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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Glyfair" data-source="post: 2883080" data-attributes="member: 53">The Dragon #15 June 1978Cover by Tramp (ada David Trampier)  <img src="http://paizo.com/image/product/magazine_issue/dragon/15/cover_120.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Of note, this cover takes up both the front and back covers of the magazine.  This might have been the only time this happened.  This has two warrior types on a chariot."Stellar Conquest:  Examining Movement Tactics" covers exactly what the title suggests is the only real non-D&D content in this issue."Dragon Magic" comes under the D&D Variant heading.  This article essentially expands the magic list for dragons.  It's most interesting mechanic has the spells automatically undone if the dragon's true name is spoken.  This gives a reason for dragon's to protect their names, and PCs something to quest after rather than directly fighting a dragon."Pits", also under the D&D Variant heading, is essentially a "chart article."  It includes charts to determine details about pits and possible contents.  Interestingly enough, apparently it's as likely to have a pipeweed grower or loan shark tied down in the pit, as it is for all PC classes to be tied down there.On the same page we have another D&D Variant chart article, "Random Events Table For Settlements and/or Settled Areas." This would be a bit more useful today than the pits articles with events like Storms, Poor Harvests, Storms, Uprisings and the like.Jim Ward continues his "Monty Haul" series with "Monty and the German High Command."  This covers an attempt to use a combination of the Tractics rules with D&D. Another article by Jim Ward is the "The Wandering Monster."  While this one-page article is chart oriented, with a 4th level wandering monster chart included, it has some discussion about how to make wandering monster charts "make sense."  Todays players might not feel they reached the goal, but for the day this certainly had some thought behind making it logical.Jim is associated with the next article in a way.  "Notes from Another Barely Successful D&D Player" was written by someone following up Jim's earlier article on the subject.  This essentially is an article on player's tricks to dungeoneering.  Things like filling a waterskin with oil for dousing mummies, having razor wire concealed in a pant leg, and having fake poisoned darts (negotiate with those hit for the antidote, without risking poisoning yourself)."The Gospel of Benwa" falls under the Dragon Mirth category.  A slightly humerous story in a myth or gospel type format, a large amount of the humor seems to be from naming the Lady of Law Benwa."From the Sorcerer's Scroll" again has Gary taking over.  This article discusses the difference between indoor scale and outdoor scale.  In those days, all measurements in the rules dealt with inches;  Indoors 1"=10 feet, Outdoors 1"=10 yards.  However, this only applies to ranges, not areas of effect.  Thus, it doesn't really apply to spells.An interesting historical bit in this article has Gary mentioning that the first 2 years of D&D usually had no visual aids by most players.  In 1976 a movement was made to start using miniatures.  This is interesting considering that D&D developed out of Chainmail, a miniatures game."Weather in the Wilderness," another D&D Variant, is an attempt for weather tables for D&D.  This expands on some tables in Blackmoor, and won't be the last word on this subject."The Green Magician" continues the excellent fantasy authors appearing in early Dragon's.  Le Sprague de Camp contributes this story that takes up 7 pages in this issue, and is completed in the next issue.  The last pages has another "chart-icle" with "Random Encounters for Boot Hill."  Also within the article two pages are given to the comics.  "Fineous Fingers" has Fineous, Fred & Charly dealing with the anti-paladin Grond.  Wormy is a one panel strip, that nonetheless takes up a full page.  This issue has a lot of the typical early D&D articles of charts for various things.  We continue the hall-of-fame fantasy author's appearances with de Camp.  We also get a look at the confusions that were built into D&D and AD&D with Gary covering the various scale issues in the game.</blockquote>

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