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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5044201" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Magazine Issue 163: November 1990part 5/6Making law out of chaos: Where the forum leads, full articles frequently follow. In this case, it's back to the alignment debates. The out of date alignment debates, using the terms from the 1st ed books rather than the 2nd ed ones to define things, just to make this a little more tiresome, and drive home just how much crap they still have in their slush piles. Were they really getting so few decent 2nd ed articles submitted? And this is a pretty dull one that keeps the definitions fairly restrictive. There's no room for people who just don't particularly care about morality, with neutrality being the opposite of the way it ought to work. (In reality, people are far more likely to side with whoever looks like winning) Puh-lease. One of the good things about 2nd edition was that it was more clearly written than 1st ed, and allowed for more customisation of characters. While there are some cooler bits in 1st ed, this is not one you get much from holding on too. Let it go. KIng arthur is back, and he's a mutant in palladium's new sourcebook. Hee. Professional Monsters: Another one about giving monsters classes, this time idiosyncratic specific ones in the mold of the halfling defender. Why should humans get all the fun? So here's three examples - Centaur Cavalier, Orc Barbarian and Lizard man Druid. Curiously, along with the usual low level limits usual for 1st ed nonhumans, they are, in general, somewhat weaker than their regular equivalents. Still, they do each have a few unique bonuses along with the penalties, and I suppose it's better than not having access to the classes at all. I think I'm unlikely to see players pick these guys, even if I was getting to run games a lot more frequently than I am, so there's no need to restrict them. The humancentricism will continue for the foreseeable future. The dragon's bestiary: Spell weavers are a classic weird screwage monster. Alien, inscrutable, and able to cast several spells at once. They've really gone to town on these guys, creating things that are pretty scary on multiple levels, and packed with loving advice on their tactics and unique equipment. One that does get into official books and adventures later, these guys definitely encourage both DM's and players to step up their tactical efficiency, for whoever snoozes loses. And pray Mariliths find them as incomprehensible as we do, for multispellcasting in their hands does not bear thinking about. As you've probably guessed, I've always been rather fond of these guys, and it's nice to discover they're another one that got their start in the magazine. TSR Previews: A fairly small list of releases this month, but the forgotten realms is still getting a double bill. FRA3: Blood charge completes the horde trilogy of modules. Their sound and fury burns itself out, but will continue to have repercussions. R A Salvadore is still prequelising in Exile. Drizzt has been kicked out of his home, and has to figure out how to make friends among other races that hate his. AAAaaaaaaaaaangst!!!!!! Dragonlance finishes it's second spin-off character trilogy, with Galen Benighted. The things we do for our family, eh. Not an uncommon theme, really.Lankhmar gets LNA2: Nehwon. A magical scavenger hunt? Sounds a bit goofy. Is this in theme with the books? Marvel superheroes finishes getting grim and gritty in MLA3: Night life. They've done cosmic, they've done gritty, they've done time travel. Where will their adventures take us next? And finally, it's another standalone book. The Alien Dark by Diana G Gallagher. From a truly alien point of view, the ad copy says. Does it live up to that bold statement? The Affordable Fort: A second minis-centric article this month to supplement the regular one. We haven't had cardboard castles given away with the magazine for a few years now, but that doesn't mean you can't make your own. Cardboard, glue and paints are not commodities in short supply. The space and facilities to construct, display, and move these around, on the other hand, may well be, but that depends on your situation really. With excellent photography, this is a nice little piece full of practical advice useful for complete amateurs. Which makes sense, given how infrequently they run advice like this. Still, this does make me realise that the aimed average expertise level of the readership is actually lower than 10 years ago, even though the production values are substantially increased. Slightly sobering, really.</blockquote>

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