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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 7974503" data-attributes="member: 27780">The Polyhedron Issue 8: Sep/Oct 1982part 2/4RPGA Interview with Mike Carr pt 2: Our interview series concludes here, as apparently the new editor isn't interested in continuing them, despite all the new staff members they could have spotlighted. A bit of a shame, since they're nowhere near wearing out their welcome, and the informal and digression filled style has kept them pretty interesting so far. The various wargaming clubs that precede roleplaying, and are still going now. The way games evolve during the design process, and then even moreseo between editions once released to the general public. The value of roleplaying as a way of teaching, math, social skills, history, geography, you can roll a whole bunch of topics in and make it more fun than a regular lesson. The importance of finding time to play for fun when designing games is your career. This is still pretty cool reading. Let's hope they have an equally good plan for it's replacement. Encounters: So we do finally have a Gangbusters article. This is the kind of thing that makes going back and doing this trek all over again worth it. They take the characters on the cover of the issue, give them all stats, and a bunch of options on how the scene might play out if the players stumble across it but don't intervene. That's pretty neat, and adaptable to any modern day game. It finally lets me get a look at the game stats as well, which seem to be mostly on a percentile scale like BRP, but with a D&D style class/level system for the various character types. Those struggle to reflect the complexity of the skillsets real humans wind up with, so it probably contributed it the system's lack of success. Well, that and prohibition era gangster media being a relatively niche subgenre, even compared to Westerns. At least they tried. And it will be interesting seeing if they can repeat this for their future covers. Notes for the Dungeon Master: After several issues in which they've been getting soft, this column goes back to full sadism mode. Any tricks the players can use, monsters can do better. Even at high level, you can always have the advantage of numbers. They'll always fail saves at least 1 in 20 times, so hit them with enough save or sucks and you can always get them killed or captured. Basically, never let them forget that the DM is the boss, and can "win" any time they choose. Any successes they may enjoy are purely through your magnanimity. Charming. If a DM is going to be a bastard, they're going to be a bastard no matter how good the advice you give is. You really don't need to encourage them. I mildly disapprove. Figure Painting: This column is another one on the chopping block, so it doesn't stretch out it's advice too much. Instead, it cuts to the chase, advising you about how to blend paints for subtle shades, apply highlights to make it look like it's in the right sort of lighting, and then properly varnish it afterwards so it lasts and doesn't wind up with smudgy fingerprints from regular handling in your games. (you were actually planning on wargaming with it, right?) Unlike the interviews, I think this is about the right length, neither wearing out it's welcome or leaving me wanting more. Almost as if they planned it that way. Now go and put it into practice, as no matter how much advice you read, you'll still need to put the time in yourself to get good.</blockquote>

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