Let's read the entire run

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 228: April 1996


part 5/8


Dungeon Mastery: A random adventure generator? Yay. That's an invaluable addition to my …… wait, what's this? Some guy they met in a bar? Deliver a singing telegram? A plague of rabid ferrets. This is another april fool article isn't it. Bugger. Just when I was getting excited, you drop that on me. Still, I suppose you could theoretically use the scenarios generated by this, but the odds at least part of them will be stupid is well above 50%. Do you like those odds? I don't think I do.


Forum: Rick Maffei takes up more than half of the forum this month, complaining about how players option subabilities mess up the game, making it far too easy to min-max. This is particularly the case with percentile scores. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of these either.

Roy MacEachern reminds us to have fun, and throw out as many optional rules as you need to make that happen. Another bit of evidence that adventuring is more fun as the underdogs, and you only need a few ideas at a time to really kick ass.

Adam Cole is another person annoyed at the politically correct, modern minded anachronisticness of far too much fantasy these days. The socioeconomic pressures are all different, so it's just not believable. Yeah, worldbuilding is hard work. You've got to really work at creating people and places who's experiences are substantially different from your own.

Michael Garcia thinks that it's not that girls wouldn't be interested in roleplaying, it's just that we're so crap at selling it to them. After all, women buy rather more books in general, and certainly have no less interest in playing let's pretend. Is it the smelly geeks, the emphasis on killing things and taking their stuff, or the heavy math that puts them off?

Tim Gray brings up the old topic of cheating on your dice rolls. Naughty naughty. I think it's spanking time. Other stuff is a matter of taste, but this definitely needs stamping down upon.


What's so funny: Ahh yes, corpsing. A persistent danger in Serious Acting is everybody bursting into giggles when something goes wrong. This can become contagious and turn into a running joke all too easily, making it a nightmare to get a scene completed. Gaming is not immune to this at all. I can personally think of several incidents (they ate the buggered pig!) that just completely shattered the mood of technically serious games, that resulted in everyone going off on a digression that lasted quite some time, before getting back to the plot. So this is sort of an april fools article, but instead of trying to foist jokes upon us, it invites us to think about our own experiences, and thus invokes nostalgia rather than groans. I don't mind this at all.

 

[(un)reason]

He also has the most groan worthy entry as well, being obviously based on real life Probition agent Eliot Ness. Forthright Band of Investigators? Jayed Garhoov'r?! Ugh.

I also note with amusement that part of your review of the first April issue of Dragon I read just happened to be posted on April 1. Nice coincidence.

Yeah, I do wish I could get the real dates and past ones to line up a little more frequently.

 

[Erik Mona]

Network news: Big crossover event time! Raven's bluff is under siege and needs lots of adventurers to help defend it. Become a hero and maybe even influence what happens next! Ah yes, how very very 90's. In a way, I miss this kind of ambition. And then I remember why it went out of fashion. Metaplot is hard enough when it's top down. When it's dictated by the results of tournaments, as was also done in L5R, it can just seem nonsensical all too easily. Which makes this another cool sounding advert that has some rather interesting and strange implications if looked at a little closer. It is nice that they're trying to involve us in an ongoing storyline, but that puts a heavy burden on us and them to get it right. Will they manage it without the Drama Llama getting involved OOC? Were you part of this big event? If so, what did your character do in it?

I don't have easy access to this issue at the moment, but if the article is pimping the "war" storyline regarding a siege of Raven's Bluff by a warlord named Myrkessa Jelan then I remember it very well. It wove through a lot of the backgrounds of various scenarios released throughout the year, and a few even focused specifically on it. It really was one of the first examples of meta-plot in a "Living" campaign, but rather than being seen as a decadent sign of the 90s, as you suggest, I rather think this became a core part of most organized play campaigns.

This sort of thing made Living City explode in popularity to the point where it started crowding out traditional (by this point called "Classic" scenarios, which is to say "characters provided") scenarios at conventions. These were, by about 2001 or so, completely phased out in favor of all "Living" campaigns, based on players bringing their own characters which persisted from scenario to scenario. Eventually, the meta-plot elements of Living Greyhawk evolved into the Regional Triad structure of the Living Greyhawk campaign, which was the dominant OP program of the first decade of the 2000s. In that format, three volunteers basically managed plots specific to their real world region, which mapped to an assigned region in the Greyhawk campaign.

I've lost touch with the RPGA. I wonder if someone else might chime in on the amount of character-driven plot control currently exists in D&D Encounters or Living Forgotten Realms.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 228: April 1996


part 6/8


Greater Familiars of faerun: Another article on getting better familiars? When I started doing this, I certainly didn't expect that to become one of the more commonly reappearing topics over the years. Issues 84, 146, 147, 181, 200, 221; there's already plenty to draw upon. This is an article of two halves. Find Companion is a 3rd level spell that lets you summon a larger fairly mundane creature such as a horse, bear or cheetah to accompany you on your adventures. Find Minion is a 6th level spell that lets you get hold of a mid-level supernatural beastie like a displacer beast, umber hulk or unicorn. What's particularly interesting about this implementation is that you can have one of each, giving you three bonded animals at high levels. The main issue I can see with that is if you allowed this article to be combined with the familiar upgrading article from issue 181, as having all three maxed out with those spells would be a pretty effective synergy. (But if you're that assiduous a collector, you ought to be reaping the benefits of combining obscure powersets. I'd allow it in my game. ) In the end, my main issue with this one is wondering why it's branded a Forgotten Realms article, since specific wizards are not mentioned, and none of the monsters are setting specific either. It just seems forced, especially compared to the Arcane Lore ones that do actually fill in who invented the spells and when. Maybe there was more fluff detail that was cut out in editing.


Sage advice: Can you pick what age category of dragon you shapechange into (sorta. It's complicated)

Is the size of a breath weapon reduced if a creature is (no. Smuggle a dragon in in your pocket, and watch it wipe out an entire hall. )

Can humans enter an anti animal shell (yes. Normally they don't count as animals, but in this case they do. Curious.)

Can animal growth be used on humans (no)

Can ESP pinpoint the location of the creatures you're mindreading. (no)

Does a scroll of protection from magic negate your own items as well (yes. So much for all those buffs.)

Can anything remove an antimagic shell (just wish upon a star. )

Where do meteors detonate if there are things in the way (The point designated. anything in the way just gets blasted through painfully.)

How do the ranges on the monster summoning spells work (That's how far away from you they can appear)

Does a rod of alertness let you know where the hostile creatures are (no. )

Just how good is a prismatic sphere at stopping stuff. (It can stop a planet. You're no trouble, no matter how buff and buffed you are. )

How does spell immunity interact with other protections cast afterwards. (it stops. It doesn't play well with other protections, no matter what order they're applied in. )

How do you decide what questions to publish (Skip uses special arcane methods. Skip will not reveal them, because then you would rules lawyer them. Skip does the rules lawyering round here, and will cap anyone trying to muscle in on skip's teritory)

What happens if you possess yourself with magic jar (The spell ends. Read the book again. )

Are there any modules with weredragons (no)

How long are elven characters pregnant for. (seven and a half years. That's a looooong time to be fat and cranky. Maybe that explains why so many elven women go for human men a tenth their age. Half elves grow a lot quicker.)

Can you kill a bag of devouring (sure, if you can find it. Can you go extradimensional?)

What happens if a female dragon mates with a male human (nothing. Half-dragons are always male dragon/female human. You are free to be angsty about this if it would be appropriate to your character. Or you could find a couple of girdles of gender changing, and be proactive about it. )

There are gaps in your rules ( Anyone can break the rules. The tricky part is getting them to work at all. And that's the goal you should be aiming for, not travesties like this. You oughta be ashamed!)

 

[jonesy]

Giving xp to mark spammers already reported? Unorthodox, but I suppose it'll let you rep EGG again sooner

Not really. When the spam post is removed, the exp goes too.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 228: April 1996


part 7/8


Yamara's world finally gets a map! Any resemblance to events and people that actually appeared in the comics is purely coincidental


Venturing into the city: Adventures in the city? We've had entire themed issues on this before. (issues 136, 160) And as is usually the case when they try and cram a topic like this into a single article despite having done whole issues on it before, the article comes off as a lot more basic. In this case, it does seem to be aimed specifically at people who have never run a city adventure before, and are daunted by the prospect. So this is clear, step by step, and rather basic advice. It's one of those cases where it's not that I have a problem with the material, but that it's not aimed at long-term readers at all, and so makes me zone out as I read it, experiencing a strong sense of deja vu. The hobby was attracting new players in greater quantity when the magazine wasn't nearly so focussed on catering to them, which is a great and rather depressing irony. What are we to do with you?


Dragonmirth deals with bureaucracy and comes off the loser again. A familiar scene of tragedy in Swordplay. The Knights of the dinner table engage in some hard negotiation over their social contract. Floyd is in so much trouble right now. This is what happens when you don't do your research before going into the dungeon.


Nightspawn becomes Nightbane. Curse you, Todd McFarlane! :shakes fist:


Tales from the 5th age: Mission from kendermore part 2 by Harold J Johnson. Once again, this is more a collection of vignettes than a proper story, as the Kender team encounters various challenges and falls prey to attrition, one by one. Although none of them actually die onscreen, and whether they do or not is very uncertain. Which really does make this feel like a bait and switch for those looking for a bit of sadism. I know you have the whole family friendly thing to consider, but this is almost as bad as an 80's cartoon in it's avoidance of directly showing consequences. So once again, I'm going to have to pronounce this series as interesting, but deeply unsatisfying compared to the usual fiction they give us. This just violates too many rules of how to write a good story which engages the reader and makes them care about what happens. You''re a third of the way through this themed year already, you'd better start giving us some payoff for sitting through this soon.

 

[Erik Mona]

I could never convince myself to barrel through that whole Dragonlance series, and I'm really glad someone else is doing it for me.

Thanks again for this great thread.

 

[Wik]

Not really. When the spam post is removed, the exp goes too.

We should totally power-level LynMs. The one spammer to rule them all, and all that jazz. Imagine if we got him to level 6 or 7 - he could change sides, and we could then unleash him to take out all the other spammers.

Or maybe I just want more XP, and "power level" threads seem to do it for me.

 

[Orius]

Although none of them actually die onscreen, and whether they do or not is very uncertain. Which really does make this feel like a bait and switch for those looking for a bit of sadism. I know you have the whole family friendly thing to consider, but this is almost as bad as an 80's cartoon in it's avoidance of directly showing consequences. So once again, I'm going to have to pronounce this series as interesting, but deeply unsatisfying compared to the usual fiction they give us. This just violates too many rules of how to write a good story which engages the reader and makes them care about what happens.

Methinks (un)reason was looking for some nice graphic kender death scenes. Looks like no schadenfreude for you this time.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 228: April 1996


part 8/8


TSR Previews: The Forgotten realms realizes they have yet to cover the area north of waterdeep in great detail, and sends slade to sort it out. Where he goes, PCs will follow. They also continue to do a bit more delving into the past, albeit not nearly as much as Dragonlance. Sword Play by Victor Milan is set in Netheril before it's destruction. What will the stupid archmages get up too to seal their doom.

Speaking of dragonlance, they get another anthology, The dragons at war. They seem to be making more of those lately. Hmm. I wonder why.

Ravenloft rehashes it's first two monstrous compendia, turning them into a single proper book. Well, that loose leaf stuff has long since gone out of fashion. And access to out of print stuff is a perpetual worry of a company. Why shouldn't they make a little more money from it if the demand is there?

Birthright gets War by Simon Hawke. The usual novel stuff, as they try and build a set of iconic characters for you to imitate. Go go formulae.

Our generic AD&D product this month is Treasure Tales. Another attempt to give you a load of adventure ideas to make sure your campaign runs smoothly. Ignored plotlines are the grist that makes the world whole, or some such pretentiousness.

And our generic book this month is F. R. E. E. Fall by Mel Odom. Another world threatening peril? Yeah, it's tuesday alright.


The current Clack: Another one bites the dust. Iron Crown Enterprises splits ties with HERO games. Now, initially, it looks like HERO are getting the rough end of the deal here. But give it a few years and you'll find it's ICE that's crashing and burning while HERO chugs along in a fairly low key but stable fashion for the following decade. Part of it's due to not being weighed down by expensive licences and part of it is due to embracing new technology. But really, it's luck as much as anything, isn't it.

Along with the currently near obligatory WotC news, showing them continuing their rise to world dominance, we also have the rather more interesting topic of people being examined by MRI while roleplaying, to find out exactly what parts of the brain it stimulates. Ahh, students. Is there any excuse they won't use to incorporate their leisure interests into their studies? Not that you couldn't use this bit of SCIENCE! to design better games. But I doubt it would be a simple process, given the amount of monitored playtesting you'd have to do to get useful data. I wonder if anything much actually came of this.


The comedy stuff is actually pretty good in this issue, if sometimes rather strange (not that I object to that) but it's the serious articles that are filled with dull and annoying bits this time. The RPGA promotion is being pushed almost too blatantly, and there's more than the usual amount of overly basic articles that are useless to me. This big historical events are the most interesting part. I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised. Still, the magazine is still going fairly reliably, so the company can't be finished yet. I guess once again, my primary desire is to see what happens next. 1, 2, 3, let's go!