Dragon Reflections #73

Dragon Publishing released Dragon #73 in May 1983. It is 100 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. In this issue, we have half-ogres, non-violent magic items, and the inner planes!

Dragon Publishing released Dragon #73 in May 1983. It is 100 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. In this issue, we have half-ogres, non-violent magic items, and the inner planes!

dragon73.jpg

This month's Special Attraction is an AD&D adventure called "Forest of Doom," which was written by Scott Butler and placed first in the recent Module Design Contest. It is set in the land of Launewt, which borders a dangerous forest that is the source of recent raids. A concerned young lord from the Council of Launewt commissions the adventurers to investigate. It's an artfully created adventure with a variety of challenges, but it appears to be Butler's only RPG publication.

We have an impressive selection of Other Features. First up is a pair of articles by prolific columnist Arthur Collins. "The Duelist" is an NPC class focusing on swordplay, honor, and self-reliance. Duelists might be hired for personal protection, to settle scores, or even to train nobility in the refined arts of combat. In "When It Gets Hit, It Gets Hurt," Collins proposes various mechanics to represent the realistic damage and maintenance of weapons and armor. For example, if a combatant rolls a natural 20, they might damage their opponent's armor. And when someone rolls a 1, weapons may get notched. This sort of thing can be fun, but it is not for all tables.

"The Solo Scenario" by Katharine Kerr explores the nuances and challenges of creating D&D adventures designed explicitly for a single player and DM. Though such scenarios have been part of the hobby since its earliest days, they've never been very popular as commercial D&D products.

After last month's article on the piercer, Chris Elliot and Richard Edwards return with "The Ecology of the Catoblepas," which I always thought was the most awkward of D&D monsters. This piece is written for laughs and only provides a little gameable information, but the series it spawned was much more helpful.

After a nearly two-year absence from the magazine, Paul Montgomery Crabaugh returns with a pair of articles. In "Relief for Traveller nobility, " he complains that noble birth in Traveller does not confer any of the expected benefits and suggests rules for estate ownership, revenues, and retainers. In "Patching the Cracks in Champions," he presents various house rules for the popular superhero game that cover wealth, living standards, and employment. Crabaugh was a talented designer but sadly passed away in 1985.

I consider this one a classic. "Non-violent Magic Items" by Lewis Pulsipher and Roland Gettliffe is a collection of 100 fun and imaginative arcane devices. Some items are pedestrian, but others show fantastic creativity, and it seems clear that this article influenced the development of the modern game's "common" magic items. Pulsipher will be familiar to many readers, but this appears to be Gettliffe's only RPG publication.

Several short articles present new D&D player options. "The Whole Half-Ogre" by Roger Moore takes the race proposed by Gygax back in Dragon #29 and fleshes it out with additional background material. Moore was especially adept at this sort of article and does a good job here. In "Thief's climb should be leveled out," John T. Sapienza suggests the thief progression table in the D&D Expert Set is flawed and proposes some minor fixes to beef up the class. And in "A Rare Way of Viewing the Wish," Lewis Pulsipher suggests wish spells should be once-in-a-lifetime events with reality-altering power rather than the nerfed versions of recent D&D editions.

"The Sagittarian" is a short story by Jessica Amanda Salmonson about Ain of the Arrow and his hunt for the great stag, Elo. Salmonson is best known for her novel Tomoe Gozen, which is about a female samurai.

Finally, "File 13 followup report" is a collection of errata for Tom Wham's File 13 game, which he published in the previous issue. This article is rather fitting since File 13 is about the challenges of successful game publication!

On to the Regular Offerings! In "From the Sorcerer's Scroll," Gary Gygax talks about the inner planes, though he has a peculiar angle. He notes that Deities & Demigods presents the planes as a torus, which many readers have criticized. After considering a couple of options, he depicts the inner planes as a cube, with the positive and negative planes comprising the upper and lower faces. The edges of the four elemental faces depict the four para-elemental planes, while the cube's corners depict eight new quasi-element planes (lightning, steam, etc). Gygax even supplies a colored cut-out cube so readers can have their own planar depiction in 3D. Phew!

In "Up on a Soapbox," Roger E. Moore critiques the trend for RPG conventions to award individual players instead of teams. He argues that this emphasis on individual prowess can undermine the inherently collaborative nature of most RPGs and notes that a hallmark of a skilled role-player is the ability to function harmoniously within a group.

There are three game reviews this month. Moon Base Clavius by Task Force Games is set in a fictional 1996 where Soviet forces attack an American moon base, leading to a conflict in space. With 108 die-cut counters and a grayscale map, the game offers four scenarios, each depicting different battle phases. Despite the engaging premise and detailed components, the game fails to deliver an exciting experience. Tony Watson comments, "The idea behind Clavius is a good one, but the game begs for some chrome, something to spice it up meaningfully. As is, it quickly becomes a dull exercise."

Grav Armor by Heritage is an armored fighting vehicle game set in the 31st century. It is part of the "Dwarfstar" line and features pocket-sized components. The game mechanics allow dynamic player interaction with unique unit detection and combat rules. There are various scenarios, though the game lacks a context for the overall conflict. Watson says, "While not in the classic mode of Ogre, Grav Armor is certainly a worthy addition to the genre."

Finally, Dragonmaster by Lowe (a division of Milton Bradley) is a fantasy card game for three to four players aged twelve and above. The game boasts premium components, such as 33 beautifully illustrated character cards, five unique "hand" cards, score charts, and plastic "jewels" stored in a cloth pouch. Players aim to amass the most jewels by playing various hands. Despite its high-quality components, Glenn Rahman concludes, "Dragonmaster is a bland and simplistic card game."

Susan Collins designed this month's cover. Interior artists include Dave Trampier, Keith Parkinson, E. B. Wagner, Jim Holloway, Edward Atwood, Roger Raupp, Joshua Mittleman, Jerry Eaton, Roger Moore, Mike Carroll, Jim Testa, and Phil Foglio.

And that's a wrap! At 100 pages, this is the largest issue we've seen, and it is full of interesting content. My favorite article was "Non-violent Magic Items." Next issue, we have new dragons, computer character creation, and a new AD&D playing aid!
 

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M.T. Black

M.T. Black

el-remmen

Moderator Emeritus
As someone who went from B/X + Companion set to 1E AD&D, I never saw a thief played until 2E, and even then they were all multi-classed except for one I played in a troupe style play where we each had a stock of characters to choose from (or hold back).
 

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Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
If I had to run D&D out of one monster book for the rest of my life it would be the 1E Fiend Folio for both these reasons and more. No hesitation.
I remain very sad that the Fiend Folio wasn't given the deluxe reprint treatment by WotC a few years back. I love the Slavers series, for sure, and that they provided a new intro adventure for it, but it didn't deserve a reprint over the Fiend Folio.
 


michaeljpastor

Adventurer
Dragon Publishing released Dragon #73 in May 1983. It is 100 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. In this issue, we have half-ogres, non-violent magic items, and the inner planes!


This month's Special Attraction is an AD&D adventure called "Forest of Doom," which was written by Scott Butler and placed first in the recent Module Design Contest. It is set in the land of Launewt, which borders a dangerous forest that is the source of recent raids. A concerned young lord from the Council of Launewt commissions the adventurers to investigate. It's an artfully created adventure with a variety of challenges, but it appears to be Butler's only RPG publication.

We have an impressive selection of Other Features. First up is a pair of articles by prolific columnist Arthur Collins. "The Duelist" is an NPC class focusing on swordplay, honor, and self-reliance. Duelists might be hired for personal protection, to settle scores, or even to train nobility in the refined arts of combat. In "When It Gets Hit, It Gets Hurt," Collins proposes various mechanics to represent the realistic damage and maintenance of weapons and armor. For example, if a combatant rolls a natural 20, they might damage their opponent's armor. And when someone rolls a 1, weapons may get notched. This sort of thing can be fun, but it is not for all tables.

"The Solo Scenario" by Katharine Kerr explores the nuances and challenges of creating D&D adventures designed explicitly for a single player and DM. Though such scenarios have been part of the hobby since its earliest days, they've never been very popular as commercial D&D products.

After last month's article on the piercer, Chris Elliot and Richard Edwards return with "The Ecology of the Catoblepas," which I always thought was the most awkward of D&D monsters. This piece is written for laughs and only provides a little gameable information, but the series it spawned was much more helpful.

After a nearly two-year absence from the magazine, Paul Montgomery Crabaugh returns with a pair of articles. In "Relief for Traveller nobility, " he complains that noble birth in Traveller does not confer any of the expected benefits and suggests rules for estate ownership, revenues, and retainers. In "Patching the Cracks in Champions," he presents various house rules for the popular superhero game that cover wealth, living standards, and employment. Crabaugh was a talented designer but sadly passed away in 1985.

I consider this one a classic. "Non-violent Magic Items" by Lewis Pulsipher and Roland Gettliffe is a collection of 100 fun and imaginative arcane devices. Some items are pedestrian, but others show fantastic creativity, and it seems clear that this article influenced the development of the modern game's "common" magic items. Pulsipher will be familiar to many readers, but this appears to be Gettliffe's only RPG publication.

Several short articles present new D&D player options. "The Whole Half-Ogre" by Roger Moore takes the race proposed by Gygax back in Dragon #29 and fleshes it out with additional background material. Moore was especially adept at this sort of article and does a good job here. In "Thief's climb should be leveled out," John T. Sapienza suggests the thief progression table in the D&D Expert Set is flawed and proposes some minor fixes to beef up the class. And in "A Rare Way of Viewing the Wish," Lewis Pulsipher suggests wish spells should be once-in-a-lifetime events with reality-altering power rather than the nerfed versions of recent D&D editions.

"The Sagittarian" is a short story by Jessica Amanda Salmonson about Ain of the Arrow and his hunt for the great stag, Elo. Salmonson is best known for her novel Tomoe Gozen, which is about a female samurai.

Finally, "File 13 followup report" is a collection of errata for Tom Wham's File 13 game, which he published in the previous issue. This article is rather fitting since File 13 is about the challenges of successful game publication!

On to the Regular Offerings! In "From the Sorcerer's Scroll," Gary Gygax talks about the inner planes, though he has a peculiar angle. He notes that Deities & Demigods presents the planes as a torus, which many readers have criticized. After considering a couple of options, he depicts the inner planes as a cube, with the positive and negative planes comprising the upper and lower faces. The edges of the four elemental faces depict the four para-elemental planes, while the cube's corners depict eight new quasi-element planes (lightning, steam, etc). Gygax even supplies a colored cut-out cube so readers can have their own planar depiction in 3D. Phew!

In "Up on a Soapbox," Roger E. Moore critiques the trend for RPG conventions to award individual players instead of teams. He argues that this emphasis on individual prowess can undermine the inherently collaborative nature of most RPGs and notes that a hallmark of a skilled role-player is the ability to function harmoniously within a group.

There are three game reviews this month. Moon Base Clavius by Task Force Games is set in a fictional 1996 where Soviet forces attack an American moon base, leading to a conflict in space. With 108 die-cut counters and a grayscale map, the game offers four scenarios, each depicting different battle phases. Despite the engaging premise and detailed components, the game fails to deliver an exciting experience. Tony Watson comments, "The idea behind Clavius is a good one, but the game begs for some chrome, something to spice it up meaningfully. As is, it quickly becomes a dull exercise."

Grav Armor by Heritage is an armored fighting vehicle game set in the 31st century. It is part of the "Dwarfstar" line and features pocket-sized components. The game mechanics allow dynamic player interaction with unique unit detection and combat rules. There are various scenarios, though the game lacks a context for the overall conflict. Watson says, "While not in the classic mode of Ogre, Grav Armor is certainly a worthy addition to the genre."

Finally, Dragonmaster by Lowe (a division of Milton Bradley) is a fantasy card game for three to four players aged twelve and above. The game boasts premium components, such as 33 beautifully illustrated character cards, five unique "hand" cards, score charts, and plastic "jewels" stored in a cloth pouch. Players aim to amass the most jewels by playing various hands. Despite its high-quality components, Glenn Rahman concludes, "Dragonmaster is a bland and simplistic card game."

Susan Collins designed this month's cover. Interior artists include Dave Trampier, Keith Parkinson, E. B. Wagner, Jim Holloway, Edward Atwood, Roger Raupp, Joshua Mittleman, Jerry Eaton, Roger Moore, Mike Carroll, Jim Testa, and Phil Foglio.

And that's a wrap! At 100 pages, this is the largest issue we've seen, and it is full of interesting content. My favorite article was "Non-violent Magic Items." Next issue, we have new dragons, computer character creation, and a new AD&D playing aid!
Dragonmaster was, and continues to be, a huge influence for me, and may have singlehandedly fueled my love for Art Nouveau through the spectacular Bob Pepper art. When I later discovered Hearts my honest reaction was "oh this is like Dragonmaster!
 

FWIW, the Grav Armor game from the reviews is available for free (and legal) download over at this link, along with most of the other Dwarfstar range. It's really quite a solid traditional hex-and-counter wargame with some very innovative mechanics that make me rate it a bit ahead of Ogre/GEV as a design. The scale is pretty large (maps are about the size of Europe and each counter is a company of ten grav vehicles or ~100 power armored infantry) so maybe comparing it directly to Ogre/GEV and its 1:1 vehicle representation is a little unfair. Mostly held back by rather ugly maps, which are at least geomorphic and somewhat abstract so they can be used to reflect fighting on very different planets with environments ranging from Hoth-style iceballs to volcanic hell-worlds. The original counters are a bit small for my aging eyes and fingers (they're pretty info-dense and you'll be stacking them regularly) but if you're doing print-and-play anyway you can just scale them up to your own comfort zone. The game's a little short on scenarios (it was a microgame format, after all) but you can get three additional ones from The Space Gamer #59.
 
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Dragonmaster was, and continues to be, a huge influence for me, and may have singlehandedly fueled my love for Art Nouveau through the spectacular Bob Pepper art. When I later discovered Hearts my honest reaction was "oh this is like Dragonmaster!
Seconded. The gameplay wasn't terrific, but the evocative art in Dragonmaster was just phenomenal. Nice to see someone else remembers it more fondly than the review here would indicate - which got a counterargument from the game designer a few issues down the road.
 

michaeljpastor

Adventurer
Seconded. The gameplay wasn't terrific, but the evocative art in Dragonmaster was just phenomenal. Nice to see someone else remembers it more fondly than the review here would indicate - which got a counterargument from the game designer a few issues down the road.
What was wrong with the gameplay? I was only a kid when I played it. so I didn't have the appreciation of nuance in card game design that I have as an adult.

Do you know what issue the counterargument appeared in?
 

What was wrong with the gameplay? I was only a kid when I played it. so I didn't have the appreciation of nuance in card game design that I have as an adult.
Nothing, really, it just wasn't particularly innovative. You could play it just fine (although I do recall hearing stories of a lot of them being mispacked with a missing card and a duplicate of another that complicated that - my copy had a dupe but nothing missing) but it was lacking in replay value unless you were a fan of fairly traditional card games (like pinochle, hearts, etc.) to start with. The art quality may have raised unreasonable expectations, admittedly.
Do you know what issue the counterargument appeared in?
Issue 76, the one just covered in this post series. Look way down at the bottom of the reviews section, it talks about the designer doing a point-by-point rebuttal. Pretty rare to see in dragon, but not unheard of.
 

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