Favorite version: White Dragon [poll]

Azzy · Jun 13, 2019

I prefer the AD&D ones, though I don't think that picture is the best choice for the white dragon (I say even though I'm a fan of Elmore).

dave2008 · Jun 13, 2019

Sacrosanct said:
What's the difference between the 1e dragons and the 1e dragonlance dragons? I didn't know there was one that I can recall. Easley's dragons had a bit more muscly look to them over Elmore's but I don't recall any actual difference between AD&D and Dragonlance.

All 1e dragonlance dragons had their own art direction. In the case of the white dragon: the MM version had a single backward point horn/sail, while the dragonlance version had 5 backward pointing horns. It is clear in the 2 pictures you posted of the 1e white dragon.

Sacrosanct · Jun 13, 2019

dave2008 said:
All 1e dragonlance dragons had their own art direction. In the case of the white dragon: the MM version had a single backward point horn/sail, while the dragonlance version had 5 backward pointing horns. It is clear in the 2 pictures you posted of the 1e white dragon.

Nah, it wasn't that dragonlance had it's own art direction, it was that each artist had leeway. That's why Easley's dragons look different than Elmore's, or Caldwell's, even if they were illustrating the same 1ed dragon type.

I fully admit I approached this poll flawed. A better poll would have been which artist's rendition of the dragons over the editions do people like better.

Tony Vargas · Jun 13, 2019

Sacrosanct said:
I fully admit I approached this poll flawed. A better poll would have been which artist's rendition of the dragons over the editions do people like better.

So it was the art.

Give me the B&W line art in the 1e MM, thankyouverymuch.

Sacrosanct · Jun 13, 2019

Tony Vargas said:
So it was the art.

.

It wasn't meant to be. I said it could be for any reason. People just gravitated towards the appearance.

jayoungr · Jun 13, 2019

I feel sort of bad for voting for 5E, but I can't help it. Something about the way it's drawn in motion, trotting forward, looking like an actual beast, really grabs me--and the slight iridescence to the wing membrane just clinches it.

Second choice is 1/2E. I love how it looms over the ship.

Tony Vargas · Jun 13, 2019

Sacrosanct said:
It wasn't meant to be. I said it could be for any reason. People just gravitated towards the appearance.

I didn't catch that. But, I did also like the ways dragons worked in 1e - fear, subdual, hps/die based on age instead of a random roll, breath weapons that did their max hp in damage, etc - they were more clearly distinct from other monsters.

MechaTarrasque · Jun 13, 2019

Sacrosanct said:
Funny enough, that was the image I was gonna use at first

For the longest time, I would describe dragons as bipedal, like an eagle with 2 big legs, 2 big wings, and (I admit not very eagle-like) 2 smaller chest claws.....

I may go back to that to mess with some of my newer players (some of the old ones will be "not this again.").