Sunday, May 28, 2017

The Dragon Magazine, Volume 1: Issue 1

Greetings, fantasy fans! I've decided that due to an abundance of free time and a strong desire to crib campaign ideas from established sources that I'll be reading through issues of The Dragon, the TSR (later WOTC) publications dedicated solely to D&D. The Dragon ran continuously for almost 30 years in print (and was followed by Dragon+, WOTC's current offering) so I imagine I'll have plenty of material to go over. For the sake of brevity, and to save my beloved readers some time, I'll be going through each individual article and rating them on a scale of study-skim-skip. Study articles are ones that I believe have a lot to offer the average D&D player or GM, whether in theory or in practice. Skim articles are just what they say: some good details, mixed in with a lot of negligible crap. Skip articles are to be ignored entirely, whether because they don't apply to D&D or fantasy work or because they're simply boring and useless. With that being said, lets jump into volume 1, issue 1:

Fafhrd and the Mouser Say Their Say: Skim if you're a fan, Skip if not. There's really nothing here but a short scene in which the twain talk to Lieber about the world they live in. An additional character for Lankhmar, A TSR boardgame that nobody plays, is introduced.

The Battle of the Five Armies In Miniatures: Skip. See above with regards to people playing the Battle of the Five Armies board game.

How to Use Non-Prime Requisite Attributes: Study. Now this is interesting, if a bit obtuse. Basically, a way of determining a character's chance of success at doing damn near anything, by way of percentile. I've always found the roll-under system vastly simpler (and therefore superior), but it's cool to see that even in the early days people were clamoring for a dice-based way to resolve non-combat encounters.

Magic and Science: Study. These are cool, they remind me of MAG's from Phantasy Star Online. I'd consider using one in a game, maybe even developing them further into a sort of ever-present companion. Will have to think on this one.

Languages: Skim. Nobody I know uses alignment languages, and the idea that a person could learn horse — but have a harder time speaking the donkey dialect — is amusing but ultimately so situational that I feel comfortable making up the rules for that on the fly. That being said, I like the ideas that are offered towards the end with regards to resolving hostile encounters with languages.

Wargaming World & Gencon Update: Skip. Missed the bus on that one.

The Search for the Forbidden Chamber: Study. This is painfully bad prose. Read it so that the world need never birth it again.

Creature Features: Study. The Bullette (or boo-lay)! One of my all-time favorite creatures, this version of the bullette has the distinction of dealing a buttload of damage. Seriously, 4d12 damage per attack? Or 12d6 if it's backed into a corner? Say goodbye to your average Superhero if that one hits. They also have a 10% chance of surprise, and frequently attack from below the ground.

Mapping the Dungeons: Skip. Same as Wargaming World and Gencon, but interesting to see a familiar name on there.

Hints for D&D Judges: Study. Sweet hexcrawl advice that still rings true today, without needing to bring Outdoor Adventures into the game. That being said, I can't stand the use of the term "Judge." I've always insisted on being the DM, regardless of the game I'm running.

Mighty Magic Miscellany: Skim. Further developing the Illusionist class from a previous edition of The Strategic Review.

Royal Armies of the Hyborean Age Additions: Skip. Once again, nobody plays this.

Hobbits and Thieves in Dungeon!: Skip. I'm assuming Dungeon! isn't very good, as I've never heard of it. Wouldn't be adverse to trying it, though, and the fact that it's a board game might help convince some of my less-nerdy friends to try roleplaying.

The Gnome Cache: Skim. Standard fantasy fare. No idea if it's going to get good, so I'm leaving it as skim for now.


That's it for issue 1, I'll look into doing issue 2 once I'm done with the three Skaith books.

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