This issue is something of a nostalgia moment for me as I think this is the issue that was out when I first played Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It was at school and I was 11 at the time, and asked some friends what they were talking about while lining up for chemistry class. A friend made me a character (a fighter) and I joined in a game of White Plume Mountain. I wasn’t collecting White Dwarf quite then; that would come later. Gaming was all a bit disjoined playing in the lunch break at the time, but I was hooked. When was your first experience of an RPG? Which issue was out at the time?
Meanwhile, White Dwarf enters its fifth year, and Ian Livingstone seems more surprised about that than the rest of us! There will be another questionnaire this issue to see how they are doing, and I imagine a few glasses of champagne (or maybe babycham it being 1980) got opened in the office that day.
A mysterious man checks behind him before allowing his raven to share the message it brings. This is another cover by Emmanuel, his third so far and there will be many more.
We’re back to the mini-adventure format, huzzah! This time the strange and mysterious “Black Manse” a place of demons, dreams and desires:
Meanwhile, White Dwarf enters its fifth year, and Ian Livingstone seems more surprised about that than the rest of us! There will be another questionnaire this issue to see how they are doing, and I imagine a few glasses of champagne (or maybe babycham it being 1980) got opened in the office that day.
On the Cover
A mysterious man checks behind him before allowing his raven to share the message it brings. This is another cover by Emmanuel, his third so far and there will be many more.
Features
- Blowout (Andy Slack): With only a thin piece of fabric and polymer protecting you from the cold horror of empty space, Andy Slack takes a look at a few types of Vacc Suit in Traveller and how they might be used.
- Creature Quiz: A “recognise the logo/monster quiz” that is made much harder with so many of these now coming from what are now long dead companies or out of print and forgotten games! I scored very poorly here.
- The Dungeon Architect, Part 1: The Interesting Dungeon (Roger Musson): Dungeon design is something of a lost art, so it’s good even in this age to see someone reminding readers that it’s not just about putting monsters in rooms. This article is more about background and NPCs than how to make the dungeon itself interesting, but its solid advice nonetheless.
- An Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons, Part 3: The Spell Using Classes (Lewis Pulsipher): This is an excellent article and one well worth reading today. It looks at spell users and talks about spell selection as a form of speciality, is your mage a detector, artillery, the loremasters etc? Some excellent ideas for making your magicians and clerics have a particular place in the party.
- Lower Canon Court (Tony Chamberlain & Paul Skidmore): A clerical arena fighting mini-game where a heretical prisoner breaks free and tries to take on the jury of their peers. A fun idea, similar to Bar Room Brawl, but not quite as well executed.
- Questionnaire: The survey returns now that White Dwarf hits its Fifth year anniversary. This time the questions are as much about what people are playing as much as what White Dwarf should include, which will offer some interesting results.
- The Self-Made Traveller (Trevor Graver): An interesting new system for picking skills instead of rolling them in Traveller. My only issue is that it seems rather over complicated, as you could just pick instead of rolling the dice. But that’s par for the course in this era.
Regulars
- Character Conjuring: No new class this issue, instead Lew Pulsipher takes a look at what makes a good new character class. There are many solid points here, especially that needing high ability scores to qualify just makes the class rarer, and are a bonus if you get them. The focus here is on the rules and balance, but the general note that the class needs to do something new rather than just combine other classes is also a good one.
- Letters: The pedantry continues as we start with a long diatribe about how last issue got a monster wrong and how the reader thought of it first. One reader notes with disappointment that the “Q&A” page that was a popular idea in a previous questionnaire has failed to appear. The editor adds that actually, that’s why they are now commenting on the letters, so write in with your questions. Maybe they should have mentioned that before. In this case the editor also drops a very solid response to why Silence spells (which can really cripple magicians) aren’t as bad as the reader thinks. There is also a question about Bards using thief’s abilities. So a reminder to younger readers that Bards in 1st edition AD&D were a weird appendix where you had to gain levels as a fighter, then as a thief and could then become a first level Bard. Like many players I just nailed a few tables together and played them as a single class. Finally there is praise and constructive criticism for the power points spell power article in a previous issue.
- Molten Magic: Ok, I’m calling it. Seems the figure news has been folded into the general news column so that must be the end of Molten Magic as a separate column.
- News: This issue Chaosium has the big releases, but even they won’t know how big at this point, with Griffin Mountain on the way for Runequest and two new games based on book licences. Stormbringer will cover Michael Moorcock’s Elric books, and some game called Call of Cthulhu will cover the work of some guy called H. P. Lovecraft. A new company called Quicksilver Fantasies will be making solo adventures, but sadly looks like it doesn’t survive very long. Games Workshop also announces the date for Dragonmeet and Games Day this year. The 7th Origins Game Fair will also take place in July in San Mateo California. There are a lot of new figure releases with Citadel and Asgard having some new miniatures out and Citadel planning to release official miniatures for D&D, Traveller and Runequest. Finally, there is an advert for a new D&D venture, playing the game for a week in the Isle of Wight at a guest house. It says “for two” so it really looks like the owners don’t quite get that you might need more people for a game. Not quite D&D in the Castle but does prove it isn’t an entirely new idea.
- Starbase: This issue Bob McWilliams takes a look at the novels that inspire his game of Traveller. He underlines this is a very personal choice, but it’s a very solid list. There is also an announcement of the winner of the recent scenario competition in issue 23. The winner (which will be published next issue) is Amber to Red by Neil Cheyne. Second place is Weed War by S.L.A. McIntyre and Pavabid by Simon Earley (and I have a feeling we’ll see Weed War get printed later if memory serves).
- Treasure Chest: Back to a mixed back of oddments this issue, with magic items and the question of which handedness your character has to the fore. I especially like “fake torture items” which are designed to help you pantomime the upcoming horror of what the party might do to you if you don’t talk. With an extra note that using them as “real torture items” is really not on at all.
Fiend Factory
We’re back to the mini-adventure format, huzzah! This time the strange and mysterious “Black Manse” a place of demons, dreams and desires:
- Brain Suckers (John R. Gordon) A psionic brain on a tail that crawls inside people to possess them.
- Dream Demons (Phil Masters) This tiny ebony skeleton with butterfly wings is a manipulative illusionist and tougher than it looks.
- Guardian (Simon Tilbrook) A large guardian snake, pretty much a living form of a Necrophidius.
- Incubus (Roger E. Moore) The male form of the succubus, although seemingly absent the ability to seduce, so we get a form of warrior demon.
Open Box
This month’s reviews are:- Double Adventure 2: Mission on Mithril/Across the Bright Face, Adventure for Traveller (GDW): One of the many double adventures, where you flipped the book and started from the back cover for the second one (if there was truly a back cover and not two front covers!).
- Plunder and Runemasters, Playaids for Runequest (Chaosium): These are two short supplements for Runequest. Plunder is a collection of items and equipment, and Runemasters is a more useful expansion of the detail in Cults of Prax.
- Space Opera, RPG Core Set (FGU): The first incarnation of this old classic. From the review it appears that the setting and rules are at odds, with the setting wanting a fast, action packed heroic space opera, and the rules aiming for rather overcomplicated “realism”. Still it will get a new edition/rerelease in 1982 and it lasts the course for many years as Traveller’s main rival until we get a licenced Star Wars RPG.
