY 1990

goals, arranging business deals, forgingalliances, conducting romances, setting upswindles, and exacting vengeance forcrimes past. Some players got so involvedin the endless high-stakes poker game inthe first-class salon that they hardlyseemed to notice the other intrigues thatswirled about them. Everyone played witha gusto that was undiminished by theknowledge that we were probably allgoing to end up in Davy Jones�s locker.

On advice of the first officer, the captaintook a more southerly course than origi-nally planned to avoid the ice, but we stillran over a small �growler� iceberg lateSaturday night. This sprung a couple ofseams in the forward boiler room, andworse, interrupted my game of whist inthe salon! But the damage was insignifi-cant, really�the pumps were well able tokeep ahead of it�so we went back up tofull speed and cleared the ice field withina few hours.

By Sunday morning, most of the plotshad just about worked themselves out,and some of the players (when out ofcharacter) were beginning to think thatwe might make New York safely, but ofcourse we were doomed from any one ofa number of possible causes. That out-of-control fire smoldering in the No. 6 coalbunker could have burst out onto thedecks, or the sabotaged boilers might haveexploded, or the Egyptian curse on thetomb-robbers could have caused the shipto split open like a ripe melon. As it hap-pened, it was the bombs set in the cargohold by the agents of the Kaiser that fi-nally did us in. (Of course, if I, in my char-acter as a pompous ass, hadn�t consistentlydiverted all investigations away from theringleader, Frau Flegheim� �It�s inconceiv-able that she could be involved in this sortof thing!� �the ship�s officers might havefound the bombs in time. But somethingelse would have gotten us.)

With a rip in the hull that extendedacross four cargo holds, we started takingon water, but at first we weren�t terriblyalarmed�we all knew the Titanic wasunsinkable. It meant my bet with Morganwas lost, and we�d have to head for Halifaxas the closest port, but one must keepone�s composure, after all. Then westarted getting panicky reports from be-lowdecks, so I sent Thomas Andrews, theship�s designer, down into the holds toassess the situation. He came back,shaken, and informed the captain and methat the Titanic was definitely going tosink. Reluctantly, I gave the order to startlowering the boats. That�s when I �discov-ered� we didn�t have enough boats foreverybody.

The climax of the game, the sinking,went very rapidly and was magnificentlystage-managed by the GMs, who came tothe fore for the final scene. Despite confu-sion and misdirection, we managed to getthe boats away with all the women andchildren from first class aboard. Only afew men managed to weasel their way

onto the boats, and this time Ismay wasn�tone of them. (Frau Flegheim, the agent ofour doom, was in the first boat away�shedrew a revolver and commandeered it.)Meanwhile, the GMs went around andrecruited every member of the conventionwho wasn�t currently active in �EscapeVelocity� or �Cocabanana� to be second-and third-class passengers on the Titanic.As the last boats were loading first-classwomen and children on Deck B, the lower-class passengers swarmed up the spiralstaircases and tried to mob us, but wemanaged to beat them back and lock thegates. I spotted one group circling aroundthe back way (through the hotel to theother entrance of the suite), so Major Buttand I headed them off at the door. As theypretended to charge, I fired my cardboardrevolver into the air, but Major Butt,brandishing his 3� x 5� cavalry sabre inone hand, started mowing them downwith the revolver in his other. In the faceof this mayhem, the mob retreated, andwe locked that gate as well.

The ship was listing badly now, and theimaginary foredeck was awash. From upon the balcony, those of us left on the shipcould see the groups of folding chairs outby the pool that represented the lifeboats.The seamen left on the ship were workingfeverishly to free four more collapsiblelifeboats from the top of the pilot house.They finally got one afloat, but as westarted to go down to it, it was mobbed bylower-class passengers. A GM on the bal-cony announced that only those playerswith a ticket would be considered to be onthe collapsible lifeboat�and then shetossed a handful of tickets down onto thepool deck. Most of us left on B Deck dis-dained to get involved in the resultingmelee. (The final ticket was tossed into thepool, and one player unhesitatingly dovein after it.)

The last boat was away. First OfficerLightoller and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordonwere building a raft of deck chairs, butMajor Butt and I decided to jump for it.Luck and the frigid water of the NorthAtlantic were against us; we drowned. Theship went under at last, and the suctionpulled down Sir Cosmo�s raft, and they alldrowned, too. A few swimmers werepulled into lifeboats, but too many got intoCollapsible A�it capsized, and more play-ers were lost. Finally, the RMS Carpathiaarrived to pick up the survivors. The quickand the dead then stood up together andsolemnly sang �Eternal Father, Strong toSave� (�O hear us when we cry to Thee/For those in peril on the sea!�). Okay, theending was a bit of a downer, but what didyou expect from a tragedy like the Titanic?

The �Interactive Literature� form of liverole-playing has its origins back in 1982,when a Boston SF fan named Walt Freitagstarted talking about how to do a real-time, live-action role-playing game. Hisfriends encouraged him to quit talkingabout it and do it, so Freitag contacted the

organizers of the annual BOSKONE SFconvention and proposed a science-fictionrole-playing game for a large number ofplayers. There was no reply for severalmonths, and Freitag had written it off,when shortly before the convention theorganizers got back in touch with him andsaid: So, is that game ready yet? Freitagenlisted several of his friends as collabora-tors, and they managed to concoct “Re-kon,” their first live role-playing game, inabout three nights. It premiered atBoskone in January 1983, for about 30players, most of whom felt it was a bigsuccess. In fact, some players who hadcome up from the Baltimore-Washingtonarea were so impressed with “Rekon” thatthey asked permission to run their ownversion of the game down south. Thatgame, “Reklone,” was run at a Washingtonconvention in the summer of 1983.

So it went for a couple of years, eachgame larger than the last. �Rekon 2� wasrun in Boston in 1984, “Reklone 2” inWashington. “Rekon 3” was a fantasy gamefor almost 200 players, which introducedso many people to the idea of live role-playing that by late 1985 new games werepopping up all over the place. By 1986,most SF conventions in the Boston orBaltimore-Washington areas featured liverole-playing games of some sort. Playerswere drawn from science-fiction fans,gamers, and theater people, with little orno crossover with conventional tabletoprole-playing.

By this time, the originators of the Re-kons had decided that this approach tostorytelling was a new art form and de-served its own name. They settled on“interactive literature,” a name that hasstuck despite its pretentiousness. The mostexperienced GMs got together and formedthe Society for Interactive Literature, orSIL. SIL’s main functions are the exchangeof information and the sponsorship ofconventions devoted to live role-playinggames. SILICON I was held in 1986 and

felt wouldn’t go over so well at a SFconvention—games like “See Jane Run,”which was set inside a human body, withthe players cast as various organs. Thereare now just under a thousand activeplayers of live role-playing games, andmost are still found in either Boston or theBaltimore-Washington area, so SILICONS

are usually held somewhere in between.Playing role-playing games is always a

collaborative process; with live role-playing games, even game mastering is acollaboration. A game for 50 players re-quires the creation of 50 detailed charac-ters and a complex web of interrelation-ships. This is such a daunting task thatgroups of four to eight GMs are usuallyformed to write a live role-playing game,and each game is usually prepared over aperiod of months. The GMs decide howthe characters goals are related, andwhich characters can hinder or help eachother. It takes a delicate touch; each char-acter’s goal must be achievable within thespan of a weekend—but not too soon, orthe player will feel the game was too easy.The game must be designed so it will runpretty much on its own, for if it needs toomuch input from the GMs, the players willbe frustrated and the GMs will be runragged long before the game is over.

Playing is not nearly as much work asgame mastering, especially since mostgames have few actual game mechanicsthat the player needs to understand. Themajor skill a player needs is to be able towalk up to a person he doesn’t know andintroduce himself. Playing the game con-sists mainly of staying in character whilehaving a series of conversations withvarious other players. A player must findout what he needs to know without givingaway too many of the player’s own se-crets, but a player who won’t trade infor-mation won’t learn anything, so it doesn’tpay to be too close mouthed.

As in tabletop gaming, some playersconcentrate on role-playing and being

featured experimental games that it was theat r ica l , whi le o thers more goal

oriented. The best games provide plenty ofopportunity for both styles of play. About50 or 60 different games have been run todate, many of them based on science fic-tion or fantasy, but others are on virtuallyevery subject with any dramatic potential.There have been a couple of Wild Westgames, a game based on characters fromShakespeare, another based on Watergate,a Weekly Midnight News” game based ontabloid reality, and several historical situa-tions, such as “Golden Horn,” which simu-lated politics in the Byzantine Empire.Other games have drawn from the worksof authors as diverse as H. P. Lovecraft,Steven Brust, and Dick Francis. I justsigned up for“Shogun,” in which I’ll beplaying the part of a samurai warlord in16th-century Japan. Look out, ToshiroMifune!

If you’re interested in trying out liverole-playing, and you live on the EastCoast, the odds are good that there will bea game at the next SF convention in yourarea. (Most games at SF conventions hold afew parts open for walk-in players toencourage novices to play.) If you want topreregister for a game, or if you live else-where in the country, your best bet is tosubscribe to Metagame, the SIL’s newslet-ter that (among other things) lists an-nouncements of upcoming games—whatthey’re about and where and when they’llbe run. Live role-playing is graduallyspreading west and south, and will proba-bly be showing up in your major metro-politan area within the next couple ofyears. So get ready—live role-playing iscoming your way!

Contact the Society for Interactive Liter-ature at: P.O. Box 44-1478, Somerville MA02144, U.S.A. Membership dues are $5.00per year. Subscriptions to Metagame arealso $5.00 per year, and should be sent tothe above address. Articles or informationfor Metagame should be sent to: JohnO’Neil, Metagame Editor, 9 Chauncy St.#32, Cambridge MA 02138, U.S.A.

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1 0 0 J U L Y 1 9 9 0

Convention CalendarContinued from page 85

GAME-FEST XI, August 15-19This 11th-annual convention will be held in

historic Old Town in San Diego, Calif. Over 50gaming events include AD&D® D&D®, AVALONHILL CLASSICS*, BATTLETECH*, CAR WARS*,TMN TURTLES*, WARHAMMER 40,000*, MO-NOPOLY*, and AXIS & ALLIES* games, withpainting shows and more. Registration: $20before August 10 (includes coupon book for on-site purchases), or $30 at the door. Write to:GAME-FEST XI, 3954 Harney St., San Diego CA92110; or call: (619) 291-1666.

KUBLA KHAN �90, August 17-18Comics Utah presents this convention at the

Redwood Multi-Purpose Center in Salt Lake City,Utah. This convention will feature comics,dealers, trading, RPGs, miniatures battles,contests, and prizes. Registration: $7/day or $10for both days. Write to: Comics Utah, 2985 W.3500 So., West Valley UT 84119; or call: (801)966-8581.

ELTANNCON �90, August 18-19

This convention will be held at the HendersonConvention Center in Henderson, Nevada.Events include AD&D®, STAR FLEET BATTLES*,BATTLETECH*, CAR WARS*, and CHAMPIONS*games. Registration: $10, which allows theattendee to participate in all events on a first-come, first-served basis. Write to: ELTANNCON�90, 860 E. Twain #128, Dept. 456, Las Vegas NV89109; or call: (702) 733-8626.

CAMALOT II, August 24-26This will be held at the Sheraton Inn in Hunts-

ville, Ala. Sponsored by the Huntsville AreaGamers and Role-players (H.A.G.A.R), this con-vention�s events include a wide variety of RPGsand war games, a video room, an art show, anda costume dance. Registration: $15 until July 10,or $20 at the door. Write to: CAMALOT II, 4931B Cotton Row Apts., Huntsville AL 35810; or

call: Bryan Jones at: (205) 837-9036.

Voidjammers!Continued from page 26

the fighter is self-confident. Peregrinstrongly dislikes uncertainty in people andexpects his friends to hold their moral andintellectual ground even if they disagreewith him. Flatterers do not stay in hiscompany for long, nor do people who tryto get him to solve their problems forthem.

When Peregrin is used in a campaign, heshould take the roll of a catalyst. He mighttell PCs of an adventuring site he oncebypassed, or an interesting area of Astralspace he did not stop to thoroughlyexplore, etc. And he never deniesknowledge to anyone who wants to knowwhere githyanki or mind flayers live, if thequestioners plan to attack these creatures.Peregrine should not help the PCs outwith information or magic. He had to earneverything he has the hard way, and hewill make others do the same.

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Photography by Mike Bethke and Ral Partha

Heavy armored lance (M-3 Miniatures)

Down with dragons, up with tanks!

©1990 by Robert Bigelow

This month, we introduce more histori-cal miniatures into this review column.While I understand that this column is in afantasy gaming magazine, there is much tosee beyond the thin line that separates thefantasy miniatures from the historicalminiatures venue. In issue #157, GDW�sBLUE MAX game was reviewed. Thisgame, like the old DAWN PATROL® gamefrom TSR, allows you to be the pilot of aWorld War I wood-and-cloth aircraft; youmust out-think opponents using now-obsolete technology. As you play the game,you also relive the beginnings of one ofthe major weapons systems of the 20thcentury: the airplane. In aircraft�s earliestdays, pilots fired at one another withpistols from unarmed aircraft. By the endof World War I, synchronized machineguns and specialized aircraft (scout planes,fighters, bombers, and transports) were inwide use.

If World War I lies too far in the past foryou, look around now at two of the mostimportant periods of the 20th century.One of them was World War II, whichaffected every nation on the planet andstarted just over 50 years ago. From thatwar came such developments as the blitz-krieg, combined arms operations, carrierwarfare, guided missiles, advanced projec-tile weapons, jet aircraft, and the wide-spread and integrated use of tanks�not tomention the invention of the atomic bomb.In the wake of that war, the political faceof the world was forever changed.

The second of these two great periods isgoing on now. In the last five years, wehave seen many dictatorships and repres-sive governments fall or be voted out ofpower. We are at a great historical cross-roads, one at which there can be eithergrave consequences or a brighter future.

Why the history lecture? You�ll find thatwhen you play historical miniaturesgames, especially on a wide scale or with acampaign game, you begin to see just howfragile history can be. We would live in amuch different world today had thingsgone differently during the battles of

D-Day, Pearl Harbor, the Bulge, or Midway.By studying historical miniatures games,you can study the great events of theworld.

I am not suggesting that anyone stopplaying fantasy role-playing games. I�msimply offering an alternative set of gamesthat promise more immediate gains. Manyof the people who play GDW�s TWILIGHT2000� system or modern microarmor caninstantly recognize most military equip-ment shown on TV and know who uses it.Are those soldiers from the Soviet army orare they actually elite Soviet troops suchas airborne? Is the battle being shown aminor disturbance or are they calling oncrack troops to handle it? By knowing thelittle things learned in gaming, you watchthe news�your history in the making�much more closely.

Try a little history in your gaming. Yes,sometimes historical miniatures gamesmove more slowly than role-playinggames, and the multitude of troops is a bitboggling as the armies march across thebattlefield, but you can now control manymore �characters� than just one. You canlead, you can learn, and you can add toyour gaming knowledge.

Check with your hobby shop and inconvention listings to see if there will be ahistorical miniatures gaming conventionnear you. Conventions like these haveevents ranging from clashes betweenancient armies to cavalry charges in theAmerican Civil War. The Historical Minia-tures Gaming Societies (HMGSs) on theeast coast and in the Midwest invite you toattend and see how the other half plays.

Now that I�ve enticed some of the role-players, I�ll throw out a challenge to thehistorical gamers reading my column. Ichallenge you each to introduce two newpeople to historical miniatures. Your gam-ing will be all the richer for having newopponents and theirs will be richer forhaving new games. Be fair when you intro-duce them and teach them all that youknow, for we want more long-term andeffective players.

Light recon hovercraft (M-3 Miniatures)

M-3 Miniatures4233 MarioPlymouth MI 48170

1012 Light recon hovercraft * * * *1009 Heavy armored lance * * * * ½

We�ve been getting new releases fromthis company in a steady stream. We�vealso been getting feedback on these vehi-cles from some readers, and most of thefeedback has been good. Many peoplehave expressed disagreement with thestatistics for use with FASA�s BATTLE-TECH® game on the packages. I shouldremind you that these are suggested stats.If you feel that your stats are better, usethem and send a copy to M-3 Miniatures.

The heavy armored lance represents agroup of four large 80-ton vehicles, each1� long and 5/8� wide. Each tank rides ontwo sets of twin treads, which themselvesride on a series of road wheels that arepartially protected from weapons� fire byshields. The upper deck of the tank�s hullshows positions for two light rifles or

Reviews

Miniatures� product ratings

* Poor* * Below average* * * Average* * * * Above average* * * * * Excellent

DRAGON 103

machine guns facing forward and detailedexhaust/heat sinks on the rear. The turretmeasures 5/16� wide by 3/8� long and hasone massive gun; according to theBATTLETECH stats, the gun is an AC 20. Inaddition to the guns, there are two six-tube missile launchers on the turret,they are given no stats. My personal feel-ing is that they should be LRM 6 types,with one reload in the tube; this wouldincrease their striking power and wouldmake the tank more valuable, but wouldalso raise the weight to 90 tons. Thesetanks are nice additions to a miniaturesarmored force. The only drawback is thatthe treads are not as armored as I wouldlike them to be. These tanks are definitelyworth the $4.75 per package of four.

M15 Special with 40-mm gun (GHQ)

The light recon hovercraft are made tobe anything but armored. These 21-tonvehicles are designed to scoot in, locatetargets, take fire, and hopefully withdrawto harass from the flanks. The modelssubmitted for review fit in well with thisphilosophy. Each vehicle is 1 5/8� long by7/8� wide; the air-cushion skirt takes upthree-quarters of the width. The actualbody and crew area is only 5/16� wide, 1/4�tall, and 1� long, and looks like a helicop-ter body. The cabin has two large escapehatches and armored front windows. Thepropulsion motor is mounted above thecabin and is almost as long as the cabin.Two intakes are mounted forward with asingle large exhaust to the rear. The differ-ence of length between the cabin and thetotal length is taken up by a tail-like boomwhich ends in two steering rudders, laidout in a horizontal I-shape. The SRM 4racks are located on opposite sides of thehover skirt, which has ribbed edges.

This vehicle will serve a very usefulpurpose on the �Mech battlefield. Being ahover vehicle, it can get to some placesquicker than a �Mech and can set itself toground, providing a good spotter vehiclewith a low profile. It is also a fair harass-ment vehicle. The vehicle is $4.75 per packof three.

Staghound armored car (GHQ)

GHQ2634 Bryant Avenue SouthMinneapolis MN 55408

US-66 Ml5 Special w/40 mm * * * * ½UK-34 Staghound armored car * * * * *W-54 ACRV I & II artillerycommand vehicles * * * * *

W-50 SA-8 Gecko antiaircraftmissiles * * * * *

The U.S. Army learned several lessonsfrom the Germans in World War II. One ofthe most important was the deadliness ofattacking aircraft on columns with noantiaircraft protection. Several aircraftequipped with 20-mm cannons for wingguns could (and sometimes did) gut entirecolumns that were unlucky enough not tobe equipped with AA. Aircraft could bombor strafe almost at will. One of the waysthat these attacks were driven off was by

104 JULY 1990

using halftracks modified to act as gunplatforms. The M-15 was one such vehicle,made up of an M-3 halftrack with cut-down sides and a full-rotation turretequipped with a 37-mm or 40-mm gun.This turret could fire at a plane even afterthe aircraft had flown over its target.

US-66 from GHQ is representative of oneof these specially built units. The model is1/285th scale and designed for use withany equipment around 5 mm (1/300thscale). The miniature is 7/8 inch long and5/16� wide. The miniature shows the stand-ard M-3 halftrack complete with a winchon the front, which was used to pull thevehicle out of the mud. The cab is coveredby a wrinkled tarp. The back of thehalftrack has a flat area with a raised ringon which the turret rotates and a tool boxin the rear. The turret is slotted to accepta gun; you simply take a gun from thesprue that comes with the vehicle andinsert it in the slot in the floor. Add oneman from the sprue, glue both in, and theturret is done. Place the turret on the ring,and the vehicle is ready.

The vehicle comes with a wealth ofdetail. Hinges, jerry cans, door handles,and wheel details are excellent and notwhat you would expect on a vehicle thissmall. The package also contains extraguns and loaders. This set is highly recom-mended for people interested in WorldWar II. The only problem I could find withthis model is that the tool box/ammo box

prevents the turret from turning a full360°. You can get four vehicles for $5.50.

UK-34 Staghound has an interesting real-life history. The Staghound started out as ajoint United Kingdom/United States projectto develop a fast-moving, well-armed, andwell-armored scout vehicle. The programwas in its last stages before productionwhen the U.S. suddenly abandoned it forno apparent reason. The British continuedthe project, and over 3,000 Staghoundswere in use by the end of World War II.One variant even sported a tank turret.

The Staghound miniature is molded toconform to the original vehicle standards.The miniature is a high-profile, four-wheelvehicle that measures 3/4� long by 7/16�wide. The vehicle mounts an oval turretwith a 37mm gun, and it has a wealth ofdetail. The front clearly shows three lightsets and a tow cable. Escape hatches,battery boxes, and extra fuel tanks are allpresent, as are the engine maintenancecovers on the rear and the tow hook onthe lower rear. The turret plainly showsthe riveting on the forward metal plate towhich the gun is attached. Two hatchesare on top of the turret.

This vehicle would be simple to convertto science-fiction miniatures games, Apackage of five Staghounds is available for$5.50 and is highly recommended.

W-54 is a modern Soviet ACRV�an Artil-lery Command and Reconnaissance Vehi-cle. These tracked units act as the forward

Soviet ACRV (GHQ)

Soviet SA-8 Gecko (GHQ)

coordinating posts or the actual commandpost for groups ranging from a six-gunbattery to a 24-gun battalion. In thesevehicles, fire missions are written andcoordinates are checked.

The miniature is just over 1� long and7/16� wide, shaped like a large box ontracks. Only the forward track wheels areprotected. The front of the vehicle has twoarmored hatches for the driver and radio-man to view the action, and two morehatches on top for them to escape. En-

World War I aircraft (C in C)

trances and exits abound on this vehicle,with well done hinges, cables, and connec-tors. The package contains two differentversions, type 1 for work behind friendlylines and type 2 for the field.

This vehicle is an ideal dual-purpose orcrossover item for many science-fictiongames, like FASA�s BATTLETECH game orGW�s WARHAMMER� 40,000 epic 5-mmsystem. The vehicle is generic in shapeand is so rich in detail that it could be aheadquarters or commlink vehicle to beproud of. I also recommend this model foranyone from a diorama maker to a dual-period player. These are fairly inexpensiveat $5.50 per pack of five.

W-50 is a model of Soviet-built antiair-craft missile system, the SA-8b, which hasa range of 30 km. The system is in use inSyria, India, Iraq, the Warsaw Pact coun-tries, and, of course, the Soviet Union. Thevehicle is amphibious and can fire on themove. It is also one of the few one-vehicle

systems the Soviet bloc has, as all theradar, rangefinders, missiles, and reloadsare contained on one vehicle.

This GHQ miniature comes in four dif-ferent pieces with easily followed instruc-tions. The hull looks surprisingly like alarge boat with wheels, measuring 1 1/4�long and 7/16� wide. Detail on the vehicle isgood, showing individual tire treads, gasfiller spout, lights, and blast protectorswell defined. The Soviet�s practice of usinghorizontal ribs to strengthen their largeamphibious vehicles is obvious with thecrisp lines present on this model.

The actual missile assembly uses theother three pieces. The triple multifre-quency radar is prominent in front. Thencomes the large tower to which the mis-siles attach, as well as the search radar atthe top. Each piece shows special attentionto detail, like the bolts on the radar protec-tor, ribs on the back of the search radar,or the heat dispersal vents on the missilelaunchers.

It would be easy to convert this unit intoscience-fiction game campaigns. Simplyuse the missiles against VTOL or fighteraircraft or use the vehicle as an LRMcarrier. These vehicles come three to thepack for $5.50.

C in C8090 University Avenue NEFridley MN 55432

MS-24 D5A Albatross * * * * ½

MS-12 SE5A * * * * ½

MS-22 Halberstadt * * * * ½

When the BLUE MAX board game wasreviewed in issue #157, information wasgiven on how to change it to a miniaturesgame. Now you have some planes to use inyour campaigns.

The D5A Albatross was a latecomer toWorld War I, making its debut in 1917after some earlier models. The D5A had astrengthened body, a bigger engine thanprevious versions, and dual machine guns.Despite its hardiness, it could not climb ashigh or stay up as long as most of theAllied planes of the period (endurance: 2hours; ceiling: 18,700�)

The SE5A was another 1917 entry intothe air-elimination tournaments. ThisBritish aircraft appears shorter, squaredoff, and more boxlike in comparison withmany German planes. But what it lackedin size, it made up for by being faster,having the ability to reach higher alti-tudes, and having a longer flight time.These were important points as manyBritish bases were farther from the com-bat zone than were their German counter-parts, and the speed and extra heightallowed them to dive down onto theiropponents out of the sun (endurance: 2 1/2hours; ceiling: 19,000�).

The Halberstadt model is actually theHalberstadt CV. This photo-recon aircraftwas introduced in 1918 and flew only fora limited time before the war ended. Up to25% larger than either of the two preced-ing aircraft, this one had a crew of two: apilot and a gunner/observer who manneda machine gun that fired to the rear andsides. This weapon and the forward ma-chinegun gave these planes nearly a 360°firing arc. Though these aircraft wereslow, they could remain in the air longer(3 1/2 hours) and fly almost as high (16,405�)as British or Allied aircraft.

All three of these aircraft come as qual-ity kits from C in C, having from five to sixpieces each. Each plane matches its photo-graphs and line drawings, including suchdetails as the stack exhaust on the Halber-stadt and the upper wing machine gun on

DRAGON 105

the SE5A. Wing spars are clearly visible onthe fuselages. The V-type landing gear iswell done but is molded as a single blockrather than with individual struts andwheels that would crumple the first timeyou set the aircraft down. The lowerwings fit into slots on the bottom of thefuselage; with the exception of the SE5A,horizontal flaps slip into the fuselage aswell. The SE5A requires full tail assembly.

The bad points of these aircraft modelsare few and are more points of personalpreference. The planes require steadyhands, a good thick superglue, and propertools to assemble. Assembly is easy to do,but there are no instructions. In addition,the peg-to-hole assembly on three of mymodels was slightly off or the holes weretoo small, requiring the pegs be trimmedand held in place while the glue dried.There are no small strings of flash thatcan be clipped with ease, but some careshould be taken not to break delicateparts. Finally, the spar and frame detailappears only on the tops of the surfaces,not on the bottoms. This is a shame, as itwould be nice to see detail on all sides oft h e s e m o d e l s .

Individual support spars do not appearon these models, leaving room for perfec-tionists to personalize. Because these air-craft are 1/285th scale, they are slightlybigger than the hexes on gaming sheets,but they fit in well anyway. They are agood buy at $4.75 per two aircraft, andthey make good playing or display pieces.

Pegasus with rider (Grenadier)

Grenadier Models, Inc.P.O. Box 305Springfield PA 19064

Grenadier Models UK Ltd.19 Babage RoadDeeside, Clwyd, WalesUnited Kingdom CH5 2QB

GR716 Pegasus with rider * * * *The Pegasus is the horse of an adventur-

er�s dream. The miniature provided forreview here consists of four parts: thehorse, its wings, and a rider. The wings

106 JULY 1990

are very well done, with well-definedfeathers having no flash. The slot for thewings on the back of the pegasus needs tobe cleaned out and enlarged just a bit forthe wings to fit; the fit then is good, witheasily filled gaps. A mold line runs fromthe tail to the base, which must be clipped,and light flash is present on the legs andneck. Heavier flash was present on therear leg, so some clean-up is involved withthis miniature.

The pegasus is posed as if launchinghimself into the air. He is about 2� longfrom tip of nose to the rump and about1½� from hoof to top of neck. His maneripples on his neck with good detail on thehair. The tail hangs down and is also welldone�but why is the mane rippling andthe tail straight? The wings stretch 3½�tip to tip. The pegasus is average in sizeand girth for 25-mm scale and is slightlysmaller than one of my heavy horses for25-mm medieval knights.

The rider is an average 25-mm knightwith a serious expression. He carries anoverly thick spear in his right hand, andhis left hand is lowered as if holding reins.The rider wears a full set of plate armorwith only his face exposed.

As a playing piece this is good, but it isnot quite a collector�s piece. From stories Ihave read, the wingspan of a mature pega-sus should be about twice as big and thebody should be fuller. Still, this is a fairlygood miniature for $3.50.

Ral Partha Enterprises5938 Carthage CourtCincinnati OH 45212

RP 11-409 Four orcs * * * * ½

Orcs continue to be a favorite target forexperience-hungry parties, and they are alongtime favorite of the miniatures com-panies. Now Ral Partha is working withTSR to produce the official line of figuresfor the AD&D® game, and these orcs are apart of that line. The set submitted forreview contains four orcs in differentposes and with different weapons. Thefigures are in 25-mm scale and have roundbases.

Figure #1 is a very brave, charging orc.The figure holds an ornate long swordaloft in his right hand; a round metalshield hangs on his left arm, completewith rivets on the rim. He holds the shieldclose to the ground to protect his left side.Scale armor covers only his front. Underthe lower part of the armor and extendingaround the figure is an unidentifiable skinthat covers his back from the waist down.His odd helm has jagged spines on the top,and he wears sandals. Muscle detail ispresent but not as deep as in most RalPartha figures. Several areas of light flashare present on the figure, and one largemold mark lies in the right armpit. Theenraged facial expression is good, with themouth open in a scream. Fangs show upwell with no flash.

Figure #2 is bent at the knees androcked back to the right side as if avoidinga thrust while aiming a blow. His rightarm is bare from the elbow down exceptfor a thick bracelet. In his right hand hegrips a jagged scimitar, while on his leftarm he has an arched-door-type metalshield with no rivets. His head is coveredby a metal helmet with a plume that leavesonly his scowling face and long braidedponytail uncovered. His shoulders arecovered in overlapping plates that areriveted together. This orc is otherwisebare except for a loincloth and a wide,studded belt with a skull buckle. Thisfigure shows no flash except by the feet,and the only visible mold line runs acrossthe shield and the base.

Figure #3 reminds me of a cross be-tween a member of the Mongol horde anda beach boy. The figure wears sandals,and his muscular legs are bare to justabove the knees. At this point he wears apair of cut-offs with no visible pockets orseams. The pants are held by a very nar-row belt with a long dagger hanging fromit. From the waist up, the Mongol appear-ance begins. He wears a studded leathervest with his chest and stomach exposed.On his shoulders rides a furry stole whichgoes from arm to arm. On his head is aleather hood which comes to a point ontop and is unsecured in the front. Theorc�s face is bunched in a sneer. In hisright hand he holds a sword, and on hisleft arm is a metal-covered round woodenshield with visible hand and wrist straps.There is some flash by the left foot and onthe front of the left arm. There are nomold lines on this figure.

Figure #4 appears to be kneeling, as ifbeing photographed after making a biggame kill. Both knees are bent, with oneforward with the foot out and the otherbent with his weight on the knee. Bothfeet are clad in moccasins or light bootswith thin soles. This orc wears a shinguard on his left leg only. He is also wear-ing a tattered suit of chain mail covered bya smock which stretches from his shoul-ders to mid thigh. The smock is held by awide belt with a short sword hangingfrom it. His armor is completed by a set ofoverlapping disks in front and a plate onhis right shoulder with a spike protrudingfrom it. On his left arm is a shield whichhas no detail on the front but shows signsof wooden slats on the back, as well aswrist and arm straps. There are mold lineson the shield. In his right hand he holds along-handled, lopsided, two-bladed axeemblazoned with front and back skulls onthe center. The rivets holding the axe headonto the handle are clearly visible. Hewears a helmet with a ridge in front andthree large horns, two on either side andone in the center. This orc seems to have asatisfied look about him, if that�s possible.

I recommend these figures as additionsto your orc squads. They would makegood additions to the orc �sleeve� of 12figures now available from Ral Partha or

to other single figures. My only reserva-tion is that these figures show a slightlylower standard of quality than Ral Parthanormally has, particularly in their shielddetail. I hope this is a temporary problem.The price is $4.95 per package.

RP 11-407 Fire giant * * * *½

In issue #155, we reviewed the fire giantfrom Grenadier. This month we review thefire giant from Ral Partha.

The fire giant submitted for review is a58-mm figure with its left knee bent, pre-paring to take a swing at some unwittingtarget. His head is covered by a helmet ofoverlapping scales and comes completewith ear and neck guards. A bushy beardcovers his lower face, and he appears tobe shouting. His large, hooked nose isdeformed, as if it had been broken.

The giant�s upper body is protected by abreastplate, under which is more of thescale armor that makes up his helmet. Thescale mail is held in place by a wide beltand buckle, with a large dagger the size ofa short sword hanging from the belt. Hislegs are bare from midthigh to his shins,where they are wrapped by his sandalthongs. His left shoulder is covered byoverlapping plates down to his arm, with astrapped-on wrist guard. His right shoul-der is protected by scale mail with a metalbracer on his right wrist. Both handsclutch a sword that is 38 mm from pom-mel to tip and has a �blood groove.�

This figure is excellent, with slightlyexaggerated muscle structure and verylittle flash. The only required assemblyinvolves the three spikes that must beinserted into the right shoulder guard.The figure doesn�t seem tall enough tomatch the description of the fire giant inTSR�s AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Com-pendium, but this can be easily over-looked. Its price is $4.95.

Fire giant (Ral Partha)

Four orcs (Ral Partha)

RP 20-630 TOG Imperial guard inceremonial dress * * * * ½

RP 20-631 TOG Senator * * * * ½

The interstellar TOG empire, as por-trayed in FASA�s RENEGADE LEGION®games, is beset by rebellion. These twofigures are representative of the tyranni-cal overlords against whom the rebels arefighting.

The TOG Imperial Guard wears a cer-emonial dress uniform that consists of aRoman-style tunic (of which only the frontis shown), with bare legs from just belowthe bottom of the tunic to the top of hisflexible magnet-type boots. The bootsshow half of the imperial eagle on thefront and thin wiry straps around the legsdown to the soles of his feet. Over this hewears a long billowing robe that drapesdown from his shoulder guards to the topsof his boots. The robe has more pleats

than most window drapes. Covering thisrobe in the back and draping across hisfront is a formal cape that goes down tothe waist. This cape is held by two claspsat the shoulders. The guard holds a largeblaster rifle in the ready position. Hishelmet consists of a bullet-shaped bodywith eye slots and two ridges up the back;this is surrounded by an outer shell thatforms forward-pointing wings above theeyes. Also included in this outer mask is abreather unit.

The senator figure is slightly smaller. Hisright hand reaches out as if imploring ormaking a point, and his left hand graspshis cloak. On his left arm is a wristwatch.He wears glasses and has short hair thatseems to have been cut with a bowl. Hisface is thin and angular.

The senator�s clothing is simple. He has atraditional thin Roman tunic, secured at

TOG Imperil guard and senator (Ral Partha)

the waist by a belt with pouches. His shirtsleeves show some embroidery, and hisarms and legs are covered by a thinspandex-type material with a zipper. Along cape is draped from his shoulders.

These figures can be used in any num-ber of science-fiction role-playing games.It�s unfortunate that these figures have somany modern luxuries, as they wouldmake very nice crossover historical pieces.The price is $1.50 per figure.

RP 02-413 Drakonne * * * * *

Ral Partha�s drakonne is an AD&D gamedragonne that has assumed another name.TSR�s AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Com-pendium describes a dragonne as being amixture of the most dangerous qualities ofa lion and a brass dragon. It has largebrass scales, brass-colored eyes, and wiryhair that forms a thick mane. It looks likea giant lion with small wings.

The drakonne comes in two pieces, thebody and the wings, the latter measuring2¼ from tip to tip (the wings are notfully stretched out). The body sectionmeasures a little over 4½� from nose totail. The thick tail, covered with scales, isover 2� long. A ridge of spikes extendsfrom the back of the head to the tail alongthe spine. The body looks very felineexcept that the chest is not quite deepenough and the entire trunk is covered by

scales, except for the long bony centersection that goes from under the head tothe hindquarters along the stomach. Thehead does look misplaced and too big forthe neck, but it is in scale according to theMonstrous Compendium. Even the facialfeatures and wide open mouth match thatbooks illustration.

The two pieces join together well, butyou will need filler for the fit to be perfect(on our model, at least). Flash appears bythe hindquarters and along the throat. Asmall mold defect must be trimmed on thefront right leg, which is apparently wherethe metal is fed in.

I highly recommend this miniature eventhough you have to do a little bit of workto prepare it for painting. It�s a good valueat $4.50.

Drakonne (Ral Partha)

Everyone remember that the 1990 GENCON® game fair will be on August 9-12, atthe MECCA arena in Milwaukee, Wis.Come over and see how the miniaturesarea has grown. If you want to see me ordiscuss any reviews, I will be at theFriends Hobby Shop booth and will try tospare the time to talk with you. Till nextmonth. . .

108 JULY 1990