Dragon Reflections #91

Dragon Publishing released Dragon #91 in November 1984. It is 116 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. This issue features the Nine Hells, realistic character statistics, and a treasure trove of magic items!

The cover is by Dean Morrissey and depicts a strange naval vessel that appears just as capable of sailing the skies as the seas. It feels very steampunk, though that term was yet to be coined. Interior artists include Roger Raupp, Bob Maurus, Jeff Butler, Dave Trampier, Richard Tomasic, Joseph Pillsbury, David Hutton, and Larry Elmore.

This month's special attraction is "Treasure Trove," a collection of new magical items for AD&D from various authors. It follows in the tradition of "Bazaar of the Bizarre" and offers a rich array of enchanted objects to surprise players who think they've seen it all. The selection includes weapons, potions, wondrous items, and even a few cursed surprises. Many of the items are a little prosaic, such as the potion of frost resistance. It is no surprise that the most colourful items come from the pen of Ed Greenwood, including the censer of thaumaturgy, the goblet of glory, and the trumpet of doom. I also want to draw attention to the rod of many things by Andrew Dewar, which is now a staple of the game.

Gary Gygax brings us "The Goristro Revealed," introducing this massive, stupid, but very dangerous demon that was mistakenly omitted from the Monster Manual II. Gygax makes up for it with full stats and a robust description of their role in the Abyss. It's a shame there is no matching illustration.

"Realistic Vital Statistics" by Stephen Inniss presents an alternative system for determining character height and weight based on geometry. It's a well-thought-out mathematical approach, but one wonders whether the realism is worth the additional complexity. Inniss previously published two detailed articles on familiars and would publish another dozen articles with Dragon over the next few years.

Ed Greenwood offers another stellar entry in the "Ecology" series with "The Ecology of the Leucrotta." The article takes a deep dive into this grim and unsettling creature, known for mimicking human voices to lure victims to their doom. It is good to have this series back after an absence of several months.

Greenwood also expands on some earlier work in "Nine Hells Revisited," providing details on outcast devils, hidden treasures in the infernal realms, and diabolical deals. His follow-up article, "Eight Devilish Questions," answers reader queries about the Nine Hells and the role of devils in the game. This compelling look into fiendish lore is imaginative, detailed, readable, and highly gameable. It is Dragon at its best.

"Chronicles: A Novel Idea" previews the upcoming Dragonlance Chronicles series--a significant milestone on TSR's march into the world of fiction. The article showcases the beautiful Larry Elmore cover for "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" and hints at the sweeping scope of the story and its connection to the Dragonlance game modules.

Penny Petticord makes her Dragon debut and provides some Top Secret insight with "Spies' Advice," tackling a score of reader questions about the rules. TSR recently hired Petticord as a "games questions expert," and she went on to edit Polyhedron and administer the RPGA Network. She later married Skip Williams.

"The Rune and the Dragon" by Lawrence Watt-Evans is a short story about three adventurers who, after stumbling upon a mysterious golden rune, find themselves pursued by an enigmatic dragon. The central mystery is engaging, and the resolution is satisfying, but the story suffers from uneven pacing and shallow characters. Watt-Evans published many novels and stories and later became president of the Horror Writers Association.

There are several game reviews in this issue. Shogun by Shipps Ltd is an engaging card game blending elements of five-card stud poker with the popular James Clavell novel. The gameplay is quick to learn but sufficiently complex for repeated play. Paul Smith concludes, "the strategies are delicate enough to intrigue and challenge the most experienced game-player."

Ken Rolston reviews several mystery-themed games. Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eyes by Flying Buffalo is a simple espionage RPG emphasising speed over realism and offering limited background material. Rolston rates the game merely "adequate," though many now believe it is a minor classic. Death in Dunwich by Theatre of the Mind Enterprises is an engaging Call of Cthulhu scenario that blends mystery, investigation, and horror. Rolston judges it "an excellent adventure and an example of what good role-playing mystery should be." The Vanishing Investigator by TSR is a Gangbusters mystery module with exceptional organisation and detailed presentation. Rolston declares it "a first-class product, both as a model of RPG mystery design and as an effective and exciting adventure."

Rolston also shares several capsule reviews:

• Dragons of Despair by TSR is an unconventional AD&D adventure with a strong plot, thematic depth, and a rich atmosphere.
• Marvel Super Heroes by TSR is an engagingly straightforward superhero RPG that is particularly accessible for younger gamers.
• The Mountain Environment by Gamelords, Ltd. is a highly detailed supplement for wilderness adventures in mountainous terrain.
• Bree and the Barrow Downs by Iron Crown Enterprises is an immersive Middle-earth setting module with meticulously developed cultural and geographic detail.

The ARES section rounds out the issue with 14 pages of sci-fi and superhero content:

• "Does anyone here speak Aslan?" by Joseph Benedetto covers language skills in Traveller.
• "The Day of the Juggernaut" by William Tracy is a Star Frontiers scenario.
• "The Marvel-Phile" by Jeff Grubb provides statistics for the mysterious Cloak and Dagger.
• "Careers in Star Law" by Alex Curylo offers more details on this Star Frontiers organisation.
• "Don't Leave Home Without 'Em!" by Scott Hutcheon describes new equipment for Gamma World.

And that's a wrap! It was a substantial issue, with Greenwood's "Nine Hells Revisited" the obvious standout. There was some discussion in Dragon Reflections #90 as to whether the magazine was in decline by this point. I'd say not yet, but there are warning signs ahead. Gygax's creative contributions will ramp up over the coming months, then cease altogether as he is eased out of the company, with veteran Dragon editor Kim Mohan following soon after. Grognardia identifies this year as the moment D&D moves from its Golden Age to its Silver Age, with the product overly influenced by second-rate epic fantasy and a decadent concern with fantasy realism and dramatic coherence. I'm sure my commentators will have views.

Next month, we have lots on clerics, the ecology of the Ettin, and the return of Pages from the Mages!

 

[jeffh]

This was my first ever issue of Dragon. I wanted to check it out and liked the cover. That there were 80 of these (if not more - I don't think this was the newest issue even at the time, though it can't have been more than about six months old) seemed really promising, an effectively endless series of supplements for my favourite new hobby. I remember Day of the Juggernaut made me want to get the Star Frontiers rules; in the short term that was probably the highlight for me. Forum was also a revelation - the existence of such relatively in-depth discussions about RPGs was eye-opening at a time before Internet forums.

EDIT: Oh, and the height and weight stuff was an influence, but in the long run, mostly in a negative way. It was like, you could go to the trouble of adding this kind of detail, but what does it really add?

 

[TerraDave]

Oh, and we played that day of the juggernaut scenario! Good stuff.

 

[Starmaster]

The Morrissey covers are indeed fantastic. Love the detail he put in them.

I never liked the DL modules from the moment I first saw them because I hate railroad gaming. One thing that I recall from the earliest DL modules that that the PCs weren't even allowed to kill off major NPCs who needed to reappear in modules later in the series, so they came out with what I think they called the "obscure death" rule. If the PCs killed off Verminaard, for example, he'd have to do something like stumble around a bit groaning and then fall off a bottomless cliff into the mists below, so that he could somehow survive to reappear. What a cheat against the PCs! Sounds like something you'd expect from The Master in Doctor Who. As far as I'm concerned, if the PCs totally screw up an adventure and do something completely unexpected, more power to them! That's why I always liked to keep a stockpile of interesting modules handy so they can move on to the next one. PCs should always feel free to totally screw up a storyline. It's unrealistic and boring to hem them in.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Agreed. It was kinda weird how they just added a war game to Star Frontiers to handle ship combat. It kinda makes sense, but it never really felt like it integrated starship travel into the roleplaying game - not in the way that Traveller did.

I don't know, the White Light mini-campaign in the KH box felt pretty well integrated with the RPG side of things thanks to having a few boarding scenarios, and there were a couple of modules that did okay - IIRC Dramune Run was a decent mix of ship and personal action. The problem for me was the way starship skills were gated behind some fairly high personal skill prerequisites (which you got for free with the starship skills if you went through the academy). If you didn't go the academy route you were likely to have much lower overall skills and while the cost of starship skills might eventually even that up some, it took longer than any campaign I ever played.

That made for a real issue in terms of game balance, and was something that Traveller avoided since starship skills were treated like any others, no prereqs and available in many careers right from scratch.

Also not all that strange to have your RPG's starship combat rules effectively serve as a board game as well. Traveller had Mayday from early on (and much later Brilliant Lances and Battle Rider) and FASA Trek had the Tactical Combat Simulator standalone rules derived from the RPG.

Now, including an entire strategic-level wargame in the box, that was crazy. Imagine if the Traveller RPG came boxed with Fifth Frontier War or even something lighter like Imperium/Dark Nebula. That's pretty much what KH did, and it was even a pretty decent wargame. Played through it multiple times and every game's outcome has been very different, and usually quite close.

Oh, and we played that day of the juggernaut scenario! Good stuff.

It's not a bad scenario unto itself, just a lot less impressive than Ogre was while having a very similar theme. I played it three or four times over the years and never saw the Sathar manage a clean win - the Scorpions tend to fold up a little too fast and once the surviving UPF ships can focus on the Juggernaut the damage effects just pile up too fast. All the hull points in the world don't help much if your lousy ADF/MR have been reduced to zero before you reach orbit, and some of the other results are just brutal on such a large ship.

 

[Lidgar]

I still have Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eyes sitting on my bookshelf. I don’t think I ever played it. Might need to pull it down and give it a read.

 

[M.T. Black]

I don't know, the White Light mini-campaign in the KH box felt pretty well integrated with the RPG side of things thanks to having a few boarding scenarios, and there were a couple of modules that did okay - IIRC Dramune Run was a decent mix of ship and personal action.

Fair call - I think you've got a lot more experience with the game than I have

Truth be told, I first read Knight Hawks after I'd already started playing Star Wars D6, and the latter coloured how I thought star ships can/should be run in an RPG.

I still wish WOTC would update and release a new version of Star Frontiers. I suspect it would sell reasonably well - not D&D numbers, of course.

 

[Bolongo]

Grognardia identifies this year as the moment D&D moves from its Golden Age to its Silver Age, with the product overly influenced by second-rate epic fantasy and a decadent concern with fantasy realism and dramatic coherence

Dramatic coherence is decadent? As is realism? What does this Grognardia character consider the peak of game design then? The funhouse dungeon?

 

[M.T. Black]

Dramatic coherence is decadent? As is realism? What does this Grognardia character consider the peak of game design then? The funhouse dungeon?

Possibly! But what he is referring to is "excessive realism" - that is, when you start to get pages and pages of crunch attempting to simulate the real world. The multi-page article about how to calculate height and weight in this issue are one example.

Grognardia considers narrative coherence "decadent" (which I assume he means in the sense of "cultural decline") because it leads to railroading as you attempt to ensure the party follows the story "correctly." This cuts against the grain of the classic RPG experience, which was all about choice. See DL2 for a good example of problematic railroading.

There's a lot of discussion about this stuff in the OSR world.

 

[Bolongo]

Possibly! But what he is referring to is "excessive realism" - that is, when you start to get pages and pages of crunch attempting to simulate the real world.

Grognardia considers narrative coherence "decadent" (which I assume he means in the sense of "cultural decline") because it leads to railroading as you attempt to ensure the party follows the story "correctly."

OK, so it's all about the extremes then.

My first thought when someone says "dramatic coherence" is not "strict adherence to a plot", but rather "this character's behaviour makes sense, given previously established facts." I guess your interpretation depends on the state of the debate around you...

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Grognardia considers narrative coherence "decadent" (which I assume he means in the sense of "cultural decline") because it leads to railroading as you attempt to ensure the party follows the story "correctly." This cuts against the grain of the classic RPG experience, which was all about choice. See DL2 for a good example of problematic railroading.

"Dramatic coherence" (at least in the OSR community discussions that I've seen) can also refer to putting a predetermined story outcome ahead of actual in-game events. That certainly includes railroading but also extends to fudging die rolls, applying plot armor or homebrewed "life insurance" metacurrencies to key villains and/or the PCs, and setting up "cut scenes" where the players are unable to meaningfully interact with the setting. A fairly large number of OSR fans regard that sort of thing as an anathema and insist the game is best when you play the dice as they fall, the story emerges from a combination of randomness and player choices, and the DM spends almost as much time being surprised (and improvising responses) as the players do. The mindset is probably one of the main reasons that the OSR as a whole has so many odd random charts and a fascination with sandbox play and hex/point crawls.