(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 253: November 1998
part 8/8
TSR Previews: The Forgotten Realms enjoys another variant splatbook. Demihuman Deities gives you yet more gods to be speciality priests of, with all the cool power options that entails. On the novel side, Troy Denning returns after his lengthy sojourn in Athas with Faces of Deception. He adventures in the Utter east (which is of course, actually to the west of the things he was making involving the Horde back in 1991.) Sounds like it could be fun.
Dragonlance continues to fill in the gap between the original adventures and 5th age. Legacy of Steel by Mary H. Herbert sees an attempt to found a new knightly order that isn't batshit insane or with a stick up it's arse, that actually helps ordinary people. Tough order, really.
Greyhawk really brings the irony to it's lost tombs series, with The Doomgrinder. It makes more sense when they reveal it's a giant evil windmill. Now that sounds like a fun bit of adventuring.
Ravenloft goes back to another classic, with Children of the night: Werebeasts. An anthology of short adventures, you know how these things go by now.
Alternity gets The Lighthouse. Your typical inn on the borderlands where you can rest up and find clues to adventure, only Iiiin Spaaace! Once again we see how closely they're sticking to the D&D product model with this line.
Marvel super heroes enjoys a double bill featuring the Avengers. A Roster book full of stats, and Masters of Evil, an adventure anthology. Will you use the pregens for this one, or adapt it to your own ends?
Profiles: Jolly Blackburn is the writer and artist (by default, as he couldn't get anyone else to do that bit for him) of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip. Originating in Shadis magazine, it has since gone from strength to strength, and wound up moving to Dragon in issue 226. This is because despite being somewhat exaggerated and simplified in it's dysfunctionality, it is pretty true to life. So many people identify with it, and the people and scenarios, and frequently, they suggest storylines that he then uses. Ahh, the joys of observational humour. As long as you know how to shut up, listen, and remember what you take in, you will never want for material. Also, an excellent example that the production values of something are less important than the ideas and emotions contained within. Even if you don't have the resources to do something properly, do the best you can, get it out there, and if the fundamental ideas are good, you'll pick up people to help along the way.
Another issue of fairly high quality articles, and slow development in the format of the magazine. It looks like after cutting away some stuff, and adding a few bits and pieces to replace them, they've reached approximately the form they'll keep until the edition change comes to shake things up again. They just have to struggle with the dread spectre of rehash, which is more prevalent than ever. Maybe introducing some new regular series would help with that, as the current ones are approaching saturation, apart from the ecologies. Maybe we'll see something coming next year. After all, it's the end of the millennium. All that apocalyptic tension has to go somewhere. But first, another christmas! I never get tired of those at least.
part 8/8
TSR Previews: The Forgotten Realms enjoys another variant splatbook. Demihuman Deities gives you yet more gods to be speciality priests of, with all the cool power options that entails. On the novel side, Troy Denning returns after his lengthy sojourn in Athas with Faces of Deception. He adventures in the Utter east (which is of course, actually to the west of the things he was making involving the Horde back in 1991.) Sounds like it could be fun.
Dragonlance continues to fill in the gap between the original adventures and 5th age. Legacy of Steel by Mary H. Herbert sees an attempt to found a new knightly order that isn't batshit insane or with a stick up it's arse, that actually helps ordinary people. Tough order, really.
Greyhawk really brings the irony to it's lost tombs series, with The Doomgrinder. It makes more sense when they reveal it's a giant evil windmill. Now that sounds like a fun bit of adventuring.
Ravenloft goes back to another classic, with Children of the night: Werebeasts. An anthology of short adventures, you know how these things go by now.
Alternity gets The Lighthouse. Your typical inn on the borderlands where you can rest up and find clues to adventure, only Iiiin Spaaace! Once again we see how closely they're sticking to the D&D product model with this line.
Marvel super heroes enjoys a double bill featuring the Avengers. A Roster book full of stats, and Masters of Evil, an adventure anthology. Will you use the pregens for this one, or adapt it to your own ends?
Profiles: Jolly Blackburn is the writer and artist (by default, as he couldn't get anyone else to do that bit for him) of the Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip. Originating in Shadis magazine, it has since gone from strength to strength, and wound up moving to Dragon in issue 226. This is because despite being somewhat exaggerated and simplified in it's dysfunctionality, it is pretty true to life. So many people identify with it, and the people and scenarios, and frequently, they suggest storylines that he then uses. Ahh, the joys of observational humour. As long as you know how to shut up, listen, and remember what you take in, you will never want for material. Also, an excellent example that the production values of something are less important than the ideas and emotions contained within. Even if you don't have the resources to do something properly, do the best you can, get it out there, and if the fundamental ideas are good, you'll pick up people to help along the way.
Another issue of fairly high quality articles, and slow development in the format of the magazine. It looks like after cutting away some stuff, and adding a few bits and pieces to replace them, they've reached approximately the form they'll keep until the edition change comes to shake things up again. They just have to struggle with the dread spectre of rehash, which is more prevalent than ever. Maybe introducing some new regular series would help with that, as the current ones are approaching saturation, apart from the ecologies. Maybe we'll see something coming next year. After all, it's the end of the millennium. All that apocalyptic tension has to go somewhere. But first, another christmas! I never get tired of those at least.