Dragon 301

[ColonelHardisson]

The Swashbuckler Campaign Components article continues with the new concept begun with the one for Knights from a couple issues back. These articles are exactly the kind of thing Dragon should be publishing.

Some of the stuff I liked in this issue: the swordfighting "schools" or "styles," the overview of the swashbuckling genre and how it can relate to D&D, and Monte's Dungeoncraft article.

If this is the worst issue ever, I can't imagine what a good issue would be like, or what one that is truly bad would be like.

 

[Squire James]

No, the "worst issue ever" was the one back in the 100's where they let Sandy Peterson review DOOM. Hm... what kind of unbiased review would you expect from the Head Level Designer... of DOOM? Naturally, he gave some other good games a low rating (Betrayal at Krondor 2/5 stars??), and the highest possible rating for his own.

 

[Aitch Eye]

I'm pretty happy with the issue. While I never judge the issues on how much might actually show up in our particular games, this issue had far more than most. The alchemy and masterpiece performance stuff fits very nicely into my wife's lower-magic setting, and the swashbuckler, DM tips, and other articles are generally useful to a wide variety of campaigns. (If we'd had the rules for using Tumble to run up a wall and backflip before, I could have used them on a couple of occasions.)

On the issue of swashbucklers from classes that don't use a sword; whatever the origin of the term in swordfighting, it's also the name of a genre of storytelling, so there's nothing incongruous about giving advice on how to incorporate other types of characters into a swashbuckling campaign. If they hadn't put that information in, we'd be getting angry posts about how they didn't give any advice on how to incorporate non-swordfighters into a campaign.

 

[Olive]

could someone explain the swashbuckling feats to me? dragon 300 only arrived here last week...

 

[Tsyr]

could someone explain the swashbuckling feats to me? dragon 300 only arrived here last week...

You have a bunch of basic feats... a ton of parry feats, for example, but a few others too... but then you also have feat chains that lead up to various "styles", the same way it works in Oriental Adventures for martial arts.

Overall, I'm very happy with this issue.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

No, the "worst issue ever" was the one back in the 100's where they let Sandy Peterson review DOOM. Hm... what kind of unbiased review would you expect from the Head Level Designer... of DOOM? Naturally, he gave some other good games a low rating (Betrayal at Krondor 2/5 stars??), and the highest possible rating for his own.

I found Betrayal at Krondor to be the most overrated game ever. I hated it, but all the reviews seemed to think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[psionotic]

Wow, I'm kind of surprised. I didn't like issue 300, but I found Dragon 301 to be one of the best issues I've received in the two years of my subscription so far.

The Swashbuckling section with the fencing styles, feats, and variant rules was great. The article on masterwork peformances for bards was an interesting way to introduce a new magic item type, and somehow the sage answered 3-4 burning questions that my group was having..

All in all, a very useful issue. Well done.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Wow, I'm kind of surprised. I didn't like issue 300, but I found Dragon 301 to be one of the best issues I've received in the two years of my subscription so far.

The Swashbuckling section with the fencing styles, feats, and variant rules was great. The article on masterwork peformances for bards was an interesting way to introduce a new magic item type, and somehow the sage answered 3-4 burning questions that my group was having..

All in all, a very useful issue. Well done.

I agree, this was the best issue in a while. The Swashbuckling stuff was good, the feats useful. I didn't really look too well at the Alchemy article, but the bard thing works.

 

[Tsyr]

could someone explain the swashbuckling feats to me? dragon 300 only arrived here last week...

Just for the record, here are the names of the feats:

Parry
Armoured Fencer (Heavy) (Let you use the Parry feat while better armoured)
Armoured Fencer (Medium)
Crushing Defense (Parry with a twist)
Expert Parry
Guarded Defense
Improved Parry
Incredible Parry
Protective Parry
Steel Skin (unarmed parry, basicly)
Circle Student
Circle Master
Danger Sense
Kick Them While They're Down
Single Blade Style (I love this one)
Snatch Weapon

The fencing styles are:

Mercy's Blade
Nimble Feet
Rapier and Dagger
Fencer's Insight

Also has a bunch of new weapons and such for fencers including the (groan) mandatory exotic elven "Better than any human weapon" fencing weapon. Does include some rules for a "dueling cloak" though, which is really cool and much appreciated.

Also has a bunch of examples of new uses for different skills... Wooing for diplomacy, throw someone off balance for balance, etc.

The swashbuckling article also has suggestions and tips for a DM running that type of game, example of ways PCs could fit into such a game, monsters in a swashbucking game (Including a really cool and slightly hillarious picture of an illithid in a zorro-esq mask/cape outfit holding a dagger), some adventure hooks, suggestions for how to handle existing races and classes in said game style, some stuff on honor and prestige, and closes with a nice list of suggest reading/viewing.

Overall, a very impressive atical.

The masterwork bardic peices are a really nice idea, and one I'm going to be sure to use. Some good rules, and enough fluff to be interesting to read, but generic enough that you can use them for just about any fantasy game.

I liked the alchemy section too, but, then, I'm a fan of alchemy in general. Basicly, it lists a bunch of new plants and so forth, details them briefly, including describing what they look like and where to find them, and then for each one lists something you can make with it.

New alchemical items are:

Burn Salve
Devil's Soap
Dragon Brew
Elf Hazel
Frost Lotion
Gash Glue
Goblin Ink
Icewalker Oil
Journeyman's Friend
Lantern Stars
Memorybind
Mindfire
Night Venom
Oakdeath
Purebalm
Senses
Shinewater
Titan Gum
Vine Oil
White Sanguine
Wittlewort Brew

Overall very impressed also with both the Troll Ecology section -- though I will admit the Savage Claw advancement chart isn't my favorite peice of work (I don't like advancement charts, really) -- and the Claw of Gold theives guild. This also includes a pretty cool "Draconic" template.

The info on the Beggar's Union was interesting too, though I don't anticipate using it any time soon (It's mostly stuff that would be out of my players "area").

 

[Destil]

I found Betrayal at Krondor to be the most overrated game ever. I hated it, but all the reviews seemed to think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Man, if you want to talk overrated... don't even get me started on sliced bread...