Issue #136Vol. XIII, No. 3August 1988

PublisherMike Cook

EditorRoger E. Moore

Assistant editorRobin Jenkins

Fiction editorPatrick L. Price

Editorial assistantsEileen Lucas Barbara G. Young

Art directorRoger Raupp

Production staffBetty Elmore

Kim Janke Lori Svikel

Subscriptions U.S. AdvertisingPat Schulz Sheila Meehan

U.K. correspondentsGraeme Morris Rik Rose

U.K. advertisingDawn Carter Kris Starr

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

7 Urban Adventures:An orc in a dungeon is a foe. An orc in the city could be mayor.

8 Building Blocks, City Style � Thomas KaneIs there a fishmonger in this town? This city-builder has the answer.

18 The Long Arm of the Law � Dan HowardCrime and punishment in FRPG cities; or, flogging isn�t so bad.

22 Taking Care of Business � Anthony D. GlecklerThe merchant NPC class: If you like being rich better than anything else.

28 A Room for the Knight � Patrick G. Goshtigian and Nick KopsinisRating the inns and taverns of fantasy campaign worlds.

34 Fifty Ways to Foil Your Players � Jape TrostleMad prophets, con men, and adoring monsters to vex your characters.

OTHER FEATURES

40 The Curse of the Magus � fiction by Bruce Boston and Robert FrazierEven in exile, a wizard is still the most dangerous of opponents.

46 Arcane Lure � Dan SnuffinRecharge: One simple spell with a lifetime of uses.

54 The Golem�s Craft � John C. BunnellTo build a golem, you first need a dungeon full of money.

58 Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowA look at convention fun, deadlines, and a siege-tower giant.

64 �Damage control � report!� � Richard M. HindsDirect hits and minor chips in the STAR FRONTIERS® Knight Hawks game.

66 New Kicks in Martial Arts � Len CarpenterThe limits of power: creating martial arts for Oriental Adventures.

71 The Game Wizards � Warren SpectorAdvice, new products, and campaign styles for all TOP SECRET/S.I.� games.

76 The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserTop entertainment, from the darkest dungeons to . . . flying eggs?

82 Gamma Life in the Big City � Dan KretzerMutants make the best landlords in the GAMMA WORLD® game.

88 Role-playing Reviews � Jim BambraFour cities from the most distant reaches of fantasy.

97 The Game Fair Update � Robert BigelowThe last words on the GEN CON®/ORIGINSTM 1988 Game Fair: Get ready!

DEPARTMENTS

3 Letters4 Forum

50 Sage Advice

62 TSR Previews 94 Convention Calendar68 Gamers� Guide 98 Dragonmirth70 Index to Advertisers 100 SnarfQuest

COVER

Ken Widing�s cover work, �Holding Court,� shows that one need not be human torule a city or nation. A lamia noble is particularly suited to rulership, being able tocommand obedience merely by touch. But, as the FIEND FOLIO® tome warns,lamias are also �given to outbursts of senseless violence.� We wish her captive luck.

2 AUGUST 1988

What did you think of this issue? Do you have aquestion 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 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGONMagazine, TSR UK Limited, The Mill, RathmoreRoad, Cambridge CR2 4AD, United Kingdom.

European readers are encouraged to sendtheir tips for their own favorite computergames to the authors of �The Role of Com-puters� column. Just write to: Hartley andPatricia Lesser, 179 Pebble Place, San Ramon CA94583, U.S.A. You can also write to: �The Role ofComputers,� DRAGON Magazine, TSR UK Lim-ited, The Mill, Rathmore Road, Cambridge CB14AD, U.K.; your mail will be forwarded to TSR,Inc., in Wisconsin, and we will forward it to the

W i l d r o l l sLessers.

Dear Dragon: F a r e w e l l t oThe berserker in �The Wild Warriors� (fromDRAGON issue #133) looks to be a more reason-able class than you often present. A point toclarify concerns how the berserker is rolled up.Does he use the same system as the barbarian

W o r m yDear Dragon:

under Method V (Unearthed Arcana, page 74)?David Carl Argall

La Puente CA

Berserkers, given their extraordinary mini-mum strength and constitution scores, may usethe fighter/barbarian die rolls from Method V.However if this class is used as a PC, the DMmay change the number of dice rolled forwisdom, charisma, and comeliness to 3 each.

I am not a regular subscriber to DRAGONMagazine, but I try to read it as much as possi-ble. However, in the past two issues, I havemissed �Wormy.� Was there some announce-ment, or has the strip been cancelled?

Jon BuskyBaltimore MD

We regret to announce that �Wormy� will nolonger appear in DRAGON Magazine. We arelooking into the possibility of adding anothergraphic series in the future.

P o i n t e d p r o b l e mDear Dragon: P e r c e p t i o n p l u s

I�m writing in response to the barbed arrowdescribed in issue 133�s �Bazaar of the Bizarre.�It says if the arrow is hastily removed, thevictim takes 1-2 hp damage. What if a characterdoesn�t have the 2-8 rounds to properly removethe arrow because he is engaged in combat?

Doug GibsonWalkersviIIe MD

The victim takes no damage if he doesn�t havetime to remove the arrow. However, the DMcould have additional damage accumulate if thearrow isn�t removed within a certain time

Dear Dragon:In issue #133, the article about perception

(�Notice Anything Different?�) is an excellentone. I�ve played AD&D® games for years andhave seen many different methods of deciding ifa PC noticed something or not, and none ofthem ever seemed quite right. Adding percep-tion as another ability score is a great solution,but a question was raised by the article. It statesthat perception was created as an eighth charac-ter ability score. What is the seventh abilityscore?

period (say, about one hour). While we�re on thesubject, the description of the wooden arrow inthe same article should have said that it does1d6-1 hp damage.

M. A. MetcalfToledo OH

The seventh land often unused) ability score iscomeliness, described in Unearthed Arcana,pages 6-7.

B r i t i s h c o m p u t e r sDear Dragon:

Your computer column, good as it is, holds nointerest to owners of the most popular Englishcomputers: Amstrad and Spectrum. If you couldinclude the occasional review or tip for thesesystems, I am sure many readers would begreatly obliged.

Stuart Elden

The NationalGame ConventionWell, the month of August is upon

us, and that means the GEN CON®Game Fair is soon to follow. Thisyear, however, things will be differ-ent as the oldest game conventionjoins the number-one adventuregame fair to form the first-ever GENCON®/ORIGINS� Game Fair. This�gaming event of the decade� bringstogether the two largest gamingconventions in the U.S. in a land-mark effort of cooperation andorganization. Odd, isn�t it, how timechanges attitudes and opinions? Itwasn�t always like this. The GENCON/ORIGINS Game Fair has takenyears to coordinate and orchestrate.It is an event that would have neverhappened in the past.

Formerly, relations between theGEN CON and ORIGINS Game Fairswere strained. The gist of the debatewas: Which event was the nationalwargame convention? GEN CONGame Fair organizers felt theirconvention was the national conven-tion because it was the oldest (hav-ing started in 1968). ORIGINSplanners claimed their conventionhad the national scope that the�regional� GEN CON Game Fairlacked. Heated words often flew inboth directions.

In �What is the National WargameConvention� (The Strategic Review,December 1975), a GEN CON GameFair supporter voiced strong opin-ions. �Now AH [The Avalon HillGame Company] intimates that Ori-gins was the sole �national� conven-tion. . . . Somehow, one is also led tobelieve that the event was also thelargest. Interesting contentions, butthey are just not true. . . it seemsclear that GenCon still retains thecrown. . . .�

Time has a way of softening harshwords. Over the past 13 years, dif-ferences have been rectified to allowa cooperative effort heretoforeimprobable. Now it�s all rather point-less to bicker over which conventionis better. And as for the gist of theargument, �Which is the nationalwargame convention?� � you�ll seeit for the first time later this month.

Colchester, Essex, U.

D R A G O N 3

The “Forum” welcomes your comments andopinions on role-playing games. In the Unit-ed States and Canada, write to: The Forum,DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 110, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, writeto: The Forum, DRAGON Magazine, TSRUK Limited, The Mill, Rathmore Road, Cam-bridge CB1 4AD, United Kingdom. We askthat material submitted to the “Forum” beeither neatly written by hand or typed with afresh ribbon and clean keys, so we may readand understand your comments.

Having looked at the articles in issues #l30and #131 about illusions, I think I have anothersystem. Say that a 7th-level illusionist decides tocast a spell that will allow him to conjure threeillusionary goblins. In the Monster Manual,goblins have 1-1 HD. The illusionist wants threeof them, which makes a total of 3-3 HD. It isassumed that the target gets a saving throw todisbelieve the spell cast. Take the level or hitdice of the caster and compare it to the hit-dietotal of the illusion. If the level of the casterexceeds the total hit dice of the desired illusion,the target gets a saving-throw penalty, this beingthe difference between the level of the casterand the hit dice of the illusory monsters. If thelevel of the caster is less than the hit dice of theillusion, the target gets a bonus, this being thedifference between the hit dice of the illusorymonsters and the level of the caster.

Optionally, the DM could allow a bonus orpenalty based on intelligence or wisdom. Unlessthe bonus or penalty to the hit-die rating of anillusion equals or is greater than eight, ignorethe hit-die bonus or penalty. If it is greater thaneight, divide the modifier by eight. Ignoring allfractions, add the result to the hit-die total. Forillusory objects, a modified system is used in

which the DM assesses a hit-die value to theillusion. For example, a pit would be 1 HD, acovered pit would be 2 HD, and a covered pitwith spikes 4 HD; with all of the above andsnakes, add the hit-die value of the snakes. Afterthe hit-die value has been found, continuenormally with the rest of the saving-throwprocedure.

Aaron GoldblattFort Worth TX

I would like to respond to Richard Devens�scomments in issue #132 concerning my ownarticle on shields in issue #127. His first argu-ment is that making shield-use a weapon profi-ciency is unfair to fighters and rangers � theformer because the fighter needs four startingweapons, the latter because a ranger has manytypes of weapons he must learn before consid-ering anything else. Mr. Devens goes on to saythat such proficiency with a shield should beassumed as part of normal training.

It seems that only nonfighter classes would beable at first to take advantage of the system, butin my experience as a DM, I don�t see that thisholds true. Players of fighters do not generallytake four different weapons at 1st level. Withweapon specialization being so much of anadvantage, nearly all fighters I know double-specialize in something, then take a long-rangeweapon. Why not? The rules allow it, and itgives you extra attacks and extra attack-rollbonuses. This type of behavior tends to makethe fighter class unbalanced. However, if youpresent this marvelous way to gain a betterarmor class through weapon proficiencies, youcan wean some of those fighters from theoffense kick.

As for the ranger, he really doesn�t have muchof a restriction on weapons with which hebecomes proficient. As stated on page 22 inUnearthed Arcana, a ranger must use his first

four weapon proficiencies on four differentweapons unless he decides to specialize in someweapon � which means he could quite possiblybe 22nd level before he is finally specialized inall of them (by becoming specialized in a bow,double specialized in a sword and an axe, andfinally specialized with a dagger). It wouldn�thurt to allow rangers to become proficient witha shield, too.

It is right to assume that the use of a shield istaught in normal 1st-level training of a fighteror ranger. But it is also part of the training ofany shield-using class. This system reflectsfurther interest in and use of the shield on thepart of the character, thus improving perform-ance with it as weapon specialization does.

Richard doesn�t agree with the use of themantlet at all, reasoning that it is a large obsta-cle between attackers. This would only be trueif the user of the shield was simply hidingbehind the mantlet and there was no wayaround, in which case the mantlet could beconsidered to be a wall. But if a mantlet-user isgoing to attack, then he�s going to have toexpose himself to be attacked; if he�s not profi-cient, he will suffer the �to hit� modifiers: -2for a large shield and -3 for a mantlet. Also,there is no reason to penalize a character�sarmor class if he sets a weapon for a charge. Ashield plays no part in it, as the weapon typeslisted as being usable for that maneuver extendbeyond the shield (DMG, page 66).

Also stated in his letter is the idea that anunsuccessful pummel, pin, or shield-rush willleave an attacker more exposed to counterat-tack than normal. If this were true, wouldn�t theattacker also leave himself more vulnerableafter a missed sword swing? He would be just assurprised by the miss. Leaving oneself open forattack after an attack is already accounted forin the character�s final armor-class value. Youcannot assume that the counterattack is alwayson the advantageous side.

Mr. Devens�s final point is a good one. A shieldcould be counted as cover against missile fire ifit is large enough to cover the being�s entirebody without having to be moved around fordefense. This would make the mantlet the onlyshield useful for this purpose to man-sizebeings. An attack on a character defending insuch a manner would be modified by the tableon page 64 of the DMG (i.e., a +10 armor-classbonus). Tim Merrett

Logansport IN

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4 AUGUST 1988

The background suggestions (for Mayfair�sDC� HEROES game) in the article �A Little LessSuper� (issue #132) helped. But the ability to roll1dl0 for multiple origins and the ability to usemultiple origins if it came up again allow somerather unrestrained and overpowered charac-ters. I quit with 21 rolls left on one character; Ifirst got lucky, then got tired.

My suggestion would be to change the tables.The first change is to have a table as follows:

1dl00 Extra points01-50 2d5051-75 2d50 + 5076-90 3d100 + 100 (400 maxi)91-95 4d100 + 200 (600 maxi)96-99 5d100 + 300 (800 maxi)00 1,000

The second table would be the one for theorigin of those extra points. That table could usethe current table (but roll 1d2 on multipleorigins). That way, you wouldn�t get anyonerolling up 32,000 + point heroes on the sametable that gives you 280-point heroes. (As it is,I�m letting the table do 252-point heroes as wellas 1,259-point heroes � a bad spread, but not asbad).

Think about it. Would you allow a previous-experience table for the AD&D® game thatproduced a range from 1st level in one class to25th level in several classes?

Steve MarshWichita Falls TX

Despite the critics, there are good reasonswhy we give experience for magic and treasure.The primary one is that we need some source ofexperience besides killing monsters. If a fightergained experience just from battle, he wouldhave killed about 150 orcs by the time hereached 2nd level. That is an obvious impossibil-ity when we consider that those we couldclassify as real-life, high-level fighters may havekilled a score or two. Another comparisoncomes from the world of boxing; the longestsuch career without a loss (death in AD&Dgame terms) among major fighters is 49 fights �far short of 150, much less the thousands need-ed to reach name class. We could increase theexperience per monster to more reasonablelevels, but we still end up with a dull game inwhich the only matter of interest is killingmonsters. In real life, money is a major motive,and we don�t want to slight its power in AD&Dgames, either.

Training is sometimes suggested, but trainingis dull, to be kept in the background where itwon�t interfere with the game. By giving experi-ence points for money, we can merely assume much of the money is used for training whichoccurs off-camera where we are not bored byit. Giving experience points for various actions(spells cast, locks picked, etc.) can be tremen- dously complex and still greatly favors one classover another. Try to dream up a system thatwouldn't ruin a druid if all his time was spent in

interesting simply to read, and as a fan of FritzLeiber, I�m pleased to see his work treatedgenerally well.

While reading the adventures of Fafhrd andthe Grey Mouser, I compared them to theadventures into which a DM might throw hisplayers and to the way that magic and magicalitems are controlled. I quickly came to theconclusion that Mr. Leiber is a very good DM, aswell as a good writer. Nowhere is a sorcerer apushover, nor is a sorcerer too difficult todefeat. The stories also show that reasonablyintelligent men and women wielding swords canprove to be worthy adversaries for a magic-user. The stories add up to a nicely balancedcampaign, and the Rime Isle stories are especial-ly interesting, since the Norse pantheon is sopopular with other DMs. Any of the storiescould be subtitled thus: �A Discourse on How toAdventure Against Mighty Foes, and How It CanBe Satisfying Without Finding Gold as aReward!"

I also found that on at least one occasion,Fafhrd possessed a magical blade. In �TheClouds of Hate," his sword Graywand hums awarning! Obviously, that�s a sword +1 thatdetects evil in a 2� radius. Well, maybe being asuperstitious barbarian (as opposed to a prag-matic citizen of southern cities) enabled him tobe attuned to supernatural vibes, but I think ofthe sword as a product of sorcerous crafts.

And now to my campaign in particular. Con-tradictions appear within the stories; this wasinevitable, because they were written over anumber of years. Those contradictions allowany DM a great deal of leeway to customize thebackground for his own use. A specific exampleis the Trollstep Mountains. Why are they calledthat? Because trolls are said to live there. Yet, in�Rime Isle,� trolls are mentioned and the Mouserhas not heard of the word! Elsewhere in theseries, giants and satyrs are mentioned, but asthough they were fairy tales. This might be aliberty, but in my version of Nehwon, giants,trolls, and ogres do exist (if there are trolls,ogres cannot be too far behind!). Also, blue,black, and white dragons are known to roamfar-off lands.

unswerving loyalty to a master no matter whatthe circumstances (berserkers were preferredby some Roman generals because they could notbe bribed, nor would they ever turn againsttheir masters), and their usually stoic vigil andmien fit the limit of 9 perfectly. A berserker in aberserker-oriented society might have a highercharisma in that society only, though.

Secondly, the berserkergang ability was notlimited to berserkers alone but to any warriorsavage enough in his devotion to Odin, as givenin history and fiction. For example, in the bookKing of the Wood, the skald (bard) of Odin, avery charismatic person, possessed the ber-serkergang ability in combat, whereas the mainhero, the warrior Hring, less evidently pos-sessed the ability, being only described as �over-taken by a red haze." With this, DMs shouldjudge accordingly in how they run, if at all, sucha class and ability in their campaigns.

John H. ChangLynchburg VA

the city, or keep a thief down if he lives in theforest. Again, experience for money allows the

of the berserker does not naturally have to beless than or equal to 9. Some of the berserkers

party to remain at a common level (or to who served as personal bodyguards to Romanadvance a particular player if the party chooses generals would have been good looking were itto split the loot that way). not for the fact that they: 1) covered their entire

�Money-experience� is not a perfect system, bodies with bizarre paints and tattoos, 2) worebut the alternatives are worse.

David Carl Argall long hair in a society where bearing was strict

and military, and 3) were generally unkempt, allLa Puente CA of which could effectively lower their comeli-

ness to 9.This letter contains some thoughts on TSR�s No contentions about the limit of 9 on wisdom

LANKHMAR�: City of Adventure supplement and charisma; going back to the same example,and campaigns in general. I find the supplement one sees that those berserkers, with their

6 A U G U S T 1 9 8 8

Having ogres allows half-ogre PCs to exist. Inaddition, ice gnome PCs can be found. Theselast cannot be illusionists � but they do receivean extra hit die at 1st level; that is, fighters get2d10, thieves receive 2d6, etc. I also allow theice gnomes to have bonuses of +1 per 4½points of constitution to saving throws vs. icemagic. Naturally, they have difficulty withLankhmar�s hot climate. Both races are infre-quently met, but it adds to our enjoyment.

So, we have an already fascinating back-ground courtesy of Mr. Leiber, with the houserules all DMs indulge in.

Ron L. NewsomeMelbourne, Australia

I would like to point out two facts concerningTom Griffith�s article �The Wild Warriors� inissue #133. First of all, the comeliness attribute

This letter is being written in response toMark Shipley�s letter in issue #132, concerningcavaliers� fighting and jousting abilities. Thereare several things he overlooked.

To begin with, he advises attacking the horsefirst. Any cavalier worth his shield would havethe attacker whittled down to half his hit pointsbefore the latter could kill the horse. Don�tforget the horse�s attack modes, either.

Next, he claims that the weapon-specializationbonus to attacks per round afforded to fighters,rangers, and barbarians would outweigh acavalier�s better armor class. Not so. A cavalier�sability with weapons of choice would bring herup to at least a minor advantage, considering allof her attack bonuses. A better armor classwould only increase that advantage.

Additionally, Mr. Shipley seems to have forgot-ten the detail that makes cavaliers so difficult tohit: their superior parrying ability. If the exam-ple of Scud and Allycia is used, Allycia wouldhave Scud dead without a scratch.

Next, he believes that the cavaliers� honor andchivalry codes are detrimental to their abilities.Possibly, but in all probability they will serve toprevent too many people from being killed bycavaliers.

He also seems to think that a cavalier�s honorsystem is a way of proclaiming a holier-than-thou attitude. Again, not so. The cavalier�shonor system is a basis for bringing a civilizingaspect to an otherwise chaotic and barbaricsociety.

Finally, Mr. Shipley states that an alignmentchange will strip a cavalier of his or her knight-ly abilities. According to the Unearthed Arcanabook, evil cavaliers could and do exist.

Eric Liss(no address)

My character, a third-edition RUNEQUEST®game sorcerer, read the article �ResourcefulSorcery� in issue #132. He�d like to ask theauthor the question, �Hey! How long have youbeen using sorcerer PCs?�

Admittedly, the article was enlightening,especially to new PCs unused to the ArtsArcane, but I�d like to cover some sore points.Over here, a boy isn�t a man until he�s beendown to the pub on his eighteenth birthday andquaffed a pint of ale with the lads. Similarly, anApprentice isn�t, can’t be, an Adept until he�sdone some task that proves his ability to becomean Adept. The ability to make a familiar, ormandala (for honourable players of the supple-ment Land of Ninja), is test enough for any

(continued on page 45)

by Thomas Kane

A city-generation system forfantasy campaigns

Shamra remembered deep mines. Sheremembered the dungeons of dark elvesand the mazes of minotaurs, but none ofthose places had been as bewildering asthis huge, uncaring city. Somewhere, shehad to find the Blue Wizard Inn to join herparty, but she had searched all day, anddark was coming. The street was like atunnel, with rooftops leaning against oneanother overhead and patches of lightshining between eaves. When night came,marauders would emerge, easily evadingthe city watches, robbing, kidnapping, andkilling. She had to find directions or atleast a sanctuary, a base camp from whichto explore the city. Finally desperately,without looking to see where she was,Shanra climbed a staircase and knockedon a dry wooden door. Somebody wouldbe inside....

No DM can plan encounters for everysingle part of a town. This problem iscompounded by the fact that PCs seldomneed so much information as when theyenter a city and wonder what all the build-ings are for. Worse yet, PCs often visit atown on a whim � perhaps because theywant to trade with some rare sort of mer-chant, forcing the DM to decide if thebusinessman even exists.

One solution to this problem is a randomcity generation system, and that is whatthis article provides. These tables showwhat buildings PCs may find in urbanareas of all sizes and what customs mightbe expected, in both Occidental and Orien-tal campaigns.

The buildings tables (Tables 2-5) can be

used in several ways. Each attributes amodified die roll to a building type, so thatan otherwise undefined building can begiven a purpose. (�Looks like you�ve founda livery stable, Brak.") Each also has acolumn that determines the chance thatthe building exists somewhere in or near acity. (�The peasant says there�s a liverystable around here!�) Always override thissecond column when it conflicts withother data; if the DM wants a building toexist in a city, it exists. Furthermore, if aroll on the first column indicates that thePCs find a certain building, it is there, nomatter what the second column says.

Note that 1d100 results above 100 aregiven in the first two columns of Tables2-5. These figures are 1d100 rolls modifiedby figures from Table 1 (hence the possibil-ity of �rolling� a number larger than 100).The Table 1 modifiers are used to reflectthe size of a given city. Each such modifieris added to the 1d100 roll for the firstcolumn and to the percentage chance for abuilding�s existence on the second. Thus,the larger the city, the easier it becomes tofind unusual businesses.

Structures and professionsAlthough many of the entries listed in

the city-generation tables are self explana-tory, others require a bit more definition.The following notes describe structuresand professions listed in these tables. Forfurther details on these structures, DMsmay consult the books listed in the bibliog-raphy of this article.

Artisan: Roll this result on Table 6. Mosttradesmen live in their workshops. Thesehouse/factories have large windows (with-out glass) that let people on the streetwatch the craftsmen at work, serving as asort of advertisement. A large woodenpanel is used to shut each portal at night,being used as a drop-down table to displaywares during the day.

Table 1City-Size Modifiers

Town type Population ModifierHamlet 1-500 �Village 501-1,000 +10Town l,00l-3,000 +15City 3,001-10,000 +20Large city 10,001 and up +25

Bridge: Bridges span canals, rivers,chasms, or aqueducts, and can be found ineven the driest cities. Passers-by must paya toll at many city bridges; any attempt toavoid this toll (by swimming or othermeans) is a serious crime. Offenders willhave to pay costly fines and may bewhipped or imprisoned if they have nomoney. Cities need their revenue, after all.

Guild hall: Roll on Table 6 to see whichguild owns this building.

Castle: This is the fortified home of agreat noble, possibly the ruler of the city.If the city is not ruled by a lord, castlesusually belong to priesthoods or knightlyorders.

City wall: Most cities stretch far beyondtheir walls. City fortifications usuallysurround as small an area as possiblebecause the people who build them wantonly to protect their own property with-out wasting money on bigger walls. There-fore, characters may find streets blockedby the defenses. The urban area outside acity�s wall is called the faubourg, an oldFrench word for suburb, and is usuallypoorer than inner city districts.

Court of law: District magistrates admin-ister these courts, commanding bands ofconstables. Their functions are describedon page 140 of Oriental Adventures.

Embassy: Embassies in Oriental worldsare not intended for diplomacy but ashotels where foreigners are quarantinedto keep them from infecting the local

Table 2Buildings in an Inland City

Mod.1dl00roll01-4243-45464748495051-6061-6566-7071-7576-77787980-81828384-9596-101102103-104105-106107108-109110-111112113-114115-116117-118119-120

121122123124125

Chancebuildingexists100%

30%20%20%30%10%10%70%70%70%70%30%60%50%70%40%15%*

50%30%30%30%40%30%30%20%50%50%30%40%

20%20%20%20%50%

* See Table 6.

BuildingHutBeekeeper�s hivesHerbwife�s shopQuarryLumber millMineSmelterInnBurgher�s homeTempleTenementMonasteryStorehouseBridgeMarketLivery stableCastleArtisan�s shopShantyFalconer�s aviaryVillaTinker�s shopThieves� denFortificationBordelloCollegeCity wallGuild hallHospitalMoneylender�sshopAlchemist�s shopMagic shopTheaterParkTomb

Table 3Buildings in a Port City

Mod. Chanceld100 buildingroll exists01-20 100%21 15%22-27 50%28-32 100%33-36 40%37-40 70%41-45 70%46-58 70%59-62 60%63-67 70%68-72 60%73 60%74-76 60%77-87 100%88 30%89 10%90-98 *

99-100 50%101-103 30%104 30%105-108 40%109 30%110-114 70%115 20%116 50%117-118 50%119 30%120 50%

121 20%122 20%123 20%124 20%125 50%

* See Table 6.

BuildingHutHerbwife�s shopBait shopDockLumber millShipwrightFishmongerInnBurgher�s homeTempleTenementStorehouseBridgeMarketLivery stableCastleArtisan�s shopShantyVillaTinker�s shopThieves� denFortificationBordelloCollegeCity wallGuild hallHospitalMoneylender�sshopAlchemist�s shopMagic shopTheaterParkTomb

Table 4 Table 5 Table 6Buildings in an Oriental City Buildings in an Oriental Port City Artisan Subtable

Mod. Chance Mod.ldl00 building 1dl00roll exists Building roll01-10 70% Small shrine11-15 20% Herbalist16-17 20% Mine18-19 20% Smelter20-36 70% Minka *37-38 10% Lumber mill39-43 80% Market44-53 80% Temple54-55 50% Rice paddy56-60 70% Inn61 30% Fortress62-64 40% Merchant�s home65-67 60% Restaurant68-70 50% Monastery71 50% Bridge72-80 70% Bathhouse81-90 ** Artisan�s shop91 30% Court of law92-93 40% Storehouse94-97 50% Training hall98 60% Nobleman�s castle99-100 50% Theater101-110 60% Thieves� den111-112 40% Tattoo shop113 20% Embassy114-115 40% Laquerware shop116-117 40% Moneylender118-119 60% Geisha house120-125 50% Tomb

01-0506070809-2930-3334-3637-3839-4041-5051-535455-6566-70717273-7475-7677-7980-8586-969798-99100-101102103-104105-110111-115116-118119-120121-122123-124125

* See Oriental Adventures, page 142* * See Table 6.

peasants with barbaric ideas.Fortification: This indicates some sort of

barracks or tower, manned with cityguards and controlled by the city council.

Hospital: Charities operate most hospi-tals and treat anyone entrusted to them.They have few trained physicians or cler-ics, but they do provide a safe place forsick or injured people from any socialclass. A few hospitals (20%) cater to lepers,and 5% are mental institutions.

Chancebuildingexists

70%10%10%10%70%40%

100%80%70%80%80%40%70%70%30%60%40%60%50%70%**

30%40%50%60%50%70%60%20%40%40%60%50%

BuildingSmall shrineHerbalistMineSmelterMinka *Lumber millDockShipwrightBait shopMarketTempleRice paddyFishmongerInnFortressBridgeMerchant�s homeRestaurantMonasteryBathhouseArtisan�s shopCourt of lawStorehouseTraining hallNobleman�s castleTheaterThieves� denTattoo shopEmbassyLaquerware shopMoneylenderGeisha houseTomb

* See Oriental Adventures, page 143.* * See Table 6.

Hut: Huts usually belong to peasantfarmers. In large cities, laborers and poorcraftsmen live here.

Magic shop: This store sells materialspell components (see �Living in a MaterialWorld� by Michael Dobson, in DRAGON®issue #81, reprinted in the Best of

ld100roll0102-0405-070809-1011-1213-1415-16

Chancebuildingexists30%60%60%30%40%40%60%40%

17-18 60%19-20 50%21-22 40%23-24 30%25 30%26-27 60%28-29 30%30-31 30%32-33 40%34 30%35-36 60%37-38 40%39-41 50%42-43 30%44-45 40%46-48 40%49-50 60%51-53 50%54-55 40%56-58 40%59-60 50%61-62 40%63-64 50%65-67 60%68-69 30%70-71 60%72-73 50%74-75 40%76-77 60%78 30%79-80 50%81-82 40%83-86 60%87-90 60%91-92 30%93-95 60%96 60%97 60%98 60%99 60%00 60%

CraftsmanArmorerBarberBakerBowyerBrewerCandlemakerCarpenterChandler (generalmerchant)Chicken butcherCooperCutlerDoctorFletcherFullerFurrierGlassblowerGlovemakerGoldsmithHarnessmakerHatmakerHay merchantJewelerLaundryMasonsMeat butcherMercer of woolOil merchantOld-clothes dealerPainterPerfumerPlastererPotterPursemakerRooferRopemakerRugmakerSaddlerScabbardmakerScribeSculptorShoemakerSmithSpice merchantTailorTanneryWeaverWinerWoodcarverWoodseller

DRAGON Magazine Anthology, Volume IV).Magical items are almost never for sale,but the shop might buy them from PCs forroughly half the normal sale value.

Market: PCs can buy almost anythingfrom hawkers here. Almost all of thepeople in a market (80%) are peasantstrying to sell farm produce, but 10% of thestreet vendors are merchants from distantlands; another 10% are artisans rolledfrom Table 6.

Rice paddy: Oriental peasants farm riceeverywhere, even in the centers of hugecities. In the real Orient, rice growers still

10 AUGUST 1988

work in modern Tokyo despite its stagger-ing population.

Shanty: These shacks have been illegallybuilt by squatters. Many belong to serfswho are fleeing servitude on some ruralmanor.

Storehouse: Most cities store a supply offood to be rationed out during famines orsieges. Although storehouses do not usu-ally have permanent guards, characterscaught robbing these granaries will beseverely punished.

Tattoo shop: Almost all tattoo shops areoperated by yakuza.

Thieves� den: This sort of building isalways disguised as something else. Rollagain to see what it looks like. These denshave a 30% chance of belonging to assas-sins� guilds or other secret societies. In theOrient, thieves� dens serve as meetinggrounds for the yakuza.

Training hall: This is the dojo of afamous teacher. The master has a 20%chance of teaching martial arts and a 40%chance of teaching philosophy; the hall hasa 80% chance of involving martial arts, a20% chance of teaching some court profi-ciency, and a 20% chance of teaching anartisan proficiency (roll each chance sepa-rately). The DM may choose exactly whichmartial art or proficiency is taught hereaccording to the needs of the campaign.

Some of these professions are extremely

specialized. In most cities, guilds force allbusinessmen to specialize and prohibitthem from practicing each others� trades.Guilds also set prices and standards ofquality. Merchants control most cities, sothese guilds are extremely powerful andseldom defied.

DMs should never use random rolls as asubstitute for writing exciting adventures.However, a dice-generated city would bequite realistic in most fantasy worlds.Ancient cities laid their streets whereverthere were gaps between buildings andhad no definable slums or rich neighborhoods. A merchant�s villa might stand nextto the town�s rowdiest bar or a stinkingtenement. Artisans often clustered along asingle street, and mighty kings sometimeshad cities built to order. But in general,medieval cities were designed randomly.

BibliographyDore, R. P. City Life In Japan. Los

Angeles: University of California Press,1958.

Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life In A Medi-eval City New York: Harper & Row, 1969.

Rorig, Fritz. The Medieval Town. LosAngeles: University of California Press,1967.

Saalman, Howard. Planning and Cities:Medieval Cities. New York: George Brazil-ler Inc., 1968.

14 AUGUST 1988

by Dan Howard

Law enforcement in theAD&D® game urban setting

DRAGON® issue #155 printed manythief-oriented articles which dealt withthat class�s functions in urban settings. Inseveral of these articles, the focus was onthe operation of a thieves� guild and thepower that it wields in the average cam-paign city. Unfortunately, next to nothinghas been written about this guilds nemesisand counterbalance: the law.

With the advent of the law-enforcementmaterial presented herein, the scales ofpower will finally be reset. With this inmind, DMs should advise their players toremember one thing: �If you want todance, you have to pay the piper."

The DM�s roleFirst of all, the DM is required to do a

small amount of preparation. Due to thevarying types of governments, not everynation in a given campaign world will havethe same laws or use the same methods toenforce their laws as its kindred nations.For this reason, the DM must determinethe general alignment slant of each of thecountries in his world.

To determine the alignment of a nation,the DM must examine its history, the gen-eral alignment of its people, its politicalstability, and its wealth. Detailed below arenotes on how these factors relate to thefour elements of law, chaos, good, andevil.

Law: A lawful society is characterized ashaving a history of steady advancement,obedient and relatively satisfied citizens, acompetent ruler or government, and astable economy.

Chaos: A chaotic nation is characterized

18 AUGUST 1988

as having a turbulent or bloody history,decadent or self-serving people, an incom-petent or indifferent ruler, a frequentlychanging head of state, and a depressed orfluctuating economy.

Good: A good-aligned society is charac-terized as having a history of friendlycooperation in all governmental aspects,honest and fair people, and a benign andconscientious ruler.

Evil: An evil-oriented nation is character-ized as having a history of aggression,exploitive and brutal citizens who prey onthe weaker members of society, and astrong and domineering leader.

Upon determining the general alignmentthat best fits a country, the DM shouldmake a permanent note of it. If the DMdeems it necessary, he may start fleshingout the law procedures of the country inquestion at this point, using the guidelinespresented in the rest of this article.

Catching the criminalThe procedure for capturing a law-

breaker varies only slightly from city tocity. These differences are most noticeablein the varying procedures and discipline ofthe law enforcers.

In most campaign cities, the law enforc-ers are a hierarchy of government sol-diers, often called the �watch� (derivedfrom the Middle English term, wacchen,meaning to stay awake to keep guard).Each watchman is hired, paid, equipped,and trained by the city. These soldiersregularly patrol the city and man the city�swatch posts, which are used to house bothprisoners and the watchmen. The follow-

ing is an example of a watch patrol:Patrol leader (1): AC 4; MV 9�; F3; hp 13;

#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; AL LN; chainmail, shield, long sword.

Patrol magic-user (1): AC 10; MV 12�;MU 2; hp 5; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type;AL LG; dagger; spells: charm person,sleep.

Patrol watchmen (6): AC 5; MV 9�; F1;hp 8, 7 (x 2), 6, 4 (x 2); #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; AL LG-LN; chain mail, hal-berd or long sword, dagger, manacles.

Manacles are medieval versions of mana-cles, made out of iron. They are usuallylocked on the wrists of all criminal sus-pects. In most campaigns, manacles reducethe victim�s dexterity by 4, and all attack-ers gain a +2 bonus to hit the victim. Atthe DM�s option, manacles can be brokenby a successful bend bars/lift gates roll(one chance only).

The procedure of the watch can bereduced to a simple, four-step list:

1. A watch patrol is sent to the scene ofa reported crime or discovers the crimewhile patrolling;

2. The patrol restores order;3. The suspects are arrested and mana-

cled; and,4. The suspects are marched to a nearby

watch post and processed.In step one, the watch is alerted to a

disturbance in the city. The watch can becalled in several ways: the cry of a con-cerned citizen, the sight of a wrongful act,a special gong being rung, etc. A watchpatrol is then sent from the nearest watchpost to investigate, or hurries to the sceneif already on patrol.

In step two, the patrol leader uses hisdiscretion to determine the best course ofaction. This could be waiting for reinforce-ments, entering the crime scene, or anynumber of other possibilities. If the patrolenters the crime scene, order will berestored by either pummeling (if the oppo-nents are unarmed) or fighting with weap-ons (if the opponents are armed). Thepatrol continues fighting until the oppo-nents surrender, the opponents are killed,or the patrol withdraws (to return withreinforcements later).

In step three, the patrol manacles allsuspects and prepares to march them tothe nearest watch post. Each suspect issurrounded on all sides to prevent anyescape.

In step four, the patrol marches thesuspects to the watch post. Once there,each suspect is identified and the chargesare drafted. Following this processing, thesuspect is marched (under guard) to thecity�s main prison and kept in a large,common holding cell to await trial.

This procedure is, of course, only amodel. Every city is unique, hence everycity has its own methods for apprehending

lawbreakers. These methods are usuallydetermined by the alignment slant of thecountry, but some methods of enforce-ment may be determined by the ruler ofthe city. The DM should evaluate the influ-ence of the city�s ruler, based on his align-ment, then determine the city�s alignmentstanding and consider its law-chaos aspect,which will affect legal procedures as notedbelow.

Law: In the average lawful society, thecity is strict in hunting down criminals. Italso has a watch that is well equipped andfinely disciplined. The hierarchy of thewatch officials is clearly defined andadhered to. Finally, the city has writtenprocedures regarding the duties, thepatrols, and most other areas of concernof the watch.

Chaos: In a chaotic city, methods of lawenforcement are more vague and disor-ganized. Many criminals are freed at thetime of their arrests or before their trials(if they know someone in the watch hier-archy). Additionally, the watch officersmay be lazy or incompetent, often wastingtime and resources. In some cases, it isdoubtful that the watch exists at all;instead the city relies on vigilante justiceto punish criminals, which may prove aseffective a deterrent as a watch.

Awaiting trialAs noted earlier, the newly captured

suspect is placed in a holding cell withother suspects awaiting trial. The time thesuspect waits depends on the severity ofthe crime. For minor crimes, the waitingperiod is 1-3 hours, and the suspect simplywaits. For major crimes, the waiting peri-od is 1-6 days. These time periods are, ofcourse, ideal; delays can and do occur.

Suspects awaiting trial for major crimeshave two options. First, the suspect canhire a barrister (lawyer) to defend him incourt. The suspect can either bribe thecell guard to summon a barrister or haveone of his friends hire one for him. Sincethe suspect is not allowed to have visitorswith the exception of a barrister or cityofficial, the latter option should bearranged in advance. If the suspectbelongs to a guild, the guild may hire abarrister for him.

Second, the suspect can request a meet-ing with a city official. The official can beanyone up to the Lord Mayor or down to alowly watchman. However, the granting ofthe meeting is left to the official who issummoned. This meeting (if granted) issometimes used to bribe the official,although its official purpose is to allowconfessions, discuss the charges, and clearup any other pretrial necessities. In allcases, after waiting the allotted time, theprisoner is moved under guard to thecourtroom for his trial.

Table 1Modifiers for Court Decisions

SituationCase endangers judge�s job if defendant losesHas higher-paid barristerHas wealth and influenceHas more witnesses than oppositionHas lower-paid barristerHas physical evidenceHas no barristerHas no witnesses

* To government�s side.

Modifier+ 1 0 *

+ 6+ 4+ 3+ 3+ 2- 2- 2

Table 2Sentences for Felonies

Crime Typical sentence Typical fine1

Assassination Public execution Forfeit assetsMurder Death Forfeit assetsKidnapping Death Forfeit assetsAssault2 Life slavery3 Forfeit assetsTheft4 Life slavery3 Forfeit 50% assetsExtortion Beating Forfeit 10% assetsDebt5 Indentured servitude6 —

Smuggling 90 days in jail 50-300 gpSwindling 60 days in jail 50-300 gpFencing stolen goods 30 days in jail 50-100 gpForgery 30 days in jail 20-80 gp

1 The criminals family must pay the fine or lose all family assets and be chargedwith debt.2 This is an attack with a lethal weapon.3 The criminal is owned for life by the city. If slavery is legal, the criminal may besold to a private citizen; the money earned goes into the city treasury.4 This is the theft of items worth 100 gp or more.5 At the DM�s option, an accompanying fine must be paid off during the indenturedservitude.6 Indentured servants are indentured to the owner of the debt, working for anamount of time sufficient to pay off the amount owed. The debtor is essentially aslave who earns 1 cp per day.

Table 3Sentences for Petty Crimes

Crime Typical sentence Fine1

Evasion of justice 30 days in jail Any reward offeredInsolence2 Flogging3 Any reward offeredPetty theft4 20 days in jail Any reward offeredBrawling5 1-12 days in jail Any reward offered

1 The criminals family must pay the fine or lose all family assets and be chargedwith debt.2 If the city has nobles, insulting them is the crime of insolence. Insolence can alsobe used as a contempt of court charge.3 Flogging reduces both strength and constitution by three points for one day.4 This is the theft of items worth less than 100 gp.5 This is involvement in a brawl, not just starting one.

D R A G O N 1 9

The trialIn most campaign cities, both the crimi-

nal and his accuser are allowed to hire abarrister to represent them in the court-room. Barristers in the AD&D® game,however, function differently from theattorneys-at-law of the modern age. Inorder to explain how a barrister wins acase, certain aspects of the professionmust be assumed and understood.

To begin with, every major city sports abarristers� guild. Since barristers are takenfrom the middle class, the guild retainsmore city-wide influence than, say, thelower-class farmers� guild. With this influ-ence, the guild often gets laws passed thatestablish it as the only source of publicdefenders. When ineptitude is a seriousproblem in a barristers� guild, the guildusually bribes some of the city�s judges tofavor its members and buys exclusiveaccess to the written laws for its members.In return, the members surrender roughlyhalf their fees to the guild. Since the aver-age man who defends himself thus doesnot know what the laws are, he almostalways loses the case to the professionalbarrister. In this way, a corrupt barristerregularly earns his fee of 100-800 gp bydefending wealthy clients.

At the time of the trial, the criminal�sbarrister (if he has one) arrives at theholding cell with his evidence and witness-es. From here, the prisoner is escortedunder guard to the courtroom, where ajudge presides over the case and renders averdict. The trial processes describedbelow are basically neutral on a good-evilscale. Logical adjustments should be madefor cities leaning toward either good orevil. For example: One is innocent untilproven guilty in good cities; the opposite istrue in evil cities. Further differencesbased on alignment are given after theprocedural section.

For a petty crime, the criminal is tried inpetty court. Petty courts have a heavycaseload; consequently, they try cases in arapid-fire manner whenever possible. Thecriminal is led into the courtroom, and thecharges are read. Next, the criminal isgiven a chance to justify his actions. If hecannot, he is usually pronounced guiltyand sentenced accordingly.

For a felony crime, the criminal is triedin a felony court. Here, the criminal isbrought in and the charges against himare read. The prosecutor, usually calledthe Mayor�s Counsel, presents the caseagainst the suspect. Next, the suspect orhis barrister presents the case for thedefense. After each side has been heard,the judge determines the verdict.

To determine the verdict in a felonycase, the DM should choose the winningside if the verdict is obvious. If it is not,the following system can be used (adaptedfrom the LANKHMAR�: City of Adventuresupplement, page 78). If the verdict isquestionable, roll 2d6 for each side andadd the modifiers shown on Table 1. Modi-fiers are cumulative in cases in which

more than one apply. The side with thehighest number wins. In the event of a tie,the government wins. If the suspect isfound innocent, he is free to leave. If he isfound guilty, he is sentenced by the judge.

To determine the sentence or fine, theDM should consult Tables 2 and 3. Thesentence must be served immediately, butthe fine can be paid at any time within thenext month. The criminal is removed fromthe court and taken to a prisoner�s cellblock. Later, his family, is notified and thefine is collected from them. If the prisonerhas no family, the fine is taken out of hisbelongings. If he cannot afford the fine, hemay be charged with debt.

When determining how a city�s generalalignment affects the trial, the DM shouldonly consider the good-evil component ofthe city, as per the appropriate paragraph:

Good: In the average good society, thejudge is intent on finding the truth andadministering justice. The court may hirebarristers for the poor or allow everydefendant access to the city�s archives.Also, the government may pass civil-rightslegislation that ensures a fair trial. Corrup-tion and brutality during arrest are inves-tigated by a special government section.

Evil: In an evil society, the trial processattempts to forcefully suppress the crimi-nal element. The government may outlawbarristers, leaving the defendant to defendhimself. Punishment may be brutal. Theruler may destroy his enemies through thelaw, but all allies (such as his judges, vas-sals, etc.) are above prosecution.

Pronouncing judgmentOne final subject must be covered: pro-

nouncing judgment on the defendant. Thesentence of a guilty PC criminal must beshort yet effective. Tables 2 and 3 reflectthis in their design, as most of the senten-ces can be carried out within threemonths. By using this system, the rest ofthe players have to play for less than threegame months before they can be reunitedwith their companion.

In the meantime, while the criminalwaits in prison, the party may embark ona few adventures, gaining some treasureand magic. The deprivation of this moneyand magic is painful for the criminal, butit does not alienate him from the cam-paign. The jailed PC�s player may runanother character during this time.

For those PC criminals sentenced todeath or life slavery, the DM should allowa chance or two for escape. The city mayoffer to suspend the sentence if the crimi-nal performs a community service. Alter-nately, cell doors and shackles can beweak from rust and rot. In fact, the crimi-nal�s companions may solve the DM�s prob-lem by planning to rescue their comrade.

Thus, with the law as a more potentthreat, the PC criminal element is held incheck. Even in the AD&D game, evil PCscannot run the world.

20 AUGUST 1988

by Anthony D. Gleckler

Merchants: An NPC class with cash

Gideon, a fighter of some renown, hasjust polished off a troll and is now readyto collect his winnings. He searchesthrough the creature�s lair and finds threetopazes worth 500 gp each, a fur worth800 gp, and a piece of jewelry worth stop! Whoa! How does this fighter, whohas difficulty counting when his gauntletsare on, know what a topaz is or what it�sworth? The ability to identify and appraisevaluable goods should be left to someonewho is properly trained for this duty: thatoverlooked and underrated character, themerchant.

The merchant class is an integral part ofany AD&D® game society. Merchants arecertainly the most commonly encounteredNPCs, ranging from clerks in small generalstores to merchant princes heading cara-vans along new trade routes. Merchantsare found in all sectors of any civilizedarea, serving as fences for the thieves�guild in the lower-class part of town, asgem dealers who attend the queen, and aswool merchants who supply the tailors inthe business district. These individualsform one of the most powerful groups inany realm. They control the money, andwhen money talks, many ears listen.

Merchants cannot be multiclassed,although many merchants are ex-adventurers who have quit their previousprofessions after collecting sufficientfunds to go into business for themselves.Adventurers who change from their pro-fession to that of the merchant class can-not use any of their former abilities untiltheir merchant level exceeds their pre-vious class level, or they lose all experi-ence recently gathered. As a general rule,the merchant should be used mostly as an

22 AUGUST 1988

NPC class, although DMs may use the classas a PC class as they see fit. Some altera-tions in these rules may be necessary inthis latter instance; these alterations areleft to the DM�s discretion.

Table 1 shows what classes of NPC mer-chants are generally encountered. If acharacter class is indicated for an incom-patible race (i.e., a half-elf illusionist),reroll the result. If the merchant in ques-tion is an ex-adventurer, and if the charac-ter was capable of being multiclassed inhis adventuring days, roll again on thistable to determine if he was multiclassed.For example, a half-elf rolls a 56, indica-ting he was a fighter. He rolls again andgets a 93, indicating he was a fighter/thief.If he had rolled again in the fighter classor as having no previous class, he wouldsimply be a fighter. A third roll of 73would make him a fighter/thief/magic-user.A maximum of three rolls is allowed, asthis is the limit for multiclassed PCs.

Merchants are generally either half-elven or human, though DMs may wish toinclude merchant NPCs of other races aspart of a demi-human community. Certainracial limitations and restrictions willapply; these may be gleaned from thePlayers Handbook or Dungeon MastersGuide.

Merchant characters use six-sided dicefor hit dice, as per Table 2. With regard tohuman and half-elven merchants, thefollowing minimum ability scores apply;DMs may alter these figures as they deemnecessary for other demi-human races:

Strength: 6Intelligence: 10Wisdom: 10Dexterity: 6

Constitution: 6Charisma: 10Comeliness: 10Merchants are allowed to wear leather

armor; they may not use a shield. Mer-chants are allowed the use of the follow-ing weapons: club, dagger, dart, scimitar,broad sword, long sword, short sword,and whip. Merchants may use oil, but onlyevil merchants may use poison.

With respect to weapon proficiencies,merchants receive two initial weapons andare assessed a -4 nonproficiency penalty.Merchant characters add one proficiencylevel for every four levels gained.

In addition to these abilities, merchantshave the power to read languages andfind/remove traps as a thief of the samelevel. Merchants fight and make savingthrows on the thief tables, unless they areex-adventurers, in which case they mayuse the most advantageous tables asallowed by the dual-class rules.

While merchants receive standard expe-rience points for monsters and magic, theyare awarded a 10% bonus on experiencepoints gained from money. Merchants donot receive any experience points formoney they acquired prior to becoming amerchant. Therefore, a fighter with 2,000gp does not start his career as a merchantwith 2,000 xp. There is, however, norestriction against using this money forinvestments with which he can earn bothprofits and experience points.

Merchants may be any of the lawful orneutral alignments. The frequency ofthese alignments are as follows: lawfulgood (15%), lawful neutral (35%), lawfulevil (10%), neutral good (15%), neutral(20%), and neutral evil (5%). Chaos is sim-ply not conducive to good business.

Magical item and spell useMerchants can use all magical items

usable by thieves, plus any magical itemsallowed them in their previous class ifthey are ex-adventurers. Because they sooften handle and evaluate magical items(and require added protective abilities thatmagic can grant), merchants can alsopurchase spells that they can cast (asdescribed further on) from the merchantsguild at 1,000 gp per spell level; cantripscost 100 gp each. The guild is protective ofthese spells and will not sell them to any-one other than a guild member. Merchantscan also receive spells from scrolls andcooperative magic-users, and keep theirown spell books. Merchants acquire a readmagic spell first, and almost always (90%)acquire a detect magic spell next (usefulbecause they will not purchase any itemwith a magical aura unless they knowwhat the item�s properties are). Merchantscast spells at half their merchant level(rounded down) for effect.

Table 1Merchant

1dl00 Merchant01-50 No previous class51-65 Ex-fighter66-70 Ex-ranger71-85 Ex-magic-user86-87 Ex-illusionist88-00 Ex-thief

Type Encountered

Tables 3 and 4 illustrate spell-use statis-tics for the merchant class. Table 3 indi-cates the number of spells usable by level.Table 4 shows which spells may actuallybe chosen by the merchant, as well asproviding randomization tables for choos-ing which spells an NPC merchantreceives. Note again that the spells readmagic and detect magic should be chosenfirst before rolling for other spells. A 1d6roll is used to select which cantrips (nor-mal or reversed) the merchant acquires; aroll of 1-4 indicates a normal cantrip isreceived (for which a 1d12 roll is made tofind the exact cantrip), and a roll of 5-6indicates a reversed cantrip is acquired(requiring a 1d6 roll). The spells listed inTable 4 are exactly the same as the ver-sions of these spells listed in the PlayersHandbook and Unearthed Arcana. All spellpowers and restrictions listed in these twosources also apply to the merchant class.

Cantrips are used quite frequently forsuch tasks as keeping the merchant�swares polished, shined, or fresh. Lessscrupulous members of this class may usesome of the reversed cantrips to bringdown the prices of items they want topurchase.

AppraisingOne of the most important aspects of the

merchant class is the ability to determinethe value of an object. A merchant willappraise any item for someone else, charg-ing a fee of 1% of the value of the item perlevel of the merchant. Thus, a 6th-levelmerchant charges 6% to appraise an item;10% is the maximum fee. This fee will notbe charged if the merchant buys the itemat the same time he appraises it.

Single-item merchants (e.g., rug mer-chants) appraise items in their fields ofspecialization as if they were four levelshigher, but are penalized two levels whenappraising an item not in their particulararea of expertise. Optionally, thieves canappraise as merchants at one-fifth theirthieving level, rounded down; consequent-ly, a 1st- through 4th-level thief cannotappraise, a 5th- through 9th-level thiefappraises as a 1st-level merchant, etc.

Table 2Merchant Levels and Experience

Experiencepoints

0-1,5001,501-3,0003,001-5,0005,001-10,000

10,000-20,00020,001-40,00040,001-75,00075,001-135,000

135,001-220,000220,001-440,000440,001-660,000660,001-880,000

Level123456789

101112

Six-sided dicefor accumulated

hit points123456789

9 + 19 + 29 + 3

Level titleHagglerBargainerHawkerVendorEntrepreneurTraderMaster TraderMerchantMerchant PrinceM.P. (10th level)M.P. (11th level)M.P. (12th level)

220,000 experience points per level for eachadditional level beyond

DRAGON 23

Table 3Spells Usable by Class and Level

Merchantlevel

123456789

10**

Spell levelC* 1 2� � �1 � �2 � �3 1 �3 2 �4 3 �4 3 14 4 24 4 34 4 4

* Magic-user cantrips.* * Maximum spell ability.

Table 5 illustrates the merchant�s abilityto appraise goods. To use Table 5, roll1d100 and compare the result with themerchant�s level. The amount indicated isthe appraised value of the item. For exam-ple, a 4th-level merchant appraising a gemworth 1,000 gp rolls a 92; therefore, heappraises the gem at 125% of its actualvalue, or at 1,250 gp. Evil (and some neu-tral) merchants may give a false appraisalif they think they will never see the PCsagain, and always do so if they wish topurchase an item for themselves.

Merchants naturally pay less for goodsand merchandise, especially when makingtheir purchases from individuals such asPCs. However, their funds are not asendless as most PCs seem to think. Table 6shows the funds usually available to NPCmerchants, though the DM may rule thatcertain ones are richer or poorer thanindicated (especially ex-adventurers). Anymerchant who is going to spend a consid-erable portion of his funds for a purchaseverifies his appraisal with a higher-levelmerchant to avoid making any costlymistakes. Merchants appraise wares foreach other for free if they share othertrade-offs in business.

A purchase percentage is the percent ofthe appraised value a merchant will payfor an item. Higher-level merchants pay asmaller percentage because of theirincreased skills in bargaining.

Fast-talkingMerchants have the ability to fast-talk to

make a deal; treat this as a suggestionspell. The victim is entitled to a savingthrow on 1d20 against his intelligence,with saving-throw bonuses against will-force attacks for high (or low) wisdoms.This suggestion power can be used onceper day per level of the merchant. If thevictim fails his roll, he believes he got a

Table 4Merchant Spells

Normal Normal ReversedNumber cantrips Number cantrips Number cantrips

1 Clean 7 Freshen 1 Dirty2 Color 8 Gather 2 Dusty3 Dampen 9 Polish 3 Ravel4 Dry 10 Shine 4 Tangle5 Dust 11 Stitch 5 Tarnish6 Flavor 12 Wrap 6 Wilt

Number 1st level 2nd level1 Alarm Audible glamer2 Comprehend languages Detect evil/good3 Detect illusions Detect invisible4 Detect magic ESP5 Friends Fools gold6 Hold portal Knock7 Identify Locate object8 Mending Magic mouth9 Message Preserve10 Nystul�s magic aura Wizard lock11 Read magic �12 Tensor�s floating disk �

Table 5Appraising Ability

M e r c h a n tlevel 1dl00 roll and appraisal percentage

01-03 04-08 09-16 16-30 31-70 71-86 86-92 93-97 98-00

1 1-20% 50% 66% 75% 100% 125% 133% 150% 300-1,000%2 23-40% 5 0 % 6 6 % 7 5 % 1 0 0 % 1 2 5 % 1 3 3 % 1 5 0 % 2 0 0 - 5 0 0 %3 21-40% 6 6 % 7 5 % 9 0 % 1 0 0 % 1 0 0 % 1 2 5 % 1 3 3 % 2 0 0 - 4 0 0 %4 31-50% 7 5 % 9 0 % 9 0 % 1 0 0 % 1 0 0 % 1 2 5 % 1 3 3 % 2 0 0 - 4 0 0 %5 31-50% 75% 90% 100% 100% 100% 125% 133% 200-300%6 41-60% 75% 90% 100% 100% 100% 100% 125% 150-250%7 51-70% 90% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 125% 150-250%8 61-80% 90% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100-200%9 71-90% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100-200%

10* 81-100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100-150%

* Maximum appraising ability

good deal for a number of turns equal to

level 9 and above may, in addition, talk sopersuasively that they can cast a mass

20 minus his wisdom score. Merchants of

suggestion once per day.If the victim makes the saving throw, he

most likely becomes irate and possiblyviolent. Therefore, an established busi-nessman or trader working a regularroute seldom uses this technique; doing soquickly gains the merchant a bad reputa-tion. If for some reason the merchant isdealing with a monster, use the intelli-gence table in the Monster Manual, page 6,and the Dungeon Masters Guide, page 79,for wisdom notes. The merchant must beable to communicate with the victim touse the fast-talk ability.

page 69 of the Monster Manual is a perfect

Merchant caravans

description of how merchants travel. Thefollowing additional characters accompanyevery caravan, replacing the tradesmen

The merchant caravan described on

given in the Monster Manual:1 head merchant of 8th-12th level;1-3 overseer merchants of 5-7th level;1-6 merchants of 2nd level; and,3-18 merchants of 1st level.The number of people in the caravan is

dependent upon the amount of merchan-dise. There are 50 people for every 10,000gp worth of goods, up to a maximum of300 people and 60,000 gp.

If PCs encounter a caravan, the level ofthe merchant they deal with depends on

24 AUGUST 1988

Table 6Merchant Purchasing Goods

Merchant Fundslevel

Purchasing(gp) percent

1 2 0 0 8 02 5 0 0 8 03 7 5 0 754 1,250 755 2 , 5 0 0 706 4 , 0 0 0 707 7,000 6 58 15,000 6 59 2 5 , 0 0 0 * 6 0 * *

* Plus 25,000 gp per level after 9th* * Minimum purchasing percent

how much merchandise the PCs plan tobuy. If they are going to spend less than500 gp, they will work with a 1st- or 2nd-level merchant. If they have between 500and 3,000 gp, they will deal with one ofthe overseers; anything in excess of 3,000

Merchants in townEvery town, no matter the size, has at

least one merchant running a generalstore; large cities may have hundreds ofthem working in its shops, stands, andbazaars. Almost all merchants foundworking in shops are between 1st and 4thlevel. Except for magic shops and high-

class establishments, merchants of 5thlevel and above are rarely encounteredrunning a store, as they are usually behindthe scenes managing several businesses.

ConclusionLet�s go back to Gideon now. Instead of

telling him exactly what he has found, aDM should advise him that he has foundthree large yellow gems, a nice fur, and asilver or platinum necklace containingeither clear glass or diamonds. Gideonmust now hope he gets an honest mer-chant and a good appraisal. [Anothersystem for appraising treasure appearedin DRAGON issue #104, page 38: "Assess-ing, not guessing,” by Lionel D. Smith.]

The merchant NPC class can add awhole new dimension to your AD&Dgame. High-level merchants may send PCsto investigate new trade routes, or to dealwith those people or creatures that areinterfering with more established routes.A merchant may have a map to treasureand could give it to trustworthy adventur-ers for half the profit. All in all, the mer-chant can add color and realism to AD&Dgame adventures, and the use of this classshould make the guy behind the counterable to deal with PCs on more equivocalterms.

gp will be handled by the head merchanthimself.

26 AUGUST 1988

by Patrick G. Goshtigian and Nick Kopsinis

Inns and taverns in fantasy-game cities

In the AD&D® game world, there arealways times when traveling adventurersmust stop and rest for the night in a cityaway from home. Inns provide lodging forthe adventurers, and taverns providemeals and an opportunity to mingle withthe local people.

All inns and taverns differ in their ownways; each always gives adventurers aunique setting. However, the quality ofthese establishments may range from poorto excellent. This article provides defini-tions of typical inns and taverns (rated byquality) and suggested fees for their serv-ices. This information should not be con-sidered adamant, and the DM isencouraged to expand and modify it as hiscampaign commands. Judgment shouldalso be used as to the availability of foodsin various regions (e.g., seafood is notavailable in a desert).

Some inns also have lounges and diningfacilities. These areas are usually smallerthan those of an actual tavern and are adirect part of the inn. The majority of thepatrons in these areas are occupants ofthe inn rather than local people.

One possible way to use this informationis to key the inns and taverns shown onlarge city maps with an initial (�I� for innsand �T� for taverns) and a number of starsappropriate to the establishment�s quality.This shorthand system would help spur-of-the-moment traveling in urban areas.

Inn ratings

One-star inns

One-star inns are typically located offdirt roads and alleys in the seedier parts ofcities and large towns; they are not foundin places of smaller population that couldnot support their poor quality. One-starinns are usually one-story buildings of

28 AUGUST 1988

light wood construction, with straw usedto cover dirt floors. In rainy seasons, mostsuch roofs leak. These inns have 3-6 smallrooms that can comfortably accommodateup to two men each, using floor mats forbeds and leaving minimal space for theirgear. The rooms usually have barred win-dows or shutters but no curtains or glass.The doors rarely have locks, but it is com-mon for them to have at least a slide orhook latch. Given the dark deeds oftenplanned and done in such rooms, onewould wonder at the lack of security �but the dangers of the neighborhooddiscourage all intruders but the mostruthless.

One-star inns are commonly named afterthe owner/manager who lives there (e.g.,Old Ben�s Inn). The owners of these estab-lishments tend to be rude fighter-types orthieves who speak in gruff tones and enjoypicking fights with guests. They demandpayment before giving lodging for thenight; anyone who can pay is allowed tostay.

These inns never have restaurants orlounges, although they are frequentlyfound near seedy taverns and gamblinghouses. Fights and drunkenness are preva-lent here, and sleeping is uncomfortabledue to the constant noise.

Two-star innsTwo-star inns are generally found on

main roads in poor sections of towns andin most poor villages. These inns can havetwo stories but usually have but one, witha total of 5-10 sleeping rooms. Each roomprovides plenty of space for two men andgear; three men would be slightlycramped. The beds are straw mattresses;the doors and windows all have locks. Thewindows are usually barred and haveshutters or curtains but no glass.

These inns have wooden floors. Usually,an all-night bar is built into the building. Ingeneral, these inns are of fair quality, butit is the associated bar that brings downthe inn�s credibility. No meals are served,and many drifters and thieves frequentthese places. The storage of the drinks isonly fair, so with every drink there is a 1%cumulative chance of contracting somegastrointestinal disease.

The owners of two-star inns are rarelyseen, and a manager and a bartender areoften the only employees. These two peo-ple have good chances of overhearingconversations and are generally excellentsources of rumors and information,although they must usually be bribed.

Two-star inns are generally named afterunusual creatures in an attempt to bringsome class to the inn (e.g., The GoldenToad Inn). Barroom fights are commonnightly events in major cities and can beexpected. The rooms in the inn providefair sleeping quarters, although a lowmurmur of barroom activity can alwaysbe heard.

Three-star innsThree-star inns are located in wealthy

towns and in the moderate to rich sectionsof cities. These inns are two-story build-ings that have sleeping quarters on theupper levels, and storage rooms, employeerooms, a lounge, and a bar on the lowerlevel. These establishments are well-constructed buildings made of wood andstone that have 10-20 rooms for guestsand 3-5 employee rooms.

The guest rooms are usually outfittedwith three beds of straw and feathers, andplenty of room for the gear of three men.These rooms usually have two windows

Table 1Inn Prices

Lodging

1 night w/meal �1 night 1 sp1 week 6 sp1 month 1 gp

Cost by inn rating

1 sp 5 sp 15 sp10 sp 1 gp 5 gp3 gp 5 gp 33 gp11 gp 19 gp 130 gp

with shutters, and the doors all have dou-ble locks. Some rooms have a table or adesk with some chairs. Employee roomsare of similar quality. For additional fees,guests may purchase storage closets orstables for their horses (most of the innshave stables, but no horse meals or stablekeepers are available).

These inns are run by managers whogenerally have quarters on the lower level.Three-star inn managers are well paid andvalue their positions. They tend to berelatively polite and generally helpful totravelers.

Three-star inns generally house theirlounges on the ground floor; the loungesare usually of good quality. A bartender,barmaid, and cook are in charge of serviceand maintenance of these areas. On someevenings, local or traveling minstrelsentertain in the lounge. Light meals areserved twice daily, and both the loungeand bar close down for the late eveningand morning hours.

These inns are quality establishmentsthat quietly and efficiently serve theirpurpose. For this, they are usually namedafter peaceful natural events (e.g., TheFalling Rain Inn) or other appealing fea-tures (e.g., The Covered Bridge Inn).

Four-star innsFour-star inns are only found in very

wealthy sections of large cities. They areoften tall and multileveled (2-4 stories)buildings of stone construction, with oakfloors and furnishings. Each level has upto a dozen rooms, with each room accom-modating up to four men.

The rooms are large and are often fur-nished with four feather mattresses, onetable, several chairs, and a desk. Theserooms are painted, and most are deco-rated with artwork and plants. The doorshave single locks, and the windows allhave curtains as well as shutters (some

have glass).Four-star inns are associated with res-

taurants and stables, which are usuallyunder separate ownership and generallyoffer their services for substantial prices.The inns also offer services such as nightguards, storage rooms, armor cleaning,weapon repair, blacksmithing, and the useof a library. The inns are staffed by a head

Table 2Inn Service Prices

ServicesArmor repairBlacksmithGuideHorse groomingHorse mealLaundryLibraryMessengerNight guardStableStorage closetWeapon repair

Cost by inn rating

� � � 2 gp� � � 15 sp� � 8 sp 15 sp� � � 10 sp� � � 1 gp� 3 cp 20 cp 1 sp� � � 2 gp� � 3 sp 8 sp� � � 1 gp� � 18 sp 2 gp� � 10 sp 1 gp� � � 1 gp

Illustration by Valerie Valusek

manager and several cleaning boys whoclean rooms and attend to guests� needs.The inns also have staffs of guards forsecurity; these guards also act as bouncersfor the drinking areas. Only the wealthy,royalty, and local heroes are given lodgingin these inns, as others aren�t permittedonto the premises. These inns� namesreflect this upper-class orientation (e.g.,The King�s Arms).

The associated dining halls are usually ofthe highest quality, featuring nightly enter-tainment and a full menu. These restau-rants are generally not restricted to innguests, although they do limit entrance toa high standard of patronage.

Explanation of servicesThis section details the services men-

tioned in Table 2, Inn Service Prices. Near-ly all workers mentioned here arezero-level humans who wear no armorand carry no (or minimal) weaponry.

Armor repair: Small dents and nicks inarmor can be repaired, and armor can becleaned and oiled. The charge is per suit.Large repairs are referred to the localarmorer.

Blacksmith: Most metallic items can berepaired. Any construction is referred

DRAGON 29

nying one night�s stay is provided.Laundry: Overnight cleaning of basic

clothing is done; leather is referred to thelocal leather shop. Charge is per laundryload.

to the local weapon maker. Charges areassessed per item. Horseshoeing is alsoavailable at the cost of two items.

Guide: This employee of the inn takespatrons to various spots around the city ortown. Under no circumstances will theguide leave the city or town, and in somevery large cities, the guide will not leave

the area in which the inn is located.Charges are assessed per three hours ofguidance.

Horse grooming: This service bathes andremoves ticks from a horse, and is onlyoffered if stables for the night are pur-chased.

Horse meal: Feed for a horse accompa-

Table 3Tavern Drinks

DrinkAle1 10 cpAle, dark1 1 spBeer1 2 cpBourbon� 2 spBrandy� �Grog� 1 spJuice, apple �Juice, grape �Juice, orange �Juice, tomato �Mead 3 spMilk, cow3 �Milk, goat3 �Tea �Water, spring 1 cpWine, common 2 spWine, fine �

Cost by tavern rating

1 sp 2 sp 5 sp2 sp 5 sp 9 sp5 cp 1 sp 3 sp7 sp 11 sp 1 gp15 sp 1 gp 3 gp2 sp 5 sp 9 sp� 3 sp 8 sp1 sp 3 sp 8 sp2 sp 3 sp 8 sp� 3 sp 8 sp5 sp 8 sp 12 sp1 cp 4 cp 1 sp2 cp 5 cp 1 sp2 sp 5 sp 7 sp2 cp 5 cp 15 cp5 sp 10 sp 15 sp10 sp 18 sp 2 gp

1 Prices are per pint mug.2 Prices are per shot glass.3 Prices may be higher if facilities for getting the milk are not local. Milk could easilybe an �upper-class� item.All other prices are per 12 oz. mug.

Library: This is a small collection ofbooks and scrolls on subjects concerningthe locale. There is a 5% chance that alocal historian (perhaps a sage) is present.The charge is for three hours of use; thebooks and scrolls may not be removedfrom the room.

Messenger: This person will carry awritten or verbal message to a designatedperson anywhere within the confines ofthe city or town (or neighborhood if thecity is very large). Charge is per messageper person.

Night guard: This is a zero-level, lightlyarmed guard who will watch the patrons�room to insure no unlawful entry occurs.The night guard can also be hired to guarda patron�s storage closet. Charge is for onenight�s work.

Stable: This is shelter for one night for apatron�s horse.

Storage closet: This is a 5�-high, 3�-wide,2�-deep closet of oak construction with astrong lock. Charge is for one month�sstorage; materials left after one month aretaken or auctioned.

Weapon repair: Weapons are sharpenedand cleaned. Major repairs are referred toa local weapon maker. The charge is perweapon.

Tavern ratings

One-star tavern

A person is taking a large risk by patron-izing a tavern of this caliber if he is not aregular patron. These taverns are gener-ally small and are located in the poorersections of a city. Rarely are they found insmall towns, villages, or hamlets wherethey would be the only tavern.

These buildings are often decrepit, andthe insides of the establishments arealways dirty. The ventilation is very poor.It would not be uncommon to find dogsscavenging for the scraps that are habitu-ally thrown on the floor. The food anddrink are so poor that anyone consumingfood has a 2% cumulative chance of con-tracting food poisoning; any drink gives a2% cumulative chance of gastrointestinaldisease.

Although the food and drink are awful,these taverns are usually packed withpeople at night. Most of these people,however, are of ill repute; thieves, assas-sins, and such abound. Foreigners aretreated with hostility. Knowledge of thepresence of foreigners in such placesspreads rapidly through the unlawful sideof the community. Drunken brawls areregular occurrences, and not much isdone to stop them.

Two-star tavernThese common taverns are found in

most settlements. In a small town or vil-

30 AUGUST 1988

lage, a two-star tavern is likely the onlytavern. These buildings are often old butwell kept. Inside is a warm, fresh atmos-phere with modest furnishings. The foodand drink are of considerable quantity andreasonable quality; however, variety islimited. Nightly entertainment is usuallyprovided by local musicians or other localartists; occasionally, a group of travelingminstrels appears.

Two-star taverns are generally operatedby a family; as a result, service is oftenpersonable and friendly. Two-star tavernsare frequented by most of the local peo-ple, which keeps the activity levels highduring the nighttime operating hours.Strangers in these areas are noticed, butare not necessarily treated with hostility.

Fights between drunken patrons can beexpected to erupt, but the tavern ownersdo not permit it and act quickly to movethe fight outside. Any damage to the fur-nishings of two-star taverns are to be paidfor by those responsible.

Three-star tavernsFound in large towns and the wealthier

sections of cities, three-star taverns pro-vide excellent meals. These establishmentsare finely constructed and well kept.These taverns are usually quite large andoften have stables which provide cover forpatrons' steeds. Inside the tavern, thelighting is good, and the furniture neatlyarranged. During the winter, a large firewill be burning, keeping the place ade-quately warm.

The patrons of three-star taverns areusually wealthy merchants, various cityofficials, adventurers, and any others withmoney to spend. The tavern owners usu-ally work behind the bar and have a hostof employees to serve patrons. A wideselection of food and drink are available,all of excellent quality. A large amount ofinformation can be found in taverns ofthese sorts, especially information aboutoutlying areas of which the merchantsknow.

Drunken patrons are politely asked toleave and are escorted outside. Fights arerare, and unruly guests are usually han-dled by the town guards, with whom thetavern owners are usually on good terms.

Four-star tavernsThese taverns are only found in very

large cities, and they are very rare. Thesestructures are often small, multileveled,and constructed of the best materials.Often, these taverns are set off from thenearest road, are surrounded by a well-kept flower garden, and have elaboratefurnishings.

Inside on the first level is a lounge, withthe upper levels reserved for dining. Thelounge furnishings are of the finest quali-ty, and many decorations and artworkenhance this area. There is a stage forminstrels who play nightly. Both the foodand drink are excellent. Four-star taverns

32 AUGUST 1988

Table 4Tavern Foods

Food

Abalone �Apple 2 cpBanana 2 cpBass �Beans 4 cpBeef 7 spBerries �Boar �Bread 1 cpBroth 4 cpCabbage 1 cpCarrots 1 cpChicken 5 cpCheese 3 cpClams �Coconut 3 cpCorn 1 cpCrab �Dove �Duck 2 spEggs 4 cpGame hen �Goose �Grapes �Gruel 2 cp

Lamb �Lobster �Mushrooms 1 cpMutton 10 spOrange 2 cpOyster �Peas 5 cpPeach �Pear �Pheasant �Pork 12 spPotatoes 1 cpRabbit �Red Snapper �Ribs �Rice 1 cpSalmon �Snake �soup 5 cpStew 1 spSquid �Trout 1 spTuna �Turkey 5 cpVenison �

Cost by tavern rating

� 2 gp 7 gp3 cp 6 cp 1 sp2 cp 3 cp 6 cp3 sp 10 sp 18 sp8 cp 1 sp 2 sp15 sp 1 gp 4 gp2 cp 6 cp 1 sp1 gp 2 gp 7 gp1 cp 3 cp 6 cp8 cp 1 sp 2 sp2 cp 5 cp 18 cp2 cp 3 cp 5 cp1 sp 4 sp 8 sp8 cp 1 sp 4 sp8 sp 14 sp 1 gp6 cp 10 cp 1 sp2 cp 5 cp 8 cp� 15 sp 1 gp4 sp 8 sp 13 sp3 sp 6 sp 10 sp6 cp 1 sp 3 sp4 sp 8 sp 18 sp8 sp 14 sp 1 gp2 cp 5 cp 6 cp6 cp 1 sp �

2 gp 4 gp 7 gp� 4 gp 8 gp4 cp 10 cp 2 sp15 sp 1 gp 2 gp4 cp 7 cp 1 sp15 sp 1 gp 5 gp9 cp 1 sp 2 sp5 cp 8 cp 15 cp5 cp 8 cp 15 cp10 sp 15 sp 1 gp1 gp 2 gp 5 gp3 cp 5 cp 11 cp� 15 sp 1 gp4 sp 8 sp 1 gp1 gp 4 gp 7 gp1 cp 2 cp 4 cp6 sp 12 sp 24 sp� 5 sp 16 sp1 sp 2 sp 4 sp2 sp 5 sp 9 sp� 15 sp 1 gp3 sp 8 sp 18 sp5 sp 10 sp 1 gp1 sp 5 sp 10 sp� 2 gp 4 gp

All prices here assume easy availability and could be much higher if this is not so.

often feature a full bar with several serv-ers and barmaids. There is usually someform of high-stakes gambling conductedhere among the wealthy.

Upstairs, in the restaurant, are manytables for both large parties and singlediners, a full kitchen staff, and a completemenu. It is possible to order very exoticfoods and drinks, although for a substan-tial price.

These taverns are often family owned

but operated by employees of that family.Always well respected in the community,these families have usually operated theirtaverns for many generations. Service isexcellent and always friendly. Normally,only the wealthy and royalty are allowedin these taverns, and all weapons arechecked at the door. Public drunkennesslaws are strictly observed here. Thesetaverns are always a good opportunity tomix with the elite of the community.

by Jape Trostle

NPC sometimes stands forNot Particularly Cooperative

Life for a player character in a role-playing game can (and should) be perilous.But not everyone a game master creates ina campaign is out to kill the PCs; some justwant to disturb their sanity. The next timeyour players are gearing up to take onsome deadly nemesis or dangerousdungeon, add a few NPC foils to the gameto enliven things.

While every good campaign has a widevariety of NPCs to encounter, foils are aspecial breed. Foils are specificallydesigned by the GM to antagonize a partyof characters or an individual PC. Foils arecolorful, meddling nuisances. They areuninvited and unwelcome minor obstaclesthat perpetually pop up in the PCs� lives �always when least desired and expected.Foils plague the players and exploit anyfoibles their characters may have by con-trasting the PCs� personalities. Of course,the foils don�t see it this way; it just seemslike their purpose in life is to drive theplayers nuts.

This is not unrealistic. Just think of somepeople you know who regularly rub youthe wrong way. Doesn�t it seem like theyantagonize you deliberately? Of course,sometimes that is the case....

However irritating foils may be, mostare not very dangerous, and they canoften provide comic relief as well as give atwist to the old adventure routine. The foilis not an NPC class; it is simply any NPCpersonality type who consistently thwartsthe PCs in minor ways. This article pro-vides 50 character stereotypes, each fol-

34 AUGUST 1988

lowed by a short description, to assist theGM in creating foils to fit any campaignand the players involved. GMs are expect-ed to develop those foils that appeal tothem, so only a brief outline of each typeis provided. It should be kept in mind thatfoils are nuisances and should pose noimmediate physical threat to the PCs, somost should be relatively inexperienced.Race, sex, alignments, and so forth areusually irrelevant, and foils can appear asindividuals or as groups. Although thelisted foils are described for use in a medi-eval or fantasy game, they fit into any RPGscenario. Just picture their counterparts inscience-fiction, superhero, espionage, andsimilar settings.

Individual foils1. The tax man: What more need be

said? He is greedy, persistent, unpleasant,and always there � especially when thePCs return from a successful adventure.He is an oily snake who enjoys nothingbetter than squeezing that extra coin fromthe PCs� purse. He�ll badger the PCs abouttown, showing up at their door or favoritetavern. The tax man is highly intelligentand shrewd � and he always has govern-ment backing. Without taxes, wherewould the local government be?

2. The fool: This giggling, cackling jestercannot � and will not � shut up. He isalways talking, joking, lying, boasting (helikes to boast about the PCs� abilities torivals and opponents), and ridiculing oth-ers. As a result, he will probably get the

PCs into more trouble than they can getout of. This foil has an above-normal intel-ligence and dexterity, with below-averagewisdom, and shows up in taverns and onstreet corners.

3. The creditor: If the PCs have everborrowed money or are escaping baddebts, the creditor and his agents are sureto be on their trails. The creditor goeswherever a debt goes. A creditor couldtake any shape, but has the persistence ofa bounty-hunting Scrooge. Repo men arealso of concern here.

4. The landlord: This mousy little man orwoman is always eavesdropping, prying,and raising the rent. The landlord is con-vinced the PCs are up to no good andwants to know what�s going on. The land-lord is only found in the inn or apartmentwhere the PCs are staying.

5. The ignoble noble: This stuffy, self-righteous lord or lady looks down ateveryone � especially the PCs. Loud,pretentious, obnoxious, arrogant, and rich,the ignoble noble does not have one wit ofcommon sense. This pompous, petty nobleabuses the PCs (�Out of my way, lout!�)until needing their services � which, ofcourse, are assumed to be always at hisdisposal. Ignoble nobles can be found inelite establishments, at court, out hunting,or traveling between these places.

6. The religious zealot: This priest orfollower of some obscure religion isalways preaching against the evils of thePCs� ways, no matter how good the PCsmight be. Even paladins do not measureup to the zealot�s standards. Whereverfound � be it street corner, tavern, ortemple � the religious zealot is always upon a soapbox, with the PCs as targets.

7. The gambler: Never obvious, this slickgame player is out to take the PCs foreverything they have � again, again, andagain. The gambler has a high intelligence,good looks, and is very charismatic andpersuasive. The gambler can be found intaverns, on corners, and at games andtournaments � any place where peoplegamble.

8. The con man: What the gamblerdoesn�t take, this foil will. Fake treasuremaps, dummy magical weapons, boguspotions � the con man has them all. He isslick and smooth, and has above-averageintelligence and charisma. By nature of hisprecarious position, the con man is alwayson the move and can thus be found in awide variety of places. Although most ofhis wares are worthless, the con man willonce in a great while (and without hisknowledge) sell something that is genuine.In these instances, since he was unawareof its validity at the point of sale, he willprobably want it back if he finds out. Aprime example of a con man is Mr. Henneyfrom the TV series Green Acres, or a

snake-oil salesman from the Old West.9. The merchant: One step above the

con man, the merchant�s items are quitereal. However, this fast-tongued fellow willalways try to sell the PCs something theydo not need. If he is a traveling salesman,he could show up anywhere (like that timehe tried to sell pole arms to kobolds in thelocal dungeon). Cyrano Jones from theStar Trek episode �The Trouble With Trib-bles� is a good example of this type.

10. The doorman: Whether a bouncer ata tavern or gate guard at a keep, the door-man will never simply let the PCs walkthrough the door. His job is to keep peopleout, and that means the PCs. Even if hehas orders to show the PCs in, he will doso grudgingly. Of course, he needs thebrawn to back up his job, so a highstrength and constitution are recom-mended, though he does not necessarilyhave to be a fighter.

11. The jealous lover or lover�s spouse:Amorous PCs who pursue several lovers atonce run the risk that a cheated lover orspouse will find out and come after the PCin question. The foil is usually an impor-tant and influential figure, such as a pow-erful merchant or official. Whoever thejilted lover is, the PC is bound for trouble!

12. The catty lover: This is a particularlyjealous and troublesome lover who isnever satisfied with peace and quiet. He orshe constantly generates a hurricane ofproblems for the PC to which he or she isattached, though the PC may find it hardto give up the relationship.

13. The would-be mate: This is someonewho believes he or she would make theperfect mate for one of the PCs. This isalso someone who does not know themeaning of the word �no." This foil isusually undesirable in one measure oranother, having poor looks, a loud mouth,a pushy personality, or terrible personalhygiene.

14. The PC�s relative: This foil needs littleexplanation. If the relative doesn�t wantmoney, he or she has �someone nice�(usually a would-be suitor) for the PC tomeet. A relative�s favorite saying is �Bloodis thicker than water. "

15. The captain of the guard: For somereason, the captain doesn�t like the looksof the PCs and will harass them wheneverthey are in town. He knows they are up tono good, and even if they aren�t, he willmake something up. Although a hin-drance, the captain is only a minor threat,as his ego is greater than his fighting abili-ty. Since he is a somewhat commandingcharacter, the captain should have anabove-average charisma. He can be foundmaking his rounds about the town ordropping in on the PCs to let them knowthat he still has his eye on them. Localsheriffs also fit this role.

16. The town official: This foil, usually amayor, councilor, or burgher, gives thewords �inept� and �bungling� true mean-ing. Usually fat and lazy, the loud and self-important town official never really knowswhat is going on around him. Alwaysimage conscious, the town official showsup at various functions and events abouttown, and his opinions on current eventschange like the wind.

17. The dandy: A foppish, arrogant lad,always dressed in the latest fashion, thedandy is quite a fair-weather friend. Heinsists on being seen with the PCs if theyare successful and popular, and ridiculesthem if they are not. Either way, the dan-dy always acts as a superior to the PCsbecause they don�t dress as well as hedoes. This handsome, foolish fop can befound in taverns or any place that mightmake him look good.

18. The fledgling bard: This would-beminstrel is on the lookout for heroes tointerview so he can compose his first greatepic. Found in and around taverns, inns,and any place else adventuring typesmight gather, this scraggly lad sings out oftune and plays the lute horribly.

19. The matriarchal goodwife: Thisclucking hen either berates the PCs for notcoming up to her own impeccable moralstandards or, if the PCs are upstandingcitizens such as paladins or good clerics,constantly plays matchmaker for the hap-less characters. Found in the marketplaceor hanging out the window of her home(gossiping), this large, tough woman won�ttake lip from anyone, and believes that noone (except nobility) is above a goodthrashing.

20. The mad prophet: This insane oldgeezer is the butt of many jokes aroundthe town and countryside. He wandersabout aimlessly and without direction,often showing up in unusual places. Dirtyand ragged, the mad prophet talks tohimself and makes little sense. Sometimes,however, he speaks of things that do cometrue � perhaps he�s a little psychic as wellas psychotic.

21. The old soldier: This old, witheredwarrior loves nothing better than pullingup a chair to the PCs� table and telling lotsof unbelievable yarns about the good olddays. Adorned in rusted armor, he talksand talks, occasionally dropping someimportant fact in the PCs� laps � if theyare still listening, that is.

22. The would-be adventurer: This smallboy or girl (or group of children) adopts aPC as a role model. This foil will follow theparty about, imitating everything the PCsdo. Would-be adventurers are only foundaround towns and villages, and only untiltheir mothers call them in for bedtime.

23. The loyal dog: When a would-beadventurer reaches adolescence and is still

hanging around the player characters, hebecomes a loyal dog, willing to do any-thing for the PCs. Awkward and gangly,the loyal dog�s enthusiasm gets in the wayas he rushes about doing favors for thePCs. The reason these foils are called loyaldogs is because the PCs always find themunderfoot.

24. The crush: Similar to the loyal dog,this is an adolescent whose first crush ison one of the PCs. The crush will do any-thing for a �beloved� � except leave thePC alone.

25. The apprentice magic-user: Thisbright though bungling kid is apprenticedoff to a low-level, unadventurous magic-user who likes to stay put in town. Theapprentice, however, dreams of adventureand likes to hang around the PCs. Like-wise, he always wants to show the adven-turers the latest cantrip he�s learned.Unlike would-be adventurers or loyaldogs, the apprentice actually has a useful(if weak) skill. A knight�s squire fits thiscategory as well.

26. The street urchin: The young streeturchin loves nothing better than followingthe PCs around town and taunting them.He is amazingly fast, both in dexterity andintelligence. This foil is a real pain butknows the surrounding area better thananyone. There is a chance (25%) that thestreet urchin is a low-level thief.

27. The younger sibling: This very young(12 years old or less) sister or brother ofone of the PCs wants to be just like theolder sibling. In other instances, the PC isthe child�s guardian, and the sibling

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36 AUGUST 1988

refuses to obey the PC. Either way, theyounger sibling is troublesome.

28. The unwanted pet: This small animaladopts the PCs, usually after they haveinnocently fed the beast when it was hun-gry. This pet will follow (often quite loud-ly) the PCs anywhere, even into battle orinto a dungeon. The pet is usually a cat,dog, or other domesticated animal, butcould have a serious defense mechanism(like a skunk).

29. The adoring monster: If the PCs haveever spared some small, semi-intelligentcreature from death (for example, akobold), the grateful monster is bound toshow up later, latch onto the group, andtry to prove its worth to its saviors. Unlikeunwanted pets, an adoring monster isunusual and can be powerful and (rela-tively) intelligent.

30. The bumbling bartender: Thisfriendly, forgetful butterball always meanswell, which does not keep him from beinga bumbling idiot. He can run a taverneither in a town or out in the countryside.Butterbur, the innkeeper at The PrancingPony in Tolkien�s The Lord of the Rings, isa good example.

31. The brainless brute: The town bullyis out to prove he is the toughest aroundby beating up all the small guys he can gethis hands on. His strength is equal to hiscowardice; he talks big, but he rarelybacks up his words with action.

32. The reveler: Loud, obnoxious, andalways broke, this happy-go-lucky fellow isalways ready to knock back a few with hisfavorite adventurers � as long as theypay. A large fellow with an enormousappetite and thirst, the reveler knowshundreds of bad jokes and tall tales, andwill tell them all if given the opportunity.Shakespeare�s Falstaff is such a reveler.

33. The overzealous soldier: This soldier,usually a low-level fighter in the city guardor army, is a loyal patriot of whateverkingdom, nation, fief, or empire in whichthe PCs happen to find themselves. Theoverzealous soldier knows more aboutrules and regulations than fighting, and isconstantly suspicious of the PCs and theiractivities. He sees plots where there arenone.

34. The snitch: Spindly and thin, thesnitch resembles a rat more than a man. Ifhe isn�t telling the PCs about others' plans,they can be sure he�s telling others oftheirs. This motormouth is always spout-ing names, places, rumors, and lies. He canusually be found slinking about dark alleysand taverns, trying to eavesdrop on anyand all conversations.

35. The inventor: This clever, little, old,white-haired fellow is a mechanical genius� well, sometimes. He sees the PCs as justthe people to try out his new contraptions,even though most of his creations don�twork at all the way they are supposed to.Every so often, though, he comes up witha gem. Highly intelligent, the inventor canusually be found in his shop or out tryingto perfect his inventions. More often than

not, however, he will be out looking for PCvolunteers.

36. The hapless hermit: A quiet, mysticalman, the hermit is never found in a popu-lated area, but in a secluded place wherehe can contemplate reality. Unfortunately,he has the misfortune to pick secludedspots that the PCs eventually stumbleacross. Each time he is disturbed, hesearches out another place, which the PCsalso stumble across. Long-bearded andeccentric, the hermit�s patience withunwelcome (i.e., all) visitors is short.

37. The lady in distress: This is a feistywench who always manages to get in somesort of trouble from which she needsrescuing, usually when the PCs are near-by. Whether a serving girl with a smartmouth or a noble lady who has a bad habitof being kidnapped regularly, this foilshould keep the PCs busy. As a rule ofthumb, the damsel usually has a highcharisma and a low wisdom (otherwise,she would learn to stay out of trouble).She is not necessarily romantically inclinedtoward a PC. Another form of this NPC isthe �man overboard," usually a carelessadventurer who overestimates his abilitiesand is always in deep trouble, from whichPCs must rescue him.

38. The seductress: Once her sights areset on one of the PCs (or the whole groupfor that matter!), this femme fatale won�tstop until the PC is hers, body and soul.Although beautiful, she is sly, devious,resourceful, and persistent in her game oflove. And she does not have to be of lowsocial status; she could be a lady of highsociety. The male version of this foil forthe female PC is the Don Juan, identical inall respects. Unlike other potential mates,this one is often domineering, selfish, andrarely faithful.

39. The vestal virgin: This unobtainable,untouchable figurehead of a temple orkingdom, such as a young high priestessor princess of extreme beauty, has fallenin unrequited love with one of the PCs.She is entirely naive and innocent in theways of politics and love, and does notrealize that her affections could causeproblems � especially for the PCs.Because of her position, approaching thevestal virgin is taboo, and being caughtwith her is punishable by death.

Group foils40. The party people: These roving

packs of dandies and revelers are out tohave a good time � at the PCs� expense.Young, boisterous, loud, and looking fortrouble, the party people can be found lateat night in the streets and hopping fromtavern to tavern.

43. The court schemers: These conniv-ing, petty nobles have plans for advance-ment at the royal court � plans thatusually involve the PCs. Court schemersusually have a favor or errand that needsto be done, and are sure to put in a goodword to the king for themselves. Theirplots are full of intrigue, but their wisdom

scores are low. These foils are found inand around capital cities where there is aroyal court.

42. The city guard: In this case, it is notthe captain of the guard who holds thegrudge against the PCs, it is the rest of theguard. This group always picks fights withthe PCs, looks for reasons to harass them,accuses them of crimes they didn�t com-mit, or sets them up for embarrassingsituations. The players should rememberthat the city generally looks down onanyone killing a member of the city guard.

43. The brothel: This horde of harlots isconstantly ready to tempt the good PCs(especially those who have taken vows), orscorn the less savory PCs� advances. �Noth-ing should ever be easy � or free� is theirmotto. This group is only found in or infront of a house of ill-repute in the lesssavory parts of town.

44. The marks: These low-level NPCshave actually bought items from the conman, and they run into the PCs whileusing the objects (items such as a faketreasure map that marks the treasure�slocation right in the PCs� home keep, orthe flying carpet that only flies �when itfeels like it�). There is a great potential forcomedy with these foils; just picture Lau-rel and Hardy in a role-playing game!

45. The thieves� guild: The guild eldersin the town or city in which the PCs cur-rently reside have established that the PCs�party is a �practice group� for all the fledg-ling thieves, and that they are to befleeced at every opportunity by theapprentices. (And the PCs would not wantto bring the wrath of the entire guild ontheir heads because of a dead footpad ortwo, would they?)

46. The unfriendly guild: In a town orcity where every form of commerce iscontrolled by one guild or another, the oneguild the PCs rely upon the most (be itWeapons Guild, Alchemists Guild, Mer-chants Guild, or Magic-User Material Com-ponent Supply Guild) is the one guild thatdoesn�t like the PCs.

47. The orphanage: Woe to the PCs, forthis is an entire building full of streeturchins, would-be adventurers, and crush-es who enjoy nothing more than playingevery practical joke conceivable (such aschamber-pot bombs dropped from theroof, spurs placed under a saddle, orgrease wiped on sword handles) on thehapless PCs. Of course, these demonsinstantly transform into perfect angelswhenever the headmaster is about.

Special foilsThe three foils listed hereafter are spe-

cial foils for several reasons. All three canbe used to start entire adventures, so theyare not just casual encounters. All threecould prove to be dangers to the PCs� livesand limbs, though that is not always thecase. Finally, all three have different pur-poses than merely annoying NPCs orgroups of characters.

48. The unknown entity: This can be a

DRAGON 37

powerful, playful, flippant godling whoamuses himself by popping in and out ofthe PCs' lives. Sometimes he helps themand sometimes he leaves them in thelurch, but he always leaves them withouta clue as to what�s going on. This foil mustbe played carefully so the PCs do not cometo depend on it too much. Tolkien�s TomBombadil is a good example of such acharacter. Invariably, the PCs are beingsteered toward some larger goal in theentity�s plans � perhaps to literally savethe world.

49. The rival(s): This is a rival for one ofthe PCs or a group of rivals for the wholegroup. Rivals should be adventurers of thesame levels and similar classes as the PCs(with a few variations thrown in to makethings interesting) who are constantlycompeting with the PC party for whateverthe current goal is. This group shouldkeep the PCs on their toes and make coop-eration among the PCs more likely, as italso adds an element of pressure to theproceedings. A foil such as this can addincentive to the game, as the PCs not onlytry to overcome their current goal (be itdungeon or quest), but also attempt tobeat their rivals to it. Rivals, of course, arenot necessarily evil � they are just rivals.

50. The case of mistaken identity: Ifplayed right, this foil can be a real laugh.The case of mistaken identity involves acoincidence in which one of the PCs justhappens to look like some NPC of whomthe party has never heard. Other NPCs areconstantly mistaking the PC for this otherperson, which is not good, for this otherperson apparently has the entire town andcountryside looking for him because ofsomething he has done (which is oftenbad). The poor PC is then always accusedof being this lowlife, who is quite a cadand scoundrel. This scenario can be veryeffective if the PCs decide to go after thisrogue and straighten things out. To makethings interesting, though, the PCs are alsounable to find him; they find only his trailof broken hearts, busted heads, bad debts,and angry enemies.

How to play foilsThis list of foils is designed to aid the GM

in creating colorful NPCs and potentiallyinteresting encounters. As they are onlysuggestions, the GM can develop the foilsas he sees fit. But above all, foils should befun and should provide lively subplots fora campaign.

A foil should be designed with the PCs inmind. If a GM has an idea of what bestirks the PC (or the player, for that matter),then that trait should be incorporated intothe NPC. If, for instance, the PCs are par-ticularly gold-hungry, the tax man is agood antagonist. If the PCs enjoy a rousingnight on the town every night, the captainof the guard would be a suitable foil. Per-haps the reveler would be the choice for aPC that is quiet and subdued, such as astudious magic-user. For those PCs thatflirt with the opposite sex, the jealous or

38 AUGUST 1988

catty lover is bound to show up. And if thePCs are politically active, the ignoblenoble, the court schemers, or the townofficial would be appropriate.

Then again, a foil could just be a pest.The fledgling bard, the loyal dog, and theunwanted pet are all cases of foils whodon�t know when they have worn outtheir welcome. If the PCs fancy themselvesas rescuers of fair maidens everywhere,then the lady who needs constant rescuingought to keep them entertained and on therun � until they collapse from exhaustion.

Foils do not have to be human; any racecan bring its own peculiar traits to therole of antagonist. A halfling can be just asexasperating as any human. The HalflingThieves Guild from the classic DRAGON®

Magazine comic �Finieous Fingers� is aperfect (if lethal) example of this. Raceitself can act as a foil to some characters:Imagine a party of elves having to dealwith a guild run by dwarves. In whatevercase, a foil can be introduced in the cam-paign to goad just one of the PCs or theentire party at once, so the various NPCscan be molded to fit a particular tempera-ment or scenario. It is all up to the GM.

A majority of the NPCs listed above arenoted for being found in and around citiesand towns. This is assuming that most ofthe encounters of the foil kind will occuras the PCs are recuperating between bigadventures that take place in dungeonsand the wilderness. However, this does notmean the PCs could not run into a foil inthe most unlikely of places. Foils can showup before, during, or after an adventurein any place the GM wants them. Natu-rally, some encounters are more likelythan others. The ignoble noble could befound while out on a hunt or visiting aforeign kingdom where the PCs are cur-rently exploring a dungeon; the madprophet could be seen in a far-off forestpreaching to the trees; and the marks, therivals, the merchant, or the unknownentity could show up anywhere.

Foils also give good lessons in restraint:PCs should never be easily rid of one, andthere should be no hack-and-slashresponse to the problem. These encoun-ters should only be solved by employingwit, guile, and ingenious role-playing.Some NPCs are so harmless that severerepercussions should occur if the PCs killone. For those not-so-harmless or innocentfoils, the PCs will want to think twicebefore trying to permanently dispose ofthem. These NPCs will be backed by someorganization or benefactor which wouldmake life rather uncomfortable for thePCs if anything fatal were to happen to thefoil. (Of course, a good thrashing mightnot hurt.) Nonviolent solutions, however,should be encouraged. In fact, experiencepoints should be awarded for the moreclever retorts. Foils are a test of wit andingenuity, not of strength and weaponry.

A prime example of how to foil a foil isthe crafty solution arrived at by a party ina recent campaign of this GM. The PCs

had been plagued by one very snobbishignoble noble. For various reasons, he wasusing his political influence to make thePCs look bad to local officials. The PCscould not confront him directly, for he hada very high profile with many connectionsand supporters. Instead, they began arumor that he had contracted a sociallyunacceptable disease, one of the symptomsof which was premature baldness. Then,during a large banquet attended by boththe PCs and the noble, the group�s magic-user got close enough to the noble to castthe cantrip hair loss on him, and his long,curly locks promptly fell into his soup(notch one for the players). The embar-rassed noble soon departed for an extend-ed vacation and was never again as bad athorn in the PCs� collective side.

Alas, solutions tend to be temporarywhere foils are concerned. These NPCswill probably be back, much to the play-ers� chagrin. As a result, foils should notalways spell trouble. About the time theycompletely wear out their welcome andthe PCs are pushed to the point of stran-gling them, the foils should drop somevital information the players can use: aclue to a current mystery, information onan enemy, the whereabouts of a neededitem or map � anything to stave off thePCs� wrath. Perhaps the GM could havethe foil help the PCs out of a difficult, life-threatening situation. (A foil likes nothingbetter than gratitude.)

A well-played foil will cultivate an inter-esting love/hate relationship with the PCs.However, if the PCs catch on and deliber-ately seek out the foil for help or informa-tion, they should discover that the NPC isnow harder to find than he was to losebefore. (And if found, the foil should besuspicious and defensive about the PCsseeking him out.) If sought in such a man-ner, foils will not freely give the help orinformation that is desired. Thus, foils canget the PCs coming and going.

Too much of a good thing can bog downa game; consequently, NPC foils should notbe overused. Too many foils can cause toomuch frustration among the players andlimit their enjoyment of the game. It isrecommended that no more than two orthree NPCs be encountered over a periodof time as full-time antagonists. After usingthem awhile, the GM should have themdisappear off the scene to pop up unpre-dictably in the future. The reaction from aplayer on seeing the return of an old foil isoften remarkable.

Such characters, when played to the hiltand with a touch of humor, can turn previ-ously forgettable NPC encounters intoevents as memorable as any perilousdungeon or deadly dragon.

AcknowledgementsI would like to thank the following for

their suggestions regarding types of foils(and who are effective foils themselves):Rick Caldwell, Dann Caldwell, and BrentTrostle.

40 AUGUST 1988

ulak eased his heavy body from a bedmade of beach grass and felt aroundfor his glasses. He almost knockedthem off the sea trunk, which wouldhave been a disaster for the agedmagician, but his little finger, the onetwisted with arthritis, hooked them by

the wings. His hands shook as he righted them, thenpushed the wires back through the dirty curls of his hairand over large ears. Now he could see in the dark interiorof the hut.

He picked up the cane he�d made from a length of drydriftwood, and banged all the pots that hung on pegs orwires until the rats zipped away. Stepping around theassorted debris he�d salvaged over the years, he shuffledtoward the door but stopped short. A small, sleek headpoked out of the shadows to his left. Its eyes were beady,reptilian.

When he brought the tip of his gnarled cane up betweenhimself and the hidden creature, it quickly slipped awaythrough two ship�s planks that framed the jamb on whichhis door latched. The old magician cackled.

Just a damn monitor lizard, he thought. Not his oldnemesis the boa. She was too fat to slip between theboards like that. And besides, if the snake had gotten induring the night, he would have awakened in her embrace.

Sulak pushed the door open, squinting against themorning light until he could make out the scraggly brushand the ice plants that surrounded his hut. He steppedoutside. It was a sunny day, the first that spring. Beforehim, black-headed terns wheeled against the sky and dovefor ghost crabs along the beach. Their calls reached himscattered by the breeze. Behind him, iguanas and monitorlizards basked on the twisted volcanic rock of Herculius.The wind was warm from across the narrow bay andsmelled wonderful, like a breath of glory from his past,from when his powers held sway with the Magi Lords andhe had strolled through the gardens of the high city withmany a court lady on his arm.

An unbidden image rose up in Sulak�s mind, the LadyAlcina in a gown of silver strands. He remembered herbare arms, how one minute they could be pale and smoothas polished moonstone, the next instant darkly tanned anddowned with blond hair. He recalled her mercurial beautyand impossible treachery, both of which still burned withinhis chest. Oh well, Sulak mused for the countless time, heshould never have bedded a witch in the first place.

Damn, it almost felt good still to be alive after so manyyears in exile. Almost.

Sulak cupped rainwater from a battered barrel near thecorner of his hut. He slurped it in a single gulp . . . thenspit out a fowl yellow stinkbug and cursed loudly at Her-culius, this island prison that kept him from the worldbeyond, that seemed to destroy his mood every time hefelt pleased or satisfied or merely at peace with himself.

But Sulak knew that wasn�t true. Herculius was only ajumbled pile of rock and dirt with a volcano slumbering atits core. Long ago he had accepted its rugged landscape,just as he had been forced to accept the spell that held himhere and stripped him of his powers, the same spell that

The Curseof theMagusby Bruce Boston & Robert Frazier

Illustrations by George Barr

DRAGON 41

4 2

also stilled the island�s hot lava. If he had any enemies onHerculius besides the boa, they were of his own making,the memories he refused to abandon, which plagued histhoughts constantly and in recent years often seized hisconsciousness with spells of visionary intensity.

Sulak donned his greatcoat of worn blue velvet, the onewith the silver epaulets and tattered silk lining. Thoughhe�d meet no one � for just as he was entrapped here, noother human could enter � he wanted to walk the perim-eter beach of his conical prison in style and discover whatnew treasures the ocean might have washed onto itsshores. He had begun every morning like this when hewas younger, so after a winter of especially poor health, heyearned for this simple ritual all the more. He took up hiscane and started down to the beach.

Where the fine brown sand darkened to the black andgrainy sand of an old lava flow, a glint of light caughtSulak�s eye. Something was embedded near the shoreline,still lapped by the low and steady waves yet catching thesun�s reflection each time the sea receded. Sulak dancedgingerly forward and poked at the object with his stick.He gasped as a gold coin rolled free onto the damp earth.

Suddenly oblivious to the cold surf flooding about hisankles, Sulak bent over and retrieved the coin. He quicklycleaned it on his sleeve, marveling at how the heavy metalcould have traveled to him across the water. Yet the ques-tion fled from his mind as he lifted his glasses onto hisforehead and peered more closely at his find.

Intricately embossed upon the gold was a skyline thatSulak recognized at once. He saw the slender towers anddelicately arched skywalks of his native city. The coin wasfrom his homeland, Myria, the greatest island empire ofthe Southern Sea, and by the look of it, freshly minted.He turned the coin over and his old eyes widened andfroze, the breath catching within his throat. It was truethen. All that he had imagined and feared in the yearssince his exile had transpired. He was staring at the slight-ly raised and bony profile of his ancient enemy Borgus,now apparently Arch-Magus of the Empire.

A hoarse, incoherent cry broke from Sulak�s throat ashis breath exploded. He hurled the coin far from him,back out over the water from which it had come. If not forAlcina�s betrayal, if not for Borgus� endless plotting andthe cronies he gathered about him, minor magicians to aman, Sulak�s own countenance would have most likelyshone upon that coin. The old magician waved his stickabout wildly as he stumbled up the beach. The past wouldnever let him be, he thought. Not when his present was sopaltry. Not when the emptiness of each successive day onlyforeshadowed the emptiness of his diminished future. Allof Sulak�s limbs were trembling violently as he collapsedonto the sand and a draught of bitter history possessedhim.

The Lady Alcina looked up. Tonight her eyes were deepbrown flecked with yellow, warm and constant as the eyesof a cat. She laughed and pressed her body more closelyagainst his. They were standing on the balcony of thechambers Sulak had been recently granted in the high city,looking over the lighted streets below and a smooth sheet

AUGUST 1988

of darkening sea in the distance. The day had been warmand the evening seemed warmer still. The first starsglowed with raw brilliance in a cloudless sky.

They were naked beneath their robes, their flesh stilldewy from lovemaking, and Sulak was intoxicated, bothwith the protean incarnations of the woman beside himand his own sudden rise to power, for no magician inrecent memory had gained a seat among the Magi Lordswhile still so young. A bit vehemently, he was expoundinghis theories, ideas he was convinced that he alone hadgrasped.

�But magic is leaving the world,� he insisted. �Eachyear I�ve measured the changes with the basic spells. Theforces always grow weaker, our sphere of influenceshrinks. In the time of our grandfather�s fathers theEmpire extended beyond the Straits of Gade and onto themainland. Now only the islands remain to us.�

�And what can it matter?� Alcina laughed again.�Surely there is enough magic left in the world to fill ourown lives.�

Sulak was appalled by her indifference. At the sametime he discovered he was aroused again. The witchgrasped the back of his neck and pulled him roughlytoward her. Her lips and tongue tasted of iced apricots inthe heated night. No, rather they held the flavor ofalmonds rolled in candied grape leaves. And then she wasmelting in his arms, and the balcony on which they stood,the sky above and the city below, faded like foam upon thewaves.

Sulak found himself in the High Council chambers,speaking before the Magi Lords. He wore his new silk-lined jacket of blue velvet. �The future belongs not toamulets and incantations,� he concluded, �but to reason,to the ordered thoughts of the rational mind. And that iswhy if we are to survive, our finest magic and finest rea-son must be bound together.� He clasped his hands withfingers intertwined to illustrate the point. �Our engineers,our architects, and our philosophers must be elevated instature to a rightful place upon the Council.�

From the steep and darkly shadowed tiers of the assem-blage, only silence greeted this final pronouncement. Andthen one man rose, illuminating his face with his ownmagic. Borgus� skeletal visage, aglow in the etheric light,was florid and creased with anger. �We have heard suchtheories before,� he began, flinging one long arm down-ward in a dismissive gesture to the stage below, �and wehave rightly denounced them as the mouthings of barbari-ans.�

Sulak nervously fingered a lapel. How could this be, hewondered, his jacket was not new but worn and falling topieces? Borgus was not really here, only upon the goldcoin he held in his palm. But that was not right either, forhadn�t he hurled the coin back into the ocean?

The old magician came to himself, once more walkingalong the beach. He felt the sun, warm upon his face, thesea wind tousling his mop of hair.

Sulak recognized the spell for what it had been andknew he had survived its passage. The ordered thoughts ofa rational mind he had once espoused with such eloquenceand vigor were once again his own. Yet the aged magiciansuspected that one day his visions would carry him away

completely, that he would starve to death or fall prey tothe boa while immersed in his own useless past.

He was nearly halfway round the island when he sawthe chair jutting out of the black sand far ahead. At firsthe didn�t recognize it. The wood had swelled and discol-ored in the waves, and it had soaked in the brine for atleast a month, as evidenced by the young barnacles dot-ting it like liver spots. However, when he stood in front ofit, there could be little doubt it was the royal chair of aMagus, and the Arch-Magus at that. It was the very chairin which Sulak should have sat for life. He stared at it indisbelief.

What was it doing on the beach? And what circum-stances had prevailed to allow the jeweled chair to becomejust another bit of driftwood?

Sulak recalled a vivid dream he�d had on the full moonbefore last. He�d dreamt of Borgus awkwardly seated inthis same chair that now rested on the shores of Herculius.In the dream the chair was perched upon the foredeck of asailing ship. Borgus was leading an armada of war vesselsagainst the mainland republics. His cronies, the very menwho had conspired in Sulak�s abduction and exile, com-manded ships of their own. Then a storm blew suddenlyin from the north, torrential and devastating. It had scat-tered the fleet in every direction, drowned more than halfthe vessels before a single spell could unravel it.

That same night, Sulak remembered, a storm had rat-tled against the walls of his hut. At the time he had takenthe storm for the cause of his dream, but what if thereverse were true? Perhaps his dream had somehowserved as an agent of revenge for his long-repressedpowers.

Sulak shook his head to clear the cobwebs. No matter.Simply frustrating Borgus was not a satisfying revenge.Nor was having the damn chair after so many years.

So Sulak�s second reaction was one of anger. He kickedat the chair until his chest heaved, then whacked it withhis cane. When none of his actions seemed to cause theslightest damage, he conceded that he�d grown very weakduring the winter. Then he realized that despite its brinyjourney, the chair might still contain magic of its own.And that thought struck him dumb. If the chair still har-bored magic, he could use it to weaken the spells that kepthis own potent powers in check. Even the master spell thatcloaked the island and held its volcanic activity to a mini-mum might eventually be broken.

Sulak made his way back along the coarse sand,through the thin wall of brush that separated it from thebarren interior of igneous ropes and rock pillows. Heknew that the chair of the Arch-Magus possessed a kind ofdim sentience linked to its owner. Steeped as it was withthe spells of Borgus, the wood of the chair would recognizeand rebel against an unfamiliar touch. Its magic was use-less to him now. Sulak must first make the chair a part ofhis daily existence until the strength of his personalitybegan to permeate its being. Only then would it offer upits powers.

At his hut, for the first time in years, the old magicianwhistled as he cooked himself a hearty breakfast. Hewould need all his strength to rebuild and rearrange his

space so the chair would fit inside, and double thatamount to drag the great wooden beast the length of theisland.

Rather than rework the old boards of his beach hut,Sulak simply knocked down one wall. As he sat eating hisbreakfast of crab meat and boiled guillemot eggs, staringinland toward the smoking rim of Herculius, he felt wellpleased with himself. However, the problem of moving thechair proved more difficult.

At first he attempted brute force. The chair eventuallyyielded, and Sulak freed its legs from the wet sand with anaudible pop. After that, however, it was impossible to dragon its back. He flipped it onto its front by levering it withhis cane. He was then able to drag it on the tips of thearmrests. This worked well enough for ten yards or so at astretch, but the arms were too narrow. They kept digginginto the sand, and Sulak had to wrestle the whole thingfree each time. Soon exhausted, he rested against a sun-baked rock and nibbled on some jerky he had dried fromlizard meat. He had to face facts. He was nearly sixty, andunwell. Force was not an option for him.

Returning to his hut once more, Sulak pried two boardsloose from the collapsed wall. Warped ones made betterrunners, since their ends turned up, so he lashed these tothe arms of the chair and pulled with his spine bracedagainst the top of the back rest. The arms no longercaught in the sand, but he could still make progress onlyin short, heated bursts of energy that left his templesthrobbing and the breath rasping in his throat. Therewere moments when he swore he could sense the reluctantspirit of Borgus, locked within the chair, consciously resist-ing him.

The sun had already passed meridian when he decidedhe could take no more. He estimated that he�d progressedless than a third of the distance he needed to cover.

Sulak retreated to a small rocky lagoon adjacent to hishut, really a tide pool now that the ocean was at low ebb.The old magician stripped off his clothes and slowly easedhimself into the refreshing water. He lay with his eyesclosed and his head against a bank made spongy by thehomes of fiddler and ghost crabs.

The ordered thoughts of a rational mind, Sulak toldhimself, as he tried to devise an easier way to transport thechair to his hut. Instead he slept, and he dreamt of oxen.

He was back on his native island, once more immersedin the events of his former life. He was instructing thelocal farmers in the use of a yoke he had designed so thatthe untilled recesses of the steeper hillsides could beplowed. In some quarters he had been praised for this andfor other inventions he had introduced into the daily life ofthe Empire. To most of the Magi Lords it was furtherevidence that Sulak had been soiled by the commonplace.Only weeks later, Alcina had fed him the potion that her-alded his downfall. Even as the drug took effect, the evilwitch continued her seduction.

Sulak had returned to consciousness stripped of bothpower and speech by a consorted spell of Borgus and hisminions. In the mockery of a trial that followed, theyoung mage stood upon the public block, his tongue

DRAGON 43

dumb within his mouth, the thoughts raging uselesslywithin his mind, as charges of treason were leveled againsthim. He had corrupted the sacred traditions of the past.He had conspired with the mainland republics against hisown nation. Those he had counted as friends and allies inhis attempt to transform the Empire watched his humilia-tion silently, spoke not a word in his defense. While Sulakhad plumbed the meaning of life and the natural worldabout him, Borgus had steadily consolidated his own polit-ical strength.

Yet as the convicted �traitor� rode in an open cart tothe harbor and the ship that would bear him into exile, herealized it was more than Borgus� deceit that had carriedthe day. Sulak grasped the broader implications of hisfailure. As the very populace he had tried to save throngedthe streets of the capital to rain their curses upon him, ashe scanned their angry and righteous faces, he understoodthat the influence of magic was not only leaving the world,at the same time the very nature of its power grew darker.That darkness had already rooted itself, perhaps irrevoca-bly, in the souls of his countrymen. And it was the self-same darkness, fixed but unrecognized in his own soul,that had drawn him to Alcina.

When Sulak awoke, he heard an iguana barking only afew yards away. This startled him. The great lizards usu-ally avoided him, since he preyed on them occasionally formeat. Sulak raised himself from the pool and felt for hisrobe where he�d left it on the sand. He needed to wipe hiseyeglasses, which he�d tinkered together with wire and thebottoms of apothecary bottles after noting how the glassimproved his failing sight. After cleaning them and perch-ing them back on his nose, he was surprised to find thehuge iguana squatting beside him. It had slithered up

44 AUGUST 1988

without a sound and now stared at him with doleful eyes.What a stroke of luck, thought Sulak. Or was it luck?

He had pictured the armada destroyed by a great stormand later the chair washed ashore. Now he had picturedoxen in his sleep, and found the island�s largest creatureupon waking: passive and apparently awaiting his needs.Perhaps his dreamtime had become something like thebottle glass: it focused his repressed powers into a clearforce that could shape reality in the world about him.

Sulak untied a length of sisal he�d doubled around hiswaist as a belt. He tied a loop in one end of the rope andeased it over the iguana�s neck. He was not surprisedwhen it followed him on its tether.

At the chair, Sulak rested flat on his back while theiguana sat beside him. He sensed his old heart rebellingwithin his chest. Forcing himself to continue, he harnessedthe iguana to both of the board runners and placed him-self behind the chair. He pushed while the iguana pulled,with a plodding yet effective gait. The creature�s long tailtrailed underneath, swinging back and forth, slappingagainst the runners.

At last, the two plowed through the damp sand at thelagoon�s mouth and stopped by the collapsed wall of thebeach house. Sulak untethered the iguana, fed it somescraps of crab meat from his stores, and sent it scamperingup the rocks to join a few of its comrades who were stillsunning there.

The sun had now dropped low in the sky. Dark cloudswere clustering in from the north. Anticipating anotherbad storm, Sulak did not rest. He tugged until the runnerscaught against the foundation of the hut. He unlashed theboards from the chair and began the twist and twist-backmotions needed to inch it up onto the floor beneath thethatched roof. With a final shove he toppled it inside ontoits back, and fell with it: exhausted, hurting in every joint.

As he lay half in and half out of the hut, aware that hehad bruised his hip in the fall, Sulak stared blankly at theceiling. His ordeal with the chair had now grown into anobsession. An obsession with many possible origins. Thechair was his; he was now the Arch-Magus. Also, hebelonged to the chair. The more he handled it, the moreimperative it seemed to get it sheltered and cleaned up.And he had been wrong about the island; it was morethan just a jumble of dirt and rock. It too was somehowinvolved; he was almost sure of it. The island, or at leastthe sleeping giant it housed, sensed that Sulak was nearhis end, and it too desired freedom from the spells thatfilled its very stone. Herculius had slept far too long.

Sulak ran this over and over in his mind until he couldno longer comprehend any of it. He was weary to death ofhis exile, and weary beyond measure to exercise hispowers again. Even if it were for the last time. The chairoffered a chance, so it seemed, to be a Magus again. Whatmattered was the chair. It always came back to the chair.

A great pain stabbed through him as he pulled himselfupright, but he ignored it. Whether he�d broken a rib orbroken his whole body, he meant to sit in the seat that wasrightfully his. He pushed the chair erect and collapsed intoit as something inside him, some last defense, collapsedalso. He drifted out of consciousness into a limbo of dark-ness and pulsing stars.

* * *

Sulak dreamed one last time.He dreamed that as the sun set behind the volcano, it

peeked under the quickening storm for a long moment,spreading bloody fingers of light across the underbelly ofthe clouds. A breeze blew through the open hut andruffled the tatters on Sulak�s velvet coat. He awoke for amoment, or dreamed he did, and with his bare callusedpalms rubbed the slime and wet sand from the jewels setin the chair�s arms. They glowed with appreciativewarmth and seemed to draw him onward. His obsessionhad already linked him to the chair, for it was now famil-iar beneath his touch. As he tumbled down the long tun-nel of unconsciousness once more, the old magician couldfeel himself falling through the atoms of the wood and intothe cracked and folded bedrock below him. Set free, hisexpanding awareness spread through the island and linkedwith the strength of the repressed volcano. Then he felt hisroots spread deeper along the veins of hot magma thatcarried to nearby islands, especially the island empire ofthe Magi Lords, his homeland of Myria.

Sulak now sensed more than saw how the coin he hadfound upon the beach had lied. He learned that he hadbeen wrong again, just as he had been about Herculius,that magic had fled the world more swiftly than even hehad imagined. The delicate skywalks of his native city,their air-spanning grace more the product of sorcery thanarchitecture, had collapsed. The gardens of the high citygrew wild from neglect. The indigent gathered to beg inthe market squares, or skulked in alleys by night to awaitthe unwary. Sulak searched through the devastated and

corrupt souls of his former countrymen for the evil ema-nations of Alcina. He discovered that the witch still lived,yet magic had deserted her also. He sensed how her fleshhad aged more quickly because of the changes she hadonce wrought upon it, how it now hung from her bones ingreat ugly folds, how she dwelt in shadowy desolation inher ruined apartments where no curtain was ever drawn,no lamp ever lit. Sulak laughed and the magma bubbledin his veins.

Myria too possessed a slumbering giant, a deep calderaready to burst at the seams as the ancient spells that held itin check continued to weaken. As Sulak�s consciousnessspread thinner and thinner, his reawakened powers linkedthrough the chair to Herculius, and then from Herculiusto the other islands. He realized he was losing touch withhis physical body and that his old nemesis, the boa, hadfound him exposed in the open hut and wrapped herselfaround the worn husk that now slumped in the chair ofthe Arch-Magus.

Sulak was passing from life. His last act was to summonall of the magics from the linked network through whichhis being now flowed: the chair, the spell upon Herculius,even the ancient chains binding vulcanism on the otherislands.

The people of Myria had unjustly branded him a trai-tor. Borgus and the other Magi Lords had cursed him intooblivion. As Sulak died, as the boa�s stricture pressed thelast wisps of breath from his body, he claimed that brandand returned that curse in kind. Across the storm-darkened sea, the fury of the earth rumbled beneath thehomeland streets where once he might have ruled.

(continued from page 6)budding Adept. The Create Familiar/CreateMandala complex most certainly is not just abasic spell.

Enchantments of all sorts are an importantpoint, indeed; bravo to Mr. DeWolfe for pointingthis out. But Spell and Magic Points Matrices aremuch more important for a sorcerer than usingBindings. Spell Matrices allow sorcerers to usetheir spells at high Intensity, Range, and Dura-tion, and even Multispell, at minimal cost to hisFree INT. Magic Points Matrices provide Power,and Ceremony rituals and time can increase thechances of a critical spell-casting, which really saves on the magic points.

But spirits are for shamans. A magician mustrely on his own abilities and resources; hedoesn�t need help, not even from captive otherworld entities.

One point: If an Adept wants to live longenough to become a Magus, he doesn�t entercombat, not with all the Damage Boostings inthe universe to help him. He gives those spellsto barbarians with more cash than sense. Anymage worth his philosophical salt wouldn�t sullyhis hands with the blood of idiots. If he�s threat-

ened by swordsmen, he retreats 10 kilometresand waits for the barbarians to make theirtriumphal parade through town. Then he canDominate one or two of them, and he sendsthem rampaging berserk through the people.The killers are then taken away and hanged . . .but that�s not the magician�s problem. Combat isfor other people.

Magicians who adventure this way are notcowards and not lazy. These are your world�sequivalents of the Ghostbusters; wheneverneeded, they�ll be right in the front line, thefirst to say �Back off man! We�re professionals!�And they�ll mean it. Gods help Eric Bloodbladethe Heavy if he�s standing between Ferdy theThaumaturge and his library! Ferdy, his facesternly determined, wouldn�t slow down overEric�s amphibian corpse!

Finally, the way that some magicians use theirspells is, quite frankly, ludicrous. Lightningblasts from flashing fingers! Puffs of smoke!Rabbits from hats! Pfaugh! A true magicianrelies on subtlety of technique, but when thatapproach fails, he shows no mercy at all, As anexample, in a game session I once played, adimwitted NPC challenged my character to a

duel, one to one. My character looked at him,snapped his fingers (I rolled good dice), thenlooked around at the challenger�s friends, whowere watching the pretty new lilac bush growwhere once a human had stood. He just said,�Challenge accepted. Anyone for any more?�That action proved sufficient for the NPCs togive my character a wide berth thereafter.

In summary, the way that sorcerers are role-played radically differs from other characters.Sorcerers are heavy people, and they know it,too. Whether the sorcerers are good, bad, orindifferent, those who aren�t sorcerers tend tolearn to treat them the way you�d treat footballplayers: with great respect. Magicians� reputa-tions have to be maintained, you know.

Mr. DeWolfe�s article, I feel, has been other-wise useful to those players who wish to con-template using sorcerer characters in any FRPG,not just RQ3. To finish, just remember the lastwords of Dorothy of Kansas: �Why, Toto, heain�t no wizard! He�s just an ordinary � Ribbet!Ribbet!�

Alexander Thomas GreeneClwyd, N. Wales

DRAGON 45

by Dan Snuffin

Arcane LoreOne charge is never quite enough

The AD&D® game manages to covereverything one needs to know about rods,staves, and wands � well, almost every-thing. There are very few rules or guide-lines on how to recharge these items. Thisis usually not a problem, but when playersfind out how much easier it is to rechargea wand of fire than it is to fabricate a newone, things can get difficult. The purposeof this article, then, is to provide a newspell for charging and recharging magicalwandlike items. As a general note, theterm �wands� is used in this article todescribe any and all rechargable rods,staves, and wands.

In some cases, the DM might assumethat the enchantments put on a particularwand allow it to be recharged simply bycasting the spell that resembles its spell-like functions. This might seem to ade-quately solve the problem for all wands,

but there are two major flaws in thismethod. First, a magic-user could easilyafford to charge wands between adven-tures, making the whole process an all-too-common exercise. Second, if a wand canabsorb a spell as a charge rather thanbeing affected by it, wouldn�t a characterbe able to hold the word in front of him toabsorb spells cast at him? Certainly, thismethod of recharging wands would seri-ously imbalance the game.

Much of this trouble is eliminated byadding a new magic-user/illusionist spell:recharge. If this spell is not available,magic-users and illusionists can still usethe spells limited wish, alter reality, andwish to recharge magical wands. Eachspell is capable of adding a variable num-ber of charges to a limit of one charge pertwo levels of the spell-caster�s ability.

Clerics can recharge wands through

offerings, deeds, and prayers to theirdeities. The amount of service andexpense required must be determined bythe DM, as different deities expect differ-ent tithes due to their different spheres ofcontrol. The amount of service andexpense also depends on how manycharges the cleric asks to be restored. TheDM should make this interesting, and itshould fit in with the deity�s personality. Ifthe wand is used for things that aredeemed offensive by the deity, the deitymay require a greater amount of serviceor even refuse to recharge the wand at all.As a final note, don�t forget that any rod,staff, or wand disintegrates once it hasbeen totally depleted of charges.

Recharge (Conjuration/Summoning)Level: MU 4/IL 6 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 6 turnsAE: 1 wand, staff, ST: None

or rodDuration: 1 turn + 1 round/levelExplanation/Description: This spell actsas a funnel that draws upon spells tocharge rods, staves, and wands that havespell-like powers. Throughout the dura-tion of this spell, the spells that are cast atthe wand are absorbed as charges ratherthan affecting the wand. For each spellcast, the wand regains a number ofcharges equal to the number of charges ittakes to employ that power through thewand. The wand in question must be heldby the spell-caster casting the recharge

Spells Used in Recharging Wands, Staves, and Rods for Magic-Users and Illusionists

ItemRod of beguilingStaff of commandStaff of power

Spells used to rechargeCharm monster, charm personCharm monster charm person, friends (½ charge), suggestionCone of cold, continual darkness, continual light, fireball, globe of invulnerability (2 charges), holdmonster (2 charges), hold person, levitate, lightning bolt, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shield(½ charge).

Staff of striking Special1

Wand of conjuration Continual darkness (½ charge), monster summoning*, prismatic sphere (7 charges), unseen servant.Wand of enemy detection Detect evil, detect good, detect invisibility 3, ESP know alignmentWand of fear Fear3

Wand of fire Burning hands, fireball (2 charges), pyrotechnics, wall of fire (2 charges)Wand of frost Cone of cold (2 charges), ice storm, wall of iceWand of illumination Continual light (2 charges)3, dancing lights3, light3

Wand of illusion Audible glamer3, phantasmal force3

Wand of lightning Shocking grasp, lightning bolt (2 charges)Wand of magic detection Detect magic3

Wand of metal and mineral Locate object3

detectionWand of magic missilesWand of paralyzationWand of polymorphingWand of secret door and

trap location

Magic missile3

Hold monster (2 charges), hold personPolymorph other, polymorph any object (2 charges)Locate object4

1 This staff is recharged by magic-users using the enchanted weapon spell, which restores one charge to the item for every two levels ofexperience of the caster. Illusionists must use an alter reality spell.

2 This spell restores one charge for each level of the summoning spell.3 This spell may be cast by illusionists, either as an illusionist spell or using the seventh-level illusionist spell first-level magic-user spells, if

applicable.4 This wand can be recharged by illusionists only by using an alter reality spell.

46 AUGUST 1988

spell and the subsequent charging spells.Those wands that cannot be recharged arenot affected by this spell.

Note that illusionists cannot rechargewands that they cannot use (see the Play-ers Handbook, page 26, and note thewands usable by �any� class in theDungeon Masters Guide, page 122). Wandsthat can also be used by clerics or druidsmust be recharged using other means, asdescribed earlier in this article.

A spell that does not resemble one of thepowers of the wand is not absorbed.Instead, it affects the wand and dispels therecharge spell. Similarly, if the wand isrecharged up to the point where the num-ber of charges currently in the item isgreater than the original number ofcharges, the spell also affects the wandand dispels the recharge spell. The soleexception to this case comes in overcharg-ing a staff of power, which explodes in thesame manner as if a retributive strike wasmade by that staff. Spells cannot be placedinto the wand by anyone other than thespell-caster holding the wand and castingthe recharge spell; such spells affect thewand (and everyone nearby) and dispelthe recharge spell.

Fortunately, each time this spell is castover a wand, the caster gains a relativeidea of how many charges may be placedwithin the wand before it is fully charged.Roll 1d6. On a roll of 1-2, the spell-casterbelieves the actual number of charges thewand can still receive is 1-4 below theactual number. On a roll of 3-4, the spell-caster knows the exact number of chargesthat can still be added. On a roll of 5-6, thespell-caster believes the number ofcharges that can be added is 1-4 above theactual number (the most dangerous situa-tion, of course).

The material components of this spellare a cubic inch of the basic material fromwhich the wand was fabricated (iron,silver, oak, etc.) and a sapphire throughwhich the spell is focused. The commandword of the wand must also be known inorder to cast this spell. Of course, materialcomponents needed for casting the spellsto fill the wand must also be on hand.

In order to avoid confusion when usingthis spell, a table of the rods, staves, andwands from the DMG that may berecharged, and the spells that rechargethem, is provided. Note that the rechargespell turns spells into �charge energy�; thespells are not stored in the wand as actualspells. Thus, if a player casts five fireballspells to charge a wand of fire, he hasadded 10 charges to the wand, not 10charges that can only be discharged asfireballs from the wand.

Since many of the wands can berecharged by more than one spell, magic-users will probably want to rechargewands with spells having the lowest levelor the shortest duration. They also mightwant to use extra spells from scrolls, ringsof spell storing, Rary�s mnemonic enhanc-er, and similar spell sources.

48 AUGUST 1988

by Skip Williams

If you have any questions on the gamesproduced by TSR, Inc., �Sage Advice� willanswer them. In the United States andCanada, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON®

Magazine, P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: SageAdvice, DRAGON Magazine, TSR UK Lim-ited, The Mill, Rathmore Road, CambridgeCB1 4AD, United Kingdom.

And now, we present everything (wehope) that you�ve ever wanted to knowabout player characters in the AD&D®

game. These questions are primarily orga-nized according to the classes involved,not races; class combinations are dealtwith in their own section. Additional com-mentary was provided by David �Zeb�Cook and Jon Pickens, who are currentlyworking on the second-edition AD&Dgame rules, and by Roger E. Moore.

Barbarians

Can a barbarian character build astronghold?

Yes, if the character can afford it. How-ever, the barbarian does not attract anyfollowers when he builds the stronghold.He must hire them (see next question).

Can a barbarian hire men-at-armsto garrison a stronghold or for anyother reason? How does charismaaffect hiring men-at-arms? Does thebarbarian�s charisma bonus apply?

Any character � except rangers of lessthan 8th level � can hire men-at-arms.These are employees who are loyal only aslong as they are paid. The character�spurse, not his charisma or comeliness,governs how many men-at-arms he canhire. The character�s alignment, kindness,and generosity, however, will affect men-at-arms' morale in a tight spot, as willcharisma and other considerations; see theDungeon Masters Guide, pages 36-37 and67 — or DRAGON issue #119, pages 54-58("Henchmen and Hirelings," by CharlesOlsen) � for details. A barbarian�s cha-risma adjustment will only be helpful ifthe men-at-arms are also barbarians.

How exactly do barbarians sum-mon hordes? Does a horde simplyappear at the snap of the fingers? Isthe number generated using the

50 AUGUST 1988

summoner�s experience pointsfixed, or does it vary? Are thereshamans in the horde? How many?How long does it take to gather thehorde?

The Unearthed Arcana (pages 20-21)answers most of these questions. A bar-barian character simply returns to hishome territory and summons the horde.The exact summoning procedure isabstract and varies according to the typeof barbarians involved. This might includebeating drums (for barbarians with long-distance signaling) or sending messengers(for those with running or horsemanship).The horde takes one week or more togather together. The exact number ofbarbarians summoned is directly depen-dent on the character�s experience, whichserves as a measure of the barbarian�sfame within the tribe. Whether or notshamans are in the horde (and how manyof them appear) depends on the type ofbarbarians and the size of the horde; seethe Monster Manual, pages 66-69, forexamples. The role-playing of this eventcould be made extremely intense andmemorable.

Could a barbarian use magicalchain mail and still receive his fulldexterity bonus (+2 for each pointof dexterity over 14) to armor class?

No. Chain mail is fairly bulky even whenmagical, and thus negates the barbarian�sfull bonus (see Unearthed Arcana, page18). A barbarian could wear elfin chainmail, however, and get the full bonus, asthis type of chain mail is not bulky. Ofcourse, DMs might wish to restrict or banthis if it will produce an overly powerfulbarbarian.

Is there a limit to how many timesa barbarian can apply first aid?

Some campaigns allow barbarians toadminister first aid each time a characterreceives a new wound, but each woundmay only be treated once. If the PC hasreceived several wounds, only the last onesustained may be treated with first aid.

Bards

What attack table does a bard use?A bard fights at the highest level that he

attained as a fighter (see the Players Hand-book, page 118).

How many bonus hit points woulda bard with an 18 constitution get?

Only fighters and cavaliers can get morethan +2 points per die from constitutionbonuses. The character in your examplewould get +4 to each die gained as afighter, but only +2 for any other hit dicegained � including the six-sided die gainedat each bard level. Be warned that, asdesigned, high-level bards with high con-stitutions have excessive numbers of hitpoints, and DMs should consider this withregards to restricting the class.

Which of the druidic special abili-ties do bards gain?

According to the rules, all of them (seethe Players Handbook, page 118); once thecharacter actually gains bard status, he istreated as a druid of the same level. Bardsof the 3rd level can identify plants, ani-mals, and pure water and can passthrough undergrowth. Those of 7th levelare immune to charm spells cast by wood-land creatures and, technically, can changeforms. DMs who are interested in preserv-ing game balance, however, should con-sider dropping the latter ability. Thedamage-restoring property of the formchanging ability can be a real campaignbuster when applied to a bards alreadyhigh hit points. DMs concerned aboutcampaign balance may consider restrictingdruidic special abilities for bards.

Can a prospective bard take thief-acrobat training as long as he leavesoff being a thief when reaching 8thlevel?

The thief-acrobat class is not an optionfor prospective bards.

Cavaliers & paladins

Do cavaliers go berserk in combat?Cavaliers (including paladins) don�t nor-

mally go berserk in combat unless affectedby some magic. They are, however, diffi-cult to control in melee (see UnearthedArcana, page 16).

Do cavaliers and paladins get 12-sided or 10-sided hit dice?

All cavaliers � including paladins � use10-sided hit dice. The 12-sided listing inUnearthed Arcana (page 15) is an error.

Are cavaliers immune to adragon�s fear aura?

Yes, they are immune to all types of fear.

Cavaliers and paladins canincrease intelligence, wisdom, dex-terity, and constitution as well asstrength. How do the percentagescores of abilities other thanstrength affect play?

Cavaliers and paladins may not increaseintelligence or wisdom, just strength,dexterity, and constitution. Paladins mayalso increase their charisma. Page 15 of

Unearthed Arcana (second column, fifthcomplete paragraph, last two lines) clearlystates that the percentage score does notaffect play, except for strength.

Is it acceptable for paladin charac-ters to drink alcoholic beverages?

Whether or not paladins may consumealcohol is up to the DM. In making such adecision, the DM should consider thebeliefs and general tendencies of the pala-din�s religion. It is also helpful to keep inmind that the only beverages which couldnot be infected or spoiled in the MiddleAges were alcoholic; the only major teeto-taling culture in the world at the time wasthe Islamic Middle East. Balance this withan understanding of the obvious effects ofoverindulgence, of course; lack of modera-tion was the offense that most concernedreal-world medieval society.

What happens when paladins losetheir exalted status? Do they becomecavaliers or just fighters?

�Fallen� paladins do become cavaliers,but probably disgraced ones, regardless oftheir alignment.

Can high-level paladins use cleri-cal magic items?

No, not unless the clerical item�s descrip-tion specifically says that a paladin ornoncleric may use it. This holds true evenfor paladins who can cast clerical spells.

What should a paladin characterdo when he captures an evil oppo-nent? Let�s say that a hill giant(encountered in its lair on a wilder-ness adventure) surrenders to thepaladin, expecting mercy; can thepaladin kill it?

A careful reading of the alignment sec-tions of the Players Handbook (pages 33-34) and the DMG (pages 23-25) should behelpful here. In your example, any ofseveral actions are justifiable in terms ofthe lawful-good alignment � if the DMsees them that way:

1. The captive giant could be killedimmediately if it had committed greatcrimes and represented a threat to thecommunity at large. Conversely, this couldbe construed as a neutral-evil act in whichthe strong dominate the weak and ignoremercy.

2. The captive giant could be released ifit has committed no crimes, and if allowedto live may remember this kindness andbecome a useful member of society. Con-versely, this can be construed as a chaoticact in which the rights of the individualare held higher than the welfare of thecommunity at large.

3. The captive giant could be kept pris-oner and either forced to work in a man-ner that would contribute to the commonweal, or it could be educated in the hopesthat it will change its alignment andbecome good. Conversely, this can beconstrued as a lawful-evil act in which a

52 AUGUST 1988

creature is forced to serve the prevailingorder and conform to another�s interpreta-tion of what is right.

An aside: Is this option actually slavery?Slavery was, historically speaking, notalways considered evil. Prisoners of war,whether civilian or military, were enslavedto make them useful and to avoid killingthem in the society of the victoriousnation. However, deliberate raiding forslaves is evil, and their treatment caneasily become evil in any slave-owningsociety. If the paladin in the examplemeant to force all hill giants to servehumanity, then this would be slavery. TheDM must think his way through considera-ble cultural relativism on this topic, but itis recommended in the AD&D game thatslavery be considered an evil act. In thisevent, prisoners convicted of evil deedsand sentenced to hard labor cannot beconsidered slaves.

4. The captive giant could be forced toswear an oath to behave itself and workfor the common good of humanity (or, atworst, to leave humanity alone). Thiscould also be held to be a chaotic act if thegiant�s trustworthiness is questionable.

Obviously, the paladin must do some-thing with the giant. Ultimately, it is up tothe paladin�s player to decide what shouldbe done, and up to the DM to decide if thecharacter�s motives were pure or other-wise. It is strongly suggested that theplayer and DM take a short halt in thegame to discuss this, so the PC isn�t unfair-ly penalized for his actions.

Can paladins detect the evil in allevil-aligned characters?

The paladin�s detect evil ability is like adetect evil spell, not a know alignmentspell. Thus, it can detect the presence ofevil alignment in other characters (see thespell description in the Players Handbook,page 44) and can even detect the degree,nature, and other alignment components,as per the DMG, page 41.

Will a paladin�s immunity to dis-ease protect him from the touch of amummy, a harm or cause diseasespell, lycanthropy, or green slime?

The paladins immunity extends to �allforms of disease� (Players Handbook, page22), so (by implication) any disease orcondition that is cured by a cure diseasespell cannot be caught by a paladin. Lycan-thropy, however, may be considered aspecial case, as a cure disease or removecurse from a 12th-level cleric is required(DMG, page 22), so this condition is asmuch a magical curse as a disease. A pre-vious rules question in POLYHEDRON�Newszine noted that lycanthropy could becaught by paladins for this reason, so thisruling shall stand.

Of course, this still leaves an enormousnumber of things to which paladins areimmune: normal infections, diseases frommummies, the effects of numerous mon-ster plants (green slime, violet fungi, etc.)

� i.e., anything that can be cured by theapplication of a cure disease spell alone.Note that the effects of yellow mold can-not be overcome in this manner, as thecure disease is applied after the PC�s deathand in conjunction with another spell.Some campaigns may restrict the effectsof a paladin�s disease immunity to thosediseases not contracted by magical meansor from monsters, however.

Clerics & druids

Why don�t clerics have any missileweapons? Couldn�t they use bluntarrows?

Clerics now have several missile weap-ons available to them; see Unearthed Arca-na, page 13. Arrows, blunt-tipped or not,are officially off-limits to clerics in theAD&D game.

Can neutral clerics turn or controlundead?

Some campaigns may allow neutralclerics to control undead whose alignmentmatches the nonneutral component of thecleric�s alignment, turning all others (e.g., achaotic-neutral cleric could control chaoticundead and could turn others). If thecleric has a true-neutral alignment, thenonly true-neutral undead are controlled;all others are turned.

Can druids turn undead? Howabout neutral-good ranger/druidsand nonneutral druids of otherraces?

No on all counts. Undead turning is not adruidic ability.

Will a druid who shape changesinto another form burst out of hisequipment as if he were a lycan-thrope, or does his equipmentchange with him as in polymorphself spells?

The druids equipment changes alongwith him, so none of it is destroyed.

Can a druid change form into agiant version of a normal animal aslong as the new form is within theweight restriction?

Interpreting the rules strictly, druids arelimited to the shapes of animals whosenormal forms are within the weight limits.Some DMs, however, allow changes to anyanimal form, in sizes up to the weightlimit. How you do it doesn�t really matter,as long as you are consistent. Some DMsmay limit druids to the use of animal typesthat the druids have actually seen or thatnaturally occur in the druids locale.

Can a druid change shape into amagical mammal, fish, or reptile,like a unicorn or pseudo-dragon?

No, he can change shape only into nor-mal, nonmagical animals.

by John C. Bunnell

The Golem'sCraftWant to builda golem?It isn�t easy . . . .

From an article by Oriel of Arborgate inThe Quill Arcane (vol. 641), the journal ofthe Mages� Guild at Menwyn:

The construction of golems is a mysteri-ous and difficult process, the more sosince the principles involved are usable byclerical spell-casters as well as by mem-bers of our own Guild and profession.Further, history relates that some mages �notably Quardian of Menwyn and thenotorious Iriana al-Iskir � have succeededin creating golems prior to attaining thelevels of mastery usually required forcasting the necessary spells. This treatiseattempts to gather in one place all that isknown about golem-craft and to answersome of the persistent questions surround-ing the art.

We will first discuss the so-called �lessergolems� created by clerics through the useof a single spell � called, appropriatelyenough, golem. While such golems are farless costly to build than those of thegreater sort, this ease of golem-making isoffset by the lesser golem�s sharply limitedlifespan. (However, since many lessergolems are apparently crafted expresslyfor combat, their average lifespan is oftenfar shorter than the maximum allowedthem anyway.)

In most cases, a cleric�s cost to craft alesser golem will not exceed 1,000 gp (seeTable 1) and will often be much less. It wasonce believed that only the cleric couldfashion the creature�s form, but a case isnow recorded in which an expert crafts-man was retained to carve a wood golem.This practice is believed to drasticallyreduce the time needed for construction,but doubtless it increases the cost greatly.

Lesser golems are much easier for oppo-nents to �kill��-than the greater variety, butthey are known to be subject to the samedanger from possession by evil spirits asthe more powerful clay golem. Newlyunearthed scrolls left by a former Gray

54 AUGUST 1988

Illustration by Valerie Valusek

Vizier of Alexor�s Onyx Temple recount a destroy than nonpossessed types (seebattle in which a possessed leather golem Table 1). It also raises an intriguing ques-turned on its creator: �It thrashed out like tion � are such golems, unlike the normala wild beast, and its form glowed with the unintelligent sort, vulnerable to mind-frenzy of the demonic mind within. My affecting magic? No answer is known, andacolytes were wounded more severely no cleric has volunteered to cooperate inthan I believed possible.� This suggests that experiments to seek one.1such golems will always attack at peak Something of the same reticence extendsefficiency and are notably harder to to a minor riddle surrounding the more

powerful clay golem, also a clerical crea-tion. Logic suggests that any cleric able tocast a resurrection spell should be able tofashion a clay golem, but only those whoare thoroughly familiar with the spell andare able to gain the spell by prayer areknown to have succeeded in doing sowithout the aid of a manual.2

Unfortunately, the mysteries surround-ing the various magically created greatergolems � those of flesh, iron, and stone,and the peculiar �pillar golem� known toscholars as the caryatid column � aremore serious. The most persistent puzzleconcerns the apparently insufficient magi-cal powers of some of their creators, as inthe case of Quardian and Iriana. A secondset of questions is raised by the rare man-uals which enable relatively inexperiencedmages to craft fully powered golems, anda third concerns the building of pillargolems, where the few generally acceptedscraps of wisdom fail to mesh with practi-cal reality.

The Greater Arcanium states that a wishand a polymorph any object spell (amongothers) are needed to fashion any magicalgreater golem, save when manuals areused. Yet by her own apprentice�s testimo-ny, Iriana al-Iskir lacked the mastery tocast either spell when she built the fleshgolem commissioned during the reign ofKethyl the Greedy in Genwold, and thestudent�s notes make no mention of amanual. Less is known of Quardian�s stonegolem, but authorities agree that the magecould not have cast a wish until a fulldecade after the golem was made.

Two explanations spring to mind toaccount for these seeming contradictions,but neither is entirely satisfying. The first,of course, is the possible use of scrollspells in one or both cases, since magickedscrolls do allow access to spells beyond amage�s usual level of mastery. Such spelluse carries a risk, however, and while thescroll theory is quite reasonable in Iriana�scase, Quardian is known to have beenalmost fanatically cautious and thusunlikely to have relied on scrolls. (It is alsoworth noting that fewer than eight wishscrolls have been reported to exist on thiscontinent since the Colonization, someseven centuries past.)

The second possibility involves the useof device-generated spell effects, as (forexample) with a ring of wishes. Thoughneither of the mages mentioned is knownto have possessed such objects, their histo-ries are far from fully documented andthe idea cannot be ruled out. Yet while thisidea easily accounts for the needed wishspell, no known magical device generatesthe polymorph any object enchantment.

Recent experiments by this writer sug-gest that a third answer may be moreaccurate. Both wish and polymorph anyobject derive much of their difficulty fromthe breadth of power available to themage casting them. Conclusive resultshave yet to be obtained, but researchshows that narrowly defined versions of

these spells, specifically designed for thecrafting of golems, may in fact require alower degree of mastery than is normallythe case. (Care should be taken to notethat the narrow version of wish is notequivalent to the well-known limited wishspell. The level of energy released is differ-ent and must be precisely focused in thegolem-crafting application.)3

We may now turn to the use of enchant-ment manuals as a means of craftinggolems. While they are quite rare, suchbooks are eagerly sought by those not yetable to create golems through normal spelluse. Besides containing specific incanta-tions and instructions for shaping thecreatures themselves, those tomes offeradvice on the use and control of the fin-ished golems. Present-day mages havetried to write these manuals, but all havefailed; one scribe believes the reason con-cerns the books' physical composition.�Close study,� he writes, �reveals the man-uals to be imbued with minute particles ofiron, stone, or whatever else is to be usedin the golem�s construction. It thereforeseems that the books may be distillationsof finished golems, or at least that golemfragments were used in making theirbindings and parchment.�

An odd aspect of using manuals is that,contrary to expectations, they do notmake the process shorter or less costly. Infact, the opposite usually occurs, as eagermages pour more time and effort intobook-aided golems than their elders spendcreating golems via spells. It is uncertainwhether the added time and cost are afunction of inexperience or a conditioninherent in the use of the manuals (seeTable 2).

It is important to realize that, whilemanuals eliminate much of the trial anderror of golem construction, they do notnotably affect the most difficult aspect ofthe process � that of fashioning thegolem�s body. Each sort of golem must be

Table 1Lesser Golems

TypeStrawRopeLeatherWood

Cost toconstruct XP

(gp)* value *250 110500 220750 440

1,000 880

* If an expert craftsman is employed, costis doubled but construction time is cut inhalf. This figure includes the cost of top-quality materials (note that straw golemsrequire clothing which must be stuffed, aswith a scarecrow) and necessary herbalpowders which enable the animation totake place.* * In the case of golems which have beenpossessed, all attacks which hit will domaximum damage, and the experienceawarded should be 1½ to 2 times normal.

shaped in painstaking detail, whetheranimation is achieved through spells or amanual. It is this crafting that in mostcases makes up the enormous expenseinvolved in creating one of the creatures.The techniques required for shaping eachsort of golem are discussed briefly below.

Like lesser golems, clay golems are oftenconstructed by the clerics themselvesrather than by expert craftsmen. This canadd significantly to the cost of such aproject, since not many clerics are skilledartisans; Mordecai Novelir, a notedSouthpool curate several generations past,is known to have made six unsuccessfulstarts before finally completing a satisfac-tory clay statue in his seventh attempt. Aseach figure requires between 300 and 700lb. of fine clay (which cannot be �recycled�if the fashioning goes ill), this is no smallmatter. Moreover, the finished statue mustbe kiln-fired and treated with a specialglaze, whose composition is integral to theeventual animation of the golem. It is nosurprise, therefore, that many clericscommission golem-statues from experts,insuring prompt completion of a qualityfigure.4

Though flesh golems are arguably theeasiest of all greater golems to craft, fewrespectable mages will discuss the crea-tures or take part in their construction.This is undoubtedly due to the unsavorynature of the materials needed � large,muscular human or humanoid body parts.(For unknown reasons, a flesh golemcannot be made from a single intactcorpse. All such efforts have resultedeither in total failure or the creation of

Table 2Greater Golems

Cost in gp/Months

PillarFleshClay***StoneIron

standard30,000/440,000/150,000/½60,000/280,000/3

withmanual*80,000/6 * *

50,000/265,000/180,000/3

100,000/4

* Except for the pillar golem (caryatidcolumn) information, this data is takenfrom the DMG. However, since the chiefpurpose of adding expense and time to theprocess of creating golems with manualsseems to be to deter low-level spell-casters,DMs may elect to use the �standard� costsfor any golem built by a character able todo so without a manual, even when amanual is used. (Reduction in timerequired would still apply in the case of amanual of caryatid columns.)* * As noted in the text, the manual ofcaryatid columns allows creation of twosuch creatures.* * * Statistics given are for clerics whopersonally shape the golem and are suc-cessful on the first attempt. See note 4 inthe text for additional information.

DRAGON 55

weaker, short-lived zombies not worth thetime and energy.) These body parts mustbe sought out and carefully matched inorder to produce a powerful compositeform. Once the parts are sewn togetherwith fine adamantite wire, the body mustbe treated with a powerful preservativeointment before the final spell-casting mayoccur. Accounts differ as to whether thestrength and protection from normalmissiles spells should be applied to theointment or to the treated proto-golem.5

Stone golems, though rather expensiveto construct, are perhaps the most oftenencountered sort because little tends to gowrong in their crafting. Most mages hireseasoned sculptors to undertake the actualcarving, which is most often done in gran-ite, though basalt is also quite acceptable.There is a report from deep in the Gnome-teeth of a stone golem formed entirely ofpolished obsidian, but the party encoun-tering it was lost and badly malnourishedat the time, making their account question-able at best. Still, there is no reason todiscount the possibility in theory � astone golem�s magic, after all, arises fromthe sapphire which must be set some-where on its body (to act as a focus for theslow magic) and the specially preparedpowder which is sprinkled over its formduring the animation process.

Given the comparative ease with whichstone golems can be built, it is somethingof a wonder that the iron golem wasinvented at all, for these monstrous guard-ians are exceptionally complex to create.Not only must an expert armorer forge thegolem�s shell and assemble it with thedetailed hinges and joints which allow thefigure to move, a functioning deviceinvolving a pump and bellows must becreated to fit inside the golem in order togenerate the poison gas effect associatedwith these creatures. (Worse still, theaspiring mage cannot commission anynoted dwarven ironworkers for the task,as the dwarven antipathy to magic hascaused all statues from their forges toreject the animation spells.) Only theimmense power of the completed goleminspires mages to persist in replicating theoriginal iron golem known to us, found inan empty treasure vault in northern River-march shortly after the Colonization.

One unusual type of golem remains tobe discussed, but it is due only to remark-able good luck that clear information onthe pillar golem (caryatid column) is availa-ble. While exploring an abandoned towerin Rathlake last year, the elven scholarKirias Evrion and his companions discov-ered a manual intended to aid the buildingof these warriors, now definitely knownto be related to stone golems though quitedifferent in ability. Two major surpriseswere immediately discerned: the manualof caryatid columns described the fashion-ing of a matched pair rather than a singlecreature, and the listed cost for theirconstruction was far less than had beencommonly believed.6 The manual also

56 AUGUST 1988

confirmed that, like other golems, caryat-ids are immune to mind-affecting spellssuch as sleep and fear, but indicated theirpossible vulnerability to more sorts ofmagic than is usual for golem-kind.7 Infact, despite its durability and relativelyhigh cost, the pillar golem seem moreclosely related in some way to the lessergolems than to its stone cousin.8

The construction of any golem, ofcourse, involves a significant commitmentof resources, time, and energy, and is notto be undertaken without careful studyand research. It is hoped that this compila-tion may help those mages or clerics whoare considering such a project to reducethe uncertainties which have often accom-panied the fashioning of golems.

Footnotes1. While a possessed golem certainly has

a mind potentially susceptible to magic,that mind is also of demonic origin and islikely to have a degree of magic resistance.DMs should determine individual specificsof intelligence and magic resistance levels,but a possible rule of thumb would be toapply physical spell attacks (fireball, etc.)to the golem�s physical form, while assign-ing the possessing spirit a base 20% magicresistance to mental attacks (plus appro-priate saving throws, of course). As withthe clay golem, possession is assumed tooccur on a 1% cumulative chance perround in which the golem is involved inmelee, and the spirit possessing the golemwill be chaotic evil in alignment. All near-by living things are subject to attack, start-ing with the nearest beings. Only thedestruction of the lesser golem will endthe attacks. See Table 1 for combat notes.

2. According to the Players Handbook,clerics may cast all the needed spells uponattaining 16th level. However, given theprogression described in the golem spell inUnearthed Arcana, it is recommended thatDMs retain the Monster Manual rulewhich states that clerics must be at least17th level to craft a clay golem.

3. This discussion centers on the Mon-ster Manual�s establishment of two seem-ingly contradictory rules for would-begolem builders: 14th.-and 16th-level magesmay craft flesh and stone golems respec-tively, but must use an eighth-level spell(attainable at 16th level) and a ninth-levelspell (gained at 18th level) in order to doso. To resolve the paradox, three sugges-tions are offered: a) permit the use ofwishes from devices in golem construc-tion, b) waive the normal chance of spellfailure when scrolls are used to providethe two needed spells for this specificpurpose, or c) adopt the limited-purposespells postulated previously. These spells,perhaps labeled as golem wish and poly-morph golem, would be identical in allrespects to their higher-level counterparts,but would be treated as 7th-level spellsuseable only for creating golems andwould have to be especially researched,found, or copied. DMs may develop fur-

ther refinements to this concept, but arecautioned against rule changes that makegolem-building easier for PCs.

4. The cost and time figures for claygolems listed in Table 2 are for thoseshaped by the cleric personally, but do notallow for a failed attempt at sculpture.DMs might assign a base chance of successof 75% to the cleric�s sculpting (withappropriate modifiers for secondary skillsand dexterity), assessing an extra 10,000gp and a weeks work time each time anew effort is begun. Hiring an expertcraftsman adds 20,000 gp to the initial costbut assures an acceptable statue on thefirst try (with a 1-5% failure chance atworst).

5. It is suggested that only evil (or atleast non-good) mages be permitted tocraft flesh golems for the reasonsdescribed. Note also that most playercharacters should object to the use ofplayer-character remains as golem parts ifsome mage proposes it. This does notpreclude the possibility that an NPC magemight covet a living PC�s anatomy for sucha project.

6. According to the FIEND FOLIO® tome,creation of a caryatid column costs some-what more than building a stone golemand takes twice as long, a description thatseems excessive given the two creatures'relative strengths. Revised figures aregiven in Table 2, with the cost still higherper hit point than for a stone golem. Atthe DM�s discretion, �bulk discounts� couldapply if a number of columns were built atone time. As noted in the text, the manualof caryatid columns (XP value 4,000; GPvalue 40,000) enables the construction oftwo such golems at the rate and time listedin Table 2.

7. The FIEND FOLIO tome lists the cary-atid column�s magic resistance as �all savesat +4," making no mention of other immu-nities or vulnerabilities. The description,however, clearly identifies it as a form ofstone golem, and modification is thereforenecessary. Like all golems, the caryatid isimmune to mind-affecting spells, and likethe stone golem, it is affected by trans-mute rock to mud/mud to rock and stoneto flesh (no save allowed). Against all otherspells, it saves as a 5-HD monster, addingits +4 bonus.

8. It is recommended that theexperience-point value listed in the FIENDFOLIO tome be raised, partly to bring theaward into line with those established forlesser golems in Table 1 and partlybecause the specified value of 280 XPseems unusually low, especially if the tableon page 85 of the DMG is considered anaccurate guide. In fact, a caryatid column,treated as a 5-HD monster, should have ahigher rating given its special abilities:weapon breaking, resistance to physicalweapons, and saving-throw bonuses. Theexperience-point value should then be 320xp. If resistance to mind-affecting spells iscounted as well, this award rises to 360xp, still a level-V monster.

DRAGON 57

©1988 by Robert Bigelow

Through theLooking GlassFrom the Dark Ages to the dark future

This months column is of special impor-tance because of the GEN CON®/ORIGINS�1988 Game Fair at the Milwaukee MECCAarena, August 18-21. This convention willhost the largest number of miniatures andminiatures events ever assembled in oneplace � over 150 events from manygames. Games Workshop�s WARHAMMER�FANTASY BATTLE and WARHAMMER40,000 games are both represented inscenarios ranging from easy to �Do I reallywant to do that?� At least one Custer�s LastStand scenario is offered for FASA�sBATTLETECH® game in which the empha-sis is on originality and survivability. His-torical conflicts of all periods and typesabound. You can even experience thefierce competition of a Roman chariotrace, complete with wheel slashing in theclassic style of Ben Hur.

Many figure dealers will be represented,including some who have not been seen atGEN CON Games Fairs for many years.These booths will provide a wealth ofminiatures, some of them special releases.Also in attendance will be several makersof scenery materials and buildings tospruce up any D&D® or BATTLESYSTEM�game.

Miniatures tournaments also play amajor role at the convention. Many of thegames are offered in order of increasingdifficulty as the convention progresses, sothat you can join a game and learn therules on Thursday, then play moderatelywell for a tournament on Saturday. Someof the best tournament players will becoming for the historical events, and youwill have a rare opportunity to watchthem play and learn from them at thesame time.

Last but not least is the miniatures paint-ing contest. This gives everyone thechance to see some truly beautiful workand gain new insights into painting. Weare proud to say that the expanded formatof this year�s show, with the separation ofprevious winners from newcomers,should produce more competition than

58 AUGUST 1988

ever. We look forward to seeing some ofyour work there among the entries.

The following miniatures are rated on afour-star basis, with four stars being thebest and one star the worst.

Miniatures reviews

Stan Johansen MiniaturesSM007 Sci Fi Hand Weapons Set **SM012 Fantasy Weapons Set **

Stan Johansen Miniatures is one of thosesmall manufacturers that almost no onebut the most fanatic customers have heardabout. It carries a fairly comprehensiveline of 20mm and 25mm figures andaccessories that do equally well as friendor foe for AD&D®, D&D, WARHAMMERFANTASY, or WARHAMMER 40,000 games.The sets for review came bagged with awrap-over cover that must be folded up tosee the contents. The cover art is a simpleblack and yellow graphic with the set�snumber outside.

SM007 is the Sci Fi Hand Weapons Set.This pack contains two samples each offive different weapons. The package doesnot specify what the weapons are, butavid science-fiction gamers can guess thatthey might be energy rifles, machine pis-tols, plasma bazookas, and so forth. Theselead weapons are simply done with almostno flash (excess metal forming along moldlines). They have a rough finish and arenot greatly detailed.

SM012 is the Fantasy Weapons Set. Thisset is packaged exactly the same as SM007,except it contains medieval hand weaponsand shields. The pack has two each of twotypes of pole weapons, one roughly basedon the French infantry fork and one basedon a halberd. Also included are one eachof four different shields: round, square,triangular, and standard. The set alsoincludes two hand axes, two swords, andtwo serrated-edge swords. The detail isgood on the shields, but you will have toclean up some flash and cut off moldingsprues (the metal projections left where

the metal was poured into the mold). Theweapons are simple and not greatlydetailed.

I gave these products an average rating,but with a little work these kits can helpyou make highly personalized armies. Forthis reason, I recommend them. Each setcosts $1.50 and is available from: StanJohansen Miniatures, 56 Snow CrystalRoad, Nagatuck CT 06770, U.S.A.

Games Workshop(Citadel Miniatures)WARHAMMER� Fantasy Regiments(#86659) ***

With this release, Citadel Miniatures hasbrought the miniatures gaming hobby fullcircle. When I started in the hobby, fanta-sy figures had yet to be introduced, andhistorical figures were confined to boxesof plastic Airfix miniatures if you wantedlarge armies (at $.25 a box, you could puttogether a pretty good fighting force). Alarge fighting force in lead is likely to bevery expensive today, but with the reintro-duction of plastic figures into the fantasygaming market, Citadel has once againmade large hack-and-slash armies afforda-ble to most of the buying public.

The contents of the box are listed as 10elves, 10 dwarves, 10 dark elves, 10skaven (equivalent to AD&.D game were-rats or rat people), 10 orcs, and 10 goblins.Also included are extra heads, weapons,50 shields, and bases for all 60 figures.This is enough for a small war!

The figure box is definitely worth keep-ing. The instructions, color charts, paint-ing guides, and brief scenario cover twosides of the box and the end panels, whilethe other two sides contain the statisticsand histories of the six races. The statisticsare for the WARHAMMER game system,but they�re easily converted to whateverFRPG system you use.

The best point about these figures is alsotheir worst. The figures are injection-molded in hard styrene plastic that, whilekeeping the figures inexpensive, does notallow for great detail. The bottoms ofjerkins, coats, skirts, and so forth are solidand bowed-out, and chain mail does notcome out quite as crisply as would befound on lead miniatures. The differencein detail between plastic and lead figuresmust be made up in the painting. Addition-ally, these figures are cumbersome toassemble in large units and are difficult tomove in masses. Some figures also seem abit chunky or outsized when comparedwith the smaller humanoid figures andskaven, but this almost seems to be aCitadel trademark as well a result of usinghard plastic.

The figures can be painted well, and theplastic makes it easy to exchange weaponsand heads between figures. Liberal, care-ful use of plastic cement makes suchexchanges permanent, and with otherweapons and heads you can make a multi-tude of different figures.

These figures definitely make battle

groups in 25mm more affordable. Withcareful painting, some of them are difficultto tell apart from lead figures. This boxedset is available for $22.95 in the U.S. from:Games Workshop US, 1220 Key Highway,Baltimore MD 21230, U.S.A.; phone: (301)727-0250. In the United Kingdom, they sellfor £9.99 through: Games Workshop,Chewton Street, Hill Top, Eastwood, Not-tingham, United Kingdom, NG16 3HY;phone: 0773-713-213 or -760-462

FASA CorporationC-IN-C Soft Metal CastingFluttering Petal Heavy Fighter * * * ½

The RENEGADE LEGION�: INTERCEP-TOR� game is a fast-moving space-combatgame from FASA Corporation in which theTerran OverLord Government is attempt-ing to conquer a lone sliver of space con-trolled by the Commonwealth. As with anygame system that uses counters, there is acry for miniatures to replace thosecounters. This need is filled by the FASA-authorized miniatures of the differentfighters involved, designed by C-IN-C SoftMetal Casting. While there are severaldifferent ships (six as of this writing), theFluttering Petal of the CommonwealthForces was the random choice for review.

This miniature is over 2� long and justshort of 2� across at its widest point. Thecasting is good with almost no flash exceptat gun-barrel ends. The lines denotingcontrol surfaces, indentations, and engineexhaust ports are crisp and sharp. Thewing and body sections show no signs ofpitting or warping that occasionallyappear on metal models. The figure evenhas wing tips that work in a hinge pattern.

The only small problems that I couldfind were with the stand and a bend in thewing � the latter of which was my faultand the result of frequently handling thesoft-metal figure without the stand. Thissoft metal gives the figure the ability totake sharp detail but also makes it suscep-tible to damage. The stand problem istypical with C-IN-C�s flight models: Thestand does not quite fit, so the modeldroops in flight. A little superglue andsome work will remedy this problem.

All in all, this is an excellent miniature.With extra work, it would make a goodspace display model. It sells for $5.00 andis available from: FASA Corporation, 1026West Van Buren, Chicago IL 60607, U.S.A.;phone: (312) 243-5660.

Alliance MiniaturesFAN09 Fighter in Plate (8) ***FAN14 Female Fighter in Plate (8) ***FAN16 Dwarf in Plate Mail with Axe (8) ***FM21 Ent (1) ***

With so many mass-battle games forfigures on the market, it becomes vastlymore expensive to build armies of thesizes needed and increasingly difficult tofind the space to conduct battles. How-ever, 15mm fantasy figures give a pleasingcompromise to both these problems. Bat-tles that used to take a 12� x 6� table can

now be run on an 8� x 4� table in 15mm.Some of the disadvantages of 15mm are

not obvious. It is definitely harder to paintand superdetail 15mm figures, and it takestime to do them even adequately. Fre-quently, the lead bases on 15mm figuresare too small to hold the figure straight;thus, the figures need to be mounted onsmall additional bases which can then bedetailed.

The four figures received for review arerepresentative of an expansive line ofAlliance figures which includes a full lineof adventurers (20 in all) and monsters.The four figures here range from ½� highfor the dwarf to 1½� high for the ent.Detail is very good on all the figures. Thebark on the ent is clearly visible though ithas occasional flat spots. The figures arewell proportioned and appear to have thenecessary number of pockets and packs tohold rations for a quest. These packs alsoadd bulk to the figure for realism.

There is flash on some of the figures,but removing it does not endanger theintegrity of the figures. Because some ofthe figure sets for adventurers are pack-aged eight per pack instead of 10, you mayneed to find a hobby shop that will sellextra figures to you separately if you arebuilding up armies in groups of 10 figuresper unit.

These figures open new horizons forfighting battles cheaply and in a minimalamount of space. In addition, it is easier tobuild dioramas with large amounts offigures. Each of the four packs mentionedcosts $3.50 and is available from: AllianceMiniatures, PO. Box 2347, Des Moines IA50310, U.S.A.; phone: (515) 223-6215.

Grenadier Models, Inc.Goblin War Giant ***

Reviewing this figure was difficult. TheGoblin War Giant is complex, not becauseof its number of parts but because of theamount of care required to assemble it.This is definitely not a kit for beginners! Ifyou have not done extensive modelingwork or you are not good at it, read on � but put off the purchase of this figure tillyou�ve had more practice.

This figure is huge, even given the usualhype pointing out that the figure is almost200mm tall. The giant is well proportionedand gives you the feeling of endless endur-ance. The figure consists of eight parts, allmatched in casting to fit together, but theyneed much work to get a perfect fit. Useepoxy glue with them. Gap filler is a must,because even after filing and fitting, somesmall spaces will need filling. Work can besaved by enlarging the giant�s arm holesslightly, then squaring off the shoulderpegs to fit. With this done, the arms fitinto the torso better. Remember to fre-quently check the fit of all pieces as yougo, so as not to overadjust any part. Thefit of the giant�s carried platform shouldalso be checked as you finish the figure, asany droop in the assembly of the giant willcause the platform to rock.

D R A G O N 5 9

U.S.A. or Europe, but not both at once.Given that DRAGON Magazine has aninternational distribution, it is importantto understand these situations.

Goblin War GiantPhoto by Mark Hammegren

Once you finish the giant�s assembly, youcan appreciate the extraordinary amountof care used in its engraving. The severedheads hanging from different parts of hisbody have vivid horror etched into theirlifeless faces. The giant�s muscle tone, hisresigned countenance, and the goblinshanging from him play against each otherto produce a feeling of horror in anyopponent the giant faces. This figuremakes a great addition to anyone�s army.

I don�t recommend this as a practicepiece. Take your time; if you rush the jobor assemble it without experience, youmay do poorly. The Goblin War Giant costs$19.95 and is available from: GrenadierModels, Inc., PO. Box 305, Springfield PA19064; phone: (215) 583-1105.

Deadlines and licensesA customer walks into the games shop

and looks around the counter. Stalking tothe figure case, he glares at the shelves,checking every one, then walks at a furi-ous pace to the shelves where the gamesand books were kept. �Where are they?�he screams. �Where are the new gamesand figures that were featured inDRAGON Magazine this month? Theypromised that they would be available!�

As a store owner myself, I can relate tothe helplessness of both the customer andthe shop owner, who have become victimsof the great deadline and licensing wars.Very few people realize why certain mer-chandise is not released when promised inadvertising, or is available in either the

60 AUGUST 1988

Magazines have deadlines for all of theirproduction work � especially ads, andmost especially ads with color printing. Inmany cases, the original ad requests mustbe received 120 days before publication(60 days for DRAGON Magazine); informa-tion for a company�s product catalogsmust be prepared even further inadvance. If you work in a miniatures orgames company and you have a productthat you wish to highlight, it means thatprototype covers have to be made up tosix months beforehand, and productionschedules must be figured over evengreater periods of time. This leaves nomargin for error if you are planning therelease date of a product when you haveonly the initial ideas on that product.

To better illustrate the point, let�s look ata hypothetical company and trace one ofits products and associated ads. The com-pany has come up with a game combiningWorld War I biplanes and large monkeyminiatures. The game designer maintainsthat the game is really good and will take amaximum of nine months, including playtesting, to complete. The company believeshim and tells him to go for it.

It is now six months from the planneddate of release. The area manager asks thegame designer whether the game is readyto playtest, and should the companyreserve ad space. The designer, realizingthat he has forgotten about the gamebecause of his other projects, says it�sready to playtest rather than risk beingfired. The company commits to ad space.

The designer works 14 hours a night forweeks at home and develops a set of rules.Four months from the game�s plannedrelease, he mails the game to playtesters.The company gives the game�s release dateto everyone in an effort to build up thegame�s reputation. Rough copy goes to themagazine for structuring the content ofthe ad.

At three months, color ad copy must begiven to the magazine. The company asksthe designer if there are any problems.The designer, who has gotten absolutelyno feedback from the playtesters becausethey haven�t gotten around to playing thegame, foresees no problem and gives hisgo-ahead. The artwork is late from thedesigner, and the ad deadline is barelymade in time. For all practical purposes,the company is now committed to the art,with no way out.

At two months, the last safety point, thedesigner still hasn�t gotten any feedback(no news is good news). But at the 45-daypoint, playtesters write back and say thegame is unplayable without revisions.With only 20 days until the game�s release,after the designer has ulcers and a mildnervous breakdown, the rules are ready togo. Copy checking, printing, and so forthtake 35 days, so the game will be only two

weeks late. It is hoped that everyone willunderstand. Then the printer sends thegame proofs back with over 50 mistakes.The run can be done over, but it will takesix more weeks � and the magazinecomes out and the angry-gamer scene isplayed out in living color. All too often, thecustomer feels that the shopkeeper, nomatter what he does or says, is coveringup his mistake of not ordering the mer-chandise � and everyone loses.

Another problem results from the inter-national distribution of DRAGON Maga-zine. People looking through the manywell-done and colorful ads herein oftenfind a figure or game that reaches out andgrabs them. They hurry down to thestores, only to find out that they missedthe fine print that said: �Sold In U.S.A.� or�Sold in the U.K. and Continental Europeonly.� Why are those words there? Whatdo they mean?

When a game is manufactured, thecompany that produced the game gets therights to all merchandise that uses thename of that game. In many cases, thatmeans the company can earn a great dealof money if the game sells well and asother companies bid money and royaltyrights to be allowed to produce items forthat game. The traditional market divi-sions for such game rights have been theU.S.A. and Europe, with a third marketbeing the rest of the world. This divisionmay seem strange, but consider that inmost cases, you can produce greaterprofits by having two companies withrights to produce a game rather than justone. Additionally, there have been veryfew gaming magazines with any kind ofcirculation on an international scale. Thiscreated two markets with little or nocrossover, and opportunities for one mar-ket to see what the other market had wererare. Miniatures companies with factoriesin more than one market would obtainrights to manufacture licensed figures injust one market, with a clause that pre-vented the �other� manufacturer fromproducing or selling in their zone. Exam-ples are the LORD OF THE RINGS� figuresfrom Grenadier in the U.S. and MithrilMiniatures in Europe, and the TRAVEL-LER® figures from Grenadier in the U.S.and Citadel Miniatures (Games Workshop)in Europe. These restrictions prevent theshopkeeper from legally bringing some ofthese items into his store, or they causelong delays in deliveries to customers.Store owners try to take care of theircustomers, but sometimes there are justtoo many barriers. We all must havepatience and understanding regarding thisproblem.

I want to hear from you, and I�ll readyour letters even if I can�t respond. Justwrite to:

Robert Bigelowc/o Friends Hobby Shop1411 Washington StreetWaukegan IL 60085

DRAGON 61

NEW PRODUCTS FOR JULY

GAZ The Northern ReachesD&D® Gazetteerby Ken RolstonHate civilization? Love to loot and plunder the

way the Vikings did? Then the Northern Reach-es want you! This 96-page Gazetteer reveals thelore and lifestyles of the greatest barbarians theD&D® game�s Known World have ever seen.This lively and entertaining work even includesits own 3-D village for PCs to explore.Suggested Retail Price: $8.96/£5.95Product No.: 9230

The I THINK YOU THINK I THINK� GameBoxed family boardgameby M. BoggsWhat do you think of yourself? What do you

think other people think of you? Want to bet onit? This astounding game of think-and-double-think tests your opinions and perceptions ofyourself and your friends in a fast-moving gamefor up to six players. The boxed set comes withquestion and answer cards, betting chips, gameboards, and a score pad.Suggested Retail Price: $19.95/£13.95Product No.: 1036

TS3 Orion RisingTOP SECRET/S.I.� game accessoryby various authorsThe Orion Foundation has 12 international

bureaus � but that�s barely enough to save theworld. For the first time, the full details on the�good guys� of the TOP SECRET/S.I.� game arepresented in this 128-page softcover book. Eachbureau is covered by a different author: MerleRasmussen, Greg Gorden, Michael Stackpole,Paul Jaquays, Rick Swan, Chris Mortika, andmore � the best in espionage gaming! Adven-turing ideas and city information are included.Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 7630

Libyan StrikeSNIPER!� Adventure Gamebook #6by Susan SpanoDeep in Libya, thousands of suicide comman-

dos are training for a terrorist war of enormousproportions. If their camp can be found, an airstrike will take it out. One man has a chance tofind that camp. That one man is you. This 192-page thriller is the latest in the SNIPER!� Game-book line.Suggested Retail Price: $2.95/not in U.K.Product No.: 8087

DL15 The Mists of KrynnAD&D® DRAGONLANCE® adventure

anthologyby various authorsKender, minotaurs, gully dwarves, gnomes,

draconians, Lord Soth, Fewmaster Toede, theSilvanesti elves, and every dragon on Krynninvite you to return to the world of theDRAGONLANCE® saga in this 128-page anthol-

62 AUGUST 1988

ogy of adventures. A crack team of moduledesigners was assembled to bring you theseminimodules, each developing a different areaof the world for your gaming enjoyment.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£5.95Product No.: 9231

The Name of the GameGREYHAWK® Adventures #6by Rose EstesWolf Nomad Mika, with his demon hand and

magical gemstone, must fight to save the king-dom of Perrenland from invasion � but he isdeserted, stripped, and changed into a griffon!Only that and an army of monsters now liesbetween him and the success of his mission.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95/£2.50Product No.: 8249

NEW PRODUCTS FOR AUGUST

StarsongTSR� Books novelby Dan ParkinsonHundreds of thousands of years ago, elves left

the Earth in voluntary exile. Now they�ve comeback � but the world has changed for theworse. Elves and men must now work togetherto save the world from darkness. Author DanParkinson masterfully explores the uniqueworld of the elves, who combine the senses ofempathy and musical harmonics to becomegreater than human.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95/not in U.K.Product No.: 8200

SpellfireFORGOTTEN REALMS� novelby Ed GreenwoodAt last � a classic FORGOTTEN REALMS�

novel by the creator of the Realms himself: EdGreenwood! Monsters and magic of unspeakableevil confront Shandril of Highmoon in this epictale of danger and adventure in a land of mys-tery. Don�t miss this one!Suggested Retail Price: $3.95/£2.50Product No.: 8413

MERTWIG�S MAZE� GamefolioAD&D® boardgameby Tom WhamWho�s in charge of this kingdom, anyway?

This hilarious, fast-playing boardgame pitsplayer against player as they race about collect-ing royal treasures, then pit their skills againstthe terrors of Mertwig�s maze. This gameincludes a full-color map and playing cards, aswell as detailed rules by the creator of some ofthe funniest games in the role-playing industry.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£5.95Product No.: 1038

Ruins of AdventureAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS� moduleby various authorsStrategic Simulations, Inc. produced this

adventure as one of its AD&D computer mod-ules. Now, play it out with all your friends! Aband of heroes in the FORGOTTEN REALMS�setting enters a decaying town filled with evil.Can you stop the terror from spreading?Suggested Retail Price: $8.95/£5.95Product No.: 9238

ME3 The Left Hand of EternityMARVEL SUPER HEROES® moduleby Ray WinningerThe mightiest of Earths super heroes journey

into the realms of magic on their way to aconfrontation with the Elders of the Universe!This is the third and last module in the greatestMARVEL SUPER HEROES® game campaign ofthem all. Don�t miss it!Suggested Retail Price: $7.95/£� Product No.: 6882

The DRAGONLANCE� BoardgameBoxed family boardgameby Michael Dobson, Warren Spector,

and Scott HaringThe dragons are back � and they want the

world! TSR gives you the chance to save theworld of Krynn in this exciting family board-game, which includes over 200 colorful playingpieces and a colorful gameboard. Aerial battlesand the quest for more powerful spells are buta part of this superb quest for the Dragonlance!This game comes with Basic, Advanced, andOptional rules.Suggested Retail Price: $24.95/£19.95Product No.: 1039

BUCK ROGERS� Battle for the 25th Cen-tury Boardgame

Boxed family boardgameby Jeff Grubb, Flint Dille, and Warren

SpectorArmed spacecraft and armored soldiers battle

for the fate of humanity in the 25th century � and the leader of the rebellion is none otherthan Buck Rogers himself! Troopers, killersatellites, fighters, and more collide in thisboardgame for 2-6 players, with over 360 plasticplaying pieces and a gameboard covering theinner Solar System. Join the fight!Suggested Retail Price: $24.95/£19.95Product No.: 3550

GREYHAWK® AdventuresAD&D® hardcover rulebookby James M. WardYou asked for it, and you�ve got it: The com-

plete sourcebook on the greatest of fantasygaming worlds: Greyhawk! All-new informationis presented in this 128-page hardbound book,designed to be compatible with both the first-and second-edition AD&D® games. Roam thelands from the Wild Coast to the Sea of Dust,and learn the secrets of this unique setting foradventure.Suggested Retail Price: $15.00/£9.95Product No.: 2023

Unless otherwise noted:® and ™ denote trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1988 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved

©1988 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Marvel, Marvel Universe, Marvel Super Heroes, and all Marvelcharacter names and likenesses are trademarks of MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc.

I Think You Think I Think ™& ©1984, 1988 M. Boggs &ny. All Rights Reserved.

Compa-

Buck Rogers is a trademark used under license from The DilleFamily Trust. ©1988 by The Dille Family Trust. All RightsReserved.

by Richard M. Hinds

�Damage control �report!�

The Nemesis rounded the final arc of theplanetary orbit set up by its crew formapping procedures. On the bridge, Com-mander Marc-sur-Lars patiently awaitedthe incoming information. The systemdidn�t show much promise. It was morelike a rest stop � but one far behind ene-my lines.

�Sir, I�m picking up a faint energysource.� Hortlefloo, the Osakar pilot, exam-ined his control screen. �It�s at the sensorlimit, over the approaching horizon. Itmight be a starship engine.�

�Full alert,� Commander Lars said evenly,pressing a small button on the side of hisown command control panel. They weredeep in Sathar territory; he couldn�t takeany chances with his 13-million-credit shipor its crew. The bridge lighting dimmedand slowly turned red. Lars could hear thealert warning in the corridor outside. So

much for the rest stop, he thought.��I�ve got a fix on the ship on the main

screen,� said the astrogator. Lars looked upand examined the image on the screen. Itwasn�t any known type of Sathar ship, butthat meant nothing. The Sathar had allsorts of ships.

"It's powering up its weapons,� warnedHortletloo. "Now it�s closing in. It�s got us.�

�Battle stations. Conflict imminent.� Larspunched a second button and a warningklaxon sounded in the hall outside thebridge. Running feet pounded past thebridge door as crewmen ran for theircombat posts.

Lars allowed himself a brief smile. �Mr.Harrachi,� he said, turning slightly towardthe Yazirian weapons officer. �Please giveour neighbor our warmest greetings.� Andpray, he thought, that we give them oursbefore they give us theirs.

In the STAR FRONTIERS® game, starshipcombat is played out using the KnightHawks board-game system. Players incampaigns centered around a starship, likethose concerning exploration missions,often find that starship combat is a timewhen they hang up their characters andconcentrate solely on the dice. Here aresome suggestions to liven up combat andbring characters out of the background.

In the Knight Hawks game, starship

64 AUGUST 1988

combat has two phases, movement andcombat, with each side taking turns in afixed order to perform its actions. Instead,a more flexible initiative system is in order.Initiative should be dependent on severalfactors: the maneuver ratings (MR) of theships, the pilots� initiative modifiers, andthe gunners� initiative modifiers. To deter-mine the starship initiative modifier, findthe ship on each side with the highest MR.Add the initiative modifier of either the

pilot or the gunner (whichever score ishigher) to the ship�s MR. The total is thestarship�s initiative modifier. Repeat thisfor as many combatants as needed. Theneach side rolls 1d10 and adds the initiativemodifier. The highest resulting numberbecomes side A, the first side to move, andthe sequence of play in the Knight Hawk�sTactical Operations Manual, page 3, isfollowed thereafter.

After three turns in the advanced KnightHawks game, there is a repair turn. Thisdoes not mean that the starships havedisengaged and decided to start repairs,but it instead shows the culmination ofefforts over the past three turns. For amore realistic approach, let repair rolls bemade at the end of each combat turn. Ofcourse, if the engineer starts work on oneproject, then another problem requiresmore attention a few turns later, the char-acter will be faced with some interestingdilemmas. To have the engineer use hisDCR rating, he must maintain work on adamaged system for three turns. If hestops to work on something else withoutcompleting the previous repair, all hiswork will go to waste.

In the advanced game, percentile diceare rolled when a ship is hit by enemyfire, and the Advanced Game DamageTable from the Tactical Operation Manual,page 12, is consulted. This table has littleto offer player characters but major sys-

tem difficulties, ending in a quick deathfor the PCs and the loss of their expensivestarship. The modified damage table withthis article was developed to take intoaccount other systems that could be dam-aged in combat. Some of this damage maynot be immediately threatening, but itcould cause trouble later on. The newresults in the modified table are explainedbelow.

Ship�s boats: This hit disables one of thefollowing, selected by 1d10 roll: 1-2, lifeboat; 3-4, launch; 5-6, workpod; 7, shuttle(if an assault carrier is hit, score the hitagainst a fighter); 8, fighter; 9-10, escapepod.

Crew casualties: Casualties depend onhull size and, to some extent, ship type. Inany case, a single hit cannot reduce thecrew to less than half of the last turn�stotal (to save PCs). Below is a table of hullsizes and the number of crewmen andpassengers that can be lost.

HS1-2:

Crew lost1

3-4: 1-55-7: 1-108-10: 2-20 (if an assault transport or pas-

senger liner is hit, 20-200 are lost11-14: 3-3015-18: 5-50 (if an assault carrier is hit, 10-

100 are lost19-20: 10-100

Modified Advanced Game Damage Table

Modifieddie roll Type of damage�20-05 Hull hit: Double normal damage by weapon type

06-10 Ship�s boats *11-20 Crew casualties *21-25 Cargo hit*26-45 Hull hit: Normal damage by weapon type46-48 Drive hit: Lose 1 ADF49-51 Drive hit: Lose half of the total ADF (round up)52 Drive hit: Lose entire ADF53 Drive hit: Fuel loss*54-57 Steering hit: Lose 1 MR point58-59 Steering hit: Lose entire MR60 Steering hit: Continue current course indefinitely61-62 Weapon hit: LC; LB; PB; EB; AR; RB; LP* *63-64 Weapon hit: PB; EB; LB; RB; T; AR; MM* *65-66 Weapon hit: DC; LC; AR; T; LB; FB* *; SM* *67-68 Weapon hit: T; AR; EB; PB; LB; RB; TB* *69-70 Weapon hit: LB; RB; T; AR; PB; EB; LC71-72 Internal systems hit *73 Soda machine* * *74 Power short circuit: Lose all screens and ICMs75-77 Defense hit: PS; ES; SS; MS; ICM; ENS* *78-81 Defense hit: MS; ICM; SS; PS; ES; MF* *82-84 Defense hit: ICM; SS; PS; ES; MS; ENS* *85-87 Combat control system hit: - 10% on all attacks88-90 Life support hit*91 Computer hit *92-96 Navigation hit: Lose all maneuvering control, moving at random97 Holo games * * *98-105 Electrical fire: Roll additional damage at +20 each turn106-115 Damage control hit: DCR cut in half116 Steam baths * * *117-120 Disastrous fire: DCR cut in half; lose entire ADF and MR; - 10% on all

attacks; roll damage at +20 each turn

Any hit that cannot be applied is treated as a normal hull hit.* This effect is described in the text.* * All of these abbreviations are based on the weapons and defenses given in GusMonter�s article, �An Interstellar Armory," in DRAGON® issue #115. The abbrevia-tions are as follow: LP = laser piston; MM = maxi-missile; FB = fusion bomb; SM= screen mine; TB = tractor beam; ENS = energy shield; MF = masking field. Ifthis article is not available, ignore these results.* * * These areas can be hit only once. Subsequent hits here are treated as normalhull hits.

Cargo hit: One hull unit of random cargois lost.

Drive hit, fuel loss: The fuel storage hasbeen damaged. On atomic-drive ships, oneengine has lost 1-5 fuel pellets. Ion-driveships lose one-quarter of their storedhydrogen. Chemical-drive ships lose halftheir fuel.

Internal systems hit: This hit could affectcombat performance but will more likelybe a nuisance after the battle. The internalsystems that can be hit are (roll 1d10):

1-2. Elevator: The emergency ladderswill have to be used, so travel timebetween decks is doubled.

3-4. Food service: No food can be servedfrom the galley as the food dispensershave been disabled.

5-6. Cameras: Internal cameras havefailed.

7-8. Robots: Computer robot links are

down, so robots will not respond to com-puter commands. This hit may not showitself for quite a while, until someonebreaks into the ship and the securityrobots fail to investigate.

9-10. Intercoms: Internal ship communi-cation is down.

Life support hit: This hit gradually inca-pacitates the life support system. On thefirst hit, the main life support�s capacity isreduced by half. The second hit knocks itout completely. The same progression isfollowed for the backup units.

Computer hit: This hit can be a realmenace. First, determine at random whichmainframe was hit. Good starship design-ers have a network of mainframes toprevent the destruction of all the com-puter programs at once. After determiningthe mainframe hit, randomly destroy oneof the programs in that mainframe.

DRAGON 65

by Len Carpenter

NewKicks in

Martial ArtsA guide table for creating martial-arts stylesThe martial style combinations table for the Dungeon Master�s campaign, but it

(Table 69) on page 102 of the AD&D® has its flaws. Without proper guidance, aOriental Adventures is a fine and easy way novice DM may create martial-arts stylesto come up with original martial-arts styles that are too weak or, worse yet, too pow-

Table 1Martial-Arts Guide Table

Special maneuvers

Offense Defense Highest Maximum MaximumNo. of Damage Best difficulty no. of no. of

attacks (max./round) AC rank maneuvers rank points3/1 1-6 (18) 8 3 6 102/1 1-8 (16) 7 4 7 123/1 1-4 (12) 6 5 9 182/1 1-6 (12) 6 5 11 241/1 1-8 (8) 6 5 11 262/1 1-4 (8) 6 7 11 281/1 1-6 (6) 5 7 11 301/1 1-4 (4) 5 7 11 32

Table 2Example of a New Martial-Arts Style

Example style

No. of Principle Specialattacks Damage AC attack maneuvers

3/1 1-4 7 Hand Vital 1,2,3Movement 1,3

Push 2Lock 3

Mental 1,2

66 AUGUST 1988

erful. The table also lacks any way tocreate a powerful offensive style likekarate, with its three attacks per round.

To help the DM create novel martial-artsstyles, the following guide table (Table 1) ispresented. There are eight possible offen-sive combinations linking a base numberof attacks with a base damage. The combi-nations are ranked from most to leastpowerful on offense. There are two possi-ble combinations that link three attacksper round with a base 1d6 or 1d4 hpdamage, which are offensive combinationsnot possible to generate using Table 69.The second column also shows the maxi-mum possible damage that can be doneper round by the martial artist.

The more powerful a style is on offense,the less powerful it should be in otherrespects. The third column in the tablegives the best possible armor class for thestyle. The most powerful offensive combi-nation has at best an AC 8, while the twoweakest combinations on offense mayconvey up to AC 5 on defense.

Next on the table is the highest possiblespecial maneuver difficulty rank for thecombination. Karate�s most difficultmaneuver is Strike 3, while the weakerstyles on offense may go up to a difficultyrank of 6 or 7 (as is the case with Levita-tion or Slow Resistance).

The maximum number of special maneu-vers in the style is given in the fifthcolumn. Most combinations may carry upto 11 special maneuvers, while the morepowerful combinations on offense have alesser maximum. Generally, the moremaneuvers a style has, the lower its high-est difficulty-rank maneuver. Kung-fu andtae kwan do, on page 101 of OrientalAdventures, each has one difficulty rank 5maneuver, while jujutsu, with its 11maneuvers, has no special maneuver moredifficult than Throw 4. Thus, the DMshould avoid maximizing both difficultyrank and number of maneuvers for thesame martial-arts style.

To balance the number of special maneu-vers in a style with its difficulty ranks, thelast column introduces the idea of �rankpoints,� where the difficulty ranks for allthe maneuvers in the style are addedtogether. For example, karate has 1 + 2 +3+1+1+1= 9 rank points, or just underthe recommended 10 rank-point maximumfor this powerful martial style. Jujutsu hasa total of 23 rank points, just under thesuggested 24 rank-point limit. Similarly,kung-fu is not too powerful with 20 rankpoints.

Tae kwan do seems underpowered withjust an AC 8 and only 16 rank points. Thestyle could do with one or two more spe-cial maneuvers, such as Strike 2 or 3, tomake it stronger. A revised version of taekwan do may look like this:

Kick 1,2,3Strike 1,2,3Throw 3Movement 5

The guide table presented herein is notintended to replace Table 69; it is meant toaugment it. Table 69 should still be used tocreate the foundation of a martial-artsstyle. When rolling up the number ofspecial maneuvers in a style, the DM couldinstead roll for 1-4 special maneuversoutside the principle method of the style,but the total number of maneuvers in thestyle still cannot exceed 11. When the styleis finally created, the DM can compare thenew style to the figures in the guide tableto see if the new style is underpowered oroverpowered.

An underpowered style can often bene-fit from a slightly better armor class orone or two more special maneuvers. Some-times, however, the DM may wish to inten-tionally create an underpowered style thatis quick for characters to learn and servesa specific function, rather than providingan all-purpose self-defense system.

A style that is overpowered can causereal problems in the campaign. A stylethat mixes a powerful offense with a num-ber of high-difficulty special maneuverswill overshadow other martial styles in thecampaign, make the students of the styletoo powerful in relation to other martialartists, and limit the number of PCs whoare drawn to other styles. To keep a stylefrom becoming too strong, the styleshould push toward the maximum in nomore than two categories of defense or

special maneuvers. A style that attains themaximum in three or all four categorieswill likely be overpowered, and a stylethat exceeds the maximum in any categoryby a great degree is definitely unbalancedfor any reasonable campaign.

Some martial styles created by Table 69may be overruled by the guide table asbeing too powerful. For instance, it ispossible to create a hard/soft vital areastyle with 2/1 attacks, a base 1d8 hp dam-age, and an AC 6. Still, such a combinationis too powerful and will rapidly overshad-ow other styles in the campaign.

Optionally, the DM may choose to startwith the guide table in creating a newstyle. The DM first decides on the princi-ple method and hardness or softness ofthe style, then picks a proper offensivecombination from the guide table andbuilds up the style. An advantage with thismethod is that the table provides for twooffensive combinations not allowed byTable 69. The combination of 3/1 attacksand a base 1d6 hp damage is definitely ahard style with a low armor class, and itshould have few special maneuvers, aswith karate on page 101 of OrientalAdventures. The combination of 3/1attacks and 1d4 hp damage is a hard/softstyle that may carry a better armor classand more advanced special maneuvers.This combination creates fast, excitingstyles that aren�t too hard-hitting.

For example, let�s start with the offen-sive combination of 3/1 attacks and 1d4 hpdamage to create a hard/soft vital-areastyle. We�ll limit the style to AC 7 and buildup the special maneuvers toward themaximums in the number of maneuversand number of rank points. This style hasnine special maneuvers for 18 rank points,which fits in fairly well with the maxi-mums set. This new style is shown inTable 2.

By keeping the martial-arts styles of acampaign world within reasonable limits,the DM prevents one or two styles fromstanding out as being substantially morepowerful or effective than all other self-defense systems. This encourages playersto explore a diversity of martial-arts sys-tems before choosing the style to be stud-ied by the player�s character. Characterswho learn different martial-arts styles addgreater variety to the campaign and keepmartial-arts combat from becoming toorepetitive or predictable.

Not only does the guide table help keepmartial-arts systems balanced in the cam-paign, it also expands the range of possibil-ities by allowing for two new offensivecombinations. In all, balance and diversityboth benefit, helping to keep the martialarts an ever-interesting part of an AD&DOriental Adventures campaign.

DRAGON 67

68 AUGUST 1988

DRAGON 69

Index to Advertisers

AMAZING® Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5, insert cardAmerican Heart Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Armory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Avalon Hill Game Company, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Bantam/Spectra Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Bard Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92Britton Designs (Elysian Field) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10DC Comics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Doubleday SF Book Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-13DRAGON® Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .insert cardDUNGEON® Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27, insert cardGame Designers' Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31, 33Games Workshop US . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17, center insertGEN CON®/ORIGINS™ Game Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51, 53Mayfair Games, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 49, 57 New World Computing (Task Force Games). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Palladium Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11, 39, 47, 73, 93Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back coverReality Simulations, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14RPGA™ Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63, insert cardTSR, Inc. . . . . .inside front cover, 1, 14, 26, 36, 48, 67, 74, 84, 85, 97, 103, 104, back cover Victory Games, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15West End Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

70 AUGUST 1988

by Warren Spector

The GameWizards

The secret�s out �on the TOP SECRET/S.I.� game

When I arrived at TSR in January 1987,my first assignment was to develop andedit the new TOP SECRET/S.I.� role-playing game that Doug Niles was design-ing. I don�t think I�d been in my new officea week when someone dropped a file ofletters 2� thick on my desk. The file wasfilled with letters from players of the oldTOP SECRET® game. Some of the letterswent back as far as 1980; some hadarrived in the previous weeks mail. Thatfile told an interesting story of delight,confusion, and concern � delight, becauseplayers, in general, liked the old TOPSECRET game, particularly its realism;confusion, because even some diehardfans couldn�t figure out how some of thegame�s systems worked, and nobodyseemed to know enough about the oldTOP SECRET campaign world; and con-cern, because support products (modules,supplements, and the like) seemed awfullyslow in coming. (One letter referred to the�annual TOP SECRET module.�)

Anyway, Doug and I were charged withmaking sure the new TOP SECRET/S.I.game addressed the confusion and con-cern of old-time TOP SECRET players,without screwing up the delight part ofthe equation. Since the release of the TOPSECRET/S.I. game last August, gamershave been anything but shy about lettingus know what they think of the job we did � my 2� -thick letter file is now 3" thickand growing.

Yes, we�ve gotten a lot of mail since therelease of the new TOP SECRET/S.I. game � most of it positive. But many writershave tempered their positive commentswith negative ones. As a result, it seemswe ought to tell you why we made somespecific design choices and what we�redoing to address your concerns about theTOP SECRET/S.I.� game, in terms of add-ing realism, taking realism away, anddoing both at the same time � really.

RealismIf there was one thing the old TOP

SECRET game was, it was realistic. That�sthe most common theme in my old lettersfile. Players loved the illusion of �beingthere,� of feeling like an espionage agent.The old game had a seriousness, a sense ofthe everyday no other game like it couldmatch.

By contrast, the new TOP SECRET/S.I.game is a fast-paced, free-wheeling, gung-ho kind of game. It�s better suited to JamesBond than Ollie North, and you�ll have afar easier time re-creating The Man FromU.N.C.L.E. than the Walker family spyring. At least, that�s what some of theletter-writers seem to think.

Well, look again. The new TOP SECRET/S.I. game is unquestionably faster (and, tosome extent, looser) than the old game,but the inclusion of Reality Rules gives youthe opportunity to re-create just about anyespionage situation, from the mostfantastic to the most realistic.

�But the boxed set doesn�t give usenough equipment,� some letters complain,�We want real weapons and real cars, notgeneric rifles and sports cars.� Fine; we�vegot that covered. Check out the first TOPSECRET/S.I. accessory: TSAC1 The G4 File:Guns, Gadgets, and Getaway Gear. There,you�ll find more real-life, brand-nameequipment than any role-playing game hasever provided between two covers. In TheG4 File and other supplements, you�ll alsofind the key to the whole TOP SECRET/S.I.game.

You see, while the boxed set is completeby itself, it was never intended to be thewhole enchilada � not by a long shot. Ourgoal was to provide players � from themost experienced to the newest kid on theblock � with the basic tools for gettingstarted. For most, the boxed set will prob-ably be enough. For those who want more � well, it�s coming. It�s in the accessories,

you see. You have some problems with theTOP SECRET/S.I. game? Stick around;we�ll address them in a supplement. Yousay you�re a realism freak and you wantmore detailed vehicle rules? Check out theHigh Stakes Gamble boxed campaign set,and you�ll find expanded rules for vehiclechases, rules for running races, newmaneuvers your ace drivers can attempt,and full-color statistics cards for some ofthe hottest vehicles with wheels, wings,and keels. In addition, High Stakes Gambleincludes an introduction to Monte Carlo,with its casinos, yachts, and rich andpowerful people, all set against the back-drop of international Grand Prix racing.

You say you�re turned off by good guysand bad guys and all that silly Orion Foun-dation and Web stuff? Well, already availa-ble in book and game stores is TSAC3Covert Operations Source Book, by mili-tary and espionage historian John Prados.There�s not so much as a made-up name(except for real-world aliases) to be foundanywhere in the book. Forget about Weband Orion if you want to � here�s thestraight stuff on the CIA and the KGB,along with descriptions of real espionagecases, many of which have never beenpublished in book form.

TSAC6 Covert Operations Source Book2, due out this winter, picks up rightwhere the first volume left off, withdescriptions of additional real-world espio-nage cases from the years 1945 to 1970.TSAC6 also includes profiles of the Israeli,British, and French intelligence services,plus the GRU (Soviet military intelligenceservice). Finally, you�ll find the inside storyon private corporations used by or actingas fronts for espionage organizations.

Coming in August to a hobby shop orbookstore near you is TSAC5 Commando,designed by Dave �Zeb� Cook. This acces-sory provides modern military, paramili-tary, and antiterrorist action at its best(and we don�t mean Rambo, either). Here�swhere you�ll find all the rules you need toplay a member of the worlds elite fightingunits � how and where they train, whatthey�re trained to do, their equipment,their unique skills, and more. Again, theemphasis is on realism, folks. Be preparedto lose characters � this one�s deadly, andeven Luck Points won�t always bring yourcharacter home alive.

Zeb�s created a more detailed movementsystem that allows you to take intoaccount terrain effects. He has also comeup with new, specialized military skills,expanded demolition rules, details onmilitary equipment, the latest informationon agent insertion and extraction tech-niques, game systems for determining theeffects of hunger, fatigue, stress, and�friction� (the build-up of things that can � and do � go wrong in covert opera-tions), and much more. You want to knowwhat�s really going on in Mozambique?Commando is the sourcebook for you.

Oh, yeah � for those of you who wantan early warning of upcoming products,

DRAGON 71

we�ve begun contracting for a book ofadventures set in such places as Beirut,Seoul, and Panama. Check it out in 1989.

Not-so-realismSo we�ve got realistic role-playing cov-

ered. How about not-so-realistic role-playing? Lots of letter writers asked as farback as 1980 when we�d add superpow-ered agents and 1930s pulp heroes. Theanswer was always �someday� Now, theanswer is �soon � really soon.�

TSAC2 The AGENT 13� Source Book,designed by free-lancer Ray Winningerand due out this summer, tells you every-thing you need to know about adventuringin the 1930s. There are new rules, newskills, special powers that will make yourcharacter the scourge of the underworld,real-world time lines, and descriptions ofevery major pulp fiction genre with adven-ture suggestions for each � from hard-boiled detective stories to lost-worldadventures to battles against organizationsbent on world domination.

You�ll meet all the classic pulp heroes,villains, and sidekicks, and learn about thecars, planes, weapons, and other equip-ment (real and imagined, mundane,superscientific, and fantastic) available inthe 1930s. And once again, you�ll get topick your reality level � gritty, moderate,or farfetched. Oh, and of course, you�ll geta complete rundown on the world of TSR�spulp hero, Agent 13.

TSAC4 F.R.E.E.Lancers, designed by JeffGrubb, is also available for the TOPSECRET/S.I. game. In this sourcebook, Jefftakes you 10 years into the future. Theworld is pretty much as we know it today,with a couple of minor differences (okay,major differences): technology and geneticengineering have reached states of perfec-tion almost unimagined today, allowingscientists to create humans with low-levelsuperpowers; superconductivity hasbegun changing the way we live; men inpowered armor threaten the peace, whileothers seek to preserve it; urban sprawlhas united some major cities, creatinghuge megalopolises.

Into this world come the F.R.E.E.Lancers,superagents of this dark future. This is anadult future; not some kiddie comic-bookworld, but the kind of future in which wemay find ourselves before too long. It�s thekind of future in which we may all findourselves hoping superheroes are real.

The TOP SECRET/S.I. game is a lot morethan espionage. It can and will be anythingyou want it to be.

Everything betweenOne of the things your letters told us

was that the TOP SECRET game should bea game with well-defined espionage orga-nizations and conflicts. We could have setTOP SECRET/S.I. modules in the realworld of the CIA and KGB, Mossad and thePLO, and so on. We could have, but wedidn�t.

This brings us to the Orion Foundation

72 AUGUST 1988

and the Web. Some may not like this black-and-white, good-guy vs. bad-guy conflict.We have on one hand the Orion Founda-tion, what amounts to an internationalpolice/investigation force unaffiliated withany one government. On the other hand isthe Web: an international syndicate deal-ing in drugs, weapons, revolution, andcriminal activity of all sorts. We chose thatroute for a couple of reasons.

First, we knew the �official� TOPSECRET/S.I. campaign world would be justone part of the picture � we knew we�dget to the �real� stuff eventually. Second,we wanted something entirely our ownthat we could make larger than life, moreheroic and more fun. Finally, we figured ifJames Bond and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.could thrive in a basically unrealisticworld, so could our game. I mean, youdon�t find many role-players wanting toplay William Casey versus the Contras;people want to play Bond vs. SPECTRE orU.N.C.L.E. vs. Thrush.

Doug realized this early in the designprocess, and when the entire Games Divi-sion got together to talk about the TOPSECRET/S.I. campaign world in early 1987,the only point that came up for debatewas what to call the good guys and thebad guys. (Doug wanted to call the goodguys the Web! That changed quickly.)

So, if you don�t like Orion and Web, justignore both organizations. We�re turningout our own non-Web/Orion stuff so youcan still give the TOP SECRET/S.I. gamesystem a try.

What�s the point?The point is that some garmers have

misunderstood what we were trying to dowhen we created the TOP SECRET/S.I.game. Our goal in designing and develop-ing the TOP SECRET/S.I. game was tocreate the most flexible modern role-playing game we could � and we think wesucceeded. The variety of supportproducts for the game is a direct result ofthat flexibility. Check out our accessoriesand see if you agree. And whether youagree or not, please keep my letters filegrowing; that�s the way we judge how wellwe�re doing. That�s the way to ensure theTOP SECRET/S.I. game grows the way youwant it to grow.

I�m a believer, but you don�t have to takemy word for anything. If the TOP SECRET/S.I. boxed set was everything you everwanted in an espionage role-playing game,you know what I�m talking about. If theTOP SECRET/S.I. boxed set didn�t meet allyour needs, check out the accessories; wethink you�ll find what you�re looking for. Ifyou don�t, just stick around. There�s lotsmore coming.

Spy's adviceIn addition to praise and criticism for

the TOP SECRET/S.I. game, your lettershave included questions and corrections.This seems like as good a place as any toanswer your questions.

How many Luck Points do PCsstart with?

The Players Guide says that PCs have aminimum of 2 Luck Points, but never tellsyou how to generate Luck Points in thefirst place. The Administrator secretlygenerates beginning Luck Points for eachcharacter by rolling 1d6 + 1, for a mini-mum of 2 and a maximum of 7.

How quickly do characters recov-er from damage?

As stated in the rules, characters recov-er 1 point of wound damage immediatelyif they�re treated by a character with theFirst Aid skill. They recover an additionalpoint after 24 hours, and 1 point per weekthereafter.

Bruise damage is recovered at a rate of 1point per hour per body area damaged.An additional point can be restoredthrough the application of First Aid, butthis is a one-time bonus (you don�t get anadditional point each hour).

Recovery from CON damage is describedin the Administrators Guide. The rate atwhich it is recovered depends on whatcaused the damage in the first place. Usethe situations described in that book whenconfronted with something new.

Incidentally, the example of CON damageon page 71 of the Players Guide is wrong.There, Sebastian makes a check against hisfull CON rather than his current CON tosee if he regains consciousness. All suchchecks are made at ½ CON or ¼ CON.Follow the rule, not the example.

When dealing with poison damage, firstdetermine whether or not the character iskilled immediately. If not, CON is recov-ered at a rate of 1d10 points per day.Antidotes can double or triple that rate,but this is determined by the Admin, tak-ing into account the type of poisoninvolved, the antidote, the character�sCON, and so on.

What�s the minimum damage acharacter can do in hand-to-handcombat?

The minimum damage in such cases is 1point.

Can an AK74 assault rifle reallyuse 5.56mm ammo?

No; this was an error. The AK74 uses5.45mm rounds, not 5.56, as stated onpage 5 of the Equipment Inventory.

Can an armored personnel carriercarry only two passengers?

No, that�s a typographical error on page15 of the Equipment Inventory Use 12passengers for a generic APC, or use theactual carrying capacity for a real APCwith which you are familiar.

What�s with the columns on theAircraft Table on page 15 of theEquipment Inventory?

The line of type reading �Spd Spd*Ceilg** etc." was shifted one space to the

right (see the aircraft tables on pages 67-76 of TSAC1 The G4 File: Guns, Gadgets,and Getaway Gear). Thus, the first columnis Max Spd (maximum speed), the secondis Stl Spd* (stall speed), the third is Ceilg**(ceiling), etc. (The asterisks are referencedin the table itself.)

How do you fire a burst at multi-ple targets? Is it one to-hit and dam-age roll for each target, or one rollfor all targets? And do all the targetsyou do hit take full damage?

To fire a burst at multiple targets, makea separate to-hit and damage roll for eachtarget. However, on a short burst fired atmultiple targets, the attacker doesn�treceive to-hit or damage bonuses. On along burst at multiple targets, the attackerreceives only a + 5 to-hit bonus and a + 1damage bonus against each target.

Where are the aircraft and boatrules? The skills are there to usethese vehicle types, and there arelistings for them in the EquipmentInventory, but there are no rulesabout how they go, stop, andmaneuver.

Boats work just like cars � their per-formance is measured using the samestatistical categories, and they use thesame maneuvers. Treat boats as if theywere waterbound cars.

Airplanes use special statistics andmaneuvers:

Acceleration: In level flight, propeller-driven aircraft can accelerate at 1% ofmaximum speed per turn. This can beincreased to 10% of maximum speed bydiving at least 100�. Prop-driven aircraftcan�t accelerate and climb at the same time � they must lose 10% of maximum speedif they climb more than 100� in a turn. Jetaircraft can accelerate up to 10% of maxi-mum speed in level flight or climb. Thiscan be doubled to 20% in a dive.

Deceleration: In a single turn, aircraft inlevel flight can decelerate by as much as1% of maximum speed. They can lose upto 10% of maximum speed by climbing100� or more in a single turn.

Maneuvering: Helicopters turn and usespecial maneuvers like automobiles. Allother aircraft turn very gradually in atwo-second TOP SECRET/S.I. game turn �up to 15° to the right or left if the pilotmakes a successful Piloting skill check. Ifthe check is unsuccessful, the aircraftturns only 5°.

If you�ve got a better idea of how tomake airplanes and helicopters work,write it up and send it to us!

If you find any other mistakes or haveany questions, you know where to find us.Keep writing and, whatever you do, don�tblow your cover!

DRAGON 75

©1988 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser

One dungeon that’s tough to master

If you haven�t yet purchased your com-puter system and plan to run one of thegreatest fantasy role-playing games everproduced, we recommend any of thefollowing machines: Atari ST, CommodoreAmiga, or Apple IIGS. The reason for theserecommendations is that on those com-puters, you can play Dungeon Masterfrom FTL Games. On a one-to-five starrating, this game is near the top.

Software Heaved/FTL Games6160 Lusk Boulevard, Suite C206San Diego CA 92121(619) 453-5711

Dungeon MasterAtari ST version

* * * * ½

FTL is responsible for perhaps the great-est single-environment adventure yetdeveloped for personal computers. Adungeon, regardless of its number oflevels, is still only one physical location,and Dungeon Master takes place within asingle dungeon.

Relying on the advanced architecture ofthe systems we recommended, DungeonMaster offers: scintillating graphics andsmooth animation; sparse but effectivedigitized sounds; marvelous tricks, traps,and puzzles; and a real-time �you-are-there� presentation. Dungeon Mastermakes the player feel as though he isexperiencing the adventure firsthand, asall of the game�s rewards and intriguinghazards have an immediate feel to them.

Currently available for the Atari STcomputer, FTL has also released a Commo-dore Amiga version and plans to releasean Apple IIGS version later this year. (We�llreport on both the Amiga and Apple IIGSversions as soon as we can.) The Atari STuser base is somewhat smaller than thoseof other systems, and we hadn�t heardabout this program until several monthsafter its introduction. This shows theproblems a small computer company has

76 AUGUST 1988

in obtaining both publicity and distribu-tion channels for their products. Neverthe-less, Dungeon Master is awesome!Regardless of your current computersystem, you must get a look at this pro-gram. If your local computer retailerdoesn�t stock Dungeon Master, you mightwant to recommend that he start carryingthat product. When Dungeon Master isavailable for the larger number of AppleIIGS and Amiga users, the dealer willthank you for the tip.

The Atari ST program takes full advan-tage of that system�s advanced graphicscapabilities and offers the player the digi-tized sounds of opening doors, monsterattacks (the cry of a mummy can sendshivers down your spine), drinking water,eating food, and blood-curdling screams ascharacters fall into traps. Nothing is over-done; everything is more than you wouldexpect from a computer-based adventuregame. The compression techniques FTLmust have employed when coding thegame to fit it onto a single micro disk areastounding! There are other games on themarket today with half Dungeon Master�scapabilities that require six to eightdouble-sided disks. The key to success isthe commitment to user enjoyment andtechnical excellence.

The program was designed by Doug Bell,Mike Newton, and Dennis Walker. Where-as most computer-game companies startwith an entertainment product and thenwrite business applications later on, FTLhas come into the field backward by pro-ducing spelling checkers for a variety ofproductivity programs first (an endeavorin which they were quite successful). Witha solid revenue base generated by theirproductivity products, FTL plans todevelop several computer games, manywithin the fantasy role-playing arena.

The quest in Dungeon Master encom-passes the search for and recovery of theFirestaff. Four staunch adventurers mustenter this most forboding dungeon and

confront abhorrent foes, brain-teasingpuzzles, and horrendous traps. The playerselects his party from the 24 adventurerswho on earlier explorations succumbed tothe deadly forces within the corridors,rooms, and passageways of the dungeon.The souls of these fine folk have beentrapped within the Hall of Champions,which lies just beyond the master door ofthe dungeon.

Each Champion is captured in a mirrorand may be reincarnated or resurrectedby the player with a touch of the ST�smouse. The wise player, however, willinvestigate each Champion prior to activat-ing that character. There is a variety ofphysical attributes possessed by each pastChampion, each playing an important rolein the survival of the entire group. Part ofthe player�s mission within this game is theselection of the most appropriate party ofChampions to locate the Firestaff.

There are three major character attrib-utes: Health, Stamina, and Manna (magicenergy). To cast spells of a Priestly orWizardly nature, the caster must possessthe necessary amount of Manna to utterthe syllables of the spell. Through practicewith various spells, all spell-casters canincrease their ability to cast magic. Aseach spell is learned, the wise playerwrites down the syllables required to castthat particular form of magic. Spells caneven be prepared before an encounteroccurs, then released at the right timeduring the confrontation. No Manna is lostuntil the spell is actually cast.

The same practice-makes-perfect ethicholds true for the Ninjas and Fighters ofthe group; the more they practice withtheir weapons, the more proficient theybecome with them. If you thought pianopractice was boring, try throwing a dag-ger repeatedly at a dungeon wall for sev-eral minutes. Nevertheless, the experiencegained in throwing that dagger improvesthe character�s ability to hurl a daggereffectively in battle.

Let�s examine the typical adventurerscreen as it appears on the Atari ST.Screen 1, the inventory screen, shows anadventurer named Zed, Duke of Banville.At the top of the screen are the names ofthe complete party: Halk, Zed, Alex, andSyra. The bar graph next to each nameindicates that Champion�s current Health,Stamina, and Manna scores. The lower thelevel of the bar, the lower the value ofthe quality. The four icons in the upperright corner of the screen represent theorder of the party, with the colors indi-cating the characters� positions.

By looking at the character boxes at thetop of each screen, you can tell immedi-ately which weapon is carried in a charac-ter�s right hand and what item is held inhis left. The small upper window to theright of the main view window is the placewhere spells are cast, with the party�sattack weaponry shown below that win-dow. The direction window at the bottomright has icons for six possible movement

directions (more on these later).The eye icon is used to view equipment

or to obtain a listing of Zed�s currentattributes. By moving the cursor over theeye and holding down the mouse button,the food-and-water bar graph is replacedwith a list of Zed�s current statistics:Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, Vitality,Antimagic, and Antifire. To determinewhat a character possesses, the cursor canalso be positioned on any object andmoved to the eye, with the button againheld down. A brief description of the itemand its weight appears in the food-and-water bar graph window.

The mouth icon is used to drink or eat.By dragging a block of cheese or bread, awater flask, or a glass potion vial to themouth, the character partakes of thatsubstance when the mouse button is helddown. When a container has been emp-tied, however, the player must rememberto refill the flask or bottle from a fountain.

Dungeon Master:The Guardian

This window also contains representa-tions of material goods that can be used bythe character. The first square beneath theeye represents the adventurer�s neck. InZed�s case, some sort of necklace or medal-lion is shown being worn around the neck.Rarely are such possessions nonmagical innature.

Below the neck is a square that repre-sents whatever is being held in the charac-ter�s left hand (in this case, a shield). Thenext two squares down form the pouch,which is a great place for smaller objectssuch as gems and the like. The foursquares in the middle of this display repre-sent the character�s body, starting with thehead and moving down through the chest,legs, and feet. Onto these areas, you posi-tion appropriate headgear, armor, leggings,and boots you find within the dungeon.The lower the level of the dungeon, themore protective the clothing and armorthat are found there. To clothe youradventurer in new armor, simply click themouse on the armor you find, press thefunction key that corresponds to the char-acter (F1 for the first character, F2 for thesecond, and so on), and move the clothingover the body area to receive the item. Aclick exchanges the clothing. Thereafter,you can leave the inventory window andsimply drop the unnecessary item you�veexchanged for the armor.

The two lines of squares to the right ofthe mouth represent the backpack; this isthe main storage area for each Champion.You must remember that each adventurerhas a load limit; if too much weight iscarried, that Champion is slowed down.There is room for 17 different objects tobe carried. We found these areas mostsuited for storage of healing potions, pro-tection potions, and food. In the case ofscreen 1, Zed is carrying a rock, a waterflask, a gold coin, two potions, a Screamerslice (who says dead enemies can�t bebeneficial?), an apple, a dagger, and avalued treasure. The squares below thebackpack reveal that Zed is armed with a

Dungeon Master:The inventory screen

Dungeon Master:The Blue Goons

sword, which is carried in his right hand, ately stored in a container. If there is noand he bears a crossbow and quiver; the glass vial to receive the magic liquid, thequiver stores objects that can be reloaded spell will not be cast. The program alertswhen in combat (such as arrows, daggers, you to this condition, so the Manna isn�tor stones). wasted. To store a potion, simply position

Note the bottle that seems to be floatingabove the inventory window. Whatever

the vial in the spell-caster�s hand and utterthe incantation.

object has been selected by the mouse isnamed below the character position icons:in this case, an empty glass flask. Theplayer has selected this flask and is eitherabout to place it in inventory or in a spell-caster�s hand, perhaps because the mage iscasting a spell to make a potion, and themagically created liquid must be immedi-

The food-and-water bar graphs indicatehow hungry or thirsty the selected charac-ter is. As prolonged activity is completed,the character requires nourishment.When these bar graphs fall into criticallylow values, the bar graph itself turnsyellow or red � a sure indication thatyou�d better find a water fountain or food

DRAGON 77

Dungeon Master:A strange hallway

torch spell is completed; to cast it, theplayer clicks the mouse cursor on the spellline. In screen l, the caster has alreadymumbled three portions of a spell, thosebeing UM (the Power portion), FUL (theElemental Influence) and BRO (the Formportion). Depending on the spell attempt-ed, the caster may be required to pick oneof the remaining icons as the fourth partof the spell, the Class/Alignment portion.

The success of the spell depends on theexperience of the spell-caster. The pro-gram notifies you of any failure, and suc-cessful spells are immediately evident onthe screen.

What�s terrific about the spell abilities isthat you can prepare your magic but notcast it until it is needed. For instance, ifyou know that five mummies await yourparty behind the next door, the bestcourse of action may be as follows: First,prepare protection potions for the two up-front fighters and have them swallow theliquid (the protection is indicated by a bluebox around their names). Next, the wizardprepares lightning spells and the priestprepares a monster confusion spell. Then,ever so cautiously, the fighters open thedoor. As the nasty mummies appear, boththe confusion and lightning spells arereleased by the appropriate spell-casters,hopefully eliminating some of the adver-saries right away. With magical protec-tions secured, the fighters then hack andhew the opponents while the two spell-casters throw daggers or throwing stars,or perhaps cast other spells. As we preferto reincarnate the adventurers from theHall of Champions, we try to afford eachcharacter with multiple talents, so ourspell-casters always have ninja qualities forthrowing weapons. Our magic-users arealways in the back row of the adventuringparty for protection, which has workedwell for us.

The window below the spell-castingwindow depicts the weaponry wielded byyour characters. (In screen 1, there�s adouble-headed axe, a sword, a whip, and astaff.) When confronting murderous oppo-nents, the player clicks the mouse cursoron one of these weapons, and severalchoices for that weapon�s use appearonscreen (for an axe, the choices could beslash or chop). Click on the appropriateaction, and that offensive maneuver iscarried out. If the weapon scores a hit, thenumber of damage points done to theopponent flashes onscreen. You can thenclick on the sword and activate someaction there. A staff might have magicalcapabilities; a click on its icon presents itsoffensive choices. Should you change theweapons in a character�s hand, the newweapon icon shows up in his weaponwindow.

The bottom right window containsmovement choices. The solid arrows movethe party forward, backward, left, orright, while the outlined arrows turn theparty in 90° increments left or right.Movement can also be accomplished using

Dungeon Master:A trapped chest

Dungeon Master:The Eyeball Creature

before you really hurt your Champion.One of the most original and truly excit-

ing parts of Dungeon Master is its spell-casting system. The window below theChampions� position icons is the spellwindow. The small squares in the top ofthis window activate strange-looking icons.By clicking in one of the squares, theChampion uttering the spell becomesactive. In this case, Alex is selected. Eachsymbol is a magical syllable of a spell.Some spells are rather complex andrequire four syllables for completion.Others, such as the magic torch spell,require only two syllables.

78 AUGUST 1988

Spells all start with a determination ofthe amount of power to be cast. This isfollowed by the spells Elemental Influ-ence, Form, and Class/Alignment (if neces-sary). Each segment of a spell can possessone of six specifications.

Each syllable is �spoken� by selecting itsappropriate icon in the spell window. Forexample, to cast a magic torch, one firstselects the icon for LO in the Power cate-gory. This icon then appears in the castingline of the window. Then, select the icon(FUL) for the Elemental Influence portionof the spell to appear, and it appears in thespell-casting window beside LO. The magic

the ST�s keyboard keys. Onscreen move-ment is as smooth as silk.

During play, the major screen windowgives a view of the dungeon�s surround-ings. Screen 2, for example, showsdungeon walls with a rather obnoxiousrock creature on the attack. In screen 3,the Blue Goons are on their way to greetyou, having just walked through an opengateway. Screen 4 shows a dungeon hall-way with a trapdoor, a water fountain onthe wall to the right, and an interestingscroll ahead. That must have been oneheck of a chest in screen 5 (a caution touse care when you peek). In screen 6, theEyeball Creature is looking at the partyinside a large dungeon room.

The walls and floors of the dungeonhave been meticulously designed so thatindividual stones (perhaps with a bit ofmold here and there) can be viewed whenthe amount of light coming from yourparty reveals their presence. After only afew minutes of intense screen viewing(and extremely critical mapping), the play-er feels as though he is in the dungeon,conducting this quest in real-time.

Perhaps you have played some adven-ture games in which running away was agood policy. By retreating, your partyavoids instant decimation at the hands of asuperior foe, or escapes from the heinousclutches of the monstrous beings. Well,this is not the case with Dungeon Master.You might run, but believe us, you will bepursued by even the slowest of adversar-ies. Early in our first try at this adventure,we happened upon a rock creature in aroom called The Guardian. After the igno-minious defeat of our entire party at thehands of this strange pile of rocks (seescreen 2), our second try found our bandof hearty troops retreating after a numberof minor spells did little to halt the beast.As running depleted our energy, and withManna running low, our party fled back tothe entrance of The Guardian and slept.During this respite, we watched ourHealth, Vitality, and Manna increase as thebar charts indicated our return to normalconditions. Suddenly, there was the�Oomph!� sound of a successful hit; ourlead character was nearly depleted ofHealth! We awakened immediately and,sure enough, the slow but steady rock-pilecreature had made its way up from therear and had attacked us while we slept. Itwas then only by accident that we discov-ered that the gates found inside thedungeon are also good offensive weapons.In our haste to prepare some sort ofdefense, we closed the gates. With a grind-ing noise, the metal bars descended butwere blocked from closing by the rock-pilecreature. The gate continued its attempt toclose and smashed away at the creatureuntil the beast was nothing but a bunch ofpebbles. Thank heavens for accidents!

There is much more to this game thancombat, though. Located about the halls,corridors, and rooms of this largedungeon are secret doors that conceal not

only wealth and extraordinary weapons,but malevolent beings as well. When walk-ing down long corridors, it is always agood idea to keep an eye on the wallsthemselves. Every now and then, you�llnote what seems to be a glitch in the com-puter graphic � a slightly different look toa particular wall surface. Upon closerinvestigation, you�ll find that the glitch inthe stonework is actually a rectangularbutton that, if pushed, opens a secretdoorway in the next square or activates adoorway in another area of the dungeon.There are teleportation areas and doortrips that require prolonged investigationto figure out exactly how they function.Some doors that bear menacing messagescan actually be hacked through, whileothers require a search for a completelydifferent entrance.

With the Save Game feature available atany time during the game, Dungeon Mas-ter provides a most masterful adventuringenvironment. The only drawback is thatthe game does not recognize more thanone disk drive, so saving and restoringgames requires some time and effortbecause of the necessary disk swapping.The game is copy-protected, but we haveheard of some pirates who have managedto break the code. We have also heard thatone version of the pirated Dungeon Mas-ter contains a fatal bug that crashes thegame at inopportune times. Piracy is theft,plain and simple, and FTL's hard workshould be supported by players paying forthe privilege of running this adventure.

There is no doubt in our minds thatDungeon Master deserves to be in yoursoftware library. We can only hope thatversions for other computers will be pro-duced soon. For registered owners of thegame, a new mini-module will be releasedbefore the year�s end by FTL Games. Themodule will extend the current dungeonand add more spells and weapons. We lookforward to reviewing this module when itbecomes available.

XOR Corporation5421 Opportunity CourtMinnetonka MN 55343(612) 938-0005

Basketball Challenge * * * ½IBM micros and compatibles version

If you really enjoy basketball from thecoaching perspective, Basketball Challengeis a game that you won�t want to miss. Ifyou are at all familiar with NFL Challenge,you now have that game�s equal availablefor the basketball court. Don�t expectsuperb graphics, because that�s not whatthe game is all about. Players are trans-lated into numbers on the onscreen court,and it�s your job to determine the playsand sets, offense and defense, throughoutthe game.

As the coach, you must learn how toeffectively use the stars on your team, aswell as how to obtain the best perform-

ance from your regular players. You cansubstitute players to take advantage of astrong bench and use your players'strengths during the game. Because bas-ketball is such a fast-paced game, evencalling out plays from the sidelines as anoffensive set progresses is not necessarilyacted upon immediately by the team,especially if there is a radical change of setinvolved and a new shooter called for.

Basketball Challenge is the best purebasketball simulation on the market today.With the ability to call various defenses(man-to-man, zone, full-court pressure,and steal attempts), any offense picked bythe opponent can be countered. But thattakes many minutes of watching and wait-ing for the right moment to change tem-pos or matchups. A knowledge ofbasketball is not necessary for this game,but it certainly helps. Basketball Challengecan be played by one or two players; thecomputer can also play against a humanopponent or run the entire game as bothplayers. If you are a basketball fanatic,XOR�s offering is definitely for you.

SEGA of America, Inc.573 Forbes BoulevardSouth San Francisco CA 94080

FantasyZone ****Nintendo, Sega, and Atari 7800 versions

This is the first of many reviews thatwill cover the Nintendo, Sega, and Atari7800 video game machines. Fantasy Zonemay seem to be just another shoot-�em-uparcade game � but that only goes to provethat appearances can be deceiving! Thisgame includes colorful graphics and anoriginal musical score. In this game, youbecome an Opa-Opa, a creature that lookslike an egg with wings (but armed withguns and bombs). Your goal is to conquereight different planets. This may seemeasy at first, but it is a difficult task toaccomplish. There are many creaturesthat have different plans for you. Many ofthese hostile adversaries depart frombases which must be destroyed. Unfortu-nately, these bases require multiple hitsfor total destruction. When you haveeliminated all the bases on one planet, youmust fight the boss for �bragging rights� tothat planet. Each boss is quite different,and they become progressively harder todefeat.

This game is appealing enough as we�vealready described it, but Sega has devel-oped it even further. After you destroybases or enemies, coins appear which youcan collect. Every so often, shops appearonscreen. Here you can buy items to buildyour own spaceship: engines to propel theship; a selection of weaponry includingwide beam, laser beam, and 7-way shotcapability; and smart, fire, twin, and heavybombs that offer more boom for yourbuck. You can also purchase extra ships tohelp conquer the game�s various worlds.

The engines stay with your ship until it

DRAGON 79

Basketball Challenge:The best pure

basketball simulationon the market

is eliminated by enemy action. When youbuy a special bomb, you can only obtainone (except for the twin bomb). This wasthe only area where we found the gamesomewhat lacking. The weapons costenough as it is, and it�s frustrating that youcan keep these enhancements for only ashort period of time. The bosses at theconclusion of each level may have a spe-cific weakness to one of those purchasedspecial weapons, but you can find this

out only through the try-and-try againmethod. (Here�s a tip: The first-level bosshates to have a �load" on its mind).

This game is original in concept, and welike the fact that you can buy enhance-ments and extra men for the game. Obvi-ously, Sega spent a good deal of timedeveloping this arcade treat. Fantasy Zonewas not overly frustrating to play becauseevery time the game was played, advanceswere made.

with its performance on an 8-bit Apple IIe.(And if that�s the case, what will TheBard�s Tale III be like when written specifi-cally for the Commodore Amiga, Atari ST,or Apple IIGS?)

In this scenario, Skara Brae is in ruins.The Mad God Tarjan arrived during thecelebrations following Manger�s defeat inThe Bard�s Tale II and reduced the town torubble. You must assemble your party ofadventurers, find Tarjan, and stop himfrom leveling other cities. The price forthis version is $49.95.

Commodore Amiga owners, get thoseracing gloves on. Electronic Arts hasreleased Ferrari Formula One, one of themost astounding racing simulations we�veever seen. You race a $350,000 Ferrari F1/86 on any of 16 international race courses.You can check the car�s vital statisticsbefore the race, then go head-to-headagainst seven different opponents. Areview will be forthcoming, as the Amiga�scapabilities are truly employed in thisgreat racing simulation.

News and new products Thief of Fate. Yes, folks, Electronic Arts isnow distributing the Apple II version ofthis game from Interplay Productions.With more than 100 magic spells, over 500beasties, 13 character classes, 84 dungeon

Accolade20813 Stevens Creek BoulevardCupertino CA 95014(408) 446-5757

Commodore 64/128 users should bedelighted with the latest arrival fromAccolade, a naval combat simulation enti-tled Power At Sea. This offering is basedon the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which tookplace in the Pacific theater in World WarII. This game features strategy as well asarcade-style action in four video gamesequences. You assume the role of thecaptain and must determine the fleet�sstrategy to accomplish your mission within96 hours. Your fleet consists of a battle-ship, a cargo/troop ship, and an aircraftcarrier supporting fighter/bombers. Tocomplete the mission, you must battlethrough enemy fortifications, launchtroops, and take enemy bases. This is a lotof action for $29.95.

levels, seven dimensions, smooth anima-tion, and fast game play, it appears asthough the company has another winneron its hands. We�ve only started to reviewthis offering and are already impressed

For those who continue to write to usregarding games that run with a HerculesGraphics Card (HGC) in their IBM microsor compatibles, there�s good news fromMicroProse. Their Gunship attack helicop-ter simulation can now be run using theHercules monochrome standard. Thissoftware is a best-selling simulation offlight aboard the U.S. Army�s AH-64AApache helicopter, with over 30 keyboardor joystick commands. The game requiresat least 256K of memory and is $49.95.

Computer-Games Conversions Chart

Electronic Arts (415) 571-7171Alien Fires � 2199 A.D. to Atari ST ($39.95) and Amiga ($49.95)The Hunt For Red October to Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64/128 (all versions,

including original IBM, are $49.95)Patton vs. Rommel to Commodore 64/128 (all versions, including IBM and Macin-

tosh, are $29.95)Strike Fleet to Apple II ($34.95) and C64/128 ($29.95)

Electronic Arts1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

Rainbird Software, distributed by Activision (415) 960-0518Jinxter to Atari ST, PC/MSDOS*, Amiga, and Macintosh ($39.95); to Commodore 64/

128 and Apple II, text only ($34.95)

Spectrum HoloByte (415) 522-3584Tetris to Commodore 64/128 ($24.95) and IBM micros ($34.95)

This company has gone berserk withnew releases, some of which have beenlong awaited by eager players. Of mostimportance to fantasy role-playing gamersis the release of The Bard�s Tale III:

* IBM micros require EGA card and 256K for graphics display of game.

80 AUGUST 1988

MicroProse Software180 Lakefront DriveHunt Valley MD 21030(301) 771-1151

Origin Systems136 Harvey Road, Building BLondonderry NH 03053(603) 644-3360

One of the most played and mostenjoyed adventure game series has beenthe Ultima series, having now shippedover 1,000,000 copies. Origin Systems isnow shipping the latest in the Ultima saga,Ultima V: Warriors Of Destiny. Initiallyreleased in Apple II format, Ultima Vbegins after Lord British has left Black-thorne (one of his most trusted knights) asruler of Britannia while he investigates thenewly discovered underworld. Unfortu-nately, Blackthorne is seduced by powerand rules Britannia with a tyrannical grip.Rescuing the nation from Blackthorne isthe gamer�s charge. Standing in the way ofsuccess are deadly new creatures, ani-mated special effects, and forbiddingthree-dimensional dungeons. Add anenhanced combat system and a host ofnew treasures, and you�ve got another�must-buy� computer-based adventuregame. Versions for the Commodore 64/128and IBM micros and compatibles have justbeen released. Watch for Origin Systems

to also begin programming for the AppleMacintosh computer. The price is $59.95.

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

ZIG-ZAG has been shipped for the Com-modore 64. This game was originally

Gunship:The Apache in action

designed and programmed in England,and is another member of this company�sInternational Series. You must swiftlymaneuver a star-fighter down the narrowpassageways of the Matrix of Zog some-where in the 12th dimension � but watchout for disappearing barriers, traps, andtimelocks! You can purchase maps, shields,an extra life or two, and infrared andx-ray vision to help you out. The price ofthis arcade game is $24.95.

Clue cornerMore and more readers are submitting

their hard-won clues to us for publication.We are delighted to receive so many let-ters and hope that, over the next fewmonths, additional game hints will arrivefor some of the lesser-known offerings aswell. Most of the hints are coming in forMight and Magic, The Bard�s Tale I, andThe Bard�s Tale II. If you are currentlyengaged in another adventure, pleasedon�t forget to mail those hints to us, too.

Brian Frye has a terrific hint for playersof The Bard�s Tale II, but you must havecompleted The Bard�s Tale I and still pos-sess the The Bard�s Tale I character disk.�When you go into Garth�s, place TheBard�s Tale I character disk in the driveand press the BUY key. If you have themoney, you can buy a magical item in therealm of The Bard�s Tale II, including thecompleted Destiny segments.�

Hugh Sandgathe of Eugene, Ore., offersseveral hints for players of Infocom�sBeyond Zork text adventure. �Rememberthat lightning has long and short tines. Ateleport scroll can help you get out of thecellar if you get stuck. If you brush awaythe minx�s tracks, the hunter will beunable to find it. The unicorn�s horn givesyou luck if you kiss it; to free the unicorn,give it the chest that says �Do not open�(but make sure you remove everythingfirst). Squeeze the moss and your dexteritywill eventually go up. Levitate the babyhungus out of the mud, and your compas-sion goes up.�

Hugh also offers some terrific tips forMight and Magic, a New World Computingoffering. �You need a King�s Pass to enter

Castle Alamar and a Merchant�s Pass toenter the other castles. The Merchant�sPass can be found in some old caravanwagons and the druid Percella has theKing�s Pass, but she requires a promisefrom you which you had better not break!An old hermit will trade some old piratemaps to you which will help in finding thepirates� treasure in their coves. The twoastral brothers can be found in Port Smithand Algary. There is a magician in Algarywho will tell you your immunities, ifyou�re interested.�

Ken Wright, of Norristown, Pa., givesMight and Magic hints that are quite spe-cific. �Hint #1: The secret of Portsmouth isthe Succubus Queen. Hint #2: The buttonon Castle White Wolfs throne-room wallremoves the barrier behind the secretdoor. Hint #3: The bronze key acts as adetect magic spell. Hint #4: The dragon�stooth acts as a rejuvenate spell.�

Scott Stanley offers this tip for Mightand Magic. �To figure out what ZAM�s clueis, first find his astral brother, ZOM. Hewill give you a set of numbers. You thentake the �C� from ZOM�s clue and put themtogether. You then do the same with thesecond set. This gives you a location,which you should go to, and you will getsomething that you need to enter theMinotaur�s Lair.�

Guy Redlin and Brandon Schreiber, bothof Oshkosh, Wis., managed to completeMight and Magic with a rating of 427,058!They recommend that players don�t wastetheir time on Alamar�s quest, as The Cryptdoesn�t exist.

Edward Friesema of Pasadena, Calif., is a

true Ultima fan and has hints for bothUltima III and IV. �For Ultima III, to reachAmbrosia, go into the whirlpool to findDawn, and use a gem when the moons areat 0,0 (the dot on the map will disappear atany other moon phase). Beware of thefloor tiles in the last room of Exodus�scastle as they attack you. When you passthe Silver Serpent, use ships to create abridge from the castle to the land on theisland, then return with a horse."

For Ultima IV Ed offers the followingclue: �To find out where the wheel is, askthe wounded sailor in the Serpent�s Castleabout the HMS Cape. Talk to the Antos inthe three castles about the bell, book, andcandle. Walls that have a white dashthrough the middle can be passedthrough. To get rid of the Skull of Mon-dain, use it at the entrance to the Abyss,but nowhere else or you�ll instantly loseany partial Avatarhood that you havegained (ask �Splot� in Magincia about thestone). Occasionally a ghost will appear atthe inn in Skara Brae, so talk to it aboutthe white stone.�

That�s all for this issue. Next month,we�ll examine the hottest new program onthe market, Ultima V from Origin Systems.Please don�t forget to mail in your nomina-tions for the finest software game of theyear for a given system for the BeastiesAwards. Send your vote to:

Hartley and Patricia Lesser179 Pebble PlaceSan Ramon CA 94583

Again, we ask that you forgo the tele-phone calls. Until next time, game on!

DRAGON 81

In the world of the GAMMA WORLD®

by Dan Kretzer

Cities and societies in theGAMMA WORLD® game

82 AUGUST 1988

game, the word �city� has numerous defi-nitions. It can describe an abandoneddeathland (like Pitz Burke), a small tribalcommunity, a large city-state, a CrypticAlliance base, a free city with no con-trolled land, or a city of the Ancients thatremained intact during the Social Wars. Asa rule of thumb, however, most cities ofthe so-called Gamma World resemble thecity-states of old in terms of government,economy, militia, and so forth. Most ofthese cities are fortified and rely on afeudal form of government (as in theMiddle Ages). In some cases, the landsimmediately surrounding the city may beclaimed as city property and farm land.More ambitious city leaders may claimlarge tracts of land under the dominion oftheir own city, which becomes the region�scapital.

Many GMs like to set adventures ineither recently abandoned cities or citiesof the Ancients that have remained muchas they were long ago. It is in these localesthat PCs find artifacts and gain informa-tion, both of which are enjoyable activitiesthat advance the campaign plot. Adven-tures in active cities are sadly uncommonin many campaigns because most GMs(veterans as well as beginners) feel thatcommunities are places in which the PCsspend their time doing nothing betweenadventures. They also mistakenly believethat the Gamma Worlds communities areusually hostile toward all outsiders. Thesemisconceptions stem from a deep-rootedbelief that all cities are closed communi-ties, isolated against outsiders in what isperceived as the best way to survive. Withregard to survival, nothing could be fur-ther from the truth. Most cities actuallywelcome outsiders for the commerce theybring, which leads to greater wealth.

Inhabitants of the Gamma World�s citiesare cautious about welcoming outsiders,but not to the point of firing upon trav-elers as they approach. The GammaWorlds urbanites realize that strangersmight be members of a more powerfulcommunity coming to negotiate an alli-ance. Allies in the Gamma World are ofgreat value when entire cities are con-cerned. Consequently, no city avoids theminor risk involved in letting strangers inif it might lead to a better future. Like-wise, turning away or killing emissariescould lead to war.

Most city leaders allow ambassadorsfrom other cities to enter their towns,granting audiences to the newcomers tosee if they bring terms for a treaty. Conse-quently, travelers are often allowed into acity simply by saying that they are from aowerful neighboring community or tribe.

Such visitors may find themselves enteringthe role of ambassadors even if they werenot officially appointed as such.

Strangers new to an area are oftenexpected to pay entry fees before they areallowed into a city. This payment might bein the form of information, an artifact, or

a sum of currency. As a general rule, mostcities will part with small amounts of foodand water if it means gaining valuabletools for survival. Once inside the citywalls, there is much that PCs can explore� though you have to design it first, ofcourse.

Creating a cityWhen setting up an urban area, you

should first decide if the city existed priorto the Social Wars, was built afterward, orwas built around a military or postholo-caust installation. After deciding the city�sorigin, draft a map of the city. As the focusof this article regards life in the GammaWorld�s cities, a full-blown discussion ofmapping is inappropriate. A DM in need ofinspiration may find it by simply consult-ing any Rand McNally road atlas or a mapof his hometown. City-based modules forother fantasy or science-fiction games arealso very helpful in creating the specificlayout of a Gamma World city. A scale of1� = 25 meters works best when map-ping. The use of blank paper (perhapswith an underlying sheet of graph paper)for city-mapping is suggested; it keepsgraph lines from obscuring building walls.Unlike an outpost or installation, a city israrely built to specification and thus doesnot always fit well on graph paper.

When running a city adventure, youhave two options: the players may beexpected to map according to instructions,or you can provide a photocopy of the citymap to the players. Since the former casetakes a long time and is often confusing, itis better to photocopy the map beforenumbering important buildings, then givethis map to the players and let them fill inthe building names and descriptions asthey explore the city.

Most cities should be built in naturallydefensible areas like peninsulas and moun-tain tops. Likewise, toxic marshes andradioactive zones provide protection if cityinhabitants can find a way to adapt to orprotect themselves from these regions.

When designing a Gamma World city,there are a number of other consider-ations the GM should address prior toconducting the adventure. Some of theseconsiderations follow.

Political tension: Hunger for power andcontrol over the lives of others is an unfor-tunate trait of many people. In a politicallyunstable environment (e.g., virtually anypostholocaust urban setting), there aresure to be some who covet the controlheld by community leaders. This envy caneasily lead to an attempt to influence orseize command from the present rulers. Ifthere is one prime ruler, for example, anambitious and charismatic character mightcall the people into revolt in an effort totake command. Elections may also providetense times in a city. (Of course, someprimitive communities may choose leadersby lot, duels to the death, or �divineright.�) Examples such as these and others

suggest a multitude of plots in which PCscan become involved. For instance, if agroup of PCs decides to rusticate in abarbarian community, they may be chosenin a drawing (which by chance allowsvisitors to be included as well) as the newtribal leaders. By community law, theymay then be challenged to a death duel byother members of the tribe.

Cryptic alliances: Some cities are basesfor Cryptic Alliances. For reasons men-tioned earlier, however, these bases mightnot always drive off strangers. While theracial alliances often attack those of allopposing races, most alliances allow way-farers into their cities to rest, buy equip-ment, or attempt to join the alliance.Cryptic Alliances may also be clandestinelybased in more established, law-and-ordersocieties. For example, there may be aRestorationist member in one city�s gov-ernment who secretly influences others toadvance the Restorationist cause.

Racial prejudice: It is a natural instinct toshy away from outsiders. The same holdstrue in a Gamma World city. In a city com-prised of a Pure Strain Human population,mutants will be shunned to some degree,even if the community is not affiliatedwith the Knights of Genetic Purity. Envi-ronments such as these offer a wealth ofrole-playing scenarios. For example, ifthere are members of any of the violent,racially based Cryptic Alliances hiding in acity, PCs may become the victims of racialterrorism or become fall guys for thecrimes of the terrorists.

Ancient culture: Many communities inthe Gamma World are greatly influencedby the cultures of the Ancients, but oftenin bizarre ways. For example, a primitivecommunity may be built around anAncient football stadium. The tribe isdivided by racial type: Pure Strain Human,humanoid, and mutant animals and plants,each of which has a representative. Themutated animal and plant representativescannot become the chieftain, but eachyear the humanoids and Pure StrainHumans dress up in the sacred uniformsof the Jetz and the Jients and engage in aone-hour, hand-to-hand war out on thefield, battling for an Ancient football. Thewinning faction�s representative thenbecomes chief of the entire tribe.

In order to decide what effects Ancientculture has on a city, one must firstdevelop a brief history of the city. Perhapsthe people of a city built around anAncient library are descended from thosewho took shelter there during the SocialWars. Since the wars ended, the refugeescame to call the place home. Their descen-dants now regard the authors of the booksthey read as gods or other great powers inthe universe. A wide variety of strangereligions that originate from beliefs aboutAncient culture can spring up in aGAMMA WORLD game campaign.

Family life: The way individual familieslive is important when making a cityadventure. You should decide what exactly

constitutes a family in a certain city, andwhat roles the members of a family typi-cally play. Are family bonds weak orstrong? How do families tend to feel aboutthe government? How do they respond tothreats? Are families large or small, settledor nomadic?

General knowledge: Education in theGamma World is not rare, as one mightexpect. Children can certainly learn theirparents� crafts. The children in a commu-nity also learn a little about the Ancients,especially if the city has an installation ofsome type in it. Self-defense is taught to allchildren in the hostile environment of theGamma World. Such training sharpensdexterity, strength, and constitution aboveaverage levels, which is why most PCshave better abilities than peasant NPCs.Thus, in a barbaric, warlike community,characters add a point to each of theirphysical attributes. To balance this, youmay give a character a starting skill if hecomes from a less barbaric community.

Economic structures: Economic systemsare important when designing a city. If acity is communist or socialist, the charac-ters will often deal with agents of thegovernment as opposed to dealing withprivate individuals. If the city is based on acapitalist structure, the characters have awider range of services from which tochoose and are able to communicate withthe people as well as the (often weak)government.

Some cities have no other resourceexcept that they are centers of trade.Cities of this kind are nesting places for alltypes of NPCs: con men, bandits, pickpock-ets, smugglers, mercenaries, escapedprisoners and slaves, deserters from dif-ferent armies, and other riffraff. They arealso stopover points for pilgrims, mer-chants, nomads, crusaders, wanderingperformers, and noble NPCs. All in all, thistype of city is a great melting pot for alltypes of races, professions, and religions.While the actual number of long-termresidents might be small when comparedto the number of transients, the size of thecity andthere at any time is tremendous compared

the average number of people

to any other cities in the campaign area.All of the Gamma World�s cities should

have some form of trade with other com-munities (unless they are somehow com-pletely self-sufficient). If one city has foodand another has water, the two will mostlikely trade with each other to get theresources they need. These two citiesmight also look out for each other for thesake of their own interests.

Taxes are placed on all sold goods in anycommunity. This allows the government tobenefit from the trade bought by outsid-ers. Black marketeers and smugglers canavoid this tax by selling through under-ground networks. This sort of activity,however, should always be conducted at ahigh risk.

Some cities are run entirely by mer-chants. In places like these, characters

DRAGON 83

have an easy time buying and sellinggoods. There is also a greater availabilityof rare items in these kinds of cities.Sellers of these items frequent cities like

Some cities may have prohibitions on

this to hawk their goods. Without the sales

certain goods, which are not allowed to besold by anybody. In fact, most cities won�t

tax levied by other cities, these dealers are

even allow prohibited items inside citywalls. Guns, alcohol, and explosives are

free to make a greater profit.

examples of items that may be prohibitedin a city.

Utilities: You must decide if a city haspublic utilities available to its inhabitants.If so, you should consider what organiza-tions take care of electricity, heating,water, and waste disposal. Furthermore,you will have to decide how these utilitiesare employed and regulated. In an energy-starved environment, not everyone willhave access to power sources. Many ofthese luxuries are taken for granted bytoday�s urban inhabitants; in a postholo-caust city, they become problems. Gener-ally, there will be little or no electricity.Camp fires and fireplaces provide mostheat, and a stream or lake of pure water isusually nearby (without a water source,the inhabitants may have to beg, steal, ortrade for this commodity). The city mayopt to reroute waterways through thecity; these may then be used as sewagesystems, transport routes, and watersupplies. Of course, the ingenious role-player will immediately note the compro-mising position a city could be placed in ifthreatened with the contamination of itsonly source of water. Garbage and otherwastes are usually burned or dumpedwhere they (hopefully) cause little troubleto the people of the city.

Laws and customs: Every city has cer-tain laws that keep the peace. These lawsmay take many forms; they may be ascomplex as our current set of laws or assimple and practical as a set of verbalcommandments. For example, a simple setof laws may read as follows: �Do not steal,kill, show disrespect for the city, betraythe city for another, or use firearms unless

the city is under siege or you are underfire by terrorists. Do nothing that willhinder the authorities in any way, andalways support the city leader�s cause.�

There are also unwritten laws that areadhered to because of custom, supersti-

Failure to adhere to these laws could mean

tion, or religion. For instance, althoughsome societies believe that breaking deals

imprisonment, flogging, slavery, loss of a

is simply a part of doing business, othersocieties may look on such actions with

limb, or execution.

great disdain, holding the dealer responsi-ble for an infraction of social custom.Clashes such as these make the game lesspredictable, and you can choose whateverpunishment you wish for those who breakthese unwritten laws.

Customs are also an important part of acity�s character. Many customs can beworked out, although most are based onthe customs of the Ancients. For example,in the football-stadium city describedpreviously, �What�s the score?� is a com-mon greeting and "Two minute warning� isa common good-bye. Such details addreality and fun to the role-playing of a cityadventure.

Local professions: In a Gamma Worldcity, there will be a wide variety of profes-sions, as in almost any city anywhere.Given the great power of Ancient devices,stores that sell weapons outright will berare, but there might be a gun expert orcollector who could be persuaded to sellan artifact to the characters. Other techni-cal professions include computer experts,auto mechanics, and robot repairmen. Theprimitive aspect of the Gamma World alsoproduces blacksmiths, tanners, carpen-ters, and other craftsmen. Such people areoften paid for their services in barter, bygiving something they do not have andcannot make. For instance, a PC mightgive a blacksmith a sack of grain in returnfor fixing that character�s sword.

Creating urban adventuresOnce your Gamma World city has been

designed, you are ready to set up adven-tures in this city. First, you should make a

building key that marks all of the areasthat will be of importance to the charac-ters in the adventures (such as the over-lords castle, the guards� barracks, variousshops, and the homes of important NPCs).You should also note secretly where thereare secret bases, thieves� hideouts, black-market storage areas, and other similarbuildings.

Once this is complete, you can devise arandom-events chart for the city. Suchevents can include a terrorist strike, arobbery, an encounter with a special NPC,or other events that might be a part ofeveryday life in that Gamma World city.Die rolls for these encounters should bemade every few march turns (or at leastonce per day).

The main plot of your city adventuremust now be decided. Unlike other typesof adventures, a city adventure seldominvolves an �explore the unknown� sce-nario. Rescuing prisoners and escapingfrom enemy territory are good plots if thecity concerned is hostile, but there�s moreto city adventuring than that. To create agood adventure in a friendly city, youshould be creative and think of ideas thatare exciting without being excessivelyviolent. Go through the following steps:

1. Decide who the villains are going tobe. Possibilities include corrupt officials,black marketeers, thieves, power-hungryscientists, unknowns seeking politicalpower, and so on. Some villains might beinanimate things, such as nuclear reactorson the verge of meltdown, terrorist bombshidden somewhere in a large city, or evenplagues that must be kept out of the area.The Canopus plague in The AlbuquerqueStarport minimodule is a good disease forthis type of city adventure because itsvictims are compelled to spread the dis-ease, not isolate it.

2. Find a way to introduce the charac-ters to the plot, giving them the properincentive to complete it. Rumors, whichare common with exploration scenarios,are not always necessary in city adven-tures. If a pack of zombies with Canopusplague are pounding on the city gates, it�snot likely to be a subject that is merelygossiped about. In a city, news travels fast.Often, an adventure can begin as soon asthe characters walk into a city and talkwith a friendly guard; actual encounterslead the characters into the adventure. Ifthe group happens to be in the wrongdark alley during a moonless night, theymay witness a murder or similar happen-ing that could get them embroiled in theirnext adventure. Even if the characters donot want to become involved with thecity�s organized crime gang, they may notbe able to avoid it if the gang decides thatall witnesses need to be rubbed out.

3. Set up a series of planned encountersdesigned to further the adventure�s plot.Such encounters should involve the leadvillain, one of his minions, or an NPC whoknows something that will help the char-acters. Any combat in these encounters

84 AUGUST 1988

should seldom exceed the hand-to-handlevel and should only rarely involve loud,destructive weapons. If any of the villainshave mental-attack mutations, they willuse them instead of destructive weapons.

In these set encounters, the playersshould be able to find various clues aboutwho the head villain is. Sensory mutationsshould aid the characters in the discoveryof such clues. Any clues that you have thebad guys drop should lead the charactersto the next planned encounter.

4. Present the characters with the finalconflict. This should be a confrontation(but not necessarily combat) with the mainvillain. The characters should discover thegeneral nature of this antagonist and hismotives. If you care to make a sequel tothis adventure, have the NPC villain escapein some unique manner (if all else fails, usea unique mutation or technological deviceto accomplish this). You could even havethe characters confront an innocent per-son whose body has been taken over bymental control.

One possible city adventure follows,designed for PCs who like a lot of activity(i.e., combat and thinking). The assumedreactions of the party are given, though ofcourse different PC groups will rarelyreact in the same ways.

The day after the characters arrive in alarge city, bombs start going off in crowd-ed buildings and streets. Since the charac-ters are new in town, they are theimmediate suspects. Then the groupnotices a suspicious robed man carrying abox. He sets the box by a fountain in thecenter of the town and leaves. Minuteslater, the box explodes.

When the PCs report the bomber, thecaptain of the guards refuses to believethem, thinking they are trying to cleartheir own names. Soon, the PCs give upand leave. As they head back to the inn,they see the bomber again on a crowdedstreet and begin pursuit. They chase himthrough the city to a locked warehouse,where he sneaks through a small hole inthe wall. Before the PCs can follow, theyare arrested for breaking and entering.After spending the night in jail, theyreturn to the warehouse and discover theentry hole. They discover a large supply ofexplosives and detonators stored there.Obviously, the mad bomber has made thislocation his manufacturing area. The partydecides to lay an ambush for the bomber.

When the villain returns, the partyattacks. Upon subduing the villain, theparty discovers that he is a powerful,heavily armored humanoid who, whencaptured, admits to being a member of theRed Death. Before the characters can turnhim in, however, he breaks free and jumpsdown a hole in the floor of the warehouse.The characters follow him down and findthemselves involved in a game of cat-and-mouse played in a massive complex ofnatural caverns. The NPC has set up anetwork of traps and pitfalls, and the PCsfind they are entrapped in an entirely new

adventure setting in which one mistakecould mean instant death. The PCs stillhave the chance to resolve the adventureby capturing the bomber or slaying him.

This example shows how the scenario isestablished and how it can lead to moreadventures. Will the PCs clear theirnames? What will they do with the explo-sives they�ve found? Where do the cavernslead? What else lives down here?

It is a good idea to place subplots into anadventure to lead the PCs into futureadventures. Depending upon your prefer-ence, these subplots may or may not haveanything to do with the current adven-ture. For instance, in one adventure, acharacter may find a jeweled pendant onone of the villains. Chances are that he willtake the item and soon forget about it. Afew adventures later, he may rememberthe item and inspect it, discovering a smallbutton. He presses the button. Whennothing happens, he simply forgets aboutthe pendant again. About a week later, analien spacecraft lands and informs himthat they were sent to pick him up andreturn him to his home planet. Of course,thousands of adventures can spring fromthis subplot.

Special NPCsThe use of special NPCs is absolutely

necessary to good city adventures. In thecase of the mad bomber, the villain�sdescription and statistics may take up twoor more pages. Such depth of descriptionand detail adds to the richness of the NPC.Of course, the mad bomber is not the onlyspecial NPC in the adventure; the captainof the guards plays an important second-ary role. A number of other minor NPCscould help lead to the eventual confronta-tion with the main villain.

When created, NPCs should be playedaccording to their abilities. A fast charac-ter is not going to try to fight a PC on acity street and risk getting caught; he�sgoing to run instead. A smart characterisn�t going to make stupid errors everyfive minutes just to give the PCs a break.When being pursued through the caverns,the mad bomber (whose intelligence is 16)

doesn�t try to fight the characters everytime he runs into them; he tries to hide orlead them into traps he has set. Only oncedoes he directly fight the characters, in aconfrontation left till the climax of theadventure. This final conflict is what theadventure has been leading to all along.Although the plot lacks heavy, weapon-intensive combat excitement, there may beplenty of underground mutants in thecaverns to fight the PCs.

When faced with an intelligent adver-sary, the PCs are more inclined. to treathim seriously and think harder for a solu-tion to their current dilemma. In the end,the characters may finally catch up withthe NPC by using their brains instead oftheir brawn. In the previous example, thePCs could beat the mad bomber at his owngame by setting traps for him as well.

Monsters and NPCs should be vividlydescribed. Give memorable details on allphysical characteristics, as well as mentaland emotional attributes. Consider thefollowing description: �Suddenly, a large,green-furred beast crashes through thebushes. With batlike wings unfolding, heglides toward you. His whipping tailextends back and over his head; there is aglimmering stinger on its tip. His baredand bloody fangs indicate an angry dispo-sition.� Colorful descriptions like these givethe players a better impression of exactlywhat they are up against, adding to theimmediacy of the encounter.

The opinions, disposition, personality,hatreds, affections, goals, and motives ofan NPC all depend upon the way he wasbrought up. If raised in a communityoverrun by Red Death terrorists, an NPCisn�t likely to have much concern for thelives of others. If that same NPC wasraised in a monastery, though, he will bean entirely different person.

Some NPCs are dedicated to a cause,either because they were brought up thatway or were converted (or brainwashed)at some point in later life. A character�sdedication to a cause depends on howstrictly he was raised. A good GM candecide just what type of personality anNPC will have by quickly devising that

DRAGON 85

NPC�s background and deciding how pastevents have shaped his character. Suchdetails in an NPC cannot be overlooked bythe players, and they will surely enjoyrole-playing their characters alongside awell-made NPC.

It is especially important for villains tobe carefully constructed, using logic andreason. Villains are not merely killingmachines. Consider the following example:

Mandrake is a mutated human withmediocre ability scores, the only exceptionbeing an intelligence of 14. He has 40 hitpoints and the following mutations: eco-nomic genius capability, mental control,pyrophobia, and weather manipulation.This NPC seems very weak and boring,with one defect for his three good muta-tions. Indeed, he could probably bedestroyed by any self-respecting PC partyand would probably not make a greatvillain. But let�s put him in a capitalisticcity and give him a history before wetrash him as a villain.

Mandrake was born in the city ofHilmarsh, 27 years ago. When Mandrakewas 12, a Purist wormed his way onto thethrone and immediately ordered thedestruction of all mutants, who at the timewere a small minority in this particularcity. This leader told all sorts of storiesabout a worldwide mutant conspiracy andhow they planned to take over the Earth.The guards followed his orders and slewall of Hilmarsh�s humanoids. Mandrakeescaped the massacre and fled north,where he joined a barbarian tribe.

Over the next 15 years, Hilmarsh threwthe Purists out of power and out of thecity. At present, the mutant population isstill struggling to rebuild its niche in thiscity. Recently, Mandrake returned as well,thinking that his humanlike form is aperfect disguise. To his surprise, he foundthat there were other mutants living inHilmarsh, but he believed that they werementally enslaved and discriminatedagainst. Enraged by this, he vowed toexact revenge by creating an economicdisaster. Using his special genius, he fig-ured out a way to use his other mutationsto spoil crops and turn incoming mer-chants away from the region. With hisinitial effects having proven successful,Mandrake has now satisfied his revenge,and Hilmarsh is having great economictroubles. Nevertheless, Mandrake con-tinues to destroy crops and otherwisepunish Hilmarsh.

Mandrake has now become a worth-while villain (as well as good material forthe Iron Society) and his motives are rea-sonable and understandable. He nowpresents the PCs with a fitting villainy �one which will require much effort fromthe PCs to overcome. The physical weak-nesses of Mandrake no longer matter sincehe is shrouded in secrecy. Furthermore,the general direction the plot takes willdepend completely upon how the PCsinterpret the clues that you presentregarding Mandrake�s indentity and plans.

86 AUGUST 1988

Society, cities, and PCsWhen PCs start off, they begin as two-

dimensional sheets of statistics. As they gothrough adventure after adventure, how-ever, they develop certain personal attrib-utes and behavior patterns that makethem individuals. When players createtheir characters, they usually have someidea ahead of time about what charactertype they wish to run. Some players pre-fer big, strong, bone-crushing combatants;others like the clever, golden-tongued conmen; still others prefer the high-tech wiz-ard. These and other personal traitsbecome more evident as the player runshis character over a period of severaladventures.

To help develop the personality of acharacter, it is a good idea to sketch outsome details about the character�s past life.To do this, you must decide upon severalgeneral details about the character. Thesedetails include: where the character isfrom; what type of social position thecharacter�s family holds; why the charac-ter took up adventuring; what the charac-ter hopes to gain from adventuring; howthe character was brought up; and whatoccurred in the character�s early life toaffect his opinions, morals, and outlook.

To answer these questions, you mustconfer with the player and decide uponthe answers with him. Players should nothave to decide their pasts for themselves(if so, their PCs will probably come from atech level IV communities and be the sonsand daughters of the communities� lead-ers). By the same token, however, youshouldn�t shoulder this task without thehelp and input of the PC; a GM has enoughcreative control in the entire campaignworld. The PC, though, is the only creativeoutlet for the player. Consequently, theplayer should have the most input on whattype of character he is playing.

If you have the time and the players arewilling, it is a good idea to run each PCthrough two or three short solo adven-tures before that PC meets the others.This gives experience and knowledge thatnone of the others have, and it allows agroup of characters from different citiesand backgrounds to join together, eachbringing memories of his past along.

The following are examples of what PCswith creative histories can be like at thestart of the campaign. Each also shows theeffects of society (and, in Bagard�s case,city life) on that PC.

Arturo: Arturo is a Pure Strain Humanwho was born in a tech level I tribe ofPure Strain Human nomads who wander-ed the campaign area of Metrop. Arturowas taught by his warrior father that self-preservation was the key to life. DuringArturo�s 18th year, a group of Mutationistsraided and wiped out his tribe. His animalinstincts allowed him to survive. Duringhis escape, he saw several mutants weep-ing over a fallen loved one. He cared littleabout the deaths of his parents and fellowtribe members, but was upset that he was

now on his own and it was because of agroup of mutants.

As one might guess, Arturo hates allmutants and feels them to be weak ofheart, remembering the mutants whomourned for their friend. His goals inadventuring are to survive as long aspossible and to kill all mutants, ridding theworld of the weak-hearted fools. Headmires cities and high-tech installations,finding them to be easy and efficient meth-ods of survival, but he prefers being aloner because he does not like endanger-ing himself for the good of others.

In my campaign, Arturo played throughtwo or three solo adventures, then tried tojoin the Purists. In the initiation, he wasseverely wounded and was thrown out bythe Cryptic Alliance. He was starving andhurt when he was found and aided by theremaining PCs, three of whom werehumanoids. Despite his original racialhatred and his desire to be alone, he soonbecame a member of the party anddropped his hatred of humanoids shortlyafter they had saved his life a few times.

Bagard Sorenson: Bagard Sorenson, ahumanoid character, was born in a tech IIcity of mixed races, where wealth was all-important. Being of low strength, intelli-gence, and social class (but high indexterity), he lived his early life as a thief,the same profession held by the rest of hisfamily. When a new overlord decided torid the city of thieves by increasing secu-rity and intensifying punishment, Bagard�sparents and siblings were captured andhanged. Bagard quickly changed his waysand joined up with a caravan, running ashell game.

Bagard�s player went through a few soloadventures as well. In the first adventure,he was caught cheating at his game andwas chased away from the caravan by hisvictims. The next couple of solo adven-tures were built around his escape fromhis pursuers. When I decided to have thisPC join the rest, I simply had him stumbleacross the party�s path. They helped himwhen the mutant whom Bagard hadcheated showed up, and he has adven-tured with the group ever since.

Bagard is not likely to have any particu-lar racial prejudices, nor will he havestrong opinions about any particular gov-ernments (except for the one that exe-cuted his family). It is likely that he wouldmake a good scout and spy for the party.Sorenson also has a good knowledge ofhow the underworld works and can smella con game a mile away.

ConclusionThe cities and societies of the Gamma

World deserve important roles in all cam-paigns. If you take the time to flesh outseveral cities in your game world and set afew adventures in them, you�ll see what Imean. The postholocaust society you envi-sion, if carefully detailed, adds tremen-dously to the excitement and fun of yourGAMMA WORLD game campaign.

©1988 by Jim Bambra

The urban life — fantasy style

Black smoke hung low over the city. Thestench of unwashed bodies and opendrains drifted through the great gates.

"Four gold? You want four gold piecesbefore you�ll let us enter the city?� Garrik�shand dropped to his sword hilt as heshouted at the guard. �It�s daylight rob-bery! I refuse to pay!�

The guard rubbed his chin and

88 AUGUST 1988

motioned to the armored figures withinthe gatehouse. Within seconds, the gate-way was blocked by members of the cityguard. As the guards� halberds wereraised in thrusting positions toward thetwo adventurers, peasants waiting to enterthe city scattered in all directions.

The dark-haired woman in robes byGarrik�s side quickly interposed herself

between Garrik and the guard. �My friendis a little excitable,� she said quickly, butwith a smile. �He�s from Tossland, youknow. They�re ignorant of civilized waysdown there. I�m Janna the Sorceress.�

�Hey!� Garrik roared. "I'm not ignorant! Ijust want-�

Before he could finish, Janna reachedback and grabbed his arm. �Shut up,� shewhispered, still smiling at the guard. �Youwant to walk in here or be buried here?�

The guard looked carefully at the adven-turers. "Four gold. Pay up or get lost.�

Janna dug into her purse. �Here, here�sten. Have a drink on us when you get offduty.� After having their names taken by ascribe, the two wayfarers passed the gatesand entered the crowded city.

�This place stinks.� Garrik�s nose wrin-kled up in disgust. �My dads pigsty smellsbetter than this.� A small figure bumpedinto Garrik as he moved to avoid streettraffic.

"F'give me, m�lord!� the child gasped.�Th� wagon a�most ran over me! Didn�tmean ya harm.� The young boy lookedfearfully up at Garrik�s muscled form.

�It�s all right, lad,� the man replied, smil-ing. �Just get out of my way.�

As the boy melted back into the crowd,Garrik�s eyes lit up. "�Maybe city life won�tbe too bad after all. Look, a jeweller�sshop. And it hasn�t got any guards!� It waseasy to see what was on his mind.

"I knew it was a mistake to travel with abarbarian,� Janna said to no one in particu-lar. She tugged at Garrik�s sleeve andpointed towards a nearby tavern. �Let�s gohave a drink.�

�Yeah. Then we�ll knock over the jewel-lers! I�ll buy the first � Hey! Where�s mypurse?�

A village is able to grow into a town andthen into a city for one good reason: trade.Every city depends on trade. Food must bebrought in from the countryside to feedthe teeming masses, so manufacturedgoods are shipped out to pay for the foodand to gain goods from other urban cen-ters. To facilitate trade, cities are oftenfound on the banks of a river or along acoastline, the water providing an efficientmeans of transport.

Trade makes the city the place to go forgoods, services, and entertainmentunavailable in the pastoral countryside. Asa center of power and resources, a cityattracts wealthy people of noble birth �and those who have gained their wealth inother ways. The city offers social advance-ment, opportunities for people to spendtheir earnings, and numerous ways toearn those earnings, both honest anddishonest. All types of characters can befound in cities: rich merchants, powerfulnobles, hardworking artisans and labor-ers, devout clerics, studious magic-users,warriors, thieves, and more low-life scumthan you can imagine, each looking to thecity to meet his individual needs.

The thief character class in particularcomes onto its own in the city. There arealways plenty of rich pockets to pick andwealthy residences to burgle, as well asplenty of watchmen to flee from. Yet thecity is often no place for free-lance opera-tives. Only members of the thieves� guildare allowed to ply their trade in sometowns; anyone else who steals for a livingis asking for trouble.

But where there�s chaos, there�s alsoorder. Day and night, patrols of watchmenscour the streets to catch or deter wrong-doers and to make the city safe for decentfolk. Still, many a man has been found inthe gray light of dawn, lying face down inthe gutter with a knife between his ribs,and many an adventurer has arrived in atavern only to find her purse considerablylighter than when she set out. Nothing ispredictable in a city.

Sooner or later, all adventurers reachtown. Whether the PCs� mission is to pickup supplies or find work, whether the cityencounter is an integral part of a largeradventure or just a brief tour, the adven-turers will find themselves in a new anddangerous setting. Adventurers accus-tomed to lording their strength over thepeasants or stomping everything theymeet in the dungeon or wilderness couldbe in for a shock when they enter a city�sgates. Cities are, by their very nature,organized places, ruled by powerful char-acters, patrolled by vigilant guards, andstrengthened by mighty guilds. Citiescurtail the actions of their citizens to main-tain order and security. Brawling in thestreets is frowned upon and often activelydiscouraged. Robbery and murder areserious offenses guaranteed to make lifehard for free-wheeling adventurers.

City adventures have to be approachedwith a degree of caution. You can�t runamok through the city like you canthrough a dungeon; the town watch takesa very dim view of indiscriminate violence.Adventurers can�t even knock over thelocal evil sorcerer�s den just because he�sdoing despicable things in his spare time.He may be evil and rotten to the core, butchances are that he does not lack influ-ence with the city�s rulers or other power-ful interest groups. Do you let him carryon with his sinister plans? No � but you�vegot to be careful. If this fiend was hangingout in an isolated citadel in the wilderness,you could burst in, defeat his guards,negate his magical traps, nail the swine,then escape into the safety of the country-side. But in a city, the watch could turn upat any time, making it impossible to stage aclean getaway. Then, too, the city authori-ties may take a very dim view of you ifyou attack someone they consider to be arespectable citizen.

But don�t let that deter you, or you�llmiss out on some of the best role-playingexperiences around. Cities offer adven-tures that are much more than pure com-bat. Sure, you can just waltz into a placeand lay waste with a carefully placed

fireball, but is that what you really want?You could instead be drawn into theintrigue between two rival factions, pulloff the greatest heist since Conan wasaround, or spend a few weeks of highliving as you burn through your hard-earned money.

Cities offer their own distinctive chal-lenges, both simple and complicated. In acity with thousands of inhabitants, some-one is always going to want somethingdone, whether it�s acting as a night watch-man or breaking into a warehouse. Thestreets are alive: runaway horses andwagons to avoid or catch, thieves dippinginto your pocket, clerics out to convertyou to their faiths, and corrupt officialstrying to squeeze you for as much as theycan. And what better place to hear rumorsof hidden treasure hoards and news offoreign lands than in a busy city inn?Cities are an ideal place to spend your looton essential adventuring equipment orconsumer durables. (�It�s the finest Talor-ian silk, my lady; it could have been madejust for you. Look how it makes your eyessparkle! A bargain at only 500 gold.�) Oryou could find a jeweller who specializesin very expensive gems and jewelry; there,you can convert your gold pieces intomore easily portable items or cash in thathuge diamond you�ve been lugging aroundfor months to get more readily exchange-able gold pieces.

The ideal urban settingFrom a player�s point of view, there may

be no such thing as an ideal urban setting.(�Hey, I�m a druid! I�m not going into asmelly city filled with grasping merchantsand the scum of the earth. Give me thewide, open spaces and the fresh feel of theforests. You can keep your smoke-filledstreets.�) But from a game master�s view-point, urban settings have a lot to offer inthe types of adventures that may be runwithin a town�s confines.

What makes an ideal urban setting? Forstarters, an urban setting must be atmo-spheric. It must have a distinctive feel thatsets that town apart from all others; other-wise, all urban settings are going to lookthe same to the players. To get this distinc-tive feel, urban settings must consist ofmore than a city map and descriptions ofits buildings. An urban setting should bevibrant and feel real, and should impresseveryone with its background and layout.It should have its own internal logic andmust be a campaign setting in miniature. Azoo-style dungeon above ground is not acity. The hidden city of Suderham in A1-4Scourge of the Slavelords definitely feelsright, as does Glantri City in GAZ3 ThePrincipalities of Glantri. These cities haveboth been designed to fit into and enhancetheir specific backgrounds, and this designconsideration has molded these cities intosatisfying settings for urban role-playing.How do other stand-alone urban settingsshape up when it comes to providing

convincing and interesting adventuresettings?

CITY-STATE OF THE INVINCIBLEOVERLORD�

An OVERLORD� city supplementMayfair Games, Inc. $25.00Original design: Robert Bledsoe and Bill

OwenNew design: Jeff R. LeasonAdditional material: Troy DenningEditing: Thomas Cook, Jonatha Ariadne

Caspian, and Jacqueline Leeper

Back in 1976, during the dawn of fanta-sy role-playing, Judges Guild released theCity State of the Invincible Overlord, alarge, rambling urban complex stuffed fullof all kinds of creatures and encounters.The original City State came with its owncampaign setting which featured a dwar-ven fortress-town, Thunderhold. Thesetting and city reflected its early originsin a number of ways: The city was eclec-tic, including a wide range of religions anda great diversity in its racial composition.Here, lizardmen and trolls rubbed shoul-ders with humans, dwarves, and elves.The encounter tables included harpies,shadows, wights, mind flayers, and golems� hardly the types of monsters you wouldexpect to meet in a civilized city. The cityalso lacked any kind of index, making it anightmare for the GM to run.

Confused PC: �Excuse me, sir. Could youdirect me to the nearest armorer?�

Peasant: �Yeah, er, sure.� [A five-minutedelay then follows as the GM desperatelystares at the City State maps, hoping thatone of the armorers will pop out.] Er, I�msure I saw one earlier today. Maybe it wason Ox-Cart Road.�

Confused PC: �Thank you, kind sir. We�llhead down Ox-Cart Road and ask anotherpasser-by. Here�s one. Oh, sir!�

New Peasant: [Groan.] �Hang on while Icheck my map; I�m new here. Ah! Here itis, down the street and take the first left.You can�t miss it. Phew!�

While having these design flaws, the CityState also had its own unique charm. Thegame master�s map was huge: four largesheets that totally dominated the playingarea and which required careful shufflingto avoid giving too much away to theplayers. Long streets and winding alleyscovered the maps, promising hidden areasof mystery and adventure. Even the mostdiligent group of adventurers wereunlikely to ever properly identify everybuilding. The sheer magnitude of the CityState meant that large numbers of build-ings were simply not described, but couldbe filled in by the GM required.

Various rumors were available from theinhabitants of the buildings, making theCity State an ideal place for any adventur-ing group. Using the city as their base ofoperations, adventurers could pick up arumor or two, head out on an adventure,then come back to spend their loot. Oncethe adventurers returned home, there was

DRAGON 89

no shortage of places in which to buyexotic goods or otherwise squander richeson well-earned rest and relaxation.

But those were the old days. Now, thissetting has been revised and published byMayfair Games as a boxed set. On thesurface, it�s an impressive-looking package,consisting of a four-page introduction, an80-page Map and Population Book, a 32-page Background and Encounter Book, alarge full-color map with a city on one sideand the island campaign setting on theother, a large Players� Map, a 16-pageadventure booklet, four eight-page CityGuides, four eight-page Race Guides, andtwo plastic overlay sheets for regulatingcity and wilderness travel. Upon rippingthrough the shrink-wrap, however, theinitial excitement soon gives way to disap-pointment. For underneath the glossypresentation lies a badly conceived urbansetting.

Gone are the winding alleys and jumbledbuildings, now replaced by a pretty butunconvincing suburban playground. Build-ings stand in their own spacious grounds,making the city look like nothing morethan a sprawling village enclosed by stoutstone walls. No longer are there alleys toget mugged in after dark. Gone are theovercrowded streets. This city is a town-planner�s dream. As such, it is hardly thestuff of a bustling fantasy city. The cam-paign setting is equally thin and unin-spired. It consists of a large island with aplateau in the middle, on which sits thecity. A few mountains and forests have been slung in to add a bit of variety, butit�s far from exciting.

The background, from the Backgroundand Encounter Book provided by TroyDenning, is something else. It�s vibrant andthere�s something happening � but doesthe City-State stand in isolation to its sur-roundings? While the background nowplaces the City-State, renamed Briarwood,in a campaign setting (Calandia) in whichdark forces threaten the country�s veryexistence, this seems to have little impacton the city itself. The Overlord is con-cerned about the threat and is takingmeasures to counter it, but as far as, hisactions affect the city�s personality, theOverlord might as well be contemplatinghis next bath. As it stands, the city existson its own, with its background seeminglytacked on as an afterthought. According tothe background, thousands of refugeespour into the city, plague stalks the streets,corpses choke the river, and monsters popup for a quick rampage � yet the cityitself seems relatively unaffected by theseoccurrences. True, a few of the encoun-ters feature a chimera or a medusa, butthese are nothing more than randomevents chucked in to give the PCs some-thing to hack at.

The rest of the random encounters areequally uninspiring. Consisting of littlemore than pieces of read-aloud text and

dungeon, fill it with a bunch of wanderingmonsters, and stick it above ground, you�llget a good idea of what these encountersare all about.

In the Map and Population Book, we getdown to the backbone of the city. Are youlooking for information on how the cityoperates, what its daily routines are like,and how its various power groups interactwith each other and with outsiders? For-get it. What you get are some badly drawnbuilding plans, information on who lives inthem, and the characters� statistics. Youmight need this information if your PCsenjoy rushing into places and attacking theinhabitants; otherwise, it doesn�t conveymuch in the way of how to handle theseencounters.

The City-State also suffers in the religiondepartment. Instead of presenting a con-sistent pantheon, the designer has optedfor a wander through the AD&D® Legends& Lore book. Here, we have Egyptian andGreek deities rubbing shoulders with thegods of Japan, Central America, NorthAmerica, the Vikings, the Celts, and theIndian subcontinent. Some of these I canaccept as being worshiped in the samearea, but such a wide diversity is simplystaggering in its mish-mash of cultures andbeliefs. It is yet another example of howthe City-State lacks a cohesive atmosphere.

The four City Guides are designed toease players into their first visit to theCity-State, and each includes a list of build-ings likely to be of interest to variouscharacter classes. The guides also includecalendars indicating when various festivalstake place. These interesting additions givethe PCs some places to go when they enterthe city. The Race Books are . . . well, it�sreally up to you how you view these. Ifyou like the idea of having powerful pixie,centaur, naga, and lizardman characters inyour campaign, then these have somethingto recommend them. If you don�t wantsuch PCs, or you prefer them to be a bitmore balanced with respect to other char-acter classes, then the books are not evenworth a glance.

The adventure, �To Catch a Thief,� fea-tures an investigative situation whereinthe PCs attempt to free a man accused of acrime he did not commit. While the basicplot is acceptable and serves to introducea group of adventurers to the City-State, itcould have been better presented.

Evaluation: The revised CITY-STATEOF THE INVINCIBLE OVERLORD set is agood example of how not to go aboutdesigning a city. It lacks a cohesive feel,and any atmosphere the City-State mayhave had is lost in a mass of individuallocation descriptions. Ten years ago, thiswould have been acceptable; today, it�slackluster and boring. Instead of rectifyingthe faults of the original, Mayfair hasamplified them. But all is not lost; the newCity-State does have one redeeming fea-ture � an index. This boxed set is availa-

some statistics, they convey none of the ble from: Mayfair Games, Inc., PO. Boxatmosphere of the city. If you take a 48539, Niles IL 60648, U.S.A.

90 AUGUST 1988

LANKHMAR� City of AdventureAn AD&D® game city supplementTSR, Inc. $12.00Design: Bruce Nesmith, Douglas Niles, and

Ken RolstonAdditional research: Steve MeccaEditing: Anne Gray McCready and Barbara

Green Deer

This is more like it: a city that is full ofatmosphere and has a distinctive charac-ter. However, Lankhmar�s character is alsoone of its weaknesses, as the city is veryclosely tied to the world and characterscreated by novelist Fritz Leiber. Thismakes it hard to fit this supplement into amore conventional AD&D game setting,but more about this later.

The LANKHMAR city supplement con-sists of a 96-page book, a large full-colormap of the city, and a 32-page booklet withgeomorphs, district maps, a DM�s player-character roster, and five pregeneratedplayer characters drawn from the stories.It�s a living and breathing city, a placewhere Leiber�s heroes Fafhrd and theGray Mouser can really feel at home. Inhis Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books,Fritz Leiber described the city ofLankhmar in an entertaining and believ-able fashion. Living here are all manner ofrogues, charlatans, and adventurers. Thesupplement�s designers have done anexcellent job of capturing the atmosphereof the city; you can almost smell thesmoke and stench as you read through thesupplement�s main book.

The map of Lankhmar depicts a crowd-ed city with roads and alleys windingaround the houses. In the middle of eachcity block is a large blank area that repre-sents the narrow backstreets ofLankhmar, those areas about which thecasual passer-by knows nothing. It is onlyafter leaving the main streets and ventur-ing into the inner areas of Lankhmar thatthese areas become known to the PCs.Whenever the PCs venture into the back-streets, the GM selects one of the 12geomorphs to fill the empty area. Eachgeomorph shows the layout of buildings inthe backstreets, and with the aid of therandom Building and NPC GeneratorCharts, it�s a simple matter to populate thearea during play. The inclusion of samplefloor plans makes it easy to describe theinterior of any building entered unexpect-edly by the PCs. Alternatively, if you knowthat you�re going to be running an adven-ture in the backstreets of Lankhmar, oneof the geomorphs can be prepared inadvance, complete with detailed NPCs androom descriptions.

Instead of being full of seeminglyendless descriptions of buildings, theLANKHMAR pack focuses on describingthe various areas of the city and the peo-ple who inhabit them. The city is there-fore easily accessible and easy to use. Eachcity district is given a piece of descriptivetext which sets the tone of the area, andimportant or typical buildings are

described. Most buildings are thereforenot detailed at all, allowing you to person-alize the city as much as desired. This iswhat the LANKHMAR pack is all about: anopportunity for GMs to create their owncity in as much detail as they desire. Andlet�s face it: You�re never going to needevery building detailed. Most of the time,the PCs will just be traveling along themain streets on their way to somewhereelse. Only in those areas where the PCslive or which are planned as specificadventure locations are you going to needany real idea of who actually lives there.The feel of the city streets is far moreimportant than endless descriptions ofbuildings and their functions.

Does helping to design a city seem like adaunting task for a DM? Relax. There�senough background here to make it reallyeasy. Descriptions of guilds, prominentNPCs, Lankhmar�s gods, the military, andessays on life in the city get you into theatmosphere; as an added bonus, they�refun to read as well. If the PCs leave thecity, the background on the world ofNehwon can be used to design adventuresoutside of the city walls.

The LANKHMAR pack is not without afew problems: There is no Rainbow Palaceflow chart for conducting fights andchases in the palace, no Nehwon wander-ing monster encounter chart (althoughthis is referenced twice in the book), andno new spells that were promised forspell-casters. It�s a pity that these sectionsare missing, but as they are far fromessential, their omission is more of aminor annoyance than a devastating goof.A few areas in which the LANKHMARpack could have been improved includereferencing the district maps so that it�seasy to flick from the large players� map tothe smaller district maps, and by the addi-tion of an index of establishments andimportant NPCs.

Evaluation: With its flexible and easy-to-use system for detailing the city, theLANKHMAR pack is easily one of the bestcity supplements ever published, but it isalso limited in its use. To be used to fulleffect, it must be placed fully withinLeiber�s world. This is a world with lots ofcharm, excitement, and humor, but it iscertainly not your average AD&D gameworld. With no dwarves, elves, or half-lings, and with magic much more restrict-ed than is usually the case, theLANKHMAR pack is unique but narrow inscope. It takes a long, long time to castspells in the world of Nehwon, makingspell-casters much less effective and leav-ing them vulnerable to physical attacks.These rules could easily be ignored, but bydoing so, a lot of the flavor of the originalcity of Lankhmar will be lost. So, we havean excellent city pack that doesn�t fit veryeasily into mainstream AD&D game play� a situation that tends to mark theLANKHMAR pack as an inspirational refer-ence work rather than a living and breath-ing city. This is, of course, unless you�re a

big Leiber fan who enjoys thief- andfighter-oriented adventures; in this case,LANKHMAR is a dream come true.

CarseA generic FRPG city supplementChaosium, Inc. $8.95Design: Stephen Abrams, April Abrams,

and Midkemia PressAdditional material, editing, and layout:

Lynn Willis

Carse was originally published by Midke-mia Press and is now available fromChaosium as part of their Universal Sup-plement Series, a series of generic role-playing aids which also include Cities (seethe �Short and sweet� review in DRAGON®

Magazine #124). The pack is designed foruse with all fantasy role-playing systems,but fits in best with the D&D®, the AD&D,and Chaosium�s RUNEQUEST® games. Itconsists of a 56-page book and a largeplayers� map.

The layout is easy to use, with each partof the city being presented as an area mapannotated with each building�s function.More detailed descriptions of each of thebuildings within an area are found on thefacing and following pages. As in the CITY-STATE OF THE INVINCIBLE OVERLORDset, the designers have opted to sacrificesize in favor of detailed descriptions ofevery building in the city. Carse thereforeweighs in as a small city with large openareas between the buildings.

But Carse comes across as a much morecohesive whole than the City-State. Thethree religions worshipped in the town,while not being greatly detailed, arebelievable; they fit in with the city�s dis-tinctive medieval feel. The backgroundinformation is not particularly extensive,but it does an adequate job of providing asolid backdrop to the city. A more thor-ough integration of the background intothe descriptions of the city would giveCarse a more dynamic flavor. As it stands,Carse is really a door-to-door guide to thecity�s buildings and its individual inhabit-ants. The index is, however, very thor-ough, making it easy to find any type ofestablishment that a group of adventurersis likely to visit.

The random encounter tables consist ofvarious NPCs that the PCs are likely tomeet while they wander the streets. Theseencounters, while containing colorfulNPCs, give few hints as to how the NPCsare likely to react to the PCs, and it is leftup to the GM to decide how to use anyencountered character. More staging tipswould have gone a long way toward mak-ing these encounters more vibrant. Formore generic street encounters, the GM isreferred to the tables in the Cities book.

Evaluation: Even though Carse followsthe rather mundane route of describingevery dwelling, it does so in a more con-vincing way than the CITY-STATE OF THEINVINCIBLE OVERLORD set, painting apicture of a believable fantasy city. If more

attention had been paid to describing theatmosphere of the city and if tips on howto bring it to life were provided, Carsewould be a very good pack. As it stands,Carse provides a good starting point forGMs willing to add the needed work tobring the city to life. Carse is availablefrom: Chaosium, Inc., PO. Box 6302, Alba-ny CA 94706-0302, U.S.A.

Tulan of the IslesA generic FRPG city supplementChaosium, Inc. $8.95Design: Raymond Feist, Stephen Abrams,

April Abrams, Midkemia Press, andWilliam Dunn

Divine intervention: Lynn Willis and Char-lie Krank

Graphic design: William Dunn

Tulan of the Isles is another MidkemiaPress and Chaosium collaboration. Thetown of Tulan is set in the same campaignarea as Carse, and it is directly under thesway of the Baron of Carse. This 64-pagebook (with fold-out map) has the sameeasy-to-use format as Carse and drawsupon the same background. It devotesmore space to town organization andstructure, giving the town a livelier feelthan that possessed by Carse. This is fur-ther enhanced by a look at what a groupof adventurers is likely to do in Tulan. Thisprovides a good starting point for GMsusing the town as the base of operationsfor their adventuring group and serves toorient the town to suit the needs of theadventurers, rather than being just acollection of buildings. The sections deal-ing with a party�s first entrance into townalso help create atmosphere and bring thetown to life.

Tulan of the Isles is marked by a feudbetween two of the town�s powerful fami-lies: the Mangrums and Woodhews. This isa feud that can spill over into streetbrawls at any time � one that gives thetown a distinctive character and providesplenty of opportunities for the adventur-ers to get involved on either side.

The encounter tables convey more ofthe town�s atmosphere than the ones inthe Carse book, but they are really littlemore than ideas that need development toprevent them from coming across as hol-low encounters. Again, the encountercharts from Cities will be very helpful.

The building descriptions are also longerthan in the Carse book, which again servesto add more depth to Tulan of the Islesand make it the better choice of the twopacks. The lands around Tulan also receivemore detail than in Carse, making it easierto run adventures outside the town. As abonus, the nearby village of Hoxley isgiven a detailed treatment that includes aready-to-run adventure to introduce play-ers to the village and its problems.

Evaluation: Of the detailed building-by-building urban settings under consider-ation this month (THE CITY-STATE OF THEINVINCIBLE OVERLORD, Carse, and Tulan

DRAGON 91

of the Isles), Tulan of the Isles is easily thebest of the three. Tulan�s atmosphere isnot conveyed as well as Lankhmar�s, butthe town scores highly in other areas andfits in well with most fantasy systems. Thissupplement is available from: Chaosium,Inc., P.O. Box 6302, Albany CA 94706-0302,U.S.A.

Short and sweetAC11 The Book of Wondrous Inventions,

by various authors, compiled by Bruce A.Heard. TSR, Inc., $8.95. Usable with boththe D&D and the AD&D game systems,The Book of Wondrous Inventions is a realtreat for lovers of wacky magical items.Here, you will find all manner of zanylabor-saving devices and weird warmachines. Are your characters fed upwith washing dishes? Then sling the dishesinto Melrond�s Foolproof Dishwasher. Isyour party looking for some portableentertainment next time you go adventur-ing? Then look no further than Brandon�sBard-in-a-Box. Or maybe you�re in themarket for devices of mass destruction?Well, there are plenty of these too. In fact,everything you could ever wish for ishere. Just in case it�s not, there are niftyrules for creating your own magical items� and everything is guaranteed. Yep, that�sright: guaranteed to go wrong. Nobodysaid this was a perfect world.

The Star Wars Sourcebook, by CurtisSmith and Bill Slavicsek. West End Games,$14.95. �A long time ago, in a galaxy far,far away . . .� Or maybe not quite so faraway. The Star Wars Sourcebook iscrammed with interesting background onthe Star Wars universe. Here, you�ll findinformation on hyperdrives, starships,droids, repulsorlift vehicles, aliens, andthe heroes from the movies. Written withnongamers in mind, The Star Wars Sour-cebook makes for an absorbing read, butSTAR WARS®: The Roleplaying Game fanswill not be disappointed, as each entrycomes complete with the statistics for therole-playing game. Now you can see whyHan Solo is such a hot pilot and why theheroes rarely get hit. The sections onImperial Stormtroopers and their equip-ment is invaluable, as are the descriptionsof the rebel bases. With this book, STARWARS: The RPG becomes even better.

STAR WARRIORS game, by DouglasKaufman. West End Games, $19.95. Expe-rience the thrill of starfighter combat inthe Star Wars universe in this cleverlydesigned board game by Doug Kaufman.By employing neat, easy-to-use and easy-to-learn mechanics, Star Warriors puts youat the controls of an X-wing, TIE fighter,or other spaceship from the movies. Eachplayer has a sheet showing the various

maneuvers available and the difficulty ofsuccessfully completing a specific maneu-ver. Each turn, players place chits for eachof their ships to show what maneuversthey are attempting. The difficulty num-ber of each maneuver is then added upand the pilots must equal or better theirdifficulty score by rolling their pilotingdice. It�s up to each player to decide howmany maneuvers their pilots attempt, butonly the highest skilled pilots are likely topull off a large number of maneuvers. StarWarriors combines fast action with carefulplanning, and it�s compatible with the role-playing game. Check it out if you likespace-combat games; this one is hard tobeat.

Darrians, by Marc W. Miller, Robert andNancy Parker, and Matt Renner. GameDesigners� Workshop, $7.00. At the faredge of the Spinward Marches lies theDarrian Confederation, home to a minorhuman race with mixed Solomani blood.The Confederation is noteworthy for itspossession of the Star Trigger, a devicecapable of creating huge stellar flares.Before they caused their own star toerupt, the Darrians had achieved the dizzyheights of Tech Level 16. Now the Darr-ians have lost much of their advancedtechnology, but the Star Trigger remains apowerful deterrent to any potentialaggressors. Darrians is the eighth moduledealing with the various races inhabitingthe TRAVELLER® game universe. Itincludes the same in-depth treatment ofhistory, politics, culture, physiology, andcharacter generation found in the othermodules in the series. This is highly rec-ommended for TRAVELLER game fanseverywhere.

Gnomes-100, Dragons-0, by Jim Wardand Jean Blashfield. TSR, Inc., $7.95.What�s this: gamebooks in the role-playingreviews section? That�s right; this one istoo good not to mention. You play Rye theBaker, would-be savior of the gnomes ofMount Nevermind. This large-format bookis full of pictures to look at, humorousgnomish devices to laugh at, and a simpleyet effective game system to employ. Yourtask is to collect as many items as possiblebefore the dragon army arrives andsquashes the gnomes. To aid you in thisheroic endeavor, the gnomes have sup-plied you with a suit of steam-poweredarmor. In addition, they allow you to becatapulted around the mountain in theirgnomeflinger. Each area within MountNevermind comes with a full-page illustra-tion, which shows who you can talk to andwhat items you can examine. Unfortu-nately, the book is marred by a few rout-ing errors; I stomped the dragon armyinto the ground, then turned to entry118I, only to find that I�d been dumpedback into the adventure. Searchingthrough the book for the right entry is notmy idea of a dramatic ending!

92 AUGUST 1988

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is a service to our readersworldwide. Anyone may place a free listingfor a game convention here, but the follow-ing guidelines must be observed.

In order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timely infor-mation, all material should be either typeddouble-spaced or printed legibly on stand-ard manuscript paper. The contents ofeach listing must be short, succinct, andunder 150 words long.

The information given in the listing mustinclude the following, in this order:

1. Convention title and dates held;2. Site and location; 3. Guests of honor (if applicable);4. Special events offered;5. Registration fees or attendance

requirements; and,6. Address(es) and telephone number(s)

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, newsletters, and othermass-mailed announcements will not beconsidered for use in this column; weprefer to see a cover letter with theannouncement as well. No call-in listingsare accepted. Unless stated otherwise, alldollar values given for U.S. and Canadianconventions are in U.S. currency.

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

Copy deadlines are the last Monday ofeach month, two months prior to the on-sale date of an issue. Thus, the copy dead-line for the December 1988 issue is the lastMonday of October 1988. Announcementsfor North American and Pacific conventionsmust be mailed to: Convention Calendar,DRAGON® Magazine, PO. Box 110, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Announcementsfor Europe must be posted an additionalmonth before the copy deadline to: Con-vention Calendar, DRAGON® Magazine,TSR UK Limited, The Mill, Rathmore Road,Cambridge CB1 4AD, 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 either RobinJenkins or Roger E. Moore at TSR, Inc.,(414) 248-3625 (U.S.A.). Questions orchanges concerning European conventionsshould be directed to Rik Rose at TSR UKLimited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.).

indicates an Australian convention. indicates a European convention.

94 AUGUST 1988

* 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.

SCIENCE FICTION ART EXHIBITIONJune 27-August 22

The Orlando Science Center in Orlando, Fla.,will feature a collection of art and artifacts fromMichael Whelan, Vincent Di Fate, Kelly Freas,and other artists. The show will also havemotion-picture artifacts, a film lecture series,and a film festival. Admission is $4 for adults, $3for children, and $10 for entire families. TheOrlando Science Center is located in OrlandoLoch Haven Park, just off Interstate 4 in down-town Orlando. Write to: Orlando Science Center,810 East Rollins Street, Orlando FL 32803-1291;or call: (407) 896-7151.

OMACON 8, August 5-7This major Midwest science-fiction, prospace,

and gaming convention is sponsored by Nebras-kans for the Advancement of Space Develop-ment (NASD), and will be held at the Holiday InnCentral, 3321 S. 72nd Street, in Omaha, Nebr.Write to: OMACON 8, P.O.Box 37851, Omaha NE68137; or call: (402) 476-7176.

EASTERN N.C. TOY AND HOBBY SHOWAugust 6-7

This show will be held at the New Cum-berland County Agro-Expo Center, just offHighway 301 South, in Fayetteville, N.C. Thisevent includes a swap meet for collectors ofcomic books and antique and collectible toys,games, model kits, and baseball cards. Dailyadmission fees are $3. Write to: Carolina HobbyExpo, 3452 Odell School Road, Concord NC28025; or call: (704) 786-8373.

GAME-FEST IX, August 12-21San Diego�s ninth-annual game festival will be

held in historic Old Town, San Diego, and willfeature over 60 different role-playing and boardgame events with more than $1,500 in totalprizes. Special events include: game demonstra-tions; figure painting, diorama, and costumecontests; a two-day Grand AD&D® Open; aSteve Jackson Pentathlon; and The Avalon HillGame Company Classics Tournament. Registra-tion fees, which include entry to all gamingevents for all 10 days plus a $20 coupon bookfor game purchases, are $20 if paid by August 1,or $30 at the door. Write to: GAME-FEST IX, c/oGame Towne, 3954 Harney Street (in Old Town),San Diego CA 92110; or call: (619) 291-1666).

GOLDQUEST 88, August 12-14This fantasy and science-fiction convention,

sponsored by the Goldquest Clubs of Manasota,will be held in Sarasota, Fla., at the AirportHoliday Inn on U.S. 41. Guests of honor will beGreg Costikyan (the WILLOW*, PARANOIA*,and STAR WARS* games) and Thomas Mulkey(TWILIGHT: 2000* game). The convention willfeature many board, role-playing, and minia-tures games (with awards in several categories),

along with miniatures-painting and costumecontests. A dealers� room and 24-hour videoroom will be available. A pool party will be heldat 7 PM. on Friday, August 12, to open the con-vention. Admission is $10, or $12 at the door.Write to: Goldquest Clubs, PO. Box 1017, OnecoFL 34264-1017; or call and leave your name andaddress at: (813) 758-0421.

UNICON 1988, August 18-21This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at King Alfred�s Teacher TrainingCollege in Winchester, Hants., Great Britain.Confirmed guests as of this point include PatrickTilley (author of Mission, Fade Out, and TheAmtrak Wars) and Michael de Larrabeiti (authorof The Borribles). Admission fees are £10 forattending memberships; single room rates are£10. Checks or postal orders should be madepayable to WINCON. Payments made in U.S.dollars are accepted; registrants should learnthe current exchange rates before sending anymoney. Write to: WINCON, 11 Rutland Street,Hanley, Stoke on Irent, Staffs., UNITED KING-DOM; or call: (0782) 271070.

DRAK CON �88, August 20-21This year�s event will be held in the College

Dining Room at the Northern College of Educa-tion on Hilton Drive in Aberdeen, Scotland.DRAK CON will run from 9 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. onSaturday and from 9 A.M. to 8:30 P.M. on Sunday.Now in its third year, DRAK CON has the addi-tional aim of raising money for famine relief.Events for this convention will include anAD&D® game tournament. Admission costs forthis convention are £5 for adults and £3.50 forchildren under 16 for both days. Bed and break-fast accomodations may be booked in advanceat £8.50 per night. Send an SASE to: DRAK CON�88, c/o S. Douglas, 13 Springbank Terrace,Aberdeen, UNITED KINGDOM AB1 2LS; or call:(0224) 572128. Make all checks payable to�Dragon Aid.� All proceeds for this conventiongo for famine relief.

HOBBY & COLLECTABLES SHOWAugust 20-21

This hobby and collectables show will be heldfrom 10 A.M. to 9 PM. on Saturday and from12:30 A.M. to 6 P.M. on Sunday. It will be held atthe Eastgate Mall on Brainard Road (just off I-75)in Chattanooga, Tenn. There will be 20 tableseach of comic books and collectable cards, with10 tables available for other collectables, includ-ing: game materials, Japanimation items,models, artwork, coins, stamps, and more.Admission is free. Tables cost $75 each. Writeto: Amazing World of Fantasy, 1922 ShorterAvenue, Rome GA 30161; or: Bojo�s Records andTapes, 750 Cedar Plaza, Cedartown GA 30125.You also call: Dana at (404) 235-2179; or: Patrickat (404) 234-5309 (after 6 P.M.).

HOUSTON FANFAIR, August 20-21Bulldog Productions presents this small, fun

comic-book, science-fiction, and film convention.This event will be held at a hotel to beannounced. More than 60 dealers� tables, morethan a dozen guests of honor, a masquerade, 24-hour gaming sessions, 24-hour video rooms,writers workshops, an open convention suite,and a huge Saturday night party will be fea-tured events. The anticipated attendance forthis convention is 600. Tables are available for$50/$60. Admission fees are $4 for Saturday, $3for Sunday, and $5 for both days at the dooronly. Write to: Bulldog Productions, PO. Box820488, Dallas TX 75382; or call: (214) 349-3367.

FESTICON 88, August 27-28This gaming convention will be held at the

Hotel Syracuse in Syracuse, N.Y. Special eventsinclude: AD&D® game tournaments; STARFLEET BATTLES*, TRAVELLER*, and othergames; and an art show and costume party.Guests of honor will be announced at a laterdate. Registration fees are $10 (which includesthe first tournament feel and $5 for everytournament thereafter. Write to: FESTICON 88,c/o Walden III, 547 Allen Street, Syracuse NY13210.

GATEWAY �88, September 2-5This gaming convention will be held at the Los

Angeles Airport Hyatt Hotel. Role-playing,wargame, computer game, and family boardgame tournaments are offered, as well as vari-ous seminars and demonstrations, a flea market,a game auction, and an exhibitors� area. Writeto: STRATEGICON, 5374 Village Road, LongBeach CA 90808; or call: (213) 420-3675.

AUSTIN FANFAIR, September 17-18Bulldog Productions presents this small, fun

comic-book, science-fiction, and film convention.This event will be held at a hotel to beannounced. More than 60 dealers� tables, morethan a dozen guests of honor, a masquerade, 24-hour gaming sessions, 24-hour video rooms,writers workshops, an open convention suite,and a huge Saturday night party will be fea-tured events. The anticipated attendance forthis convention is 600. Tables are available for$50/$60. Admission fees are $4 for Saturday, $3for Sunday, and $5 for both days at the dooronly. Write to: Bulldog Productions, PO. Box820488, Dallas TX 75382; or call: (214)349-3367.

VALLEY CON 13, September 24-25This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Regency Inn, Hwy 75 andI-94, in Moorhead, Minn. The author guests ofhonor are Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey, andEleanor Arnason. The artist guest of honor isGiovanna Fregnie. Featured activities includevideos, an art show and auction, numerouspanels, dealers, a costume contest and masquer-ade ball, and a variety of gaming events (courte-sy of the Garmers Guild and VALLEY CON).Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for youths 13-17years old, and $2 for children 4-12 years old.Send an SASE to: VALLEY CON 13, P.O. Box7202, Fargo ND 58109; or call: (701)232-1954.

SUNCOAST SKIRMISHES '88September 30-October 2

SKIRMISHES presents the eighth-annualproduction of this popular gaming extravagan-za. This event will take place at the Holiday Inn-Ashley Plaza, 111 West Fortune Street in Tampa,Fla. Room rates are $50 for single or doubleoccupancy. Events include AD&D®, TRAVEL-LER*, STAR FLEET BATTLES*, and CAR WARS*game events, along with Napoleonics, Seakrieg,and board gaming events, a KILLER* tourna-ment, a dealers� room, SCA demonstrations, andmany other role-playing and historical events.Hotel reservations may be made by calling: (813)223-1351. Registration fees are $18 for theweekend. Send your registration fees to receivethe program booklet. Write to: SKIRMISHES,PO. Box 2097, Winter Haven FL 33883; or call:(813) 299-6784 or (813)293-7938.

JUST-A-CON, October 1-2This broad-scope gaming convention will

feature AD&D® and STAR FLEET BATTLES*tournaments, a miniatures demonstration series(hosted by Larry Bloom), lectures, entertain-

ment, a host of role-playing and war games, adealers� room, and more. Sponsored by theCommuter Information and Assistance depart-ment of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, this event will be held at the ConeCenter on the UNCC campus. Send an SASE to:JUST-A-CON I, 9232-35 University City Boule-vard, Charlotte NC 28213.

TOLEDO GAMING CONVENTION VIOctober 1-2

This sixth-annual event will be held at theUniversity of Toledo, Scott Park Campus, Toledo,Ohio. This convention will feature a variety ofevents, including tournament and demonstra-tion games (role-playing, board, and miniatures),a miniatures-painting contest and clinics, gameseminars, computer clubs and dealers, and agame auction (scheduled for both Saturday andSunday). There will also be a special competitionfor high-school game clubs, encompassing manytypes of games. Over 125 games and eventshave been scheduled thus far. Send an SASE to:Mind Games, 3001 N. Reynolds Road, Toledo OH43615; or call: (419)531-5540 Monday throughFriday, between 4 and 8 P.M.

COUNCIL OF FIVE NATIONS 14October 7-9

This role-playing, board-gaming, and minia-tures convention will be held at the Center CityConvention Center in Schenectady, N.Y. Theconvention will have at least two AD&D® gametournaments (one sponsored by the RPGA�Network), as well as a number of other AD&D®

game events. There will also be TOP SECRET®,RUNEQUEST*, BATTLETECH*, STAR FLEETBATTLES*, DIPLOMACY*, and many othergame events. In addition, this convention willfeature an auction, a miniatures-painting con-test, and costume contest. Gaming areas will beopen 24 hours a day, and will include some all-night events. Registration is $10 for the week-end, if paid before September 22. At-the-doorregistration is $15 for the weekend, or $4 forFriday and $7 each for Saturday and Sunday.Event fees range from free to $3 for each. Writeto: COUNCIL OF FIVE NATIONS, c/o The Studioof Bridge & Games, 1639 Eastern Parkway,Schenectady NY 12309.

ROVACON 13, October 7-9This convention will be held at the Salem Civic

Center in Salem, Va. (Roanoke Valley). Gamingevents this year will occupy one half of thecoliseum floor, with side rooms available forworkshops and panels on gaming. Julian May isthe guest of honor; she will be joined by Chris-topher Stasheff, Hal Clement, Judith Tarr, SusanShwartz, Richard Pini, Kelly Freas, Bob Eggle-ton, Jean Elizabeth Martin, Lisa Cantrell, Rebec-ca Ore, and Allen Woldour. Film festivals, anawards banquet, a costume party, and hundredsof dealers� tables will also be offered. GamingCoordinator Harry Shiflett is still looking forpeople to help with game mastering; interestedindividuals should write to him at: P.O. Box2672, Staunton VA 24401. Write to: ROVACON,PO. Box 117, Salem VA 24153; or call: (703) 389-9400 after 5 P.M.

FRONTIER WAR V, October 8-9The Dungeon Masters Association will present

this two-day event at the Miller Park Pavilion inBloomington, Ill. Featured events will includerole-playing, board, and miniatures games, aswell as a dealers� area and open-gaming space.Registration fees are $3 per day, or $5 for theweekend. Write to: Dungeon Masters Associa-tion, R.R. 2, Box 12, Danvers IL 61732.

NOVAG IV, October 8-10Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Adven-

ture Gamers (NOVAG), this fourth-annual adven-ture gaming convention will be held at theHoliday Inn � Washington-Dulles in Sterling, Va.The convention will include all aspects of adven-ture gaming, from historical board and minia-tures games to science-fiction and fantasyrole-playing games. Vendors and game present-ers are invited. Write to: NOVAG, c/o WargamersHobby Shop, 101 E. Holly Avenue, Suite 16,Sterling VA 22170; or call: (703) 450-6738.

SETCON I, October 8-9Sponsored by the RPGA� Network and

SETGA, this gaming convention will be held atthe Kingwood Middle School in Kingwood,Texas. Preregistration fees are $8 for both days;$5 per day at the door. Write to: Chris Liao,3502 Oak Gardens Drive, Kingwood TX 77339.

CHICAGO MODEL & HOBBY SHOWOctober 13-16

Sponsored by the Radio Control Hobby TradeAssociation, this fourth-annual event will beheld at the O�Hare Expo Center in Rosemont, Ill.The convention has expanded by over 10,000square feet this year in order to accommodateexhibitor demand. Over 2,000 retailers anddistributors attended last year�s show. Write to:CHICAGO MODEL & HOBBY SHOW, 2400 EastDevon Avenue, Suite 205, Des Plaines IL 60019-9353; or call: (800) 323-5155 (in Illinois, call:(312) 299-3131).

RUDICON 4, October 14-16Sponsored by the Rochester Wargamer�s

Association and Guild, this gaming conventionwill be held on the campus of the RochesterInstitute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. Eventswill include role-playing, wargaming, and minia-tures features, as well as a dealers� room andmore. For preregistration or dealers� packets,send an SASE to: RUDICON 4, c/o Student Direc-torate, One Lomb Memorial Drive, RochesterNY 14623.

CON*STELLATION VII, October 21-23Sponsored by the North Alabama Science

Fiction Association, this science-fiction, fantasy,and gaming convention will be held at theHuntsville Hilton in Huntsville, Ala. John Varleywill be the guest of honor, and Todd Hamiltonwill be the artist guest of honor. Features willinclude a dealers� room, art show, video room,open gaming, masquerade, SF and fantasy filmand video contest, and a con suite. Registrationis $15 until September 6 and $20 thereafter.Write to: CON*STELLATION VII, c/o NorthAlabama Science Fiction Association, P.O. Box4857, Huntsville AL 35815-4857.

NECRONOMICON �88, October 21-23This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Ashley Plaza Holiday Inn inTampa, Fla. Guests of honor are Alan DeanFoster and Timothy Zahn. Other guests includeRichard Lee Byers, Richard Louis Newman,Joseph Green, Mary Hanson-Roberts, Ken andBeth Mitchroney, Ray Aldridge, Ginger Curry,George M. Ewing, and John Brudy. The fanguest of honor will be chosen by a randomdrawing from all interested members registeredby 6 P.M., Friday. The winner will have his mem-bership refunded, receive a banquet ticket, havehis hotel room paid for Friday and Saturday,and be allowed to judge the masquerade con-test. Featured events include author and artistpanels, an art show and auction, a Friday nightfan cabaret, a full-contact trivia game, a special

DRAGON 95

Superman* trivia contest, role-playing games,filksinging, author readings, a Saturday nightmasquerade, an Official Vampire Pageant, and acharity auction (scheduled for Sunday after-noon). Membership is $10 for three days if paidbefore September 15 and $15 thereafter. One-day memberships are sold at the door at $6 perday. Dealers� tables are $35 plus membershipcosts for those staffing them. Hotel rates are $48for one to four persons. Write to: NECRONOMI-CON '88, P.O. Box 2076, Riverview FL 33569; orcall: (813) 677-6347.

OCTOBERFEST GAMING 1988October 21-23

Detroit�s yearly Halloween role-playing gamesconvention will once again be sponsored by theDetroit Gaming Center and the City of DetroitRecreation Department. The location is theLighthouse Recreation Center on RiversideDrive in Detroit, Mich. Kevin Siembieda (ROBO-TECH*, PALLADIUM RPG*, MECHANOIDS*,HEROES UNLIMITED*, and BEYOND THESUPERNATURAL* games) and Erick Wujcik(TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES*, RevisedRECON*, and NINJAS AND SUPERSPIES*games) are guests of honor. Events include:AD&D®, TRAVELLER*, and other role-playinggames; seminars; and a role-playing costumecontest. Admission for this convention is free.Tournaments are $2 to $4, with winners receiv-ing gift certificates from local stores. Write to:Erick Wujcik, PO. Box 1623, Detroit MI 48231;or call: (313) 833-3016.

MAINESIL, October 28-30The Maine Society for Interactive Literature

will hold this convention at the Hampton Inn inSouth Portland, Maine. Featured events willinclude your choice of three live role-playinggames, each of which will be run by experi-enced game masters. These are semireal time,semireal space games (not board games) con-ducted over the entire weekend. Costumes andparticipatory play are encouraged for theseevents. Awards will be given at the closingceremonies for best costumes and best charac-terizations. Registration for the convention andone game is $25. Room rates are $46 a night,which includes breakfast. Become your charac-ter for a weekend! Contact: Heidi Nilsen, 596Dutton Hill Road, Gray ME 04039 (telephone(207) 657-4072); or Kevin and Susan Barrett, 540Mammoth Road, Londonderry NH 03053 (tele-phone (603) 432-5905).

WAR GAMERS WEEKEND, October 28-30This convention will be hosted by The Toy

Soldier, located in Newburyport, Mass. Theconvention itself will be held at the DisabledAmerican Veterans Hall (DAV), Route 1, inNewburyport, Mass. Events will include fantasyrole-playing, historical miniatures, and boardgames and demonstrations. Registration for theweekend is $10, and most events are an addi-

tional $2. Write to: Chris Parker, c/o The ToySoldier, PO. Box 148, Newburyportor call: (617) 462-8241.

MA 01950;

UMF-CON, October 29-30This role-playing and wargaming convention

will be held at the Student Center of the Univer-sity of Maine at Farmington in Farmington,Maine. Expect miniatures, AD&D®, TOPSECRET®, DIPLOMACY*, and board games,along with a costume contest (in honor of Hal-loween), miniatures-painting contest, murdermystery, and �Kare Bear Krunch II.� UMF-CON istwice as big this year, but the admission fee hasnot changed. Registration costs are still $5, and

$2 per game. Send an SASE to: Table GamingClub, c/o Student Life Office, Student Center, 5South Street, Farmington ME 04938.

QUAD CON 88, November 4-6The RiverBend Gamers Association will hold

this convention at the Sheraton Hotel, located at17th Street and 3rd Avenue in Rock Island, Ill.Room rates are at a special nightly rate of $44for a single and $53 for a double. For reserva-tions, call: (800) 322-9803, or (800) 447-1297 ifcalling from outside Illinois. There is over 3,300square feet of space in the two gaming roomsand about 2,080 square feet in the dealers�room. Featured events include AD&D®, D&D®,BATTLETECH*, CHAMPIONS*, RECON*,MARVEL SUPER HEROES®, CALL OFCTHULHU*, and other games, as well as aminiatures-painting contest, microarmor events,an ancients-to-future combat tournament, and acostume contest and party (no weapons, please).Preregistration starts August 1; prices are $8 forthe weekend, if received by October 1. Other-wise, costs are $10 at the door, or $5 per day.Write to: RiverBend Gamers Association, PO.Box 8421, Moline IL 61265.

SAN ANTONIO FANFAIR, November 5-6Bulldog Productions presents this small, fun

comic-book, science-fiction, and film convention,to be held at a hotel to be announced. Morethan 60 dealers� tables, more than a dozenguests of honor, a masquerade, 24-hour gamingsessions, 24-hour video rooms, writers work-shops, an open convention suite, and a hugeSaturday night party will be featured events.The anticipated attendance for this conventionis 600. Tables are available for $50/$60. Admis-sion fees are $4 for Saturday, $3 for Sunday,and $5 for both days at the door only. Write to:Bulldog Productions, PO. Box 820488, Dallas TX75382; or call: (214) 349-3367.

SCI CON 10, November 11-13Sponsored by the Hampton Roads Science

Fiction Association, this science-fiction andfantasy convention will be held at the HolidayInn Executive Center in Virginia Beach, Va.David Brin is guest of honor, David Mattingly is

artist guest of honor, Bud Webster is fan guestof honor, and David Cherry is toastmaster. KellyFreas and other guests will be in attendance.Panels, readings, video presentations, a costumecontest, gaming, an art show, and more will alsobe featured. Memberships are $15 until Septem-ber 30 and $20 at the door. Huckster tables(limit of two per customer and including onemembership each) are $60 each until September30, and $75 thereafter (if still available). Send anSASE to: SCI CON 10, Dept. FA, PO. Box 9434,Hampton VA 23670.

DALLAS FANTASY FAIR, November 25-27Bulldog Productions presents this full-scale

comic-book, science-fiction, and film convention,which will be held at the Marriott Park Central,7750 LBJ at Coit, in Dallas, Texas. This event willfeature more than 140 dealers� tables, 100guests of honor, an art show and auction, amasquerade, 24-hour gaming sessions, 24-hourJapanimation and video rooms, artists andwriters workshops, readings, a dance, an openconvention suite, and much more. The antici-pated attendance for this convention is 2,000.Admission fees are $15 for all three days if paidin advance or $20 at the door. Write to: BulldogProductions, PO. Box 820488, Dallas TX 75382;or call: (214) 349-3367.

MACQUARIECON �88, December 9-11One of the largest role-playing conventions in

Australia will be held on the campus of Mac-quarie University, Sydney, Australia. You�ll findAD&,D®, CALL OF CTHULHU*, PARANOIA*,WARHAMMER*, and other games. Prizes will beawarded to winners. Registration is $12 (Austra-lian), with a $5 (Australian) discount for entriesreceived before November 1. There is also a $3(Australian) fee per game. No entries will beaccepted after December 2. Write to: MAC-QUARIECON �88, c/o MURPS, Box 83 StudentCouncil, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia2109.

ORCCON 12, February 10-13,1989STRATEGICON will sponsor this convention,

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

L.A. ORIGINS �89, June 29-July 2, 1989STRATEGICON, the people who brought you

L.A. Origins �86, will sponsor this convention,which is to be held at the Los Angeles AirportHilton Hotel. All types of family, strategic, andadventure board, role-playing, miniatures, andcomputer gaming will be offered at this conven-tion, as well as flea markets, an exhibitors�room, auctions, seminars, demonstrations, andspecial guests. Write to: STRATEGICON, 5374Village Road, Long Beach CA 90808; or callDiverse Talents at: (213) 420-3675.

GATEWAY �89, September 1-4, 1989STRATEGICON will sponsor this convention at

the Los Angeles Airport Hyatt Hotel. All types offamily, strategic, and adventure board, role-playing, miniatures, and computer gaming willbe offered, as well as flea markets, an exhibi-tors� room, auctions, seminars, demonstrations,and special guests. Write to: STRATEGICON,5374 Village Road, Long Beach CA 90808; or callDiverse Talents at: (213) 420-3675.

96 AUGUST 1988

by Robert Bigelow

The GameFair Update

The GEN CON®/ORIGINS™ Game Fair awaits you!

The biggest extravaganza in gaminghistory will be less than 20 days away bythe time you read this article. The GENCON®/ORIGINS� Game Fair 1988 is aboutto become fact, and you, the gaming pub-lic, are going to be the winners.

To date, this convention has beenplagued by many problems. The initial lossof judges� packets sent out to solicit gamescaused the deadline for those submissionsto be moved back to April 12, which led topreregistration being equally late. Thisdid, however, lead to a benefit for you.Because we received many events afterthe deadline, the convention planningcommittee decided to create a �lastchance� publication allowing all who failedto return their preregistration forms earlyto still have a chance to fill their scheduleswith the games they wanted. We willcontinue this �second-chance registration�next year. In addition, this year�s retailerprogram allows you to pick up preregistra-tion forms at local retail outlets.

However, as with any major project, wecannot please everyone. Many of theevents filled up much more quickly thanwe had anticipated, and some people willnot get what they want from either regis-tration. It is better to look upon this as achallenge rather than a problem, and tosavor all that this convention can be.

If you are a role-player, check out theboard-gaming or the miniatures areas. Wehave some of the finest judges in the coun-try at this convention and more introduc-tory games than I have ever seen in 20years of gaming. A new way of looking athistory, by seeing great battles reenactedand the changing nature of historicalbattlefields, awaits you. Science-fiction andfantasy games of all types are here; comeand enjoy them! And if you primarily

enjoy miniatures and board-gaming fields,explore the world of role-playing for achange, a world in which you worry aboutone warrior instead of several thousand!

Regardless of your gaming preferences,come and experience the innovations thatwe have introduced as building blocks fornext year�s GEN CON Game Fair. The areacoordinators� concept puts a person withconsiderable knowledge of a given area ofgaming in charge of that area, meaningmore organization and less hassles foryou. Two opportunities to register giveyou more chances to play the games youwant. Planned outings and family eventsmean that the whole family can enjoy thetrip. Early judge solicitation gives you theability to better plan your schedule. Weare committed to these things to make thisa better convention.

As this convention season comes to aclose, I want to thank everyone who hasworked so hard to make the miniaturesand board-gaming areas successful. To theHMGS, the Gamemaster�s Guild of Wauke-gan and the other Gamemaster�s Guilds,and to the CITW and the other clubs, Igive a tip of the hat.

We hope that you are as excited aboutthis event as we are. If you haven�t madeup your mind to attend yet, come and joinus anyway; you�ll be glad you did. If youwant to visit but are uncertain about theevents you would like to enter, contact usand we will send registration forms toyou. Do it quickly, as it will soon be allover till next year. For packets, check yourlocal retailer or write to: GEN CON/ORIGINS 1988 Registration, c/o TSR, Inc.,PO. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

ORIGINS is a trademark owned by the Game ManufacturersAssociation.

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