The Dragon Issue 9 was published in September 1977. It is 32 pages long, with a cover price of $1.50. This issue saw the introduction of one of D&D's most beloved characters.
Tim Kask's editorial is all about Origins '77. Kask has little positive to say regarding the convention, noting that "It seems to have fallen short of the rather optimistic attendance predictions" and also saying "We won’t go into the problems that 77 had: those that were there know what they were." A real rivalry was developing between Origins and GenCon at this time, and it was about to erupt into a paper war.
Nearly one-third of this issue is taken up by the conclusion of Harry O. Fischer's short story, "The Finzer Family." Given past feedback, it's hard to believe this much fiction would have been popular with the readership.
Professor Barker graces the pages of the magazine again, this time with a column called "Seal of the Imperium." Barker intended this as a regular feature where he would answer questions about Empire of the Petal Throne. As it happens, the column ceased after two appearances, with TSR's interest in the game apparently waning.
There are two articles for D&D. One is a wordy musing on alignment by Gary Gygax, while the other contains some useful treasure tables for tombs and crypts, from the pen of Jim Ward. And Brian Blume (co-owner of TSR) makes a rare written appearance with a collection of gunfighters for his Boot Hill game. All of this material is solid but not stellar.
More interesting is a new section called the Comix Cache, which includes the premier issue of Wormy. Wikipedia describes Wormy as a "cigar-chomping, pool hustling, wargaming dragon." The strip ran for about ten years and was much beloved by fans.
A peculiar fate awaited Wormy's creator, Dave Trampier. In 1977, Trampier had just joined TSR as a staff artist and was one of the principal illustrators for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books (which were then in development). Most notably, he was responsible for the cover of the Player's Handbook, which remains one of the most iconic images in the history of the game.
In the late 80's, with his reputation as an RPG artist secure, Trampier suddenly disappeared. Royalty checks were returned unopened, and even his brother-in-law (game designer Tom Wham) did not know where he was. Theories abounded as to what had happened. Some said he had a massive argument with TSR; some thought he had undergone a religious conversion, while others simply assumed he was dead. Many mourned the loss of such of an important artist.
But the Trampier story was not over. Nearly fifteen years later, a student newspaper ran a story on the local taxi scene in Carbondale. The story featured a cabbie named David Trampier, who had moved there from Chicago a few months earlier. The famous artist was missing no more!
Word spread quickly in gaming networks that Trampier had been located, and numerous people reached out to him. However, he seems to have had no desire to become re-involved with the industry. His attitude changed in late 2013 when he found himself sick and facing unpayable medical bills. He sold some original D&D art and began making plans to republish Wormy. Sadly, he died before he could realize these plans. He was just 59.
(If you study the history of RPGs for any length of time, you will grow depressed at the number of important game designers who end up sick and impoverished in their old age. Surely, we can do better.)
To happier news. Next issue of The Dragon sees something new - the inclusion of a complete game!
This article was contributed by M.T. Black as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program.M.T. Black is a game designer and DMs Guild Adept. Please follow him on Twitter @mtblack2567 and sign up to his mailing list. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
Tim Kask's editorial is all about Origins '77. Kask has little positive to say regarding the convention, noting that "It seems to have fallen short of the rather optimistic attendance predictions" and also saying "We won’t go into the problems that 77 had: those that were there know what they were." A real rivalry was developing between Origins and GenCon at this time, and it was about to erupt into a paper war.
Nearly one-third of this issue is taken up by the conclusion of Harry O. Fischer's short story, "The Finzer Family." Given past feedback, it's hard to believe this much fiction would have been popular with the readership.
Professor Barker graces the pages of the magazine again, this time with a column called "Seal of the Imperium." Barker intended this as a regular feature where he would answer questions about Empire of the Petal Throne. As it happens, the column ceased after two appearances, with TSR's interest in the game apparently waning.
There are two articles for D&D. One is a wordy musing on alignment by Gary Gygax, while the other contains some useful treasure tables for tombs and crypts, from the pen of Jim Ward. And Brian Blume (co-owner of TSR) makes a rare written appearance with a collection of gunfighters for his Boot Hill game. All of this material is solid but not stellar.
More interesting is a new section called the Comix Cache, which includes the premier issue of Wormy. Wikipedia describes Wormy as a "cigar-chomping, pool hustling, wargaming dragon." The strip ran for about ten years and was much beloved by fans.
A peculiar fate awaited Wormy's creator, Dave Trampier. In 1977, Trampier had just joined TSR as a staff artist and was one of the principal illustrators for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books (which were then in development). Most notably, he was responsible for the cover of the Player's Handbook, which remains one of the most iconic images in the history of the game.
In the late 80's, with his reputation as an RPG artist secure, Trampier suddenly disappeared. Royalty checks were returned unopened, and even his brother-in-law (game designer Tom Wham) did not know where he was. Theories abounded as to what had happened. Some said he had a massive argument with TSR; some thought he had undergone a religious conversion, while others simply assumed he was dead. Many mourned the loss of such of an important artist.
But the Trampier story was not over. Nearly fifteen years later, a student newspaper ran a story on the local taxi scene in Carbondale. The story featured a cabbie named David Trampier, who had moved there from Chicago a few months earlier. The famous artist was missing no more!
Word spread quickly in gaming networks that Trampier had been located, and numerous people reached out to him. However, he seems to have had no desire to become re-involved with the industry. His attitude changed in late 2013 when he found himself sick and facing unpayable medical bills. He sold some original D&D art and began making plans to republish Wormy. Sadly, he died before he could realize these plans. He was just 59.
(If you study the history of RPGs for any length of time, you will grow depressed at the number of important game designers who end up sick and impoverished in their old age. Surely, we can do better.)
To happier news. Next issue of The Dragon sees something new - the inclusion of a complete game!
This article was contributed by M.T. Black as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program.M.T. Black is a game designer and DMs Guild Adept. Please follow him on Twitter @mtblack2567 and sign up to his mailing list. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
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