Dragon Issue 64: August 1982
part 2/2
The assassins run: Following on, we have an assassin based adventure. And Ed Greenwood immediately breaks one of the rules from the previous section, making the thieves and assassins guild in the forgotten realms completely integrated, and giving us a load of realmsian backstory about the lords of waterdeep forcing their thieves guild out, and the survivors plotting revenge. So much for monolithic and untouchable. Not that it really matters to the module, as you can insert it pretty much anywhere there's a group that likes to test it's members fitness in a sadistic fashion. You probably won't die doing this, but you may well lose and get seriously humiliated if you aren't ready for anything. Still, if you can't take the training, you've got no chance out there in real dungeons where they're actually trying to kill you. So if you're planning to run your team through an old skool killer dungeon, put them through this as an in game warm up to get them in properly paranoid mood. They'll thank you for it afterwards.
Planet Busters: Yay! Another Tom Wham game! This is more complex than his previous games, with a large number of different pieces allowing for lots of different strategies, particularly if you play the advanced version. It almost seems like a precursor to CCG's, as it has plenty of room for expansion. Not sure if I like this one or not. I guess I'd have to play it to find out.
Robots for Traveller: I think you can guess what this one does. As they did in gamma world, they eschew random generation for a point based creature building system. And building one that can match up to a human PC in terms of versatility and power would be exceedingly expensive. Still, there are worse ways to spend your money. And having a robot sidekick or character can be amusing, and do things a human can't. Obviously I can't tell if this is broken, but it seems fairly well thought out.
Fiction: The next-to-last mistake by Paul McHugh. A rather meta story of drama at a fantasy LARP, with archery, chess, romance, moral lessons, and twists, oh my. Reminds me quite a bit of the arabian nights style of storytelling, although without the excesses of story nesting that style can fall into. Another strong bit of fiction that fully justifies it's place here, even without any actual supernatural elements. Two thumbs up. Please don't shoot an arrow through them, even if you can.
Why gamers get together: A bit of a misnamed article, as it's more about the benefits conventions bring to individual gamers. By getting to talk too and play with people from other places, you pick up new tricks, find out about new products, and learn how to work the rules better. Another article that strongly reminds me how much harder it was to disseminate ideas between groups before the internet. Before, if it wasn't on TV, it'd take years to get around, now, ideas can be sent across the world by ordinary people.
Championship Sumo wrestling: Another sports game from Brian Blume. Hmm. This doesn't even pretend to be roleplaying or wargaming related like Ringside. It's just an excuse to get a cool little design he made published, regardless of it's appropriateness to the magazine's theme as a whole. I am somewhat dubious as to how much he gets it. Still, at only a page long, it doesn't matter that much. It's his financial choices we really need to worry about.
The dragon's augury: OGRE gets a new edition, expanding the game to cover a greater range of scenarios, some not even using the eponymous ubertank. Production values have been increased, optional rules from magazine articles have been compiled, and the rules have in general been tightened up. Probably worth making the upgrade, in other words.
Worlds of Wonder takes the BRP system, and applies it to three different settings, a fantasy past, superheros in the present, and future one. Essentially, its both a semi-generic toolbox, and a bunch of example settings with their own genre rules added in to use or raid for parts. While there are some minor design errors, this is a laudable effort, as it shows that the company has realized one size does not fit all games, and you can adapt your rules to better simulate a genre, rather than sticking to an imitation of real life. Game design has come quite a way since the start of the decade.
Off the shelf: The dying earth by Jack Vance is a reprint. As it started one of his ongoing series, it's good to have it available again.
The goblin reservation by Clifford D Simak is also a reprint.
Honeymoon in hell by Frederic Brown is a collection of his short stories from the 40's and 50's. Full of puns and other fun, it's a good bit of light reading from a more wholesome age. (
)
The complete robot by Isaac Asimov is a large collection of his short stories on that theme, building a consistent universe, and going to a good length to shape people's perception of robots. Obviously a classic.
Blade Runner by Philip K Dick (not it's original title, but there's a film out, doncha know, so we'll put that in big letters and only put Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep as a little subtitle underneath) is of course a classic. The reviewer once again recommends it heartily.
Outward bound by Juanita Coulson is part two of another series. Sci-fi with a strong element of human drama, it is big without being slow or dull.
Castaways in time by Robert Adams is not part of the horseclans series, instead focussing on a group of modern people swept back to an alternate history england. Much less comedy ensues than you might think.
Warlocks gift by Aradath Mayhar gets a rather negative review, as it contains a mary-sue protagonist, and lots of pointless distractions.
Elephant song by Barry B Longyear follows the story of a troupe of circus performers stranded on a uninhabited planet, and learning to survive. A depressing prospect, entertainers with no-one to entertain. But therein lies the drama.
What's new gives us it's own take on women in gaming. But still no sex. Indeed, much of the strip is involved in preventing it. Wormy continues, with drama meeting comedy, and drama winning for a change.
Ooohh. I.C.E proudly presents the arrival of Middle Earth Roleplaying next month on the back cover. This is a big deal. One of the primary inspirations for the hobby enters that hobby. They must have high hopes for its sales potential, as they're already planning an extensive line of supplements. I guess if any licence could make a profit from RPG's, It'd be this one. I wonder if we'll be seeing articles for the game in the magazine?
Another issue I'm a bit dubious about. With the increase in both advertising and stuff from in-house writers, they are definitely becoming more blatantly commercially driven. Their coverage of games by other companies has dropped dramatically, and it doesn't look like that trend'll be reversing any time soon. If I were a young reader at that point I'd be considering sending them a letter saying pandering only to your core audience is not the way to expand your fanbase. Don't say the halcyon days where the magazine was a centreground for the entire hobby are already over.