jonesy
A Wicked Kendragon
This was 1994? I've never been to a sci-fi convention. I wonder if this still holds true.
Let's read the entire run
- Thread starter (un)reason
- Start date
Orius
Unrepentant DM Supremacist
Gamers Seeking Gamers. Why mess with Facebook?
(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 202: February 1994
part 6/6
Swordplay once again engages in some money related treachery. Yamara goes into spaaace. Watch out, it gets cramped up there. Dragonmirth points out the drawbacks in getting crystal balls from PBS. It all seems to be a happy ending in twilight empire. OR IS IT? (dun dun der)
Through the looking glass: This column temporarily changes hands this month, with Ken Carpenter taking over. This is probably a good idea, as he seems noticeably less ground down by the ongoing troubles in mini land than Robert. We also get a bit of preamble in which he goes into detail on molding lines, and the things you have to do to make a stable mini that doesn't bubble and crack at the slightest provocation. Since this includes some technical details they haven't elaborated upon in the magazine before, I quite approve of this. New ideas and perspectives are important to keep us from getting bored.
The star system that Robert uses is gone, but there is a new emphasis on the prices of the various minis reviewed, and the scales that they are in. Since those are varying a lot more lately, this once again seems like a good thing. You don't want to see something cool, and then find out too late you can't afford or get good use out of it. Funny how tiny organisational changes can improve the usability of a column so much.
So anyway, back to the minis. A 10-piece official menzoberannzan set, featuring, drizzt, his panther, and 4 other drow of each gender. All glossily mass produced to high standard, even the animal is properly proportioned. A second set of minis based on the artwork of Larry Elmore, who continues to tower over the fantasy genre. These'll be a challenge to paint, but worth it if you can. A duo of rather forcedly "street" vampires, the sort beloved of Bradstreet & co. A trio of female rogues, ready to break the bank and your heart. A genie taking people on a magic carpet ride. Careful assembling this, as with most flying stuff, a small area for weight distribution can lead to instability. A knight with a mace, and an elf with a sword, ready to duel. And finally, a dwarf champion and a goblin launching catapult from the warhammer universe. An odd pairing, and once again likely to be in opposition to one another.
TSR Previews: The Forgotten realms returns to milk another proven topic some more. The ruins of undermountain II, the deeper levels. More maps, more monsters, more screwage from Halaster. Have you exhausted the previous stuff and still want more?
Dark sun also gets a deluxe adventure set. Black Spine has 3 books, and 2 maps. More strangeness threatens Athas. Who'd want to conquer this dump? Oh well, guess it's up to the PC's to foil them anyway. It may be a dump, but it's our dump.
Dragonlance sees the original authors return after quite a bit, The second generation is 5 stories showing what happened after the war of the lance. About time. Good to see new heroes taking on the job of fighting evil.
Ravenloft has done Dracula, sorta. Now it puts it's own spin on Jekyll and Hyde in The Enemy Within by Christie Golden. See Sir Tristen and Malken try to live their lives at cross-purposes. Will their secret be discovered in this story?
And finally, the Amazing Engine combines arthurian legend with fantastical sci-fi in The once and future King. Arthur is back, but my has the world changed. Sounds rather comical and cultureshocky. Could work.
They also add a coming next month in the magazine's sidebar here. Guess they want to push a little harder to make sure they retain their readers by hooking us with the cool stuff they're planning. Makes sense, with their readership starting to slip. Shame it didn't work. There is such a thing as looking like you're trying too hard to please.
Dragonlance, the second generation? Once again they put adverts right next to the previews to make sure you get the point. Can they recapture the magic of the original?
An issue that really makes me feel like I've got past the stage where most of the articles are aimed at me. I guess this is compounded by the large number of recent departures. The new guys that have replaced them are noticeably less experienced, and this is where it's really starting to show. On the positive side, it means they've got more enthusiasm than Roger had in the last year or so, but on the negative, it means I have to listen to them saying things I already know as if it's some great new discovery. I'm starting to see why generation gaps cause problems in relationships. It's the gap in experiences and cultural references as much as the physical differences that become issues. Which is a very odd thing to be learning from reading a magazine. Guess there are still further layers to discover, even after the obvious ones have been peeled back. The question then becomes how you relate them to people, and indeed, relate to people who have no idea what you've been through after learning them. Looks like I might go completely nuts from this after all.
And I thought the biggest challenges in doing this thread were over already.
part 6/6
Swordplay once again engages in some money related treachery. Yamara goes into spaaace. Watch out, it gets cramped up there. Dragonmirth points out the drawbacks in getting crystal balls from PBS. It all seems to be a happy ending in twilight empire. OR IS IT? (dun dun der)
Through the looking glass: This column temporarily changes hands this month, with Ken Carpenter taking over. This is probably a good idea, as he seems noticeably less ground down by the ongoing troubles in mini land than Robert. We also get a bit of preamble in which he goes into detail on molding lines, and the things you have to do to make a stable mini that doesn't bubble and crack at the slightest provocation. Since this includes some technical details they haven't elaborated upon in the magazine before, I quite approve of this. New ideas and perspectives are important to keep us from getting bored.
The star system that Robert uses is gone, but there is a new emphasis on the prices of the various minis reviewed, and the scales that they are in. Since those are varying a lot more lately, this once again seems like a good thing. You don't want to see something cool, and then find out too late you can't afford or get good use out of it. Funny how tiny organisational changes can improve the usability of a column so much.
So anyway, back to the minis. A 10-piece official menzoberannzan set, featuring, drizzt, his panther, and 4 other drow of each gender. All glossily mass produced to high standard, even the animal is properly proportioned. A second set of minis based on the artwork of Larry Elmore, who continues to tower over the fantasy genre. These'll be a challenge to paint, but worth it if you can. A duo of rather forcedly "street" vampires, the sort beloved of Bradstreet & co. A trio of female rogues, ready to break the bank and your heart. A genie taking people on a magic carpet ride. Careful assembling this, as with most flying stuff, a small area for weight distribution can lead to instability. A knight with a mace, and an elf with a sword, ready to duel. And finally, a dwarf champion and a goblin launching catapult from the warhammer universe. An odd pairing, and once again likely to be in opposition to one another.
TSR Previews: The Forgotten realms returns to milk another proven topic some more. The ruins of undermountain II, the deeper levels. More maps, more monsters, more screwage from Halaster. Have you exhausted the previous stuff and still want more?
Dark sun also gets a deluxe adventure set. Black Spine has 3 books, and 2 maps. More strangeness threatens Athas. Who'd want to conquer this dump? Oh well, guess it's up to the PC's to foil them anyway. It may be a dump, but it's our dump.
Dragonlance sees the original authors return after quite a bit, The second generation is 5 stories showing what happened after the war of the lance. About time. Good to see new heroes taking on the job of fighting evil.
Ravenloft has done Dracula, sorta. Now it puts it's own spin on Jekyll and Hyde in The Enemy Within by Christie Golden. See Sir Tristen and Malken try to live their lives at cross-purposes. Will their secret be discovered in this story?
And finally, the Amazing Engine combines arthurian legend with fantastical sci-fi in The once and future King. Arthur is back, but my has the world changed. Sounds rather comical and cultureshocky. Could work.
They also add a coming next month in the magazine's sidebar here. Guess they want to push a little harder to make sure they retain their readers by hooking us with the cool stuff they're planning. Makes sense, with their readership starting to slip. Shame it didn't work. There is such a thing as looking like you're trying too hard to please.
Dragonlance, the second generation? Once again they put adverts right next to the previews to make sure you get the point. Can they recapture the magic of the original?
An issue that really makes me feel like I've got past the stage where most of the articles are aimed at me. I guess this is compounded by the large number of recent departures. The new guys that have replaced them are noticeably less experienced, and this is where it's really starting to show. On the positive side, it means they've got more enthusiasm than Roger had in the last year or so, but on the negative, it means I have to listen to them saying things I already know as if it's some great new discovery. I'm starting to see why generation gaps cause problems in relationships. It's the gap in experiences and cultural references as much as the physical differences that become issues. Which is a very odd thing to be learning from reading a magazine. Guess there are still further layers to discover, even after the obvious ones have been peeled back. The question then becomes how you relate them to people, and indeed, relate to people who have no idea what you've been through after learning them. Looks like I might go completely nuts from this after all.
And I thought the biggest challenges in doing this thread were over already.
(un)reason
Legend
(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 203: March 1994
part 1/6
124 pages. Bradstreet! :shakes fist: Dear god that is some excessive grizzling. And those tattoos were totally added on in post, not properly worn in the way they would be on a proper badass of that age and experience. Still, at least the guns look pretty accurate. Makes sense, after all, THIS IIIS THE 90's!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, we're having another go at sci-fi this month, which means lots of non D&D stuff of various stripes. After last issue's back to basicsfest, this is very welcome indeed. Over the edge, shadowrun and the amazing engine? Even if they only stick to the basics, that'll still be more than we've seen before on these games. And they're starting the planescape teasers too. I think I'm actually excited again. Let's get to work.
In this issue:
Letters: A letter from someone who's written a supplement for AD&D and wants to publish it. Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!! No. It's time you got a hard lesson in copyright law, you poor poor overenthusiastic little fanboy. It's ours, all ours! You can do nothing commercial with it.
Ironically, the magic items mentioned in issue 200's letters are all from a 3rd party product. Mayfair's Role Aids have a rather interesting legal history, as a little googling shows. You can get away with this stuff if you know how to do it. What does putting these letters next to each other say about the magazine staff's view on this stuff?
A letter from someone who noticed there were no greyhawk or spelljammer products on this year's schedule. And of course, they are concerned. Dale doesn't sugarcoat. They were canceled because their sales sucked. And they are indeed lowering their intended average age group for products in an attempt to get new people in. If you don't like it, complain and talk with your dollars. This is what you get for lowering sales. The only consolation prize you get is that Dragon is publishing stuff from the would-be sourcebooks as articles throughout the year.
A letter from someone who's realised D&D and AD&D are virtually the same game, and you can apply articles for one to the other effortlessly. My god, It's full of stars! Your deduction, it is elementary.
Editorial: Once again Dale plumbs the past to keep his editorials interesting for long-time readers. In issue 166 he encouraged us to try out new systems from all kinds of companies. Here we see some of the new crop of weird and wonderful games out there. Lost Souls, Whispering Vault, Metascape, Amber. All have some kind of innovation that makes them worthwhile to try out, and even if they might not stand the test of time, you can nick their better setting and rules ideas and put them in D&D. This once again shows that Dale is another person who would like to see Dragon covering other RPG's more, which is an ironic turnaround from his earlier days. But then, as we're finding, roleplaying as a whole is still healthy, possibly even growing, it's just D&D that's suffering, as people grow bored and seek out other ways of playing an imaginary character. It's that 7 year itch writ large. Even people within the company are probably playing other games for fun more these days, as working on D&D becomes altogether too much like, well, work. So this is another positive editorial with dark undertones to it. An tree can be rotten to the core long before any signs show on the outside. And you only find out which ones are when a storm comes.
God, white wolf really want to promote their bad boy of game designers image. Oh, I'm sorry, did I get snark all over your lovely expensive trenchcoat? Don't worry, it won't stain. Anyway, we get our first teaser for Wraith this month, and they rip off The Shining to make it.
First quest: Yay! Another cool regular column gets booted up. Another chance to get to know more about the people behind the games, since they ran out of staff to profile years ago. Jim Ward is first to step up to the plate, somewhat bashfully, as of course they haven't quite got the formula down yet. Although some of that seems to be because they can't mention the name of oh, a certain founder of the entire roleplaying hobby! This is a bit awkward. Not that we can't figure out real information about his early experiences in the hobby, but it is rather intentionally vague, and considerably less interesting and informative than his own monty haul recountings back in the day. He played a substantial part in the elimination of the D word monsters, and the corporate chain lies heavy on his neck. This all adds up to an article that feels unsatisfying because I know he's holding back, and does have some far more interesting stories to tell.
More gamma goodness: Kim Eastland is once again the only person who seems to like Gamma World 4e. Tragic, isn't it. This time, it's more /magic items/ technological devices. Let's get exploring those ancient /dungeons/ military bases.
Laser pens let you draw on hard objects, but have safeguards that prevent you from using it as a weapon. Gee. I wonder how hard that'll be to bypass.
Kinetic Dampers repel fast moving objects, like anything intended to hurt you, hopefully. Course, you can still be gassed, or grappled, so like our old friend stoneskin, don't get too cocky just because you have one of these on.
Particle Scrubbers are little wands that clean any surface they're waved over. Exactly how they know what is dirt and what's supposed to be there is uncertain. I guess that's what makes it magitech.
Velcan Tubes are essentially a D&D light spell, although not as good because they require constant maintenance. Still, blinding is pretty crippling in combat, so it's not surprising that they would want to decrease it's duration.
Laser Scissors are essentially lightsabers redesigned for practical home use. Snippy snip snip. Don't run with them, you might trip.
Stikemup is just your basic long-lasting superglue. It may well be so strong that it's easier to saw around it than pull it apart. Nothing remotely reality stretching about that idea.
Smart Dart Bracers are another one that could work fine in reality, even if they are a bit comic-booky. A flick of the wrist is all it takes. Watch you don't launch it accidentally while shaking someone's hands, for this will not be good for diplomatic relations.
Neutralising pigments make you resistant to something when smeared liberally over your body. What is gamma world's ozone layer like anyway? It was such a big issue at the time of writing, you'd think there'd be some commentary on that.
Repellents are another fairly realistic one. Rub it on your skin, it keeps the selected creatures away by smelling absolutely foul to them. Course, using the one that repels humans may be a little problematic. Where are the nose plugs when you need them?
U-Beam guns temporarily negate most of a creature's mutations. Exactly how they know what's a mutation when real creatures have stuff like chameleon skin or wings is another of those things that you'll just have to shrug and accept that It is basically magic.
Brain Jammers block psionic stuff, both incoming and outgoing. Simple, easy and potentially very useful. You will want to be careful if trying to keep a powerful psionic prisoner under lock and key, for the batteries do require regular replacing once again.
Portable Purifiers may save you from gas attacks, but you'll still need to be able to hold your breath in a pinch while they do their work. And they are fairly bulky. Encumbrance is very relevant in a postapocalyptic danger zone.
Mine Detectors allow you to play minesweeper with your life. Move vewy vewy slowly if you don't want to be blown to pieces. And then the GM gives you a mission with a time limit. Such is the adventuring life.
Plastic Melding Rigs are an all-purpose bit of kit that allows you to do all kinds of construction work with plastics. Plenty of fun to be had here, especially if you run across an ancient cache of /children's toys/ sacred idols of he who is optimised and first. It's just a shame the comedy is largely missing from the actual articles in favour of straightly presented magitech. Somehow it becomes harder to suspend your belief in this setting the more you're expected to take it seriously.
part 1/6
124 pages. Bradstreet! :shakes fist: Dear god that is some excessive grizzling. And those tattoos were totally added on in post, not properly worn in the way they would be on a proper badass of that age and experience. Still, at least the guns look pretty accurate. Makes sense, after all, THIS IIIS THE 90's!!!!!!!!!! Anyway, we're having another go at sci-fi this month, which means lots of non D&D stuff of various stripes. After last issue's back to basicsfest, this is very welcome indeed. Over the edge, shadowrun and the amazing engine? Even if they only stick to the basics, that'll still be more than we've seen before on these games. And they're starting the planescape teasers too. I think I'm actually excited again. Let's get to work.
In this issue:
Letters: A letter from someone who's written a supplement for AD&D and wants to publish it. Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!! No. It's time you got a hard lesson in copyright law, you poor poor overenthusiastic little fanboy. It's ours, all ours! You can do nothing commercial with it.
Ironically, the magic items mentioned in issue 200's letters are all from a 3rd party product. Mayfair's Role Aids have a rather interesting legal history, as a little googling shows. You can get away with this stuff if you know how to do it. What does putting these letters next to each other say about the magazine staff's view on this stuff?
A letter from someone who noticed there were no greyhawk or spelljammer products on this year's schedule. And of course, they are concerned. Dale doesn't sugarcoat. They were canceled because their sales sucked. And they are indeed lowering their intended average age group for products in an attempt to get new people in. If you don't like it, complain and talk with your dollars. This is what you get for lowering sales. The only consolation prize you get is that Dragon is publishing stuff from the would-be sourcebooks as articles throughout the year.
A letter from someone who's realised D&D and AD&D are virtually the same game, and you can apply articles for one to the other effortlessly. My god, It's full of stars! Your deduction, it is elementary.
Editorial: Once again Dale plumbs the past to keep his editorials interesting for long-time readers. In issue 166 he encouraged us to try out new systems from all kinds of companies. Here we see some of the new crop of weird and wonderful games out there. Lost Souls, Whispering Vault, Metascape, Amber. All have some kind of innovation that makes them worthwhile to try out, and even if they might not stand the test of time, you can nick their better setting and rules ideas and put them in D&D. This once again shows that Dale is another person who would like to see Dragon covering other RPG's more, which is an ironic turnaround from his earlier days. But then, as we're finding, roleplaying as a whole is still healthy, possibly even growing, it's just D&D that's suffering, as people grow bored and seek out other ways of playing an imaginary character. It's that 7 year itch writ large. Even people within the company are probably playing other games for fun more these days, as working on D&D becomes altogether too much like, well, work. So this is another positive editorial with dark undertones to it. An tree can be rotten to the core long before any signs show on the outside. And you only find out which ones are when a storm comes.
God, white wolf really want to promote their bad boy of game designers image. Oh, I'm sorry, did I get snark all over your lovely expensive trenchcoat? Don't worry, it won't stain. Anyway, we get our first teaser for Wraith this month, and they rip off The Shining to make it.
First quest: Yay! Another cool regular column gets booted up. Another chance to get to know more about the people behind the games, since they ran out of staff to profile years ago. Jim Ward is first to step up to the plate, somewhat bashfully, as of course they haven't quite got the formula down yet. Although some of that seems to be because they can't mention the name of oh, a certain founder of the entire roleplaying hobby! This is a bit awkward. Not that we can't figure out real information about his early experiences in the hobby, but it is rather intentionally vague, and considerably less interesting and informative than his own monty haul recountings back in the day. He played a substantial part in the elimination of the D word monsters, and the corporate chain lies heavy on his neck. This all adds up to an article that feels unsatisfying because I know he's holding back, and does have some far more interesting stories to tell.
More gamma goodness: Kim Eastland is once again the only person who seems to like Gamma World 4e. Tragic, isn't it. This time, it's more /magic items/ technological devices. Let's get exploring those ancient /dungeons/ military bases.
Laser pens let you draw on hard objects, but have safeguards that prevent you from using it as a weapon. Gee. I wonder how hard that'll be to bypass.
Kinetic Dampers repel fast moving objects, like anything intended to hurt you, hopefully. Course, you can still be gassed, or grappled, so like our old friend stoneskin, don't get too cocky just because you have one of these on.
Particle Scrubbers are little wands that clean any surface they're waved over. Exactly how they know what is dirt and what's supposed to be there is uncertain. I guess that's what makes it magitech.
Velcan Tubes are essentially a D&D light spell, although not as good because they require constant maintenance. Still, blinding is pretty crippling in combat, so it's not surprising that they would want to decrease it's duration.
Laser Scissors are essentially lightsabers redesigned for practical home use. Snippy snip snip. Don't run with them, you might trip.
Stikemup is just your basic long-lasting superglue. It may well be so strong that it's easier to saw around it than pull it apart. Nothing remotely reality stretching about that idea.
Smart Dart Bracers are another one that could work fine in reality, even if they are a bit comic-booky. A flick of the wrist is all it takes. Watch you don't launch it accidentally while shaking someone's hands, for this will not be good for diplomatic relations.
Neutralising pigments make you resistant to something when smeared liberally over your body. What is gamma world's ozone layer like anyway? It was such a big issue at the time of writing, you'd think there'd be some commentary on that.
Repellents are another fairly realistic one. Rub it on your skin, it keeps the selected creatures away by smelling absolutely foul to them. Course, using the one that repels humans may be a little problematic. Where are the nose plugs when you need them?
U-Beam guns temporarily negate most of a creature's mutations. Exactly how they know what's a mutation when real creatures have stuff like chameleon skin or wings is another of those things that you'll just have to shrug and accept that It is basically magic.
Brain Jammers block psionic stuff, both incoming and outgoing. Simple, easy and potentially very useful. You will want to be careful if trying to keep a powerful psionic prisoner under lock and key, for the batteries do require regular replacing once again.
Portable Purifiers may save you from gas attacks, but you'll still need to be able to hold your breath in a pinch while they do their work. And they are fairly bulky. Encumbrance is very relevant in a postapocalyptic danger zone.
Mine Detectors allow you to play minesweeper with your life. Move vewy vewy slowly if you don't want to be blown to pieces. And then the GM gives you a mission with a time limit.
Such is the adventuring life. Plastic Melding Rigs are an all-purpose bit of kit that allows you to do all kinds of construction work with plastics. Plenty of fun to be had here, especially if you run across an ancient cache of /children's toys/ sacred idols of he who is optimised and first. It's just a shame the comedy is largely missing from the actual articles in favour of straightly presented magitech. Somehow it becomes harder to suspend your belief in this setting the more you're expected to take it seriously.
jonesy
A Wicked Kendragon
I'm guessing their view was divided and the letters were an easy way to comment without actually saying anything.
Haha!
"Everyone, look! It's Larry Niven!"
*Modifies pens into flashlight lasers before anyone notices*
(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 203: March 1994
part 2/6
Terribly twisted technology: Over the Edge gets in on the gadgetry market. And if you though gamma world got a little silly at times, you ain't seen nothing yet. Where that is starting to get a little embarassed about it's past, this still embraces the weird and makes it core in it's assumptions. And we know now this one won't be diluted by future editions and committee writing. It's also by Robin Laws, which piques my interest a little further. Just how impressive is his imagination really?
Brainostats disguise your brainwaves. This is only of use in a setting which has psionics and brainwave scanners, but there seem to be plenty of those around in Al Amaraja. There are plenty of quirks and dangers to this process, the biggest of which is coming to believe your own illusion. This is the kind of technology that's in a constant state of arms race, giving you a good excuse to have it not work every time.
Hotlines are an alien tool for manipulating would be bead wearing hippies. Those voices in your head? That's not psychic powers or angelic advice. This is why you should rely on your own problem-solving abilities wherever possible. It might be harder work, but you won't get screwed over as often. Very ingenious.
Moonlight is exactly that, moonlight in a torch. Simple, easy to recharge, perfect for detecting werewolves and facilitating magical rituals. Not quite as handy as stored sunlight would be though.
NDE Helmets simulate Near Death Experiences. Some people can get addicted to anything, while others just want to finally hear that their daddy loved them. Either way, it's a new high that may not be illegal, but that's just because no-one's though to ban it yet. You can bet the national enquirer would love to run a stary on how near death experiences are corrupting the nation's youth.
Normalenses are used by government agencies to send people into weird situations without them realising the trouble is supernatural. As we know from the X-files and Men in black, they have no compunction about misdirecting and mind
ing their own people for the greater good.
Reptilisers lampshade another RPG and videogame trope, that of monsters just sitting in their room, attacking mindlessly and fighting to the death. Put these little babies on your minion's heads, and you too can enjoy that kind of fanatical loyalty. Sheer genius. Watch out for brain damage though. You probably want to restrict use of this one to your mooks. Yeah, this collection is a lot more interesting and impressive than the gamma world one. Existing in the boundary between conspiracy theories, tabloid culture and the 4th wall gives them a quite different set of tropes to play with.
Looking for work, chummer?:You should know which system this is for from the title alone. Yup, it's time to go shadowrunning, across seattle's streets. You can never be sure what kind of people you'll meet, but chances are, they'll want to screw you over in one fashion or another. The thing about mission based games is that you need employers. And the nature of employers is to want maximum profit for minimum outlay. And if that means it's betraying time, so be it. This is one of those basic adventure-building articles, adapted for a different system. One reason for shadowrun's success is that it's basically D&D meets cyberpunk, and the adventures reflect that. Killing people and taking their stuff frequently works the other way around, with bursting in and kidnapping people while blowing up spectacularly being a surprisingly good career choice. And information has tremendous value, despite being easily copied and disseminated, with corporate espionage and hacking putting a very distinct spin on things, as you can take their stuff without them ever knowing it's gone if you do things right. So this is another article that definitely benefits from tackling the same subject in a different game, with all it's quirks and new opportunities. This is why covering 3rd party games is a real benefit to the magazine long-term.
Arcane lore: Back to the Realms for yet another rifle through a spellcaster's personal collection. Must be several for every village. I'm sure they lose them deliberately to increase their legend. This lot have a definite lightning theme, which means there's a certain amount of overlap with the stuff from the last AL column. Still, the history stuff in this one is well above average, feeling like it would actually be fun to incorporate into your game, rather than something the writer added to fit into the format. And as the new spells are split between three books by the same author, you can have a good adventure tracking down the other two after hearing the rumours.
Normal Aura gives you the ability to emulate the recent Al-Qadim items, and temporarily disguise your magic items. Essentially the reverse of Nystul's magic aura, this is of course particularly useful when combined with it, to keep thieves and rival adventurers off-guard.
Lightning strike is a level lower, single (or possibly double) target lightning bolt. Another unpretentious attack spell that'll fill the gap between magic missile and the big boys of blasting while you're 3-4th level.
Charge is an electrical version of fire trap. Curiously, it's probably better, despite being only 2nd level again. But then, it's probably fire trap that's underpowered, with most of it's strength going into the extended containment bit. Electricity is obviously more amenable to being stored and discharging on touch, as you can do that in real life.
Staffspell is basically an electrical variant of shillelagh. I'm shocked that they're resorting to filler material like this.
Lightning shield is another basic energy type substitution. Yawn. Just don't try and cheat and stack it with Fire Shield, as they react explosively. No double damage reflection for you.
Static field is slightly more interesting, sticking to an item, and keeping you from getting in or out for an extended period of time. It won't be nearly as hard to deal with as the prismatic walls, but I think it's about right for it's level. In fact, I'd say the whole balance of this article is just right, which is nice.
Electric Bow is another one that lets you emulate the D&D cartoon, albeit quite impressively, as at higher level you can create a whole electric ballista to bombard the enemy with. The material component is very nicely flavourful too. It shouldn't be too hard to get if you still have good relations with your adventuring party, but isn't the kind of thing you can mass produce either.
Storm allows you to show off to and help out low level druids limited by existing weather conditions for their smiting. It has an interesting compromise between duration of the spell and number of lightning bolts called. It's casting time makes it not really suitable for unexpected combats though. Save it for the big castle assaults. Again, it's fairly familiar, but a nicely written, and more importantly, nicely balanced variant on existing spells.
part 2/6
Terribly twisted technology: Over the Edge gets in on the gadgetry market. And if you though gamma world got a little silly at times, you ain't seen nothing yet. Where that is starting to get a little embarassed about it's past, this still embraces the weird and makes it core in it's assumptions. And we know now this one won't be diluted by future editions and committee writing. It's also by Robin Laws, which piques my interest a little further. Just how impressive is his imagination really?
Brainostats disguise your brainwaves. This is only of use in a setting which has psionics and brainwave scanners, but there seem to be plenty of those around in Al Amaraja. There are plenty of quirks and dangers to this process, the biggest of which is coming to believe your own illusion. This is the kind of technology that's in a constant state of arms race, giving you a good excuse to have it not work every time.
Hotlines are an alien tool for manipulating would be bead wearing hippies. Those voices in your head? That's not psychic powers or angelic advice. This is why you should rely on your own problem-solving abilities wherever possible. It might be harder work, but you won't get screwed over as often. Very ingenious.
Moonlight is exactly that, moonlight in a torch. Simple, easy to recharge, perfect for detecting werewolves and facilitating magical rituals. Not quite as handy as stored sunlight would be though.
NDE Helmets simulate Near Death Experiences. Some people can get addicted to anything, while others just want to finally hear that their daddy loved them. Either way, it's a new high that may not be illegal, but that's just because no-one's though to ban it yet. You can bet the national enquirer would love to run a stary on how near death experiences are corrupting the nation's youth.
Normalenses are used by government agencies to send people into weird situations without them realising the trouble is supernatural. As we know from the X-files and Men in black, they have no compunction about misdirecting and mind
ing their own people for the greater good. Reptilisers lampshade another RPG and videogame trope, that of monsters just sitting in their room, attacking mindlessly and fighting to the death. Put these little babies on your minion's heads, and you too can enjoy that kind of fanatical loyalty. Sheer genius. Watch out for brain damage though. You probably want to restrict use of this one to your mooks. Yeah, this collection is a lot more interesting and impressive than the gamma world one. Existing in the boundary between conspiracy theories, tabloid culture and the 4th wall gives them a quite different set of tropes to play with.
Looking for work, chummer?:You should know which system this is for from the title alone. Yup, it's time to go shadowrunning, across seattle's streets. You can never be sure what kind of people you'll meet, but chances are, they'll want to screw you over in one fashion or another. The thing about mission based games is that you need employers. And the nature of employers is to want maximum profit for minimum outlay. And if that means it's betraying time, so be it. This is one of those basic adventure-building articles, adapted for a different system. One reason for shadowrun's success is that it's basically D&D meets cyberpunk, and the adventures reflect that. Killing people and taking their stuff frequently works the other way around, with bursting in and kidnapping people while blowing
up spectacularly being a surprisingly good career choice. And information has tremendous value, despite being easily copied and disseminated, with corporate espionage and hacking putting a very distinct spin on things, as you can take their stuff without them ever knowing it's gone if you do things right. So this is another article that definitely benefits from tackling the same subject in a different game, with all it's quirks and new opportunities. This is why covering 3rd party games is a real benefit to the magazine long-term. Arcane lore: Back to the Realms for yet another rifle through a spellcaster's personal collection. Must be several for every village. I'm sure they lose them deliberately to increase their legend. This lot have a definite lightning theme, which means there's a certain amount of overlap with the stuff from the last AL column. Still, the history stuff in this one is well above average, feeling like it would actually be fun to incorporate into your game, rather than something the writer added to fit into the format. And as the new spells are split between three books by the same author, you can have a good adventure tracking down the other two after hearing the rumours.
Normal Aura gives you the ability to emulate the recent Al-Qadim items, and temporarily disguise your magic items. Essentially the reverse of Nystul's magic aura, this is of course particularly useful when combined with it, to keep thieves and rival adventurers off-guard.
Lightning strike is a level lower, single (or possibly double) target lightning bolt. Another unpretentious attack spell that'll fill the gap between magic missile and the big boys of blasting while you're 3-4th level.
Charge is an electrical version of fire trap. Curiously, it's probably better, despite being only 2nd level again. But then, it's probably fire trap that's underpowered, with most of it's strength going into the extended containment bit. Electricity is obviously more amenable to being stored and discharging on touch, as you can do that in real life.
Staffspell is basically an electrical variant of shillelagh. I'm shocked that they're resorting to filler material like this.
Lightning shield is another basic energy type substitution. Yawn. Just don't try and cheat and stack it with Fire Shield, as they react explosively. No double damage reflection for you.
Static field is slightly more interesting, sticking to an item, and keeping you from getting in or out for an extended period of time. It won't be nearly as hard to deal with as the prismatic walls, but I think it's about right for it's level. In fact, I'd say the whole balance of this article is just right, which is nice.
Electric Bow is another one that lets you emulate the D&D cartoon, albeit quite impressively, as at higher level you can create a whole electric ballista to bombard the enemy with. The material component is very nicely flavourful too. It shouldn't be too hard to get if you still have good relations with your adventuring party, but isn't the kind of thing you can mass produce either.
Storm allows you to show off to and help out low level druids limited by existing weather conditions for their smiting. It has an interesting compromise between duration of the spell and number of lightning bolts called. It's casting time makes it not really suitable for unexpected combats though. Save it for the big castle assaults. Again, it's fairly familiar, but a nicely written, and more importantly, nicely balanced variant on existing spells.
(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 203: March 1994
part 3/6
Amazing engine system guide: Oooh. A full 16 page special feature. Haven't had one of those since they stopped doing modules back in 86. Along with the 10 page castle-building one in 201, this is one definite positive change this year. Course, the reason they're doing this is because the Amazing Engine isn't selling too well, and they'll stop producing new products for it before the year is out. So what do they have to lose by giving away a taster for free?
In we go then. The most innovative part of this, of course, is the use of a player core and individual characters, allowing you to bounce from genre to genre without it just being a bunch of disconnected one-shots. The ability scores are also interesting, if not quite as successful. Four different macro stats, each divided into two more precise categories. An idea they'll try to apply to AD&D next year in the Players Option books. Combined with the fact that there's still a substantial random aspect to character generation, and that means your characters may have a few common trends from universe to universe, they won't be identical by any stretch of the imagination.
The primary resolution mechanic is percentile based, and this may be one of the definite flaws in the system, as even with skill bonuses, it looks like your average chance of success in a task is going to be under 50%, even for specialised characters. D&D manages to get past the early vulnerable phase with it's clear level structure and advancement path, but this doesn't have the same clarity, especially as it emphasises the fact that beyond the basics, the rules will vary widely from universe to universe. It puts a lot of onus on the GM to both come up with specifics, and get buy-in from the players. And since they only got 9 books out before the line was cancelled, you hardly have the same base to build off that you would with GURPS or the HERO system.
The experience system also seems a bit hinky, with you constantly having to gamble on if you're going to stick with this game long enough to apply the experience now, or if you should hold off and put it all in the core, and possibly get no benefit from it for months. It does seem like between these problems, you will have to fight the system to create a fun long-term game. Well, at least now I have a better idea of why I would or wouldn't want to buy it. That's certainly worth 16 pages to me, even if it isn't really for them.
Eye of the monitor: Doom gets in a guest reviewer to deal with conflicts of interest. It still gets a 5 star review though, as should come no surprise. BFG's, lighting tricks, moving walls, getting monsters to fight one-another, networked multi-player fighting, the amount of awesomeness packed into this game is quite considerable. Don't be afraid to run away and use tactics, because there's a lot of monsters, and only one of you, and you don't want to lose all the weaponry you've accumulated.
Sam and Max: Hit the Road is another Lucasarts graphic adventure. It is a bit buggy, but it does have great graphics and interpersonal interactions, along with their typical sense of humour. It also showcases another instance of RPG guys moving into computers, taking their contacts with them. Go where the money is, etc etc.
Phantasie I, III & Questron II don't seem to have stood the test of time for Sandy. Still, this little compilation is pretty cheap. And it does highlight the ephemeral nature of computer games, disappearing as their platforms are superseded. It'll still be more than a decade before the online and mobile platforms bring old games back into general circulation.
Mario All-Stars gets a surprisingly cursory review. As with the zelda reviews, it's obvious Sandy isn't a true nintendo fanatic. The hammer suit IS in the original SMB3, even if you can only get it reliably in one place. And there is one very significant difference in the physics. Shells used to be faster than fireballs, now they're slower, and this messed up one of my old tactics when I first made the switch. Playing these again reminds me how much faster and less padded games used to be. Thiiiis IIIIssss NOSTALGIA!!!!!!
Libram X gets to a lull in the action. I guess it's time for some exposition. Because heaven knows, we need it at the moment.
Forum: Seth Seyfried has not had the negative experiences talking about gaming to nongamers that so many people have written in to complain about. In fact, his went rather well. Both luck and good social skills may play a part in this.
Joe Kutcherfield gives another reminder that fun should be foremost, be it by killing things and taking their stuff, or constructing elaborate histories and personalities. It's a game, people. Do we keep on forgetting that?
Anonymous makes it's now near monthly contribution, telling us about the recent powergaming escalation in their area. They got arm cramps from rolling so many dice! You call that fun? A very good reason why you shouldn't simply scale up the math. That is not an inherent improvement to a game. If anything, it's a rather bad thing, as it sets the joining bar higher.
Lucy Kinborough is getting tired of the sexism complaints. Yes, Roleplaying isn't perfect, but it's a lot more accepting of women than certain other hobbies. :cough:sports:cough: Not that we should stop pushing to fix the issues that exist, but at least accept that they're not doing everything wrong.
part 3/6
Amazing engine system guide: Oooh. A full 16 page special feature. Haven't had one of those since they stopped doing modules back in 86. Along with the 10 page castle-building one in 201, this is one definite positive change this year. Course, the reason they're doing this is because the Amazing Engine isn't selling too well, and they'll stop producing new products for it before the year is out. So what do they have to lose by giving away a taster for free?
In we go then. The most innovative part of this, of course, is the use of a player core and individual characters, allowing you to bounce from genre to genre without it just being a bunch of disconnected one-shots. The ability scores are also interesting, if not quite as successful. Four different macro stats, each divided into two more precise categories. An idea they'll try to apply to AD&D next year in the Players Option books. Combined with the fact that there's still a substantial random aspect to character generation, and that means your characters may have a few common trends from universe to universe, they won't be identical by any stretch of the imagination.
The primary resolution mechanic is percentile based, and this may be one of the definite flaws in the system, as even with skill bonuses, it looks like your average chance of success in a task is going to be under 50%, even for specialised characters. D&D manages to get past the early vulnerable phase with it's clear level structure and advancement path, but this doesn't have the same clarity, especially as it emphasises the fact that beyond the basics, the rules will vary widely from universe to universe. It puts a lot of onus on the GM to both come up with specifics, and get buy-in from the players. And since they only got 9 books out before the line was cancelled, you hardly have the same base to build off that you would with GURPS or the HERO system.
The experience system also seems a bit hinky, with you constantly having to gamble on if you're going to stick with this game long enough to apply the experience now, or if you should hold off and put it all in the core, and possibly get no benefit from it for months. It does seem like between these problems, you will have to fight the system to create a fun long-term game. Well, at least now I have a better idea of why I would or wouldn't want to buy it. That's certainly worth 16 pages to me, even if it isn't really for them.
Eye of the monitor: Doom gets in a guest reviewer to deal with conflicts of interest. It still gets a 5 star review though, as should come no surprise. BFG's, lighting tricks, moving walls, getting monsters to fight one-another, networked multi-player fighting, the amount of awesomeness packed into this game is quite considerable. Don't be afraid to run away and use tactics, because there's a lot of monsters, and only one of you, and you don't want to lose all the weaponry you've accumulated.
Sam and Max: Hit the Road is another Lucasarts graphic adventure. It is a bit buggy, but it does have great graphics and interpersonal interactions, along with their typical sense of humour. It also showcases another instance of RPG guys moving into computers, taking their contacts with them. Go where the money is, etc etc.
Phantasie I, III & Questron II don't seem to have stood the test of time for Sandy. Still, this little compilation is pretty cheap. And it does highlight the ephemeral nature of computer games, disappearing as their platforms are superseded. It'll still be more than a decade before the online and mobile platforms bring old games back into general circulation.
Mario All-Stars gets a surprisingly cursory review. As with the zelda reviews, it's obvious Sandy isn't a true nintendo fanatic. The hammer suit IS in the original SMB3, even if you can only get it reliably in one place. And there is one very significant difference in the physics. Shells used to be faster than fireballs, now they're slower, and this messed up one of my old tactics when I first made the switch. Playing these again reminds me how much faster and less padded games used to be. Thiiiis IIIIssss NOSTALGIA!!!!!!
Libram X gets to a lull in the action. I guess it's time for some exposition. Because heaven knows, we need it at the moment.
Forum: Seth Seyfried has not had the negative experiences talking about gaming to nongamers that so many people have written in to complain about. In fact, his went rather well. Both luck and good social skills may play a part in this.
Joe Kutcherfield gives another reminder that fun should be foremost, be it by killing things and taking their stuff, or constructing elaborate histories and personalities. It's a game, people. Do we keep on forgetting that?
Anonymous makes it's now near monthly contribution, telling us about the recent powergaming escalation in their area. They got arm cramps from rolling so many dice! You call that fun? A very good reason why you shouldn't simply scale up the math. That is not an inherent improvement to a game. If anything, it's a rather bad thing, as it sets the joining bar higher.
Lucy Kinborough is getting tired of the sexism complaints. Yes, Roleplaying isn't perfect, but it's a lot more accepting of women than certain other hobbies. :cough:sports:cough: Not that we should stop pushing to fix the issues that exist, but at least accept that they're not doing everything wrong.
(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 203: March 1994
part 4/6
A colorful Collaboration: Once again with the Bradstreet. He's a big name already, so they have to do a whole article on him to show off the fact that they've got him. The cover isn't all his work though. Fred Fields did the colouring, and the whole thing was originally derived from a posed photograph. It is a pretty good example of how you go from a scratchy sketch to a full-color, high detail piece via adding things, removing or going over the little notes. It's also a lot funnier when you see the amount of thought that goes into adding all the over the top badassery. Those tattoos, guns, outfits and circling eagles all took meticulous research drawing upon real-world examples. It once again reminds me that I'm not alone in my degree of obsessiveness, and this stuff is pretty hilarious when viewed from the perspective of an outsider. Where would white wolf be without people like him going above and beyond the call of duty, in the process encouraging us to be proactively pretentious as well.
The plane truth: The teasers for planescape really kick in with this highly abridged A-Z. And the first thing they do is start teasing about the new homebase. This is completely new for the new edition, unlike most of the planes themselves, which are mostly as they were last time we visited. It's ruled by the lady of pain, and the people in it are divided into factions, which fight over philosophical points, for in the planes, what people believe can shape reality. SQUEE! It's all coming right back to me. The modron and the sexy tiefling are also instantly familiar. (and look at the size of those horns! I don't remember them being that big! ) They are going to release some really cool stuff in the next few years, and this is definitely one of the high points. (and again, I'm not talking about the tiefling horns ) The mix of slightly surreal imagination and artwork with real philosophical questions underlying the action still speaks to me today, unlike the previous article, which feels very dated. Ok, so technically it's just a promotion article that won't tell you anything the actual books don't, but it's still done very well, with interesting framing and accessible writing. This time, it looks like the promotion style is going to achieve exactly what it was intended too, a mix of "Wait, what?" and "Drool, WANT!" I look forward to reading the next part.
Sage advice: Can the caster of a prismatic spell let their spells through it selectively (no)
What happens if something with magic resistance resists time stop.(the whole thing collapses. Waste of a 9th level spell)
How exactly does a holy sword's dispelling work (with great brutality. They really are paladin's trump card. )
Can a druid help someone else turn undead with a combine spell (sure)
What things from issue 185 have psionics ( none of them. Not everything that goes on a trip to athas develops their mind from the experience. Just like going to university)
I want deck plans for more spelljammer ships (buy the supplements then. :teeth ting: )
My thief wants XP for stealing stuff (Yes, and you ought to give it to him. It's a social contract thing, donchaknow. Otherwise he's hardly a thief, more a trap disarmament and stealth specialist. )
Finally, skip does the indian pantheon this month. Mmm, lots of arms. How will they find places to put them. Good thing Skip's gotta whole lotta sage for them to love.
Role-playing reviews: Shatterzone Is the new game from West End Games. With many similarities to TORG, it has an interesting setting, but rather clunky rules. Big numbers, exponential scaling and card based narrative control, it all seems pretty similar, only with a sci-fi setting rather than a fantastical cross-genre one. Ironically, they encourage you not to use everything, and Rick finds the game runs better that way. Once again, the parallels you can draw with palladium are pretty obvious.
Crosshairs is the first supplement, sending you to a delightfully grim burnt-out industrial planet where corporations rule and danger lurks omnipresent within the rubbish dumps. It all sounds rather Shadowrun meets Judge Dredd, which isn't a bad market to try and tap.
High adventure cliffhangers is of course TSR's new try at a Buck Rogers game. It sees him playing a skeptical cheerleader, wanting it to succeed, but all too aware of it's flaws as well. It's easy enough to learn, but it may be a bit simple and twee for experienced gamers, particularly ones who don't buy into the intentionally gee-whiz pulpiness of it. Jeff Grubb tries his best, but even his sterling work won't save this from the scrapheap of history.
War against the Han is also not really to Rick's taste, with lots of stuff on determining adventures via random rolls. Fashion, thou art not here. And nostalgia is not currently in in general either. It really doesn't bode well, does it.
Battlespace takes Battletech's mechs up, up and away to fight on an interplanetary scale. Surprisingly easy to learn, but hard to master, this get's Rick's highest marks this month.
part 4/6
A colorful Collaboration: Once again with the Bradstreet. He's a big name already, so they have to do a whole article on him to show off the fact that they've got him. The cover isn't all his work though. Fred Fields did the colouring, and the whole thing was originally derived from a posed photograph. It is a pretty good example of how you go from a scratchy sketch to a full-color, high detail piece via adding things, removing or going over the little notes. It's also a lot funnier when you see the amount of thought that goes into adding all the over the top badassery. Those tattoos, guns, outfits and circling eagles all took meticulous research drawing upon real-world examples. It once again reminds me that I'm not alone in my degree of obsessiveness, and this stuff is pretty hilarious when viewed from the perspective of an outsider. Where would white wolf be without people like him going above and beyond the call of duty, in the process encouraging us to be proactively pretentious as well.
The plane truth: The teasers for planescape really kick in with this highly abridged A-Z. And the first thing they do is start teasing about the new homebase. This is completely new for the new edition, unlike most of the planes themselves, which are mostly as they were last time we visited. It's ruled by the lady of pain, and the people in it are divided into factions, which fight over philosophical points, for in the planes, what people believe can shape reality. SQUEE! It's all coming right back to me. The modron and the sexy tiefling are also instantly familiar. (and look at the size of those horns! I don't remember them being that big! ) They are going to release some really cool stuff in the next few years, and this is definitely one of the high points. (and again, I'm not talking about the tiefling horns
) The mix of slightly surreal imagination and artwork with real philosophical questions underlying the action still speaks to me today, unlike the previous article, which feels very dated. Ok, so technically it's just a promotion article that won't tell you anything the actual books don't, but it's still done very well, with interesting framing and accessible writing. This time, it looks like the promotion style is going to achieve exactly what it was intended too, a mix of "Wait, what?" and "Drool, WANT!" I look forward to reading the next part. Sage advice: Can the caster of a prismatic spell let their spells through it selectively (no)
What happens if something with magic resistance resists time stop.(the whole thing collapses. Waste of a 9th level spell)
How exactly does a holy sword's dispelling work (with great brutality. They really are paladin's trump card. )
Can a druid help someone else turn undead with a combine spell (sure)
What things from issue 185 have psionics ( none of them. Not everything that goes on a trip to athas develops their mind from the experience. Just like going to university)
I want deck plans for more spelljammer ships (buy the supplements then. :teeth ting: )
My thief wants XP for stealing stuff (Yes, and you ought to give it to him. It's a social contract thing, donchaknow. Otherwise he's hardly a thief, more a trap disarmament and stealth specialist. )
Finally, skip does the indian pantheon this month. Mmm, lots of arms. How will they find places to put them. Good thing Skip's gotta whole lotta sage for them to love.
Role-playing reviews: Shatterzone Is the new game from West End Games. With many similarities to TORG, it has an interesting setting, but rather clunky rules. Big numbers, exponential scaling and card based narrative control, it all seems pretty similar, only with a sci-fi setting rather than a fantastical cross-genre one. Ironically, they encourage you not to use everything, and Rick finds the game runs better that way. Once again, the parallels you can draw with palladium are pretty obvious.
Crosshairs is the first supplement, sending you to a delightfully grim burnt-out industrial planet where corporations rule and danger lurks omnipresent within the rubbish dumps. It all sounds rather Shadowrun meets Judge Dredd, which isn't a bad market to try and tap.
High adventure cliffhangers is of course TSR's new try at a Buck Rogers game. It sees him playing a skeptical cheerleader, wanting it to succeed, but all too aware of it's flaws as well. It's easy enough to learn, but it may be a bit simple and twee for experienced gamers, particularly ones who don't buy into the intentionally gee-whiz pulpiness of it. Jeff Grubb tries his best, but even his sterling work won't save this from the scrapheap of history.
War against the Han is also not really to Rick's taste, with lots of stuff on determining adventures via random rolls. Fashion, thou art not here. And nostalgia is not currently in in general either. It really doesn't bode well, does it.
Battlespace takes Battletech's mechs up, up and away to fight on an interplanetary scale. Surprisingly easy to learn, but hard to master, this get's Rick's highest marks this month.
(un)reason
Legend
Dragon Magazine Issue 203: March 1994
part 5/6
Rumblings: A second new column starts up this month. Gossip time! Because if anything flourishes in hard times, it's telling tales of how other people are doing even worse, and bitching about the few that are profiting. Particularly screwed are mayfair games, who have just dropped their entire RPG department to focus on board games. So much for DC heroes, Chill, et all. Funny that the comic licences for both big companies have died within a year of each other. Beyond that, we have a whole bunch of hirings and firings, which don't seem too controversial. Larry Elmore has decided he can make more money freelancing again. Willie Walsh is back, Lynn Abbey is joining us, Ken Rolston has moved over to White Wolf, Jonathan Tweet has just joined WotC. Nope, no big dirt this time round. Is there anything people who know what was happening between the lines can tell me about the politics that led to these changes?
The role of books: The iron thane by Jason Henderson takes a minor character from Macbeth, and then continues his story, weaving in further shakespearean supernatural elements, including a faerie invasion. The result is interesting but a bit choppy.
The case of the toxic spell dump by Harry Turtledove is another of his somewhat comic alternate history fantasy tales. This time mixed with mystery story. As usual, even though he's quite playful, he's also put some serious work into the worldbuilding. I suppose like Ed Greenwood, adding fun bits helps keep you around and paying attention for the serious stuff.
Under the eye of god by David Gerrold gets picked apart. It's various elements combine badly, making this less than the sum of it's parts. Not really worth the effort.
Guilty pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton sees our good friend Anita Blake start her adventures by proclaiming "I don't date vampires, I kill them." Yeah, I bet you make that resolution at the start of every year. How long before you fall prey to the sweet temptation of having your cervix bumped again? It's easy to be cynical, but it's important to remember that this is another series that started off pretty good, and has been fairly influential in horror over the past decade or two. There are far worse places to start reading.
Dark Mirror by Diane Duane sends the next generation characters into the mirror universe to meet their goateed counterparts. This gives her a chance to put distinct dark spins on all the regular crew, including a few minor ones, and expand on how history is different here. Hopefully it'll please the fanboys who recall the original mirror universe episode.
A wizard's dozen, edited by Michael Stearns tries to create a set of new fairytales to tell your children. Plenty of familiar names contribute, with Will Shetterly's The princess who kicked butt seeming like the obvious standout. This is very much one for getting for your kids, or at least, someone's kids anyway.
Fiction: Spenser's peace by Kurt Giambastani. Being top wizard is like being a gunslinger. There's always some upstart punk who thinks they can take you on, that cosmic power is a limited resource, and any competitors need to be eliminated, not worked with. And when you've got immortality, and age will not slow you down, this may get easier to handle, but ever more tiresome, and the knowledge that you will slip up at some point can come to weigh heavy. It's no wonder many liches turn to constructing ever more elaborate many-leveled deathtraps, despite the fact that this actually often attracts even more adventurers just for the challenge. Don't you just wish you could give it all up sometimes. Yeah, not likely. As a certain prime minister once said, the worst day in power was better than the best days after it. But some people manage the strength to give it all up. And when you do, you can find it isn't so bad after all. A nice bit of dramatic irony here, as is often the case in this department. Whether it'll get PC's to follow the example I very much doubt, but it's still a reasonably successful bit of fiction.
Dragonmirth puns it's way through the day again. Ralph has abandonment angst in Yamara. Shandara has just enough strength for one final strike in twilight war. Will someone have to die before the end?
part 5/6
Rumblings: A second new column starts up this month. Gossip time! Because if anything flourishes in hard times, it's telling tales of how other people are doing even worse, and bitching about the few that are profiting. Particularly screwed are mayfair games, who have just dropped their entire RPG department to focus on board games. So much for DC heroes, Chill, et all. Funny that the comic licences for both big companies have died within a year of each other. Beyond that, we have a whole bunch of hirings and firings, which don't seem too controversial. Larry Elmore has decided he can make more money freelancing again. Willie Walsh is back, Lynn Abbey is joining us, Ken Rolston has moved over to White Wolf, Jonathan Tweet has just joined WotC. Nope, no big dirt this time round. Is there anything people who know what was happening between the lines can tell me about the politics that led to these changes?
The role of books: The iron thane by Jason Henderson takes a minor character from Macbeth, and then continues his story, weaving in further shakespearean supernatural elements, including a faerie invasion. The result is interesting but a bit choppy.
The case of the toxic spell dump by Harry Turtledove is another of his somewhat comic alternate history fantasy tales. This time mixed with mystery story. As usual, even though he's quite playful, he's also put some serious work into the worldbuilding. I suppose like Ed Greenwood, adding fun bits helps keep you around and paying attention for the serious stuff.
Under the eye of god by David Gerrold gets picked apart. It's various elements combine badly, making this less than the sum of it's parts. Not really worth the effort.
Guilty pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton sees our good friend Anita Blake start her adventures by proclaiming "I don't date vampires, I kill them." Yeah, I bet you make that resolution at the start of every year. How long before you fall prey to the sweet temptation of having your cervix bumped again? It's easy to be cynical, but it's important to remember that this is another series that started off pretty good, and has been fairly influential in horror over the past decade or two. There are far worse places to start reading.
Dark Mirror by Diane Duane sends the next generation characters into the mirror universe to meet their goateed counterparts. This gives her a chance to put distinct dark spins on all the regular crew, including a few minor ones, and expand on how history is different here. Hopefully it'll please the fanboys who recall the original mirror universe episode.
A wizard's dozen, edited by Michael Stearns tries to create a set of new fairytales to tell your children. Plenty of familiar names contribute, with Will Shetterly's The princess who kicked butt seeming like the obvious standout. This is very much one for getting for your kids, or at least, someone's kids anyway.
Fiction: Spenser's peace by Kurt Giambastani. Being top wizard is like being a gunslinger. There's always some upstart punk who thinks they can take you on, that cosmic power is a limited resource, and any competitors need to be eliminated, not worked with. And when you've got immortality, and age will not slow you down, this may get easier to handle, but ever more tiresome, and the knowledge that you will slip up at some point can come to weigh heavy. It's no wonder many liches turn to constructing ever more elaborate many-leveled deathtraps, despite the fact that this actually often attracts even more adventurers just for the challenge. Don't you just wish you could give it all up sometimes. Yeah, not likely. As a certain prime minister once said, the worst day in power was better than the best days after it. But some people manage the strength to give it all up. And when you do, you can find it isn't so bad after all. A nice bit of dramatic irony here, as is often the case in this department. Whether it'll get PC's to follow the example I very much doubt, but it's still a reasonably successful bit of fiction.
Dragonmirth puns it's way through the day again. Ralph has abandonment angst in Yamara. Shandara has just enough strength for one final strike in twilight war. Will someone have to die before the end?
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