TSR [Let's Read] Polyhedron/Dungeon

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 15: Nov/Dec 1983



part 5/6



Notes for the Dungeon Master: Fresh from giving his advice on solo games, Roger does pretty much the same for high level play, with slight diminishing returns. After all, with solo play, you have to scale down the challenges. With a high level team, the trick is providing challenges that are not only more impressive in numbers, but also scope, and not writing yourself into a corner. This can be quite tricky, especially with the flexibility high level spellcasters have in the D&D system. So don't jump to world-saving plots too quickly, remember that money and magic items can be taken away as well as given, and try and make sure that you leave loose ends and political connections around that allow new adventures to grow organically from the previous ones. Using prefab adventures will always be a crapshoot at that kind of level, and it's easier if you raised them up from lower levels and design your own around the capabilities and histories of your specific group. This isn't nearly as helpful as it could be, as a lot of the advice is geared towards preventing the players from ever getting that powerful, rather than showing how adventures with phenomenal cosmic power are not only possible, but fun. The limitations of their paradigm are still very much in force here.



Mas Day in New Hope: Our festive article this year is for Gamma World. A robot santa and it's reindeer & flying sled were created by an ancient automated factory and sent out to spread cheer and gifts to the postapocalyptic landscape. Any naughty boys and girls trying to take more than their fair share of presents will find them heavily armed and armored and willing to respond with considerably more firepower than a lump of coal. So this is silly, but also a reminder that combat is often not the best path of action. This could be an amusing flavor encounter, or a tough combat one, depending on how bloodthirsty and genre savvy the players are. I guess that's a little nicer than the average dungeon crawl, where pacifism isn't an option. I approve.



House Rules in Dawn Patrol: As we've seen before in here, even the original designers of games often don't play them by RAW. Seems Mike Carr is no exception, as he gives us 7 house rules here that he uses to make his own games a bit more varied and complex. When you're a designer, tinkering comes naturally, partly to improve the next edition, and partly just to stave off boredom. It's not about perfection, it's about variety. Since Dawn Patrol can pack a lot of stuff into a single page, this is definitely a good use of the newszine. I hope they can keep up the variety for a good while longer.



The Vesper Investigation: Another Gangbusters adventure this month. While the last one went into pulp science, this turns into a ghost story, as our investigators deal with what may or may not be a haunted house. (it's left ambiguous whether it actually is a ghost, or just criminals trying to protect their ill-gotten gains, so the GM can go either way. ) So it's not too bad on it's own merits, but it does illustrate that they're struggling to keep this games interesting for themselves and come up with new things without breaking genre. It just seems to reach it's limits as a system and premise too quickly for long-term campaigns.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 15: Nov/Dec 1983



part 6/6



Casin' the Joint: The attempt to keep you from running out of Gangbusters ideas continues with a reminder that reprints (or nowadays, scans) of material actually written in the 1920's and 30's are still readily available, (in fact, they're probably easier to find now than back in the 1980's) so unlike a lot of historical eras, you have a ton of primary sources that you can use for inspiration. The rest of the page is just a list of examples, focussing heavily on the obvious choices over any deep cuts. Another of those cases where the article is not exactly bad, but aimed way too far below my experience level to be of any use to me. We could do so much better now with a forum thread.



Cash & Carry for Cowboys: Another of those irritating reminders of how ephemeral publications could be back then, as they reprint an article that's only 2 years old from Dragon. Were back issues of it even out of print by then? This little list of extra items for Boot Hill must have been more in demand than I thought, because I found it pretty dry the first time around, and I still do. Just goes to show that my tastes don't reflect the average reader of these things, or that of the staff, as this definitely isn't one I would have chosen to reprint if I were in charge of something like this.



College Courses & Vital Statistics: Our second reprint is also very much not one I would have chosen; the detailed list of college courses for Top Secret, making tracking advancement slow and expensive in a way that seems somewhat out of character with the source material. (or at least, the TV side of it, as books can elide months or years of tedious data gathering and undercover work into a few sentences) And Blood Group?! When has that ever been a relevant detail in an RPG? This just seems to be a fundamental disjunction between what Merle wanted out of his game, and what the average player wanted, and I'm not surprised they went the other direction hard in the next edition, playing up the cinematic globetrotting. We have more than enough grinding for cash and delayed gratification in our everyday lives. Do we really want to create more of it in our recreation?



A fairly boring issue, as both the GM advice and reprinted articles are focussed on a very different audience to my tastes, while the interesting stuff is also somewhat goofy and irritating. Another of the ups and downs in general quality. At least they're still going by fairly quickly. Let's see if 1984 will be suitably dystopian when viewed from this particular angle.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 16: Jan/Feb 1984



part 1/6



32 pages. Our WWI fighter plane and 1920's gangster audiences get a crossover with a bit of gyrocopter action. Will the chaser be able to shoot the pilot down, or will he use his superior maneuverability to get away? Let's keep going and see what actual context and odds of success this has inside.



From the Editor: After a year of vociferously refusing to do modules in here, and another of trying to placate the demands by doing little capsule adventures instead, they do a sudden about-face. The combination of cancelling RPGA exclusive merch and modules has left them with some prime real estate opened up, and a bunch of almost finished modules that need a new home. So Polyhedron is the obvious place for them. And even once they've got through the 4 they have scheduled, they'll know they can do it, so they're more likely to do it again. In a more partial capitulation, while they're still not going to pay for articles, they are offering membership extensions in exchange for them instead, which is better than nothing, but still not as good a deal as getting published in Dragon. You really need to be doing it for the love, not any delusions of making a full-time living out of freelancing. Let's see how many people actually take that up despite the better options elsewhere.



Encounters: Turns out the cover image was actually for Top Secret. Gyrocopters are actually a good deal more advanced than WWI planes, and their fragility is a result of making them collapsible, so you can smuggle them in places, reassemble them and then fly out. You have to sneak up on the enemy agents and rescue a captured scientist before they get over the border. Since you're outnumbered and in a fragile vehicle, you'd better be careful. You might win and still find yourself stranded, having to hike days with your rescued asset to get to safety. This is a pretty interesting set of parameters for an adventure, that gives you plenty of options how to complete the scenario, and looks like it'd be fun to play out. I approve.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 16: Jan/Feb 1984



part 2/6



Cryptic Alliance of the Bi-Month: Another regular feature starts up, as Jim Ward continues to move Gamma World away from a series of zany events to an actual setting. Give them people they know and care about, and an ideology to pursue, and their adventures will be more focussed and hopefully last longer. First up, we have the Followers of the Voice. They worship a sentient computer, and their big adventure hook is seeking out more ancient technology to bring back and hook up to their master, making it more knowledgable and powerful. It has slightly more android followers than human ones, and very few mutants choose to serve it indeed, as mutations are irrelevant too, or even a crutch distracting from the focus on technological advancement. You'll definitely never run out of missions or enemies serving this one, but may eventually be forced to defect when you realise your master has no real concern for your wellbeing, and would send you on a suicide mission in a nanosecond if the data indicates that would be profitable in the long term for it. Yeah, this definitely seems like it would add to your game, both as an ally and an enemy. Let's see how long they can add more ideas before repetition and diminishing returns set in.



The Shady Dragon Inn: This month's promotional tie-in article is for the eponymously named AC1, as TSR starts to add more accessories than just new monsters and adventures. Want a place that you can start your adventures at, that's also robustly built enough that they'll still have to pay for their drinks until they hit high level, with moderate level staff and patrons who have some useful magic items and know how to use them. Here ya go. Have a sampler. Not particularly useful once you've bought the thing, but these promotional things rarely are. It's still decent enough on it's own merits.



Hot Shots and Cold Water: The endless quest to deal with overpowered problem players continues in here. Trying to solve an out of game problem through in game means is a silly thing to do, yet somehow they haven't realized that and keep on trying it. The big problem here appears to really be rotating GM's, allowing players to bring a previously played character into a campaign without thought as to how they fit into the world, and with items and abilities the GM never gave them, and hasn't planned how to suitably challenge. If you always make a new character for each campaign, and the GM and players actually communicate expectations when creating them instead of just bringing a sheet to the table blind, half of this naughty word would never have the chance to build up in the first place. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Keep that in mind in your own games.

 

[dave2008]

Thank you for all the hard work - this series is very interesting. More so because I never read this publication!

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 16: Jan/Feb 1984



part 3/6



The Riddle of Dolmen Moor: So, the first half of the Prophecy of Brie got released as modules, but the second is a polyhedron exclusive. Given the respective size of print runs, I'm not sure if that's a step down in readership for them or not, and might motivate people to hunt down the previous instalments. Or not, as nothing here is particularly exciting. Head up to the moor, deal with an annoying invincible bard who gives you a clue to the second part of the adventure if you do the right things, and then try and find the right tomb containing the macguffin needed to progress to the next module. It seems very much a matter of luck whether you'll do the things the module expects or not, and whether you'll pick the right tomb straight away, or spend hours facing the various monsters in the wrong ones. I guess that's the old school for you. :/ You have plenty of choices, but getting the information to make those choices meaningful can be tricky.



Boredom: Now, if giving players too much power too quickly can result in them getting bored, especially if the challenges don't keep pace, the opposite is just as true. If advancement is too slow, the types of challenges are too repetitive, the players have no freedom of choice, or conversely, they have too much freedom and not enough information to direct their choices, boredom will set in, and your campaign will not last much longer. This is a pretty good bit of GM advice, giving you a neat checklist of problems to go over if you're starting to struggle with player engagement. It's not an easy job, and no matter how long we do it, we'll always need to keep switching things up to keep both ourselves and our players interested. So referring back to stuff like this will always be useful.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 16: Jan/Feb 1984



part 4/6



Research is not a dirty word: Last issue, we had an article on source material for Gangbusters. This article does exactly the same thing, but in a more generic way for both fantasy and sci-fi games. So this is basically Kim Eastland's own personal Appendix N, showing us his particular tastes and influences. They're quite different from Gary's, and a lot more visually oriented, with a large proportion of illustrated books and comic books in there. You could definitely build a distinctively flavoured setting using these as the primary sources. There's a good topic for a spinoff thread.



Photo Session: Our Star Frontiers article this issue also draws heavily on real world research, taking NASA mockups of space vehicles and stations, and extrapolating on them a bit to turn them into adventure hooks. A picture is worth a thousand words, and so this is a pretty high density and fun to read article, that also showcases how much their layout skills and art budget have improved since the first issue. They still might not have the amount of colour Dragon has, but their B&W work has increased in both quality and quantity. That's the kind of trend I hope continues throughout the years.



Monty Haul and the German High Command: Our reprint this month is far more deserving than the last two. There's been a lot of people joining gaming since 1978, and many will have heard the term Monty Haul, but not known the context. Wonder no more! Enjoy his ridiculously overpowered crossover adventures where they throw in stuff from every RPG system around (or at least, the TSR-owned ones, for copyright reasons) and the kitchen sink! They may be silly, but they're also a lot of fun. Strange how they discourage that playstyle in new gamers. Oh well. It's a big church. There's room for all sorts of game. Just don't put more elements in than you can keep track of, for without continuity, you don't have a campaign.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 16: Jan/Feb 1984



part 5/6



Dispel Confusion:

D&D

Can you put a lower level spell in a higher level slot? (Not for a good few editions)

Can a cleric use a dagger to cut rope (Yes. Rope doesn't bleed)

Can a thief backstab with missile weapons (Again, not in this edition)

Can other characters backstab (Yes, but not as well)

Why does a dragon's breath weapon get less effective as it gets damaged (To encourage you to hit hard and fast or die fast.)

Do silver-tipped arrows affect your chances to hit (no)

AD&D

What AC do Bigby's hands have (same as their caster)

Can Bigby's hand's be hurt by normal weapons (no)

Does displacement stack with armor (yes)

What is Monster Summoning VIII (Until someone invents 10th level spells, a misprint)

Do all magical AC bonuses stack? (Within limit of bonus type and what you can wear)

What range is a crossbow underwater? (30'. Missiles don't work great there)

Can boots of Elvenkind silence chainmail (no.)

Does a Monk's AC bonus apply flat-footed? (yes)

Do Monks fight as Clerics or Thieves (Clerics.)

Do Monks get double CON bonus at 1st level? (yes)

What class is a Monk for the purpose of psionics (Thief)

How much money does a multiclassed character get? (Add both classes together (They'll need it to buy all the trappings)

Is seeing a nymph a save vs death or spells (Both, one for each effect)

What do piercers do after they've fallen (climb back up very slowly. They're only a real threat in large numbers)

Does Polymorph Self let you go planehopping if the creature can? (No. That's the kind of magical ability it can't emulate)

How often can you psionically levitate (1/day)

Can demihumans be psionic (yes)

Do rangers get double CON bonus at 1st level (Same as Monks)

How do Rangers learn Magic-user spells (Finding a teacher)

Do Rangers & Paladin spells need material components (yes)

Do multiple rings of wizardry stack? (Additively, not multiplicatively. )

How long is a Rod of Lordly Might's Paralyzation (1-4 turns)

What does giant slug acid do (4d8 damage)

Does giant slug acid have a save? (yes, vs breath weapon)

Can demihumans become spectres (only if they have human blood)

Does Fire Shield return magical bonuses as well? (Yes. Wouldn't be very proportional retribution otherwise.)

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 16: Jan/Feb 1984



part 6/6



Dispel Confusion continued:


Boot Hill

Is there an Encumbrance limit? (If you're carrying more than 50lb, you won't be able to get far)

What's the difference between SAR and DAR? (Speed you can fire them)

Dawn Patrol

Can you tail someone as soon as you come out of a cloudbank? (no, not until the next turn)

The other players wouldn't let me ram an enemy and commit suicide when my plane was badly damaged! (Yes, it would be very unsportsmanlike of you. )

Some of the other players seem suspiciously lucky (Watch their rolls closely. If they're cheating, kick them out.)

Gamma World

Why are Pure Strain Humans so powerful (Because no-one was playing them in 1st ed.)

Why can't characters gain HP (Not every RPG is about advancement. Some want things to stay tough no matter how long you go for.)

How many spines can Horl Choos throw? (More if they're focussed on one target than multiple)

Are the sample creatures edible (Mostly, if you cook them enough)

Is a life chamber supposed to give my character total amnesia? (Hey, you're alive and still have your friends. Just be thankful it isn't 100 years later and you have to piece together what happened on your own. )

Can household robots attack? (You'd be amazed how tough household pests can be in the irradiated future.)

Gangbusters

How much is a shotgun? ($75. Pretty soon, everybody's got one)

The shotgun fire diagram contradicts the written rules! (The diagram is right)

My GM won't let me play a military policeman! (The different focus might well drag you away from the core game activities anyway)

Are Thompsons really that broad a spread of fire? (Yes. Collateral damage is to be expected.)

Star Frontiers

Is the revival time limit 20 or 24 hours (20. We done contradicted ourselves within a few pages again. Fire the editor.)

Are the low-G jumping rules correct? (Nope, and the corrected ones are nowhere near reality either)

Are the medium movement rating ranges correct? (Nope. Much narrower.)

The ranged weapons modifiers also contradict themselves in different places! (So it seems. Here's the right ones.)


Plenty more twists ands turns here, as they prove they're still willing to shake up the format on a regular basis. How long will the modules and new columns stick around, and when they go, what will replace them in turn. Let's see if the next issue will change just as dramatically, or they'll maintain a stable form for the rest of the year at least.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 17: Mar/Apr 1984



part 1/6



34 pages. The amount of complex shading is way up on this cover, with an interestingly shaped temple in the hills featured on the cover. They may not have added colour to the newszine yet, but they're definitely continuing to improve the production values in other ways. Let's see if the inside of this issue presents any complex issues, or it'll be just basic black and white battles against obvious villains.



From the Editor: The first half of this page is just a potted synopsis of the rest of the issue. Nothing interesting to say about that. Somewhat more interesting is that they've changed their minds on another thing, and decided to try classified ads, putting the first 4 examples below. Will people take up that offer, or will it die the slow death of apathy and overspecialisation again? That's the kind of thing more suited to a local newspaper than one that gets distributed across the entire world.



Letters returns after being absent for an issue. The first letter is extra pertinent to this, as it criticises them for being all articles by the staff and no reader contributions. To which they have to give their canned response that they're trying, but they're not getting enough good submissions. If you think you've got what it takes, do your best to fix this.

Our other letter involves players throwing tantrums at the prospect of even minor setbacks happening to their characters. This is the problem when you only play one character, and it took a long time to get them up to that level. They need to learn to diversify a little. Broadening your experiences gives you more ability to cope with life's little irritations.