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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 4501356" data-attributes="member: 27780">The Dragon Issue 32: December 1979 Part 1/264 pages. As it's christmas, they've got a special present for us. However, the price goes up to $2.50, to pay for the extra size this time round. They say If they shrink again they intend to reduce the price again. What an incentive for them to keep their page count up. Will they let it drop again? (Not a hope, from this point on, every single issue is 64 pages or longer. More work for me.) But anyway, let's unwrap our presents, see what we have. In this issue: Out on a limb: This moves to the front of the magazine, just after the main contents and editorials. We get one letter dispairing of the overpowered twinks who play characters that they couldn't possibly have acquired legally and played up from 1st level. Two about peoples struggles to find a good gaming group, and problems with age gaps, Three snarking back at Marc Jacob's letter in TD28. And some more general comments and requests, including one for a collection of covers. We're finally starting to see the letters page used as a forum, with people replying to one-another through it. Which is most bodacious, and another step towards the Dragon I was familiar with. Poisons from AA to XX: Ahh, the weirdness of D&D's implied setting, where characters are heavily restricted on what they can make, buy and use by class restrictions, and there are powerful trade monopolies of level 20+ Alchemists and Assassins ready to stamp on any PC who tries to break them. Yeah, this is one of those articles entirely devoted to nerfing and adding additional risks to an otherwise too powerful option, that any rational PC who isn't concerned with paltry matters like honour would use the hell out of, given it's effectiveness under the current rules. Weapons of the far east: Ahh, orientophillia, one of the things that's changed very little over the years in adventuring circles. A system free article that doesn't really tell me anything new. I must say meh. Sinister seaweed: Adventures in the air filled cavities of giant underwater plants. A truly inventive idea, with tons of different adventure seeds within. This puts a whole new slant on the dungeon concept that looks like great fun to play through. I like this article very much, and hope to use it at some point. Playing on other planes of existence: Unfortunately, we don't get any concrete information yet, but Gary assures us that he is working hard to flesh out this important part of the D&D metasetting, and he hopes to provide modules set in other planes soon, so you can get info on them. Hopefully we'll be seeing more articles on this in the near future, since it's still a good half a decade before the full-on Manual of the Planes gets released, and I'm sure lots of people don't want to wait that long. He also talks a little about putting alternate dimension crosssovers with other games, but decides to hold back from putting official links in supplements, as it would be bad for the tone of the game if characters regularly went to gamma world or modern day earth. As ever, developments on this thread of history will be reported with great enthusiasm. Sage advice: Jean Wells' lone voice campaigning for the depilliation of dwarven women has not gone unnoticed by the general public. And as is often the case, it's the little things that spark fiercest debate, with plenty of people on both sides of the fence. (for the record, I'm in the let them grow beards camp, as it makes good  dramatic symmetry with elven men not being able to grow facial hair, as well as making them seem more like a different race, not just short long-lived humans. Plus if you don't want your female dwarf to have a beard, all they need to do is shave.) Anyway, this issue, the questions settled are: What the monster on the cover of the DMG is (an efreeti) If paladins can catch lycanthropy (they can) If a ring of telekinesis can make an object spin at the speed of light (It can't) What happened to Asmodeus after I beat him (It's up to the DM, but watch out, because it might be a trick, and the rest of hell will be after you.) How do I stop the fighters from hiding behind me and my magical shielding (stand up for yourself man!) Will a wand of fireballs release all its charges at once if you break it (no) Can a god allow an elf to become a druid (only by turning them into another race which can be one) How do I handle pregnancy in the game (dear god, this is too complicated a topic for this article, and I'm going to address that properly in a later issue) How do I divorce my husband so I can have a romance with a god. (Headesk headesk headesk, any GM that allows a character to get into a scenario like this ought to remove the character from play, as having the personal favour of a god is totally unbalancing to the game and unfair to the other players) Yeah, there were quite a few ridiculous twinks around back then that needed keeping in check. This is the good part of the character optimisation boards. They channel that urge to legitimate ends.</blockquote>

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