Dragon Publishing released Dragon issue 52 in August 1981. It is 84 pages long and has a cover price of $3.00. In this issue, we have a Gamma World scenario, bounty hunters, and the new D&D Basic Set!
PLEASE NOTE: This review was published out of order. We'll resume the Dragon chronology with issue #54.
The first of this month's two special attractions is an interview with Boris Vallejo, a significant fantasy artist known for illustrating Conan, Tarzan, and various Franklin Mint paraphernalia. One of his more notable pieces was the movie poster for National Lampoon's Vacation, which shows Chevy Chase in a Conan-style pose. Boris painted this month's beautiful cover, and it is telling that Dragon can now commission such noteworthy artists.
The other special attraction is "Cavern of the sub-train," a scenario for Gamma World by Gary "Jake" Jacquet, the often-forgotten co-author of Gamma World, and also head of Dragon Publishing. I believe this is the first Gamma World article they've published since issue 36--nearly 18 months ago. This neglect is pretty surprising, considering the game seems to have always been in print during this period.
We have a good collection of other features. First up are three articles relating to the cleric, a class that feels under-serviced in the magazine. "The role of the cleric" by Robert Plamondon discusses the part that clerics play in the D&D world. His central point is that the cleric "is not a meek priest; he is a warrior who... destroys the enemies of his god." Next, Douglass Loss brings us, "This land is my land," suggesting that clerical spells should be more potent in lands where their gods are more popular. Not an idea I like much. Loss also wrote "The sense of sacrifices," which discusses the sort of sacrifices a cleric might bring to their god to secure an extraordinary miracle. I liked this article quite a bit better!
TSR had just released the new D&D Basic Set, this one edited by Tom Moldvay. There are two articles about it, the first a mini-review by J. Eric Holmes, author of the original Basic Set, and then a short introduction to the rules by Moldvay himself. They are a nice pair of pieces, giving us a "where it's been and where it's going" perspective. The Moldvay Basic Set is what I learned to play D&D with, and I still love it!
Frequent contributor Paul Montgomery Crabaugh brings us "The undercover job guide" for Top Secret, which fleshes out an agent's "undercover profession" in the game. Meanwhile, "Knock, Knock!" by Michael Kluever is a helpful potted history of siege warfare. Kluever contributed several articles to Dragon about medieval weapons and armor.
In issue 46, the editors challenged readers to send in a D&D bounty hunter class, and in "Wanted: Bounty Hunters," they print the three best entries, by Scott Bennie, Tom Armstrong, and Robert L. Tussey & Kenneth Strunk. All of them are some variation of ranger/thief, and no one brings anything fresh to the table, though Scott Bennie’s entry was well well-regarded by some. Bennie went on to accumulate many RPG writing credits before moving into the video games industry.
On to the regular articles! Glen Rahman brings us yet another edition of "Minarian Legends," this time describing the nation of Shucassam. Next, in "Giants in the Earth," Katharine Kerr goes Shakespearean and presents D&D stats for Prospero, Ariel, and Caliban, along with stats for Homer's Circe. And in "Leoumnd's Tiny Hut," Len Lakofka gives us birth tables for Greyhawk, describing where a character was born and what languages they are likely to speak. It's rather detailed!
"Dragon's Bestiary" presents two new monsters for D&D. First is the rhaumbusun by Victor Selby and Ed Greenwood, which resembles a multi-legged alligator. And we also have the pelins by Lewis Pulsipher, an enormous, demon-headed beetle with rows of bat wings.
"Up on a Soapbox" has two articles this month. "To err is human, to repair divine" by Lewis Pulsipher examines several strategies for dealing with characters who have accidentally gotten too powerful. "The best DMs will look further than the book" by Tom Armstrong suggests DMs should vary monsters and magic items from the official sources to keep players on their toes.
"Simulation Corner" is back, and John Prados is kicking off a five-part series about how to create a wargame. Unfortunately, Prados does seem to be struggling for topics, and this column has just about run its course.
"Dragon's Augury" reviews three new games. Basic Roleplaying by Chaosium is "a truly universal introduction to the hobby—highly recommended." Timelag by Gameshop "possesses a minimum of long-lasting appeal." Finally, Dungeon Tiles by Task Force Games will be helpful to "DMs who need a little help in presenting the situation."
We have a new column! "Off the Shelf" by Chris Henderson is a collection of fiction book reviews. Let's run through them. Dream Park by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes is "much better than some of Niven's other recent efforts." Small praise! Dragonslayer by Wayland Drew is "a powerful book." Sunfall by C.J. Cherryh is "a fine collection" of stories. And Horseclans Odyssey by Robert Adams is "a welcome addition" to the Horseclan series.
Boris Vallejo painted this month's beautiful cover. Interior artist credits include Chris Conly, Roger Raupp, Jon Hageman, Erol Otus, Phil Foglio, Corinna Taylor, David Trampier, and L. Blankenship.
And that's a wrap! The highlights for me were the articles on the D&D Basic Set. Next month, we have monk options, Junta, and the Garden of Nefaron!
PLEASE NOTE: This review was published out of order. We'll resume the Dragon chronology with issue #54.
The first of this month's two special attractions is an interview with Boris Vallejo, a significant fantasy artist known for illustrating Conan, Tarzan, and various Franklin Mint paraphernalia. One of his more notable pieces was the movie poster for National Lampoon's Vacation, which shows Chevy Chase in a Conan-style pose. Boris painted this month's beautiful cover, and it is telling that Dragon can now commission such noteworthy artists.
The other special attraction is "Cavern of the sub-train," a scenario for Gamma World by Gary "Jake" Jacquet, the often-forgotten co-author of Gamma World, and also head of Dragon Publishing. I believe this is the first Gamma World article they've published since issue 36--nearly 18 months ago. This neglect is pretty surprising, considering the game seems to have always been in print during this period.
We have a good collection of other features. First up are three articles relating to the cleric, a class that feels under-serviced in the magazine. "The role of the cleric" by Robert Plamondon discusses the part that clerics play in the D&D world. His central point is that the cleric "is not a meek priest; he is a warrior who... destroys the enemies of his god." Next, Douglass Loss brings us, "This land is my land," suggesting that clerical spells should be more potent in lands where their gods are more popular. Not an idea I like much. Loss also wrote "The sense of sacrifices," which discusses the sort of sacrifices a cleric might bring to their god to secure an extraordinary miracle. I liked this article quite a bit better!
TSR had just released the new D&D Basic Set, this one edited by Tom Moldvay. There are two articles about it, the first a mini-review by J. Eric Holmes, author of the original Basic Set, and then a short introduction to the rules by Moldvay himself. They are a nice pair of pieces, giving us a "where it's been and where it's going" perspective. The Moldvay Basic Set is what I learned to play D&D with, and I still love it!
Frequent contributor Paul Montgomery Crabaugh brings us "The undercover job guide" for Top Secret, which fleshes out an agent's "undercover profession" in the game. Meanwhile, "Knock, Knock!" by Michael Kluever is a helpful potted history of siege warfare. Kluever contributed several articles to Dragon about medieval weapons and armor.
In issue 46, the editors challenged readers to send in a D&D bounty hunter class, and in "Wanted: Bounty Hunters," they print the three best entries, by Scott Bennie, Tom Armstrong, and Robert L. Tussey & Kenneth Strunk. All of them are some variation of ranger/thief, and no one brings anything fresh to the table, though Scott Bennie’s entry was well well-regarded by some. Bennie went on to accumulate many RPG writing credits before moving into the video games industry.
On to the regular articles! Glen Rahman brings us yet another edition of "Minarian Legends," this time describing the nation of Shucassam. Next, in "Giants in the Earth," Katharine Kerr goes Shakespearean and presents D&D stats for Prospero, Ariel, and Caliban, along with stats for Homer's Circe. And in "Leoumnd's Tiny Hut," Len Lakofka gives us birth tables for Greyhawk, describing where a character was born and what languages they are likely to speak. It's rather detailed!
"Dragon's Bestiary" presents two new monsters for D&D. First is the rhaumbusun by Victor Selby and Ed Greenwood, which resembles a multi-legged alligator. And we also have the pelins by Lewis Pulsipher, an enormous, demon-headed beetle with rows of bat wings.
"Up on a Soapbox" has two articles this month. "To err is human, to repair divine" by Lewis Pulsipher examines several strategies for dealing with characters who have accidentally gotten too powerful. "The best DMs will look further than the book" by Tom Armstrong suggests DMs should vary monsters and magic items from the official sources to keep players on their toes.
"Simulation Corner" is back, and John Prados is kicking off a five-part series about how to create a wargame. Unfortunately, Prados does seem to be struggling for topics, and this column has just about run its course.
"Dragon's Augury" reviews three new games. Basic Roleplaying by Chaosium is "a truly universal introduction to the hobby—highly recommended." Timelag by Gameshop "possesses a minimum of long-lasting appeal." Finally, Dungeon Tiles by Task Force Games will be helpful to "DMs who need a little help in presenting the situation."
We have a new column! "Off the Shelf" by Chris Henderson is a collection of fiction book reviews. Let's run through them. Dream Park by Larry Niven & Steven Barnes is "much better than some of Niven's other recent efforts." Small praise! Dragonslayer by Wayland Drew is "a powerful book." Sunfall by C.J. Cherryh is "a fine collection" of stories. And Horseclans Odyssey by Robert Adams is "a welcome addition" to the Horseclan series.
Boris Vallejo painted this month's beautiful cover. Interior artist credits include Chris Conly, Roger Raupp, Jon Hageman, Erol Otus, Phil Foglio, Corinna Taylor, David Trampier, and L. Blankenship.
And that's a wrap! The highlights for me were the articles on the D&D Basic Set. Next month, we have monk options, Junta, and the Garden of Nefaron!
