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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Corone" data-source="post: 9662601" data-attributes="member: 6806393">This issue Ian Livingstone wonders if anyone is really paying attention to their character’s alignment. Can a pack of murder hobos really claim they are Lawful Good in all honesty? Do any of them wonder about the alignment of the monsters they meet before wading into battle? Personally I still think the D&D alignment system is a good, broad starting point for building a characterisation (although only a starting point). It seems in 1980 people were thinking a little more about playing a character as much as a treasure gathering machine.[ATTACH=full]405673[/ATTACH]<h3>On the Cover</h3>The Interstellar Queen is dwarfed by the vast industrial complex starship in the depths of space (if you also read the old Terran Trade Authority Handbooks). This cover is the second one by Angus McKie, a regular contributor to the aforementioned TTA Books and one of the early artists to adopt computer aided design into his art. He would go on to develop several graphic novels with Dave Gibbons and Brian Talbot.<h3>Features</h3> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Conversion (Roger Musson): This article does address an obvious omission in the abilities of Clerics, that of talking others into their ‘one true path’. While it’s a little unnecessary to have a whole rules set for this, and somewhat likely to cause arguments when a character’s alignment changes on a bad dice roll, it is not without risk to the Cleric. In later years this is the sort of thing we’d do with just role-play, but systems like this are how we reached those conversations.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dungeons and Dragoons (Phil Masters): A tour of the various types of troops found in the ancient world, from Assyrians to Romans, etc. While understandably brief to cover all the options it’s a great introduction to varying large ancient army cultures.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grakt’s Crag (Will Stephenson): An AD&D mini-module involving a trip into a tomb now occupied by an Ogre Mage. I’m not sure why the Ogre Mage chose to live there but he seems happy enough until the PCs turn up.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Star Patrol (Andy Slack): A set of expanded career options for scout characters. While Scout characters are an option in the corebooks, this adds a great deal and I’d offer its essential detail.</li> </ul><h3>Regulars</h3> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Character Conjuring: This issue the character class is The Alchemist. It’s a good reworking to offer potion makers as PCs although they don’t get to be very high level so don’t really work outside 1st edition. While the article doesn’t really suggest why such characters would go down dungeons it does offer some interesting options for creating a laboratory that are worth an article in their own right.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Letters: Gone this month, the editor must need another break! But with all the new stuff something had to go.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Molten Magic: Strangely two in a row, so its appearance may well depend on the size of the news section whose page it shares. New figures from mainly Ral Partha and a couple of Citadel and Asgard Miniatures.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">News: GDW continues to thoroughly support their Traveller line, and The Chaosium has a lot of Runequest waiting in the wings. TSR announces they are going to release the World of Greyhawk as a D&D campaign setting as well as a new hardback called Deities and Demigods (pick yours up quickly before the Melnibonean and Cthulhu Mythos are taken out). Games Workshop will be releasing four new board games we’ll see in adverts together for a long time: Warlock, Valley of the Four Winds, Doctor Who and Apocalypse. Games Day is also coming up in September. But the most interesting thing is the announcement that Yaquinto productions has got hold of the rights for the first ever licenced RPG: Dallas!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Starbase: A new column by Bob McWilliams that will do for Traveller players what Treasure Chest does for D&D gamers. Finding a fitting place to begin, this issue it takes a look at starting a Traveller campaign.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Treasure Chest: Keeping with the recent plan for a theme each issue, this article covers a variety of minor magical and not very magical items. Many are essential, but only in very specific situations (like Stirge repellent). There are thirteen in all so you will certainly find something useful here.</li> </ul><h3>Fiend Factory</h3>A collection of new monsters created by readers. This issue they have a swamp theme, linking them into a short storyline which is a very good idea. There is also a competition to put stats and a culture to a series of five “Flymen” monsters pictured at the end:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cauldron Born (Tim Walters) Zombielike creatures born from an alchemical mix. Not too dangerous until one dies, and its hit dice and hit points are shared between the remaining ones. Could get very nasty very quickly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Creeper (John R Gordon) A paralysing mound plant creature with a nasty tentacle attack.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Frog Folk (Phil Masters) A cruel and unpleasant community of humanoid frogmen who worship demonic gods.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Melodemon (Michael Wilkinson) This crocodile headed serpent is actually a strangely charming singer, whose melodies can hypnotise and terrorise.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Slime Beast (Dave Stapleton) A lump of sentient mud that can shift its consistency to immobile and very tough to runny but agile.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Water Leaper (Roger E Moore) A froglike creature with limited flying ability who attacks fishermen after its eggs, which are a delicacy.</li> </ul><h3>Open Box</h3>This month’s reviews are:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameversion/40366/tsr-first-edition" target="_blank">The Awful Green Things from Outer Space</a>, Board Game (TSR): This game has lasted for a while and will get a new edition as late as 2019. It is also passing through several hands, being a TSR product taken over by Steve Jackson games. It involves the crew of a spaceship trying to survive against the easily killed but quickly multiplying ‘green things’. Very silly and fun with a lot of craziness.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2388/dark-nebula" target="_blank">Dark Nebula</a>, Board/War Game (Games Designer’s Workshop): Yet another two person space battle game, but this time a follow up to the successful Imperium game set in the Traveller universe. In this game it is the Lion-like Aslan against the human Solomani.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameversion/28259/ariel-edition" target="_blank">The Mystic Wood</a>, Board Game (Philmar Ltd): From the same designer as Sorcerer’s Cave is a more quest-oriented version granting a bit more direction. Another of the great classics that will inspire things like Talisman. While it seems it won’t see many new editions (only Avalon Hill in 1982) it has several publishers, and may well have hit the high street as well as hobby stores.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Traveller Supplements: Book 5 (<a href="https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/124273/high-guard-first-edition" target="_blank">High Guard</a>), Supplement 3 (<a href="https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/48772/the-spinward-marches" target="_blank">The Spinward Marches</a>) & Supplement 4 (<a href="https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/48773/citizens-of-the-imperium" target="_blank">Citizens of the Imperium</a>), RPG Supplements (Games Designer’s Workshop): This crop completes what we’ll later consider the full basic Traveller, with Mercenary and High Guard completing the rules and Spinward Marches detailing the setting. Pretty much from now on every Traveller supplement will insist you need Mercenary and High Guard to play! Having said that I can only be impressed as to how GDW is doing the release of these books, with both the right sort of thing coming out and the seemingly relentless pace of releases.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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