Let's read the entire run

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 5/7


50 Monster Maximizers: Ah yes, going back to the original mythology to give your monsters new cool powers. There's a reasonably familiar topic. After all, quirky powers and weaknesses really bring a monster to life more than adding a few more hit points and a bigger die type to damage, and will certainly make players remember them more. Most of these are pretty familiar as well, making this a fun one, but also an article that/'s more aimed at newer readers who don't have a grounding in mythological studies from reading the old folklore. Still, statistical conversions are always good, and it reminds us that there's more moral nuance than you'd think in things like nymphs, centaurs and various fae races, and even mundane animals have a whole bunch of weird myths attached to them. Now, if only they'd cover more myths from non-european cultures. That'd reduce the amount of overfamiliarity considerably.


Fiction: The innkeepers secret by Troy Denning. After a couple of issues where the fiction was merely promotion for a novel the writer had coming out, we have one that uses the same characters as their novel, but at least has the grace to make a decent standalone story. Vangerdhast and the crown princess of Cormyr are off on adventures incognito so she can level up and be a suitable ruler. Obviously the big one will appear in the novel, but this is an interesting enough little ghost story on it's own, with well sketched characters, a plot that has some combat, but doesn't rely on it to solve the problem, and a decent helping of Realmsian whimsy that tops it off, but doesn't go overboard and make it all cheesy. While not quite as good as the average standalone story, this is at least something I didn't mind reading. Still a sign they're depending too much on their regular writers though.


Arcane Lore: Another shapeshifter based article. Magic for and against lycanthropes? Haven't had that before. And not in a October issue either. Once again those damn bogarting undead are stealing the big publicity and corresponding countermeasures.

Instantaneous Shift lets you skip the round of vulnerability when shapechanging. Just like spending Rage points in W:tA, this may be well worth the resource expenditure.

Resist Silver lets poor shapeshifters take half damage from their big vulnerability. That'll weed out the amateurs from the true professionals who don't waste time with weapons, and just go for the big blasty spells.

Ripclaw & Sabertooth sound like a lycanthrope comedy duo, but are actually a pair of spells to buff your natural weaponry. Useful to anything with claws or teeth, really.

Scent lets you mark someone to be easily tracked. Since it requires a touch attack, it's not the most useful of 3rd level spells.

Full Moon is, unsurprisingly, a forced transformation spell. This is particularly helpful when they've just infected some of your buds. Get ready for chaos and fur flying. It's even reversible, which will be much in demand if found out.

Howl is just a refluffed Fear spell. Meh.

Increased Infection doubles your odds of getting your mitts on new minions. Muahahahaha!

Pack Mind is also pretty unsurprising. Buff up your buds, the more buds, the more buffed. Meh.

Invest Lycanthrope is a nasty little trick. All the powers of a full lycanthrope for a day, but a very real threat of becoming an infected one after that. Way to lure people in with false advertising.

Silverblade brings on the reverse side of the coin. Make your weapons temporarily useful against lycanthropes. Course, in Ravenloft, who knows what their vulnerability will be. It may well do sod-all.

Resist Lycanthropy is no surprise either, as are Declaw, Hold Form and Lycanthropic Immunity. Snooze time.

Wolfsbane lets you turn lycanthropes in undead style. See, that redresses the balance nicely. Until next time. The living dead are still well ahead.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 6/7


Bazaar of the Bizarre: A very different bazaar this month, with only 3 items, but cool and detailed ones. Wands of wonder and bags of beans are well known, but here's some potion based random items. Drink them and experience semirandom but generally useful transformations. Much hilarity may indeed ensue.

Groundshift gives you rocky transformations. From fists of stone to turning into earthworms, they all have their positive uses, but may also be a problem. Make sure you have someone on hand to dispel a bad turn.

Herbturn has plant related transformations. You could become spiky, a tree, a dryad, or a floating blossom. This is probably less useful than the last one. Plus, people eating your fruits sounds kinda kinky.

Waveschange provides water based benefits of course. Gills, scales, tentacles, or just becoming merfolk. It'll generally help, but still isn't really reliable. And if it gets contaminated, it'll be even less so. Are you going to play this mugs game?


Dragon's bestiary: Last christmas, they combined giants with undead. This year, they combine them with lycanthropes. Will wonders never cease? [/sarcasm] They are starting to use the templating idea though, with most of this article devoted to what can and can't be infected with what. Someone may have been sneaking peeks at the developers ideas for the next edition. They also introduce a couple of types of true lycanthrope, just for the hell of it, along with a decent amount of roleplaying advice, albeit stuff that feels very familiar if you've read Van Richten's guide to werebeasts. Keep cranking those formulae :sigh:

Polarweres are frost giant werebears, unsurprisingly. They're grumpy solitary things, and seem likely to die out eventually if they don't pass on their infection. It's a good thing there are regular werebears around then, isn't it.

Shadkyn are voadkyn weremobats. They're also one of those lycanthropes that has serious problems fitting into regular society, since regular voadkyn are vegetarians and they have serious bloodthirst. Guess they'll have to flap around being angsty and alienated then. Maybe they could hook up with some exiled drow.


The ecology of the Xixchil: Oooh. It's the body mod obsessed spacefaring mantises. Another bug race that can also become PCs. Well, they're a good deal better at fitting into humanoid society than Aspis, but that doesn't mean they'll ever think quite like us. They move wrong. They think in a highly pragmatic manner. And their sex life.... let's not go there. Amazingly, Johnathan does go there, counting on the fact that it's so different from human sex to get past the censors. He also provides a new system for body modifications, for those of you who want to get some cyberpunk in your D&D. Once again, he really seems to be pushing the limits of what you can do with the format, combining gross-outs with humour, and psychological study. A combination you wouldn't think would work, but just about does. What will he try next?


Role Models: Using a different scale for outside and inside adventures? Well, if it's good enough for the Expert set, then far be it for me to complain. Of course, you'll have to adapt your rules based on the fact that your characters aren't actually occupying the whole space their minis are on the map, and the terrain features are abstracted rather than solid to scale objects. Although I'm not too keen on drawing out the entire overland walk with multiple erasings and redrawings as you go. Save it for when there's anything actually happening. Or maybe this is the kind of thing that virtual mapaking software would really help with, so you can create the large scale map with huge mountains and forests, and zoom in and out to add individual houses and dungeons. Definitely be quicker and more consistent than regular redrawings of a big board. So this is an interesting article, but one where I can instantly see more efficient ways to handle things, especially with technology advancing as it is. Once I build my world, I'd rather it stayed built, rather than having to take it down and put it together again each session.

 

[prosfilaes]

Countdown to 3rd edition: 8 months to go. Ahh, here we get into one of the really contentious parts of 3e. The Dungeonpunk artwork. "Realistic" medieval backdrops? We're bored of those and want to try something new. Which is an understandable sentiment after you've been doing this for 25 years, but still alienates a fair chunk of people. Aesthetics do matter, and how a book looks and is laid out will affect how people play it, even if the underlying rules are pretty much the same. Cuddly hobbits are out, dwarves have seriously updated their forge technology, and monks aren't all asian. While I'm not totally sold on the direction they went in, and it does seem like trying too hard to be kewl and badass in retrospect, I do think the idea of having a consistent set of iconic characters who appeared in the generic rulebooks throughout the edition and became well known names was a good one, as was the desire to make things distinct from what came before. And having a definite look for the books does make them easy to pick out on a bookshelf (although brown?! Is that really the colour you want to go with? I suppose it's slightly preferable to the orange of the 1e hardcovers) So the choices they're making aren't perfect, but they are interesting, distinctive, and deliberately counter to stereotypes. That should also count for quite a bit because it gets people talking, even if they don't like it. And let's face it, stirring up forum debate is free publicity.

They vaguely allude to a more dark and gritty gnome; it's interesting to wonder what might have been, as the 3E gnome just lead to the death of 4E gnome and Pathfinder's complete reimagining.

 

[Richards]

And their sex life.... let's not go there. Amazingly, Johnathan does go there, counting on the fact that it's so different from human sex to get past the censors.

When Dave Gross sent me the contract to sign for "The Ecology of the Xixchil," he included a note that said, "Congratulations! You've just sold me your first blatant sex scene!"

Johnathan

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine Issue 266: December 1999


part 7/7


Back to the future: We have two settings for Alternity now, so the floodgates are open to other ones. After space opera and modern day conspiracy, what to do next? 50's B-movies?! Well, ok then. It might be a little cheesy, but that can just make it all the more fun. So here's stats for flying saucers, bug men, rocket suits, and atomic heat rays, along with plenty of advice on how to get the right tone for the era. Sexism, nationalism, nuclear power, robots, radar, giant monsters, strong moral messages, there are some definite tells to 50's sci-fi that have become a good deal less common with time. You might not be able to get it perfect, but an entertaining pastiche for your players a la mars attacks should be entirely doable. The layout guys once again really go to work on this article, having been given an opportunity that doesn't come up very often around here, going for full pulp novel cover mode with all it's stylised drama. Overall, this is pretty neat, and of course very light on the rehash. Funny that D&D pretty much completely skips over this era. Even when they do mix modern day or sci-fi with fantasy, it's rarely of previous 20th century decades. Once again, goes to show how untapped resources can be surprisingly close if you know how to look.


Marvel Super Heroes: Mockingbird? I remember her not. Looks like she's dead anyway, and will remain so for a good few years. This means this little article becomes a running commentary on how to bring characters back, either temporarily or permanently. Even comic book writers know this is becoming a joke. They can at least make sure that if they do come back, they're suitably affected by the experience. But then, if they want to tell "classic" stories again, they can't have them too changed. Once again we're bumping up against the flaws ingrained in the system. Not very interesting overall.


Dragonmirth puts the puzzles first, and recycles another joke. The KotDT are ridiculously red this issue. They really need to pay more attention to detail.


TSR Previews: This december is pretty light on products. The overall rate of releases per month continues to drift downwards in vaguely uncool fashion. Our general AD&D product this month is Bastions of faith. Another one expanding on the way classes organize, with maps of temples so you can break in and do some asskicking. Now what you need is one on fighter companies to complete the symmetry.

Ravenloft rehashes this month, with volume 2 of van richten's compiled monster guides. Ghosts, liches and mummies. All an absolute bitch to kill for good. They just keep coming back. Sigh.

The Realms get Beyond the High Road by Troy Denning. The princess of Cormyr has daddy issues. Haven't heard that one for a while.

Dragonlance gets Chaos spawn. Another dual stat book set in the bridge between the 4th and 5th ages. Awkward backpedaling ahoy.


Aha! Here's another statement of ownership. Looks like the spike near the end of last year was just that, as once again they're flatlining around the 50k mark, although subscriptions are still creeping upward. There's a lot of disillusioned people out there that WotC hasn't won back, a lot of copies not distributed. Where is the new blood? How do you hook them and keep them? Very good question. Lets hope the new edition manages to do that.

What's new covers shapeshifters too. Oh, the wacky fun they have. And good advice in there as well. Pretty cool.


Mostly a pretty good issue, as this untapped topic still gives their writers plenty of opportunities to stretch their creative muscles. You can have a lot of fun with shapeshifting, both as a PC and a DM. The Alternity article also showed that there are some fairly significant untapped topics still out there, waiting for a good themed issue. Course, since they generally play it safe in the annuals, we're unlikely to see anything particularly unusual there. Still, let's not hang around. Anything'll seem uninspired if you stick there too long.

 

[prosfilaes]

Back to the future: We have two settings for Alternity now, so the floodgates are open to other ones. After space opera and modern day conspiracy, what to do next? 50's B-movies?! Well, ok then. It might be a little cheesy, but that can just make it all the more fun. So here's stats for flying saucers, bug men, rocket suits, and atomic heat rays, along with plenty of advice on how to get the right tone for the era.

Sadly enough, this was more useful than GURPS Atomic Horror.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine annual 1999


part 1/7


148 pages. Looks like we're going to go from one millennium to the next in style, with the magazine's second biggest issue ever. Their sales may not have recovered, but they can still push the boat out for the big occasions. If they've added to the budget of the individual articles as well, this could be reasonably awesome. So let's grasp this zeitgeist, for it slips away as we speak. The party certainly won't last forever.


Scan Quality: Good, no index.


In this issue:


That wizard's beard is so blatantly fake. And is that Bill Bailey playing the DM? Iiiiinteresting. :steeples fingers:


The wyrms turn: Well, here's a special announcement to go with the special issue. WotC has just been bought by Hasbro. This means Peter Adkison is no longer the big boss, and they have to answer to corporate suits who have the bottom line as priority. On the plus side, it means more money for marketing and distribution. In the short run, that's a damn good thing. Long term, well that's very open to speculation indeed. Who can say how history would have been different if WotC had remained independent. There would likely have been just as many flamewars, albeit about slightly different topics. And 4e might well have kept the OGL. I think detailed speculation on this, like what would have happened if Gary were never forced out in the first place, is a topic for a thread of it's own.


50 years of D&D gaming: What was, what is, and what could be. Gary returns for an amusing look at the history of D&D, and makes some interesting, but completely inaccurate predictions about where the future could take it. Castle Greyhawk never did get published in it's entirety, and D&D's resurgent popularity wasn't an ongoing thing. And all the D&D movies so far have been both critical and commercial failures. You know, perhaps we do need another big negative publicity thing to boost sales. But anyway, the history part is more revealing, especially when it comes to the part before the game was even published. It's a good reminder that for the first few years, TSR was very much an amateur small press organisation, with Gary and his close friends doing all the work from writing to assembling and mailing out the final product, storing the boxes in their garage in the meantime. Even complete no-budget n00bs can outsource that to Print on Demand outfits these days. The period between his being forced out and WotC's takeover is completely glossed over though. Overall, this is very much an entertainment piece, rather than a serious historical study of the ups and downs of D&D, and where it might logically go next. You wouldn't expect an unbiased account when they're trying to have a celebration when there's so many awkward moments in their history.


Nods of the shop table: Welcome to another ultimate crossover of ultimate destiny. People are already joking about e-bay. Welcome to the new millennium. This one doesn't make much sense, as they try and cram too many jokes in, getting things muddled. Such is the nature of sweeps week.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

The new millenium started in 2001, not 2000, damnit!

 

[jonesy]

The new millenium started in 2001, not 2000, damnit!

Not according to the media.

 

[(un)reason]

Dragon Magazine annual 1999


part 2/7


The world that wouldn't die: Looks like we're going to have little introductory blurbs for their campaign worlds, like in the first annual. Can you say padding. Why have the extra space just to spend it frivolously? Still, they take the time to deliver some very interesting information. Next edition, Greyhawk is becoming the default campaign world! It sounds like they're going to get a huge profile boost. Of course, this is one case where the theory and the practice turned out very different, with the names and gods being used by default, but the actual geography being mostly ignored, and hardly any sourcebooks or adventures outside the RPGA Living Greyhawk material. (which was fairly substantial, but of course not so commonly available) So like the retrospective material, this presents a rather optimistic picture that won't really be born out by reality. Best laid plans of mice and men.


Campaign holidays: Well, this is amusingly fitting for the issue. It's supposed to be a big celebration, so let's talk about the big days people get dressed up and party on Oerth. These of course vary from place to place quite a lot, although some take place on the same day of the year, particularly the solstices and equinoxes, which it seems nearly every deity wants to claim as their own. This is a reminder that fantasy worlds tend to have neater calendars than the real world, with the cycle of the moon precisely corresponding with the months, and no faffing around with leap years. It's also a good reminder that keeping a calendar rather than just a record of how many days pass when out adventuring helps adventurers feel the passage of time more keenly, as the seasons shift, and people back home live their lives. Plus it offers adventure hooks, especially if you design the celebration days for various humanoids. So this not only serves as an addition to a specific world (and effort has been taken to research existing days rather than just make them up wholecloth) but general worldbuilding advice as well. Which is quite nice really.


Sword & Sorcery experts needed for grand adventure: I don't think it's any secret by now that the Forgotten Realms is their biggest campaign world, handily outpacing everyone else in both gamebooks and novels. Greyhawk and Dragonlance have both already had several year fallow periods, and been brought back when they thought there was a new market for them, but the Realms doesn't even falter. The years keep on passing, the characters keep on living their lives, the history keeps building up. In 4e, they have more books than all the other settings put together now. Much of the credit has to go to Ed Greenwood, but it's the other people who've managed to work within the world and build independent followings that really makes it feel like a living, breathing place, bigger than any one person's dreams and stories, no matter how powerful they become. You have to respect that degree of unrivalled success.


Speaking tongues: You know, I'm surprised Ed never did a detailed examination of Forgotten Realms linguistics in the magazine, especially as it's something both Tolkien and Gary did a reasonable amount of work on. I guess when you also have as many different races adding an orthogonal axis to the issue, the degree of complexity becomes too much of a headache. And so it proves here, as this article decides to assert human exceptionalism by saying they're the only ones with different languages from region to region, while demihumans and humanoids don't, quite possibly thanks to their gods. Wouldn't that mean human gods dislike us more than any other race? That doesn't seem right somehow. Ironically, that breaks my sense of verisimilitude more than each race naturally developing a single language each. So this feels like old skool extra rules that will merely be a pain in the ass, rather than improving your game. Bugger that for a game of let's pretend.