TSR [Let's Read] Polyhedron/Dungeon

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 20: Sep/Oct 1984



part 4/6



Women in Role Playing: We had a fair few articles on the persistent sexism problems in gaming over the course of Dragon. It's not surprising they'd turn up in here as well, where the hardcore nature of the RPGA means the gender imbalance is even greater than the general population of roleplayers, and the focus on conventions means they're more likely to be exposed to situations where these kinds of conflicts happen. This is made worse by the fact that AD&D 1e has sexism baked into the system, with actual differences in max stats due to your character's sex, which means it will tend to attract people who want that kind of crunchy simulationist biological essentialist stuff in their gaming and drive people who'd rather not sweat the small stuff or actively want to feel empowered in their fantasy fun elsewhere. Roger Moore gives us a decidedly mixed message on this front. On the one hand he does want more women in gaming. On the other, he's still not only fully enforcing the AD&D rules in his own game, but has additional sexist house rules on top of that. Despite the efforts of his wife, who contributes some footnotes to the article, he's still got a long way to go with his own internalised attitudes and assumptions. So yeah, this shows that while the TSR of 1984 is trying to be progressive, they're still pretty parochial by modern standards, and even the products which are aimed at attracting women, like the new Dragonlance setting, will have their own problems as a result of that. Equality is a long difficult battle, and even if you manage to balance one axis, there's still racism, ablism, homophobia and all manner of other intersectional discrimination to tackle. This is one problem that can't be solved by a team of plucky heroes slaying an evil overlord and taking their stuff.



Now that it's Over: Mary gave her perspective on Gen Con in the editorial, now it's Roger's turn to talk about the cool stuff that caught his eye. Having mentioned Dragonlance in passing last article, we see a little more about it, further reinforcing that it's definitely intended for a different market than Greyhawk, with it's deliberately mixed-sex development team, tie-in novels (which rapidly become the main focus and the RPG books the tie-ins) and emphasis on little setting details like mounts, songs, cooking recipes and the outfits the characters wear. There's plenty of cool stuff from other companies that caught his eye too, like Paranoia, Toon and Chill, as the hobby continues to diversify and create gams for smaller weirder niches. And although wargaming is definitely in decline at this point, there's still enough hardcore fans for some epic minis setpieces. They also debated the possibility of doing monster cards, but decided against it for logistic reasons. (something they'll change their mind on 6 years later when technology has improved and they have more artwork to recycle) It's another pretty interesting snapshot of what was going on that year.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 20: Sep/Oct 1984



part 5/6



Dispel Confusion:

D&D

Can a magical net be ripped? (no)

How does a PC become a relic keeper? (They can't)

Can you use magic items when jousting? (In the default campaign, that'd be picked up and disqualified pretty quickly)

What counts as earth when forming an earth elemental? (it need to be loose enough to separate from the ground to make up it's body)

Do you need the element available when drinking the elemental form potion? (yes)

AD&D

Is T2 ever coming out? (We still think it is, but it totally isn't, at least not as a standalone module.)

What are you going to do about all the useless monsters in your books? (not a lot. A few of them simply won't be in the next edition)

What level do dragons cast spells? (At least the lowest caster level that could cast spells of that level. Another thing to properly codify next edition.)

Gamma World

Can illusion creation create things you haven't experienced? (no)

Can you use your own powers and thought imitation at the same time? (no)

How do you use barl nep oil safely? (develop radiation resistance)

Some of the cryptic alliances are horrible and insane! (Yes. All the better to kill you horribly with or have interesting adventures avoiding being killed)

How can a robot attack someone with a stage V ID? (If it's malfunctioning or runs under different protocols)

Can Herkel hurt each other with their poison? (yes)

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 20: Sep/Oct 1984



part 6/6



Gangbusters

Can you multi-class? (Yes. If you can do both jobs without getting caught, it's double the plot hooks, double the fun. Track types of XP for each class separately. )

Star Frontiers

How does a maintenance robot become deranged? (Much more easily than it staying fully sane after a few centuries)

Can you use a parabattery to fire a laser (It's possible but not a good idea.)

Do wound penalties make it harder to break out of tanglers (yes)

Can you shoot guns wearing shock gloves (only when they're turned off)

What can I do with a maintenance robot? (Anything you can program it to do. This may not be easy)

Top Secret

Can you restore permanent losses with XP? (Only the numerical ones)

Does Charm mean you're good-looking? (Only if you want it too)

Why do high level characters get less XP for challenges? (Because they're easier for them to do.)

Can you use Martial arts with a knife? (No)

Can you use a blow and a hold in the same phase (Yes.)

Why aren't heavy weapons in the rules (If a spy has to be that obvious to accomplish their mission, they're not doing it properly. You probably want to be in a different genre.)



A much higher ratio of hits to misses than the past few issues made this one particularly enjoyable to read. Lots of stuff I could actually see myself using, and another nice snapshot of the state of gaming back then. Let's see if they've saved anything special for the festive season this time.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 21: Nov/Dec 1984



part 1/6



28 pages. Monsters in the mist? This issue's cover won't be winning any awards, but at least has an excuse for being a bit light on the detail. I wonder what story they'll extrapolate from this one. Let's see just how long and elaborate a campaign arc we can build from the contents of this issue.



Notes from HQ: The newszine continues to have somewhat faster staff turnover than Dragon. (or maybe it just seems like it because it's only bimonthly) Mary Kirchoff leaves, which puts Penny in charge from the start of next year. Guess I can expect a corresponding shakeup of the regular columns once again to reflect her tastes. Other than that it's the usual promotion of the rest of the issue and reminder to include a SASE with every letter if you want a response. That bit won't change no matter who's in charge, until email bypasses all those correspondence delays and expenses entirely.



Encounters: Our cover story is suitably seasonal, sending a paladin on a quest to arctic lands to find a magic item for his courtly love. He's not actually that well suited for the mission, which would be better served by stealth and speed rather than a heavily armoured warrior trying to fight their way through the ice creatures that currently possess his objective. So success at this one is very much up to the brains of the player rather than the character, realising you need to play against type to put the odds in your favour. That's pretty interesting writing. The secondary plot hooks you can use to expand this out are pretty interesting as well, letting you come back to it long after the initial adventure is over. Another pretty solid bit of adventure design.



Observations from a Veteran Gamer: We don't have Two Cents this time around, but this article is basically indistinguishable from one of those. The most important thing in a game is the fun, not the rules. This means fun for everyone, so make sure everyone gets a chance to shine. Don't overcomplicate, don't split the party in a way which leaves some players ignored and bored for ages, and remember that inspiration can be found in the most mundane of everyday things. The kind of basic advice article that isn't remotely original, but remains relevant to this day because human nature hasn't changed. Something like it will probably crop up every few years.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 21: Nov/Dec 1984



part 2/6



Why Gargoyles don't have Wings but should: In sharp contrast, this is the kind of article only Gary Gygax could write. A rambling digression filled tale of recent events, future plans, errata for the books, and then a bit of ecology for the AD&D gargoyle (not to be confused with basic D&D gargoyles, which are constructs) There's a lot of information in there, but it obviously never felt the pen of an editor to put it in a logical order. Perks of being the guy in charge, as I've said before. If you can unpick it all, you do get to find out some cool tidbits about his vision of the multiverse that never got properly published, and so was ignored by future authors. Less positively, we also see one of the portents of his downfall, as he's now working with Flint Dille and considering doing Buck Rogers material with him. That's one choice he'll come to regret in the long term. So while there's both good and bad bits here, it's all interesting, which is what I really want to see. He's still a source of a huge amount of raw inspiration for the rest of the company, it just needs slightly better filtering for maximum benefit to long term play.



Take Command of a Titan: Last issue, Jim Ward very consciously did not let you pilot a giant mecha in Gamma World. In contrast, Roger Moore decides to do an article actively encouraging you to become a starship captain in Star Frontiers. It's a big responsibility, and also a big expense, but your firepower is also vastly improved in turn, making any normal fight trivial if you're in a position to bring the orbital bombardment to bear, and giving you a lot of diplomatic leverage. But it's not as if you're short of interesting challenges at this level, as Star Trek has shown us how to make it work for many years. A pretty pleasing article packed full of ideas and references, this makes this kind of campaign seem entirely achievable. Just because you're wandering the universe with a small gang of your closest friends, doesn't mean you can't do it in style. Let your PC's have nice things. Gives them something to get attached too and lose later on without resorting to a TPK. :evil:

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 21: Nov/Dec 1984



part 3/6



Spelling Bee: Frank picks this column up again after a break of well over a year. He isn't in the mood for an in depth delve though, making this into an extension of Dispel Confusion answering lots of little edge case questions. You can stack lots of little things on an unseen servant as long as you don't exceed the weight limit. Enlarging or shrinking an item can be an excelent way of normally reaching inaccessible places. You can't always speak languages you can Comprehend. You can't teleport delayed blast fireballs across the world to kill enemies at no risk to yourself. You can still use psionics while paralyzed. All pretty common sense stuff. No entertaining rants to be had this time around.



Witchstone: After a bunch of adventures where your choices were very restricted, it's a huge relief to get a more open one that lets you explore the wilderness a bit and face the challenges out of order. They're still challenging and often require the use of brainpower as well as raw force, but there's no One True Way of solving them that automatically foils all other methods. Take on a Giant clan and their witch leader and stop them from marauding the countryside. Just like in the very first AD&D module, only with very different specifics. So this is the good kind of old school sandbox, letting you go straight for the big bad, (and probably fail) or take the tactical approach, do the other challenges first and get all the treasure & magic items in them, scout out your opponents properly and come in prepared or lure them out to fight you on your terms. That's much more what I'm looking for.



Five New NPC's: They've stopped the in depth descriptions of a single NPC, but the smaller, fully statted ones continue, and it looks like it would have been thieves' turn this issue, as we get two straight thieves, a multiclass fighter/thief, a druid and a fighter/illusionist. As usual, plenty of effort has been put into differentiating them in terms of personality and possessions, making them usable as both allies and enemies without being overpowering for the PC's. No shortage of reasons for them to interact with you, as despite their accomplishments so far, they still have further needs and ambitions. Will you help them on their way, or have to foil them?

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 21: Nov/Dec 1984



part 4/6



Module Building from A to Z: Since it seems like they'll be including a module in every issue for the foreseeable future, they need a lot more of them. So here's a particularly detailed set of rules about what they're looking for, and more importantly, what will get your submission summarily disqualified no matter how good it may be in other areas. Obviously there's no point in sending in adventures for non-TSR published or currently out of print games. Army vs army or save the world scenarios are a bit much given the size limitations we're working with. Try not to use too many obvious cliches, but conversely, be sparing with new monsters and magic items, especially ones that break the general patterns of current design. And no sex, drugs or rock n' roll, because TSR want to be family friendly and not give the satanic panic people any more ammunition. Basically, you've got to thread the needle between not being too different from what's already out there, and not an obvious rip-off of a specific thing that already exists, while also maintaining writing quality and clarity. A pretty tall order, and of course one their staff writers aren't bound by, as Gary's blatant rip-offs of Alice in Wonderland and King Kong demonstrate. All a bit tedious really. This is one reason why the d20 boom was so awesome, as it removed all this gatekeeping and let there be some really weird stuff in amongst the shovelware.



The RPGA Network Tournament Scoring System: After barely a year with a consistent scoring system, they decide it took too much bookkeeping and revert to the older, simpler, voting based one. How are you supposed to build consistent ranking tables if you keep on changing the rules? The best laid plans of mice and men eh? The rest of the article is just a recap of how it all works for new players who have only known the more recent system, and attempts to justify their decision post-hoc. It's all a bit tiresome, and reminds me that competitive tournament modules are not actually a very good environment for the roleplaying part of RPG's. There's a pretty solid limit on how much you can develop your character and their relationships with the world around them when everything has to be done and dusted in a single sitting. It once again makes me glad I never got heavily involved with that kind of scene.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 21: Nov/Dec 1984



part 5/6



Dispel Confusion cuts down dramatically on the breadth of systems it covers this time around.



AD&D

Can you store up multiple shocking grasp's and release them all in one touch? (no, like most spells, it doesn't stack with itself.)

Can you put a glyph of warding on a weapon handle? (if it has a flat surface large enough)

What level do you need to be to make a glyph that ward against energy drain? (high enough level to cast it, so 16th.)

Can you make a wand of permanency? (no)

Can you make a Gate permanent (Yes, but you may regret what comes through it. This is why the lady of pain makes them need keys to activate.)

Do high level fighters multiply ranges rates of fire out? (Not this again. No.)

What defence does a psionic character use when surprised? (whatever they have. it's a reflexive action.)

What happens if you fail to remove a trap? (usually, you set it off.)

What good is enchanted weapon? (You'd be surprised how often it comes in handy at high level)

Shouldn't rust monsters roll against touch AC? (No, because we're feeling merciful at the moment.)

Does Turning need concentration? (This again as well? Where are your memories? Yes.)

Can you gain % strength after 1st level by dual classing as a fighter? (yes)

How long does it take to mount a broom? (well under a full round)

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 21: Nov/Dec 1984



part 6/6



Dispel Confusion continued

Top Secret

What type of bullets do half damage against bulletproof vests? (big ones. Small ones do even less)

If your surprise value is vastly greater than you opponent, can you turn their ambush attempts back on them? (maybe. This is why you need an intelligent DM adjudicating)

How can a headshot only do 2 points of damage? (it wasn't a very good hit and only scratched their cheek. )

Gamma World

Can plastic armor be enchanted? (no, although it might do things indistinguishable from magic to the average character)

Is actual metamorphosis too powerful? (only if you're reading it wrong)

Does powered armor count as a weapon if you punch with it? (no)

What do you do with new characters if you've already run the rite of passage adventure? (come up with new equivalent challenges)

How do you stop temporal fugue from creating infinite powerful weapons? (it has a duration they're forgetting about)

Can an Orlen be a PC (yes)

Can you reflect a Gamma Eye? (Yes, but not as easily or effectively as you'd like)



Some interesting articles in here, but also quite a bit of boring stuff that's basically them setting up groundwork for next year's changes and (hopefully) improvements. The trouble is that their small size means that kind of administrative stuff takes up a much larger proportion of the space than it would in Dragon, leaving not much room for useful game material. Let's hope they don't have to reiterate that again for at least another year and see what esoteric arcana can be unearthed in 1985.

 

[(un)reason]

Polyhedron Issue 22: Jan/Feb 1985



part 1/6



28 pages. The trouble with spaceships is that when they crash, they crash hard. Getting down to ground level with the occupants and contents safe and sound is an engineering challenge in itself. The people on the cover seem to have managed it, but whether they'll be able to survive the planet where they've landed and get it flying again is another matter entirely. Let's see how they build on this premise inside.



Notes from HQ: They've been struggling to get more reader submissions ever since they started the newszine, so it reflects what the fans want and the staff don't have to work quite so hard. Maybe one of the things deterring them is how strict they were on everything submitted becoming TSR's Intellectual Property. So they've decided to loosen that up a bit and allow you to retain some rights to own and resell your words. (although any new rules you add to their games still belong to them) A good reminder of the rules of supply and demand. They've chosen to be nicer because they aren't getting enough supply, and therefore have to actually listen and respond to people's complaints. Let's hope they don't get too big for their boots for a good long while.



Letters: After a year of the letters column being mostly absent, due to lack of people writing, Roger's somewhat tone-deaf sexism column provokes a ton of responses, mostly rather cross. If he's trying to be helpful, he's not doing a very good job of it. You'd get less criticism if you were obviously on the other side. Which is another of those things that hasn't changed at all in social justice circles over the intervening decades. The grind to reach equality is considerably longer than the one to get to 36th level, and just as prone to sliding backwards due to energy draining undead who think things were perfectly fine back in their day, don't you know. We'll probably be seeing more on this in the near future.