Issue #166Vol. XV, No. 9

February 1991

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. advertisingRoseann Schnering

U.K. correspondentand U.K. advertisingBronwen Livermore

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

9 In Time For TomorrowA special section on science-fiction games.

10 Wired and Ready � Michael LaBossiereCyberpunk game worlds aren�t just different�they�re deadly!

16 Tricks of the Trade � Mike SpecaOne �Mech look like every other in FASA�s BATTLETECH® game? Nowthey won�t!

20 A Clone of Your Own � Edward GoldsteinDeath is just a temporary problem in SJG�s GURPS® AUTODUEL�game.

48 DINO WARS! � a bonus game by Tom MoldvayTyrannosaurs meet the 82nd Airborne in this fast-and-fun game ofscience-fantasy combat!

OTHER FEATURESThe Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserThe ultimate in space-fighter warfare: Wing Commander31The Game Wizards � Timothy B. BrownNeed more players in your group? Give a friend the new D&D® game!39The Voyage of the Princess Ark � Bruce A. HeardWhat is reality, and how can you tell it from nightmare?41

58 Rest Stop � fiction by J. W. DonnellyThe locals were quite primitive and strange, but they could certainlymake a visitor feel welcome.

65 Arcane Lore � Scott WaterhouseMore �Pages from the Arch-Mages,� with the final word in duelingspells.

74 Role-playing Reviews � Jim BambraHow can you mix every role-playing game world into one? Here aretwo ways it�s been done.

Novel Ideas � Marlys HeeszelSix authors� views on how to create a world in a book.

The Navy Wants You! � Robert RinasThe U.S. Navy: It�s not just a job, it�s espionage!

Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowAntagonists, fantastic and historic, with Doom Bunny for goodmeasure.

1038879

5 Letters 26 Convention Calendar 94 Dragonmirth6 Editorial 72 Sage Advice 98 Twilight Empire

26 TSR Previews 82 Forum 100 Gamers Guide

D E P A R T M E N T S

COVERA casual encounter or a final one? Cover artist E. M. Gooch has created a haunting

image of an alien hunter and his long-tusked mount, deep in a fog-shrouded forest.

4 FEBRUARY 1991

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.

Word from Israel...Dear Dragon,

In issue #152, you presented a god named�Ramat Gan� [in �In Quest of Adventure,� page54]. Well, it sounds nice, but it is the name of acity in Israel. By the way, the name means �aplateau of gardens.� Doesn�t ring like �LightBringer,� does it?

In issue #158, you�ve published an articlecalled �Also Known As . . . the Orc.� In thisarticle, you mentioned a language called �Jew-ish.� I�m sorry to tell you, but there isn�t such athing as a Jewish language! The �Jewish� lan-guage is called Hebrew.

The above article didn�t mention many He-brew monster names, like the ones that follow:

Elf: Ben lilit (male), bat lilit (female)Dwarf: Gamad, gamdaiiFaeries: Feyah, shafriritGnome: NanassDemon: Shedon, mezickVampire: ArpadSkeleton: ShaeledDragon: Derakon, leteah ma�chonefet (ch as in

loch)In spite of the above, the magazine is great.

Shay CeasryRehovot, Israel

I can't speak for the author of �In Quest ofAdventure� (Greg Minter), so I'll simply guess thatthe choice of the deity�s name in the article�sexample had nothing to do with the Israeli city ofthe same name. The deity�s nickname of �LightBringer� is still appropriate, given the god�sparticular ethics as described in the article.

In �Also Known As . . . the Orc,� the label�Jewish� did not refer to a language; the wordwas among a group of endnotes showing thecultural origins of the monster names, as notedin the section, �How to use the AKA list.� Severalof the other names given in the endnotes onpage 31 of that issue are not languages, either.However, your additional �AKA� names forAD&D® game monsters is much appreciated.

. . . and Canada...Dear Dragon,

In DRAGON issue #161, you ran an article onthe ecology of the griffon. Assuming that manyof the characteristics of the griffon were sup-posed to be based on eagles, some of them wereincorrect. First, female birds of prey (raptors)are larger than males, because they need the

�room� to carry eggs. Also, raptors cannot seewell in the dark. That is why a falconer puts ahood over his bird�s head; without eyesight, thebird goes into a state of calmness bordering onstupor.

The major problem I had with the article waswith the amount of damage a griffon can do. Anaverage-sized hawk has enough strength in itsgrip to cut off the circulation in a person�s arm,so a griffon should certainly be able to do morethan 1-4 hp damage per foot! (Damage of 1-8 or1-10 hp would be more likely.) Further, birds ofprey generally do not attack with their beaks,which are used to cut up dead prey.

Finally, even through their wings are made upmostly of feathers, the strength of a blow [froma raptor�s wing] would be more than enough tobowl someone over or even knock him out.

These may seem like nitpicky details, but it isjust as easy to get things right as to get themwrong. Of course, it all depends upon just howmuch like eagles you think griffons are.

Dawn NelsonSt. John�s, Newfoundland

A griffon is a mixture of eagle and lion, with alarge dose of fantasy biology to boot. For exam-ple, the Monstrous Compendium notes thatgriffons screech like eagles and live in prideslike lions, but they are also addicted to horse-flesh and can be trained by humans to be loyalmounts. I would say that griffons are as muchlike eagles as the DM wants them to be.

Nonetheless, you do make interesting pointsabout the damage done by a griffon�s foreclawsand wing buffet. Most griffons are shown withthin forelimbs (perhaps accounting for the lowdamage assigned to those claws), but the articlein issue #161 opts to make the forelimbs stronger.A DM could create a new species of griffon (the�royal griffon�) that does 1-10/1-10/2-16 hp dam-age, which seems reasonable. A wing buffetcould do 1-6 hp damage (like a club) per wing,with a dexterity check on 4d6 required for man-sized-or-smaller victims to avoid being knockeddown. The rear-claw rake, mentioned under�Game information� in �The Ecology of the Grif-fon,� could also be uprated to do 2-8/2-8 hp dam-age if the foreclaws catch larger-than-man-sizedprey.

Of course, these changes will make the newgriffon a terrifying opponent, one that even12th-level characters will not enjoy meeting. (Ionce killed off a whole group of adventurerswith one old-style griffon when I was DMing.)Horses, of course, will be very unhappy withthe �royal griffon,� and even dragons will bewary of griffon prides.

. . . and BerkeleyDear Dragon,

I really appreciate your printing the article�The Mind of the Vampire� in the Halloweenissue (#162). I always had a sort of sympathy for

Continued on page 68

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); tetex: 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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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.

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©1991 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,I S S N 0 2 7 9 - 6 8 4 8 .

DRAGON 5

I was a teenage TSRgame junkie

Okay, I admit it. I was a TSR junkie. Backin high school, I played in two gaminggroups. In one group, we played theD&D®, GAMMA WORLD®, and MARVELSUPER HEROES� games. The other groupplayed the AD&D® and TOP SECRET®games, an occasional STAR FRONTIERS®game, and the DAWN PATROL® boardgame. I almost began playing other gameson several occasions, but I never did. I�mnot sure now whether it was a consciousdecision to play only those games or not,but I suppose some degree of �game snob-bery� was involved.

As you�ve noticed, every game we playedwas (or is) produced by TSR, Inc. That�snot bad�we had great fun playing thosegames, and I still enjoy them and theirdescendants today.

But, in the year and a half that I�veworked here at TSR, I�ve discovered aplethora of RPGs from other companiesthat are just plain cool. So, since thisDRAGON® Magazine�s feature section is onnon-TSR games, I thought now would bethe perfect time to mention some of thebest such games I�ve found. I�ve brokenthem down by genre, and I�ll describe whyI think each one of them is terrific.

The intention of this editorial is tobroaden your gaming horizons a little. TheAD&D and D&D games are great, as areall the games TSR publishes. They are not,however, the only games worth playing.(Did I really say that?)

Science fiction: My favorite nuts-n-bolts, hard-SF game is GDW�s MEGA-TRAVELLER* game. It�s a tried-and-testedsystem with detailed character generationand obscenely simple task resolution. Also,the wealth of background information onthe Third Imperium (a good portion of ourown Milky Way galaxy) will really capturethe imaginations of the players and theGM, affording your party limitless adven-turing possibilities. This system is verycomplete and well defined. Be warned,though, that combat here is lethal. If youlike galaxy-spanning gaming, this system isfor you. For more on this game, see �Role-playing Reviews� in DRAGON issue #141.

But, if you prefer �space opera� to hardSE then try STAR WARS*: The RPG, byWest End Games. If you�ve seen the mov-ies, you know the background of thisaction-packed universe. The game�s design-ers set the game just after the events inthe film Star Wars, but knowledge of theother films won�t interfere with yourenjoyment of the game. A unique facet ofthis game is that a character�s basic attrib-utes aren�t set numbers: Your PC�sstrength might be 3d6, while your percep-

6 FEBRUARY 1991

tion is 2d6 + 1. It�s an interesting, flexibleconcept that works well in the game, sinceall skills are attribute based. Also, you canuse Force Points to perform some trulyheroic feats. For more, see �Role-playingReviews� in issues #131 and #155.

An incredibly popular branch of SFgaming recently is the dark and deadlycyberpunk genre. My favorite system hereis the CYBERPUNK 2020* game, by R.Talsorian Games. This revision of the firsttrue cyberpunk RPG has a lot going for it,not the least of which is the Lifepath sec-tion, which allows you to develop a de-tailed history for your PC. Combat, again,is deadly. Another important aspect ofcyberpunk gaming is having that live-on-the-edge attitude, and the CYBERPUNK2020 game has that attitude. For more onthis game�s first edition, see �Role-playingReviews� in issue #149.

Horror: One of my all-time favoritegames is the CALL OF CTHULHU* game,by Chaosium, Inc. It is an adaptation ofHP Lovecraft�s mythos, and it�s wonder-fully handled. The core game is set in the1920s, giving it a great atmosphere inaddition to its truly bizarre beasties. Byfar, the most intriguing feature of thegame is that, as your investigators encoun-ter the alien monstrosities, they are slowlyand inexorably driven insane. So alien andbizarre are these creatures that the merehuman minds of the characters cannotcope with them. As you might expect,combat with many of these fiends is notoften a good idea. But, if you enjoy a goodscare and like wicked monsters, this gamewill give you a frighteningly good time.For more, see �Role-playing Reviews� inissues #124, #138, and #158.

For modern-day horror, try either edi-tion of the CHILL* game. Both the firstedition by the now-defunct PacesetterGames and the second edition by MayfairGames are worth investigating if you�reinterested in battling the evil Unknown.This game allows you to battle traditionalhorrors like werewolves, vampires, andmummies, as well as many weirder ones.You�re a member of S.A.V.E., an interna-tional agency with the objective of defeat-ing these minions of the Unknown; youenter the fray with laptop computer andsubmachine gun. Use the Art, but bewareof those who practice the Evil Way.

Super heroes: I recently began read-ing DC comics again (I got hooked afterreading old copies of The Crisis on InfiniteEarths). This event coincided almost per-fectly with the release of the second-edition DC HEROES* game, by MayfairGames. This system is logical, smooth, andvery well defined. Character generation issimple: You get a number of points fromyour GM, and you buy the powers andabilities you want. Combat involves some

chart checking, but it�s quite simple. Thereis also a tremendous amount of back-ground material, both on individual char-acters and on the DC universe in general.If you like the DC universe, you�ll enjoythis game. For more, see �Role-playingReviews� in issue #165.

If you�re looking for a very detailedsuper-hero system, try the CHAMPIONS*game, by Hero Games/I.C.E. The fourth-edition rulebook is huge, but it containseverything you need to run a super cam-paign. Be prepared to devote some timeand effort to generating your PC, but thenumber of powers, advantages, and so onis truly impressive. Combat requires somenumber crunching, too, but the system isquite flexible. In fact, its flexibility is thestrongest feature of the game. You cantailor the systems to the heroic or super-heroic power levels desired. Also, bringevery six-sided die you own to a CHAMPI-ONS game�you�ll need them. For more,read �Role-playing Reviews� in issue #162.

Science fantasy: This broad, catch-allcategory includes games that might fit intothe SF category, but it made more sense toplace them all together here. Each gamedoes have some elements of science, butthe science is blended into atypical SFsettings. In each, there is some fantasticelement that warps it beyond the realm ofstraight SE

The SPACE 1889* game, by GDW, is awonderful alternate history game with arichly detailed SF setting placed right inthe middle of the Victorian era. Here theEuropean countries of 1889 are colonizingnot only Earth but (since Edison demon-strated that spaceflight is possible) Luna,Mars, and Venus as well. Character gener-ation is simple, and combat is slightlymore complex than in the AD&D game. Iespecially like the �cascade skills,� whereinyour skill in one area gives you a lesserskill in related areas of knowledge. Thisgame is set in the age when science fictionitself was born. If you�ve ever enjoyedreading SF by Jules Verne or H.G. Wells,you should enjoy this game. For more, see�Role-playing Reviews� in issue #154.

The TORG* game, by West End Games,is the first true �multi-genre� RPG thatallows (and even encourages) PCs to moveand play in more than one genre with thesame character. The game also encouragesPCs from different realities, or �cosms,� towork together as a party would do in anAD&D game. The background that allowsyou to do this is inventive, innovative, andunusual; in fact, this game wins my �MostBizarre Background� award. It�s not badby any means-just a little weird. Thegame systems work well, with the familiarWest End character templates availablebut not mandatory, and with some inter-esting rules conventions to help you deter-

mine whether or not your laser pistol willwork on a dragon. This is the game to tryif you�ve always wanted to experimentwith �genre-jumping.� For more, see �Role-playing Reviews� in this issue.

The RIFTS* game, by Palladium Books,also is a cross-genre game, but here magic,psionics, and SF high-tech all coexist sideby side. The background is grim, with theEarth barely surviving a nuclear holocaustand the resultant transformation of theplanet due to the psychic energy releasedby the dead and dying. Earth, in the game,is a patchwork of feudal baronies, militarydictatorships, and vast wilderness areas,all with interdimensional rifts dotting thelandscape. There are almost 30 characterclasses to choose from, including wizards,psychics, and mutants. This is a game onan epic scale, with a world in need ofheroes. I highly recommend this game toany experienced gamer who can enjoyplaying in a deadly world. For more, see�Role-playing Reviews� in this issue.

Fantasy: I�ve saved this category forlast. Since the D&D and AD&D games arenear and dear to the hearts of so many, Ialmost hesitate to mention other FRPGsfor fear of giving offense. Remember thatvariety can expand one�s horizons.

The ARS MAGICA* game, by White Wolf(formerly Lion Rampant), is a terrific,magic-rich game. The setting is a fantasyversion of medieval Europe, where faerieforests and many other legendary places

and beings exist. Play revolves around thecovenant, a residence outside of civiliza-tion where the magi of the Order of Her-mes and their friends and supporters live.Character generation is simple but a littletime-consuming. Combat is somewhatslow, but the magic system is the highlightof the game. With provisions for formulaicand spontaneous spells, plus magical re-search and invention, this game coversmagic thoroughly. If you enjoy runningwizards, this game is for you. The presen-tation of this game is truly top notch. Formore, see �Role-playing Reviews� in issues#147, #150, and #156.

very complete. Everything you need to

But, if you prefer a grim, low-fantasysetting, the WARHAMMER FANTASYROLEPLAY* game, by Games Workshop, isdefinitely worth a look. Into a looselyEuropean-based setting are added elves,dwarves, halflings, and the wonderfullywicked skaven. But what makes this set-ting so grim is the Taint of Chaos. Underthe icecaps, portals through time andspace have collapsed, releasing the plagueof Chaos into the world. It is against thisforce and its minions that the PCs mustbattle. Your PCs have dozens of �careers�to choose from in four basic classes. YourPC can even advance to other careers ashe progresses. Combat is simple, perhapstoo much so. There are few options andlittle detail. This setting is also a magic-poor world, but the game as a whole is

play comes in the 300+ page rulebook. Ifyou want take a stab (sorry) at a great low-fantasy game, try this one. For more, see�Role-playing Reviews� in issues #124,#151, and #156.

I hope a few of these games spark someinterest in you, whether you�re a TSRjunkie (like I was) or not. I recommendthem all. None of them are perfect, butthey all have elements that I like enough toput up with the occasional, clunky gamemechanic. Even if you don�t want to learnanother set of rules, most of these gameshave background elements that wouldwork well within TSR games of the samegenre. Even these games, however, are notthe only other ones on the market. Thereare many games out there that you maythink are pretty great but that I knownothing about. If you play a game like that,write and tell me about it. Broaden thosegaming horizons-stretch thatimagination!

challenge to such status.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as a

A cyberpunk game campaign is quitedifferent from standard science-fictionrole-playing and is worlds away from mostfantasy role-playing. To be successful inrunning a cyberpunk campaign, you willneed to develop new methods and stylesof game mastering. This article discusseshow to prepare and run a cyberpunk-stylecampaign. While I have GDW�s 2300 AD*system (Earth/cybertech Sourcebook) andR. Talsorian�s CYBERPUNK* game in mindas I write, the discussion should benefitthose who run other systems (such asFASA�s SHADOWRUN*, Iron Crown�sCYBERSPACE*, and SJG�s GURPS* Cyber-punk games). The cyberpunk genre is adark and violent realm and tends to bemore adult oriented than other role-playing universes. This is not to say thatyou will not enjoy it, but cyberpunk is notto everyone�s taste.

BackgroundA �pure� cyberpunk campaign occurs in

a terrifying world in which the good guysare often far worse than the bad guys ofother worlds. It takes place in a nightmarenear-future landscape of filthy city streets,back alleys, corporate techno-towers, andurban battlefields populated by half-human/half-machine beings, drug dealers,psychos, frightened citizens, corrupt offi-cials, and black-market operators. This is afuturistic world in which morality as weknow it has died or gone into hiding. Ifyou are unfamiliar with cyberpunk gamesand wish to understand such a world wellenough to be able to run a good campaign,you will need to do a little research. Isuggest the following:

1. Acquire and read novels and storiesfrom the cyberpunk and related SF genres,particularly the following: Neuromancer,Count Zero, Burning-Chrome, and MonaLisa Overdrive, by William Gibson (mustreading); Hardwired and Voice of the Whirl-wind, by Walter J. Williams; A Plague ofDemons, by Keith Laumer; When GravityFails, by G. Alec Effinger; Damnation Alleyand �Home is the Hangman,� by RogerZelazny; and the anthologies Machines ThatKill and The Future of War.

2. Watch the following films, which getacross some of the feel of typical cyber-punk or near-future SF settings (most areavailable on video tape): A ClockworkOrange, The Terminator, Aliens, MaxHeadroom, Mad Max, The Road Warrior,Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, Robocop,Brasil, Runaway, Blade Runner and Escapefrom New York.

3. Look at such magazines as AviationWeekly, Popular Science, Omni, Discoverand Guns and Ammo if you like to be upon the latest in weaponry and science(without becoming an expert). These areall good sources of useful information andoffer lots of ideas for new equipment.Most of these magazines are available atthe library and in most grocery and de-partment stores.

4. Since most cyberpunk games take

place on Earth, a good source of geograph-ical information and maps can be found inThe World Almanac. Further, consideringthe massive size of modern and futurecities, it is very useful to find and use real-world city maps, available from the AAAor your local gas station. If you want tomap out your own megacities, these mapswill give you examples to follow.

Organizing a campaignWhat follows are several topics that are

essential to the running of a good game. Iusually have a folder or binder dedicatedto each major area. This organizes thematerial and speeds play by avoidingmisplacing material.

Campaign world: The campaignbinder is a place to keep your notes aboutwhat is going on in your campaign world.These notes will be about: historical, politi-cal, social, and economic events; personali-ties; organizations and gangs; and otherworld-specific information.

The content of your campaign is up toyou. You can use the world that is pro-vided with the game you buy, you canmake your own world, or even have amixed campaign. Making your own worldfrom scratch can be very rewarding but isvery time consuming. Setting up your ownworld will require the following:

History: Since cyberpunk campaignstake place in the future, you need to de-cide what has happened between now andwhen the campaign starts. There is noformula about how to write a good his-tory, but reading large amounts of sciencefiction and looking at examples from dif-ferent cyberpunk games will be veryhelpful in writing your own. Rely on somecommon sense and develop an under-standing of how certain events causeother events to occur. Developing a cam-paign history is important as it puts theadventures in the context of a coherentsetting and makes them more real.

Politics: I get PCs involved in the politicsof their world, but not everyone likes todo this. Still, the political structure of yourworld is important as it will determinemuch of what the characters can do andwhat will happen to them. For example,the consequences of possessing militaryarms is one thing in a police state andquite another thing in a situation of chaosand anarchy. Introductory texts on gov-ernment and politics can be useful sourcesof how political structures work and whattypes there are. Some brief examplesfollow:

Democracy: Rule by the people. Thissort of government is the most open andinvolves direct decision making by thosegoverned. Characters will have muchpersonal freedom and will be able to dowhat they want within the usually mildlimits of the law.

Republic: Rule by representatives (as inthe U.S.). Second only to democracy in theamount of personal freedom allowed, arepublic gives characters the chance to do

what they want within the limits of the law.Republics often become corrupt if therepresentatives come to represent richinterests and not the people who electedthem.

Dictatorship/tyranny: Rule by one manor group, often by direct seizure of power(as Julius Caesar did) or through legalmeans (as Adolph Hitler did). Most suchgovernments are oppressive, as the ruleroften feels he has power only to the de-gree that he can deny others their free-dom. Characters who violate the (oftenirrational) laws will be severely punished.These are good governments for cyber-punk campaigns, as they give somethingfor the player to hate and fight (or to loveand serve).

Police state: Rule by the police or themilitary. These governments exist to insure�security,� generally for the wealthy and thepowerful. Those who are a threat to thissecurity (often the PCs) will find their livesexciting (and short). These are good govern-ments for the dark future (see Brasil and1984, as well as The Running Man).

Corporate: Rule by a government (usu-ally a republic) that is actually run bymajor corporations. The result is a lot likefeudalism, with corporate �lords� runningthe show. Each corporation has lawyers torun the government and corporate armiesto back up its decisions. This setting isvery appropriate for the cyberpunk genre(as in Max Headroom and Robocop).

Anarchy: This is the absence of author-ity. Different groups vie for power, butnone dominate. In a particularly unpleas-ant future, the entire world may be inchaos (as in The Road Warrior); otherwiseonly small areas may be in chaos. Chaoticareas are good places to adventure, butyou certainly wouldn�t want to live there.

Organizations: Organizations are the�big actors� in the modern and futuristicworlds, and they can be important friendsor enemies of the PCs. Some groups toconsider in cyberpunk campaigns include:

Corporations: These organizations existto make profits. They range in size up tohuge multinational (or even multiplane-tary) corporations controlling unthinkableamounts of cash and ruling the lives ofmillions. These are among the most pow-erful and active groups in the cyberpunkgenre.

Government organizations: These rangefrom the postal service to the nationalarmy, each serving the purposes of thosewho control the government. They may befriend or foe to the PCs, depending onwhat the PCs are doing. PCs will usuallydeal with police and intelligence agencies(and maybe the army, if the PCs are reallyrambunctious).

Gangs: These are very common in thecyberpunk genre and have names like�Panther Moderns,� �American Nihilists;and so forth. They range in characterfrom local groups formed for neighbor-hood protection to heavily armed, cyber-enhanced psychos who slug it out with the

DRAGON 11

local police for control of the streets.Private organizations: These range from

environmental groups whose goal it is toprotect the earth to private mercenarycompanies. Also in this category are politi-cal groups whose goals range from tryingto get a leash law voted down to radical-terrorist/freedom-fighter groups out tooverthrow the government. PC groupsoften fall into this latter category.

When creating a cyberpunk-gamegroup, give it a definite purpose and re-cord such factors as its size, power, influ-ence, wealth, and resources. Also workout the game statistics for the averagemember as well as statistics for the impor-tant people in the group. Finally, note anyspecial skills or equipment the groupmight have.

Groups can be used to motivate the PCs(by hiring or threatening them, for exam-ple), to provide resources and information,and sometimes to bail the PCs out of dan-gerous situations (but not too often, ofcourse) or put them into said situations.

Economics: The basic law of campaigneconomics is: The more the players wantit, the more it will cost. In general, rareand complex items (advanced weaponry,cybernetics, special software, etc.) arevery expensive. Increases in demand anddecreases in supply raise prices. Illegaland black-market items are outrageouslyexpensive. Keeping the PCs poor and inneed is a good way to motivate them (butdon�t keep them too poor�you don�t wantto destroy their interest). After all, whywould a multimillionaire risk life andfortune in dangerous activities? Quests forspecial items also generate adventures. Forexample, consider an attempt to acquiresome hot new ICE-breaking software (ICE:intrusion countermeasure electronics,computer programs to keep �hackers� outof mainframes). This involves dealing withthe black market and thus means dangerand conflicts with the law. Make the PCspay for what they get, either in cash orblood.

Campaign types: Many types of cyber-punk campaigns are possible, includingthose with subcampaigns occurring withinthe main campaign. For example, the maincampaign may center on the activities of agroup of corporate characters, while asubcampaign might concern additional

characters (say, netrunners� �super hack-ers�? involved in other pursuits, You couldalso have minicampaigns, a series of ad-ventures each with definite endings. Aminicampaign might deal with a corporatewar between Orbital Air and AmericanSpaceways, which ends when one com-pany is absorbed by the other.

Some suggested themes might include:Police: The majority of PCs are members

of a police force, which may be either apoorly equipped local unit or a special-forces unit using the latest hardware, likethe �Cyber-psycho� squads in the CYBER-PUNK game. In the CYBERPUNK game,characters would be from the police

12 FEBRUARY 1991

Corporate: Most of the PCs are employ-ees (in some capacity) of a corporation.Positions in cyberpunk-style corporationsrange from executives to assassinationteams, so players can choose from a widevariety of character types. Adventures caninclude such things as involvement incorporate wars, industrial espionage,kidnapping members of other corpora-tions (�extractions�), and stealing fromother corporations (�lift out�).

Government agency: The majority of thePCs work for a government agency, likethe CIA, DEA, Mossad, KGB, NSA, etc.Adventures could include assassinations,theft, espionage, police actions, and othercloak-and-dagger stuff. These are goodcampaigns for people who like espionageand science fiction.

�class�; in 2300 AD, they would be fromthe law-enforcement branch. Adventureswill involve police work: investigations,arrests, stakeouts, firefights, etc. For inspi-ration, see Blade Runner and Robocop.

Military: Most of the PCs are membersof a military unit (U.S. Marines, U.S. Trans-Orbital Navy, Soviet Ground Forces, corpo-rate security, etc.). Adventures are combatoriented and involve battles, sabotage,cadre duty, and such. Playing a PC in alarge military unit can be dull, so it iscommon for military campaigns to focuson small mercenary units or small, activeparts of larger military organizations.With the Kafer war occurring in the 2300AD game and the corporate wars raging inthe CYBERPUNK game, this can be anexcellent campaign type.

Journalists: Most of the PCs are re-porters or cameramen, and the campaigncenters around the acquisition and trans-mission of news. In cyberpunk worlds,getting the news can be very dangerous,so there is often a need for PCs who canshoot more than a picture. Adventurerscan investigate corrupt officials, exposecorporate crime, and bring the truth tolight. Watch Max Headroom.

Netrunning: Most of the PCs are netrun-ners or cyberjockeys. These campaignstake place almost entirely in cyberspace;adventures involve runs into the net (com-puter network) to steal data, break de-fenses, and so forth. The disadvantages ofa cyberspace campaign are that mostpeople don�t find it to their taste, and ittends to blur into other gaming types(usually fantasy), as the computerized�landscape� can be developed into virtuallyany form.

Mixed: A campaign can consist of ele-ments from other types, such as mixing apolice squad and a journalist team. Theseare good campaigns because they canaccommodate many interests while stillmaintaining focus.

Loose: A campaign can also involve PCsof all types, in which there is no specificpurpose or focus. While the players have alot of freedom, the campaign lacks struc-ture and this can make the preparation ofadventures difficult. Further, without

focus, players may tend to drift apart andwork on their own interests, failing towork together at all.

Naturally, these are but a few sugges-tions. I personally prefer focused cam-paigns, because the players have definitegoals and it is easier to prepare for play.While a loose campaign can be fun andallows more variety, it has the negativeconsequences of being difficult to prepareand having a tendency to �blob out� andlose all purpose (campaign death soonfollows). Always get player input beforesetting up the campaign. There are fewthings as depressing as having a campaignno one wants to play.

Mechanics: Game masters often tinkerwith the rules, but the results are oftenundesirable. While I cannot tell you howto modify your game, I do have the follow-ing suggestions: Think twice about makinga change. Test out changes in �non-play�situations to see what effect they willhave. Make small changes first and workup to bigger changes. Be wary of rulechanges made during the heat of playing agame. Involve the players in the rule-changing procedure by listening to theirsuggestions and at the very least informingthem before play begins. Remember that apoor rule change can have disastrouseffects on a campaign.

Nonplayer characters: In the cyber-punk universe, normal citizens tend to begreedier, more violent, and nastier thanthose found in other genres. The �heroes�of many cyberpunk books are often ad-dicted to drugs and make their livingsstealing other people�s property�andthey�re the nicest guys on the planet.However, you may wish to tone down thelevel of degeneration in your campaign,especially if you are running a 2300 ADcampaign. This is up to you and yourplayers.

Some nonplayer character (NPC) types incyberpunk games include:

Gangmen: Members of gangs. Theyrange from normal gang members whodeal in minor violence and petty theft tothe �bad boys� who are cyber-enhancedand rule the streets.

Shadow techs: These are the shadowscientists of the underworld who provideblack market technology. They are usuallywilling to provide any service for a price.

Movers: People who sell illegal or quasi-legal goods.

Rogue metal: A cybernetically enhancedindividual who has gone insane.

Runners: People who transport goodsillegally.

Guardman: A good cop.Vig: Short for vigilante, a person who

hunts criminals.Causeman: A person with a cause or

mission (to save the whales; bring peace tothe earth, or whatever).

There are countless other types of NPCs.To get an idea about how to play thecyberpunk-style NPCs, see the variousfilms and read the books previously men-

tioned. While most of the characters inthese books are degenerate representa-tions of humanity, some stand out as goodand decent. Be careful not to allow yourcampaign to decay into some sort of hellpopulated only by vermin. Not everyone isbad�just most people.

Technology: In the cyberpunk genre,technology rules. Technology is analogousto magic in fantasy role-playing games: Itgets things done and is essential to thegame, yet is subject to incredible abuses.The following are some suggestions onhow to use (and not abuse technology) inyour campaign.

First, decide on the technological level atwhich you wish to run your campaign.Most cyberpunk games have a pre-setlevel, and it is a good idea to start withthat level. You should also limit the tech-nology to what you and your players cangrasp and to what seems sensible to you.For example, I can�t get into �blaster eyes�and super bionics, so I don�t include themin my campaign.

Second, understand the limits of technol-ogy in the fields of cybernetics, laserweaponry, spacecraft, and so forth. Tech-nology is not magic and is governed byphysical laws that limit what can be made.Further, both the CYBERPUNK and 2300AD games strongly emphasize a realisticview of technology, and I believe this is awise decision on the part of the designers.Super-powered items are out of place incyberpunk. If you want super powers,then play a super-hero role-playing game.Keep in mind that every item used shouldhave at least some basis in modern tech-nology and should be explainable. Forexample, in CYBERPUNK game, the idea ofinterfacing a computer and sending yourmind into the net seems magical. However,it is actually just a logical extension of thevirtual environment systems in use today.In the 2300 AD game, the stutterwarpspace drive is based on principles of quan-tum jumping from current physics.

Third, limit the PCs� access to technol-ogy. They should not be able to buy laserweapons and cybernetics at the localsports shop. High-tech items should bekept expensive and rare. Further, you willdefinitely want to limit the amount andkind of equipment the PCs own or havewired into their bodies. You can limit theplayer�s cash resources or the availabilityof the equipment, you can impose legalrestrictions on certain items, and, if allelse fails, the PCs can have �accidents.� TheCYBERPUNK game has an excellent systemfor restricting cybernetic enhancement.Each item has a �humanity cost�; whenyou run out of humanity, your characterbecomes an NPC. Technology can also belimited by giving it effects detrimental tothe PC. For example, an implant that cutoff all pain might gradually deaden thecharacter�s nervous system, reducing hisreflex or dexterity scores. Limit the tech-nology in your campaign, or the game willquickly become boring if every PC is a

�robocop.�Fourth, be wary of new items. At some

point, someone (you or a player) will wantto introduce new equipment into thecampaign. Strictly limit these new items topreserve play balance. The building oftechnological items requires skill, educa-tion, and special equipment. Advanceditems like cybernetics cannot be put to-gether in a character�s basement with asoldering iron and a bunch of Radio Shackparts. The research, development, andproduction of advanced items involvesyears and lots of money, so leave the intro-duction of new items to corporations andgovernments. However, if the, characterhappens to have a Ph.D. in some technicalfield and has a well-equipped lab, he couldproduce some new minor items.

Once a new item enters play, keep inmind a few other things. Technology canbe duplicated (just ask the Soviets), andPCs should not be surprised if copies of�their� special item turn up. New itemswill possibly attract government and cor-porate attention, ranging from monetaryoffers for the design to attempts to steal itand cover up the evidence (i.e., kill theinventor). Make the development of newtechnology a slow and expensive proce-dure, and carefully regulate what you letin to your campaign.

Fifth, keep in mind the special problemsassociated with cybernetics. Consider thelimits of technology: It can do only somuch. Things can be made only so smalland only so strong, and certain things arebeyond the limit of even 2300 AD gametechnology. For example, a �laser-gun eye�is very implausible. You need a powersource powerful enough to make the lasera real weapon, yet small enough to fit intothe eye (and leave room for the visualequipment). Further, a laser generates a lotof waste heat; unless it was shielded, itwould vent heat into the character�s brain(which is usually fatal).

Also consider people�s psychologicallimitations. It is one thing for the player towant his PC to be a walking tank. It isquite another thing for a human being tohave his body altered. Most humans havea strange preference for their originalbody parts, even if metal is better thanmeat. As noted earlier, the CYBERPUNKgame deals with this problem with a hu-manity cost. In other games you will haveto develop your own system for control-ling cyborg creation. Further, considerhow other people will react to a cyberneti-cally enhanced individual. Small altera-tions will have little effect, but havingone�s arms replaced with blades andautomatic-weapon cyberarms will makethe character feared by normal people andlikely to run into problems with the police.Most humans feel machinery to be some-what alien when implanted into humanflesh and will react accordingly.

Keep in mind the limitations of the hu-man body, too. While metal is very strong,it is usually anchored to flesh and bone

that is not as strong. A cyberarm mayhave the strength to stop a compact carfrom moving unless the character with thearm is very strong, but the PC will suffer adislocated or broken shoulder if he at-tempts this feat. Even if cyberarms can lifthalf a ton and cyberlegs can run 50 MPH,the supporting muscle and bone cannottake such stress and will be damaged. Youcan prevent the players� PCs from abusingcybernetics by first warning them withmuscle pulls, then moving up to disloca-tions and broken bones. Eventually theywill take the hint. If the PC tries to avoidthese limitations by having his entire bodyreplaced with metal, be sure to enforcethe psychological effect this will have onhim and other people (in the CYBERPUNKgame, this is called �body plating� and isone of the fastest ways to make your PCinto an NPC by humanity loss). An impor-tant part of cyberpunk is the strugglebetween flesh and metal, between manand machine. If cybernetics simply be-come tools, the game will not reach its fullpotential.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere of acyberpunk game is different from those ofother games. There are basically twothings to keep in mind, both previouslymentioned: It�s a dark future, and technol-ogy rules. It is important to convey theproper feeling of the campaign to theplayers.

People: While there are many normalpeople in the cyberpunk world (especiallyin 2300 AD campaigns, where the majorityis normal), cyberpunk people tend to be oflesser moral fiber than we are accustomedto. The worst people are greedy, unlikable,self centered, and violent�and these aretheir virtues. However, there will be amiddle strata of people who are not badpeople�they are just cyberpunks. Theyare focused on technology, rapid change,and keeping ahead of the times. They livefast, party hard, and die young. There are,of course, heroes even among the cyber-punks. These are the people who are outto make sense of a world gone slightlymad and to battle oppression and injusticein their own ways.

Places: While there are still �normal,�familiar places, cyberpunks generally livein urban jungles. Emphasize how confus-ing, dirty, crowded, and bizarre thesecities are (see the vision of Los Angeles inBlade Runner). Further, make a strongcontrast between the poor sections andthe rich sections; an important part ofcyberpunk is the concept of the fight forsocial justice. In the CYBERPUNK game,the Earth is a very bad place to be; in the2300 AD game, it is a pretty good placewith some bad areas. It is up to you justhow big you want to make the bad areas.You can make cyberpunk a small subcul-ture (as in 2300 AD games) or a full cul-ture (as in the CYBERPUNK game).

A second major area for cyberpunkaction is in space (see the Near Orbit sup-plement for the CYBERPUNK game). In

D R A G O N 1 3

space adventures, emphasize the omni-presence of technology and the lonelyemptiness of the universe.

Things: In the cyberpunk universe,things have almost as much status as peo-ple. Machinery should take on a personal-ity of its own and begin to crowd in onhumanity. Cybernetics, weapons, vehicles,and other equipment should be carefullydescribed and presented in such a way asto convey to the players the rapid change,technophilia, and technophobia that are allpart of cyberpunk. Part of the genre�stheme is the constant �war� between manand machine, and the danger that �prog-ress� will drown mankind�s humanityunder a sea of machines. Just be carefulnot to overdo it.

Your game-mastering descriptions arevital and are what build the world andmake it live for the players. Other re-sources can help you. Illustrations andartwork are useful, whether drawn byyou or a player or taken from a book ormagazine. Background mood music canalso be helpful, but do not let it interferewith the game by playing the music tooloudly.

Adventure ideas: Good adventuresmake good campaigns, and some sugges-tions may help. First, develop an idea ofwhat the adventure will be about (booksand movies are good inspirations). Be sureto focus the adventure properly. If it is

focused too loosely, you will have to writea great deal and the players may get lost inthe action and plot. If it is focused toonarrowly, the players will feel like puppetsin a play. A well-focused adventure has adefinite goal but allows sufficient freedomto make play enjoyable. Balancing youradventures will take practice as there is nomagic formula that will tell you how to doit. Some suggested ideas for cyberpunkadventures include:

Hunt: This involves hunting down andcapturing or killing a particular person orgroup. The people hunted can range fromescaped criminals to escaped militaryprojects (as per Blade Runner or JakeThrash). For example, the PCs might behired to hunt down a cybernetically en-hanced assassin before he can kill animportant government official. Prepara-tion would involve mapping city areas andgenerating game statistics for the assassinand other NPCs.

Theft: The PCs might have to steal aparticular thing (from computer programsto people), usually from a guarded loca-tion. For example, the characters might behired to take an experimental personalitymodule from a corporate artificial intelli-gence core. The setup would include mapsof the corporate building, statistics for theguards, and information on the moduleitself (read Neuromancer).

Investigation: Here, the PCs try to ac-

quire information for various purposes.The PCs might be reporters, police, agents,or whatever. For example, a group ofjournalists receives a leaked tip that acertain official is on the take to allowillegal weapons production in his district.The adventure would involve searchingfor evidence to support this.

Escort/guard duty: The characters arehired or assigned to guard a person, place,or thing. For example, the characters arehired by a politically motivated rockerboy(popular singer) to protect him from at-tacks. Mapping the areas where the rock-erboy will be (e.g., concert halls andhotels) and generating the statistics for theassassins are your jobs here.

Transport: The characters are hired orordered to bring an item or person fromhere to there, often illegally and throughopposition (read Damnation Alley andHardwired). For example, the PCs may behired to take a package to an orbital habi-tat. Unknown to them, the package con-tains a biological agent prepared by acorporation to enable it to purchase thehabitat cheaply (once the habitat�s currentinhabitants are dead). Preparation wouldinvolve mapping the habitat and generat-ing the NPCs, as well as deciding whateffects the bioweapon will have on thecharacters and if they are expendable inthe corporation�s eyes.

Adventure writing: Once you have an

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

idea for an adventure, you can start writ-ing it out. I follow a standard format whenI write a cyberpunk adventure, then mod-ify it to fit particular cases. This makes theorganization and preparation easier, as Ialready know where to find everything.My format is set up as follows:

Heading: This contains the introductorydata, including the type of adventure(transport, investigation, etc.), the locationand time, and a very brief summary of theadventure, noting how many and whattypes of characters are best for play.

Background: This part has two mainsections: the GM�s briefing (the historyrelevant to the adventure, as well as infor-mation on the people, corporations, etc.involved); and the PCs� briefing (the back-ground that the characters are aware of,either as previous knowledge or from anactual briefing).

Events: Each event in an adventureshould lead to other events in a cause-and-effect relationship. For each event, de-scribe its location (include maps) and timeof occurrence, the NPCs involved (withextra information on why the event takesplace, details on running combat or con-versation, goals that should be achieved,and consequences of the PCs� actions).

Random encounter tables: These add anelement of chance to an otherwise struc-tured adventure. Note the location towhich the chart applies, the probability of

encounters, the game statistics for encoun-tered creatures, etc.

Conclusion: The wrapup of the adven-ture is where everything is resolved andexplained. Possible tie-ins with other ad-ventures, resulting from the PCs� actions,are also given here.

Once you have finished the adventure,you are ready to run it. Make sure you areas familiar as possible with the relevantgame rules before starting, so you don�tbog down at the wrong moment. To giveyour adventures the cyberpunk feel, youcan do the following:

1. Make the adventure seem real andsharp. Describing the setting in detail. TheNPCs should be like real people, talkingand acting in a consistent manner.

2. Keep things moving. Cyberpunk is arapidly paced genre. The PCs should al-ways be in action, as if some force is push-ing them along. This effect can beproduced by introducing rapid changes intechnology, loyalties, people�s dress andbehavior, and so forth. Though somethingshould always be happening to the charac-ters during play, it need not always bebad. This genre is the logical extension ofour own busy, rush-hour world, and itshould feel that way.

3. Make life rough for the PCs. Cyber-punk is a hardball genre. Paranoia, be-trayal, threats, crime, murder, and soforth are all part of everyday life for the

cyberpunk. Keep the PCs on their toes,but balance this with fair play; no onewants to play in a killer campaign.

4. Keep the atmosphere appropriate (i.e.,unpleasant). This is a genre of the darkfuture. As the CYBERPUNK game puts it:� . . . it always rains . . . The stars nevercome out. The sun never shines. . . Thelast bird died in 2008 . . the sky is full ofhydrocarbons and the oceans full ofsludge.� (Welcome to Night City, page 6).Don�t take it too far if this might turnsome people off. But if you and your players can take it, play it to the max.

5. Adopt the cyberpunk viewpoint. Don�tjust highlight the technology; point outhow people talk differently and behavedifferently from what the players are usedto in the 20th century. Make use of all theslang and jargon in the genre, and encour-age the players to use it in the game. If aplayer says, �I turn on my computer anduse the menu to look for the command,then enter cyberspace,� he is not into thegame. If he says, �I punch deck, scarf thefood list, and jump into the void,� he is intoit. It is very important to have the properperspective. After all, cyberpunk is a stateof mind.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as a

D R A G O N 1 5

TTRICKSRICKS OF OF THE THE TRADE TRADEArtwork by Earl GeierCourtesy of FASA Corporation ©1991 by Mike Speca

A BATTLETECH* guide to making your �Mechs uniqueWhile reading Technical Readout 3025 tain �Mechs and vehicles inferior to others

and Technical Readout 3026, put out by because their complex systems had nothe FASA Corporation for the BATTLE- effect on which was doing a better job.TECH* game, a glaring inconsistency For instance, the Rifleman and JagerMechcaught my eye. Under the �Capabilities� �Mechs were both praised for their abili-section in the equipment descriptions ties as antiaircraft platforms. But I wouldwere discussions on the superior and much rather have an Archer or Marauderinferior systems each �Mech and vehicle �Mech taking on aircraft, because in theutilized. However, these descriptions had actual game all four �Mechs have the sameno real effect on the game. This was not chance of hitting the aircraft, and theonly disappointing, but it also made cer- Marauder and Archer would do much

more damage on a successful hit.So, I have created a list of modifications

for all the �Mechs and vehicles for which Icurrently have the statistics and in-depthdescriptions (all the �Mechs and vehiclespresented in the two books listed above).The modifiers given are listed for each die-roll target number, not the actual die roll.This system concurs with that presentedin the BATTLETECH Manual: The Rules ofWarfare.

16 FEBRUARY 1991

BattleMechs

Light �MechsCommando: None.Firestarter: None.Javelin: A piloting skill check at a -1

bonus is required when runningthrough rough terrain, rubble, orwoods.

Jenner: This �Mech cannot punch becauseof its arm design.

Ostscout: This �Mech has highly sensitivesensor arrays that can detect heat,light, sound, etc., at a 90-km radius.While in deep scan, however, the �Mechwill not be able to warn its pilot ofdanger. Another scanning mode canalso alert pilots to the location of�Mechs, vehicles, large groups of men(10 or more within 10 meters of eachother), mine fields, and cities.

Panther: This �Mech must roll 2d6 uponany successful punches with the rightarm. If a 12 is rolled, the heat output ofthe PPC increases by one point.

Spider: All attacks on a jumping Spider arepenalized with an additional +1 pen-alty to their to-hit numbers.

Stinger: None.UrbanMech: This �Mech cannot punch, but

attackers get an additional +1 penaltyon their to-hit numbers in any situationin which the Urbanmech has partialcover.

Valkyrie: None.Wasp: None.

Locust: This �Mech cannot punch becauseof its arm design.

Medium �MechsAssassin: The game master should roll 2d6

every time the Assassin falls or is hit inits left torso. If a 12 is rolled, the SRM 2ammo jams and will no longer feed intothe SRM, although the round currentlyloaded may still fire. This jam can onlybe repaired in a fully functional �Mechrepair bay.

Blackjack: None.Centurion: None.Cicada: None.Clint: All repair times are multiplied by

1d4.Dervish: None.Enforcer: None.Griffin: None.Hatchetman: The Hatchetman�s hatchet

does 9 points of damage, instead of thestandard 5 points of damage done by anormal punch from a 45-ton �Mech.The �Mech ejection system removes theentire head of the �Mech, not just thepilot. This �Mech also has a -1 bonuson its to-hit number against aircraft.

Hermes II: This �Mech�s advanced com-munications system has a 1000-kmrange and can communicate withspacecraft in orbit.

Hunchback: None.Phoenix Hawk: This �Mech has many op-

tional devices available to it. The GMshould decide which of these devices

he will allow the players to have, aswell as their effects and cost. See the�Capabilities� section of the PhoenixHawk in FASA�s Technical Readout:3025.

Scorpion: This �Mech may change its fac-ing at the cost of .5 MPs per hex sideturned. All �leftover� fractions arerounded up. For example, a two-hexside facing change costs 1 MP and athree- or four-hexside facing changecosts 2 MPs. These facing changes canbe made at any time during the Scorpi-on�s turn in the Movement Phase. Anyattack against this �Mech made by in-fantry in the same hex as the Scorpionautomatically gets a chance for a criti-cal hit in each of the following areas:the left torso, center torso, right torso,and head.

Shadow Hawk: None.Trebuchet: None.Vindicator: None.Vulcan: All attacks on this �Mech are at a

+2 penalty to hit at long range and +1penalty at medium range because ofthe Vulcan�s shape. The Vulcan also hasa mandatory heat gain of two, insteadof three, when jumping.

Whitworth: None.Wolverine: None.

Heavy �MechsArcher: None.Catapult: This �Mech cannot punch be-

cause of its arm design.Crusader: None.Dragon: This �Mech receives a -1 bonus

to its piloting skill number when rollingto prevent falling from massive damageand when falling from physical attacks(inflicted or received). Attackers alsogain a +1 penalty to hit when firing atthe Dragon from long range.

Grasshopper: None.JagerMech: The JagerMech has a -2

bonus on its to-hit number againstaircraft because of its tracking system.

Marauder: This �Mech has one criticalweakness: the collar that connects thepod-shaped torso to the �Mech�s legs.On any hit on the center torso on theBack or Side Hit Table, the attackershould roll 2d6. If a 12 is rolled, theMarauder either loses its ability toswivel its torso, or its ammo train tothe autocannon is jammed (roll 1d6: 1-3torso cannot swivel, 4-6 ammo isjammed). If two successful hits aremade on the torso swivel, the �Mech�smovement is reduced by half. If threesuch hits occur, the �Mech loses allmovement. If multiple ammo-train hitsoccur, 1-6 ammo shells explode. Ma-rauder pilots may wish to add an im-provised armor collar around thelinkage. To do this, the Tech may addup to 10 points of armor that strictlyprotects the linkage. If this is done, thearmor must be breached before criticalhits on the linkage only may be made.The pilot of the �Mech also gains a +1

on his piloting skill number per 5points of armor (rounded up) becauseof the weight imbalance created by thecollar. Attackers may aim at the collaras per the normal aimed-shot rules, atan additional +1 penalty on their to-hitnumbers.

Orion: The Orion�s efficient design makesit very easy to repair, so divide therepair time by 1d4. The Orion�s missilesystems also have a -1 bonus on theirto-hit numbers against aircraft. Unfor-tunately, the �Mech�s LRMs might shutdown because of their inferior coolingsystem. When rolling for shutdown dueto heat, roll separately for the LRMsystem.

Ostroc: This �Mech has a +1 penalty on itsto-hit number when punching, and allattackers gain an additional +1 penaltyon their to-hit numbers when the Os-troc is in partial cover.

Ostrol: This �Mech has 5km scanning andtargeting equipment.

Quickdraw: This �Mech may fire all itsmedium lasers rearward. The Quick-draw loses 1 MP for each 8 points ofdamage done to its legs.

Rifleman: The Rifleman has a -2 bonuson its to-hit number against aircraftbecause of its tracking system.

Thunderbolt: None.Warhammer: None.

Assault �MechsAtlas: This �Mech can communicate with

ships in space.Awesome: None.Banshee: None.Battlemaster: None.Charger: None.Cyclops: The Cyclops� communications

systems allow for a planet-wide sendingradius as well as surface-to-space com-munications.

Goliath: This �Mech cannot move if one ofits legs is disabled.

Stalker: This �Mech cannot punch becauseof its arm design.

Victor: None.Zeus: The Zeus� LRM system has a cumula-

tive 30% chance of failing each monthit goes without maintenance. This�Mech�s right arm punch does 10 pointsof damage.

Aerospace Fighters

Light FightersCheetah: This fighter has a +1 on its

piloting skill number (PSN) for atmo-sphericmaneuvers.

Seydilitz: None.Sholagar: This fighter has a +1 penalty on

its PSN for atmosphericmaneuvers.

Sparrow Hawk: Any wing damage on theSparrow Hawk results in a +1 penaltyon its to-hit number per 5 points ofdamage.

DRAGON 17

Heavy Fighters

Hetzer is inoperable when purchased.

Harasser Missile Platform: None.Hetzer: There is a 35% chance that any

Galleon: The Galleon�s medium laser gen-erates six heat per round.

Goblin: None. Guardian Fighter: This fighter needs only

50 meters to take off and land. Itsdesign is also very efficient, so repairtimes should be divided by 1d4 andsupport costs are reduced by half.

Drillson: The Drillson can fire its weaponsystems in darkness or without line ofsight with no penalties, and has noneed for a forward observer.

Engineering Vehicle: None.Ferret VTOL: The Ferret carries 15 remote

sensors.

Armored Personnel Carriers: None.Boomerang Plane: None.Condor: None.Coolant Truck: This truck can cool up to

five �Mechs.

Light Vehicles

Vehicles

Note: There was no information availablefor the Centurion, Eagle, Hellcat, Light-ning, Sabre, and Thunderbird.

Transgressor: This fighter has a +1 pen-alty on its PSN for atmospheric maneu-vers.

Chippewa: This fighter has a +1 penaltyon its PSN for atmospheric maneuvers.

Riever: The Riever is very easy to repair,so divide the repair time by 1d4.

Slayer: None.Stuka: None.

Medium FightersCorsair: This fighter has a -1 bonus on its

PSN for atmospheric maneuvers.Lucifer: None.Shilone: None.Stingray: None.Transit: This fighter has a -1 bonus on its

PSN for atmospheric maneuvers.

Thrush: This fighter has a +1 penalty onits PSN for atmospheric maneuvers.

systems.

Swift Wind: This scout car can enterrough and rubble hexes at one-quarterspeed. It has a 1000-km communicationrange and can communicate with spacevessels, including JumpShips. It canalso tap into enemy communication

Sea Skimmer Hydrofoil: None.Skulker Scout Tank: This vehicle has a 500-

km radio range. It can also deploy 15remote sensors and monitor them frominside the tank at a range of 7 km.

Striker: None.

Saladin Assault Tank: None.Saracen: None.Savannah Master: None.Scimitar: None.Scorpion: None.

Packrat: This vehicle carries 10 men, whocan live without support for twomonths. It can also jam all communica-tions within a 10-km range and trans-mit in a 1000-km radius.

Pegasus Scout Tank: The Pegasus has a 30-km scanning range.

Planetlifter Air Transport: The Planetliftercan carry up to 70 tons of equipment,including vehicles, �Mechs, or evenanother Planetlifter (some �Mechs andvehicles may need to be broken downfirst). It also has VTOL capabilities anddoes not need an established airfield inorder to land.

Mobile HQ: The Headquarters can commu-nicate with any friendly unit in thelocal solar system.

Maxim Transport: None.�MechBuster Fighter: This fighter has a -1

bonus on its to-hit number when it�sdive bombing.

Karnov UR Transport: This air transporthas VTOL capability.

M.A.S.H. Units: The M.A.S.H. trucks cansupport 100 men.

Hunter Support Tank: None.J-27 Ordinance Transport: This transport

carries three tons of ammo.J. Edgar: Because of the amount of old

equipment in these vehicles, repairtimes are multiplied by 1d4 andmonthly maintenance costs are doubledfor this tank.

18 FEBRUARY 1991

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

Von Luckner: Every five rounds, roll 2d6.If a 12 is rolled, one of the tank�sweapon systems jams. Also, the tank�sSRM 6 systems fire to the right and leftof the AC/20 and thus cannot fire at thesame targets.

Shreck PPC Carrier: None.Sturmfeur: This barrage vehicle does not

need forward observers to use indirectfire from its LRMs.

Rommel: This vehicle�s AC/20 cannot aimhigher than a �Mech�s legs at a range ofthree hexes or less.

Pike Support Vehicle: All three AC/2s onthe Pike fire with the same targetingtrack, causing all three to hit or miss inone volley.

Patton: This vehicle�s AC/10 cannot aimhigher than a �Mech�s legs at a range ofthree hexes or less.

Partisan: The Partisan has a -2 bonus onall to-hit numbers against aircraft. Thetargeting computer can also be usedfrom a remote position, allowing thegunner to retreat to an improved posi-tion and avoid being killed if the Parti-san is destroyed. This allows the tankto function even if the crew is killed,because the gunner is not in the actualvehicle.

Neptune Submarine: None.Ontos: None.

Mobile Long Tom: This artillery unit cantravel only on roads.

Monitor Naval Vessel: None.Napfind/Pathtrack: These drones have

scanning systems that tie into the Hi-Scout. The two systems are virtuallythe same. When the drones are awayfrom the Hi-Scout for extended periodsof time or are out of the carrier�s sen-sor range, the drones can record gath-ered information. The Pathtrack�ssensor range is 20 km, while the Nap-find�s is 10 km.

Hi-Scout Drone Carrier: The Hi-Scout�sscanners have a detection range of 60km. The scanners are similar in per-formance to that of an Ostscout.

LRM/SRM Carrier: None.Manticore: None.

Heavy VehiclesBehemoth: None.Bulldog: None.Demolisher: None.

Warrior Attack VTOL: This vehicle has a-1 bonus on its to-hit number againstany target because of its advancedtarget acquisition system. It can alsocarry 250 kg of remote sensors andmonitor them from a range of 10 km.

Vedette: None.

DRAGON 19

Life after death�of a sort�in SJG�s GURPS* AUTODUEL* game

OPENING SHOT: Camera zooms out slowlyfrom the scene of an autoduel arena. Theroar of the autoduelling cars fills the back-ground sound track as the commentatorspeaks in voice-over. Camera continues tozoom out slowly, revealing Alex Hender-son standing in front of a large projectionscreen on which the autoduel can be seen.Alex can be seen in medium close-up, withmicrophone in hand.

ALEX HENDERSON: �Cloning is believed tobe a common practice among manyautoduellists and the rich. In reality,autoduellists make up only 12% of allcloning in the U.S. and Free Oil States.In fact, 23% of all cloning is purchasedby prominent businessmen and therich, 64% by politicians, and the other1% by various professionals. Whathappens when a duellist is cloned? Howdo you bring the dead back to life? Myname is Alex Henderson, and I�m yourhost for �Eye on Autoduelling.� �

Zoom in to footage of an autoduellingaccident projected on the screen.

ALEX (voice-over): �On April 23, 2037,George Douglas was killed in a duel atSan Diego Municipal Duelling Arena.The medics arrived on the scene imme-diately after the duel had ended. Theypried the right door off the car. As soonas they got to George, they examinedhim, and the senior medic pronouncedhim dead at the scene. They pulled himfrom the car, stripped him of his bodyarmor, and put him on a gurney.�

Cut to Alex on camera, holding an ear-phone to his ear.

ALEX (on camera): �As the ambulance leftthe scene for the Gold Cross office, Ispoke by phone with the senior medicalofficer on duty at the office, Dr. JohnH. Williamson.�

Cut to shot of Dr: Williamson walking downa medical center hallway Camera followsWilliamson and stops as he stops before awindow in the hallway. Camera trucks infor a close-up profile of Williamson lookingthrough the window. Cut to operating

room shot from overhead angle (point-of-view shot from Williamson�s angle).

ALEX (voice-over): �Dr. Williamson, when aduellist is killed and he has a clone,what is the first thing you do?�

DR. WILLIAMSON (voice-over): �Well, firstwe check to see if the deceased made aprovision to do a memory transfer. Ifhe did, then we take his remains to aprep room,�

ALEX (voice-over): �I see. But do you havethe facilities here to do the transfer?�

DR. WILLIAMSON (voice-over): �No. Butwe can do the stabilization and prep.�

Cut to over-the-shoulder shot of William-son standing in front of the window. Abody can be seen on a table behind thewindow. Attendants work on the body.

DR. WILLIAMSON (voice-over): �We cleanup the driver�s wounds, then give spe-cial injections to help keep the proteinin the brain cells from deteriorating.�

DR. WILLIAMSON (voice-over): �After westrip the body of all remaining clothes,it�s wrapped in a sterile bandage.�

ALEX (voice-over): �Much like a mummy.�DR. WILLIAMSON (voice-over): �Well, yes,

a decidedly modern mummy.�

The activity with the body continues to beprojected onto the screen.

ALEX (voice-over): �George is now beingwheeled into the memory transferenceroom. There�s an empty table in theroom, and next to it, a body laying onanother table with a white sheet cover-ing it to the lower part of the chest.That�s George Douglas�s clone. Thetaped wires attached to the clone mea-sure its vital signs. An oxygen mask hasbeen placed over its face, and an I.V.has been placed in the left arm. Thehelmet with wires coming out is at-tached to the large computer bank.Now the doctors are placing George onthe table next to his clone. First, they�lltake him out of the gray plastic bag,unwrap the body bandages, and shavehis head. Second, they�ll connect him tothe memory transference helmet and afew other probes. Looks like he�s justabout ready for the memory transfer.The computer�s been activated. See thebioscanners? They�ll monitor the prog-ress of the clone. Once the memorytransference begins, the entire processtakes about four hours to complete.�

Cut to shot of clock. Dissolve to black andcome up on clock four hours later. Cut toAlex on camera.

ALEX: �After three hours and forty-sevenminutes, the memory transfer is com-

Cut to medium shot of operation beingdiscussed.

plete, and it�s time to wake the clone.The doctors use a small electric cur-rent, almost unmeasurable, to activatethe brain.�

Cut to clone: arm tremors, general bodymovements, restrained by straps.

ALEX (voice-over): �This small jolt of elec-tricity jars the clone from the comatosestate-and the body stirs. It�s like whatjump-starting a dead car battery in the20th century must have been like. AndGeorge Douglas lives again!�

Cut to Alex on camera with another man.

ALEX: �Ladies and gentlemen, I have withme one of California�s�or, rather, theworlds�top duellists, Rick Valencia.Rick, welcome to �Eye on Autoduelling.�Tell me, what�s it like to wake up after amemory transfer?�

RICK: �Woozy, like being drunk. I couldn�tremember anything at first. I felt like Iwas dreaming. Then I remembered the

duel. In a split second, I opened myeyes and tried to scream. But some-thing stopped the scream�my mouthwas covered. It was terrible beingstrapped down, with fuzzy images andslurred voices all around me. It seemedto go on forever. Finally, I passed out.When I woke up again, I was in a hospi-tal room with doctors and my family atmy bedside. It was like heaven.�

ALEX: �What an experience. Thanks forsharing it with us.�

Cut to a close-up of Rick, smiling.

RICK: �Thanks. And let me remind you allthat I�ll be at San Diego Municipal Duel-ling arena, noon �till four on Saturday.�

Cut to Alex alone.

ALEX: �After a person is cloned, the clonegoes through a three- to six-month,period of psychiatric treatment. Afterall, going from death to life can be verytraumatic. Treatment is usually sched-

D R A G O N 2 1

uled for twice a week. The strongrecover quickly. For others, recoveryand self-acceptance may take years:

Zoom out to show Alex and another man.

ALEX: �We now have Dr. Willard Green-stein, from the Gold Cross Psychiatricoffice. Welcome, Dr. Greenstein. Tellme, Doctor, how long have you been apsychiatrist at Gold Cross?�

DR. GREENSTEIN: �Two and a half years.�ALEX: �In that time, you must have seen a

good number of people who have beencloned and have undergone psychiatricevaluation and treatment. What is themain reason for this evaluation andtreatment?�

DR. GREENSTEIN: �Well, Alex, a lot of thepatients undergo an identity crisis. Arethey really themselves? Is there some-thing missing? The ones with strongreligious beliefs go into deep soulsearching about what happened tothem. There are countless ways inwhich this identity crisis manifestsitself, but it all boils down to the shockof having died a violent death and comeback to life in a new body. To cushionthis blow, we try to prevent our pa-tients from witnessing their own deathson videotape or television. That cancause severe mental trauma�the kindthat can take years to correct. Evenwith the best treatment, some neverrecover.�

ALEX: �What about those duellists whohave been cloned two or three times?�

DR. GREENSTEIN: �Well, they�re an oddlot. Most of them actually need lesspsychiatric care than our other pa-tients. Apparently, they get so used todying that it doesn�t effect them any-more. The worst thing they usually

suffer is some paranoia. In extremecases, a multiply cloned individual maylose all sense of the value of life orsuffer from extreme paranoia or pho-bias. This individual would require atleast outpatient psychiatric care. Luck-ily, we�ve had some success in treatingthese disorders, though outpatient caremay last for years,�

ALEX: �Thank you, Dr. Greenstein.�

Cut to Alex only

ALEX: �A recent scientific development inthe last three years has expanded thefield of cryogenics to include cloning.Robert Kendall is the Director of Cryo-genics at the UCSD Medical Center.�

ALEX: �Dr. Kendall, what is your responsi-bility at UCSD?�

Zoom out to show Alex and another man.

DR. KENDALL: �My job is to oversee oper-ations of the Cryogenics Unit and tomake sure everything runs smoothly,and to develop new methods for pre-serving our clients. Cryogenics involveslowering the body to a freezing temper-ature without damaging the subject. It�sreally the science of storing people.�

ALEX: �What do you mean by storing?�DR. KENDALL: �There are several ways in

which we can do this. . .�

As Dr. Kendall talks, we can see actionprojected on the screen behind the twomen. The camera zooms in slowly, untilonly the action on the screen is in frame.We see medical technicians working with acarefully wrapped body at a cryogenicsstorage area.

DR. KENDALL (voice-over): �We can store

22 FEBRUARY 1991

someone while his clone is being growninstead of using the Mechanical Mem-ory Storage Device transfer method.This is possible if Byzonine has beenadministered immediately after death.Another possibility is to transfer theclient�s memory to a clone and have thereal body put into storage for later use.If the clone dies, the memory could betransferred to the original body again.Finally, the body could be stored andrevived at a later date�but, as everyone knows, that would be illegal if theclone itself is still active.�

Cut to close-up of Alex.

ALEX: �Exactly what is Byzonine?�

Cut to close-up of Kendall.

DR. KENDALL: �Byzonine is a specialcompound that, when injected into abody through an artery in the neckwithin two hours after the patient�sdeath, reacts with the protein in thebrain cells to form a protective coating.The body�s heart is artificial stimulatedto get the Byzonine to the brain, wherethe compound slows the process ofprotein breakdown and lengthensstorage time at a cryogenics facility formemory retrieval. It has been a greatboon to the cloning industry.�

Cut to shot of both men.

ALEX: �That was very interesting, Dr.Kendall. Unfortunately, we are out oftime. Thank you very much for talkingwith us, and to all of our other gueststhis evening, thanks. To GeorgeDouglas, continued good luck withyour recovery, and we look forward toseeing you on the duelling circuit in afew months. I�m Alex Henderson, saying goodnight.�

Credits roll as Alex and Dr. Kendall talk;then fade to black.

Gaming notes

Psychiatric problemsAfter a person has undergone a cloning

operation, he must undergo a completepsychiatric evaluation; this will take 4d6weeks at a cost of $125 per week. If aperson has been cloned before, subtractone week of psychiatric care for eachcloning. If the person skips psychiatrictreatment, he has a 25% chance (roll 1-3on 1d12) per week for 4d6 weeks of expe-riencing some type of psychiatric sideeffect. This will happen at each episode ofhigh stress, at the first opportunity. Theeffects are determined by rolling 1d12 onTable 1. The results follow.

Extreme paranoia: The player believesthat everyone is after him. He takes ex-treme measures to keep at bay people he

believes might harm him. People regardedwith suspicion include other duellists,police, armed ambulances, and any otherarmed vehicle or person. This person is sojittery that he may shoot first, then run atthe first opportunity. This period of para-noia lasts for 6d6 hours. But, during anysubsequent stressful events, his chance ofhaving a psychiatric side effect goes up to1-5 on 1d12.

Paranoia: This effect is similar to ex-treme paranoia, but police officers andother law-enforcement officials are re-garded as saviors. This person will alwaysfollow police officers around for protec-tion. These effects last for 4d6 hours. Nochanges are made to any rolls for subse-quent psychiatric side effects.

Self doubt: The individual thinks �that heis worthless, and believes he isn�t himself.He thus goes out of his way to prove thathe is himself, even if it means risking hislife. This effect lasts for 1d6 days.

Trauma: The individual enters a severestate of shock. He lapses into a state ofunconsciousness in five seconds, andwakes up 1d4 hours later. He must betaken to a hospital or receive some medi-cal care within four hours of regainingconsciousness, or he slips back into shockand dies.

Multiple personality: The person has achance to undergo a personality changeon a roll of 1 on 1d6; the roll is madeevery two hours or during any stressfulsituation. The referee determines thenumber of personalities and their natures.The condition is permanent unless psychi-atric treatment is undertaken at a cost of$500 a month for the next 3d6 months.

Berserk: The individual becomes psy-chotic and does irrational things, attackingpeople or cars at random. He may appear rational one moment, then become a ma-niac the next. The referee decides whatactions the character takes. Every stressfulsituation will induce this erratic behavior,which will last for 1d6 hours. This periodof insanity lasts for 2d6 + 6 months. Ifhospitalized and released after the insanityhas passed, the patient must undergo a six-month period of follow-ups at a cost of$200 per month, which will be partly statefunded (50% of costs).

Duellists may undergo psychiatric treat-ment while their new bodies are growingstronger. This choice will shorten theoverall stay at a hospital (see SJG�s Auto-duel Quarterly, issue 4/4).

CryogenicsInstead of storing one�s memory on an

MMSD and having it transferred to a cloneafter it has been grown, many people areturning to cryogenics. Cryogenics ischeaper overall than MMSD use. Thebody, which must be injected with Byzonine before being brought to the hospi-tal or Gold Cross Center, is prepared forcryogenic storage until a clone can begrown. The cryogenic chamber is keptcold with liquid nitrogen. When the clone

is ready, the body is removed and �de-frosted.� Then the brain memory pre-served by Byzonine is transferred to theclone.

Because Byzonine is pumped into thebrain after injection by artificially stimu-lating the deceased person�s heart, it can-not be used if the body has taken severedamage to the head, heart, or upper torso.If the body is not cryogenically frozen,memory retention lengthens to 36 hours;if the body is frozen within 30 hours afterdeath, memory retention extends to threeweeks.

Optionally, a live, healthy person cantransfer his memories to a clone, have hisreal body frozen, then have his clone beactivated. This gives him the advantage ofa body that�s only 20 to 25 years of age.Meanwhile, the original body remains instorage to be used later if the clone dies.Awakening a body while its clone is activeis illegal, as this invites incredible legalproblems for everyone.

Basic cryogenic costs are given in Table2. Table 3 gives SJG�s CAR WARS* gamestatistics for Gold Cross equipment, whichis further detailed as follows:Portable main unit: The main unit canhold three units of liquid nitrogen. Eachunit of liquid nitrogen provides the freez-ing needs of one portable individual unitfor six hours. Liquid nitrogen can be sostored for up to 36 hours before it beginsto return to a gaseous state, which it willdo at the rate of one-quarter unit per halfhour for each unit. The portable cryogenicequipment is meant for the transporting ofpeople stored cryogenically to a GoldCross facility.

Portable individual unit: This is a cryo-genic container that can hold one personin cryogenic storage. Several such unitsmay be carried aboard a vehicle, but eachmust be connected to the vehicle�s porta-ble main unit and portable power unit.

Portable CE power unit: This deviceprovides the power needs for cryogenicequipment. The amount of current andvoltage that the cryogenic equipmentrequires cannot be provided by a standardvehicular power plant.

MMSD prep area: This allows a liveperson to transfer his memories to anMMSD even though he is not at a hospital.This will take six hours initially, and onehour for an update. An MMSD must bepresent with the prep area.

Freezer: This holds a person in coldstorage (though he is not cryogenicallyfrozen) until he can get to a Gold CrossCenter. It is also used to transfer cryogeni-cally frozen patients from one facility toanother, if the transfer will take six hoursor less.

In order for a person to use cryogenicequipment, he must have at least Medic-3and be trained in the use of cryogenics,which takes four months and costs $8,000(there is no cost to Gold Cross employees,who might receive the training as part oftheir regular jobs).

Gold Cross vehiclesThe following are the CAR WARS game

statistics for Gold Cross vehicles that uti-lize the information in this article. Person-nel required by each vehicle are describedas well.

Gold Cross Bus: 40� bus, x-hvy. chassis,regular truck power plant, 10 solid tires,driver, gunner, 2 medics, two VMGs withHD ammo in universal turrets (an EM foreach with HD ammo), gas steamer withsmoke (2 EM of smoke) back, 2 hi-res.computers, radar, imp. fire ext., 10 pts.LRFP component armor for PP, port. mainunit, 2 individual units, port. CE powerunit, aid station with 3 stretchers, 10 unitsof Byzonine, 2 first-aid kits (in cargo area),1 medkit (in cargo area), toolkit (in cargoarea). Cargo capacity: 1,070 lbs., 7 spaces.FP Armor: F40, UF15, UB15, B40, 35 in allother positions, 6 10-pt. FP WGs. 24,150l b s . , $ 2 7 3 , 3 3 0 .

Driver�Driver-2, Gunner-1, Mechanic-1,Hand Gunner-1, Medic-0. IBA, SMG, 1CG.

Gunner�Driver-0, Gunner-2, Mechanic-1,Hand Gunner-1, Medic-0. IBA, HP, 2G, 1CG.

Medic 1�Driver-0, Gunner-0, Mechanic-1, Hand Gunner-0, Medic-3, Running-2. BA,HP, 1G, GM.

Medic 2�Driver-0, Gunner-0, Mechanic-2,Hand Gunner-0, Medic-3, Running-2, Martial

DRAGON 23

Table 1Side Effects of Cloning

Table 2Cryogenic costs

Preparing a body for storage: $4,000Storing a body/month: $2,500Taking body out of storage: $500Awakening (�defrosting�) a body: $3,500Administering a dose of Byzonine: $1,000Transporting a body in a cryogenic state: $5,000+ and ammo used.Transporting a frozen body: $3,000+ and ammo used.

EffectExtreme paranoiaParanoiaSelf doubtTraumaSplit personalityBerserk

1d121-23-45-7 8-9

1 0 - 1 1 12

Table 3Portable Gold Cross Equipment

ItemPortable main unitPortable individual unitUnit of liquid nitrogenPortable CE power unitMMSD prep areaFreezerByzonine

Cost$100,000$20,000

$100$5,000$4,000$2,000

$1,000/dose

Weight(lbs.)2,50085025

400250200

Space830243

�

Damagepoints

208045

10�

P o w e rf a c t o r s

2015n/a

200*n/a5 **

n/a

* Amount of power factors it provides.* * Able to draw power from the vehicle�s power plant.

�

Arts-2. BA, HP with AV ammo, 2G, GM.Gold Cross Van: Van, x-hvy. chassis,

super power plant, hvy. suspension, 6 PRradials, driver, gunner, gauss gun in auniversal turret, EM for gauss gun, imp.fire ext., hi-res. computer (in gunner posi-tion), radar, 2 med kits (in cargo area), aidstation with 2 stretchers, toolkit, 10 unitsof Byzonine. Cargo capacity: 310 lbs., 7spaces. FP Armor: F30, R20, L20, B25, T25,U10, 4 10-pt. FP WHs. Acceleration 5, HC3. 6855 lbs., $57,650.

Driver�Driver-2, Gunner-0, Medic-2,Hand Gunner-1, Running-1, Mechanic-0.BA, GM, HP, G.

Gunner�Driver-0, Gunner-1, Medic-3,Hand Gunner-1, Running-1, Mechanic-0.

Gold Cross Pickup: Pickup, x-hvy. chas-sis, T-cat pp, hvy. suspension, 6 PR radials,driver, VMG front, hi-res. computer, imp.

fire ext., toolkit (not included in weight,carried in pickup�s bed). Cargo capacity: 13spaces, 52 lbs. FP Armor: T16, U12, allother positions 45, 4 10-pt. WHs. Accelera-tion 5, HC 3. 7748 lbs., $37,052.

Driver�Driver-3, Gunner-2, Mechanic-1,Medic-0. IBA, rifle with AV ammo, 2 CG.

Gold Cross Van Trailer: 25� van trailer,x-hvy. chassis, 8 solid tires, 3 medics (twogunning positions), gas streamer withsmoke (back), 1 EM for GS, variable firerocket pod (back) ammo is laser guidedand armor piercing, EM for VFRP (ammois the same), x-hvy hitch, aid station with 3stretchers, MMSD (cost not included in thevehicle price), MMSD prep area, hi-res.computer, 3 freezer storage containers, 10doses of Byzonine, imp. fire ext., small carPP, infrared targ. laser, LGL, radar. FPArmor: F20, RF35, LF35, RB35, TF10,

TB10, UF10, UB10, B37,4 10-pt. FP WGs.12,009 lbs., $75,180.

Medic 1�Gunner-2, Mechanic-0, Medic-3, Running-3, BA, GM, SMG.

Medic 2�Gunner-0, Medic-3, Running-3,Martial Arts-1, BA, GM, HP, bowie knife.

Medic 3�Gunner-0, Drivery-0, Medic-4,Running-3, BA, GM, rifle with AV ammo.

Gold Cross Life Flight Helicopter: Trans-port helicopter, super copter power plant,pilot, gunner, 2 medics, 2 linked VMGswith HD ammo in a universal turret, 1 hi-res. computer, coaxial counter rotatingsystem, 2 pairs of airfoils, 4 foil ejectionsystem linked in pairs, radar detector, imp.fire ext., infrared sighting system, radar,LDR, aid station with 3 stretchers, 10doses of Byzonine. Cargo capacity: 727lbs., 1 space. Armor: T50, U120, 80 in allother positions. Acceleration: 5, HC: 2.19,273 lbs., $218,375. (Toolkit usually incargo area.)

Pilot�Pilot-3, Gunner-1, Medic-0, HandGunner-0, Mechanic-1, Driver-0; IBA, SMG,G.

Gunner�Pilot-0, Gunner-2, Medic-2,Hand Gunner-1, Mechanic-2; IBA, riflewith AV ammo.

Medic 1�Pilot-0, Gunner-0, Medic-4,Hand Gunner-1, Driver-0, Running-3; BA,GM, HP, CG.

Medic 2�Pilot-0, Gunner-0, Medic-3,Hand Gunner-0, Driver-0, Running-3; BA,G M , S M G .

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

24 FEBRUARY 1991

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from the lower outer planes, are back-andthey�re not happy. This Monstrous Compendiumbinder is packed with 74 of everybody�s favoritefoes, foes that can make the mightiest charac-ters weep with fright. These creatures will fitinto any AD&D® campaign�but be careful:They may take it over!Suggested Retail Price: $12.95/£7.99Product No.: 2118

PHBR5 The Complete Psionics HandbookAD&D® 2nd Edition accessoryby Steve WinterThis manual describes a completely new set of

psionics rules for the AD&D® 2nd Edition game.Within its pages, you�ll find a psionic-usingcharacter class and rules for mental powersthat are available to all PC classes and NPCs too.Among these abililities are telepathy, ESP, clair-voyance, psychokinesis, biofeedback, out-of-body travel and more. Psionics are back, sodon�t miss this one!Suggested Retail Price: $15.00/£9.99Product No.: 2117

SJR2 RealmspaceAD&D® SPELLJAMMER� accessoryby Dale �Slade� HensonThis sourcebook covers the solar system that

contains the planet Toril (where the entireFORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign is set) andcontains information on Selune, the beholderplanet, the secret of the Tears of Selune, andElminster�s hideout among the stars! A map ofall of Realmspace is also included.Suggested Retail Price: $10.95/£6.99Product No.: 9312

SJR3 Dungeon Master Reference ScreenAD&D® SPELLJAMMER� accessoryby J. Paul LaFountain and Steven E.

SchendThis valuable accessory contains tables and

charts commonly used in any SPELLJAMMER�campaign, making it vital to any DM who wantsto run a SPELLIAMMER� campaign quickly andsmoothly. Also included are full-color 3-D fold-upsof over 20 ships. Take your heroes to the stars!Suggested Retai l Price : $8 .95/£6.50+VATProduct No.: 9313

XXVcS1 Deimos MandateBUCK ROGERS® XXVc� moduleby Dale �Slade� HensonDeimos, one of the moons of Mars, holds the

key to many of RAM�s secrets. Your PCs mustsave a key member of Phoenix before RAMdestroys his mind for the information it con-tains�and be able to strike a blow for the forcesof NEO against the hated operatives of RAM.Suggested Retail Price: $6.95/£4.50Product No.: 3569

XXVcREF1 Character Record SheetsBUCK ROGERS® XXVc� accessoryby Steven E. SchendThis 48-page booklet is essential for all players

of the XXVc� game. Each sheet contains every-thing players and GMs need to keep track oftheir PCs and NPCs.Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£6.50+VATProduct No.: 3570

A LINE IN THE SAND gameTSR military strategy gameby Douglas Niles and Paul A. LidbergThe military forces of the world are closing in

on the vital oil resources of the Middle East.When the armies assume battle formations, theworld watches with apprehension. Take a side inthis political-military game, and defeat your foes!Suggested Retail Price: $19.95/£13.99Product No.: 3032

FirstbornDRAGONLANCE® Elven Nations Trilogy,

Volume Oneby Paul Thompson and Tonya CarterSilvanos, august founder of the elven nation,

Silvanesti, is dead and buried in a crystal tomb.Leadership falls to his son, Sithel, himself thefather of twin sons�and the rivalry that de-velops between these two princes reaches aclimax when their father dies!Suggested Retail Price: $4.95/£3.99Product No.: 8337

Web of FuturesTSR� Booksby Jefferson P. SwycafferThe tall man-shape with saucer eyes was

covered from head to toe with dark, gleamingfur. And Maddock O�Shaughnessey�born liar,tavern-goer, and idle fisherman�was picked bythis alien to save men�s lives, to collect theirsouls, and to roam the future.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95/£2.99Product No.: 8217

NEW PRODUCTS FORMARCH

Ruins of UndermountainAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS®

boxed setby Ed GreenwoodThis �super-dungeon� represents the greatest

challenge to dungeon-delving PCs ever! A vastcomplex of tunnels and mammoth caverns liesunder the city of Waterdeep, and within themlies much treasure and more danger. Return tothose thrilling days (and dungeons) of yester-year-this is the ultimate dungeon crawl!Suggested Retail Price: $20.00/£11.99Product No.: 1060

RA2 Ship of HorrorAD&D® RAVENLOFT� moduleby Anne BrownA dark ship sails out of the mists and into the

lives of your PCs as the vessel�s cursed captaintries to escape his fate. Not only that, he also

shanghais living beings to help crew his ship.Can your characters, aided by ghosts, save theprisoners and break the captain�s curse?Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 9321

D&D® HOLLOW WORLD� moduleby Allen VarneyThis adventure concludes the continent-

HWA3 Nightstorm

spanning, Blood Brethren trilogy. After unveil-ing the secret of the Feathered Serpents andtheir sacred breeding grounds, your PCs mustface their arch-nemesis and travel to confrontthe Immortals themselves.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£6.50Product No.: 9311

DLS1 New BeginningsAD&D® DRAGONLANCE® moduleby TSR StaffThis adventure is specifically designed to

introduce players and DMs to the AD&D® 2ndEdition rules. Its simple, clear format allowsnewcomers to begin playing quickly and easily.Also, this adventure takes place in one of themost popular fantasy worlds ever, theDRAGONLANCE® setting.Suggested Retail Price: $6.95/£4.50Product No.: 9314

XXVcS2 Sargasso of SpaceBUCK ROGERS® XXVc� moduleby Bruce NesmithSpace pirates are marauding the Inner

Worlds, robbing and pillaging the ships of theSun Kings, NEO, and even the mighty RAMitself. Operating out of a secret base in a clusterof asteroids, the pirates have used the Sargassoof Space as protection from reprisals. But nowtheir secret has been revealed, and your PCsmust stop them once and for all.Suggested Retail Price: $6.9S/£4.50Product No.: 3671

FORGOTTEN REALMS® Finder�s StoneTrilogy, Volume Three

Song of the Saurials

by Kate Novak and Jeff GrubbWhen the Harpers judged the Nameless Bard

responsible for the deaths of his apprentices,they sentenced him to exile. Now they arereconsidering their decision, but with the ar-rival of the monster, Grypht, Nameless� new trialdissolves in a string of disappearances andmurders. It is up to Alias the swordswoman,Akabar the mage, Ruskettle the thief, andDragonbait the paladin to prove one enemy isbehind all the chaos�the ancient god, Moanderthe Darkbringer.Suggested Retail Price: $4.95/£3.99Product No.: 8419

Unless otherwise noted® and ™ denote trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved

BUCK ROGERS and XXVc are trademarks used underlicense from The Dille Family Trust. ©1991 The Dille FamilyTrust. All Rights Reserved.

DRAGON 25

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-

6. Address(es) and telephone number(s)where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

quirements; and,

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 Australian convention. indicates a Canadian convention.

indicates a European convention.

26 FEBRUARY 1991

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

PSURREALCON '91, February 8-10The Norman Oklahoma Science-Fiction Assoc.

(NOSFA) presents its third-annual convention atthe Sheraton Hotel in Norman, Okla. This year�sguests include Mercedes Lackey, Algis Budrys,Mark Rogers, David Lee Anderson, Keith Ber-dak, and Donna MacKenzie. Activities include adealers� room, an art show, an auction, panels,two video rooms, gaming, and filksinging.Registration: $12 until Feb. 7, or $15 at the door.Single-day rates are available. For hotel reserva-tions, call: (405) 364-2882. Send an SASE to:PSURREALCON, Oklahoma Memorial UnionRm. 215A, Norman OK 73019.

CYBERCON '91, February 9The CSU Science Fiction and Fantasy Club

presents its second annual gaming convention atthe Lory Student Center on the Colorado StateUniversity campus in Ft. Collins, Colo. Eventsinclude AD&D® SPELLJAMMER�, CYBER-PUNK*, GURPS*, ROLEMASTER*, and B-17*games, movie rooms, an art show, a silentauction, a costume contest, and a CYBER-photography contest. Registration: $2.00. Writeto: CYBERCON �91, Box 412 LSC, Ft. Collins CO80523; or call: (303) 493-3652.

CONNECT-A-CON, February 15-17This SF/fantasy/gaming convention will be

held at the Sheraton Westgate in Toledo, Ohio.Guests of honor include Jean Lorrah, DennisMcKiernan, and Rob Prior. Events includegaming, a writers� workshop, a short-storycontest, a costume contest and masquerade ball,a murder-mystery contest, a huge dealers�room, a 24-hour movie room, an art show andauction, and a gaming auction. Registration: $20/weekend. Write to: CONNECT-A-CON, P.O. Box4674, Toledo OH 43620.

DUN DRA CON XV, February 15-18This convention will be held at the Oakland

Airport Hyatt in Oakland, Calif. (Mention thecon for special room rates.) Events include over120 role-playing games, plus seminars, boardgames, tournaments, miniatures, SCA demos, aflea market, a figure-painting contest, a hugedealers� room, and plenty of open-gaming space.Registration: $25 until Feb. 1; $30/weekend or$15/day at the door. Write to: DUN DRA CON,386 Alcatraz Ave., Oakland CA 94618.

ECONOMYCON IV, February 15-17This convention will be held at the Smart

Plaza, Road Suites 17 and 18, in Mesa, Ariz.Events include AD&D®, BATTLE FOR MOS-COW�, SQUAD LEADER*, and BATTLETECH*games. Other activities include computer games,Japanimation, open gaming, and a MiniaturesFest featuring WWII microarmor, AmericanCivil War, British colonial, and SF miniaturesgaming. There is no admission fee, and all

events are free. Send an SASE to: ECONOMY-CON IV c/o Roaming Panther Game Co., 2740 S.Alma School Rd., #16, Mesa AZ 85202.

The Denver Gamers� Assoc. presents thisconvention at the Sheraton of Lakewood. Eventsinclude VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC*, CIVILIZA-TION*, KINGMAKER*, ASL*, and BATTLE-TECH* games, with official RPGA� Networktournaments including PARANOIA*, D&D®, andAD&D® games. Other activities include minia-tures events, auctions, art and figure-paintingcontests, seminars, demos, and the PUFFINGBILLY* railroad tournament. Guests includeJean Rabe, Darwin Bromley, and Richard Berg.Registration: $15/weekend preregistered. Writeto: Denver Gamers� Assoc., P.O. Box 440058,Aurora CO 80044; or call: (303)680-7824.

GENGHIS CON XII, February 15-17

ORCCON 14, February 15-18This convention will be held at the Los

Angeles Airport Hilton. All types of family,board, role-playing, miniatures, and computergames are featured. Get bargains at the fleamarkets, auctions, and exhibitors� area. Alsofeatured are seminars, demos, and specialguests. Write to: STRATEGICON, P.O. Box 3849,Torrance CA 90510-3849; or call: (213) 326-9440.

WARCON '91, February 15-17Texas A&M�s MSC NOVA is proud to once

again present this gaming convention on theTexas A&M University campus in College Sta-tion, Texas. Events include AD&D®, BATTLE-TECH*, CHAMPIONS*, CYBERPUNK*, STARTREK*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, TORG*, STARFLEET BATTLES*, and ROBOTECH* games, plustournaments. Other activities include contests,demos, computer games, and a dealers� room.Registration: $12 preregistered. Write to: MSCNOVA, P.O. Box J-1, College Station TX 77844; orcall: (409) 845-1515.

BIG CON '91, February 16This charity convention will be held at Chap-

laincy Square, Student Centre, Bristow Square,Edinburgh, Scotland. Highlights include compe-tition scenarios, the auction, the video room, thecomputer section, the miniatures paintingcontest, the SF section, and any number ofgames. Registration: £1. Write to: BIG CON �91,GEAS, Societies Centre, 60 The Pleasance,Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ, UNITED KINGDOM; orcall: 031-662 4427.

ECLECTICON 5, February 16-18This SF/fantasy convention will be held at the

Sacramento Hilton Inn in Sacramento, Calif.Guests of honor include Greg Bear, Rick Stern-bach, and Rhea Stone. The dead guest of honoris Jules Verne. Registration: $30. Proceeds willbenefit the Sacramento Public Library and theChildren�s Burn Unit of the University of Califor-nia at Davis Medical Center, among other chari-ties. There will also be a blood drive at theconvention on Feb. 17th. Write to: PublicityCommittee, ECLECTICON 5, #176 P.O. Box19040, Sacramento CA 95814; or call: (916) 421-8365 and leave a message.

NOT-A-CON III, THE SEARCH FOR MOCFebruary 22-24

This convention will be held in the PalmettoBallroom on the Clemson University campus inClemson, S.C. Events include RPGA� AD&D®,other AD&D®, SHADOWRUN*, TOP SECRET/S.I.�,and war-gaming tournaments, as well as open

ROLEMASTER*, SPACFMASTER*, and TORG*games. Registration: $15. Write to: NOT-A-CON III,726 Riverbank Commons, 250 Elm St., Clemson SC29631; or call (803)653-5030 and ask for WayneChastain, Andy Berg, or Jeff Peake.

TOTAL CONFUSION V, February 22-24This convention will be held at the Sheraton

Worcester Hotel and Conference Center in Worces-ter Mass. Events include AD&D®, GURPS*,BATTLETECH*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, DIPLO-MACY*, ASSAULT*, CAR WARS*, DC HEROES*,and AXIS & ALLIES* games. Over 120 games arescheduled. Other activities include a costumecompetition and a miniatures-painting contest.Registration: $8/day or $20/weekend preregistered,or $10/day at the door. Write to: TOTAL CONFU-SION, P.O. Box 1463, Worcester MA 01607; or call:(508) 987-1530.

GAMER�S DELIGHT '91, February 23The Quebec Gamers� Assoc. (A.Q.J.S.), will

hold this convention at John F. Kennedy HighSchool in Montreal, Quebec. Events include anAD&D® tournament, plus board games andminiatures. There will be three playing sessions.Registration: $13 (U.S.) before Feb. 15, or $16(U.S.) at the door. A.Q.J.S. members will receivea $2 discount. Write to: A.Q.J.S., Box 63, Station�M,� Montreal, Quebec, CANADA. H1V 3L6; orcall Larry at: (514) 278-5292.

This seventh annual SF/fantasy convention willbe held at the Union of the University of NorthCarolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Guests of honorinclude Fred Chappell, Alan Wold, and Gavin andYvonne Frost. Write to: Shannon Turlington, c/oCHIMERACON, 306 Avery UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC27514; or call (919)933-2912.

CHIMERACON VII, March 1-3

EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN '91, March 1-3This gaming convention will be held at the

Student Center of Southern Illinois University inCarbondale, Ill. Events include RPGA� AD&D®tournaments, miniatures judging, and a gameauction. Registration: $8 preregistered, or $5/,day. Admission on Friday, the 1st, is free to all.Send a business-size SASE to: S.I.U. StrategicGames Society, Office of Student Development,Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL62901-4425; or call (618)529-5317.

GUILD FEST '91, March 2-3This convention will be held at the State Univer-

sity of New York at Binghamton campus. Eventsinclude CYBERPUNK 2020*, AD&D®, GURPS*, andRUNEQUEST* games, with a dealers� room. Regis-tration $3/day or $5/weekend preregistered; $4/day or $7/weekend at the door. Write to: Gamers�Guild, P.O. Box 2000 c/o SUNY-Binghamton,Binghamton NY 13901.

BASHCON '91, March 8-10This sixth annual convention, sponsored by the

Benevolent Adventurers� Strategic Headquarters,will be held at the Student Union Auditorium atthe University of Toledo�s main campus in Toledo,Ohio. Over 150 game events will be featured,including RPGA� tournaments, plus movies, aminiatures contest, an exhibitors� area, two auc-tions, and an honored speaker or two. Registra-tion: $3/weekend or $1 for Friday, $2/day forSaturday and Sunday There will be no preregistra-tion. Games cost $.50 each. Send an SASE to: UT-BASH, c/o Student Activities Office, University ofToledo, Toledo OH 43606-9987.

be held at theCALCON 6, March 8-10

This gaming convention will

Sandman Inn in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Over100 featured events include AD&D®, BATTLE-TECH*, SYSTEM 7*, PARANOIA*, WARHAMMER40,000*, TUNNELS & TROLLS*, CALL OFCTHULHU*, and TITANS* games. Other activitiesinclude a game auction, BATTLETECH* computergames by A.M.U.C., miniatures painting, artists,and play-testing. Registration: $8 until March 1; $12at the door with cheaper visitor rates, plus gamefees. Write to: CALCON 6, Box 22206, Gulf CanadaSquare RPO, 401-9 AVE SW, Calgary, ALBERTA,CANADA, T2P-4J6; or call Paul Spenard at: (403)286-3347.

OWLCON XII, March 8-10Rice University�s WARP and RSFAFA will hold

this convention at Rice University in Houston;Texas. Tournaments will be held for RUNE-QUEST*, PARANOIA*, CALL OF CTHULHU*,CAR WARS*, TRAVELLER*, DIPLOMACY*,ILLUMINATI*, CIVILIZATION*, BATTLETECH*,STAR FLEET BATTLES*, ASL*, WORLD INFLAMES*, and AD&D® games. Prizes will beawarded for some tournaments. Registration:$10 preregistered, or $12/weekend at the door.Single-day prices vary. Write to: RSFAFA,OWLCON, P.O. Box 1892, Houston TX 77251.

SILICON VI, March 8-10This convention, sponsored by the Society for

Interactive Literature, is dedicated to live-actionrole-playing games. It will be held at the Annap-olis Holiday Inn in Annapolis, Md. Four live-action games will be run: �Cafe Casablanca,��Small Town,� �Steeplechase,� and �See Jane RunAgain.� A mini-game, �MASKS,� will be runFriday night. Registration: $35 until March 1, or$40 at the door. Write to: Terilee Edwards-Hewitt, 3454 S. Utah St. B-1, Arlington VA22206-1942.

LEHICON IV, March 15-17The Lehigh Valley Gamers Assoc., will host

this gaming convention at the George Washing-ton Motor Lodge in Allentown, Pa. Eventsinclude RPGA� events, with AD&D®, BATTLE-TECH*, SHADOWRUN*, TOP SECRET/S.I.�, CARWARS*, MEGATRAVELLER*, CYBERPUNK*,CALL OF CTHULHU*, STAR FLEET BATTLES*,TWILIGHT! 2000*, ASL*, SUPREMACY*, DIPLO-MACY*, EURORAILS*, and other games. Otheractivities include 24-hour open gaming, comics,dealers, SCA demos, and a miniatures-paintingcontest. Special lodging rates are available.Registration: $12/day (less for Friday and Sun-day) or $18/weekend. Write to: LEHICON IV, P.O.Box 1864, Bethlehem PA 18016-1864; or call:(215) 538-6109 after 6 P.M.

BATTLETECH* NORTHEASTCHAMPIONSHIPS III, March 16-17

This is the official BATTLETECH* regionalcompetition�singles and team events�withprizes supplied by FASA Corporation. Registra-tion: $20 preregistered by March 8; $25 there-after. Write to: The Gamemaster, 212AMassachusetts Ave., Arlington MA 02174; orcall: (617) 641-1580.

AGGIECON XXII, March 21-24The largest and oldest annual SF/fantasy

convention in the Southwest will be held on thecampus of Texas A&M University in CollegeStation, Texas. Guests include Fred Saberhagen,Lynn Abbey, Keith Parkinson, Marv Wolfman,and Larry Elmore. Activities include RPGA�tournaments, a dealers� room, game shows, ahall costume contest and masquerade ball, SFfilms, Japanimation, video rooms, and live-actiongames. Registration: $13 before March 1, or $16

thereafter. One day passes are $10. Write to:AGGIECON XXII, MSC Cepheid Variable, Box J-l,College Station TX 77844; or call: (409) 845-1515.

CONTEST VIII, March 22-24Sponsored by the Tactical Simulation Society,

this convention will be held at the Holiday InnHolidome in Tulsa, Okla. Events include AD&D®,AXIS & ALLIES*, and other role-playing, board,miniatures, and computer games, with a largedealers� room and an auction. Write to: TSS, P.O.Box 4726, Tulsa OK 74104.

SIMCON XIII, March 22-24This gaming convention will be held the

University of Rochester� River campus in Roch-ester, N.Y. Role-playing events (including an R.Talsorian-sanctioned CYBERPUNK* tournament),miniatures events, board games, and a minia-tures contest are scheduled. Registration: $7before March 4, or $10 thereafter. Collegestudents with an I.D. receive a $2 discount.Write to: SIMCON, CPU Box 277146, RiverStation, Rochester NY 14627.

ABBYTHON 9, March 23-24The Abbython Adventure Guild will host its

ninth annual 24-hour-marathon gaming conven-tion at the Community Center in Abbyville,Kans. Registration: $7 before Feb. 28; noneaccepted thereafter. Send an SASE to: AbbythonAdventure Guild, P.O. Box 96, Abbyville KS67510; or call: (316) 286-5303.

FRON VI, March 23-24The 252 Rollenspielverein in Frankfurt, Ger-

many, will host this convention at the StadthalleBergen-Enkheim, Marktstrasse, Frankfurt-Bergen-Enkheim (a suburb to the east of Frank-furt). Events include over 20 games in hundredsof events (many in English), a BLOOD BOWL*tournament, and SCA demos. Registration: DM5/weekend or DM 3/day. GMs and people incostume get free admission. Write to: M. Kliehm,In der Reomerstadt 164, 6000 Frankfurt/Main 50, GERMANY; or call (Frankfurt): (069)574-579.

SCRYCON �91, March 23Sponsored by The Seekers of the Crystal

Monolith gaming club, this convention will beheld at the Oakwood School in Poughkeepsie,N.Y. Events include RPGA� AD&D® games,alternate games, a painted-miniatures contest,and a used-game flea market. Registration: $6preregistered, or $8 at the door. Send an SASEto: SCRYCON �91, P.O. Box 896, Pleasant ValleyNY 12569. Space is limited; preregister!

UNIVERSICON V, March 24This fifth-annual charity convention, spon-

sored by the Brandeis Science Fiction & ComicBook Club, will be held at the Usdan StudentCenter on the Brandeis University campus inWaltham, Mass. Guests include Gordon R. Dick-son, Mike Gold, Ken Penders, and others. Activi-ties include AD&D®, DC HEROES*, PARANOIA*,and TOON* games, a movie room, a costumecontest, a dealers� room, panels, and the charityauction, with this year�s proceeds going to theWhale Adoption Project. Registration: $6 at thedoor. Write to: Jarett Weintraub, 14 DartmouthSt., Waltham MA 02154; or call: (617) 894-2604.

GOTHCON XV, March 29-31 This convention, sponsored by the Bifrost,

Chaos Apes, Skymning, and Ygdrasil gamingclubs, will be held at Munkebacksgymnasiet,Ernst Torulfsgatan 1, in Gothenburg, Sweden.Events include AD&D®, CALL OF CTHULHU*,

DRAGON 27

MEGATRAVELLER*, PARANOIA*, ROLE-MASTER/MERP*, RUNEQUEST* (3rd Ed.), ASL*,CAR WARS*, DIPLOMACY*, and ILLUMINATI*tournaments, as well as several independentevents. Other activities include a live-actionchess game, dealers� rooms, fantasy artists, andan auction, Registration: 150 Swedish Kronor($30 U.S.) before Feb. 15 (140 SKr for SWEROCmembers), plus tournament fees. No preregis-trations accepted after Feb. 15. One-day tickets,if available, will be sold at the door for 75 SKr($15 U.S.)/day. Write to: GOTHCON XV c/o BertilJonell, P.O. Box 154, S-43900 Onsala, SWEDEN;or call: +46 300-61004.

MSU IN CONTROL, March 29-30This gaming convention will be held in the

Grand Ballroom of the Student Center at theUniversity of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. Eventsinclude CLAY-0-RAMA, BATTLETECH*, AD&D®2nd Edition, SHADOWRUN*, and WARHAMMER40,000* tournaments. Other activities include avideo room, costume and figure-painting con-tests, and dealers. Registration: $5, or $4 if youare in costume. Game masters also receivediscounts. Write to: Jemearl Smith, 424 EastMaxwell #2, Lexington KY 40503; or call: (606)255-9599 after 7 P.M. Eastern time.

ROUNDCON VI, April 5-7The Round Table Gaming Society will host this

convention at the Russell House at the Universityof South Carolina campus, in Columbia, S.C. Eventsinclude AD&De, SHADOWRUN*, PUFFING BILLY*(including 1830*, RAIL BARON*, and a Mayfairrailroad game), and board-game tournaments.Other one-round tournaments will be held forCHAMPIONS*, TALISMAN*, TITAN*, B-17 SQUAD-RON*, CIRCUS MAXIMUS*, and AD&D® games.Prizes will be awarded for all tournaments. Regis-tration: $5/weekend before March 1, or $7/weekend thereafter. Write to: Round Table GamingSociety USC, P.O. Box 80018, Columbia SC; or callTrella at: (803) 779-1924.

This convention will be held at the DanburyHilton Inn in Danbury, Conn. Jean Rabe will bethe guest of honor. Many first-run RPGA�Network events will be held, including a Mas-ters and a Grandmasters AD&D® event, a Mas-ters CALL OF CTHULHU* event, and a teamAD&D® event. Other activities include: role-playing, miniatures, and war games; a banquet;an awards ceremony; and an RPGA� Networkmembers� meeting. Registration: $15 preregis-tered until March 22, or $20 thereafter. Thepreregistration fee includes three free games;registration after March 22 does not. Write to:CONNCON, P.O. Box 444, Sherman CT 06784.

CONNCON '91, April 6-7

TECHNICON 8, April 12-14This SF/fantasy convention will be held at the

Donaldson Brown Center on the Virginia Techcampus in Blacksburg, Va. Guests include DianeCarey, Greg Brodeur, Larry Elmore, RuthThompson, Don Sakers, and John �Fuzzface�McMahon. Activities include SF Jeopardy, liveRPGs, panels, a play, an art show, films, anddealers. Write to: TECHNICON 8, c/o VTSFFC,P.O. Box 256, Blacksburg VA 24063-0256; or call:(703) 953-1214.

BAMACON V, April 19-21This convention will be held at the Ferguson

Center on the University of Alabama campus inTuscaloosa, Ala. Guests include Alan DeanFoster, Hal Clement, Margaret Weis, KeithParkinson, Larry Elmore, Dave Arneson, andAllen Hammack. There will also be a $1,000

28 FEBRUARY 1991

PA 17042; or call: (717) 274-8706. Make checkspayable to Keith Roth.

OPCON '91, April 20This convention, sponsored by the OPRF SF/F

Club, will be held at the Oak Park River ForestHigh School in Oak Park, Ill. Guests includePhyllis Eisenstein, Robert Shea, and RichardKnaak. Activities include RPG tournaments, asilent auction, films and videos, autographsignings, a trivia contest, and a vendor�s room.Registration: $2. Write to: Sandra Price, OPRFSF/F Club, Oak River Park High School, 201 N.Scoville Ave., Oak Park IL 60302.

LITTLE WARS '91, April 26-28This miniatures-oriented convention, spon-

sored by the Historical Miniatures GamingSociety (HMGS), will be held at the Zion LeisureCenter in Zion, Ill. Miniatures events will spanhistorical times and beyond. Registration: $8/dayor $12/weekend, with a $2 discount for HMGSmembers. There are event fees. Judges andplayers are needed. There will be a judge�sdiscount and a large dealers� area. Write to:Robert Bigelow, c/o Friends Hobby Shop, 1411Washington St., Waukegan IL 60085; or call:(708) 336-0790.

The University Of Arizona Historical GamesSociety will hold this convention at the StudentUnion Main Hall on the University of Arizonacampus in Tucson, Arizona. Tournaments in-clude AD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, GURPS*, BATTLE-TECH*, and WARHAMMER 40,000* games.Other activities include open gaming, a gameauction, and a miniatures-painting contest.Write to: AGOG IV, 3150 E. Monte Vista #A,Tucson AZ 85716; or call: (602) 327-3517.

AGOG IV, April 27-28

BOISE FANTASY ARTS CONVENTION IVApril 27-28

This convention will be held at the Holiday Innin Boise, Idaho. Activities include workshops,contests, dealers, gaming, movies, demos, and anart show. Registration: $19 until April 1; $23 at thedoor. Supporting memberships and one-day costsare also available. Write to: BFAC, P.O. Box 8602,Boise ID 83702; or call (208) 454-2835.

PLATTECON DELTA, April 27-28This gaming convention will be held at the

Student Center on the UW-Platteville campus inPlatteville, Wis. Events include AD&D® games,miniatures games, dealers, door prizes, andnumerous games. Registration: $4/day or $5/weekend in advance; $5/day and $7/weekend atthe door. Write to: Platteville Gaming Assoc.,Student Center, 1 University Plaza, UW-Platte-ville, Platteville WI 53818.

How effective was your convention listing?If you are a convention organizer, pleasewrite to the editors and let us know if our“Convention Calendar” served you needs.Your comments are always welcome.

Out of Supplies?

Write for a free catalog from theMail Order Hobby Shop, c/o TSR,Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147 U.S.A.

cash prize for the best AD&D® game team atthis convention. Many other prizes will also beawarded. Activities include an art show/auction,a banquet, dances, movies, and dealers. Regis-tration: $15 by Feb. 28; $20 by March 31; and$25 thereafter. One-day memberships anddealer passes are also available. Write to: BAMA-CON V, University of Alabama, P.O. Box 6542Tuscaloosa AL 35486; or call: (205) 758-4577 or348-3127.

CAPCON XIV, April 19-21The Ohio State University Miniatures and

Gaming Assoc. (OSUMGA) will hold this conven-tion in the Ohio Union on the OSU Columbuscampus in Columbus, Ohio. Activities includeminiatures, board, and role-playing gamescovering all time periods and genres. Admission:$3/day. Write to: OSUMGA/CAPCON, Box 21, theOhio Union, 1739 N. High St., Columbus OH43210; or call Jill Moody at: (614) 267-2649.

CONDUIT, April 19-21Located at the Quality Inn in Salt Lake City,

Utah, this SF/fantasy/gaming convention willfeature such guests as Barbara Hambly, ErickWujcik, and Derek Fegestad. Events includetournaments in AD&D® 2nd Edition, ROLEMAS-TER*, TMN TURTLES*, RIFTS*, ROBOTECH*,BATTLETECH*, WARHAMMER 40,000*, SPACEHULK*, SHADOWRUN*, CYBERPUNK*, andSTAR FLEET BATTLES* games. Other activitiesinclude films, Japanese animation, an art show,a masquerade, panels, dealers, and open gam-ing. Registration: $18 until march 15; $22 at thedoor. Write to: CONDUIT, c/o David Lee Powell,2566 Blaine Ave., Salt Lake City UT 84108-3359;or call: (801) 467-9517.

This convention will once again be held at theState University of New York, Stony Brookcampus. Guests include Ken Rolston, GaryGygax, Steve Jackson, and Greg Costikyan.Activities include gaming, a writer�s workshop,autograph sessions, a �meet the pros� party,dozens of dealers and more. Registration: $25/weekend at the door, less in advance. One-daypasses are also available. Write to: I-CON X, P.O.Box 550, Stony Brook NY 11790.

I-CON X, April 19-21

PENTECON '91, April 19-21The Cornell Strategic Simulations Society will

hold this convention at the Goldwin Smith Hallon the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NYEvents include AD&D®, TRAVELLER*, PARA-NOIA*, DIPLOMACY*, CAR WARS*, AXIS &ALLIES*, ASL*, and CIVILIZATION* games.Other activities include miniatures painting andtrivia contests. Write to: PENTECON �91, c/oPeace Studies Program, 180 Uris Hall, CornellUniversity, Ithaca NY 14853; or call Shelley at:(607) 272-1339.

IMPACT 0.6, April 20This convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn Central in Omaha, Nebraska. Activitiesinclude table-top and role-playing games from8A.M. until midnight. Registration: $5. Write to:IMPACT, P.O. Box 4486, Omaha NE 68104.

This convention will be held at Kaspar�s Arc,north of Lebanon, Pa. Events include AD&D®and BATTLETECH* tournaments, plus AD&D®,ASL*, BATTLETECH*, AXIS & ALLIES*,SHADOWRUN* games. There will also be deal-ers and food will be available. Registration: $5preregistered, $7.50 at the door. Write to: Leba-non Area Gamers, 806 Cumberland St., Lebanon

LAGACON 10, April 20

Wing Commander(Origin)

Wing Commander: The Top Gun of space-war games

The number of games being received forreview is becoming quite staggering. Aswe really do try to review each good gamewe receive, we are cutting out our newproducts section and will use the space toreview products and give hints.

[Editor�s note: Alas! The winners of theBeastie Award will appear in the nextissue, due to circumstances beyond every-one�s control. Really. Promise. We mean itthis time.]

Reviews

* * * * * *Wing CommanderOrigin (512-328-0926)PC/MS-DOS version, with Roland LAPC-1sound board and VGA graphics $69.95

Yep, our first six-star review! There is nodoubt in our minds that Wing Commanderis the finest spaceflight adventure/simulation ever to come to PC/MS-DOS

machines. The animation and the stirringtheme music blasting from the Rolandsound system makes Wing Commandermore like participating in a movie ratherthan playing a game.

This game is surprisingly easy to learnand yet provides many challenges for eventhe best gamer. You start your career as aConfederation 2nd Lieutenant on a spacecarrier named Tiger�s Claw. From thecarrier, you are sent on various missionsagainst the Kilrathi enemy. Your missionsrange from simple strikes to escorting,

Computer game's ratings

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

patrolling, or defending Confederationterritory or ships.

The action begins in a bar on the Tiger�sClaw, where you are apparently about toengage the enemy in a flight simulator. YOUare asked for your last name and a codename. After entering the information, youexit the simulator and view the surround-ing bar. We are talking about simply thefinest graphics we�ve ever seen on a VGAdisplay. You actually feel as though youhave become one with the action.

You can talk to Shotglass, the bartender,or any of the patrons. Sometimes parlaying with fellow officers will give you a hintor a tip on how to beat the Kilrathi. Achalkboard on the back wall of the barlists the names of all pilots on the Tiger�sClaw, the number of sorties each hasflown, and number of Kilrathi kills foreach pilot. Finally, you can actually prac-tice missions against the Kilrathi on thetraining simulator without risking bodily

DRAGON 31

Wing Commander (Origin)

harm. This is by far the best way to learnhow to pilot your ship and to studyKilrathi tactics.

When you are done in the bar, you canenter the barracks, where you can save orload games. The save-game slots are repre-sented by bunks, eight in all. Saved gamesare represented by people resting on cots.

You can also view earned service medals.The display reveals your rank, any fighterqualification ribbons, performance serviceribbons, graduation service ribbons, andany medals for exceptional behavior. Suchmedals include a Bronze Star, Gold Star,and Silver Star for exceptional braveryunder fire and successfully facing over-whelming opposition. Also included arethe Terran Confederation Medal of Honor,the highest medal awarded to militarypersonnel, and the Golden Sun that is

32 FEBRUARY 1991

awarded for surviving the destruction ofone�s ship through ejection.

When you feel qualified to try a mission,exit the barracks and enter the briefingroom. Here, Commander Halycon assignsyou your mission and shows you on a mapwhere you will need to travel in order toaccomplish the scenario. He also advisesyou of any ships, mines, or asteroids in thearea, so pay close attention to his words.This scene reminded us of finely craftedJapanese cartoons, and it is just as wellanimated. The serious expression on Haly-con�s face during the briefing, and theclose-ups of individual pilots asking ques-tions about the mission, all add to theexcitement of the yet-to-be-experiencedscenarios.

Following the briefing, the screen showspilots scrambling to their fighters, and you

climbing into your fighter. These anima-tions are extremely well detailed, even tothe point of showing small dents and paintchips on your fighter craft. Again, theanimation is exceptionally smooth andhappens to be some of the best we�ve seenon any computer system.

Once you are ready to go, you switch toa first-person perspective and the actionbegins.

The fighter screen reveals your forwardview, as well as all of your ship�sinstruments�indicators for speed, radar,blasters, and armor and shields, as well astwo video display units. On the left, thedisplay shows your current weapons, bothguns and missiles, as well as a damagedisplay for registering internal hits to yourship. The right video display unit showstargeting screens and the range to yournavigation point, and also has a communi-cation screen. Each of the various fightersyou may eventually pilot have differentlocations and configurations for this in-strumentation. Other available views in-clude battle, tactical, chase plane, andmissile views.

Completing your mission requires you tofly to the navigation points, as Halyconordered. In order to accomplish this, youline up your ship with the navigation crosshairs on the screen, or you can allow theautopilot to take care of things for you.The autopilot will continue on to the navi-gation point until you reach a hazard orencounter the enemy. At that point, youregain control of your ship.

When flying near a hazard, a mine, oran asteroid field, you must use your flyingskills to maneuver around these danger-ous objects. This requires practice and,perhaps, several lives before you get thehang of it. The animation shows the de-tailed asteroids or mines, as well as por-tions of the same should you happen todestroy an incoming object.

If you sustain damage, your shield indi-cator visibly reduces. It will regenerateslowly if you receive no further hits. Ifyou have been unlucky enough to allowyour shields to be reduced to nothing,your ship�s armor starts to absorb damage.If the armor is totally destroyed, you�llstart to lose ship�s systems. This damage isdisplayed in finely detailed animation:panels or wires blow up, leaving scarredremains on the console. If enough hits aresustained, your ship blows up. You thensee your own funeral, complete with gunsalute as your casket-encased body islaunched from the carrier into space,complete with funeral music.

Encountering the enemy is what makesthis game totally unique. It�s so much funthat several dinners have been missed atour house. From the moment you spot theenemy on radar to the moment you seethe explosion and debris flung throughoutspace as you make a kill, this is definitelythe best animation in the game.

When you spot the enemy, the targetershows you what type of ships you are

facing and their ranges from you. Yourweapon capabilities depend upon the shipyou are piloting. For the light Hornet, youare limited to laser cannons, two �dumb�Dart missiles, and one heat-seeking missile.At the other extreme, the awesome Raptorhas neutron guns as well as a mass-drivercannon. These can be used separately orin tandem to create havoc among theenemy. The Raptor also possesses twoheat-seeking missiles, an image-recognitionmissile (it goes after one target after lock-ing in on its image rather than followingheat patterns), a FF (friend or foe) missile(locks onto any enemy because it doesn�tbroadcast a certain sound that all Confed-eration ships send out), and a mine. OtherConfederation ships have some of thoseweapons alone or in various combinations.

The targeter on your view screen showsthe status of the enemy ship by shadingdamaged or destroyed parts of the ship�sshields or armor. Some of the enemy shipshave better shields and armor, and takemany hits to destroy. However, these shipsdo have weak spots, and a well-placed orlucky shot to a certain part may cripple oreven destroy the ship.

Each enemy ship uses different maneu-vers and is armed with different weapons.Some will dodge and try to out-maneuveryou, while more heavily-powered shipswill fly straight at you and try to knockyou out fast. Some are also equipped withmissiles and will fire these at you. It takesa well-trained flyer to outmaneuver them.These hostile aliens are also not idiots and,if they are in trouble, may try to escape.Also out in space are Kilrathi aces that arehard to kill. If you kill one of these aces,you are a really good pilot.

Your wingman can also help. You cancommunicate with him and give him or-ders to break off and attack, stay by yourwing, return to formation, return to base,help against an enemy that�s attacking you,or even attack a target that you yourselfhave in your targeter.

Each wingman has a different personal-ity, and it shows in his flying and combattechniques. Some will ignore your ordersand fly into combat, trying to becomeheroes, while others are smart and onlyengage the enemy at a prime moment.Wingmen are not just a diversion�theyalso destroy enemy ships. You�d better beaware of what you are targeting, as youcould hit your wingman, who is chasingand firing at the same target. We have alsofound ourselves suddenly coming eye toeye with a wingman and accidentally ram-ming him, sometimes resulting in ourdemise. Origin did an excellent job ofgiving the enemy and your wingmen indi-vidual and unique personalities.

After completing the mission, whetherit�s success or failure, the player lands atthe Tiger's Claw. Here, you�ll see howbadly beaten up your ship is. Afterward,Halycon will scold or commend you at adebriefing. He will also tell you how manyships you were able to destroy. Sometimes

34 FEBRUARY 1991

If lt Moves, Shoot It! (Broderbund Software)

King’s Bounty (New World)

you will be asked to see Halycon laterwhere he will promote you or reassignyou to a new ship with a new wingman.Also, you may be given a medal. Withwonderful victory music, you will gothrough the acceptance of a cherishedmedal. From that, you will reenter the bar.

Wing Commander is a fantastic, abso-lutely top-notch simulation. The graphicsand animation are extraordinary. Theobjects in space are not polygon filled butbeautifully drawn, colored, and animated.Every section of the game is painstakinglydetailed, from a battle-scarred ship return-ing from combat to the barracks wherethe fluorescent lights flicker and water

drips from the ceiling.The game is not complicated and will

keep you glued to your IBM for hoursand hours. Wing Commander is worthfar more than its cost and is certainly oneof Origin�s finest works. We simply can-not wait for Origin�s expansion missionsto be released. You absolutely have topurchase Wing Commander, if you wantthe best PC/MS-DOS game in your soft-ware library.

Armor Alley *****Three-Sixty Pacific (408-879-9144)Macintosh IIx version,16-color mode $49.95

Many years ago, an arcade/strategygame became quite a hit on the Apple IIcomputer: Rescue Raiders, from Sir-TechSoftware. Now, Three-Sixty has apparentlyobtained that code and has rewritten thisgame for the Macintosh computer family.And it has done a marvelous job of trans-lating this strategy game.

The object is simply to destroy an enemybase. You do this by ordering forth infan-try, engineers, tanks, missile launchers,and vans with radar-jamming Equipment(the enemy is throwing similar elements atyou). Your main weapon is a helicopter,armed with missiles, bombs, and machineguns. It can carry as many as five para-troopers at a time. The paratroopers be-come quite valuable as you progress ingame levels, and you need them to assaultenemy bunkers.

Don�t run out of fuel, and watch forshrapnel from exploding enemy elements.Fire missiles at enemy helicopters butdon�t buzz too close to a targeted chopper;should your missile blow it up, you couldgo down with the enemy ship.

You are given funds with which to pur-chase your units. The elements of strategyinvolve deciding which units to send forthat which time. You might find storing yourfunds and issuing a convoy of vehicles andinfantry the best move, or you mightprefer a continuous stream of single units.Whatever your selection, save 20 bags ofmoney to buy helicopters. You don�t wantto run out of these highly potent weapons.If you do, you lose.

Armor Alley is highly addictive. It can beplayed in either 2- (black and white) or16-color mode on a Macintosh and is quitegood in either mode. Your high scores aresaved, and you�ll find yourself eager forbattle after battle with this great arcade/strategy offering,

If It Moves, Shoot It! ***Broderbund Software (415-492-3299)PC/MS-DOS version,with VGA graphics $29.95

Return to the good old days of yester-year, when everything on your computerscreen was grist for your guns. Add state-of-the-art VGA graphics, and this offeringwill please any die-hard arcade gamer.

If It Moves, Shoot It! is a grand arcadeshoot-em-up that demands you attackeverything that comes on-screen. Whetherit�s scrolling, wiggling, or firing, it�s yourduty to destroy it. The program has one ofthe best joy-stick calibration routineswe�ve seen, enabling you to obtain the besttargeting possible. You can also use thekeyboard, but the joy stick offers the mostexacting fire.

You�re battling Korts, hoping to free lostsettlers in the Valley of the Ancients.There is absolutely no doubt that you�llspend a couple of hours learning how bestto manage each various Kort attack uponyour craft. You�ll also have to survive theGuardians as well.

However, don�t expect anything morethan shooting; pure and simple. Afterseveral hours, it does tend to get a littleold. We switched to a strategy game andreturned to this offering just to flex ourjoy-sticking fingers.

King�s Bounty ***New World Computing (818-999-0606)Apple II version $39.95

All is gong well in the world�King Maxi-mus holds the Sceptre of Order, thus driv-ing chaos from the lands. However, onefateful night, a rectangular void appearedbehind King Maximus and a scaly dragon�shead appeared. A hideous claw reachesthrough the portal and steals the powerfulsceptre from the stunned king.

You have just retired from the herobusiness and are respected and feared bymany. Just when you were finally settlinginto retirement, a messenger requests thatyou see the king, who asks you to regainthe stolen sceptre before chaos runs amokthroughout the lands.

Each of the game�s villains, as well as theEight Artifacts of Power, hold a piece ofthe map that indicates where the Sceptreof Order is hidden. The center of the mapis held by Arech Dragonbreath himself,the mastermind behind the theft of thesceptre. Do not try to find the Sceptreuntil you have found the last piece of thepuzzle.

You may choose to play a knight, a sor-ceress, a barbarian, or a paladin. I recom-mend you play a knight for your first try,as the knight initially receives strongtroops. He also receives a high paymenteach week from the king, and the knight ischarismatic, enabling him to convincemore and better troops or monsters to joinhis army.

One of the benefits of playing a sorcer-ess is that you do not have to pay anyoneto train you to use magic. You also have alarge spell memory and can cast a widevariety of spells. However, the sorceressreceives the lowest payment per week andcannot convince many of the powerfultroops or monsters to join her army.

The paladin is a fine blend between theknight and the sorceress. Though thepaladin does not have to be taught thebasics of magic before casting spells, hedoes have a quick learning speed and canbecome quite powerful later on.

Finally, the barbarian class is similar toall three of the previous classes. The bar-barian is tied with the knight for leader-ship capabilities, has good starting troops,and has the best payment per week. Likethe sorceress, he has a low amount ofmoney at the start of the game. Like theknight, the barbarian must be taught thevirtues of magic. He learns his spells veryslowly and has limited spell memory.Though he may seem to be the easiest toplay at first, he becomes very difficult toutilize effectively as the game proceeds,due to his lack of spells.

The game has positive factors. Thegraphics are reasonably good, and it is awell-thought-out game. The battles workwell and are not confusing. Lastly, thecommands in King�s Bounty are easy touse.

There are some problems, though. First:You, the main character, cannot fight in thebattles. You can only direct where the armygoes, and you can cast offensive and defen-sive spells only through your mercenaries.

Second, you have to pay certain crea-tures, such as wolves and ghosts, whoreally have no need of money. Third, ifyour army is defeated and you are killed,you must start back at King Maximus�scastle with a weaker army. The deadlinefor returning the Sceptre of Order re-mains the same. This means that if youwant to win the game, you must restartthe entire adventure.

This brings up another point. If you dohave to restart, you have to retrieve yourcopy program, copy disk side B onto an-other disk, then restart the game again.This is about a five or six minute process.

When you are in battle and you want toretreat, you find that such an action isimpossible. The only way you can retreatis to disband the army, acting as thoughyou have died. I think there really shouldbe another alternative.

If you want a challenging game withhours of fun with hundreds of possibili-ties, and if you can ignore a few annoyingproblems, I recommend King�s Bounty.�reviewed by Jager McConnell

Tangled Tales: The Misadventures ofa Wizard�s Apprentice ****Origin (512-328-0926)Apple II version $29.95

Picture yourself as a young apprenticewizard without friends, spells, or money.You are about to go out and learn yourtrade with the (almost nonexistent) aid ofyour magician master. You�d better makesome other friends!

Luckily for you, the designers at Originhave mixed many fictional universes inorder to populate their new adventuregame, Tangled Tales. You will soon team upwith a werewolf, a radical surfer dude, asnowman, Goldilocks (a thief with a Valleyaccent), and Isaac Newton (who likes ap-ples). Whoever created this universe ofcharacters knew one important game-design fact: Make it fun and silly. Justmeeting these strange personalities isenjoyable. Finding out how each followerand item can help you reach wizard statusmakes this one of the most enjoyable old-style adventure games ever created.

While the game plays like a classic ad-venture game, the user interface is en-tirely hew. You will almost never have totype any words or phrases in order to playthe game. Instead, you will see a vividgraphic interface. The screen is dividedinto several area�s: One displays your viewof the world, one shows a bird's-eye view

DRAGON 35

of your position, one contains the functionicons, and one is a small text-informationarea. At any given time, you can select afunction to move, talk, cast a spell (anever-growing list is at your disposal), getor drop an item, and so on. While thislimited vocabulary would seem to limit thegame, this is not the case. Many of thefunctions (such as Talk and Action) arereally entry points to a large range ofpossibilities. Just because a person willtalk about some things in one spot doesnot mean he won�t give you more informa-tion at another one.

The game has it faults. Sometimes thecursor keys are used to move the charac-ter figure physically around his world.Other times, the same keys are used toselect the functions he performs. Thespace bar is used to switch between thesetwo modes. This can cause many falsemoves when the player forgets whichmode he is in. On top of that, there aretoo many functions to be displayedgraphically at the same time. One of theicons flips between two sets of functionicons. This can make even the most agilegame player frustrated. As you get betterat the game, you will start to use thekeyboard shortcut keys in order to skipt h i s c o n f u s i o n !

The game consists of three separatescenarios. Each must be completed beforegoing on to the next, but you can alwaysgo back to an old area in case you missedsomething (and you will!). Of course, eacharea has its own new followers and ob-jects. Some items move from one area toanother (in some cases, this is required towin), but no followers move with you. Donot be afraid to die in this game: Yourmaster will resurrect you with all yourfollowers and items, but he will take yourgold. This will be a good chance to restand restore your magic points, which arevital to your spell-casting.

The game is very well packaged withcolorful artwork (the picture of theknight, elf, and surfer dude is a classic)and an excellent manual. There is also abooklet included with the software thatgives a little of your recent history; itmakes for cute reading�something abouta giant squirrel and some lost adamantitedust. This story has no effect on gameplay, but it gives you a nice taste of thegame world.

Like all adventure games, this one hasvery little replay value. However, the sizeof this game (two double-sided disks) andthe variety of the game universe will givemore than adequate fun for the money.This game will probably not win awardsfor innovation in game play, but it shouldwin one for showing how a good old-fashion adventure game should play. Thebest testimony to this game is the simplefact that it is the first adventure game inyears that these game reviewers playedfrom beginning to end. There was always.new silliness around the next plot twist.�reviewed by Patricia and Steve Sheets

36 FEBRUARY 1991

Clue corner

Curse of the Azure Bonds (SSI)1. In the tower, the second dark elf lord

is an illusion.2. When you defeat the Red Wizard, you

will find a robe. This is a cursed Robe ofPowerlessness. It bestows you with astrength and intelligence of 3.

3. By the way, elves can be raised�tryfor yourself!

Joe MajsterskiWebster TX

1. When fighting Sandroc, discretion isthe better part of valor. At the start of thefight, move all of your characters into thenorthernmost room. Position all of yourfighters in a line on the northern side ofthe entry way that leads into that room.This way, they�ll never have to fight morethan two efreet or drow, and the onlyspell Sandroc has that can reach them isMagic Missile. When all his minions aredown, sneak up on Sandroc. Hide behindwhatever obstacles are available (if youcan�t Aim at him, he can�t Aim at you!),then rush out a few fighters and hack himto bits.

2. Yes, you can defeat the MulmasterBeholder Corps under Dagger Falls usingthe Dust of Disappearance. No, the gamecan�t handle this victory. I spent hourstediously hacking up drow lords, behold-ers, drow clerics, and rakshasas, only tobe told there was some error or anotherin the program. I was frozen out of thegame. I adventured on the PC/MS-DOSversion.

Graham HorwoodHuntsville TX

1. When finally faced with Tyran-thraxus� Temple, you actually have time tolearn one spell. This is directly before thebonds wake you up.

2. Once fully equipped, face Tyran-thraxus by running away! Use Hastepotions/spells and run like heck down thecorridor into the next room. Fill the doorand surrounding area with StinkingClouds. Flank the door with your charac-ters. Then you can pick off the enemy oneby one, starting with the faster-movingpriests, while staying clear of almost alls p e l l s .

Craigh NaplesWhite Oriels, Chaddleworth, Newbury,

Berkshire, United Kingdom

1. After the first fight with the clerics ofMoander and their shambling moundfriends in the pit of Moander, you will beimmediately confronted by three �Bits O�Meander,� These critters are pretty tough;before they reach the party, have a few ofyour mages cast Stinking Clouds ahead ofyour front line. When I played, the Stink-ing Clouds rendered two of the garbage

heaps helpless, and they were quicklydisposed of by Alias� and Dragonbait�smissiles. Use your Wand of Defoliation onthe third and hack at it with your toughestfighters, and the battle should be won.

2. In the Sewers of Tilverton, when youenter the room with the otyughs and yousee a glint of steel, flee and then reenterimmediately. The monsters will be gone. Ifyou bargain with the creatures, you findyourself searching everywhere for theircousins and for only a set of chain mail+1. Fighting them will almost surely kill

your entire party.3. Before reaching the last checkpoint in

the Fire Knives� hideout, enter the door onyour left. Open the metal box and takeeverything except the bracers�they�recursed!

4. In the Tower of Dracandros, afterdefeating Dracandros� bodyguards on theroof, rest and use your Dust of Disappear-ance. Then proceed downstairs. You willbe confronted by a drow guard. Flee fromthe area. The dust will permit you to leavewithout sustaining any damage. Fightingthe drow will result in at least four ofyour party members being killed.

5. When you reach the door that chal-lenges you to send one of your charactersin and duel a mage, send a paladin orranger. Every time I sent my highest-levelmage in, he was annihilated.

6. In the final battle with Tyranthraxus,have a couple of your second-line charac-ters throw Javelins of Lightning at Tyran-thraxus; they work very nicely!

Marc WebberBelleville, Ontario

The following trick not only works withCurse of the Azure Bonds, but also withPool of Radiance:

At the start of the game, before yourparty starts adventuring on a currentlysaved game, remove all the charactersfrom the party and turn off your com-puter. Then, turn on the computer andstart the game again. Add all of your char-acters to the party and start adventuring.My party started at the point when theywoke up with the sigils in Tilverton orwhen they entered Phlan from the dock.My party members retained their experi-ence, equipment, hit points, and so on, andwere able to play the game all over again.The party was able to multiply its magicalitems and experience. This trick was espe-cially useful when my party was unable towin a section of the game and a few addi-tional levels were needed.

David JohnsonApple Valley CA

NOTE: The Lessers have moved. Theirnew address is: 521 Czerny Drive, TracyCA 95376, U.S.A. Send all correspondenceto their new address.

So you say there aren�t enough players out there, eh?

by Timothy B. Brown

Look back through the issues ofDRAGON® Magazine and read the �Let-ters� and �Editorial� departments. You�llfind the same complaint popping up timeand time again: We need more players!Reflect on your own experience. Howmany times have you asked your fewplayers to run more than one charactersimply because there weren�t enoughpeople to play? How often have youwished there was another gaming groupin your area that you could join occasion-ally for a change of pace? Having a fewmore players around would be nice.

Of course, as role-playing gamers, we allknow what a pain it can be trying to con-vince new people to join in the fun. It�seasy enough to cultivate genuine interestin newcomers�the basic concept of RPGsand the topics they cover appeal to a lot ofdifferent people. But it�s a gigantic leapfrom interest to participation when thepoor newcomer wades into the mountainof books we take for granted. Once theseeds of interest are sown, they�re easilywashed away by the impending flood ofrules, diagrams, and tables.

Let�s face it. The way most role-playinggames are written and presented now,you have to be absolutely in love with theidea of playing them when you buy them.Otherwise, the 200+ page rulebook endsup on the shelf with your other collect-ibles, forgotten and ready to gather dust.

Is there no hope? Can nothing be doneto smooth the way for new players andDungeon Masters?

beWe�re convinced there is. The move

from interest to participation shouldn�ta chore, it should be a pleasure!

Check out the DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® game, now subtitled �An Easy-To-Learn Introduction To Role-Playing,�coming out in April. It�s now more than agame�it�s a learning tool. Troy Denning,myself, and others here at TSR took a stepback from traditional game design andpresentation and asked a few simple ques-tions: How do people learn? And, moreimportantly, how do they learn quicklyand retain information longer? Not sur-prisingly, we found these questions havealready been answered in the educationfield. So, we borrowed some conceptsfrom professional educators.

Looking at the guts of the DUNGEONS &DRAGONS game, it might not be readilyapparent that this is all that new an ap-proach. There is a 64-page book of rules, alarge map, scads of stand-up cardboardheroes and monsters, dice, and a referee�sscreen�all pretty standard fare for boxedRPGs. What sets this game apart, however,is the Dragon Card Learning Pack.

The Learning Pack is the core of thesystem that allows a newcomer to explorethe game in easy, manageable pieces. Thefront of each card deals with a singleconcept of the game. The back of the cardhas a programmed, solo adventure thatuses that particular concept. So, the new-comer reads about one concept and thenimmediately experiences its application ina DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game session.

The cards build upon one another whentaken in order, so the newcomer progressesin small, simple steps. The headers on thecards are phrased as questions, so the new-comer always knows what he�s supposed tobe learning as he reads. This approach isused to enhance the reader�s retention andto reinforce his comprehension.

The cards in the Learning Pack pro-gressively teach the entire game system,from basic concepts to details of play. Atfour points in the Learning Pack, thereader has made sufficient progress tobring in a few friends as players�he�sready to be a Dungeon Master. For eachof these four milestones in the learningprocess, there is a four-page adventurealready prepared and ready for immedi-ate play. The first four-page adventuredeals with relatively simple game me-chanics. The last encompasses everythingthe newcomer has learned, which, bythat point, is the entire game system. The

newcomer has learned the DUNGEONS &DRAGONS Game both easily and quickly,and he didn�t need anyone to teach himthe rules.

One word of warning. This is not a newedition of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONSBasic Set. There are no new rules here,except that characters may progress tofifth level. The DUNGEONS & DRAGONSRules Cyclopedia coming out in Octoberwill be packed with new rules, optionalrules, skills, an atlas of the D&D world,and more; even if you already play D&D,the Rules Cyclopedia will no doubt tanta-lize you. But, if you already know how toplay DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, there isnothing new in this boxed set for youaside from the terrific new DM�s screen.The Dragon Card Learning Pack, whileinteresting, won�t expand your horizonsone bit. . . .

Or will it?It�s a learning tool, available to you any-

time you need it. Sure, you already knowthe rules, but what about expanding thepool of players in your area? If you handthe Dragon Card Learning Pack to thatmildly interested friend, you�ve got a verygood chance of gaining a new player. He�llmake that leap from interest to participa-tion all on his own. He may even remem-ber the rules better than you do!

The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game isextremely simple. It deals with lower-levelcharacters in dungeon adventure settings,period. But once you get someone playingit, they�ll have all the knowledge they needto add anything they like. The Rules Cyclo-pedia will be a logical next step, takingthem to higher levels of power and intothe wonderful expanses of the D&DKnown World. They can even take whatthey�ve learned about RPGs and howthey�re played and explore entirely newgames like the ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® game, the MARVEL SUPERHEROES� game, the BUCK ROGERS®XXVc� game, and others!

Complain no longer. The tool has arrivedto eradicate non-role-playingism in ourlifetimes. Use it, encourage others to useit, and prepare for new problems-likejust how many different game groups canyou play in every week!

DRAGON 39

by Bruce A. Heard

This series chronicles the adventures ofan Alphatian explorer and his crew asthey journey across the D&D® KnownWorld in their skyship. The informationherein may be used to expand D&D cam-paigns using the Gazetteer series.

Vertmir 11,2000 AY: Many days andnights have passed since I began studyingthe ancient Thothian papyruses from KingHaptuthep�s tomb. One of them appears tobe the missing fragment of my originalscroll. As I grow closer to unveiling thekey to the Thothian enchantment, mycuriosity grows even greater, keeping myweariness at bay. The warm summerbreeze plays with the flickering flames onthe candelabrum, causing the tiny hiero-glyphs to dance on the papyrus.

It is as though an uncanny life animatesthe symbols, telling strange stories of darksecrets, obscure magicks, and bizarrecreatures invoked during the encryption.

DRAGON 41

Increasingly fascinated, I cannot trulydiscern where the reality of the picto-grams ends and where the dancing illu-sions begin. Oddly, the symbols seem faraway one instant, then inexplicably growhuge and very close the next�back andforth. Today as I was reading, my visionslowly blurred and my mind began to tipinto an abyss of uncontrollable thoughts.

�Haaken-San?� The sudden voice rippledthrough my mind like the crack of a whip.I promptly jumped up, sending a flurry ofnotes flying off my desk and startlingMyojo just as much. Dear Myojo�hehadn�t seen me for days. He came to checkon my well-being and in so doing saved mefrom complete insanity. It was clear thatdire magicks protect this archaic Thothianpapyrus�and I had almost been theirvictim. It had been far too long since I hadsome rest. It was time to put the papyrusaway.

But a long sleep fraught with odiousdreams and nightmares followed.

Vertmir 13: The deep sound of a dis-tant gong awoke me. From the light filter-ing in, I could tell it was close to noon. I�dslept far later than I had wanted. I couldhear the brief orders Xerdon barked tothe crew while they clewed the sails up.

Despite a throbbing headache, I came upto the railing but left Xerdon in charge ofthe approach. We had reached our nextstop at the far western tip of Ochalea. Thesmall port of Tang-Hwa had an old customof ringing huge gongs and blowing enor-mous horns both to greet incomingvessels-and as a means of calling theguards to their positions, just in case. Thisnoise served only to worsen my headache.

Down below, a crowd of cackling on-lookers gathered at the docks, pointingfingers up at the Princess with wide eyes.Skyships were not a common sight inthese parts. Very soon came a dignitary, aLady Ping, mounted on an elaborate palan-

quin. Talasar went down to greet her andbring her aboard the Princess for a visit ofcourtesy.

I invited Lady Ping to the officer�s messfor a refreshment. The conversation wasquite pleasant, except for some oddities.

As we were talking, an ant came out ofLady Ping�s nose, scurried over her face,then disappeared into her mouth. Xerdonand Talasar were also present but did notreact, and neither did Lady Ping. Shortlyafterward, the serpent tattoos on her facecoiled and uncoiled. Nobody reacted tothis, either. Talasar took Lady Ping for atour of the Princess, and I took the oppor-tunity to question Xerdon about the digni-tary�s facial tattoos. His answer of,�Tattoos, sir?� confused me even further. Iretired to my quarters with an aggravatingmigraine.

Vertmir 15: The Princess remainedtwo days above Tang-Hwa. Some of thecrew went on leave while fresh supplieswhere carried in. I was ill during that timeand delegated command of the Princess toTalasar. I�ve had several more nightmaresthat have perturbed my psyche, and Itherefore prefer to stay away from thebusy decks. Finally, our westward journeyresumed with no further incident.

Vertmir 16: Today I felt much betterand came up to the deck. My crew wasrelieved to see me there. My headache wasgone, and I was no longer experiencingthese upsetting nightmares. Everythingwas fine. The morning sun rose from thewest, and purple clouds stretched alongthe horizon as fine gossamer, reachingtoward the endless scarlet waves of thesea. I resumed command and ordered theImperial Ark on a southward courseacross the emerald sky. Our heavy,bronze-clad man-of-war veered gracefullyas its six wings fluttered in the late sum-mer breeze. A flock of sapphire gullsglided in our wake, indolently wavingtheir scaly tails. A lovely dawn indeed.

Vertmir 28: Days have past-veryordinary, fine days, I might add. We finallyreached our next stop, on the northerncoast of Davania, west of the ThyatianJungle Coast. There had been rumors thata kingdom existed in this region. We ex-pected to find coastal towns and ports, butinstead the coast was almost entirely sav-age, overgrown with slender coconut treesand gnarled mangroves.

It was only because I used my spyglassthat I spotted buildings in the upland hills.Vegetation partially concealed them. Mostof the buildings had a dark green color,helping in their concealment, I could ob-serve common activity taking place in thestreets. I commanded the mighty ImperialArk to be cloaked and sail forth.

Tslamir 1: We spent a day above thesenew-found people. Indeed, these are of astrange kind. These very tall, skinny peoplehave pale green skin and long silver hairAside from this, it seems like a normal cityand they did not seem a violent people. Itwas time to send down an away team.

The place was an indoor pool and sauna.A few nobles of both genders were al-ready there, naked, waving at me while

As a sign of courtesy, Lord Verdlin in-vited our party to be his guests at theresidence for the night. I accepted, andshortly afterward was led to my quarters.We spent the evening with a group ofyoung nobles eager to show off the bestparts of their city. Gardens and ornamen-tal plants were ever present in the streetsand on the houses. When I grew tired ofthe tour, one of the nobles proposed a stopat an �elation abode.� Having no idea whatthat was, I decided to go along.

We had a long conversation. The nameof the city is Glauqnor; it belongs to thesmall kingdom of Emerond. The capitallies further inland. The Emerondians� skincolor comes from vegetable dyes. Theydeveloped a civilization and culture basedon the respect and love of nature, espe-cially flora, and grew to understand allaspects of plant life and the magic devotedto that sphere. They live mostly on vegeta-bles that they grow in small fields or pickfrom the forest. The Emerondians seemedlike a very peaceful people.

It was indeed quite a residence. Themansion was almost entirely built ofwood, intricately carved and dyed in vari-ous tones of green, the dominant colorhere. It had an incredible garden withbeautiful topiary, shrubs, and trees. Theinside of the building had a more naturalwood color, except for the very fine carpetof grass growing inside�comfortable, butuncommon. We sat next to a small foun-tain with Lord Verdlin and his wife, LadyGruneel. She had her servants bring un-rah, the local brew�a sweet, fermentedtree sap of which we all partook.

The official came closer and inquiredabout our origins. It appeared they hadalready met Thyatian explorers a decadeago. The odd thing is that I could under-stand the official quite clearly, but Xerdonand Myojo could not. The official, LordVerdlin, invited us to his residence, and wefollowed.

The green people reacted with greatcuriosity when we entered the front gate.There was no sign of animosity. Soonenough, an official came forward with asmall guard. The guards wore very elabo-rate armor, with graceful curves andsharp thorns perhaps designed to bothdecorate and defend. I could not tell whatthe armor was made of; it wasn�t metal,however. The blades of their weaponswere similarly shaped.

Tslamir 2: My adventures this dayhave been difficult to recount, for reasonsthat shall grow clear, and this entry andthose following it have been written somedays after they occurred. I shall start atthe beginning:

Talasar will stay on board, while Xerdon,Myojo, and myself will go down to explorethe place in more detail. We will descendinto the forest and approach the town astravelers.

enjoying the hot, bubbling water. Myojocame out of the dressing room in thebriefest of attires but still holding hissword. He looked down at the water,gazed at me in despair, then resignedhimself to stepping down into the bath. Hesat there, quite unhappy, as two cutecourtesans delighted in scrubbing his headand scratching his chin. Xerdon came outnext, clutching at a small towel, visiblyembarrassed. I could have sworn one ofthe young nobles winked at him, but Icould be mistaken. I couldn�t tell if it wasthe hot water that caused Xerdon to blush.

Things got a bit less uptight as I discov-ered the water was laced with unrah. Itwas indeed a very pleasant interlude, untilI noticed something strange. The cheeks ofmy closest neighbor, Lady Gruneel, beganto stretch unnaturally until green thornsripped through her skin. She opened hermouth to say something, but her tonguewas turning into a slimy liana. It coiled outand lunged at me. In horror I jumped backand slapped at the obscene thing.

The entire scene suddenly changed. Tomy astonishment, I found myself standingnext to the small fountain at Lord Verdlin�sresidence. At my feet lay a dazed LadyGruneel, rubbing her cheek. I could seethe mark of a hand slap on her face.Myojo sat nearby, staring at me with wideeyes, while Xerdon slowly shook his head,looking at me with surprise and shock. Itwas as if nothing had actually happenedsince we had sat down for our fountain-side conversation!

Tslamir 3 (I think): Had I been dream-ing? Was I losing my mind? I started tosuspect the ancient Thothian papyrus hadaffected me far more than I thought. Icould no longer rely on my senses. Withhorror, I also realized I could not recallany spells; my thoughts and memoriesblurred every time I tried. I was whollypowerless.

Lord Verdlin leaped to his feet. �This isan outrage!� he roared. Guards raced intothe room. I wasn�t granted time to explainmy deed�I couldn�t anyway. The offendedlord had me taken to his prison.

The cell was dark, humid, and absolutelysilent, yet at times I could hear voices. Onesounded like King Haptuthep, another likeHerr Rolf or Synn, and Lord Verdlin�s cryof outrage echoed continually in my mind.The walls began to warp, turning intoblack, glossy sludge. With great difficulty, Ishrugged the vision off, and calm returnedfor a while. I knew enough then to realizeI was hallucinating. But I could not remainclear headed much longer.

Soon enough, my delusions returnedalong with a throbbing headache. Crea-tures of chaos marched all through mycell, roaring and screeching horribly. Theinfernal procession went on for whatseemed an eternity, mimicking the un-canny ballet of hieroglyphs on the archaicpapyrus. In the profound psychosis thatovertook my mind, I discovered what Ihad been after. It was there, the key to the

DRAGON 43

Thothian enchantment.Oh, I wasn�t truly mad. What I had failed

to understand is that one must become aGate to Chaos in order to use the powersof the Thothian enchantment. I hadmerely become a gate standing at thethreshold of my world and of the Plane ofNightmares. I could see both at once; myworld and the nightmare plane hadseemed to be the same all along. The oddi-ties that had occurred were chaotic ema-nations from the Plane of Nightmares ofwhich only I was aware. Alas, this discov-ery did not grant me control over thevisions. I still could not trust my senses.

The long, insane night went on.Tslamir 4: The guard pulled me out of

the jail this day and brought me to LordVerdlin. Xerdon and Myojo were presentunder a solid guard, along with magis-trates and scribes. I was informed that thepenalty for my deed was death. But inview of the fact I was an important per-sonality, I would be granted the right tosomething called �Trial by Fear.�

I was dragged to a large wooden struc-ture that looked like an indoor arena. Themagistrates took places at a bench, while anumber of nobles sat around a wide pit.The guards then lowered me into the pit,and a large iron grate squeaked open. Ahorrid miasma befouled the air in the pit,while creatures from chaos spewed out ofthe dark.

I couldn�t be sure this was truly happen-ing. Was I dreaming all this? If not, therewas little I could do. Frustrated, I made aterrible effort to shut the gate myself.With a thundering crash, the iron grateslammed shut, and the visions blurred intooblivion-except for one. It stood tall andslimy, and it was snapping its mandibles atme. I could see the many marks on itsshell left by fallen warriors. And I wasunarmed. Powerless.

Against a fragment of a dream.In anger, I faced the nightmarish phan-

tasm and addressed it formally. �Creatureof the Dark, thou canst not harm me, for Iknow whence thou hast come! I fear theenot. Begone!� Strengthened by my words, Iturned away from the thing, looked up atLord Verdlin, and added, �Let this charadecome to its end. This has lasted far toolong!� Lord Verdlin blinked at me, thengazed at the chief magistrate, who re-sponded with a short nod. The guardslifted me out. The request was made that Ileave with my two companions and neverreturn. I supposed that was fair enoughand proceeded back to the forest at once.

Tslamir 5: I briefed Xerdon, Myojo,and Talasar of what had happened andwhy. It was imperative that I return to myquarters at once and complete theThothian enchantment. This would be theonly way of defeating the spells madness.I ordered I was not to be interrupted forany reason. Talasar will therefore assumecommand of the ship until my return.

On the way down to my quarters,Myojo mentioned how impressed he was

44 FEBRUARY 1991

by my inconceivable bravery and gall inthe face of the terrible Emerondian mon-ster in the pit. Confused, I stopped in mytracks and considered the implications ofhis comments. �What monster, Myojo?You saw it?�

Perplexed, he said, �Well, yes, Haaken-san. You ignored the beast and turnedaway as if you could not care less. Themonster was so surprised that it backedoff. Clearly, it sensed you to be a powerfulwizard.� At the expression on my face,Myojo queried further, �Is somethingwrong, Haaken-San?�

�Never mind, Myojo. Thanks, anyway.�To be continued.. . .

If you have any comments regarding thiscolumn or the D&D game�s Known Worldas designed in the Gazetteers, please sendyour inquiries to: Bruce A. Heard, D&DColumn, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. We cannot guar-antee that all letters will get answers, butthey always get our attention.

T h e E m e r o n d i a n sThe Kingdom of Emerond is a loosely

organized nation of city-states under onemonarch. Over the centuries, a nobilityhas developed from the more influentialfamilies of the city-states� governments.The city-states are mostly autonomous,but, in case of war or a grave crisis, theywill accept the rulership of the ancestralruling dynasty. In other times, the city-states see the royal authority mostly as ahonorific position.

The Emerondians are essentially farmersand gatherers. Their knowledge of agricul-ture and flora in general is extensive, butthey remain almost totally ignorant aboutthe ways of the sea and navigation. Thelocal economy is weak compared to othernations of the Known World, as theirconcept of private property is rathervague. Emerondians share with each othermuch more than money-driven societies.They live a humble, albeit generally com-fortable, life.

A peaceful people, the Emerondians arevery respectful of their ancestors andlaws. They benefit from an ancient cul-ture that provides them with a rich artis-tic and literary background. Theirphilosophy is mostly druidical, but sev-eral insectlike figures are known to bepart of the Emerondian pantheon ofImmortal patrons.

They suffered several invasions in thepast, including a number of limited incur-sions from Thyatis. Emerondians maintaina small but reasonably well-trained army.They are masters at concealment in woodsand have acquired a great experience inengineering. As a result, their cities arealways fortified and well defended.

Emerondians grow a special steel-likevegetable fiber from which they producearmor or blades. Amply curved lines anddeadly thorns are typical of these pieces ofequipment. The color of the fibers varies

from tan to dark brown. A common sortof Emerondian armor provides AC 5 (AC 4with a shield), while blades are equivalentto the Known World�s normal swords.Both types of equipment generate half theencumbrance of comparable metal weap-ons for the same strength. If ever sold,they would cost five times the price ofmetal gear because of the time needed togrow the fibers and the amount of workneeded to fashion them.

Emerondians have mastered a specialfighting technique that makes ample useof the thorns on their armor and on theirblades. Once during each round of melee,one of the following may happen, depend-ing on the Emerondian warrior�s initialattack roll that round:

�On an attack score of 1-5, an opponentchosen at random is stabbed by a thorninflicting 1-4 hp damage.

�On an attack score of 16-20, an oppo-nent of the Emerondian warrior�s choicemust make a Strength check or bedisarmed.

The Emerondians are not natives of theKnown World. They came many centuriesago from asteroids far beyond the Skyshield, called the Pyrithean Archipelago.The Pyritheans were a race of savagespace pirates. A stray war band becamestranded on the Known World and eventu-ally founded the more peaceful EmerondKingdom. They brought their uniquevegetable fiber with them.

The common Emerondians haveforgotten about this old tie with theirwarlike Pyrithean ancestors. A handful ofthe high priests and greater druids remainas the keepers of this archaic lore. Theyhave a secret knowledge of special magicthat creates Pyrithean war mounts: flyinginsects grown to huge proportions andtransformed into mystical armored beastswith wicked thorns and talons. The warmounts are tamed to respond to theirriders� thoughts. For combat purposes, themounts have the same game statistics asthe hook horror (AC9 Creature Catalog,page 70), but have a flying movement of1 8 0 � ( 6 0 � ) .

L e t t e r sHooray! The HOLLOW WORLD� boxed

set added essential information on theImmortals� interaction with the mortalsand their goals in the Known World. Theyare much more active than I first thought.

Unfortunately, you left a number Im-mortals out�some with good reason, butothers would have been useful. My sec-ond complaint is that the chapter onImmortals explains only briefly how theyinteract with their clerics and wor-shipers. The most important question is:How closely do Immortals monitor theirclerics? After all, it appears Immortalsare not omniscient. Since an Immortalpatron provides a cleric with spells,dreams, and omens, it would be logical toassume the Immortal is aware of thecleric�s identity and personality.

However, candidates to immortality haveto go to a lot of trouble to get the attentionof an Immortal sponsor. It would seemthat a cleric who has served his Immortalpatron faithfully should not have thisproblem. How do you handle it?

HOLLOW WORLD set author AaronAllston faced the daunting task of compil-ing these Immortal characters from themass of previously published D&D mod-ules and accessories within a relativelyshort time. That and the limited space inthe HOLLOW WORLD Sourcebook arewhat governed which Immortals made itto print.

If current plans hold together, thereshould be an update of the Immortals Setcoming in 1992. The material that Aaronput together (including what was left out)will be expanded even further, and manyof the finer points on game mechanics androle-playing will be fine-tuned at that time.As a matter of fact, now would be a goodtime to send in your suggestions on whatyou would like to see removed or im-proved in that game set.

Part of the problem with Immortalscomes from the fact that the original crea-tors of the D&D game wanted to down-play the importance of gods and religionsin role-playing in order to avoid offendinganyone. Unfortunately, it did take outquite a bit of color from role-playing cler-ics. Originally, clerics furthered a generalphilosophy of Law, Neutrality, or Chaoswithout being connected to any specificImmortal.

Over years of product development, thatconcept was slowly replaced with themore popular idea of Immortal patronsinteracting with clerics. Unfortunately, thecurrent game system is not built to handlethis situation to its best effect. Until anupdate of the Immortal Set comes out,we�ll have to tinker with the system a bit.

In the case of clerical candidates toimmortality, assume Immortals will treatthem no better than any other characterclass. When it comes to who is best suitedto become an Immortal, there can be nodistinction of classes. What is relevant iswhat the candidate accomplishes in theKnown World, not how much faith he hasin his Immortal patron. Also bear in mindthat there is a certain question of gamebalance and fairness here.

How do the Churches of Karameikos,Traladara, the Eternal Truth, and thePeople�s Temple relate to the Immortals?What Immortals have the Ylari adopted astheir philosophical guides besides Protius?

The Church of Karameikos is of a poly-theist cult. Its major patron is Asterius,with some representation of Vanya, Vale-rias, Tarastia, Kagyar, and Ilsundal. Asingle church of Karameikos often hasseveral chapels consecrated to some or allof the above Immortal patrons. Each Im-mortal requires a separate cleric for serv- ices, however. Only the larger churches ofKarameikos have multiple clerics on a

46 FEBRUARY 1991

permanent basis. The Church of Traladarais similar, although it follows exclusivelythe precepts of Halav, Petra, and Zirchev.

Note that the Church of Thyatis is adefunct organization that splintered in tosmaller groups. Otherwise, it should benearly identical to the Church ofKarameikos.

The Eternal Truth goes by the Way of AlKalim. It is more of a way of life than anactual religion. Al Kalim (an ex-follower ofProtius) should be considered an Immor-tal. The Magian Fire Worshipers are fol-lowers of Rathanos. But the People�sTemple? What�s that?

The HOLLOW WORLD set seems tocontradict some of the Gazetteers. Forexample, the HOLLOW WORLD set statesthat Rafiel belongs to the Sphere of Time;GAZ13 says he belongs in the Sphere ofEnergy). The HOLLOW WORLD set saysAtzanteotl attained greater Immortalpower, while both GAZ10 and GAZ13 sayhe�s only a screaming demon.

Rafiel really ought to be part of theSphere of Energy; hopefully a future cor-rection will take care of that problem inthe HOLLOW WORLD set. Atzanteotl hadindeed attained Empyreal level by the timethe HOLLOW WORLD set made it to print.

1. Do pegataurs have infravision, immu-nity to ghoul paralysis, and the abilityto detect secret doors?

2. At which level(s) do pegataurs gain anew weapon proficiency?

3. Do centaurs begin with skilled masterywith the longbow?

4. Is the gestation period of the elves thesame as shadow elves� 12 months?

5. Is the level advancement of Tree Keep-ers the same as for shadow elves?

6. Where did the Myoshiman rakastas gettheir spell-casting abilities?

7. What would a rakasta�s level-advancement table be like?

8. The Immortals Set states that a Hierarchis nearly omnipotent on its own planewhen dealing with a lesser Immortal.What about mortals?

There are gamers out there who relishthis kind of rules detail. The D&D gameprovides general ideas and guidelines forgaming. For the sake of flexibility andsimplicity, game rules often avoid goinginto massive lists of what monsters canand cannot do. If you run into a problemof this nature, the choice is yours�andyour DMs�to make, depending on howyou want your game to be played. If youfeel the need to have a rule dictated to youfor everything, perhaps you are better offplaying the AD&D® game. But if we must:1. Infravision only.2. AC9 Creature Catalog mentions a 20%

chance per level; this guarantees onenew mastery per five levels.

3. If you so desire.4. Yes.5. Yes.

6. That was an optional twist to the rulesthat I brought in for the purpose of thestory, Assume some rakasta tribes to bemore skillful than others at wizard orclerical magic.

7. GAZ9 The Orcs of Thar suggested ageneric system for developing newcharacter classes based on monsters.

8. Mortals, to a Hierarch on his homeplane, are the same as food for Fido.

What happened to Blackmoor? Whocaused its doom?

Humans experimenting with magic andforbidden technologies caused a nuclearexplosion that destroyed Blackmoor.

How do I volunteer in designing a mapor game background for the Moon ofMyoshima?

A short article with a few maps submit-ted to DRAGON® Magazine might be theway to start. There are Writers Guidelinesavailable from DRAGON Magazine thatyou�ll need to get first, however. Send aSASE to: Writers Guidelines, DRAGONMagazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A. [You should also query theeditors to make sure they want to seeyour article before you write it. �TheEditors]

What happened to AC4 The Book ofMarvelous Magic?

It has been out of print for a number ofyears and is now a collector�s item. Youmight be able to get a copy at the annualGEN CON® games fair auction.

The Legion of Thar described in GAZ10is way too small to live up to its reputa-tion. With 30,000 humanoids, it could nottake Corunglain, let alone fight a majorwar against humans and demihumans. Isthis number correct?

It is by AC 1000 standards. Remembertwo things: First, humanoids breed a lotfaster than humans or demihumans do;second, humanoids view the Broken Landsas their sacred territory, and any rumor ofwar is likely to attract masses of human-oids from the Dwarfgate Mountains to theKurish Massif. A 300,000-strong horde ofstarving (there�s not enough food in theBroken Lands for, that big an army) andangry humanoids may very well do thetrick.

Errata

Two glitches sneaked into Haldemar’spersonality description (second para-graph) in DRAGON issue #164, page44. In truth, Haldemar refrains fromany of his dressing excesses awayfrom the court. And while Haldemarenjoys sneaking about as a thief, hedoes not have the ability to movesilently as a thief.

The U.S. Army meets the dinosaurs�and the fight is on!

They weren�t.The Allosaurus lumbered right through

the hail of gunfire, which merely made itangrier, and smashed into the skirmish

48 FEBRUARY 1991

Pvt. Bill Smith crouched behind aboulder�not that the rock offered muchprotection from dinosaurs. But old habitsdie hard, and a soldier is trained to seekcover. Out in the mists, he heard the greatbeasts roaring. Bill took a deep breath anddouble checked his loads. It wouldn�t belong now.

The roaring grew nearer, and theground shook. Bill wished he�d signed upfor the tank corps. At least tankers hadsome protection.

The mist parted and a horror emerged.It was an Allosaurus, as high as a second-floor window and as long as a house. Itsbrownish-gray skin glistened in the mistylight. But all Bill had eyes for were itsdaggerlike claws and gaping mouth, filledwith teeth that could rip a man in half.

The rest of Bills squad spotted the dino-saur and opened up. Sharp rifle cracksfilled the air. Off to his right, the staccatosputtering of the squads machine guncould be heard. Bill didn�t bother to aim.He just pointed his rifle and fired. TheAllosaurus was so big you couldn�t miss.The problem was hitting a vital area. Thebeast didn�t have any. Only massed firewould bring it down�if they were lucky.

©1991 by Tom Moldvay

line a dozen yards to Bill�s left. Bill heard acrunching sound, then a horrible screamthat ended in the gurgling cry of �Mother!�It sounded like PFC Sam Moran, but thescreaming was so different from Sam�snormal voice that Bill couldn�t be sure.

�You dirty lizard! You killed Sam! Eatlead, lizard spawn!� The shouting wasfrom Sergeant Savage, who had been inline next to Sam. Cradling a Tommy gun inhis meaty hands, the sergeant leapt fromcover and ran straight for the Allosaurus,firing burst after burst until his weaponwas empty. The bullets stitched into themonster, which bellowed in rage and pain.

Sergeant Savage ripped a hand grenadefrom his belt. Pulling the pin with histeeth, he lobbed the grenade at the dino-saur�s head. Then he dove to earth.

The explosion ripped into the Allosau-rus, blowing apart its jaw and half itsneck. The dinosaur took one hesitant stepforward-then it toppled. The earth shookwith the impact of its fall.

A ragged cheer rang out from the squad.The Allosaurus was dead. They were stillalive. But they had little time for celebrat-ing. Out in the mists, Bill could alreadyhear yet another wave of dinosaurs mass-ing for the attack.

DINO WARS! is a set of miniatures rulesthat simulates combat between dinosaursand Army men. The emphasis is on fic-tional combat as it appears in grade-Bscience-fiction movies and novels. Theresult is a set of rules that are easy tolearn, with play that is both fun and fast.

All that�s required for a game of DINOWARS! are these rules, some miniaturesoldiers and dinosaurs (cheap, colorful,plastic ones are best), a ruler or yardstick,and two six-sided dice. Two players arerequired (one for the Army and one forthe dinosaurs), although more can beadded (to run several squads of soldiers orgroups of dinosaurs).

DINO WARS! is broken down into gameturns. Each game turn has five phaseswhich must be completed in order. Thegame continues until one side is com-pletely eliminated or one side fulfills itsmission.

Sequence of play1. Dinosaur Movement Phase

a. Closing fireb. Overrun attacks

2. Regular Fire Phase3. Dinosaur Attack Phase4. Army Movement Phase5. Secondary Fire Phase

1 . D i n o s a u r M o v e m e n t P h a s eAll dinosaurs may move during this

phase. Each dinosaur may move any dis-tance to the limit allowed by its movementrate, given in scale inches on Table 1 (withmodifiers from Table 2, as appropriate).Flying movement is measured specially,with both horizontal and vertical factorscounted together for a total movementrate (for example, a Pterodactyl moving12� upward and 24� forward has moved36� total). If a dinosaur makes overrunattacks (see �Closing fire and overrunattacks�), there is a 2� movement penaltyper overrun attack. If the optional rulesare being used, there is also a 2� penaltyfor any unusual terrain (see �OptionalRules: Terrain Penalties�).

Closing fire and overrun attacks:The Dinosaur Movement Phase has twospecial subphases. If a dinosaur makescontact with a soldier or vehicle figure,and the monster decides to make an over-run attack (i.e., it decides to stamp on theArmy figure), the defender gets a chanceto shoot before the dinosaur can attack.Such shooting is called closing fire.

All hand weapons, except grenades, canbe used during closing fire. A soldier firinga hand weapon in closing fire does notneed to worry about line of sight; he cansee the dinosaur perfectly well. All ma-chine guns can also fire, but each requiresa line of sight to do so (they�re harder tomove). Line of sight for a machine gunextends in a 180° arc to its front. Thus, a

machine gun nest taking an overrun at-tack from the rear will not get closing fire.Other weapons, such as a tank gun or amortar, do not get closing fire.

A vehicle will get closing fire only if ithas a machine gun mounted on it, and ifthe gun has a line of sight to the dinosaur.Only one closing-fire attack per figure canbe made. A figure attacked by more thanone dinosaur gets closing fire only on thefirst dinosaur to attack.

A dinosaur that makes contact with asoldier or a vehicle during movement maymake an overrun attack, which slows thedinosaur down, subtracting 2� from itsmovement rate. If a dinosaur does nothave at least 2� of movement left when itmakes contact, an overrun attack cannotbe made. (Note also that any dinosaurkilled during closing fire is eliminated andgets no further attacks.)

Should the overrun attack succeed, andthe soldier is killed or the vehicle de-stroyed, the dinosaur can continue move-ment. The dinosaur can keep moving andmaking overrun attacks as long as it hasenough movement to pay the overruncost, and as long as each overrun attacksucceeds.

An overrun attack fails if the defendersurvives. The defender survives if theattacking dinosaur rolls a miss, if the dino-saur doesn�t destroy a vehicle (see �Dam-age�), or if the soldier is a special figurewho makes his luck roll (see �Special ArmyFigures� and �Damage�).

If an overrun attack fails, the dinosaurends its movement in contact with thedefender, and play continues normally.The defender cannot make closing fire,but he may be able to fire again during theRegular Fire Phase. The dinosaur canattack again (providing it survives regularfire) during the Dinosaur Attack Phase.

The choice whether or not to make anoverrun attack is up to the dinosaurplayer. He can always choose to stopmovement for that dinosaur and not makean overrun attack. The dinosaur can stillattack normally, however, just as the sol-dier can fire normally.

Example: A Tyrannosaurus, with amovement of 18�, begins the turn 4� froma line of skirmishers. The Tyrannosaurusmoves 4� to attack the closest soldier. Theman fires but does not kill the monster.The Tyrannosaurus kills the soldier in anoverrun, thus using up 2� more move-merit. The next soldier is 2� away. Thedinosaur moves to him, survives closingfire, and kills the man in an another over-run. The Tyrannosaurus has now spent10� on movement (4� +2� +2�+2�).There is a soldier only 1� away. The Ty-rannosaurus moves to attack, once moresurvives closing fire, and kills its thirdvictim� in the turn, at the cost of 3� moremovement points (1� movement +2� at-tack cost). The fourth soldier in the skir-mish line is 4� away. The Tyrannosaururmoves into contact, but does not haveenough movement left for an overrun.

DRAGON 49

There is, therefore, no closing fire. Thesoldier can still shoot during the RegularFire Phase, just as the Tyrannosaurus canattack during the Dinosaur Attack Phase.

2. Regular Fire PhaseOnce all dinosaur movement has taken

place, and all closing fire and overrunshave been resolved, the Army side has theopportunity for regular fire. All weaponscan be fired in this phase, provided theyare within range of and have a line ofsight to a dinosaur target. See Table 3 forweapons details; modifiers for attack rollsare on Table 4.

Some weapons shown on Table 3 can befired twice in a turn. These are weaponsthat do not have to be reloaded each turnor require no special handling. Such weap-ons can be fired during the Regular FirePhase and once more in the course of theturn. The other fire attack can come ei-ther during closing fire or in the Second-ary Fire Phase (but not both). Somecircumstances will prohibit firing morethan once in a turn (e.g., if the soldier isacting as a spotter for artillery fire; see�Indirect fire�).

Example: A Stegosaurus tries to over-run a soldier shooting a rifle. The manfires during closing fire and hits the Stego-saurus, but does not kill it. The Stego-saurus rolls too high on its overrun attack,so the soldier survives. During the Regular

Finally, after every Army soldier andvehicle has had a chance to move, anysoldier using a weapon that gets two at-tacks per turn and has not already fired

There is a special movement penalty formoving out of contact with a dinosaur.The penalty for a soldier is 2�; the pen-alty for a vehicle is 6�. Thus, a soldier incontact with a dinosaur can move only 4�that turn; a vehicle in contact with a dino-saur has only 12� of movement left.

5. Secondary Fire Phase

4. Army Movement PhaseAfter every dinosaur in contact with a

soldier or vehicle has had a chance toattack, all Army soldiers and vehicles areallowed to move. The movement rate forsoldiers is 6�; the movement rate forvehicles is 18� (see Table 5; modifiers forArmy movement values are on Table 6).

Once the Army side has had a chance tofire all its weapons, every dinosaur incontact with a soldier or vehicle gets tomake an attack. Only one attack per dino-saur can be made during the DinosaurAttack Phase. There is no movement cost,since normal dinosaur attacks are notconsidered overruns.

3. Dinosaur Attack Phase

Fire Phase he shoots again. His shot hitsagain, this time killing the Stegosaurus.

twice gets a second shot.Example: A Triceratops tries to charge

a tank. However, after measuring move-ment, the dinosaur is still 3� away. Duringthe Regular Fire Phase, the tank fires bothits cannon and its machine gun. The Tri-ceratops survives. The tank backs up 18�during the Army Movement Phase. In theSecondary Fire Phase, the tank�s machinegun, but not its cannon, can fire again.

Once all secondary fire is over, the turnends. A new turn begins with a new phaseof dinosaur movement.

Note: The controlling player always hasthe choice of how figures move and at-tack. Thus, a player could move one dino-saur and make all its overrun attacksbefore moving the next dinosaur. Like-wise, soldiers need not declare their tar-gets ahead of time. They could fire at onedinosaur until they killed it, then switch toanother target. The choice of the order ofmovement and fire is part of the strategyof the game.

AttacksAttacks are rolled using two six-sided

dice (2d6). To succeed, the attack score orlower must be rolled. If the attack score is8, a roll of 8 or lower indicates a success-ful attack, while a roll of 9 or higher indi-cates a failed attack. Attack scores aregiven in Table 1 for the dinosaurs andTable 3 for the Army (with modifiers forthe latter in Table 4).

Note that several weapons on Table 3have two values listed, divided by a slash.The first number given is the attack scorefor direct fire. The second number is theattack score for indirect fire. For example,heavy artillery has an attack value of 9/7.The 9 value would be used if the artillerypiece had a direct line of sight to the tar-get dinosaur. The 7 value would be usedfor indirect fire (i.e., if a spotter werecalling down fire onto a target the artillerycrew couldn�t see directly).

Each Army soldier uses whateverweapon the playing figure has. In theWorld War II era, the basic weapon is arifle. In the modern era, the basic weaponis an assault rifle. In addition, every sol-dier is considered to have an unlimitedamount of hand grenades (in play, fewsoldiers get to throw more than two be-fore they are eaten, and unlimited gre-nades reduces bookkeeping for allplayers).

Special Army FiguresThe Army side can have three kinds of

special figures: NCOs, leaders, and heroes(everyone else is a regular enlisted man).NCOs are noncommissioned officers: cor-porals and sergeants. They will often be incharge of a fire team, section, or squad.Leaders are commissioned officers, usuallylieutenants and captains. They are theplatoon and company commanders. He-roes may be of any rank selected by theArmy player.

Special figures should be chosen because

50 FEBRUARY 1991

they stand out from the rest of the figuresat a glance. NCOs, leaders, and heroes areconsidered to always have the standardweapon of their time, along with whateversecondary weapon the figure is actuallyarmed with. Thus, even though the actualfigure is firing a pistol, a leader will get toshoot with a rifle (if from the World War IIperiod) or an assault rifle (if from themodern era). Sometimes NCOs or heroeshave weapons that are better than thebasic ones (e.g., automatic rifles).

Special figures always get a special +1modifier to their attack scores. Thus, anNCO firing a submachine gun would havean attack score of 9 instead of 8.

In addition, special figures are allowedto make luck rolls if successfully attackedby dinosaurs (see �Damage�). Successfulluck rolls allow these figures to escapedeath and can also stop overrun attacks.

As a general rule, one out of every 10Army men can be a NCO. For every twoNCOs, there can be one leader (usually alieutenant or captain) and one hero (whocould be of any rank). Thus a force of 22men could include 18 enlisted men, twoNCOs, one leader, and one hero.

C r e w e d W e a p o n sSome large Army weapons require a

crew in order to be fired effectively. Theminimum crew values given on Table 3 arethe number of soldier figures who mustbe designated as crew if this sort ofweapon is to continue to fire each turn. Ifcrew members fall below the minimumlisted for such a weapon, a single individ-ual can fire that weapon once only. After-ward, the weapon is considered unloadedand cannot be fired until the minimumnumber of crew spend one turn at theweapon without firing it (they are reload-ing it).

Weapon crews cannot fire their individ-ual weapons in a turn if their crewedweapon has been or is about to be firedthat turn. Thus, the Army player has achoice each turn of whether to fire theweapon or all the crew�s weapons.

Exception: A crewed weapon cannever be fired if a dinosaur is in contactwith it. The individual crew membersmust fire instead.

Note that the +1 attack modifier forspecial figures does not apply to a crewedweapons attack if a special figure is part ofa weapons crew. Thus, there is no advan-tage to having these figures join weaponscrews.

If a dinosaur attacks a crewed weapon,the dinosaur player has the choice ofattacking either the weapon itself or thecrew. Any attack that succeeds against acrewed weapon destroys that weapon.

Example: A howitzer crew has beenfiring at an oncoming Allosaurus, whichsurvives and keeps coming. The turnstarts with the Allosaurus 7� away fromthe howitzer. The Allosaurus moves the 7�and decides to make an overrun attack onone of the crew. That individual alone is

allowed to fire his rifle during closing fire,but he misses the Allosaurus. The overrunsucceeds. The Allosaurus has plenty ofmovement left and tries to overrun an-other crewmen. The Allosaurus survivesanother closing-fire attack, but its ownattack fails. The Allosaurus ends its movein contact with the last three crewmenand the howitzer. During the Regular FirePhase, the three crewmen fire their riflesat the Allosaurus. Two hit, but the Allosau-rus is not killed. The Allosaurus thendestroys the howitzer with a successfulattack. The surviving crewmen abandonthe howitzer, moving 4� during the ArmyMovement Phase. Two of the three getsecondary fire; the other crewman has nosecondary fire because he got closing fire.

D a m a g eIf a dinosaur�s attack succeeds against a

regular enlisted soldier, that man is killed.Special Army figures have a chance tosurvive a dinosaur attack. On any success-ful dinosaur attack, a special figure gets aluck roll, shown on the following table:

S p e c i a l f i g u r e L u c k r o l lN C O 7Leader 8Hero 9

If the figure rolls his luck score or lesson 2d6, the figure is only wounded andcan continue to fight (wounding has noeffect unless the optional �wounded men�rule is used). If the roll fails, the figure iskilled. A special figure can be killed onlyby failing to make a luck roll. A hero hitby three dinosaurs must make three sepa-rate luck rolls; as long as the figure keepsmaking its luck rolls, it can fight on. Asuccessful luck roll will end an overrunattack just as if the dinosaur attack hadfailed.

Damage to dinosaurs and vehicles isdifferent than damage to soldiers. Mostdinosaurs and vehicles can take multiplehits. Dinosaurs have life points (LP). Vehi-cles have structural points (SP). Both con-cepts function essentially the same.

Dinosaurs and Army weapons havedamage values given on Tables 1 and 3,respectively. For dinosaurs, these damagevalues are used only when fighting Armyvehicles. Ignore them when the dinosaurfights an individual soldier.

A dinosaur can continue to fight until itloses all its life points. A vehicle can con-tinue to function until it loses all its struc-tural points. Players must keep track ofdamage to dinosaurs and vehicles, eitheron a separate sheet of paper or on scrapsof paper placed by the appropriate dino-saur or vehicle.

A u t o m a t i c K i l lCertain weapons are so powerful that

they have a chance to automatically kill adinosaur. Likewise, certain dinosaurs havea chance to automatically destroy a vehi-cle. It takes an especially lucky roll for an

�automatic kill.� Army weapons with anasterisk after their damage value on Table3 get an automatic kill if the player rolls a2 on his attack dice.

Dinosaurs are a little more complicated.A dinosaur with a single asterisk after itsdamage value can destroy any vehicle,except a tank, on an attack roll of 2. Dino-saurs with two asterisks after their dam-age value can destroy a non-tank vehicleon an attack roll of 2 or 3, and can destroya tank on an attack roll of 2. Note that aweapon or a dinosaur with no asteriskafter its damage value can still harm avehicle, but it can�t kill it with one roll.

Examples: A platoon armed with riflesfaces a Brachiosaurus. They must hit thecreature with 32 successful shots beforethey can kill the 89-ton beast. On the otherhand, a single hit from a bazooka couldkill the dinosaur if the attack roll was a 2.Even if it wasn�t a roll of 2, on a successfulattack, the bazooka would do 3 LP damageinstead of 1.

Likewise, a Pterodactyl would have hit ajeep three times to knock it out. A Monoclo-nius would take out a jeep on a single hitsince it does 3 SP damage, but the Monoclo-nius would have to hit a tank five times totake it out. A Triceratops would also haveto hit the tank five times to take it outnormally, but it could get lucky and destroythe tank with one hit if it rolled a 2.

A r m o rArmor makes a figure harder to success-

fully attack in combat. Only dinosaurshave armor (the effects of the vehicles�armor were calculated into their struc-tural points). The dinosaurs� armor valueacts as a negative modifier to the Armyattack roll. Thus, an Ankylosaurus (armor2) would cause two points to be subtractedfrom all opponents� attacks, so a pistol(attack score 7) would penetrate the bonyarmor only on a roll of 2-5.

If a dinosaur�s armor value is given intwo numbers, divided by a slash, then thefirst number applies to all frontal attacksand the second applies to rear attacks. Adash means the dinosaur has no armoragainst a rear attack. Any attack within180° of the front of the dinosaur figure isconsidered a frontal attack. If it is uncer-tain whether the attack is from the frontor rear, give the dinosaur the benefit ofthe doubt.

T r a n s p o r t a t i o nThe Army player may want to transport

soldiers in or on their vehicles for fastermovement. The carrying capacity fordifferent vehicles is given on Table 5. Thiscapacity is a range of numbers, since notall vehicles of the same type are of thesame size. Use the minimum values forsmall vehicles, the average for medium-sized vehicles, and the maximum for thelargest vehicles of any particular type. Aplayer can generally gauge by eye whatcarrying capacity seems reasonable forany vehicle. If difficulties arise, see how

DRAGON 51

many figures can actually fit into or ontothe vehicle without falling off.

Carrying capacity does not include thevehicle�s crew, which includes the driverand men to work any weapons mountedon the vehicle. Crew capacities are givenon Table 5, but these may vary dependingon the type of weapons mounted on thevehicle. Basically, every vehicle has adriver. If the vehicle has a mounted ma-chine gun, there will be one additionalcrewman (i.e., two crewmen total). If thevehicle has a mounted cannon, there willbe two additional crewmen (three total). Ifthe vehicle has both a machine gun and acannon, there will be three extra crewmen(four total).

Example: The Army player has ahalftrack that can carry six soldiers. If thehalftrack had a mounted machine gun, itscarrying capacity would be reduced byone. If the halftrack had a mounted can-non, its carrying capacity would be re-duced by two.

A tank usually has a crew of four (adriver, machine gunner, and two cannonoperators), usually led by a NCO. If theArmy has three tanks, one crewman canbe a leader; if five tanks, then one crew-man can be a hero.

It takes half of a turn�s worth of move-ment to load or unload a vehicle. Thepenalty applies both to the movement ofthe soldiers being loaded or unloaded andto the movement of the vehicles that turn.In effect, this means that only soldierswithin 3� of a vehicle will be able to loadinto it, and that the vehicle can move only9� that turn. Likewise, on the turn thevehicle unloads, it can move only 9� andthe offloaded soldiers will be able to moveonly 3�.

The penalty for moving out of contactwith a dinosaur is calculated before thehalf-movement penalty for loading or unloading is applied. Thus, a truck (move-ment 18�) in contact with a dinosaur couldmove only 6� away to unload its passen-gers (18-6=12, 12 2= 6), who wouldhave another 2� of movement (6 - 2 = 4,4 - 2 = 2 ) .

Unless the optional �moving fire� rule isbeing used, troops carried in, or on, avehicle will not be able to fire until theyare unloaded.

Vehicle Personnel CasualtiesIf a vehicle is destroyed, there is a

chance that its driver, crew, and passen-gers will be killed. The Army playershould roll 2d6 for every individual in oron the vehicle at the time it is destroyed.On a roll of 7 or less, the individual sur-vives; on a roll of 8 or more, he is killed.Special Army figures are allowed theirusual luck rolls should they fail this sur-vival roll.

Towing & Setting Up WeaponsA truck, halftrack, or tank can tow light

artillery or a recoilless rifle. Movementwhile towing is one-half normal. This

52 FEBRUARY 1991

The Rambo RuleA hero (and only a hero) can pick up a

light machine gun and fire it manually.This is the one instance where this

Weapons that have two attack scoresdivided by a slash (e.g., mortars and artil-lery) are allowed indirect fire. They canshoot at a target they cannot see as long assome soldier, who can see the dinosaur,acts as a spotter. Any individual may act asa spotter for indirect artillery fire. It iseasiest to assume that all figures and vehi-cles in the Army are in radio contact witheach. other. If a spotter calls down fire, hecan shoot his personal weapon only oncethat turn. Remember to use the second(lesser) attack score for indirect fire only;the first score is for direct fire.

Indirect Fire

A direct-fire weapon has a single attackscore and must have a line of sight to beable to fire (if a man can�t see a dinosaur,he can�t shoot at it). Line of sight can beblocked by unusual terrain, vehicles, orother dinosaurs. If there is any disagree-ment about line of sight, give the Army thebenefit of the doubt.

Line of Sight

Mortars have a special minimum range,since they are arced-fire weapons whoseshells are lobbed at the enemy. Thus, amortar must have at least 18� of range tofire effectively, but will not be able attackbeyond 60�.

If a weapon has two ranges separated bya slash, the first range is for manual fire,and the second is for fire from a fixedposition (i.e., a tripod, bipod, vehiclemount).

An Army attack can succeed only if thedinosaur is within range of the particularweapon being used. If there is any debateon whether a dinosaur is within range,give the Army the benefit of the doubt.

R a n g e s

The lighter crewed weapons, such asmachine guns and mortars, take half aturn�s movement to set up or dismantle.The minimum crew number listed is alsothe minimum number needed to move theweapon. If there is not enough movementleft to pay the set-up penalty, a weaponcannot be fired. Thus, if a heavy machinegun crew moved 4�, they could not thenset up their gun and fire in that turn.

Once placed, heavy artillery remains inplace for the duration of the game andcannot be moved. Its facing can bechanged, however, without penalty.

It takes a full turn to hitch or unhitch aweapon. After the weapon is unhitched, itwill be ready for fire on the next turn.The vehicle can also transport the weap-on�s crew.

movement penalty is cumulative with anyother penalties. Thus a truck towing arecoilless rifle and picking up passengerscould move only 4½� that turn.

weapon can be fired without its full crewweapon can be fired without its full crewfor more than just one turn. Roll 1d6 tosee how many turns� worth of ammunitionsee how many turns� worth of ammunitionare already loaded into the light machineare already loaded into the light machinegun when the hero picks it up to fire. Usegun when the hero picks it up to fire. Usethe unfixed range (24�) for the weapon.the unfixed range (24�) for the weapon.

ScaleScaleThe movement rates and ranges givenThe movement rates and ranges given

are for 1:32 (54 mm) scale (1:35 scale isare for 1:32 (54 mm) scale (1:35 scale isessentially the same). This is the usualessentially the same). This is the usualscale for toy plastic soldiers, and manyscale for toy plastic soldiers, and manyrubber dinosaurs and plastic model kitsrubber dinosaurs and plastic model kitsare on the market in that scale. The sameare on the market in that scale. The samescale is appropriate for some �action fig-scale is appropriate for some �action fig-ure� toys.ure� toys.

There is a second, equally useful scale.There is a second, equally useful scale.Most plastic dinosaurs come in approxi-Most plastic dinosaurs come in approxi-mately 1:76 or 1:72 scale. Extensive figuremately 1:76 or 1:72 scale. Extensive figureand vehicle model lines are in this smallerand vehicle model lines are in this smallerscale. This scale would be applicable forscale. This scale would be applicable forhuman figures as small as 15 mm and ashuman figures as small as 15 mm and aslarge as 25 mm. If the smaller scale islarge as 25 mm. If the smaller scale isused, reduce all movement rates andused, reduce all movement rates andranges (including any movement penalties)ranges (including any movement penalties)by half. Thus, a Tyrannosaurus wouldby half. Thus, a Tyrannosaurus wouldmove 9� and spend 1� for an overrun.

There is no need to be fanatical aboutThere is no need to be fanatical aboutscale. The idea is to have fun withoutscale. The idea is to have fun withoutspending a lot of money on figures. Usespending a lot of money on figures. Usewhat you can get. Reasonably faithfulwhat you can get. Reasonably faithfulscale figures simply look better; a Tyran-scale figures simply look better; a Tyran-nosaurus appears a lot more frightening ifnosaurus appears a lot more frightening ifit stands four times the height of a man.it stands four times the height of a man.Scales could be mixed if necessary, usingScales could be mixed if necessary, usingthe larger soldiers but the smaller dino-the larger soldiers but the smaller dino-saurs (since both are available in cheapsaurs (since both are available in cheapplastic bags at toy stores, drug stores,plastic bags at toy stores, drug stores,hobby stores, etc.). Figures of differenthobby stores, etc.). Figures of differentscales can also be combined; in particular,scales can also be combined; in particular,the smaller dinosaurs can be used with thethe smaller dinosaurs can be used with thelarger ones as young dinosaurs havinglarger ones as young dinosaurs havingfewer life points and doing less damage.fewer life points and doing less damage.

The larger scale is best played on a largeThe larger scale is best played on a largefloor or in a yard. The smaller scale can befloor or in a yard. The smaller scale can beplayed on a large table. If space is a prob-played on a large table. If space is a prob-lem, lower the movement rates and rangeslem, lower the movement rates and rangesaccordingly. Dividing these values by threeaccordingly. Dividing these values by threeor even four will allow play on an average-or even four will allow play on an average-sized kitchen table. As long as the propor-sized kitchen table. As long as the propor-tion is kept the same throughout, the rulestion is kept the same throughout, the ruleswill play well.will play well.

Optional RulesOptional RulesAll optional rules have been rated, show-All optional rules have been rated, show-

ing which side they are likely to favor anding which side they are likely to favor andhow strong the change will probably be.how strong the change will probably be.Letters are used to denote which side isLetters are used to denote which side isfavored. "A" means the rule favors theArmy; �D� means the rule favors the dino-saurs; �N� means the rule favors neithersaurs; �N� means the rule favors neitherside. Rules that favor one side or the otherside. Rules that favor one side or the otherare also rated from 1-5, with 1 meaningthe rule only slightly favors that particularthe rule only slightly favors that particularside, while 5 means the rule highly favorsthat side. The ratings were included tothat side. The ratings were included tohelp players adjust the play balance whendeciding which optional rules to use.deciding which optional rules to use.

Terrain penalties (D1): A bit of ter-rain can spruce up any battlefield, be itrain can spruce up any battlefield, be itthe kitchen table or the backyard. Modelthe kitchen table or the backyard. Modeltrees, potted plants, styrofoam hills, gravel

from the driveway, vacuform terrain, treebranches�use whatever works.

For simplicity, all terrain except theplaying surface (table, floor, or ground) isconsidered �unusual� and has a penaltywhen moved through. The movementpenalty is 2� for soldiers and dinosaurs,and 6� for vehicles. The penalty applies ifa figure moves through that terrain duringany part of the turn. The penalty is paidonly once per turn, no matter how manytypes of unusual terrain are movedthrough. Thus, a tank moving down a hill,across broken ground, and into the woodsstill has only a 6� movement penalty.

When calculating movement penalties,always take subtractive penalties first,then calculate divisive penalties. For exam-ple, a tank moving out of contact with adinosaur, over a hill, and unloading pas-sengers could move only 3� that turn(18" -6" -6" = 6", 6" 2" = 3").

If subtractive penalties reduce a figure�smovement to zero, the figure is trying todo too much that turn and must choosebetween the various options.

Cover (N): Smaller dinosaurs (Coelophysis,Deinonychus, etc.) in appropriate terrain(broken, woods, ruins, etc.) are consideredto have cover, and a -1 is applied to at-tacks against them. Most dinosaurs are toobig for cover to be a factor.

If buildings are being used, soldiersinside a building are -1 to be hit only onthe first turn any particular dinosaurattacks the building. Thus, the first time aTyrannosaurus attacks soldiers inside abuilding, it fails on a roll of 10-12. Afterthe first attack, the Tyrannosaurus hitsnormally. Smaller dinosaurs are consid-ered to have broken into the building, andlarger ones to have broken down thebuilding.

Dive move (D2): Flying dinosaurs gaina special dive move when swooping downon their prey. The move is measured di-rectly on the diagonal instead of using thehorizontal-vertical method. It thusshortens movement into an attack. Such amove is really appropriate only when thedinosaur is diving to attack, not when it isclimbing for altitude.

Minimum altitude (A2): Each time aflying dinosaur takes to the air, it mustmove at least 6� upward. If the dinosaurdoes not attain at least 6� of altitude, itsmovement in that turn is limited to halfnormal (i.e., to only 18�).

Dino rage (D5): A dinosaur does notdie when reduced to 0 LP. Instead, like aspecial Army figure, it gets a luck roll. Itcan then continue to fight on as long as itkeeps making a luck roll after every suc-cessful shot by the Army. The dinosaurluck roll depends on its attack-score, asper the following table: .

Attack score Luck roll8 69 7

10 8

Ramming move (A3): Normally, vehi-cles attack only with whatever weaponsare mounted on them. As an option, allowa vehicle to make a ramming attack on adinosaur. If the vehicle has enough move-ment, the ramming attack will succeed ona roll of 10 or less on 2d6. On a roll of 11or 12, the dinosaur evades the rammingvehicle. Whether the attack succeeds ornot, a vehicle that chooses to ram a dino-saur will wreck its suspension and beimmobile for the rest of the game. TheArmy player can still fire the vehicle�sweapons, if appropriate.

If the ramming attack succeeds, the .vehicle does life-point damage equal to itsstructural points. Thus, a jeep would do 3LP on a ramming attack, while a tankwould do 15 LP.

Moving fire (A4): Troops carried in oron vehicles do not normally fire until theyare offloaded. If this optional rule is used,allow half of the carried troops to firewhile the vehicle is in motion (round num-bers up). Firing while in or on a vehiclehas a -2 attack penalty, however. Thus, arifleman would need to roll 5 or less onhis attack while in the back of a truck.

High-caliber ammo (A1): Table 3assumes standard ammunition for theweapons. Rifles and pistols can come invarieties using high-caliber bullets withmore stopping power than standard am-munition. If high-caliber ammunition isused, the damage is increased to 2 LP butthe attack score is lowered by 1. Thus, a.44 magnum revolver would do 2 LP dam-age and have an attack score of 6.

Snipers (A3): One soldier per 10 Armymen can be designated a sniper. A sniperincreases the range of his rifle or assaultrifle by 6� and gets a +1 modifier on hisattack score. A sniper could also be anNCO or hero (but not a leader), in whichcase he would get a +2 bonus on hisattack.

Limited grenades (D3): In the regularrules, the Army player does not keep trackof how many grenades each soldierthrows. As long as a soldier can move intoposition to throw a grenade, he can do so.Optionally, each regular soldier carriesonly one hand grenade, though NCOs,leaders, and heroes still have unlimitedsupplies of grenades.

Fire into combat (D4): In the regularrules, soldiers can fire at dinosaurs even ifthe dinosaur is currently fighting (i.e., incontact with) another soldier or a vehicle,without risk of hurting the friendly soldieror vehicle. As an optional rule, if the Armyfires into an ongoing combat, the friendlyfigure or vehicle might be hit by accident.

If the shot hits the dinosaur, there is noproblem. If the shot misses, it might hitthe figure or vehicle the dinosaur wasfighting. Roll 2d6; on a roll of 10 or higher,the shot hit the friendly figure or vehicle.Roll for each appropriate miss. Multipledamage applies if the target is a vehicle.

Special forces (A4): The Army playercan have one small unit consisting entirely

of heroes. This elite unit should be nolarger than 20% of the total Army size.The unit represents one of the specialforces of the worlds armies (Green Berets,SAS, Rangers, Spetsnaz, commandos,paratroopers, etc.).

Wounded men (D3): Any special Armyfigure who is hit by a dinosaur but makeshis luck roll is wounded. The figure loseshis attack bonus for the rest of the game(including the sniper bonus, if applicable).If this rule is used, it will be necessary tokeep track of wounded figures in the sameway a player keeps track of woundeddinosaurs and vehicles.

Paratroopers (A3): One small unit, nolarger than 20% of the Army, can be desig-nated as paratroopers. This unit�s setup ishandled differently than other Army units.To simulate the paradrop, the Army playermakes a paper airplane and launches itfrom one edge of the playing surface(player�s choice of which edge). Within 2�of wherever the paper airplane lands iswhere the paratroopers set up. If theairplane flies completely beyond the play-ing surface, allow the player to try againon his next turn, until the plane eventuallylands inside the playing surface.

Dino charge (D2): On the first time adinosaur attacks (and only then), give it anadditional 2� of movement to simulate anenraged charge. This bonus might allowan additional overrun attack.

If all of the optional rules are used, theadvantages in point values are equal forboth sides.

Play balanceThe following point system offers a way

to balance both sides in the game. First,total up the points for the Army. Thedinosaur side should have approximatelytwice as many points as the Army in orderfor the battle to be fair.

A basic Army soldier is worth twopoints. An NCO is worth three points, aleader is worth four, and a hero is worthfive. A vehicle�s point cost equals itsstructural-point value, plus additionalpoints for its crew (as per regular soldiervalues), with an additional point for amounted machine gun and two points fora mounted cannon. For each crewedweapon, add a modifier equal to one lessthan the minimum crew size required.

The point-cost system allows players todesign vehicles and Army groups. Forsimplicity, some average vehicle pointcosts and crewed weapon�s modifiers arelisted below. The first point value is for anunarmed vehicle; the second is for anarmed one.

Vehicle PointsMotorcycle 2/4Jeep 4/6Truck 5/7Halftrack 6/10Armored car 7/11APC . 7/9Tank �/22

DRAGON 53

Each dinosaur has a point cost equal toits life-point value. A +1 modifier is givenif the dinosaur moves faster than 24�.

Example: One player controls an Armygroup of 22 soldiers, including two NCOs,one leader, and one hero. The group has aheavy machine gun and a mortar. At-tached to the group is one tank (with atank gun and machine gun) plus an un-armed truck. The point size for the groupwould therefore be 80 points (44 soldierpoints +7 for special figures +2 forspecial weapons +22 points for the tank+5 points for the truck).

Battling the Army group are two Tyran-nosaurs (30 points), two Triceratopses (30points), an Apatosaurus (24 points), twoDimetrodons (12 points), two Plateosaurs(14 points), two Stegosaurs (20 points),three Pterodactyls (6 points), and twoAnkylosaurs (24 points). The dinosaur sidetotals 160 points.

Game SetupThere are two kinds of setup: random

and deliberate. In either case, dinosaurscannot be set up closer than 24� (prefera-bly 36�) to any Army soldier or vehicle.Two setup examples are given below.�Dino Island� is a random setup. �TimeGate� is a deliberate setup.

Dino Island: The playing area simu-lates an island. The playing surface isabout 200 square feet in size (12� × 15�will work). Neither side can leave theisland at any time. Take 12 chits or scrapsof paper, numbered 1-12. Distribute themacross the playing area in 12 differentlocations, separated by at least 24� if thechits are placed on the most prominentlandmarks or by 36� if spaced evenly in a3 × 4 grid.

Each side has three players. Each playeron the Army team has an Army group of50-100 points, and each dinosaur player .has one-third of the dinosaurs. Setup israndom. Using a set of 12 duplicate chits,have each player draw one chit to deter-mine where he can set up. The first figurehe places must go on the spot marked. Theother figures in his team are placed nearthe first one in any order he wants, but nofurther than 12" away from the markedspot. Alternatively, a dinosaur playerplaces one of his figures first, then anArmy player puts down one of his, andthis alternating setup continues until all sixplayers are set up.

The battle is a fight to the death. Onceone side has been completely wiped out,the game ends.

Variations: A fourth Army player cancontrol all the tanks; the dinosaur total isthen divided into four teams, too. Pointvalues, playing areas, number of players,and setup spaces may all be varied as well.

Time Gate: The premise of this sce-nario is that the Army force has becomelost in time. The only way back to its owntime is through a special gate. The gatesets up a field between two poles, spacedscale inches apart. Unfortunately, the

54 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 1

Army has only one of the poles. The otheris hidden somewhere in dinosaur territory.The Army must invade the land of thedinosaurs and search until the second poleis found. The poles can then be set up sothe soldiers can go home.

It helps to have a neutral referee toplace the second pole in a reasonable spotand oversee hidden movement. Dinosaurscan hide behind unusual terrain and willthus not be spotted until an Army playercomes within 18� of them. Hidden dino-saurs are not placed until spotted. Bothsides can divide their total forces any waythey wish (thus the Army can form reconsquads). The setup area can vary as cir-cumstances dictate, as long as there isample room for movement. Two soldierscan carry the gate pole, or it can be loadedinto a vehicle (it takes up the space of onesoldier).

The game ends when the Army escapesback to its own time, or when the dino-saurs wipe out all the Army men.

Variation: The Army begins the gameentirely mechanized. To compensate, addseveral areas of impassable terrain (deepswamps, high mountains, etc.).

Dinosaur DescriptionsDinosaurs and the other unusual reptiles

used in this game are detailed in the fol-lowing section, with notes on their sizes,diets, and geologic period in which theywere found. The Permian period lastedfrom 286 to 248 million years ago, andcame just before the three great ages ofdinosaurs in the Mesozoic era. The dino-saur ages were the Triassic (248-213 mil-lion years ago), the Jurassic (213-144million years ago), and the Cretaceous(144-65 million years ago).

Allosaurus: 40� long, 15� tall, 3 tons;carnivore; Jurassic. The most dangerouspredator of its time, Allosaurus hadclawed forelimbs and hind legs for pinningdown its prey, and a huge mouth for rip-ping open flesh.

Anatosaurus: 30� long, 13� tall, 4 tons;herbivore; Cretaceous. This was theclassic �duck-billed,� dinosaur, so namedfor its long, low skull that resembles aduck�s bill and its webbed, three-toedfeet. Similar duckbills grew as large as43� long and 5 tons.

Ankylosaurus: 35� long, 6 tons; her-bivore; Cretaceous. This creature�s bodywas completely protected by a shell-likemass of bony plates. The tail, ending in aheavy club, could be swung at enemieswith fatal results.

Apatosaurus: 70� long, 14½� at shoul-der, 33 tons; herbivore; Jurassic. Morepopularly known as Brontosaurus, thismonster�s prime defenses were its long,whiplike tail and its ability to rear up onits hind legs and bring its great weightcrashing down on an enemy.

Brachiosaurus: 75� long, 21� at shoul-der, 89 tons; herbivore; Jurassic. One ofthe most massive, though not longest,animals ever to walk the Earth, Brachio-

-

saurus had a long neck and served thesame ecological function as a giraffe,browsing off treetops. The nasal openingsat the top of its skull indicate it might havehad some kind of trunk.

Ceratosaurus: 20� long, 8� tall, 1 ton;carnivore; Jurassic. This swift, savagecarnosaur had a bony ridge above eacheye and a hornlike growth above its nose.Fossil footprints suggest it may havehunted in packs.

Coelophysis: 10� long, 5½� tall, 65 lbs.;carnivore; Triassic. This light, agile crea-ture had hollow bones and could runswiftly on its birdlike legs. It may havehunted in packs and may have beencannibalistic.

Deinonychus: 13� long, 7� tall, 300Ibs.; carnivore; Cretaceous. Deinonychushad a comparatively large brain andprobably hunted in packs. Its second toebore a sickle-shaped claw nearly 6� longthat could be raised up and back whenrunning.

Deinocheirus: 40� long, 20� tall; 2 tons;carnivore; Cretaceous. Known only from apair of 8½�-long arms (each ending inclaws 8� long), this could represent a typeof large, fast dinosaur that primarily usedits claws instead of its teeth to hunt.

Deinosuchus: 50� long, 9 tons; carni-vore; Cretaceous. The largest known croc-odile, this was not a dinosaur but wouldhave been contemporary with them.

Dimetrodon: 13� long, 1 ton; carni-vore; Permian. The Dimetrodon was notactually a dinosaur, but a reptile that livedsome 50 million years before dinosaursevolved. It is characterized by its spiny�sail back,� that probably served to controlthe reptile�s body temperature.

Diplodocus: 90� long, 16 tons; her-bivore; Jurassic. With its tremendoussnaky neck and long whiplike tail, thisdinosaur was among the longest to walkthe land.

Dolichosuchus: 18� long, 10� tall, 350lbs.; carnivore; Triassic. This dinosaur wassimilar to Coelophysis, only larger.

Dryptosaurus: 22� long, 8� tall, 500lbs.; carnivore; Cretaceous. Dryptosaurushad huge back legs that might have beenused to leap upon prey.

Gallimimus: 13' long, 7� tall, 250 lbs.;omnivore; Cretaceous. Gallimimus was thelargest known ostrichlike dinosaur.

Hylaeosaurus: 20� long, 3 tons; her-bivore; Cretaceous. Hylaeosaurus was thethird dinosaur discovered (1832). It had aseries of large, hard, symmetrical platesgrowing down its head and back, plusprotective spikes growing out of its sidesand up its tail.

Iguanodon: 30� long, 16½� tall, 6 tons;herbivore; Cretaceous. The second dino-saur discovered (1822), this bipedal dino-saur was strong and bulky, with curiousspikelike thumbs.

Megalosaurus: 30� long, 12� tall, 1½ton; carnivore; Jurassic and Cretaceous.The first dinosaur discovered (1677) andnamed (1824), Megalosaurus was a typical

carnosaur with a bulky neck, large jaws,large hind legs, shorter forelegs, and along tail.

Monoclonius: 20� long, 3 tons; her-bivore; Cretaceous. Monoclonius had ashort, scalloped-bone frill. Above each eyewas a small horn, and above its snout wasan extremely long horn, like that of ar h i n o c e r o s .

Pachycephalosaurus: 15� long, 8�tall, 800 lbs.; herbivore; Cretaceous. Theclassic �bone-headed� dinosaur, this one�sbrain was encased in a solid dome ofbone 10� thick. It could have used head-butting as a defense and as a matingritual.

Paleoscincus: 23� long, 4 tons; her-bivore, Cretaceous. Paleoscincus had solidarmor plates on its back, and spines on itsflank and tail.

Parasaurolophus: 33� long, 23� tall, 5tons; herbivore; Cretaceous. This dino-saur is noted for its crest in the shape ofa great tube extending from the back ofits skull.

Plateosaurus: 26� long, 2 tons; omni-vore; Triassic. A mostly bipedal dinosaurthat sometimes went on all fours, thiswas a possible ancestor of the later her-bivorous giants like Apatosaurus andDiplodocus.

Pterodactyl: 13� wingspan; 15 lbs.;piscivore (fish-eater); Jurassic. This flyingreptile was not actually a dinosaur. Elon-gated arm and hand bones supported itswings.

Pteranodon: 23� wingspan, 40 lbs.;piscivore; Cretaceous. Another flyingreptile that was not actually a dinosaur,Pteranodon�s elongated crest behind itshead probably acted as a stabilizer inflight.

Quetzalcoatlus: 39� wingspan, 150lbs.; piscivore; Cretaceous. A flying reptile(not a dinosaur) known from only frag-mentary remains, it may have been thelargest flying creature of all time.

Saltasaurus: 40� long, 8 tons; her-bivore; Cretaceous. Saltasaurus had thou-

plates guarding its broad back and sides,but otherwise it looked like a smallApatosaurus.

the two rows of alternating triangularplates running along its back. Its realdefense was its tail spikes. It had an en-largement of the spinal cord above its hindlegs that may have acted like a �secondbrain� to control the movement of its legsand tail.

Stenonychosaurus: 6½� long, 80 lbs.;omnivore; Cretaceous. An agile rapidrunner roughly the size of a man (thoughlighter), it had probably the largest brain-to-body ratio of any dinosaur.

Styracosaurus: 18� long, 2½ tons;herbivore; Cretaceous. This dinosaur had

Spinosaurus: 40� long, 7 tons; carni-vore; Cretaceous. Spinosaurus had asail on its back that was taller than a

Stegosaurus: 30� long, 4 tons; her-bivore; Jurassic. Stegosaurus is noted for

a short, bony frill endowed with a num-ber of long, backward-pointing spikes. Ithad a single long horn growing from itsnose.

Therizinosaurus: 35� long, 18� tall,1½ tons; carnivore; Cretaceous. Knownfrom only a single arm that was morethan 8� long, this carnosaur had clawsnearly 1� long. Like Deinocheirus, it couldrepresent a type of fast dinosaur thathunted primarily with its claws instead ofits jaws.

Torosaurus: 25� long, 6 tons; her-bivore; Cretaceous. Torosaurus resembledTriceratops, but had a much larger frill-crest (reaching almost halfway down itsback).

Triceratops: 30� long, 9 tons; her-bivore; Cretaceous. This fierce-lookingdinosaur had a short, solid frill and threehorns: two long ones (up to 3� long) overits eyes, and one short horn over itssnout.

Tyrannosaurus: 50� long, 20� tall, 8tons; carnivore; Cretaceous. Tyrannosau-rus may have been the most powerfulcarnivore to ever walk this planet. It had ahuge head with daggerlike teeth 6� long,massive hind legs, a long tail, and ridicu-lously short forearms.

Recent but as yet incomplete findingsshow that there were even larger sauro-pods than Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus.In the 1970s, massive bones from twosauropods were found in Colorado andunofficially called Supersaurus and Ultra-saurus. Then, in 1986, even larger boneswere unearthed in New Mexico, andprovisionally named Seismosaurus. Thesebones suggest dinosaurs who were morethan 100� long and weighed over 100tons. Breviparopus, named after fossil-ized footprints only, may have been 157�long.

BibliographyCharig, Alan. A New Look at the Dino-

saurs. New York: Facts on File, Inc.,1983.

Desmond, Adrian J. The Hot-BloodedDinosaurs. New York: The Dial Press/James Wade, 1976. For true dinosauraficionados, this book is a must. It isone of the prime books sparking thestill-current debate whether dinosaurswere actually cold-blooded (like lizards)or warm-blooded (like mammals).

Dixon, Dougal, with Barry Cox, R.J.G.Savage, and Brian Gardner. The Mac-millan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dino-saurs and Prehistoric Animals. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1988.For sheer visual excitement, this bookis hard to beat. The color plates arefantastic. Not only are dinosaurs cov-ered, but so are all prehistoric animals,including early man. The treatment isnecessarily superficial, but it�s a greatbook to browse through. It�s expensive,but most libraries will carry it.

Glut, Donald F. The Dinosaur Dictionary.New York: Bonanza Books, 1972.

Lambert, David. A Field Guide to Dino-saurs. New York: Avon Books, 1983. Ifound the best all-around book on thedinosaurs to be this one. It has no colorplates but does have plenty of linedrawings and photographs. This infor-mation is extensive, up to date, andwell presented. Since it is available insoftback, it is also reasonably priced.

Man, John. The Day of the Dinosaur. Lon-don: Bison Books, Ltd., 1978.

Norman, David. The Illustrated Encyclope-dia of Dinosaurs. New York: CrescentBooks, 1985.

Wilford, John Noble. The Riddle of theDinosaur. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,1985.

sands of small bony studs and a

DRAGON 55I

Table 1Dinosaur Statistics

DinosaurAllosaurusAnatosaurusAnkylosaurusApatosaurusBrachiosaurusCeratosaurus 7Coelophysis 1 1Deinonychus 1DeinocheirusDeinosuchusDimetrodonDiplodocusDolichosuchusDryptosaurusGallimimusHylaeosaurusIguanodonMegalosaurusMonocloniusPachycephalosaurusPaleoscincusParasaurolophusPlateosaurusPterodactylPteranodonQietzalcoatlusSaltasaurusSpinosaurusStegosaurusStenonychosaurusStyracosaurusTherizinosaurusTbrosaurusTriceratopsTyrannosaurus

Lifepoints

1010122432

39

156

20463

1012895

10118123

141411197

121415

Movement18"18"12"12"12"18"24"24"24"

12�/24�***18"12"24"18"24"12"18"18"18"24"12"18"18"36"36"36"12"18"18"24"18"24"18"18"18"

Attackscore

1089889910109981010109810999889998109109109910

Damage3*2*2*

2**2**2*

3**2

2**221*2*2*2*3*2*2*2*21

1*2*3*2*1

3*3*

3**3**3**

Armor--2-

-2--

l / --2-

-

-1-

--

----1-

l / --

l/-l/-

---

1

1

1

* Automatically destroys any non-tank vehicle on a 2.* * Destroys any non-tank vehicle on 2-3; destroys a tank on a 2.* * * Movement rate of 24� across water only.

Table 2Dinosaur Movement Modifiers

Situation ModifierOverrun - 2�Unusual terrain(optional) - 2�Charge (optional) +2�** First turn of attacking only

56 FEBRUARY 1991

-

Table 3Army Weapons

WeaponRifle *Assault rifle *Submachine gun*Pistol *GrenadeFlame throwerAutomatic rifle *Bazooka/rocketLight machine gun*Heavy machine gun*Recoilless rifleMortarLight artillery/tank gunHeavy artillery

Range18”12"6"6"3"6"

18"/24"12”

24"/36"48"24"

18"-60"60"72"

Damage1221

3 **32

3**

22

3 **3 **3 **3 **

Attack score Minimum crew7 -8 -8 -7 -8 -6 -8 -6 -

9 29 27 2

7/6 29/7 39/7 4

* Can make two attacks per turn.* * Automatic kill on an attack roll of 2

Table 4Army Attack Modifiers

+1 hero/leader/NCO+1 for all snipers (optional)-x (x = any dinosaur armor)-1 for cover (optional)-1 higher-caliber ammo (optional)-2 moving fire (optional)

Table 5Army Vehicles

Vehicle Structural points Carry capacityMotorcycle 1 1Jeep 3 3Truck 4 8Halftrack 5 4Armored car 6 3Armored personnel

carrier 6 6Tank 15 4

Crew1(2)1(2)1(2)1-31-3

1(2)4

Table 6Army Movement Modifiers

Condition Soldiers Vehicles

CreditsDesign: Tom MoldvayDevelopment: Tom Moldvay, Lawrence

SchickPlaytesters: Richard E. Barr, Kevin Board-

man, Charlene Britton, Dave Bullis,Harvey Carberry, Ryan Cope, TomCummings, Eric N. Davis, Jeff Dee,Patrick Dougherty, Keith Evans, Brandon George, Tom Hanlon, Jeff Leason,Erol Otus, Lawrence Schick, MarshallSimpson, Steve Sullivan, Charles Wall,Bill Wilkerson, Bill Willingham

Photography: Larry W. SmithSpecial thanks to: John Michael Moore

(who let us use his dinosaurs), MickeyZucker and all of John�s relatives (whogave John those dinosaurs), and Dale A.Donovan (who bought the Army men

Base rateEscape from dinosaurLoad/unload vehicleSet up/dismantle weaponTowing artilleryUnusual terrain (optional)

6" 18”-2” -2”

x ½ x ½x ½ -- x ½

-2” -6”

elguin had been on the highway formost of the morning when he saw hisfirst local. Actually, he heard andsmelled her long before she crested thedusty ridge. Scrambling into thethorny scrub lining the rutted road, hesettled his bulk between two largerocks and waited.

An instant later his mark struggled into view. She wasan old woman, poorly dressed and barefoot, a peasant. Hehad often seen her like in his travels. Social striationstended to be the same wherever you went.

The woman was mumbling something to herself, orperhaps to the broken-down packbeast that she led. �Aay,Missie, so I told him. But he listen? No! Temple-cursedhalf-bloods in the midwives� quarter. No telling what dis-eases. So he says, Sarie, we got no choice . . .�

Telguin didn�t concern himself with the content, onlythe accent. He let her clacking consonants and screechyvowels roll off his integument. Finally he felt he had theright taste. Emboldened to try, he roused his great mass,stepped into the roadway astride her path, and uttered hisfirst words in her language. �Sarie, I say. I hunger, andneed fuel.� He hesitated, not knowing the words, andgestured toward her animal companion. �Like your beasthere.�

Filmed, decrepit eyes widened in fear. The hag trem-bled. �Eat my Missy, monster?� She backed a step andtried to build some courage with a quavering threat. �Iwarn you, fiend, I�m a member of the Midwives� Guild.We have powerful patrons. Best you flit along to whateverhell you come from.� Wrinkled hands clutched at thepackbeast. �She�s not for the likes of you.�

She�s not for the likes of you. Telguin pondered the crypticstatement. Already this short discourse had improved hiscommand of the tongue. Obviously the peasant thoughtthat he was requesting aid from the animal. Was it also asentient? �No�,� he clicked, painfully stretching his moutharound the words. �Need fuel like she does. I requireyou.�

The old woman started to back up. �Now, wait a min-ute there, Mr. Demon, sir. I ain�t got but scant flesh onthese old bones. Wouldn�t serve up a good meal.� Sheedged off in the other direction.

Now they were getting somewhere�fuel, and a meal.Telguin nodded eagerly. �Yes, you provide me sustenance.�

�Fine, fine. Take her then. Just leave me be.�Telguin didn�t understand, but he appreciated the gift.

He raised one of his pods to thank her.She shrieked and ran screaming into the brush.Telguin rippled, his equivalent of a shrug. People here

had strange customs. He examined the placid packbeast.Now why would she leave him that? Perhaps it allowedaccess to what he sought. He rippled again. Well, it wasbest to take the creature along. It might be of some use.

Ponderously rolling along the way, Telguin looked backto find that the creature was not following. What was thematter? He remembered his difficulties with the woman.He rolled back to where it listlessly chewed its cud. Longears drooped in the dust.

Inspiration struck him. He envisioned the woman, her

Rest Stop

by J. W. Donnelly

Illustrations by Erik Baker

DRAGON 59

spindly limbs and warts, the scratchy voice, the rank odorof rotting teeth. His integument tightened, and his volumecontracted. Telguin inspected his new arm, admiring thewithered hand. He flexed it, ran it over his brown peasantblouse. Perfect. Unused to such unusual locomotion, heslowly hobbled over to the animal�Missy, that was itsname�and grasped the rough lead rope: �Come along now, Missy,� rasped his grating voice. The beast followed.Telguin smiled the hideous gap-toothed grimace of anaging peasant woman.

He traveled for some time, meeting no others of thelocal citizenry. The worn dirt road eventually merged intomore civilized surroundings, the surface below him nowpaved in flat, interlocking stones. Telguin�s spirits rose.Now he would be able to contact the appropriate parties tosee to his needs. He did not have long to wait.

The bloated green sun had descended quickly afterzenith. It hung low on the horizon, staining the local fieldsin shades of malachite and aqua. The land here was culti-vated. Telguin swung along, confident that a contact wasimminent.

Again he heard them before he saw them. Somethingrustled behind him. �Ho, she moves pretty well for anancient crone, eh Bolar?�

�Says you straight, Lelk.�Telguin slowly turned. Two rather ragged individuals

leered at him. He grinned in relief, �Greetings, fellowpeasants. I require your assistance.� Telguin smiled morebroadly, proud of his increasing vocabulary.

The two highwaymen looked at each other in amuse-ment. � �Fellow peasants� says she?� one chortled.

�Requires our assistance?� barked the other.�Yes.� Finally, he was getting somewhere. �My vehicle

is in need of service.�The taller one stared sharply at him. �What? You got a

cart or something? Up the way a bit, broken downmaybe?� A cruel smile slowly crossed his features. �Ourlucky day, Bolar.�

His companion nodded eagerly, brushing past Telguinto grab at Missy. �And what�s a cart without its ass?� hechuckled, amused at his own humor. �Hey, you ugly mid-wife, thanks for the ride.� He laughed again.

Telguin grabbed this one�s wrist. �Wait, you don�t un-derstand.� The wrist bent back at an awkward angle. Thebrigand shouted. Startled, Telguin let go. He hadn�tmeant to harm the man.

Bolar had collapsed to his knees. �Lelk, do her. She isn�t normal.�

Telguin sensed the movement. A sharp pain drove intohis side. He staggered.

Another knife was slammed into his stomach. Hegasped. This time his concentration was broken. His formwavered.

Bolar had stood up. His voice was savage. �Right,Lelko boy. Showed her straight. Now�� His mouthdropped open.

Telguin felt the stirrings of anger. These locals wereproving most uncooperative. He swiveled his bulk towardthe tall one.

Lelk had pulled yet a third dagger, his fist raised foranother strike. The weapon dropped from numbed fin-

60 FEBRUARY 1991

gers. �By the many vipers of the Vert plains, a demon!Run!�

With that exclamation, the tall peasant rushed off into afield. The tinted stalks closed around him, erasing thesigns of his flight. By the scrabbling behind him, Telguininferred that the other man was also hastily departing.

The pain was almost gone. Telguin analyzed the intru-sions and tried a brief taste. Delight and surprise coursedover his form. Why, they were delicious: a heavy ironcontent, with just the right touch of carbon. Telguin feltshamed. He had misjudged these people. Their ways wereunusual, true, but he regretted his hasty and impoliteactions.

Nightfall was imminent. His quest would have to wait.Taking a clue from the taller man, Telguin rolled into thefield. Out of sight from the highway, he could rest andconserve his energies. Soon there would be no sun topower his chemical reactions, but the thoughtful gift of theiron shards would sustain him through the darkness. Hewondered how they had known what to provide for him.Maybe these people had encountered his kind before. Thethought heartened him, and Telguin settled down to waitout the night.

He had been thinking, and considered the data as hefinished his breakfast. All sentient forms thus far encoun-tered here had four limbs: two for motivating and two formanipulating. Evidently there was a taboo against otherways of getting around. Every time he rolled, someoneyelled �demon.� Well, from now on he would be a four-limbed entity. No one would be able to accuse him of�demoning� again.

The contemplation of the low-energy state speeded uphis perception of time considerably. The first green rays ofdawn prodded Telguin into awareness. He bathed luxuri-ously in the light before scavenging about for something toeat. All he found were some low-grade copper ores. Still,it was better than nothing. Telguin ate.

Telguin thought some more. The form that the old fe-male had worn didn�t seem to inspire respect. Thenagain, all three individuals had worn a peculiar raiment.He would keep that; also, the rounded stub on the topwith the little orifices. A few minutes concentration and hehad what he wanted. Satisfied, Telguin made for thepaved surface.

Missy, the packbeast, had disappeared during the night.Telguin shrugged and felt some strain from the new ges-ture. He utilized this experience to help further flesh outhis neck. Attired in proper form and clothing, ambulatingin the local mode, Telguin moved down the road. Theemerald flush of the new morning grew brighter, castingdiminishing shadows behind his pallid, doughy form.

It was midmorning before he caught sight of the city.He knew it was a city, not due to its shape but because ofthe function. Large numbers of individuals streamed to it.They all had two legs. Telguin nodded, pleased with hiscleverness.

He started down, for the city lay in a shallow valley.Scattered fields hugged at its walls, cowering under thevastness of the aquamarine sky. Telguin marvelled at thewalls, wondering about their purpose. Might these beenergy conductors? Possible, but they seemed too rigid.

He made it to an entrance without further incident,joining the flow of people into the interior. At first theystared and kept their distance from him, quickly avertingfurtive eyes when he nodded or smiled a greeting. Eventu-ally the press became too great for such considerations,however, and he found himself elbow to elbow with the

Telguin was jostled by the throng into a courtyard. Hisstomach growled in protest. Casting about, he spied aman with one of the delicious iron shards. In fact, theman was literally coated in food. Bands of the same sub-stance crossed his entire torso. Certainly here was a foodmerchant. Telguin tried to inquire. �Eh, excuse me. I�mhungry. How much?�

great wash of peasants. The smell hit hit him like a wave.The taste was of oil and dirt.

The man�s eyes narrowed, his hand going to the ironshard. �Away from me, whatever you are, or I�ll have theguard on you.�

Slightly hurt, Telguin backed off. The man was unbear-ably selfish. Surely he couldn�t eat all of that? One morelonging glance, and he moved back into the crowd.

Initial impressions seemed correct. This was an area formerchants. The odd wares and gaily colored trappingswere unfamiliar, but Telguin recognized the hungry, pred-atory glances of the proprietors. Here was a place wherethe unusual, the unknown, and the unlawful changedhands. Luckily, his own needs were much more mundane.Surely someone here sold fuel.

Telguin examined each stall, recognizing some of themerchandise. Other items for sale were utterly mysteri-ous, such as the decaying stumps of fats and proteinsaround which the merchants wrapped sheets of beatenplant fiber. Swarms of tiny black creatures buzzed aroundthese stalls. It was most bizarre and somewhat unpleasant.Telguin left.

Aimlessly he wandered, not sure where to look. Thehawking merchants extolling the virtues of their wares, themilling peasants, and the film of dust that they raised lentthe entire scene a certain dreamlike aura. Telguin felt lost.

A ringing voice, more strident than the others, caughtat his attention. He drifted in that direction. The sourcewas a stall three times the size of the more typical units.The gilded canopy and sturdy wooden display tables indi-cated an affluence far exceeding that of the other peddlers.�Ah,� thought Telguin, recalling the wealth of the energymerchants with which he was familiar, �now here is anindividual with the answer to my needs.� Rubbing hissallow face, he sauntered over.

The proprietor, a chubby little fellow swathed in wornvermilion and purple robes, was in the midst of his salespitch when he caught sight of Telguin. �Potions, baubles,and charms made to order. Step right up folks. Sorcerymade to fit all occasions. Need a curse removed? I�ve gotanti-geas formulas. Orc infestations getting you down?Try one of our fabled singing swords. We have it all: mag-ics large and small, tailored. to your needs, whether princeor pauper.� The spiel died off when Telguin pushed to thefront. The merchant uneasily licked his lips. �Uh, yes.What can I do for you, my lord demon?� The mansketched a clumsy bow.

�As you can clearly see, I am not demoning but ambu-

lating in acceptable form.� Telguin was impatient. �Youseem to be well stocked. My vehicle is in need of service.Can you help?�

�Err . . . right, whatever you say, my lord de� . . . mylord.� Fear warred with greed on the merchant�s puffyfeatures. �You say you require transportation?�

Telguin was relieved. �Yes, we are short on fuel. I re-quire several drams of hypercoil extract; price is no mat-ter.� He hefted a pouch bulging with the cheap foodproducts that these people seemed to value so much.

Crafty eyes narrowed. Plump fingers nervously pickedat the false gemstones mounted on multiple rings. �Trans-port you say. We have relics that might interest the lord.�The merchant scrabbled through his merchandise, trium-phantly unrolled a large embroidered rug. �For instance,note this fine flying carpet, only occasionally utilized bythe retainers of our last departed Padishah, may the greatones revere his shining light.�

Telguin frowned. �No, I am not hunting for antigravshuttles. I am talking of larger distances. It must be theextract.�

The merchant nodded. �Of course, of course. I under-stand.� His hands flashed beneath the table and came upwith a small ring far more plain than those he affected. �Ibelieve I have what you need right here, a ring of teleport-ing. It will carry you many leagues, taking you past brig-ands, warlocks, and other dangers�not that the lordcould not deal with such petty irritations,� the mansimpered.

�Interesting, but our vehicle is well equipped withwormhole technology. My needs are more advanced. Thehypercoil extract allows us to shift space in no time. Haveyou any for sale?�

�Exactly.� The portly fellow whipped out a flat, black,floppy item. �A portable hole, and for only a few crownsmore, I can add a bag of infinite holding.�

Telguin yawned, �We already have a tesseract genera-tor.� He started to move off. �Maybe I should lookelsewhere.�

�Wait, wait my lord.� This last came out as a whine asthe merchant hustled to the rear of his stall. He camewheezing back. �You drive a hard bargain. Here it isthen, my most treasured item. Why flee an enemy whenyou can destroy him? Here is it, the sphere of annihila-tion.� A small, black globe was plopped onto the table.

�Our antimatter containers are well stocked. If youwould excuse me, I will look elsewhere for my hypercoilextract.� Telguin stalked into the crowd. It parted beforehis unusual presence.

Dreams of major profit and a potential patron fading,the merchant wobbled around his table. �Wait, my lord.�A trailing purple fold snagged on a sharp edge, and with arip the man went down at Telguin�s feet. Pudgy handsclosed around his ankles. �No, you can�t leave yet. Pleaselet me show you my roc eggs.�

His departure halted, Telguin glanced down at the sob-bing merchant. The man seemed eager to serve. Warmedby such devotion, he bent down to scoop up the fellow andhug him in gratitude.

The florid little merchant struggled, then screamed asTelguin lifted him. �No, wait, my lord: Have mercy!

DRAGON 61

62

Please don�t eat my soul.�Telguin paused, confused. Was the man afraid?�Halt! You there, put merchant Delnacy down.� Tel-

guin looked over at this new local. It was one of the menwith iron shards who was coated in food. Three similarilyattired individuals clustered behind the man.

This seemed hopeful. Food usually was found next to fuel. Telguin carefully set the petrified merchant down.The man scurried away. Telguin shifted to face the four.�I require food and fuel. Do you know the master of thisstation?�

At the sight of his face, three of the food bearers sworeand made unusual warding gestures with their fingers.Their leader blanched, visibly controlling himself. �Youare under the custody of the High Padishah of Lekros.You will come with us.�

At last, someone who knew what he was doing. Telguinwent along amicably. �Excellent. Then this Padishah hasthe extract I require?�

The leader looked at him queerly. �You speak oddly,stranger. But yes, we have experts in extracting what isrequired.� He smiled grimly. �As for the rest, you musttake that up with the wizard Neblis. He is quite good atobtaining the services of demons.�

Telguin shook his head, almost totally at ease with thegesture. �But I�m not demoning.�

�Hey, no argument there. Take it up with the HighWizard.�

Telguin lapsed into silence. These men were obviouslyattendants and knew nothing of a traveler�s requirements.He would discuss it with the Padishah and his HighWizard.

They came to a high gate and, leaving two of theirnumber there, exited the crowded streets. This was acobbled alley that promptly opened to an archway anddarkened tunnel. The bustle of the market died, replacedby the hollow echoes of their footsteps on the damp stone.Guttering torches illuminated the tunnel at random inter-vals. Telguin thought this to be an inefficient heating sys-tem, but these people had many incomprehensible habits.The dank smell of oxidizing iron pulled at him. Hismouth watered.

The two others moved slowly, perhaps to further enjoythe delectable odors. Telguin was eager to be on with hisbusiness, but he did not complain.

Soon they came to another door, this one bound in brass. One man inserted a key and preceded Telguinthrough. Unable to help himself, Telguin paused to snatcha brief taste of the door. The greened metal dissolved un-der his touch.

�Hey, you there. Enough of that.� The attendant leaderglowered at him, then stared with alarm at the melteddoor. �By the seven eyes�just don�t touch anything.�

Telguin sighed but nodded his understanding. Hiss t o m a c h r u m b l e d .

Down another mildewed corridor, and they emergedinto a large chamber. Greenish light soaked throughopaqued windows, casting the entire contents of the roomin a relief like aged copper. Telguin groaned. He couldn�tstop thinking of food.

The leader hissed at him. �Silence, fool! We are in the

FEBRUARY 1991

presence of the high wizard.�Telguin looked around. Strange statues surrounded a

dais. Around them were columns of stone, many coated ingolden and silver filigree. An ornate seat stood on top ofthe platform. There was metal everywhere.

One of the statues moved. Belatedly Telguin realizedthat this was one of the locals, presumably the high wizardhimself.

Dark robes whisked along the marble floor as the manapproached. A hood hid his face, though his eyes glitteredlike the many gemstones that bedecked his cloak. Unlikethe merchant, this jewlery was of high quality. Telguin wasdealing with someone of consequence.

High Wizard Neblis spoke for the first time. �Take thedemon to the pentagram. I must render him inert beforehe is presented to the Padishah.� The tone was haughty,comfortable with its own authority.

The two food-clad attendants grasped either arm andled Telguin to the center of the chamber. Then they hur-ridly retreated to the door.

Telguin watched them go and looked up to the darkfigure on the dais. �I have needs, fuel and food.�

Neblis cackled. �Of course you do. All pacts have theirprices. But first, I would have your true name.�

�I am Telguin. We were just visiting���Telguin it is then, demon.� The wizard weaved his

hands in an arcane pattern and started to murmur in atongue Telguin had not yet heard.

Even as he soaked up this new language (obviously itwas the language of Neblis� caste), Telguin strove to an-swer in kind. �Demoning, no. I have adhered to yourways.�

Neblis was surprised. �You speak the old tongue, then?Indeed, you will be of surperb service.�

�Actually, we require some service.�The High Wizard chuckled, �All in good time.� The

muttering ceased. �Guards.�The head attendant stepped forward. �My Lord

Wizard.��Inform the Padishah that the demon is bound.��Yes, my lord.� The man crossed the chamber and

exited by another ornate door.Telguin stirred. �So, can you help me?�Neblis froze. �You will be still.�Telguin hesitated. He could wait a bit longer. This Pa-

dishah sounded like his man. The silence stretched into minutes. Telguin fretted but

held his ground. If he had to play at these locals� strangegames of propriety, so be it. It was worth it for the extract.

The High Wizard stared down at him, implacable in hisveiled; cold distance.

The chimes ceased. A young man entered, his brocaderobes stiffened at the flaring collar and sleeves. Slowly heascended the steps to take his seat on the isolated throne.

The High Wizard bowed. �My Padishah.�Padishah Habdab the Majestic deigned to accept this

Just as Telguin�s patience had eroded to the breakingpoint, he heard the sound of chimes. The far door againswung open. In came a group of the iron-clad attendants,all of them holding metallic shards. They filled the spaceat the bottom of the dais.

greeting and queried the wizard, �So what is this newservant that you have spoken of? Is it this hapless creaturebelow us?� Bored eyes swept over Telguin while flutteringhands idly sought a swollen pimple.

�Yes, my Padishah. It is a demon of great power, onethat I have bound for your exclusive service.�

The sore erupted with an audible pop. Habdab dabbedat it with a silken edge of his robe. �This sorry speci-men?� the nasal voice piped. �And of what use is thisdemon?�

Telguin had had enough. �I do not demon.� He startedforward.

�I command thee to stop,� chanted Neblis. �By thepower of the pentagram I say thee nay.�

Telguin crossed the floor to face the Padishah, �Look,�he began reasonably, �I can demon if you want.� Hisform shimmered and lapsed back to its natural state.

Habdab�s pinched face screwed up in terror. �Daemonsprotect us. It is a shapeshifter.�

Neblis was hurridly composing another string of archaicsyllables. The guards vacillated at their posts.

Telguin rolled his bulk forward to the steps and ex-tended a pseudopod. �Please, some food.�

�Aaiii! Help, guards, help!� The throne crashed overbackward, and Habdab cowered amidst the splinteredwreckage.

Eyes bulging, Habdab scuttled to a far corner. Neblishad stopped chanting and stood transfixed by the sight ofTelguin. �Neblis,� the Padishah mewled, �save me!�

The High Wizard took one look at his Padishah andglanced again at Telguin. There was an explosion of red-dish smoke, and he was gone.

This was followed by a shriek of anger, �Neblis, youtraitor!�

One of the attendants, braver than the rest, struck atTelguin with a long stick. The point entered his globularmass about halfway up. Telguin halted to savor the flavor.It was iron.

Telguin glided up the steps and fixed the Padishah in hisstare, �And how about the fuel?�

Habdab gurgled in fright, then fainted. Across theroom, the last of the guards were making their franticescapes.

Telguin wondered what was going on now. The Pa-dishah seemed nonfunctional. Could this be his sleep per-iod? He oozed down the steps and slid through one of thedoors. Obviously there was no fuel to be found here.

Several of the locals retreated before him until he cameto a great courtyard. There the attendants rained many ofthe metal-tipped sticks, albeit smaller ones, upon him.They were most satisfying. At last he began to feel full.�Thanks, guys, but I couldn�t eat another bite.� Theshower began to slow up as more and more of the attend-ants made hurried departures.

Telguin found a grated gate and slipped between itssquare confines. The taste on his integument as he movedthrough was titillating, but he was no longer hungry. See-ing that he was on a path that led to the city gates, Telguinrolled down in that direction.

No one impeded his progress, and shortly he was out inthe countryside. Telguin stretched, enjoying the radiation

of the green sun as it played on his sated body. Up theslopes he rolled, and soon he was on the highway.

With no need to learn local customs and languages, thereturn trip was much quicker. Half a day of steady rolling(or demoning) brought him to the hidden ship. It wassecreted in a small cave located a few hundred paces offthe main road.

Gedran was waiting for him. They joined pods in greet-ing. �Hail and oneness to you, Telguin.�

�And to you, Gedran.� Telguin slumped tiredly into abag. �This is a most unusual world.�

An eyestalk fixated on him. �Really? And did you finda fuel center?�

�No. There seems to be no hypercoil extract to befound. However, they have outstanding service, even iftheir customs are a bit odd.� Telguin shifted his bulk incontentment. �The food is excellent. Can we make it tothe next station?�

Gedran quivered with irritation. �Barely. We�ll have torun the fold generators at half output. Are you surethere�s no fuel available?�

�I�m sure. It�s a nice world, with quality food. Weought to return someday, but there are no service stations.It�s very backwater. All they have is rest stops.�

DRAGON 63

More pages from the Arch-Mages

by Scott WaterhouseArtwork by Lynne Taylor

The battle raged across the plain be-neath Astra�s hill as legions of hollow-eyedcorpses clashed and locked in battle withthe human and elven armies of Sestar. Thecrashes and crescendos of shatteringmagicks mingled with the screams ofdying mortals.

A clap of thunder rang out above thetumultuous cries of the battle as the Arch-Mage hurled another fiery spell at thewalking dead, then another thunderclaproared�from elsewhere in the battle�anda lull in activity fell for a moment, theconcussions stunning even the skeletalcontingents. The melee quickly resumedwith renewed fury, only to be interruptedagain as two figures sprang intoexistence�one of light, the other dark�rising above the armies, dwarfing them.An angelic creature, nearly 50� high andgarbed in blinding white, and a gaunt,grotesque monstrosity, twice as tall androbed in light-stifling darkness, took to thefield and swiftly wielded their coruscatingmagicks. The armies at their feet, bothliving and dead, staggered back to give.them room. �The Arcane Contention,�whispered the old wizard in awe, hiswords lost in the fury of the ultimatemagical engagement.

The following three magical works werecreated by powerful mages for use by thesame. As a result, there are several pointsthat the Dungeon Master should considerbefore these spell books are placed astreasure in a campaign.

The value of these books is, perhaps,only exceeded by the potential power theywill give to PCs. Many of the spells in thesebooks are of high level, and the DM shouldcarefully consider the effect of allowingcharacters to get their hands, on thesespells before they obtain the books. It isperfectly acceptable to omit one or moreof the spells that are supposed to be in abook if deemed best for the campaign.

It should be obvious that many charac-ters will want to get these books, as dem-onstrated by the history of the tomes. Butit is quite possible that a PC�s problems willonly begin when he acquires such a book,for any use of a unique spell will attract

attention�perhaps much more than thespell-caster bargained for. Power is neverfree.

As the spells detailed herein are unique,not all details on their effects may beavailable to the characters, even withinthe books in which such spells are found.There is no need for the DM to revealeverything about a spell to the players. Letthem find out themselves�he hard way, ifnecessary. That is where the fun lies.

Finally, the history of each volume maybe adjusted to fit the nations, personalities,and circumstances of a DM�s particularcampaign world with little difficulty. Oth-erwise, the lands and personages referredto are assumed to lie outside the usualcampaign area.

Two previous books of this sort ap-peared in DRAGON® issue #139, in �Bazaarof the Bizarre.�

anor�s Manual of Sight

Appearance: This book has no cover many centuries back. The exact origin ofor spine, but consists rather of several the book is not precisely known, however,plates of silver tied together with a cord and it is acknowledged that either Manorwoven from gold thread. Each sheet of �the Blind� or his apprentice, the elvensilver is about 1½� long and 1� wide. The lord Beltrin, could have fashioned thefront and back sheets are blank and are book. Manor is certainly the most likelymuch thicker than the middle sheets. author, for the theme of the work�There are no distinguishing symbols or vision�s in keeping with his personalmarkings on either cover. interests. Manor was born blind, his eyes

History and description: Manor�s completely black in color, but he sur-Manual of Sight has an ancient but rela- mounted the odds and survived to becometively well-known history, traceable from a powerful mage. Manor is probably most

DRAGON 65

famous for his highly efficacious crystalballs, in addition to the large number ofspells he researched and perfected.

If Manor truly did lay down the spells inthe Manual of Sight, he must have willedthe book to Beltrin before his disappear-ance, for Beltrin is known to have wieldedthe mind vision spell during the attack onthe Crystal Palace, in order to avoid thetreachery of the priest Patoun. Upon hisown death, Beltrin willed the book to theelven college of arcane arts in the TwilightForest, bequeathing this and other power-ful tomes to the university in hopes thatother elves would not need to leave theirhomeland, as he did, to learn magic.

Shortly thereafter, the Manual of Sightwas stolen from the elves in an arrogantand brilliant act of thievery by the tal-ented master thief Tribur, evidently so thathe could gain profit from its sale to thedark elves of the Low Empire. It remainedin the Silent School of the drow for over300 years, during which time the darkelves evidently benefited from its presencein their continued wars with the othermembers of the Underdark, as demon-strated by their brilliant tactical victoriesin the battles of Umphelyon and DarkReach Caverns, both of which were foughtin total darkness.

After that, the Manual of Sight wasstolen from the Silent School by the dark

66 FEBRUARY 1991

The caster does not need to use anyother sensory organs besides his mouthand ears (thus he cannot be gagged orhave plugged ears if he is to use this spell);

When a mage evokes the power of adarksense spell, he begins to transmit andreceive high-pitched sounds, as many batsdo. From the transmission and receptionof these sounds, the caster is able to gain aclear �picture� of the physical area thatsurrounds him. Colors are not perceived,nor are variations in heat levels or distinc-tions between light and dark. Thus, someactions such as the reading of scrolls arenot possible while the caster is under theinfluence of a darksense spell. The casteris unable to detect any visual illusions,colored gases, clouds of dust or mist,mirror images, insubstantial beings suchas certain undead, etc. Any spell of silencewill nullify this spell.

Darksense (Alteration)Level: 3 Components: V,S,MRange: 120� C T : 4 Duration: 1 hr./lvl. ST: NoneAE: Creature touched

The notes of the scholars of the Twilightelves, in addition to those of Iminthrese,provide full details about the magic foundwithin the book. The script of the book isclean and flowing, perhaps showing thatBeltrin wrote the book, not Manor, whosewriting was somewhat stiff and difficult toread even after he gained his magical formof sight. The spells contained in the bookare all in standard form, and each takesup one silver sheet. They are as follows:clairvoyance, darksense (unique spell),infravision, Manor�s mindsight (uniquespell), Manor�s mind vision (unique spell),and magic mirror. The three unique spellsin the Manual of Sight are detailed here.

elf defectors Rathe and his brother Sallas(the latter named �the Seething� by hisbrethren) and taken along with severalother magical tomes of great value to thesurface realms of Shalom. Sallas retainedpossession of the book for several decadesuntil he traded it back to the elves of theTwilight Forest in return for protectionfrom reprisals from the Silent School. TheTwilight elves maintained possession of thetome for several decades until they againrelinquished the book, willingly this time,as they granted it to Iminthrese, the mageruler of the free city of Blue Bay, in returnfor his gift of several lost elven tomes. Thebook was thought to have been lost in thefantastic and fatal magical duel Iminthresewaged decades later with a lich of un-known identity. Although the book wasbelieved to have been destroyed in the firethat consumed the majority of Iminthrese�slibrary, recently several of the Winter -Wizards have appeared in strange loca-tions, inexplicably avoided all manner oftraps, and have made off with severalvaluable treasures, causing the wizardNeedram to speculate that the mysteriousWinter Wizards have gained possession ofthe Manual of Sight.

indeed, the caster may even be blind,though he must close his eyes if he is not.No concentration is required to maintainthe spell, but the caster may end the spellat any time before it expires. For the dura-tion of the darksense spell, the mage willsuffer no penalties for being in darknessor light. One drawback to this spell is thatany creature that is gaseous or insubstan-tial in nature is able to attack the caster asif he were blind, gaining +4 to hit.

The material components of the spell aretwo bats� ears and a small silver tuningfork, which must be rung audibly uponcompletion of the spells casting. Neithercomponent is consumed by casting thespell. [Compare this spell with the druid�sspell bat sense, from �Arcane Lore,�DRAGON issue #132.].

Manor�s Mindsight (Alteration)Level: 5 Components: V,S,MRange: Special CT: 6Duration: 1 turn/lvl. ST: NoneAE: Creature touched

By means of this spell, a wizard gainsthe ability to �see� everything within arange of 20� plus 10� per two levels of thecaster, regardless of intervening objects ofany sort. No actual sensory organs areneeded for the spell to function, and thusthe mage may be blindfolded or in a com-pletely dark room while using the mind-sight spell. Furthermore, everythingwithin the radius of the spell is perceivedsimultaneously; hence there is no need forthe mage to look up or down to �see�objects above or below him. Mindsightdoes not light a darkened area, though, sothe mage would still perceive a dark roomas a dark room, not a lighted one. Themage may overcome, this obstacle by usingthe mindsight spell in conjunction with adarksense, infravision, or ultravision (asper Unearthed Arcana) spell.

When using Manor�s mindsight, a magemay not perceive illusions or phantasmsfor what they really are (unless his intelli-gence would normally allow him to distin-guish between the illusion and reality), normay he distinguish between magical ob-jects and nonmagical items, or make dis-tinctions of alignment. Similarly, the magecannot see traps, tricks, pits, magical sym-bols, or other invisible or magically con-cealed items or objects, unless he wouldbe able to detect such items normally. (Forexample, if an 15th-level mage with anintelligence of 17 has a 95% chance todetect an invisible being, as decreed by the1st Edition DMG (page 60), he would behave the same chance to see invisiblebeings up to 90� away, regardless of barri-ers, with the mindsight spell.) A mage mayalso surmount the problem by castingspells such as detect invisible, detect evil,detect magic, etc. previous to the actualcasting of mindsight. These spells may beused with mindsight even if the radius ofsuch spells are not equal to the radius ofthe mindsight spell.

The mage may maintain the mindsight

spell without concentration, and maymove, cast spells, and engage in otheractivities while mindsight is in effect. If themage wishes to view. anything through thespell, however, he must concentrate and isthen unable to move, cast spells, or engagein any strenuous activities. If the mage isattacked while concentrating on the mind-sight, the spell is not ruined and the castermay resume viewing after combat is re-solved. The material component of thespell is the preserved eye of a blink dog,which is reusable.

Manor�s Mind Vision(Alteration/Divination)Level: 7 Components: V,S,MRange: Special CT: 8Duration: 3 rds./lvl. ST: NoneAE: Creature touched

Manor�s mind vision is essentially a morepowerful version of Manor�s mindsight. Itis subject to the same restrictions andbonuses, in terms of movement, combat,and concentration, as the mindsight spell,and has the same range (20� plus 10� pertwo levels of the caster). The mind visionspell also allows the caster to view allobjects within the radius of the spell simul-taneously, as the mindsight spell does.However, while using the mind visionspell, the mage may also view unlit areasas if they were brightly light. Further-more, any illusions viewed will be appar-ent as such, and the true form of any itemor object viewed can be easily determined.In addition, all invisible objects and crea-tures may be seen, and all polymorphedobjects and creatures are seen as theytruly are, with a hazy image superimposedshowing their polymorphed form.

Any magical item viewed with a mindvision spell is recognized as such, as if themage were seeing it while using a detectmagic spell. Pits, traps, secret and con-cealed doors, symbols, magical traps, andso on are seen for what they are. Further-more, the mage correctly perceives thealignment of any creature viewed by theaura it projects (barring the use of psionicdisciplines). Finally, the mage may opt toforgo the ability to view dark areas as ifthey were lit, and may instead view themwith either infravision or ultravision,though once a particular type of vision ischosen it may not be changed for theduration of the spell.

The mage does not need any functioningsensory organs for this spell to work, andhe may in fact be blind, blindfolded, oreven without eyes. The caster of the spellmay view all objects within a line of sightthat he would normally perceive, underexisting light conditions and with his nor-mal vision through the mind vision, whilecasting other spells or engaging in combat.If he wishes to view more distant areas orareas on the other side of solid barriers,concentration must be maintained. Thematerial component of the spell is twoeyes of a being originating on a planeother than the Prime Material plane, im-

mersed in a potion of ESP and a potion ofgaseous form. The components of the spellare consumed upon its completion.

ymessul's Enchiridionof Travel

Appearance: This �tome� actuallyconsists of five waxen papyrus scrolls,each tied shut with a ribbon of red silk.Each ribbon has a small black symbolwoven into it, in the form of Tymessul�srune. Each scroll is quite long, nearly 10�,and each bears, at the top in silvery ink,the name of the work (the Enchiridion ofTravel) and the number of the scroll (onethrough five). The five scrolls are held in alight-green box of oiled wood, with a sim-ple yet devious lock on the front. The boxis unremarkable except for the fact that ithas survived for nearly 350 years withoutapparent ill effects from age. The box hasa jade rune set in the top�Tymessul�ssymbol when he was alive.

History and description: The runeof Tymessul �the Wanderer� on the boxand each of the ribbons makes the originof the work obvious to scholars of Shalom-nese history. The enchiridion�s origins arefurther substantiated in this respect bythe fact that the work is written in thedelicate spidery glyphs of a tongue usedon the upper outer planes, for the Wan-derer was the only resident of TikkunShalom to know this language at that time.The Wanderer did acknowledge a second-ary source: Acheulea, an Arch-Mage fromthe para-elemental plane of Magma, whowas a long-time associate of Tymessul andoften accompanied Tymessul on his voy-ages to the outer planes.

Previous to his disappearance, Tymessulwas renowned for his prolonged trips tothe outer planes, for his founding of thealliance of Green Mages, and for the spellshe had researched and perfected (some ofwhich are written in the Enchiridion).Indeed, his castle, whose magical defensesremain unbreached to this day, is rumoredto contain numerous powerful magicalitems and artifacts from the outer planeswhich he collected during the decades ofhis voyaging, and must also contain sev-eral previously unknown spells. Further-more, although the exact date of origin ofthe work is unknown, it is evident that theWanderer completed the scrolls at a timevery near his disappearance, for thescrolls contain many powerful spells, noneof which he is known to have used.

After Tymessul�s official disappearance(which may have occurred at a muchearlier date, but only became apparentwhen he failed to turn up for a meeting ofthe Green Mages), the enchiridion wasexamined by his colleagues, the GreenMages. The group is largely a neutral one,dedicated to the preservation of the natu-ral order on the Prime Material plane, andthe use of the combined magicks of magesand druids toward this end. Accordingly,the group worked closely with the SorrowSea druids in the southern part of Shalom,where the Green Mages are also located. Itwas in the joint library that the twogroups maintain that the Enchiridion ofTravel ended up, as did the rest of Tymes-sul�s works, when his disappearance wasacknowledged.

This work apparently remained in thatlibrary until it was loaned to the secretivemonks of Saint Shastri, who wished toexamine the documents for clues thatmight help them in their private battleagainst the demon Nuckalavee (this almost350 years after Tymessul disappeared).While the monks were examining the firsttwo scrolls and consulting with Ghulam, aHierophant of the Cabal allied with theSorrow Sea Druids, a ball of bright redlight, 2� in diameter, appeared in the room,scooped up the scrolls and the box, anddisappeared with them. The Green Magesquickly instituted a magical search for thescrolls, which failed to turn up anything.Ghulam later speculated that it was

DRAGON 67

Acheulea who abruptly took the scrolls tohelp his friend, but this theory must re-main purely speculation, for neither Ty-messul or Acheulea have been heard fromin the intervening decade.

Fortunately, the contents of the workare well documented by several of themembers of the Green Mages who hadoccasion to study the scrolls during thetime they were in their library. The notesof the Green Mages clearly show that thescrolls contained in the work were of thetype that Tymessul favored. The scrollsalso contain most of his major researches,to which he devoted much time in orderthat he could continue the love of his life:traveling to ever more exotic locations.From their notes then, it is apparent thatthe first two scrolls were filled entirelywith text on the methods of traveling tothe outer planes and with various warn-ings and pieces of advice for planar trav-elers. The next two scrolls containnumerous spells used for traveling of allsorts, including all of the following, instandard form and written in Common:astral spell, blink, dimension door, fly,gate, levitate, mount, succor, teleport,teleport without error, and Tymessul�scerulean traverse (unique spell). The finalscroll of the collection contains the spellsthat Tymessul found particularly usefulduring his travels, all of which are writtenin Common but are otherwise in standardform: airy water anti-magic shell, fireball,Leomund�s secure shelter, sink, and Ty-messul�s planar pacifier (unique spell,apparently a gift from Acheulea).

The two unique spells described in theEnchiridion of Travel are as follows:

Tymessul�s Cerulean Traverse(Alteration/Enchantment)Level: 9 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 3 rounds

L e t t e r sContinued from page 5

vampires, probably because my friends alwaystalked me into being Dracula when we playedvampire when I was a kid. I just want to men-tion that Anne Rice does not have the monopolyon undead psychology. Sunglasses After Dark,by Nancy Collins, is an amazing book in which afull range of demons, undead, and half-breeds isexplored. If you could never imagine a �socialvampire,� read this book.

Eleanor KincaidBerkeley CA

When I was a kid, my friends always talked meinto being either Godzilla or a Tyrannosaurus rexwhen we played. I love dinosaurs to this day, andit�s rubbed off on my son. It�s good to hear fromsomeone else who has �a sort of sympathy� for a particular monster. I wonder what critters otherreaders have sympathies for. . . .

68 FEBRUARY 1991

Duration: 1 day/lvl. ST: NoneAE: The caster plus special

When a mage invokes this powerfulenchantment, he enables himself and alimited number of companions to journeythrough space and across planar bounda-ries. The caster may affect one companionfor every six levels he possesses, in addi-tion to himself (all fractions roundeddown). For example, a 23rd-level magecould cast the spell upon himself and threecompanions.

Each recipient of the spell must holdhands with the caster for the entire timethat the spell is being cast, or be a part ofa circle that includes the recipients andthe caster. Any interruption of the circlewill ruin the spell. Once the dweomer iscast, the individuals affected by the spellmay separate, though the recipients mustrejoin in a circle if they wish to cross anyplanar boundaries. Although there is nosaving throw against a cerulean traverse,it will not work on an unwilling or uncon-scious subject; if this is tried, the entirespell will be ruined for all involved.

The prime function of the traverse is toallow the mage and his companions tomove to other planes, as if they hadpassed through a small, personalized gate.Each planar boundary that is crossed,through the power of the traverse, mustbe crossed by all the subjects of the spellin unison. Concentration must also bemaintained for one round while the planarboundary is crossed. Each planar bound-ary so crossed reduces the duration of thespell by one day. Furthermore, whileunder the influence of this spell, no per-son may cross a planar boundary by anymeans other than the traverse, includingwish, gate, a well of the worlds, or eventhrough the presence of an artifact.

This spell grants certain lesser powersthat may be utilized by the recipients,with no need to stay in a circle. Theseactions include the ability to fly, as per themage spell fly, and the ability to enter intogaseous form at will (along with all equip-ment) and move thus at three times thenormal movement rate. A person in gas-eous form is extremely hard to damage,not being subject to most magical attackforms and virtually all physical attacks,but may not cross a magic circle or anti-magic shell.

The use of this spell in no way guaran-tees the safety of its users once they reachtheir destination, and will in no way pro-tect them from any damage they may takeduring their journey or while they are ona foreign plane. The material componentsof the spell are a circular platinum chainlarge enough for all who are to be affectedby the spell to grasp, which must cost aminimum of 10,000 gp for each person thespell-caster wishes to enchant, and at least1,000 gp of powdered emerald for eachsubject, to be sprinkled in a circle enclos-ing the subjects. The chain is not con-sumed by the spell, but the powderedemerald is.

Tymessul�s Planar Pacifier(Alteration/Evocation)Level: 9 Components: VMRange: Touch CT: 1 per objectDuration: 1 wk./lvl. ST: NoneAE: 1 object per 6 levels of the caster

The casting of a planar pacifier by amage enables some types of magical itemsto operate normally while being used on aforeign plane. The magical items a planarpacifier may affect include only thoseitems that have �pluses� �e.g., swords,shields, armor, rings and cloaks of protec-tion (but not bracers of defense), luck-stones, and so on. The protection extendsacross one planar boundary for everythree levels of the mage casting the spell.While the objects so enchanted remainwithin this limit, they operate at theirnormal strength. Thus, a shield +4 takento the first layer of the Nine Hells is still+4 in strength. However, once the object

becomes farther removed than this fromits plane of origin, it will lose one �plus�for each additional plane it crosses, overand above the limit imposed by the level ofthe caster. Thus, if an 18th-level wizardwere to protect a sword +4, the swordwould remain +4 on the Astral plane andon the first five layers of the Nine Hells; onthe sixth layer, it would be reduced to +3;on the seventh, +2; the eighth, +1; and iftaken to the ninth layer, it would lose allmagical power as long as it remains there.

The spell-caster loses 1 hp for each itemhe protects with a planar pacifier invest-ing this hit point as a bit of energy fromthe Prime Material plane which surroundsthe object and simulates Prime Materialplane conditions for the object. Further-more, the mage may protect only half asmany items as he has constitution points(even if he casts the pacifier multipletimes). The mage may regain his lost hitpoints simply by touching the enspelleditems within one day of the end of thedweomer. If the magic is dispelled orotherwise removed from the item (e.g., bymeans of Mordenkainen�s disjunction or arod of cancellation), the hit points arepermanently lost and may be regainedonly by means of a wish. The pacifiercannot be removed by dispel magic, butmore powerful magicks may dispel it.

Magical items from other planes may beprotected in a similar manner, but only ifthe caster comes from the same plane asthe item to be protected, or is able toexpend a wish to enhance the pacifier'spower (which will also make the pacifierpermanent). In any case, the spell willwork only if cast while on the item�s planeof origin. The material components of thisspell are a drop of the caster�s blood and5,000 gp worth of powdered diamond foreach item to be protected. Both substancesare consumed when the spell is cast.

Appearance: The Codex of Contentionis a small magical volume, 6� long and 3�wide. Both covers and the spine of thebook are fashioned from burnished andoiled shadow wood, which still possesses adull gray shine despite the books antiq-uity. On the inside is a spine made ofleather, glued to the wooden spine, towhich are sewn 28 pages of high qualityvellum. The corners of the covers arereinforced by silver corner caps. Silverhinges attach the covers to the spine, andboth covers are joined together on theright side by a silver clasp with a simplelock on it, which was broken the last timethe book was examined. The symbol ofMylsibis (a red rose) has been scribed onthe cover with crimson lacquer.

History and description: The Codexof Contention was first mentioned in his-tory when the elven sage Anfiel acknowl-edged its existence in his diary 82 yearsago, after visiting the mage Mylsibis. Anfieldied shortly thereafter under mysteriouscircumstances. No other known recordexists from that time that describes thebook. Mylsibis seems to have shown it tono other, and none of her six apprenticesever mentioned seeing the text. Two yearslater, following the death of her friendAnfiel, Mylsibis journeyed north to fight alich�Atropos, master of the mages of theBlack Circle, and conjectured to be anavatar�who had reunited the forces ofthe Circle after several hundred years ofinactivity. Mylsibis was convinced thatAtropos was involved in the death of An-fiel, and she vowed to avenge her friendsdeath and bring down the much hated andfeared Black Circle.

Mylsibis met the lich in a sorcerousbattle, bested him in the previouslyunheard-of Arcane Contention, and scat-tered the remains of the alliance of evil

ylsibis� Codex of Cotention

mages. She returned to her tower inWraith Vale to heal from her wounds, butwas surprised by the Shadowflight assas-sins of Urckene, hired by the remnants ofthe Black Circle, and she fell under theirpoisonous blades. The Codex of Conten-tion vanished after her death and was notamong the works recorded by her appren-tices as being in her library.

Three decades later, the work was ap-parently seen by the bard Vadour in thelibrary of the oracle at Starfall, though thesighting was never verified. Vadour re-turned to �liberate� the book but could notfind it. Twelve years after this, the bookwas found among other treasures in thelair of the red dragon Sthicyns, after themighty worm was brought down by adwarven war party from the EmeraldMountains assembled for that purpose.The dwarves apparently retained posses-sion of the book for nearly a century, untilrecently when the dwarven king gave thebook to the mysterious figure named theMountain Mage (thought by some to be adwarf) in return for his services in fash-ioning a new magical throne for the dwarfking. The Mountain Mage is believed tostill possess the book.

The court magist of the dwarf kingrenders a complete description of thebook, a copy of which was sent to theSestarian Imperial University. The magistclaims that the book set forth many greatoffensive incantations, seemingly all thatMylsibis knew. The book also apparentlycontained a scrap of papyrus upon whichMylsibis had hastily written down a newspell, balance, that she had just finishedresearching. The other spells were all setdown in standard form, one per page, andincluded: burning hands, Bigby�s clenchedfist, Bigby�s crushing hand, Bigby�s forcefulhand, Bigby�s grasping hand, Bigby�s inter-

posing hand, chain lightning, cone of cold,cloudkill, crystalbrittle, delayed blast fire-ball, energy drain, eyebite, feeblemind,fireball, ice storm, incendiary cloud, light-ning bolt, magic missile, Melfs acid arrow,Melf�s minute meteors, meteor swarm,Mylsibis� arcane contention (unique spell),Otiluke�s freezing sphere, power wordblind, power word stun, ray of enfeeble-ment, and shocking grasp.

The two unique spells found in Mylsibis�Codex of Contention follow.

Balance (Enchantment)Level: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 2Duration: 2 rds./lvl. ST: NoneAE: 1 person

When a mage casts a balance spell, heenables a person to balance on one orboth feet in a precarious position wherethat person would otherwise fall. Thus,the mage or a companion may walk atightrope, cross a narrow or unstableledge, or fight near the edge of a cliff withno fear of falling. Any unhindered balanc-ing action requiring a dexterity check willautomatically pass. This spell does notmodify the recipient�s armor class, fight-ing, missile bonuses, or climbing bonuses,though no penalties to these factors aretaken from balancing. If other factors areintroduced, such as being pushed, injured,or exposed to high winds, the recipientmust make a dexterity check on 1d20,with a 20 indicating failure (otherwise, therecipient is assumed to simply move hisbody to recover from the force exerted onhim). The material component of the spellis the hoof of a mountain goat, which isreusable.

Mylsibis� Arcane Contention(Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion/Phantasm)Level: 9 Components: V,S,MRange: 10�/level CT: SpecialDuration: Special ST: SpecialAE: Special

When a mage or pair of mages un-leashes the spell of arcane contention,they enter into a magical duel of extreme efficacy and potentially catastrophic ef-fects for the participants. The arcanecontention creates twin phantasmal crea-tures of awesome size, controlled by theparticipants, which vie magically andphysically to determine a victor. The spellhas been used historically primarily as ameans for settling disputes between pow-erful mages, and as a device to keep thedevastating forces mages wield againsteach other limited in effect to the magesinvolved. At the same time, the contentionwill not significantly reduce the magicalarsenal of the victor, and is also useful inits capacity to inspire awe or fear amongany onlookers.

When the contention is initially entered,only one mage needs to have memorizedthe spell of contention, although bothparticipants may do so. If only one mage

DRAGON 69

has memorized the spell, or if but one ofthe dueling mages undertakes to cast thespell, that mage must initially issue chal-lenge to his opponent, The challengingmage must then cast the first part of thespell, including the challenge. A challengemay be issued to any mage within therange of the normal vision of the chal-lenger (thus, items such as a crystal ball oreyes of the eagle may not be employed),regardless of intervening magical barriersor mundane obstacles that would other-wise prevent the opponent from hearingthe challenge. The challenge may then beaccepted or denied by the opponent.

If the challenge is accepted, the magewho is challenged to the contention mustcast at least 10 spell levels of spells (e.g.,one eighth-level spell and one second-levelspell, or five second-level spells), or re-spond by casting an arcane contentionspell himself. All of these spells are ab-sorbed to power the contention, and noneof their normal effects manifest in anyway whatsoever. Once the mage has ac-cepted the challenge, he must make allpossible effort to cast the spells as soon aspossible; if he delays, he will find himselfcompelled to cast the necessary levels ofspells. When the mage whoh has beenchallenged completes the casting of therequisite spell levels, the arcane conten-tion proper is joined.

If the opponent desires to deny thechallenge, he must make a saving throwvs. spells to avoid being inadvertantlydrawn into the contention. If his savingthrow is successful, he may ignore thechallenge, and the spell will be lost fromthe challenger�s mind. If he fails his savingthrow, however, he is automatically drawninto the contention and is compelled tocast the necessary spell levels to power thecontention. If two mages simultaneouslycast Mylsibis� arcane contention, or if onemage casts the spell in response to an-other�s challenge (instead of casting 10levels of spells), then no saving throwapplies for either mage, and the conten-tion must be joined without further delay.

Once the arcane contention properbegins, both mages become immobile andabsolutely vulnerable. Thus, although thehonor of most creatures will prevent themfrom attacking the vulnerable mage (muchas they would not throw an axe at theback of a dueling fighter), it is best for amage to be in a friendly territory whenthe contention begins or to have preparedsome form of magical defense. As the duelbegins, each mage must choose a monstertype to represent him in the battle. Anymonster may be chosen, but it must be amonster that the mage has observed be-fore or has read or heard about in detail.The monster cannot be one that the magehas only heard about in passing or fromlegend. The monster does not. need to beof the same alignment as the mage, but itcannot be a unique being or specific indi- vidual. Once both mages have selectedtheir �champion monster,� an insubstantial

70 FEBRUARY 1991

phantasm (apparently �real� to observers)of each monster forms, at 10 times thecreature�s normal size (which affects ap-parent size, number of hit dice, and otherapplicable factors by a factor of 10, exceptdamage per attack, which is but threetimes normal). Hit points are rolled for themonsters, and 2 hp are added to eachmonster�s total for each level of the con-trolling mage.

Each champion monster that is createdhas several abilities it may use during thecontention. Primary among these is theability to cast spells as the mage control-ling it can, with the actual type and levelof spells available to the champion corres-ponding to those currently memorized bythe mage controlling it (material spellcomponents are not needed, and the mon-sters may not learn Mylsibis� arcane con-tention). The magical monsters are in allother respects identical to the stock fromwhich they are envisioned, including as-pects such as special abilities, resistances,intelligence, immunities, and so on, andhence may draw on these often considera-ble powers during the combat. Fortu-nately, the magical monsters may damageonly each other, whether the damage iscaused by weapons, natural weaponry, orspells, and may take damage from onlyanother phantasmal monster created byan arcane contention spell.

The champion monsters proceed to dobattle with each other, under the directionof the controlling mages, who select whichtype of attack the monsters will make andthe spells they will cast. All movements, to-hit rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, etc.,are made exactly as they would be for anormal battle. During the battle, eachmage must maintain his concentration, orcontrol of his monster will be lost duringthe interruption. If �uncontrolled,� a mon-ster may attack only physically (i.e., itcannot employ spells unless the magemaintains concentration).

Each monster may not attempt to endthe battle prematurely by using spells orphysical movement to leave, and may notwillingly move out of sight of the oppo-nent or either of the controlling mages.The battle is concluded when one monsterdies as a result of damage accrued fromthe other monster.

The efficacy of the monsters is not to-tally predetermined by the conditionsmentioned, and each mage may affect thecondition or effectiveness of his phantasmin one of several ways, though at consider-able loss to himself in many cases. The hit-point total of the monsters may beincreased by channeling hit points fromthe controlling mage to the phantasm, at adirect one-to-one ratio, for hit pointsgained per hit points lost. Also, the dam-age caused by spells or other attacks castby the phantasms may be increased instrength if the mage is willing to suffer aloss of ability-score points. The mage mayuse all of his ability scores for this pur-pose; every point so sacrificed increases

the damage of the attack by 1 hp. Lostability-score points are regained at therate of one every two rounds for eachability below normal. This loss of abilitypoints is only illusory, but no score may bereduced below zero; if any score is at zeroat the end of the battle, the mage will die.

Additionally, the mages involved mayalso influence the monsters by expendingcharges from any magical items they pos-sess. Each charge so used may increasethe monster�s hit-point total by 1 hp, orincrease the amount of damage done in anattack by 1 hp. Any healing that the magereceives during the contention may op-tionally be applied to his champion, withthe exception of a heal spell. Magical heal-ing so received by the monster becomesineffective once more than twice the mon-ster�s original number of hit points hasbeen received in total.

For example: A mage with 56 hp wishesto increase the hit-point total of his mon-ster (which currently has 200 hp) by 40hp. The mage�s new total will be 16 hp,and the monster�s new total will be 240.The mage also has a strength of 16 and aconstitution of 17. If the champion mon-ster is directed to cast a fireball spell thatwould normally do 67 hp damage, themage may opt to reduce both his strengthand constitution scores by 10 to 6 and 7,respectively, and have the monster cause87 hp damage to its opponent (savingthrow applicable). Much later, the monsteris severely wounded and has but 42 hpremaining. The mage drinks a potion ofextra-healing and opts to use half of the 20hp he gains to heal himself, bringing histotal up to 26 hp, and the monster�s hit-point total up to 52.

When the battle is concluded, bothphantasms vanish, and the mage whosechampion has lost the battle (i.e., is thefirst monster to die) takes damage equal toone-tenth of the total number of hit pointsin damage his champion suffered (nosaving throw), and loses from memory allthe spells his champion cast during thebattle. The victor of the arcane contentionloses one-twentieth of the total hit-pointdamage his champion suffered, but doesnot lose any spells from his memory (be-sides Mylsibis� arcane contention, ofcourse). The victor also gains experiencepoints equal to half the experience-pointvalue of the vanquished mage. Addition-ally, enemies of the victor under 2 HD whoviewed the battle must make moralechecks or suffer from the effects of a fearspell, and those of 2-4 HD must makesaving throws vs. spells or suffer from theeffects of a scare spell. All those friendlyto the victor gain a bonus of +1 on theirnext morale check, applied during aBATTLESYSTEM� supplement or D&DCompanion Set �War Machine� battle.

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

This month, the sage considers a fewproblems that have stymied AD&D® gamereferees and players. All page referencesherein refer to the AD&D 2nd Editionvolumes.

In what order do the volume of theMonstrous Compendium go?

In any order you want. Volumes I and IIcontain �basic� monsters, ones you�d findin just about any campaign. The remainingvolumes contain creatures that are pri-marily associated with specific settings,such as the WORLD OF GREYHAWK®campaign or the Oriental Adventureslands. Some or all the monsters in thesevolumes might be found in other settings.The Monstrous Compendium�s loose-leafformat is intended to allow DMs to orga-nize the creatures in any way they see fit.

What happens to characters whoare thrown into a state of shockbecause of some ghastly happening?How would you use ability checksor saving throws to determine if acharacter would be subject to such astate in the first place?

This is up to the DM. The simplest wayto handle this would be to have the af-fected character save vs. paralyzation,adjusted for wisdom. The effects of afailed save would vary with the situation,but the morale rules in the Dungeon Mas-ter�s Guide (pages 69-72) should give you afew ideas. The RAVENLOFT� boxed set(TSR product #1053) contains completerules for dealing with fear and horror; seechapter 4 of the RAVENLOFT booklet.

72 FEBRUARY 1991

by Skip Williams

In the RAVENLOFT adventure RA1Feast of Goblyns, the scale on theHarmonia map is listed as 1� equals250 miles, making a trip from oneside of town to the other a long jour-ney indeed. Likewise, the detailmaps of Homlack and Skald arescaled at 125 miles per inch and 300miles per inch, respectively. Whatare the real scales?

The scales for each map should be mea-sured in feet, not miles.

Would a ring of free action negatethieving penalties for wearingheavy armor? Would it allow a wiz-ard to cast spells while wearingarmor? Would it allow an armoredcharacter to move at full (12) rate?Can the wearer swim?

A ring of free action protects its wearerfrom magical effects that hinder or immo-bilize, and allows the wearer to functionunderwater without hindrance due towater resistance. It does not negate en-cumbrance penalties, nor does it allowcharacters to ignore armor restrictionsdue to character class (not even thieves). Itis important to note that magic in theAD&D game is specific and specialized;collateral effects, even those suggested bylogic, usually do not occur. While a charac-ter wearing a ring of free action can ig-nore the effects of an entangle spell, thewearer is not granted the ability to freelymove through underbrush as can a druid.Likewise, there is no reason to assumethat the wearer cannot float or swim inwater. (On the other hand, individual DMsmight rule that this is the case, and thusgive the character a new problem to thinkabout while adventuring in or near thewater.) The wearer of a ring of free actionwould be immune to attacks from a ropeof entanglement, but could be physicallyrestrained and bound with any normalrope. Note that the ring also does notempower the wearer to ignore barrierssuch as normal walls or a forcecage spell.

Is there a limit to the thickness andstrength of the welds or rivets aknock spell can break? Could thespell break a welded link of a mas-sive chain holding up a bridge?

Could it pop a rivet out of a battle-ship?

A knock spell cannot do either of thethings you have described. The spell opensclosures; it does not destroy structures. Ifa closure that can be opened by a knockspell (doors, lids; shackles, etc.) is sealedwith a weld or rivet, the spell will breakthe weld or rivet, provided that the clo-sure is not larger than the spells area ofeffect. For example, a pair of handcuffsriveted shut will pop open when knocked.Note that the spell description (see thePlayer�s Handbook, page 143) does notspecifically mention rivets, but theseshould not be allowed to provide an easyway around knock spells. However, asingle rivet is one �means of preventingegress.� A single knock spell pops tworivets sealing an opening.

Does a dual-classed character re-ceive a new set of initial proficien-cies when switching to a new class?

This is up to the DM, but I suggest not. Acharacter�s initial proficiencies reflectwhat he has learned during his nonadven-turing career. Switching to a new classdoes not bring about a fresh wave ofknowledge. Also, since the rules allow acharacter to switch classes multiple timesif he qualifies (see the PHB, page 45), youwill begin to encounter game balanceproblems as characters gain multiple�loads� of initial proficiencies. Dual-classedcharacters do, however, have to learn anew way of doing things when embarkingon a new class, and should be given atleast one new weapon proficiency (andone nonweapon proficiency if the cam-paign uses them) when starting the newclass. Otherwise, the character is quitelikely to be miserably unprepared to pur-sue his new vocation.

I�ve heard rumors of a HarpersTrilogy as part of the FORGOTTENREALMS� book series. What do youknow about it?

There will indeed be a Harpers series,with at least three books. The first book,Parched Sea by Troy Denning, will bereleased in July 1991; the second book, ElfShadow by Elaine Cunningham, is sched-uled for October 1991; and the third book,Red Magic by Jean Rabe, is scheduled forNovember 1991.

Exploring new gamingdimensions

©1990 by Jim Bambra

The choices of role-playing game back-grounds were once restricted to fantasyand science fiction. Over the years, newbackgrounds appeared until it becamepossible to play almost any setting imagi-nable. SJG�s GURPS* game was designed toallow game masters and player charactersto adventure in any role-playing settingusing the same set of rules. The basicsystems of the GURPS game have provento be very adaptable to a wide variety ofgaming worlds, as shown by the manycampaign supplements (�worldbooks�)available. With the GURPS game, it�s possi-ble to have horror role-playing one weekand costumed super heroes the next.

Other game designers have taken adifferent approach when it comes to creat-ing their game worlds. FASA�s SHADOW-RUN* game has successfully blended thegrim world of cyberpunk with fantasyraces and magic. GDW�s SPACE 1889*system took Victorian Europe and mixed itwith spaceships and steam-age technologyto create a setting in which adventurerscould explore the worlds of Mars andVenus. TSR�s SPELLJAMMER� supplementexpanded the AD&D® game by makingspace travel and alien worlds part of thatgame�s universe. These different ap-proaches have a lot to recommend them,and have expanded the boundaries of role-playing by making new experiences availa-ble to players and GMs.

This month, we take a look at two gamesthat further expand the options and set-tings available. West End Games� TORG*game sets out to create a system andbackground that facilitates and encour-ages characters to move betweengenres. And Palladium Books� RIFTS*game blends elements of horror,science-fiction, and fantasy into asatisfying future Earth setting.

TORG* gameCross-genre role-playing gameWest End Games $30.00144-page perfect-bound rulebook, 80-page

worldbook, 48-page adventure book,16-page newsletter, deck of 156 cards,and 1d20

Design: Greg GordenAdditional design: Douglas Kaufman, Bill

Editing: Douglas Kaufman, Bill Slavicsek,

Slavicsek, Chris Kubasik, Ray Win-ninger, Paul Murphy, Jonatha AriadneCaspian, Michael Stern

Cover illustration: Daniel HorneInterior illustrations: Timothy Bradstreet,

Paul Murphy

Bob Dvorak, Rick Harris, Francis Mao,Alan Jude Summa, Valerie Valusek, TimWright, Paul Jaquays

Background: It�s Earth, 1990, but it�snot Earth as we know it. Powerful beingsfrom beyond time and space, known asHigh Lords, have invaded our world andaltered reality to suit their own nefariouspurposes. Britain, Ireland, and Scandinaviahave been changed into a fantasy reality;France has fallen beneath the sway of theCyberpope and his Inquisitors; NorthAmerica has been invaded by dinosaur-riding lizardmen; Japan has come underthe influence of the Kanawa Corporation;Indonesia is now home to demons, ghouls,and other denizens of a horror realm; andEgypt has been transformed into a pulp-fiction reality, complete with ancient Egyp-tian deities.

Millions of people now live under thelaws of these widely differing realities.Many were transformed to match theirnew worlds; even more died when theseworlds exploded onto the Earth. A fewtranscended the titanic changes occurringaround them and became Storm Knights:characters capable of defending the Earthand even challenging the High Lords.These are the PCs of the MRG game.

Possibility energy is the key to the TORGgame. The High Lords seek to take asmuch of it as they can from the Earth andits inhabitants; eventually, they�ll leave adead and barren world behind. StormKnights thrive on possibility energy: Theyuse it to perform heroic feats, negatedamage, and improve their powers. Sowhat is it? Simply put, possibility energy(measured in �possibilities�) allows the

74 FEBRUARY 1991

limits of reality to be expanded or changedin extraordinary ways. With it, characterscan perform incredible actions andemerge unscathed from dangers thatwould kill lesser mortals.

The High Lords seek to expand the landsunder their control to gain more possibil-ity energy from the inhabitants. But theHigh Lords are far from united. Eachstrives to seize as much possibility energyas he can and use it to make himself theTorg, a godlike figure with unlimitedpowers. Earth is rich in the possibilityenergy needed to achieve this goal, butcontaining and using it has been a majorproblem for the High Lords. None is pow-erful enough to do so alone, so they con-stantly vie with one another to become theall-powerful Torg.

Character generation: Characterdesign is quick and straightforward.Twenty-four character templates are pro-vided in the game, and more have ap-peared in two supplements (see �Short andsweet�). The characters are drawn mainlyfrom Earth, but some are from the worldsof the High Lords. Getting a templateready for action requires the spending ofskill points and figuring out how the vari-ous characters know each other. Remem-ber to note that you have 10 �possibilities�on the top of the sheet, and your charac-ter is ready to go.

Rules are also provided for how to de-sign templates from scratch, allowing GMsand players to design specific charactertypes. Here again, this is a relatively sim-ple and quick operation.

Game mechanics: The TORG game isheroic in nature and contains some inno-vative and neat features, notably theDrama Deck (more on that later) and rulesfor performing multiple actions.

The basic system is simple enough, but ittakes a bit of getting used to. To performan action, roll 1d20, check the result onthe bonus line (printed at the bottom ofthe character sheet), and apply the num-ber to the relevant skill value. Modifiersvary from - 12 to +13 or higher. A lowroll usually results in failure; high rolls canbe spectacular successes. If a PC rolls a 10or a 20, he gets to roll again and add theresult to his first roll; he then continuesrolling as long as he keeps rolling 10s or20s. The final total is then checked againstthe bonus line to find the bonus number.But rolling high numbers is not all fromluck; a player can also spend a �possibility�on any roll. This gives him an additionalroll of the 1d20, with a roll of 1-9 countingas a 10.

At first, having to check the bonus linefeels odd, but the payoffs in the open-ended nature of the system are well worththe initial teething troubles. In the TORGgame, heroes can valiantly hold off hordesof attackers, perform dramatic actions,and generally enjoy themselves in thetradition of heroic fiction and movies. But,there is a drawback to all this open-endedfast action: Possibilities are also used as

experience points to increase skills, buynew ones, and improve attributes. Playershave to balance burning possibilities dur-ing the course of a game with the need tolater use possibilities for characterprogression.

The open-ended nature of the TORGgame allows widely varying technologicallevels to be included in an easy and con-vincing manner. The game�s logarithm-based attribute scale is used to measuretime, distance, weight, strength, etc.Switching between the attribute scale andreal-world values requires some chartchecking, but the benefits gained far out-weigh the effort. Using this scale, it ispossible to determine the damage causedby a dagger as well as that of an orbitallaser system, without having to deal withridiculously large numbers.

Magical and clerical abilities are alsoneatly handled and fit into the system witha minimum of fuss. As part of the multi-genre experience, fantasy wizards rubshoulders with modern-day Catholicpriests and wired cyberpunks.

The TORG game system is also slick in itsmechanics for allowing characters toperform multiple actions and for allowingthe GM to easily handle the actions oflarge numbers of NPCs with only one dieroll. Both of these require some chartchecking, but (as noted elsewhere) thetime it takes to check a chart is more thanoffset by the benefits gained. With theserules, a heroine can swing over a bottom-less pit, fire her submachine gun at thegoons on the other side, snatch up a help-less male prisoner, and swing back tosafety. Similarly, 20 bad guys firing at theheroes can be broken down into fourgroups of five, or two groups of 10, etc.,with one roll made for each group. Thebad guys combine their chances of hittingand gain a commensurate increase indamage inflicted if their attack succeeds.This avoids the need for GMs to rollendless numbers of dice while the playerstwiddle their thumbs.

Drama Deck: This deck of 156 cards isused for a wide variety of purposes. Itdetermines initiative, adds setbacks andsurprises for PCs and NPCs alike, lets theplayers alter die rolls, allows players toaffect the way an adventure�s story de-velops, and also confuses the hell out ofpeople at first. The cards basically workwell, but it takes time to get used to them.

The various rules for getting the DramaDeck into play and what to do with thecards once they are played means thatextensive rulebook flipping is in order thefirst few times the cards are used. Onceplayers settle into the game�s mechanicsand become more comfortable with whatthe cards do, the cards fit neatly into andenhance the flow of the game.

It is quite possible to play the TORGgame without using the cards, but playersand GMs will be cutting down on theiroptions by doing so. With these cards, aPC can perform spectacular stunts, fall in

Worldbook: So far, we�ve looked atonly the main rulebook. The Worldbookcontains basic information on the courseof the invasions and on each of the genresinvolved. The genre-specific information isnecessarily sketchy; each genre is sched-uled to be more fully described and devel-oped in a supplementary sourcebook. Fornow, only a brief appetizer for each realmis provided. To fully exploit the potential ofeach genre, the GM must purchase thevarious supplements or do his own exten-sive development.

Adventure Book: Here we get to seehow the designers think a TORG gamesession should be run, as well as seehandy tips on to be a good GM. It alsoincludes a combat-heavy introductoryadventure that fakes the PCs into threedifferent genres. As a piece of heroic

Crossing genres: Okay, we�ve got asystem that lets you move between genresand actively encourages characters fromdifferent backgrounds to adventure to-gether. So how does it all work? Each ofthe seven genres (including unalteredEarth) are defined by axioms that deter-mine their levels of technology, magic,spiritual power, and social systems. Theaxioms determine how easy it is to usevarious abilities, items, and equipment ineach genre. If a genre does not supporthigh-tech equipment, a character using alaser pistol might create a contradictionand disconnect from his own reality. If acharacter is disconnected, he becomeslimited by the genre�s axioms until thecharacter succeeds in reconnecting withhis own reality�s axioms. The mechanicsfor this are integrated into the game�sbasic systems and come into effect only onvery low rolls of the die. This makes ad-venturing in a different genre than one�sown fraught with danger for the charac-ters, but avoids the need to resort to com-plicated game mechanics to handle it.

The TORG game is also suited to adven-turing in only one genre. Because the basicsystem is so adaptable, it is quite possibleto base all the adventures in the pulpreality of the Nile Empire or the distortedcyberpunk theocracy of the Cyberpapacy.Characters need never leave their owngenre if the players and GM desire. Thismakes the TORG game a strong contenderas a multisystem role-playing game, muchlike the GURPS game. Where the TORGgame scores is in its heroic backgroundand systems, and in the way that differentgenres can be visited in a single gamesession.

love with an NPC, escape from hopelesssituations, be mistaken for someone else,have an arch-enemy appear, and partici-pate in other standard plot staples of pulpand heroic fiction. The advantages to theGM are that the cards set the tone foreach round of combat by determininginitiative, giving round-by-round bonusesor penalties, and making each round morethan just a simple �shoot them dead�exercise.

DRAGON 75

fiction, the adventure plays well providedthat players willingly follow the simplelinear plot.

Infiniverse: Finally, we have issue oneof the Infiniverse newsletter, which con-tains various adventure ideas, NPC charac-ters, and new creatures. West End Gameshopes that GMs. and players will subscribeto future issues of the newsletter ($25 for12 issues) and also send in information onhow their various adventures go. WestEnd Games plans to use this information todetermine the future course of the Possi-bility Wars. How much impact individualgaming groups are going to have on thecompany�s campaign remains to be seen.

Presentation: The game�s presentationvaries; �some places are very clear, but re-readings are needed to grasp to what isbeing said in other areas. The artwork isalso variable, with some fine illustrationsand some very questionable ones, particu-larly where small artwork has been blownup to fill entire pages. However, consider-ing the amount of material contained inthe box, the graphic presentation isadequate.

Evaluation: The TORG game is a majoraddition to the role-playing games cur-rently available. Its systems are simpleenough to pick up quickly. Its adaptabilityto a variety of settings and genres makes ituseful to those who wish to travel fromgenre to genre, and for those who preferto keep settings separate and distinctwhile still running campaigns in a varietyof different backgrounds.

Whether West End Games� strategy ofproducing a game that encourages cross-genre role-playing appeals to you or not,the TORG game is high in game values andplayability. With the TORG game, you canset campaigns anywhere you like, confi-dent that the game�s mechanics can handlethe various backgrounds.

Comparisons between the GURPS andTORG games spring readily to mind. TheGURPS game sets out to be flexible andbased within the bounds of human abili-ties. Characters in GURPS games performas they do in the real world; death cancome easily. The TORG game creates andencourages larger-than-life heroes that cantake on all comers and still manage to win.Both games are readily adaptable to animmense variety of settings. Which one isthe best for players and GMs really de-pends on whether you�re a fan of realismor heroic adventure. The GURPS gamegives you human characters; the TORGgame gives you heroes capable of perform-ing impressive feats and shrugging offlarge amounts of damage. The TORG gameactively encourages you so mix genres; todate, the GURPS games has tended to keepits settings individual and distinct.

The TORG game and its supplements areavailable from: West End Games, RD 3,Box 2345, Honesdale PA 18431, U.S.A.

RIFTS� gameMultigenre role-playing game

76 FEBRUARY 1991

Palladium Books $24.95256-page perfect-bound book, including 16

pages of full-color platesDesign: Kevin SiembiedaEditing: Alex Marciniszyn, Thorn BartoldCover illustration: Keith ParkinsonInterior illustrations: Kevin Long, Keith

Parkinson, Adam Siembieda, KevinSiembieda, Larry McDougall

Background: The RIFTS game is setagainst a future history of Earth in whicha nuclear holocaust brought changes thatno one could have anticipated. The deathsof billions of people released vast amountsof psychic energy, which sped down theley lines that criss-crossed the Earth.Where the ley lines crossed each other,the energy tore through the fabric ofspace and time to create rifts: openings toother realities that released more energy,which further added to the destruction ofcivilization.

With the advent of these tremendouschanges, the power of magic increaseddramatically, as did inherent psionic ener-gies. Demons and beings from other di-mensions entered the Earth to prey on itshelpless inhabitants; other such beingscame looking to find worshipers to use aspawns in demonical schemes.

Technology was not totally destroyed inthe holocaust. Developments in bionicsand cybernetic enhancements continuedto be developed and refined in the blastedlandscape of future Earth. The result is aworld where practitioners of magic andtechnology co-exist in a nightmarish futurereality.

New powers have arisen from the ashesof the old world. The most prominent arethe Coalition States, ruled by the militaris-tic Emperor, Karl Prosek. The CoalitionStates� outlook is determinedly dictatorial,anti-magic, and anti-psionic. It possesseslarge amounts of high-tech equipment,including giant robots and powered com-bat armor. Ranged against it are numeroussmaller states that seek to preserve theirindependence, and many that activelyencourage magical and psionic research. Itis a time of struggles against tyranny anddemonic creatures. It makes for an in-triguing world, where various genrescoexist in a plausible and imaginativesetting.

Game mechanics: The RIFTS gameuses Palladium Books� tried and testedgame system, one that owes a lot to theestablished veterans of the gaming world:the AD&D and D&D® games. Charactersare rated by levels of experience, witheach new level bringing increased num-bers of hit points, enhanced combat abili-ties, and improvements in character skills.

Skills are rated on a percentile system,but combat is governed by the roll of 20-sided dice. Consequently, instead of rollingthe skill or less on percentile dice as withother skills, combat skills are in the formof adds that are used to increase the rollof 1d20 to see whether a hit is scored.

The system works reasonably well butlacks the smooth integration of gamemechanics found in the TORG and GURPSgames. The combat system is two-tiered,with two types of damage and protectionbeing covered by the game. The first iscalled Structural Damage Capacity andrefers to the kinds of damage caused byknives and firearms. Hit points are ratedon this scale. The other is Mega-Damage:the kind of damage that high-tech weap-ons such as rail guns deal out. One Mega-Damage point equals 100 StructuralDamage points. This means that charac-ters armed with Structural Damage weap-ons have no real chance of damaginganything protected by Mega-Damage ar-mor. Conversely, one hit from a Mega-Damage weapon is going to destroyanyone not wearing armor capable ofdealing with this kind of attack. It all addsup to two different ways of assessingcombat damage.

I also found reading and understandingthe system to be hard work. The orderingof information is confused and assumes, atfirst, more knowledge of the backgroundthan is provided in the opening sections.The widespread use of two- or three-letterabbreviations for skills and abilities madeit difficult to follow the explanations of thegame mechanics without constant page-turning to find out what they meant. Inplaces, the system�s mechanics are pre-sented in a confused manner. It took mequite a few re-readings before I was ableto grasp how combat was structured andhow the various systems fitted together.

The game is aimed at experienced role-players, who are presumably able andwilling to put in the effort needed. I don�thave any prior experience with previousgames from Palladium Books, so it�s possi-ble that their established audience willhave no problems with the presentation:They are going to know what they aregetting and need only the changes fromother games pointed out to them. The restof us have to be prepared to work outwhat is going-on and how to apply it inour games. Even so, the system does workand fuses magic, psionics, and high-technology together.

Character generation: Twenty-eightcharacter classes are available to players.The background descriptions are colorfuland informative, making it easy for play-ers to take on these roles. Additional gamerules for each character are provided tomake them distinct and to explain theirspecial abilities.

The characters are imaginative and looklike they would be fun to play. I particu-larly liked the Techno-Wizard, who usesmagic to create and power technologicaldevices, and the Line Walker, who usesley-line energy to power and enhance hismagical abilities. Another character ofnote is the Juicer, who is so hyped up ondrugs that he performs in a superhumanmanner but who is destined to burn him-self out in about six years unless he can

kick his addiction. Other characters in-clude: more standard wizards; Mind Melt-ers (psionics users); Coalition soldiers inpower armor; Dog Pack mutants, whosmell out psionics users; various lowlifes;Cyber Knights, who wander the landprotecting the weak and the innocentfrom oppression; and very young Dragons.Palladium Books plans to present addi-tional character classes in future supple-ments; among these will be more mutants,some beings that have come through therifts, and more human characters.

Character attributes are rolled using3d6, with bonuses available for characterswith high ability scores. Certain characterclasses further increase attributes, butthere is no real way of balancing out poorrolls, short of throwing the characteraway and rolling a new one. Once thebasic attributes are generated, a playerthen chooses his character class and notesequipment, starting skills, and initial hitpoints.

The characters are more powerful thanmost citizens, who lack Mega-Damageweapons and armor. However, given thedestructive capabilities of Mega-Damageweaponry, the system does not promoteheroic role-playing. Thought and carefulplanning are more often going to be thekey to survival, rather than reliance onhardware and magic.

GM support: The RIFTS game offerslittle in this department other than statingthat it is not a game for novices. The as-sumption is that if you�re an experiencedGM, all you need are some tables for gen-erating monsters quickly and a few NPCstats. Personally, I would have liked to seehow the designer envisaged RIFTS gamesbeing played, as well as seeing a fewpointers on how to start a campaign. Also,no introductory adventure is contained inthe rulebook, so until Palladium Bookspublishes them, GMs will have to work uptheir own.

Presentation: The graphic design of theRIFTS game is appealing, with the colorplates being used to good effect to show theworld and its inhabitants. The majority ofblack-and-white illustrations are equallyevocative, but a few are below standard.Graphically, it is an appealing package, butthe overall presentation is very much letdown by the ordering of the text.

Evaluation: Palladium Books appearsto be committed to supporting and ex-panding the RIFTS game world. New sup-plements are in preparation to addadditional background and to flesh outareas only briefly touched on in the rule-book. Its strengths lie in its bleak yet color-ful setting, where magic is combined withpsionics and high-tech equipment andweapons. Its game system is workable butless impressive than its setting. Given thesuccess of FASA�s SHADOWRUN game,which uses a similar combination of futurehistory and magic, the RIFTS game maywell sustain its initial popularity. Moreattention to the presentation of the basic

system and more GM support would go along way to making the RIFTS game moreaccessible, however.

The RIFTS game and its supplements areavailable from: Palladium Books, 5926Lonyo, Detroit MI 48210, U.S.A.

Short and sweetThe Living Land (a TORG game supple-

ment), by Christopher Kubasik. West EndGames, $18.00. This 128-page, perfect-bound book is the first sourcebook for theTORG game, and deals with the primitivereality imposed in parts of the UnitedStates and Canada by the lizardman HighLord, Baruk Kaah. It describes the courseof the invasion and the effects it has hadon North America, along with depictinglife in the Living Land. The religion of theEdeinos lizardmen is covered in detail,along with game rules specifically for usewithin the Living Land.

Although well written, the setting comesacross as a limited one. After getting lostin the deep mist of the Living Land a fewtimes and fighting rampaging lizardmen,its possibilities for adventure come acrossas fairly narrow.

The Nile Empire (a TORG game supple-ment), by Ray Winninger. West EndGames, $18.00. Fans of pulp adventureand the Indiana Jones movies will find thissupplement very much to their tastes.Within its 128 pages are descriptions ofthe 1930s reality of the Nile Empire andthe schemes of the mad Pharaoh, Dr.Mobius. In keeping with the setting, newpulp hero powers are introduced, alongwith ways of designing weird sciencegizmos (high-tech equipment built bybending the laws of science, rather thanfollowing them).

The range of adventures is also farlarger than in The Living Land. Characterscan wander the streets of Cairo or enterthe surrounding deserts, seeking to thwartthe schemes of Dr. Mobius and his unscru-pulous henchmen.

FAMILY BUSINESS* game. MayfairGames, Inc., $12.50. This fast-paced cardgame of mob violence is an ideal ending toan evening of role-playing when the ad-venture is finished but it�s too early to gohome. Deal out the cards and start puttingcontracts out on each others� mobsters.The winner, in this game for 2-6 players, isthe last one to have a mobster remainingin the game (i.e., alive). With most gameslasting 20 minutes, it�s fast, fun, and simpleenough to pick up quickly.

This game is available from MayfairGames Inc., P.O. Box 48539, Niles IL 60648,U.S.A.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

DRAGON 77

People unknown and places unheard ofby Marlys Heeszel

Welcome to a brief tour of people un-known, places unheard of, and probabili-ties unexplored. TSR� Books presents sixnew novels for 1991, each a distinctivejourney made possible only through theworld of the imagination.

Web of Futures (February) is TSR Books�first offering for 1991. Written by Jeffer-son P. Swycaffer, author of Warsprite (a1990 TSR release), Web of Futures tells thestory of Maddock O�Shaughnessy�bornliar, tavern-goer, and idle fisherman�whohas been mysteriously chosen for a specialmission: to save men�s lives, to collect theirsouls, and to roam the future.

Swycaffer has nine published novels tohis credit. A man who seldom is at a lossfor something to do, he has read well over2,000 science-fiction and fantasy books.When not reading, writing (to pen-pals in40 states and six foreign countries), andparticipating in his science-fiction club,S.T.A.R. San Diego, Swycaffer works as acomputer operator. He also participatesheavily in fanzines and is a mathematicsstudent at San Diego State University.Swycaffer says, �Web of Futures is a �dis-placed person� novel. . . . The protagonistfalls into a hole and wakes up in the fu-ture. Rip Van Winkle in the cyberpunk.era. It isn�t really a cyberpunk novel, ofcourse. It�s about people relating to peoplemore than it is about people relating tomachines. Anyone looking at the future,though, can�t help but see that machineswill be important:

From Web of Futures, we do a little timetravel of our own, from the imaginaryfuture into an equally imaginary past. Ournext stop is TSR�s second book for 1991,Sorcerer�s Stone (April), by L. Dean James.Here the Red Kings guard the magicalsword Kingslayer, so named because itonce killed its royal wielder. Only by theblue light of the Sorcerer�s Stone can themystical blade be controlled, and only oneyoung prince, the last of his line, can hopeto master them both in time to save hiskingdom and his life.

James, an author new to TSR, brings toher writing an active imagination. She saysthat as a child she �was the kid on theblock who got everyone in trouble. Brain-storming, my mother called it. Once, weeven carried home the under-padding forwall-to-wall carpet, which I nailed to ourfront lawn to create a nine-hole miniaturegolf course. My dads good golf clubs and

balls were employed in this venture�something I deeply regretted when he gothome from work. I think my parents wererelieved when, at nine, I began my firstnovel. This was a natural choice for mesince my mother wrote constantly, sellingarticles to local newspapers and smallmagazines. What she wanted most,though, was to sell a novel. She died with-out ever realizing that dream. But herdream lived on in me.�

James also has practical experience insurvival. As a homesteader in northernCalifornia, she built cabins, milked cows,chopped wood, mended fences, and more.She writes: �Though I was mostly happy, Iwas also mostly exhausted. I movedback to the Los Angeles area, but my timeup north had been well spent. Now I had awealth of characters and settings to bringto my fiction.�

From the young prince in Sorcerer�sStone, we move to a frustrated collegeprofessor in The Falcon Rises (June). Ac-cording to author Michael C. Staudinger,The Falcon Rises is a story that �dabbleswith the possibility of a world whereliterature and the story have real power toshape and control.� It is the story of themagical world of Kesh, where the DarkLord, Mordeth, has banned the use ofstorytelling for fear of its power. Throughmagical means, the Keshian Archmage hascalled from another dimension a hero tosave Kesh from an age of darkness, a herowho happens to look exactly like the de-feated Archmage. A dispirited Englishprofessor, Roy Arthre, is tossed unpre-pared into this world of magic and drag-ons where he is expected to master themagic and free the people from oppres-sion. Helping him are Mithra Roshanna,the widow of the murdered Archmage,and the armies of the Pradatha, protectorsof truth.

Staudinger, who has himself been anEnglish teacher, admits that The FalconRises is a book �born deep in the graygreen valleys of Washington State.� Afterusing a fantasy novel to teach his high-school students, he decided to write astory that included various aspects ofstorytelling and poetry, hoping that, withinthe framework of fantasy, students wouldbegin to appreciate the power of the wordin their lives.

The fourth book in TSR�s line-up for1991 is Token of Dragonsblood (August),

by Damaris Cole. It tells the story ofNoressa, who, because she is raised as acommoner, is unaware of her royal birth-right. Noressa�s mother, a powerful butdoomed queen, sends her to live in thecountry to keep her out of the reaches ofan aunt who has deadly intentions. WhenNoressa�s adoptive parents die, she is givenan amulet by an old woman who is herselfthen murdered. Answering the amulet�spowerful mental summons from the east,Noressa leaves her primitive home to findand fulfill her destiny.

Author Cole admits to being �a kid whorefused to grow up. I admit that I love thestimulation of being scared spitless by a

DRAGON 79

great monster or bawling my eyes outover a tragic romance or romping througha grand adventure with a band of good-hearted cutthroats. And it�s always morefun to take along some friends. Enter themagic of storytelling.

�And magic is the most fun of all, whichis why I write fantasy. I have been toldthat dragons, flying carpets, and snow-flake fairies are all impossibilities. Theworld is governed by rules. Rules keep usorganized, give us direction. But they canalso be stifling and unfair. So quite oftenwhile traveling that road of logic throughthe Forest of Life, magic is a little sideroad I take regularly. And I�m never disap-pointed by what I find when I�m lost in thewoods. . . . Just listening to people�on thebus, at a restaurant�can start ideas roll-ing. I can listen to a friend at work com-plain about his wife nagging. But what Iimagine is a foolish braggart lost in theenchanted forest tormented by an insidi-ous golgrak that twines and tanglesaround his legs, nipping at his heels.�

A firm believer in formal training foranyone who wants to be a writer, Coleadvises friends who want to write to finda class. She says that �writers need toknow craft as well as content. . . . If youcan�t tell the story right, no one is going tolisten. And for this writer, having a happyaudience is most satisfying.�

Far from the medieval setting of Dra-

gonsblood, our next stop on the 1991 TSRBooks tour finds us up in the sky. TheCloud People (October), by Robert B. Kelly,takes us to a floating world 12,000� abovea desert planet, Calferon. It is a world ofrugged landscapes created by a uniquesymbiosis of rock and plant. It is a worldwhose people have known strife, butnever war-until now. The prince and heirto the throne of Fief Karcan investigatesthe crash of a �flying machine� in theEastern Mountains, the setting from whichit is prophesied a savior will come. Thoughthe prince does not discover the pilot and�savior,� he learns that his father, away ona mission of state, has been captured bythe evil Lord Thyden. Now Thyden has hisfather�s family medallion, within which liesthe power that created their world. Onlyone person can open the medallion, how-ever: the savior. The search is on for themissing pilot.

Kelly says, �I was intrigued to write astory that was set in the clouds. Unfortu-nately the only way my characters couldwalk among the clouds was to be as lightas air themselves. In short: ghosts, spirits,or�God forbid�cartoon characters. ThenI started toying with the physics of lighter-than-air gases. I created a species of plantwhose closed buds, rather than flowers,would swell from the accumulation of thegases. All of a sudden I could make rockfloat. Now my characters could be flesh

and blood rather than spiritual. It was atthat point that the book became sciencefiction,

�I think a sense of mystery is importantin a novel because it engages the reader�sattention more. The Cloud People asks thereader to become a historian-sleuth andpiece together the past. I like to center themystery around a civilization itself. Themystery in The Cloud People is who, why,and how this floating world was created.Open the history books to page one and itis already there. Why were both the de-tails of and the reasons for its constructionhidden?�

Kelly balances a writing career with afull-time job and family commitments,dictating into a microcassette recorderwhile driving and jogging. He says, �I�mrediscovering my childhood through mythree children. Not so coincidentally, apart of the novel is an affirmation of thejoyous yet fragile bliss of fatherhood.�

From Kelly�s The Cloud People, we go toLightning�s Daughter (December), a sequelto TSR�s best-selling novel Dark Horse,both by Mary Herbert. Lightning�s Daugh-ter continues the story of the clanswomanGabria, who must come to terms with herunique magical ability and her role as astrong woman leader in a male-dominatedworld. The magic-blessed outcasts fromthe horse clans make Gabria their mentor,but before she can become their teacher,she must lead them against a magicalcreature bent on destroying the DarkHorse Plains. As Gabria seeks to controlthe evil, supernatural being who is tryingto destroy her, she must also try to showher people that magic itself is not the evil,heretical power they believe it to be.

Herbert says, �Writing Lightning�sDaughter has been quite different fromwriting Dark Horse. I wrote the first bookabout seven years ago before theonslaught of babies, diapers, and school.Now I have a deadline and I have to bal-ance my writing between two active chil-dren and their demands. It takes a greatdeal of mental juggling. I get so immersedin this world of clansmen, grasslands, andmagic, it�s sometimes difficult to return tothe normal world.� Lightning�s Daughter isHerbert�s second published novel, al-though she is in the process of publishinga young-adult fantasy and writing severalchildren�s books.

Lightning�s Daughter concludes ourpreview for this month. Look for this newline of TSR Books, beginning in February1991. You�ll see a new release every othermonth, beginning with Web of Futures.Each is a journey into a world that�s magi-cal, mythical, and mysterious. We hopeyou will enjoy reading them as much aswe�ve enjoyed choosing and preparingthem for you.

And be sure to check this column inApril, when �Novel Ideas� takes a look intothe future of DRAGONLANCE® saga booksfor 1991. Adventure awaits!

80 FEBRUARY 1991

DRAGON 81

�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.

I have to say I heartily agree with Scott Ben-nie�s assessments in his article �CharacterizationMade Easy� [in DRAGON issue #156]. . . Person-ally, my view is that if you can�t create a charac-ter that�s memorable for more than just hisdeeds, what�s the point in calling it role-playing?I will be the first to admit that I haven�t playedas long as many others, but I have played longenough to try playing a few characters bystereotypes. Not only did I find them flat andboring, but so did the other players. They muchpreferred the halfling cleric who retched at thesight of rotting corpses; the sweet, conniving�J.R. of halflings�; or the hyperactive, pyroma-niac Ophelia Hellsgnome. Some characters hadnice, normal upbringings, some had a skeletonor two in their closets, and a few (the above-mentioned �J.R.� being my most notable) hadtruly traumatic yet twistedly interesting child-hoods. These upbringings affected all the char-acters� alignments (the above characters wereclassified as lawful good, neutral evil, and cha-otic neutral, respectively) and made my charac-ters so much more individualized than thetypical hack-and-slash fighter or haughty elf.

I also have some additions to Scott�s lists oftypes and stereotypes of adventurers. The typesfollow:

Explorer: This is the character who just wantsto see what the big, wide world looks like out-side the confines of the town or farm. Mostoften this character is young and doesn�t yetknow what he wants from life. His adventureswill be learning and growing experiences forhim, and he may eventually become one of theother adventurer types.

Swindler: This character is going along forwhat he can get out of the group, and it usuallyisn�t just money. Often, the other charactersmay not be aware of his true motives, such asusing them for protection or as a convenientreason to get out of town and keep one stepahead of pursuers bent on his ill health. Theswindler hopes to get in good with the group, soif things go bad, he�s got someone to cover hisbehind!

And here are additional stereotypes (or: �ThisHalfling Player�s Pet Peeves�):

11. All halflings are soft and cute.12. All halflings are mischievous thieves.13. (And the last one, which brings me to my

next subject) All halflings are sex maniacs.Believe it or not, that last stereotype was the

first thing a veteran player said to me when helearned I was going to play a lawful-good half-ling cleric. I was angered by the statement,

82 FEBRUARY 1991

since I was determined that Peregrin was goingto be a virtuous little guy, but I believe sex doeshave a place in the game, if only to give theplayers and characters a little break from themonotony of constant dragon slaying. It alsoprovides interesting role-playing�but don�t getme wrong! What actually goes on in the bed-room should never be discussed around thetable! I meant role-playing the reactions of thecharacters before and after, if they had anyreactions at all. Perhaps the paladin tries to talkhis friends out of doing things he believesshould only be done with one�s wife or husband.Or maybe the prospective wench is really anassassin out to kill the character with whom shegoes upstairs.

One last thing, and this has to do with bothpersonalities and alignments, since they aredependent upon each other. My last group cameup with a system to officially recognize anyhabits of a character that tended to go againstthat PC�s alignment. These habits: 1) made senseto the character; 2) were caused by the influ-ence of something or someone else, and; 3) werenever strong enough to warrant changing thecharacter�s alignment. We called them �tenden-cies� and stated them along with alignment,such as �lawful neutral, with chaotic tenden-cies,� or �neutral, with evil tendencies.� Theformer described a bard whose normal inclina-tion to turn in a thief stopped when she knewthat thief was her boyfriend. The latter de-scribed her boyfriend who, because of herinfluence, had changed from neutral evil butstill retained his illicit trade business, includingslavery, and his unpleasant ways of dealing withthieves who stole from him.

A classic example of the use of tendenciesinvolves a dwarf who attacks orcs just becausethey�re orcs. If you are playing a dwarf oflawful or neutral alignment, and the orcs don�tlook like they�re going to attack, does it reallymake sense for the character to automaticallyattack the orcs? For the sake of making sense ofit, we would classify this dwarf as being �lawfulgood (for example), with chaotic tendencies.�The dwarf: 1) was raised among his own kind;2) from an early age was taught to hate certainraces, such as orcs, and; 3) reacts this way onlywhen orcs are around. It would be different ifhe reacted this way to every possibleadversary�it certainly wouldn�t be just a ten-dency then! He�d be a candidate for a radicalalignment change!

Tendencies aren�t automatic; they develop asyou get to know your character. My little clerictended to do very rash things if he saw aninjustice or if a friend was in major peril, and hehad to do some pretty good penances, too.Tendencies are a good way to allow players alittle latitude in developing their charactersrealistically, but they can also be a gentle re-minder to the player that the DM is watching,and if the character deviates any more than isallowed, he might get hit with an alignmentchange!

Christine WellmanFt. Myer VA

I am writing in regard to Ahmed G. Amin�sletter in issue #155. As a DM of seven years anda player of 10 years, I agree with his assessmentthat players become bored with easy battles. Myexperience as a DM shows me that the playersenjoy having their characters get into dangeroussituations where they must use wit and cunningto solve problems and escape alive. The mostfun my party ever had while I was DMingoccurred when the PCs were confronted with ariddle to solve, serious monster opposition, andpotentially deadly traps that had to be foundand conquered.

As a player, my most enjoyable gaming ses-sions came as a member of a party that had apaladin, a ranger, two fighters, and a thief. Thehighest-level character in the party was thethief at 8th-level! Notice the complete lack ofspell-casting abilities in this group. We had touse our wits and cunning in all encounters tocounter our lack of a magic-user to blast us outof sticky situations, and lack of a cleric to pro-vide healing (though the paladin could use hislaying-on of hands).

Concerning the use of resurrection spells,much depends on what the circumstances areof the character�s death. If the character diesbecause of some foolishness on the part of theplayer, no resurrection is allowed. On the otherhand, if the character dies due to no fault of theplayer, such as fighting to save a fellow partymember or just pure bad luck, then resurrec-tion is possible if the party can afford to pay theprice. I once knew of a magic-user in a grouplooking through some ice caves, and he wasopposed to looking any further; then a whitedragon breathed on the group, killing the mageinstantly. When the party got the character out,I allowed a resurrection to take place. Mostcharacters never do approach the maximumnumber of times they can be resurrected, butthat is what the resurrection survival roll is for,isn�t it?

Rob WilliamsGoshen IN

I am writing in response to Ahmed Amin�sletter in issue #155. I agree with Ahmed whole-heartedly on the fact that the gaining of gold- -and magic and the winning of easy battles ispointless if the PCs aren�t in any real danger.

In the first campaign I DMed, I thought thatresurrection was too easy also, so I caused acharacter�s constitution to go down 1-4 pointseach time he died. I soon dropped it as it had noeffect on the player�s view of character death (Isee now that the AD&D 2nd Edition rules statethat a character�s constitution goes down onepoint for every resurrection). Then I simplyused the regular rules but handled resurrectionslightly differently: I kept the resurrectionability further from their grasp. For example, atypical conversation with a high-level NPC clericmight go something like this:

�High Priestess Yara, will you raise our be-loved companion?�

�Yes. . .��Thank you!�

�. . . if you donate 50,000 gold pieces andthree magical items to the temple treasury, thenperform a quest for our almighty deity.�

�We�ll think on that.�See what I mean? It�s easy to keep resurrec-

Jeremiah Lynch

tion barely within or beyond the reach of ad-venturing parties without banning the spell

La Crescent MN

entirely. Simply making sure that PCs can�t relyupon a cleric resurrecting them if and whenthey die will strike the fear of death into mostplayers, but still allow those characters whodied �unfairly� to be brought back to life.

Of course, after a cleric in the adventuringparty who happens to have an 18 wisdom getsto 14th level, resurrection is easily obtained. Ihave found, however, that even this creates noproblem, since the chance of resurrectionfailure (due to constitution) is enough to allow agood chance for permanent character death. Inaddition, even those lucky dogs with 18 consti-tutions have plenty of other ways to die so thatresurrection is impossible (when the body isdestroyed, etc.).

In conclusion, I�d like to say that in all threefull campaigns I�ve DMed (including an AD&D2nd Edition one that I am currently handling), Ihaven�t had much trouble with player boredom.I think that part of my success is that I do mybest to make players believe that their charac-ters are in one heck of a dangerous situation,and they often are but not to the extent that Iportray. Also, I try not to give them any breaks.Finally, I, like Ahmed, have yet to see a perfectbalance struck [between challenging and threat-ening PCs], but trying to come as close as possi-ble is part of the art of being a DM.

I wish to address the subject of pregeneratedD&D and AD&D campaign worlds, and the

led into thinking that all fantasy campaigns

increasing output of material and articles de-voted to them (especially in DRAGON Magazine).

should be treated in this or that way. The writ-

I have been DMing since I started playingnearly 10 years ago, and quite frankly I feel thatthe preoccupation with these game worldsdefeats one of the fundamental reasons why I(for one) began playing in the first place�thatis, to satisfy a creative desire.

I have never used someone else�s campaignworld in which to bade my adventures; I�vealways felt that the prime purpose of being aDungeon Master was to gain a sense of accom-plishment by designing what is (for the DM andhis players) the �perfect� fantasy world. Thus, Iam irked by the increasing space given over tothe specific details of other people�s worlds (thatare invariably of a high-fantasy nature) withinthe pages of DRAGON Magazine. I would preferto see articles aiding new and experienced DMsin the ongoing task of creating and expandingtheir own worlds, including creating civiliza-tions and cultures; personally tailoring mon-sters, treasures, dungeons; and (most especially)refereeing techniques.

I have nothing at all against pregeneratedcampaigns per se, many of which have beenderived from or progressed into the format of anovel. However, this is where they should stay.Novels are, of course, where much of the inspi-ration for the D&D games came from way backwhen, and I think novels are still probably thebest source of fantasy ideas next to mythologicaltales (although one must not forget art, music,and poetry). New DMs should not, however, be

ers have borrowed certain fantasy structuresfrom the D&D systems and excluded others;that in itself is fine (this is what any DM woulddo, unless he takes every guideline ever writtenfor the game). Unfortunately, overexposing aDM�s campaigns [to ideas from novels] impliesthat other structures, such as a low-fantasyapproach, are not worthwhile interpretations ofthe rules.

Pregenerated game settings are probablygreat for tournament situations, where theemphasis is laid upon getting involved in thegame first and the world second. I cannotbelieve, though, that I�m the only DM who hasbecome tired of seeing endless articles on theFORGOTTEN REALMS� campaign or supple-ments for the DRAGONLANCE® saga, informa-tion that is only useful to those familiar withthese settings and the brand of fantasy that theyexemplify. If you are going to explore pregener-ated worlds in DRAGON Magazine, I wouldrather you ran a series of articles on the designsof a section of DMs across the board. Thesemight show contrasts between low- and high-fantasy campaigns, how the referees havetackled aspects of DMing during design andduring play, and even how different DMs storeand file their campaign info! (I�d be most inter-ested to know what other players think aboutthis.) I am sure we could all use more of the sortof information that will help us to determinewhich DMing decisions work and which do not,such as the excellent articles published inDRAGON Magazine some years ago (e.g., �Cur-ing the Monty Haul Malady,� from issue #82).Pregenerated worlds must not be given priorityover teaching the techniques of DMing, whichare what make the D&D systems so special and

DRAGON 83

distinct from other RPGs.The DM�s world should be all his own. It must

be exactly the way he wants it, right down towhich specific monsters inhabit it and which donot. Only by coming up with his own ideas is hefurthering the art of being a Dungeon Master. Ifyou happen to like the kind of fantasy offeredby the WORLD OF GREYHAWK® setting andwant to quickly get in and out of a game, that�sfine. But let�s not forget that there are anynumber of ways the rules may be interpreted.Let�s explore the possibilities!

Craig HardieHuntingdon, Cambridge

United Kingdom

I am writing in response to Erik Martella inDRAGON issue #159. Mr. Martella states that�liches . . . retain their goals and ambitions afterentering the state of undeath.� He quotes theMonstrous Compendium as saying that liches�seek to further their own power at all costs�and implies that this is the same for characterswho seek to become liches. He neglects tomention, however, the reasons behind thisdesire for power. Characters most often desirepower to gain wealth and status. Liches, on theother hand, desire power for its own sake. Theyalso have a secondary goal: destruction of theliving. Mr. Martella seems to be treating thetransition from life to undeath as the simplegaining of new powers and immunities when, inreality, it is a complete makeover of a charac-ter�s hopes, wishes, and dreams, as well as anincrease in physical and magical abilities.

special quest.� He then gives this as a reason forhaving PC spectres, asking, �How can somebodycomplete a quest when he is an NPC?� The flawin this rationale lies in assuming that the questmust be undertaken by the character himself,rather than his friends and allies.

Characters should never be allowed to retainPC status when becoming undead. If this hap-pens, game balance will be completely thrownoff. As an example, how would most DMs feel iftheir clerics started using animate dead as amass resurrection spell?

Jeremy BargenCheyenne WY

�Forum� in DRAGON issue #159 began with aletter from Dan Howarth questioning my com-ments in issue #151. I appreciate his comments,but I must defend my earlier points. On thematter of interaction and roles, Mr. Howarthclaims that he has enjoyed his character Baxianduring the game The Bard�s Tale in the samesense as one would enjoy a PC in a �live� game.While I do not doubt that the game was enjoy-able (as I have played it myself), it offers severalrestrictions. To remain within the context ofthat game, the only chances for interaction witheither the player or the game are as follows:movement in four directions, attack, defend,use, parry, and party attack (if I remembercorrectly). On occasion, the game will requirethe entry of a riddle answer or password, butbeyond that, all is controlled by the computer. Ifail to see how a proper �role� can be estab-lished by using those limited commands. A role

choice to swagger, limp, barge, or meander intoa tavern. In the vast majority of cases, charac-ters cannot phrase their own replies to thegame�s questions, as the program allows for onlya short list of highly restricted options. SSI�sPool of Radiance, et. al., go a short distance torelieve this problem by allowing speech inseveral modes (haughty, sly, nice, etc.), but onlyin set encounters. The possibilities during a livegame are unlimited; those on a computer RPGare finite and few.

The next point of Mr. Howarth�s letter con-cerns spontaneity. I stated in my letter thatsince the programming of a computer is in a setand given format, it lacked the randomness of ahuman GM. Unfortunately, Mr. Howarth misin-terpreted this and said that since he could notread assembly language (in which most com-puter games are written), the game could retainits spontaneity. Such was not my meaning at all.My intent was to bring out the point that com-puters follow their set programs during allphases of the game. To continue with Pool ofRadiance, an example would be that after oneor two encounters with kobolds, the playerlearns that they will always attack the party ifthe party speaks nicely. Similarly, the games arewritten into a firm background, and yourfriend�s copy of Pool will behave the same asyours. Note that I do not hold this against com-puter RPGs, because I realize that technologydoes not allow for artificial intelligence to runhome computer games in the manner thathumans would. Two GMs will never act thesame in the same circumstance, nor will a single

Mr. Martella [notes that the Monstrous Com-pendium] also states that �once a characterbecomes a spectre, recovery . . . [requires] a

includes many more nuances not available inany gaming system. No game on the markettoday (or in the foreseeable future) allows one a

GM necessarily follow the same course ofaction, while a computer will blindly follow thesame course each time.

84 FEBRUARY 1991

Mr. Howarth continues by noting the difficultyin gathering a group of players and a GM in asession. He made the comparison betweenputting a computer on pause and sendinggamers packing when dinner was ready. Iwould claim that this can be easily solved by abit of simple planning. Yes, it is considered rudeto ask gamers to leave when dinner is served,but why not have everyone chip in and orderpizza? I have done this on many occasions, andit has been nearly as much fun during the mealas during the game. Another solution would beto plan so that the game did not extend into themealtime, or plan it to start after the meal iscompleted. As for the difficulty of convincingone of the participants to be a GM, I regret thatyou have that complication. It is a problem forwhich there is no ready solution, but for me,giving up and turning to a computer is hardlythe answer (no offense intended and I trustnone taken).

Next, I hold that my calculation of the spacerequired by the data would indeed be a signifi-cant matter. I claimed that the 1st edition DMG,PHB, and MM1 alone would take 37 floppydisks. Mr. Howarth claimed that it could becompressed into five or six disks and used theexample that Pool required 384K of RAM and�would have come on about 15 disks, but be-cause of the compression, it came on three.� Mycalculations were based on the Apple format,which can include 140K of data per side on a5.25� disk, and I cannot fathom where Mr.Howarth would acquire disks that would holdonly 25.6K (384/15). Indeed, his note confirmsmy point, as 384K/140K per disk would be threedisks, while the 5250K required for the bookswould still take 37 (which would fill the disks,regardless of compression).

I take final contention with one of the lattercomments in the letter, that stated that �com-puters are going to be part of this world,whether you like it or not.� I am sorry if myletter were interpreted as an attack on com-puters, for indeed they are invaluable in ourdaily life. My letter was merely pointing out thatcomputer RPGs could not and will not replacelive RPGs in any sense, as they lack the vitalcomponents necessary to merit that designation,a claim that I believe still stands. I welcome anyfurther communication about the matter, fromany reader, through �Forum!�

Alan GrimesKansas City MO

After reading the �Voidjammers!� article(DRAGON issue #159), I was amused by the ideaof an astral taxi service. The best use for thisorganization would be to speed up play, allow-ing a kind and benevolent DM to move the partymembers through �Astralia� without forcingthem to hack their way through githyankihordes. I was disturbed, however, by the self-described omnipotence of the voidjammers andtheir super-mage, Peregrin. Not only am I upsetby these upstart humans messing up astralspace, but Peregrin just doesn�t have the assetsto protect his silly little ships. In the real worldof the SPELLJAMMER� boxed set, Peregrin�sfleet would be wiped out in minutes by pirateraids, beholder civil wars, and radiant dragonlunch breaks.

There are many reasons for this vulnerability.First off, the voidjammer ships are relativelyslow. Manual of the Planes (page 64) states thatthe speed attained by mental movement is 30�(3�) per point of intelligence. This would allow aperson with an intelligence of 18 to move at54�. As a voidjammer hull moves only at 48�

(equal to an intelligence of 16), it is not thefastest thing in astral space. Almost all of thebeings likely to be encountered in the Astralplane will have an intelligence of at least 16. Infact, the githyanki long ago developed the �voidcruiser� battle sleds (from the �Fedifensor�module in DRAGON issue #67) that can carry adozen people at the movement rate of thesmartest person aboard. These are not onlyfaster than the voidjammers, but they weredeveloped long before Peregrin was even born.

The choice of heavy catapults and heavyscorpions for use on an astral battlefield isunwise. The rate of fire of these heavy weaponsis too low to deal with the short reaction timesfound in astral combat. The article states thatcreatures can be seen from 1,000 to 2,000 yardsaway. A githyanki attack seen at the maximum2,000 yards range will reach the ship in lessthan seven rounds. If the attack is not discov-ered until the githyanki are much closer, or ifthe attack is launched using a head-on collisioncourse, the approach time will be much less(perhaps as little as two rounds). During thistime, the ship�s heavy weapons will be lucky toget off a single shot. If the attackers comestraight down at the ship from 12 o�clock high(made possible by the lack of gravity), the weap-ons will not even be able to react to the attack.

The weapons are also the wrong tools for thejob. A passenger liner with a schedule to meetwill not wander off its course in a search forenemy fortifications. If a fort drifts into its path,the ship can simply go around it. Responsiblecaptains will not put their passengers in dangerby using a single catapult against a heavilydefended adamantite fort (this is a good way tolose the ship). Astral combat is more likely to bebetween the ship and free-floating humanoids,whether a single powerful raider (such as adevil) or a mob of powerful raiders (such as agithyanki regiment). There are simply notenough large creatures or objects in the Astralplane to warrant the use of siege weapons. Amore effective choice of weapons would includerows of rapid-fire, anti-githyanki weapons alongthe sides of the ship. During combat, the shipcan also be spun along its long axis in order tobring new unfired weapons to bear on ap-proaching enemies. If the ship spins, it will alsodisrupt the attackers� plans, as they now cannotsimply launch a mass attack against the top ofthe ship. The only reason to mount a heavyballista would be to use magical javelins oflightning, piercing, etc. against single powerfulbeings.

The open deck used by the voidjammers isjust asking for trouble, as boarding actionsagainst open-top ships are incredibly easy topull off in a zero-gravity battlefield. Githyankithat are 90� away at the start of the round (welloutside most missile ranges) will be in your faceat the end of the round. They will also have ahefty charge bonus, as they move four times asfast as a light calvary unit. A better designwould be a ship that is completely sealed, like aturtle. If the ship is also spinning, it will bemuch more difficult to board it. A roof over thebattle deck also prevents the exposed marinesfrom being picked off by long-range missile fire.

By the way, with most of the ship�s massremoved by the anti-gravity spell, the ram isuseless. The ship would simply bounce offanything big enough to be worth ramming inthe first place. Ramming requires speed andmass (and lots of it) to be effective.

I also have doubts on the validity of Peregrin�somnipotence on the Astral plane. From what Ihave seen of his state and magical items, a well-trained githyanki regiment could wipe him out

in only a few minutes, especially if it is backedup by the immortal githyanki lich-queen. In-deed, an abortive attack may be launchedagainst one of his ships just to get Peregrin torescue it and fall right into a githyanki ambush.Peregrin has only has 45 hp, by the way.

I must also object to Peregrin�s use of illithidbrains as engines. While I congratulate him onfinding a use for mind-flayer brains, one ofNature�s most renewable resources, there arecertain ethical questions that must be raisedregarding the salvage and storage of thosebrains. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste.)While mind flayers may be looked down uponby most civilized beings, I�m sure there are fewwho would condone the harvesting and slaveryof their brains (reanimating the dead or theirbody parts is an evil act, by the way). Thegithyanki brains that Peregrin uses in his shipare also human brains, as the FIEND FOLIO®tome clearly states. Almost everyone wouldappreciate the defeat of the githyanki, but fewwould appreciate the harvesting of humanbrains (this is one reason why everyone is afterthe mind flayers in the first place). If Peregrindoes not clean up his act soon, he may earn avisit from the Morality Police (and not evenPeregrin can stand up to a few solars and theirbuddies).

I think that the voidjammers presented in thearticle should represent Peregrin�s first attemptat establishing a regular passenger service.After losing all of these ships to enemy action,and after receiving a few notices from theforces of Good or Neutrality frowning on hisbrain trade, Peregrin may have decided to gowith regular spelljamming technology likeeverybody else (spelljamming helms are thoughtactivated and should work on the Astral plane).A spelljammer, even at tactical speeds, wouldrun rings around the fastest brain-poweredvoidjammer.

A series of adventures revolving around theslow collapse of Peregrin�s taxi service and theintroduction of spelljamming technology cankeep players entertained for some time. Playersmay also be curious as to where these fancyengines are coming from, which will lead themto venture into the arcane space of theSPELLJAMMER modules. The outer and lowerplanes have gotten somewhat boring since thedisappearance of the demons and devils, andthere is nothing like being on the receiving endof a few neogi suicide attacks to put the excite-ment back into the characters� lives.

Steven ZamboniEverett WA

Free Catalog!

Write for your free catalog ofgames and gaming supplies! In theUnited States and Canada, write to:TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop, c/oTSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake GenevaWI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, writeto: TSR Mail Order Catalogue, TSRLtd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hin-ton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, UnitedKingdom. Our catalog is free �send for it today!

86 FEBRUARY 1991

Artwork by Joseph Pillsbury

High-seas espionage for the TOP SECRET/S.I� game

This TOP SECRET/S.I.� article intro-duces players to the world of militaryintelligence, using the Office of NavalIntelligence (ONI) as the agency that em-ploys their characters. Most characters. insuch campaigns will be officers and en-listed men in the United States Navy, themost powerful naval force in the world.Civilians in the group would most likely bein the Professional or Academic careergroups, working with the ONI as civilianemployees of the Department of Defense(DOD). Civilians function as academicadvisors or instructors, fonts of knowl-edge who allow intelligence to be bettergathered and analyzed.

Navy character creationFor officers and men of the United

States Navy, the Military career in theTOP SECRET/S.I. Player�s Guide (page 29) isnot adequate, as the Navy is more techni-cally oriented than the Army or the Ma-rine Corps (the Military career suits thelatter two well). As such, most Navy char-acter skill points should not be allocatedtoward combat skills.

There are three ways a person can enterthe Navy: enlist; attend the United StatesNaval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; or jointhe Reserve Officers Training Corps(ROTC). The latter two, when completed,each confer a commission in the Navy.

88 FEBRUARY 1991

by Robert Rinas

First, it must be determined whether ornot a person can make it into the Navy atall. Table 1 shows the minimum require-ments for officers and enlisted men to joinup. If the character does not meet therequirements of any option of entry intothe Navy, the only other option is if he hasa high INT, in which case he can become aProfessional or an Academic�a civilianwith security clearance to be a member ofthe adventuring group.

If a character meets the requirementsfor the Academy, he can make a ½ INTroll. If successful, he is accepted at Annap-olis. If not, he can join the Navy as anenlisted man and try later (if he still meetsthe officer requirements) to go to theOfficer Training School at Annapolis. Forevery three years that an enlisted charac-ter has been in the Navy, he gets one 1/8INT roll, gaining a commission if success-ful. Someone who becomes an officer bythis method is given a rank of ensign (or,in special circumstances, lieutenant, j.g.).

When an enlisted character becomes anofficer, his career is literally starting over.After a long time with no success at INTrolls, most sailors give up, for they do notwant to be the oldest lieutenants in theNavy! (Note: if a person has no desire tobecome an officer, he need not apply toOfficer Training School.) If he becomes anofficer, he receives all of the special skills

of the officer specialty of his choice, whichare almost always related to his specialtywhen he was an enlisted man. Thus, aquartermaster or a helmsman would mostlikely become a navigator, and an engi-neering crewman would most likely be-come an engineering officer.

If a character enters the Navy throughROTC, then he must use either the Profes-sional or Academic career (with the excep-tion of airline pilots). The minimum skillrequirements for this must be met; re-maining skill points will most likely beused for skills learned in the Navy. Thereare two options open to Administratorsregarding meeting minimum skill-pointexpenditure requirements for characters:

1. If the character does not have enoughskill points to fulfill his minimum require-ments, he must choose another specialtythat he can complete. (SEALs are an excep-tion to this because of the number of skillsthey must take, and it is recommendedthat they always use option 2. If you areplaying an exclusively Commando -orientedgame, follow the rules in the Commandosupplement.)

2. If the character does not have enoughskill points to fulfill his minimum require-ments, then give him enough points tomeet the bare minimum.

Each Navy character must choose aspecialty and, based on that specialty, must

take certain skills at zero level at least. Thecharacter will also be given certain skillsfree. See Tables 2, 3, and 4 for details.

Table 5 shows the percentage chance aperson has to attain a particular rank. Thisis found by cross-referencing the rankwith the character�s years of service. Readfrom right to left, trying to get the highestpossible rank first; then, if failing to getthat rank, moving left. For example, acharacter who is an officer and has beenin the Navy for seven years first tries tobecome 0-4 (45%); failing that, he tries for0-3 (85%), and will be 0-2 (100%) automat-ically if the second roll fails. Table 6 ex-plains the rank structure of the U.S. Navy.

Naval skillsNew skills offered in this article are

described in the following section. Skill-point costs (as per the Player�s Guide)immediately follow each skill name.

Ship Helm Operations (2/2/4): Thisskill involves the steering of a large ship.This does not mean that one character canrun an entire ship; it just means that hecan fill his station in the operation of theship. This skill deals with deck operations,like ship handling, as opposed to engineer-ing and weapons systems. Usually, anofficer with this skill supervises andteaches enlisted personnel in ship han-dling. A person with this skill can become,in civilian life, a deck officer on a tankeror freighter or a harbor pilot, amongother jobs.

Submarine Helm Operations (4/2/4):This skill is similar to Ship Helm Opera-tions, but several factors are added. Forexample, sub operations involve going upand down as well as along a flat plane.Also, submarines usually have a singlescrew or propeller only, making maneu-vering difficult. This is why subs rely on -tugs so much in harbors. For these rea-sons, Submarine Helm Operations is adifficult skill to learn.

Torpedo (3/2/3): This is similar to theMissile skill herein, but it involves sea-launched or air-launched torpedoes whosetargets are either surface vessels orsubmarines.

Missile/SLBM (4/2/5): The Missile/SLBMskill deals with the submarine part of theAmerican �nuclear triad.� It allows charac-ters to be missile officers or missile techni-cians on an SSBN (ballistic missilesubmarine, or �boomer�). The use of nu-clear weapons in any game scenario isstrongly discouraged! This skill is usefulmore as a guide for the disarmament ofsuch weapons and as a background skill.(For more on nuclear weapons�for the 1stEdition TOP SECRET® game�see the arti-cles �Agents and A-bombs� and �After theBlast� in DRAGON® issue #108)

SEALS and UDT�sIn 1983, the UDTs (Underwater Demoli-

tions Teams) ceased to exist as separateunits and became SEAL Teams Four andFive. Therefore, the main options for

Special Warfare specialists and officers areSEALS and SBUs (Special Boat Units).

Skill pointsThe number of skill points for U.S. Navy

characters is optionally determined by themethod given in TSAC5 Commando �thatis, divide a character�s intelligence by 5(rounding down) and add 21 to the result.Another option is to award an extra fivepoints to Navy characters because more oftheir time is spent in training than theircivilian counterparts.

Military intelligenceMilitary intelligence is similar in many

ways to civilian intelligence. However,while civilian intelligence tends to dealwith political information (i.e., politicalstability, factions, leadership, economic/political influence), military intelligencedeals with military readiness, capabilities,technological developments, and relation-

ships between the military and the politi-cal structure. The respective jurisdictionsof these two intelligence groupings dosometimes overlap.

However, military intelligence relies lessupon human sources than the civilianversion. This was due to a policy in the1960s �70s, and �80s that stressed elec-tronic intelligence (ELINT) as opposed tohuman intelligence (HUMINT). However,this is changing, and the number ofHUMINT specialists is growing in all of thearmed services.

Another difference between the militaryand civilian services is that the militaryhas different assets at its disposal. Whilethe CIA has embassy intelligence staff,legal and illegal agents, etc., the militaryhas defense attaches, reconnaissanceships, aircraft and satellites, special forces(e.g., SEALS, Green Berets, etc.), and a veryhigh degree of technology and funding.Agents have a greater chance than usual

Table 1Minimum Requirements For Naval Enlistment

Option STR INT REF WIL CON MOV DEXEnlisted 40 40 40 40 40 40 40Academy 40 60 40 55 40 40 50ROTC 40 50 40 45 40 40 45

Table 2Naval Enlisted Skills

Free skills: Basic Firearms, Basic Melee, Basic Tool Use, Swimming (1)

SpecialtyAviation CrewComputer TechnicianDiver:

RepairResearch

Electronics TechnicianEngineering Crew

NonnuclearNuclear

GunneryGunsMissile

HelmsmanSubmarineS u r f a c e S h i p Smal l Craf t

IntelligenceMachinistMilitary Police

Missile Technician

QuartermasterRadarmanRadio OperatorSonarmanSpecial Warfare

SEALSSpecial Boat Units

SkillsBasic Mechanic, Aircraft MechanicElectronics, Computer Technician

Basic Mechanic, SCUBA DivingBasic Mechanic, EMERSON, Spear Gun, SCUBA DivingElectronics

Basic MechanicElectronics, Nuclear Technician

Basic Heavy Weapons, ArtilleryBasic Heavy Weapons, Missile

Submarine Helm OperationsShip Helm OperationsDriving/Boat

Cartography, Photo-AnalysisBasic MechanicClub/Blackjack, Driving/Auto, Driving/Off-road, Pistol,RifleBasic Heavy Weapons, Electronics, Missile/SLBM,Nuclear TechnicianCartography, NavigationRadarCryptography, Radio OperatorSonar

see TSAC5 Commando supplementBasic Heavy Weapons, Basic Mechanic, Driving/Boat,Machine Gun

D R A G O N 9 1

of being able to use military equipment(that isn�t already in use by military intelli-gence) for special missions. More specialintelligence missions exist for the military,such as beach reconnaissance by SEALs toscout a possible attack site, or missions tofind out about a new type of attack sub-marine being built in the U.S.S.R.�s Niko-layev Shipyards on the Black Sea.

The Office of NavalIntelligence

The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) iscomposed of an administrative unit at thetop (the ONI proper) and three commands:the Naval Security Group Command(NSGC), the Naval Intelligence Command(NIC), and the Naval Investigative ServiceCommand (NISC).

The ONI is commanded by the Directorof Naval Intelligence (DNI), who usuallyholds the rank of Rear Admiral, LowerHalf (0-7). Directly beneath him are theDeputy Directors for Naval Intelligence(DDNIs), each of whom is in charge of aseparate command. A DDNI normallyholds the rank of Captain (0-6).

The DDNI for Cryptology directs theNSGC, headquartered at 3801 NebraskaAve. NW, Washington, D.C. 20016. It iscomposed of five branches: Telecommuni-cations and Automated Data Systems,Logistics and Material, Special Operations,Electronic Warfare and Signals Security,and Technical Development. As can beseen from these titles, the NSGC�s area ofresponsibility is signals intelligence andsecurity. Signals intelligence (SIGINT) in-volves cryptology (i.e., encoding/decoding)as well as wiretapping and signals inter-ception. Signals security (COMSEC) alsoinvolves cryptology and ways of makingcommunications more secure.

The DDNI for Intelligence commands theNIC. It is headquartered at 4600 Silver HillRoad, Suitland MD 20746. This is the larg-est section of the ONI and is split into foursubordinate organizations: Task Force 168(TF168), the Naval Intelligence ProcessingSystem Support Activity (NIPSSA), theNaval Intelligence Support Center (NISC),and the Navy Operational IntelligenceCenter (NOIC). The basic task of the NIC isto gather information. TF168 collectsinformation primarily from emigres anddefectors, NISC obtains information on .primarily technical matters, and NOICcollects operational intelligence (e.g., So-viet naval movements, etc.)

The DDNI for Investigation heads theNISC that provides counterintelligenceservices within the U.S. Navy, and alsoinvestigates crimes possibly committed byU.S. Navy personnel. The NIS is not cov-ered in detail here because the main focusof this article is on intelligence gatheringand, to a lesser degree, special operations.However, counterintelligence activities canbe both exciting and frustrating, and itmay be worth the effort to do some re-search into the activities and organizationof the NIS for your own campaign.

9 2 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 1

Adventure ideasJust as with any large, multifaceted

intelligence agency, there are countlessthings that can be done with the ONI.Three possibilities follow:

1. The characters could be assigned topenetrate and infiltrate the U.S.S.R's Niko-laev Shipyards and gather information ona new class of conventional aircraft car-rier that is about to start sea trials. Snap-ping photos, finding out internal technicaldetails, and even inspecting the ship or itsplans would be mission objectives. Natu-rally, this won�t be easy! Part of the team

must have technical skills (e.g., marineengineers) for interpretation of the infor-mation, and naval aviators could get infor-mation on the aircraft carried (e.g., detailson the naval-version MiG-29). SpeakingRussian is a must. This mission would fallunder the jurisdiction of the NISC.

It would help to check out some informa-tion about new Soviet carriers in real lifebefore running this adventure. Good publi-cations to check include Jane�s Soviet Intelli-gence Review, Jane�s Defense Weekly, andother defense-related magazines.

2. The cloud cover over Cam Ranh Bay

Table 3Naval Officer Skills

Free Skills: Basic Firearms, Basic Melee, Basic Science, Navigation, Swimming (2)

SpecialtyAir Warfare¹

StrikeMaritimeHelo²E-2/C-2NFO

Intelligence3

Non-SIGINTSIGINT

Military Police

Special WarfareSEALSpecial Boat Units

Subsurface WarfareEng.-NuclearNavigationWeaponsMissile (SSBN)

Surface WarfareEng.-MarineEng.-NuclearNavigationWeapons

Skills

Instrument Flying, Pilot/Jet, Pilot/1-Engine, MissileInstrument Flying, Pilot/Multi-engine, Pilot/1-EngineInstrument Flying, Pilot/Helicopter, Pilot/1-EngineInstrument Flying, Pilot/Multi-engine, Pilot/1-EngineNavigation, Pilot/1-Engine, Radar

Cartography, Interrogation, Photo analysisCryptography, Engineering-Electrical, Radio OperatorClub/Ax/Blackjack, Driving/Auto, Driving/Off-road,Interrogation, Pistol, Rifle

see TSAC 5 Commando supplementBasic Heavy Weapons, Basic Mechanic, Driving/Boat (1),Machine Gun

Engineering-NuclearSubmarine Helm Operations, Navigation (1)Basic Heavy Weapons, Missile, Torpedo,Basic Heavy Weapons, Electronics, Missile/SLBM,Nuclear Technician

Engineering-Marine (Surface Ships)Engineering-NuclearShip Helm Operations, Navigation (1)Basic Heavy Weapons, Artillery, Missile, Radar

1. Navy characters opting for the Air Warfare specialty must specialize in oneparticular type of aircraft (e.g., the F-14 Tomcat) in addition to specifying a generaltype of aircraft.

2. �Helo� is a term denoting helicopters.3. Only female officers graduating from the Navy�s ROTC program can start out in

Intelligence. The Navy wants men to at least start out as line officers (i.e., surface,subsurface, air, and special warfare). This restriction does not apply to Annapolisgraduates or to enlisted personnel.

Table 4Aircraft Categories and Types

Strike: A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair, F/A-18 Hornet, F-4 Phantom II, F-14 Tomcat, S-3Viking

Maritime: C-130 Hercules, P-3 OrionHelo: H-1 Iroquois, H-2 Seasprite, H-3 Seaking, H-46 Sea Knight, H-53 Sea Stallion,

SH-60 SeahawkE-2/C-2: E-2 Hawkeye, C-2 Greyhound

about these aircraft should be available at any library carrying booksInformationon aviation.

in Vietnam has been hanging fortime, and the meteorologists say

ait

longwon�t

lance to monitor Soviet naval traffic. Ofcourse, the Administrator will make sure

be going away for a long time. A team ofcharacters must go in for routine surveil-

that it is not athing unusual

routine mission. Is some-going on? This mission

Table 5Officer and Enlisted Rank Acquisition

Yearsof O-1

Service E-11 100%2 100%3 100%4 100%5 100%6 100%7 100%8 100%9 100%

10 100%11 100%12 100%13 100%14 100%15 100%16 100%17 1 0 0 %18 100%19 100%20 100%21 100%22 100%23 100%24 100%25 100%26 100%27 100%28 100%29 100%30 100%31 100%32 100%33 100%34 100%35 100%36 100%37 100%38 100%39 100%40 100%41 100%42 100%43 100%

O-2E-2-75%95%95%

100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%100%

O-3E-3--10%35%75%80%85%90%95%97%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%.99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%

O-4E-4-----

20%45%50%75%80%85%90%95%97%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%9 9 % 99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%

O-5E-5-----------

20%45%50%75%80%85%9 0 % 95%97%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%

O-6E-6----------------

20%35%45%50%75%78%80%83%85%88%90%93%95%98%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%99%9 9 % 99%99%99%

O-7E-7-

-

---

-----

----------

-----

-

-20%30%40%45%50%60%70%75%78%80%93%95%98%99%99%99%

O-8E-8

---

-----

--------------------

20%30%40%45%50%55%60%65%70%73%75%78%80%83%

O-9E-S-

O-10

---------------- ---------------

20%30%40%45%50%55%60%65%70%73%75%78%

---------------------------------

20%30%40%

45%50%55%60%65%70%

This chart is loosely based on information contained in The Naval Aviation Guide, byCapt. Richard C. Knott, USN.

TableNaval

6Ranks (Officer and Enlisted)

0-1 Ensign0-2 Lieutenant, j.g.0-3 Lieutenant0-4 Lieutenant Commander0-5 Commander0 - 6 C a p t a i n 0-7 Rear Admiral0-8 Rear Admiral 0-9 Vice Admiral0-10 Admiral

E-1 Seaman RecruitE-2 Seaman ApprenticeE-3 SeamanE-4 Petty Officer, 3d ClassE-5 Petty Officer, 2d ClassE-6 Petty Officer, 1st ClassE-7 Chief Petty OfficerE-8 Senior Chief Petty OfficerE-9 Master Chief Petty Officer

would fall under the jurisdiction of theNOIC.

3. One of the main drawbacks to a largeorganization like the Central IntelligenceAgency or the Office of Naval Intelligenceis that each character is only a small partof the group and thus has very specializedduties. However, it would be possible tomake a semi-independent unit under theONI that is designed to operate in a spe-cific area. One example is the fictionalTask Force 117, which provides muscle fordrug-interdiction operations abroad byusing naval intelligence and special opera-tions assets to assist DEA agents. Agents inthis group would get special diplomaticpapers to allow greater freedom of action,and team leaders around the world wouldget priority status when asking for diplo-matic papers for DEA agents and others.

A big bonus to semi-independent groupsis that, because the teams are small, thecharacters� roles are not too specializedand mundane. Characters shouldn�t begiven access to heavy military armaments(like F-14s and warships), although theywould have the authority to employ E-2and C-2 reconnaissance-aircraft missions,since that is clearly within the frameworkof their duties.

A Final Note: Characters don�t have towork for the NISC or NOIC all the time.They can perform missions for otherbranches of the ONI, assuming that theywere seconded or transferred. Movingaround like this provides greater variety inthe characters� missions.

Bibliography

Hopple, Gerald W., and Bruce W. Watson,ed. The Military Intelligence Commu-nity. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press,1986.

Knott, Capt. Richard C., ed. The NavalAviation Guide. Annapolis, Md.: NavalInstitute Press, 1985.

Prados, John. President�s Secret Wars: CIAand Pentagon Covert Operations SinceWorld War II. New York: J. Morrow,1986.

Richelson, Jeffrey. The U.S. IntelligenceCommunity Cambridge, Mass.: Bal-linger Pub. Co., 1989.

Thomas, Stafford T. The U.S. IntelligenceCommunity Lanham, Md.: UP of Amer-ica, 1983.

For further information on naval anddefense matters, several periodicals andreference books can help you. Amongthem are the Jane�s series (Jane's FightingShips and Jane�s All The World�s Aircraft,among others) and such periodicals asJane�s Defense Weekly and InternationalDefense Review. In the field of defense-related reference books, Jane�s has a cor-ner on the market. These volumes areextremely expensive, but any large libraryshould have an up-to-date copy of what-ever you need.

DRAGON 93

94 FEBRUARY 1991 By Barbara Manui & Chris Adams

By Joseph Pillsbury Siskel and Ebert in Ancient Rome DRAGON 95

96 FEBRUARY 1991

D R A G O N 9 7

100 FEBRUARY 1991

DRAGON 101

©1991 by Robert BigelowPhotography by Mike Bethke

Doom bunny meets The Hobbit,and other miniatures fantasies

Now that the winter is half over, it istime to get ready for the upcoming seasonof games conventions. Since this column isabout miniatures, let�s cover the cons thatare important for miniatures players andbuyers.

COLD WARS '91 will be held March 8-10,1991, at the Penn Harris Hotel in CampHill, Pa. This premier miniatures event hasgrown each year and is put on by theHistorical Miniatures Gaming Society-EastCoast. Last year, over 125 games wereplayed; while the vast majority were his-torical, GW�s WARHAMMER 40,000* andFASA�s BATTLETECH* games were alsoenjoyed. The HMGS people take greatpride in their games and are more thanhappy to help you get started or to offerfriendly pointers. If you want more infor-mation on this convention, contact: MikeMontemarano, 8808 Greens Lane, Randall-stown MD 21133. Please mention that youread this column and that I sent you.

LITTLE WARS 1991 will happen April26-28, 1991, at the Zion Leisure Center inZion, Ill. The convention is sponsored byHMGS-Midwest, and yours truly has beendrafted to put on this escapade. Last year,we had over 130 different types of games,from historical ancients to the PUPPYPOUNDERS* game put out by Inner CityGames, which featured massive battleswith stuffed animals. Included were sev-eral double-blind BATTLETECH* games,both WARHAMMER 40,000* and WAR-HAMMER FANTASY* games, and TSR�sBATTLESYSTEM� rules for fantasy com-

“Hands Off My Dragon“ (Black Dragon Pewter)

bat. If you�re anywhere within 500 miles,come and see the convention; hotels areinexpensive. Contact me at: 1411 Washing-ton St., Waukegan IL 60085. I�ll send youinformation or a judge�s packet.

The 1991 GEN CON® games fair is com-ing on August 8-11, 1991. For informationon miniatures events, contact: GEN CONHeadquarters, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756,Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.

On to a more serious subject: Several ofthe people I have talked to lately haveexpressed the thought that common sensewill prevail on the subject of the proposedban on lead miniatures now before Con-gress (see “Through the Looking Glass” inissues #164 and 165). These people includesome in the industry who should knowbetter. This country runs on the demo-cratic principle, but part of the principle isthat those who raise the biggest fuss usu-ally prevail, even if they are not in themajority. Environmental issues are popularat present (and they need to be), but this isoften an emotional subject that does nottake into consideration jobs, enjoyment, ormerit. The miniatures industry is a verysmall part of the total bill in question, and

Miniatures� product ratings

*** Below

Pooraverage

************

AverageAbove average

Excellent

it is easier to overlook small areas than itis to take the time to modify the bill.

We all have responsibilities, and if weenjoy something, we need to take theresponsibility to protect it, whether it beour nation�s liberty, our honor, or some-thing simple like our leisure times. Youneed to constantly be aware of thingsaround you, lest someone elect to do thejob for you. It is easier to regulate than torelate.

Now, on to the reviews.

Reviews

Black Dragon Pewterc/o Gallow Pewter Sculptures Corp.P.O. Box 290Mass NY 11758

#317� �Hands Off My Dragon� * * * * *Comedy is always welcome if done dis-

creetly. Characters like the IRS audit clerkwho preys on parties deep in the dungeon,or the court jester who springs into theparty in a castle adventure, lighten up anotherwise serious and tense AD&D® game.But there is also humor in characters andscenes done in miniature, as this submis-sion proves.

The title almost sums up the humor. Thepiece consists of three figures and a roughoval base. The pewter figures are done in54 mm scale. The base is approximately 65mm X 45 mm and depicts rough ground.Also on the base is a long, two-edged

DRAGON 103

Doom Bunny (Ral Partha) The Antagonists (Ral Partha)

sword; the blade is of a simple design andslightly bent.

The knight who owns the sword is alsoon the ground. He is armored from hisplumed helmet to his jointed, metal-covered boots and flexible gauntlets. A fullface protector is on his helmet, and he hasa solid, one-piece breastplate. His shoul-ders and knee joints are adorned withornate coverings where all the plates jointogether. The knight sits on the groundwith his arms back, pushing himself upfrom a very embarrassing position.

Part of the embarrassment concerns thesecond figure in the trio. A princess standsover the fallen knight, with a glare on herface and her hands on her hips in an an-gry and defiant pose. A long scarf hangsfrom her hat, and her hair falls to herwaist. She wears a full-length gown, com-plete with belt, pleats, and a low-cut bod-ice, and has a necklace with a pendant.The princess is considerably smaller thanthe knight, measuring only 42 mm tall.

The punch line of this joke is the thirdfigure: a young dragon hiding behind theprincess! The dragon has a scaly bodywith spinal ridges and leathery wings. Itstail is almost as long as its body and iscoiled to the dragon�s left side. The dragon�s small forelegs are by the princess�shoulders, keeping her firmly in front ofhim. But the dragon�s face tells it all! Thedragon�s horns look like the ears of abeagle sticking straight up, and the facehas a woebegone, �why me?� look; itsbaleful eyes have bags under them. Youcan almost hear the dragon whimpering asthe princess protects her pet!

This is an excellent figure and an almostguaranteed conversation piece; all thesmall details are easily seen. If you collectpewter, this is a good buy and worth its$70 price tag. I heartily enjoyed the figureand am displaying it at my store.

104 FEBRUARY 1991

Ral Partha Enterprises5938 Carthage CourtCincinnati OH 45212

Minifigs1/5 Graham RoadSouthampton ENGLAND SO2 OAX

Ral Partha Import WF-15�Doom Bunny ****

This figure is one of several comedyfigures released over the years by RalPartha or Citadel, each designed to tweakyour funny bone. The figure is of a 25mm-scale humanoid figure with long,floppy ears that rise from the back of afull-face helmet. Its arms are bare andslightly hairy, held almost straight outfrom the shoulders. The right hand holdsan axe with a carrot emblazoned on thehead. Both wrists have armbands. On theleft arm is a large, round shield with acarrot embossed on the front and woodshowing on the back. Doom Bunny�s legsare exposed but his bare feet do not looklike a rabbit�s feet. Overlapping metalstrips extend front and back from neck tothigh. His belt buckle is a skull with rabbitears. A knife hangs from his belt on theleft. His hips and lower buttocks are ex-posed, and a large fluffy tail sticks outfrom his armor.

This figure is almost a carbon copy ofone of the All-American Line orcs from RalPartha, the major differences being thecarrots on the axe and the shield, the ears,and the tail. The orc figure was probablymodified and recast. This figure has lim-ited uses in an AD&D game except aswizards guard or the leader of a chaosgroup, but you could use it for SJG�sTOON* game. You could probably use it inChaosium�s RUNEQUEST* game, but youwould be stretching it. If you have limitedfunds, use them elsewhere. The figurecosts $1.50 each.

RP 10-450�The Antagonists * * * *Ral Partha�s combat-ready scenarios

have been raising comments for sometime. It started with the Chaos Wars hand-out, with army lists that could be madefrom individually purchased troops. Nowit has progressed to packs of figures soldas armies that oppose each other or asself-contained antagonists.

The set submitted for review consists offour figures that form two distinct teams.The 25 mm-scale figures range from onesalready assembled to those requiringextensive assembly of parts. The easy-to-follow assembly instructions have noprinted instructions except for somecommon-sense suggestions on gettingready to work and on possible glues touse. The sketches do leave out such thingsas shield positioning on the villain.

In one corner is team #1, consisting ofan evil dragon and an equally rotten rider.The dragon comes unassembled in 11pieces. Each wing is 130 mm long, withheavily sinewed limbs, veins, a scaled joint,and leathery, upswept wings. The wingsrequire extensive cleaning of their slotsand wing posts to fit properly, and somefilling must be done to get the wing jointsto look right. The tail joins the rear of thebody and needs minimal filling and cleaning, but needs plenty of time to dry as thejoint is not deep. The tail has a set of air-craftlike elevators for flying, formed fromspines and leathery skin. A line of overlapping scales almost like plate stretches fromhead to rear fins and from chest to tail. Asaddle rests just forward of his wings. Thespiny ridges behind the head and theupper half of the skull attach at almost thesame spot; both could use filler, even aftercleaning. The head is twisted back as iflooking at something above and behind it.The feet and legs are all cocked except thefront right, which goes straight down and

The Antagonists (Ral Partha)

forms the only front support. This dragonunfortunately falls over, so gluing it to abase would be a good idea.

The dragon�s rider is in four parts: upper and lower body pieces, a weapon, anda shield. The two body halves fit fairlywell with almost no filling needed. Therider could only be a demon, with deep-seteyes, rows of pointed teeth, a spined neck,and horns. The body is covered by eitherribbed armor or an exoskeleton with built-in joints that extends from head to toe,showing a defined rib cage and legs; itmight even be his natural skin. In his lefthand is a large spiked club raised over hishead, and on his right arm is a spike-edgedshield. The major problem with this figureis that in order to use his weapon, therider will hit his dragon first. You mustbend his left hand around the club as well.

In the other corner are the good guys�or gal. This team consists of a female mageand her pegasus. The pegasus comes intwo pieces: the body and the wings. Thewings fit well into the body, but the topsurfaces do not quite match up, the centerbeing about 1 mm lower. If this is the casewith your model, use a filler at the bottomof the body slot. The wings will then havea slight gap on the bottom sides that canbe filled easily. The well-detailed wingsmeasure 128 mm tip to tip along the frontedges, with three different types of feath-ers and good vein detail. The equine bodyis muscular with good detail. The tail lookslike it had been clipped in areas by a poorbarber, but it curls out behind with indi-vidual hairs visible. The mane is well done,blowing in the same direction as the tail.Face, muzzle, and eye details are good.

The rider is a one-piece casting of afemale, assumed to be a mage by its de-scription. She has back-length hair blow-ing in the same direction as the horse�s

mane and tail. Her arms and legs are bareexcept for a bracelet on her right arm. Shewears boots rolled down slightly at theirtops, a flimsy dress, and a sword on herright side. The topper is a long cape andhood that look like they were made ofmetallic fabric.

Unfortunately, no game statistics areincluded for any of the four participants.Working on straight AD&D game stats,and even assuming that the female mage isfairly high level, this could be the mostlopsided battle since David and Goliath. Itbegins to become slightly more fair if youassume that the dragon rider is a demonand that the female is an ultra-high-levelcleric. But never fear, good alwaystriumphs�right?

This is a strange set that needs a sce-nario to make it truly usable for anythingother than a diorama; as a diorama, itneeds work to make it stable. I was notimpressed with the dragon, as it did notlive up to normal Ral Partha standards.This could be slightly overpriced at$22.95.

[Alert readers might recognize that theseminiatures are based upon the DenisBeauvais painting, �The Antagonists,�which served as the cover for DRAGON®issue #115.]

Thunderbolt MountainMiniaturesP.O. Box 37024 RoselawnCincinnati OH 45222-0024

Thunderbolt MountainMiniatures70 Harcourt St.Newark, NottinghamUNITED KINGDOM NG 241 RF

Wizard and Halfling (Thunderbolt Mountain

#1006�Wizard and Halfling * * * * *Once upon a time, there was a famous

book that made the word �hobbit� ahousehold word. From this humble begin-ning grew the halfling of role-playinggames, that kleptomaniac we all know andlove. This halfling and wizard miniaturesset was influenced by Tolkien�s The Hob-bit, and the figures share some similaritiesto personages from that book.

The set consists of two 54 mm leadfigures and a base. The base measures 60mm × 37 mm in size and 5 mm high. It hasrounded and tapered sides with a brickcobblestone pattern on top; the blocks areall even with open mortared areas. On thefloor is a bag with drawstring and an openbook lying face down, with tightenedbindings and engraving on the cover.There are also four holes into which thepegs on the feet of the figures fit. Therewas some easily removed flash and abarely visible mold line�nothing thatcould not be quickly fixed.

The halfling measures 33 mm in height.He has a pudgy face framed with short,tightly curled hair that exposes his earsbut covers his neck. His face shows raptattention, with his mouth open as if talk-ing. His long-sleeved shirt has rolled-upsleeves, and his button-up vest has twofront pockets and an open collar. In hisright hand he holds a long-stemmed pipe.His baggy pants are tucking neatly into hisspats, which are laced tightly from ankleto just below the knee. His feet are, ofcourse, bare with hairy tops, with fivewell-detailed toes each.

The wizard is a much more complicatedfigure. This figure stands 47 mm tall, footto eye. A wide-brimmed conical hat with ahatband covers his hair, which falls to justabove his shoulders. His eyes are open andwell detailed, right down to the irises,

DRAGON 105

APC (Stan Johansen)

eyelids, and eyebrows. The wizards noselooks like it has been broken at least once.His beard is done in ringlets and falls pasthis waist. A simple cape is connected at histhroat and drops to his ankles, covering along coat over his robes. The robe iscinched by a simple belt and buckle, and isopen from the waist down. The wizardgrips his belt with his right hand; in hisleft hand he holds both a long-stemmedpipe and a gnarled oak staff that�s as tall ashe is. The staff is the one poor spot on thisfigure, as it is almost as wide as a boarddue to the molding process used. I recom-mend that it be carefully trimmed topresent the proper appearance.

The set will invoke memories of TheHobbit and is a must for any collectors ofMiddle-earth material. There was almostno flash, and the mold lines on the figuresare well camouflaged. The holes areslightly small for the pegs, so be sure notto open the holes too much. The price isvery reasonable at $16, and there is a$1.50 shipping-and-handling fee if orderedby mail in the U.S. If you live in Ohio, add5% sales tax.

Stan Johansen Miniatures3019 Nautical WayLantana FL 33462

15 mm-3�APC ****Several months ago, we ran a review of

a package of large fighting crab miniaturescalled krakons. But a number of peoplecontacted me and said that they wereunable to reach Stan Johansen Miniatures,the maker of these figures. The mysteryhas now been solved with the delivery ofnew samples: The company moved! Pleasenote the new address and try again.

The sample submitted for review con-sisted of one vehicle and several accessorypieces. The tracked vehicle is solidly built,being 46 mm long, 22 mm wide, and 15mm high. The truck assembly consists offive bogeys and a return and drive sprocket on each side. The treads are

106 FEBRUARY 1991

molded as individual links differentiatedby inscribed lines. Both tracks are pro-tected halfway down by a solid single skirthaving a slight bulge to the front.

The body is two tiered, with the frontquarter consisting of a slightly slopedglacis that leads to a lowered deck cover-

ing the engine, which is covered by anengraved grill. The front lower deck alsocontains a set of headlights.

The upper deck�s front slope contains asighting device and vision port. The leftside, looking from the back, contains afiring port, a loading hatch, and a flamethrower on a ball mount. The right sidecontains an access hatch, a flamer, a gunport, and a vent port. The rear consists oftwo hatches and two �options� holes.

The options consist of a large top hatchand a machine gun or a large turret with a�call it what you will� weapon. The largehatch allows you to make a vehicle thatcan be exited quickly and has either aremote-controlled or hands-on weapon.The large weapon�s turret allows you tosupport other infantry vehicles at the costof decreased troop capacity. The gun isnonspecific, so you can make up your ownstatistics for it, and the turret containssighting and guidance knobs.

This vehicle was designed long ago foruse with GDW�s 15 mm TRAVELLER*game figures or British 15 mm LASER-BURN* units. With the increasing popular-ity of 6 mm epic-scale miniatures, thisvehicle fits right in with the design of thisgenre. It could be used as an �old� Impe-rial land unit or as a weapon of the opposi-tion, be it orks or renegade marines, fromGW�s WARHAMMER 40,000* universe.This vehicle has areas for other weaponsto be mounted and can hold a huge num-ber of troops.

This miniature has been out many yearsand may offend some of the purists wholook for ultra-detail. It looks like what it issupposed to be: a quick, easy-to-assemble,easy-to-use weapon of war. At $3.75 each,it is definitely a good buy for use in anynumber of scale systems.

Thrall Warrior (Lance & Laser)

Lance & Laser ModelsP.O. Box 14491Columbus OH 43214(Address incorrect in issue #164)

T-002�Thrall Warrior * * * * ½Bard Games� CHRONICLES OF TALIS-

LANTA* system defines the thrall as a raceof giant albino humanoids bred for use asslave warriors by sorcerers of some an-cient land. The 25 mm figure submittedfor review is made of lead, although notthe same lead mixture that other compan-ies use.

The figure measures an impressive 38mm from his bald head to his toes. Theface has high cheekbones, a sharp nose,and plenty of shallow-detail teeth in anopen mouth. Large pointed ears jut outfrom his head. His right arm is bare exceptfor a bracer, and his hand clenches a largesword, holding it up in the air. The scab-bard is of a worn, metallic-type fabric,attached to belts that cross his front andback; the scabbards opening is over theright shoulder, leading to some questionsas to how the sword is drawn. His leftshoulder and arm are protected by spike-covered armor held on by straps andbuckles. The rest of the body is coveredonly by a loincloth with a skull buckle anda belt, and various straps and buckles. Thethrall�s feet are clad in sandals supportedby long straps and buckles.

The muscle detail is good if a bit angular,although some raised areas might be veinsthat normally stand out on a person whois straining. If they are meant to be veins,then the detail is very good although noobvious reason for straining is apparent.The metal in this figure also gave off acrystalline shine; be careful, as this usuallymeans that the metal is brittle.

I recommend this figure, as it can be

DRAGON 107

World War II ships (GHQ)

used in other game systems as well, suchas an ogre in AD&D games. This figure iswell detailed and worth $1.35 for eachone.

GHQ2634 Bryant Avenue SouthMinneapolis MN 55408

IJN-15�BB Yamato, 1 each * * * * *IJN-18�BB Nagato, 1 each * * * * *USN-30�BB Missouri, 1 each * * * * *USN-29�BB Tennessee, 1 each * * * * *USN-28�CA Northhampton,

1 each *****IJN-23�CL Tenryu, 2 each * * * * *IJN-19�DE Matsu, 3 each * * * * *USN-09�DD Sumner, 3 each * * * * *

The huge battles that occurred in thePacific during World War II had theirbeginnings in World War I. The Japanesegovernment was among the Allies involvedin the limited battles in the Pacific. Whenthe Japanese demanded the German colo-nies located in the Pacific and China, theAllies gave them the islands, with somemisgivings. The Japanese used these newpossessions to launch future aggressions.

World War I also provided the platformthat launched most of the major nations�new navies. This massive build-up createdproblems for the economies of many coun-tries and led to the Washington NavalTreaty, which set limits on tonnage, bothon the size of the ships and on the totalnaval tonnage per country. The Washing-ton Naval Treaty, signed in 1921, gaveJapan the right to have the third largestnavy in the world, to cover its widespreadPacific interests. An associated treatyprohibited the U.S. and Britain from build-ing large fortresses in the Philippines andSingapore. These agreements insured thatthe United States and Britain, even thoughthey had the two largest fleets, wouldhave unfortified positions of operation andwould have to split their navies betweenthe Atlantic and the Pacific.

The Japanese felt that this was impor-tant for several reasons. They had foughttwo major conflicts since the 1900 to de-

1 0 8 F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 1

stroy powers that they thought posedthreats to them. Russia fell fairly easily,although the Japanese had help fromBritish ship designs. These battles in 1906allowed Japan to regain access to vitalresources and gain jump-off points thatthey capitalized on right up to the begin-ning of World War II.

Japan has long been a resource-poornation, and resources have provided abasis for Japan�s conquests for hundredsof years. Japan began to feel an oil pinchin the 1930s, and the steel it needed tobuild up its forces came from the UnitedStates. The Japanese naval high commandcautioned against any conflict with theU.S. because of America�s tremendousindustrial potential. The navy felt that theU.S. could outbuild Japan.

But the Japanese navy was at the mercyof the army, which had set up a programof aggression and conquest. When the U.S.cut off all steel exports to Japan, the diewas cast. Taking lessons from a Britishattack on the Italians, Japan planned to goto war with what resources it had. PearlHarbor was an attempt to even the oddsand reduce the U.S. fleet to levels thatJapan could deal with. It was also an at-tempt to deny the U.S. its westernmostheavy operational base. As we know, theattempt failed, but at great human lossboth then and over the next few years.

These models, submitted by GHQ forreview, all represent ships that took partin this conflict. Let�s look at the ships,compare them to their counterparts, andjudge the models.

The Yamato -class battleships were theonly modern battleships that the Japanesehad for World War II. Built in 1937 andcommissioned in 1941, these behemothsweighed over 70,000 tons fully loaded.They carried a main armament of nine18� guns, the largest in service with anynavy but also the slowest to fire. The deckwas plank wood over 9� of steel. Eachsuch ship could reach a speed of 27 knots,slow for this time, and was built for shipto-ship combat at a time when such com-bat was becoming obsolete. The model forreview represents the Yamato as it waslaunched, with a main secondary of twelve

6� guns. The model requires assembly andhas simple, easy-to-follow line instructions.The deck has well inscribed planking withindividual boards visible. Anchors, chains,and portholes are also visible, as are thebulges and protectors on the hull. Thereare two types of planes available, biplaneand monoplane, both on catapult rails.The funnel adequately displays the steampipes and covers, and the multilayer pago-dalike superstructure topped by the mas-sive gun are well done. The mast issomewhat fragile, as are the gun barrelson the main and secondary guns. Thisfigure is highly recommended as a displaymodel or for use as an opponent to theU.S. battleships.

The U.S.S. Missouri was a member ofthe Iowa class of battleships, two of whichare currently in service, albeit extensivelyrebuilt. These were the culmination ofU.S. battleship designs with a speed ofover 30 knots fully loaded. The ship�s mainarmament of nine 16� guns were ofsmaller size than the Yamato�s but wereabout twice as fast to fire. Although not asheavily armored as the Yamato, the Mis-souri had armor set up in a layered fash-ion to provide more protection. Thesewere the only battleships fast enough tokeep pace with carriers and were armedto the teeth with antiaircraft guns. At 887�,the Missouri was actually longer than theYamato, but much narrower so she couldfit through the Panama Canal. The modelsubmitted for review captures most of theimplied power of this ship. There are awealth of AA positions in proper locations,and deck boards, chains, and anchors areall molded sharply. The model does haveto be assembled, with the only visibletrouble being the placement of the second-ary armament, which takes steady hands.The wealth of detail also includes thefloats on the Kingfisher aircraft and theaircraft crane. Spare parts are included, soif you make a mistake it is not as devastat-ing as it could be. This model is highlyrecommended.

The U.S.S. Tennessee exists at the otherend of the spectrum. Launched in 1919,this class mounted an impressive twelve14�-gun platform. Her guns were in theopen in casements rather than in turretswith her tower control and cage masts.The ship moved at a slow 22 knots. In1938, an update was done on the ships ofher class. In 1941, the Tennessee and hersisters were at Pearl Harbor; the Tennes-see took light damage and was rebuilt tothe specifications with all-new conningtowers, armor, and more AA guns. Themodel submitted for review shows theTennessee as rebuilt after Pearl Harbor.Detail is excellent except that there are noportholes visible on the hull, but the deckplanking is well done with extra partsincluded for aircraft. This is another as-sembly model, but it is easier to build thanthe Missouri. The conning tower and rearplatform are also well done, as are theguns. There is no flash, except on one gun

barrel from the main batteries.The Nagato was launched in 1919 and

stood as the cream of the Japanese battle-ship crop until the Yamato came along. Shewas armed with eight 16� guns and had aspeed of 25 knots�a heavy, fast ship forthat time period. This model reflects theNagato after the 1934 rebuild, with arebuilt pagoda-style conning tower andthe elimination of one funnel. The modelshows deck-mounted secondary guns thatseem to be closed off in high seas. Woodendecking is visible, as are lifeboats andfunnel screens with piping. Assembly iseasy, and spare parts are included for themain guns. Aircraft are of two differenttypes; you can choose the biplane (usedearly in the war) or the monoplane (usedlater on). You have to be careful when youtransport these miniatures, as the seaplanepickup crane does get knocked off and noreplacement is available. This was the onlyJapanese battleship known to surviveWorld War II, but it was destroyed by anatomic-bomb test at the Bikini Islands.

Northhampton -class cruisers were stand-ard heavy American cruisers of the 1920s,all built under the terms of the Washing-ton Naval Treaty, which restricted theirweight to under 10,000 tons. These cruis-ers were armed with three turrets withthree guns each and could move at 32.5knots. Each was equipped with two sea-plane scouts and could withstand hits

from 5� shells with minimal damage. Thismodel represents the U.S.S. Northhamp-ton, rebuilt for war. Wooden decks, life-boats, rafts, and open guns are all welldone. This is another multipiece miniatureand poses problems in seating the scoutplane on the catapult, as the pegs need tobe trimmed slightly. Also of note is the old-fashioned bedspring antenna on the for-ward mast. This ship did not survive thewar, being sunk in 1942 during the Battleof Tassafaronga, by torpedoes from aJapanese destroyer.

Two Tenryu -class light cruisers wereconstructed in 1918 and had only light gunmodifications and a mast change beforeWorld War II. These vessels were consid-ered to be second-class cruisers even byJapanese standards, each being armedwith only four 5.5� guns, three major AAguns, depth charges for antisubmarinework, and six 21� torpedoes. Their armorwas light, and they could be brought tobay by late-war U.S. destroyers. Thismodel is a one-piece casting, and the pack-age represents both ships in the class. Theguns have some flash under the barrels,but I advise that this be left alone to pro-

tect what would be a fragile gun mount.The tripod mast is clear with flash only atthe top. The spacing is good, and individ-ual depth charges and torpedoes are visi-ble. Neither of these ships survived thewar; both were sunk by submarines.

By 1944, the Japanese Empire was begin-ning to crumble. Valuable supplies andresources were not reaching Japan be-cause of the active and intense submarinewarfare waged by the U.S. Japan hadalready realized that its merchant marinewas in danger, but had little material thatcould be used for ASW work and routinesupport. The De Matsu was a �second-class� destroyer but was actually closer toa destroyer escort. It was armed withdepth charges, torpedoes, 24 light AAguns; and three 5�/40 guns in one case-ment and one dual open position. Theships were crewed with the largest possi-ble number of men and had the simplestdesign possible. The miniature has cleanlines, is a one-piece casting, and has noflash except at the mast tops. Deck plank-ing is clear and sharp, as are lifeboats,weapons, directors, and bridgework. Alsoclear are the portholes toward the bow ofthe ship. The vessel is also small, beingonly 328� long (40 mm in actual length).Out of 18 active ships, seven were de-stroyed, one by a sub. The others weredispersed throughout the world.

Our last ship was a late U.S. entry: theSumner-class destroyer, launched late in1943. By this time, the U.S. had begun torealize the value of destroyers that couldcome close to shore to fight and yet woulddo equal time in the radar picket linesdefending against kamikaze pilots. These

110 FEBRUARY 1991

ships were almost twice the size of theMatsu and were each armed with six 5�guns, twelve 40 mm guns, eleven 20 mmguns, six 21� torpedoes, and depthcharges. The projected maximum speedwas 36.5 knots, but most of these shipswere slower.

The model shows the twin turrets for-ward, the splinter shields on the sides, andthe 40 mm and 20 mm positions clearly.Depth-charge racks are seen on the rearand sides of the boat, as are the two setsof torpedo tubes with their individualtubes and the gunnery turret. Gunneryradar and bridge radar are very welldone, as is the bridge detail. The onlynoticeable item missing from this one-piece casting is the mast. Many of the classwere sunk, but a few continue to serve innavies throughout the world today, al-though somewhat altered.

All of these vessels are molded in 1/2400scale. Used together, they could producean interesting late-war scenario forsurface-to-surface combat. The U.S. has aslight edge that can be overcome by supe-rior playing by the Japanese player, or bythe addition of an Aoba -class light cruiseror a heavy cruiser to the Japanese player�sforces. For rules, we recommend the SEAPOWER* or (better still) the SEEKRIEG*game, both of which are available at manyhobby stores. The ships may also be usedfor quality miniature dioramas. Admirethe detail, be careful when you handle theminiatures, and game away. All of theseminiatures are highly recommended.

I hope that this short lesson on WorldWar II naval history gives you some feelfor the combat of the time. The battleswere desperate and bloody, and now youknow some of the reasons why. The fol-lowing references may be of use if you�dlike more information:

Con way�s All the World�s Fighting Ships,1922-1946. Conway/Maritime Press,1980. Available through the U.S. NavalInstitute Press.

Jane�s Fighting Ships of World War II. NewYork: Military Press (distributed byCrown Publishers, Inc.), 1989.

Humble, Richard. Japanese High Seas Fleet(Ballantine�s Illustrated History Weap-ons Book #33). New York: BallantineBooks, Inc., n/d. Out of print.

Warships of the World, Victory Edition1946. Cornell Maritime Press, 1946. Outof print.

*indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.