Drmg056, Dragon
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December 1981
Dragon
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Dragon
Vol. VI, No. 6
Vol. VI, No. 6
December 1981
Included in this month’s edition of
DRAGON™ magazine you’ll find a reader
response survey form. While it may seem
at times that we ask a lot of you, our
readers, in reality the few times that we
prevail upon you to send us your opin-
ions and thoughts are only to provide
you with a magazine well worth your
time to read and your money to purchase.
Some magazines request a monthly
feedback response from their readers.
While this is a noble attempt to provide a
publication that is exactly desired by
current readers, it can also be self-de-
feating. If a majority of readers say they
want more of type “x” material, and if the
editor/publisher acquiesces to that re-
sponse (cutting some other aspect of the
publication to provide more of type “x”
material), then only that majority of the
readership is being served. So the minor-
ity may quit buying the magazine. So the
total readership goes down. Then the
next magazine has yet another feedback
form. A majority of the now-smaller read-
ership requests more “y” material. So the
editor/publisher attempts to serve his
audience by devoting more space to top-
ic “y.” If this is continued, soon the mag-
azine will only be serving a readership of
one.
Obviously, the simple majority of re-
sponses to a readership survey cannot
be used to dictate the entire contents of
any given periodical. However, surveys
are useful in that they can communicate
the overall desires of the readership, par-
ticularly when viewed over a long period
of time, and when done in a “correct”
manner (“correct” meaning a survey
worded in a precise manner, evaluated
on a significant sample, etc.). So, we
have a survey in this issue.
The last survey we published was in
issue #41, well over a year ago, so all of
the information we get this time will be
“new” to us and, we hope, very useful.
We’re not asking (necessarily) if you
want more material on subject “z”; rath-
er, we want to know where your general
interests lie, your gaming habits, and so
forth. From this information we hope to
be able to provide a publication that
gives you even
more
for your money.
Notice the word “more.” We do not in-
tend to necessarily cut anything from the
existing format of DRAGON magazine;
rather, we intend to augment it. We know
that about a quarter million of you out
there read the magazine each month —
and we don’t want to lose any of you.
‘Nuff said.
Publisher. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake Jaquet
Editor-in-Chief.
. . . . . . . . . . Kim Mohan
Editorial staff
. . . . . . . . . . . Bryce Knorr
Marilyn Mays
Gali Sanchez
Sales. .
. . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Chiusano
Circulation
. . . . . . . Corey Koebernick
Office staff
. . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherie Knull
Roger Raupp
Contributing editors. . . .
Roger Moore
Ed Greenwood
On page 4 this month you’ll see a letter
from Jim Dopkin which bears some com-
ment here. Jim has made an assumption
that is perhaps all too often made by
many readers of DRAGON magazine.
While Dragon Publishing is a division of
TSR Hobbies, Inc., we are entirely se-
parate from the division that produces
and markets TSR™ games. Also, we are
financially separate. That means we can-
not put out a magazine devoted only to
D&D® and AD&D™ games, or even only
to TSR products. Some companies put
out publications devoted only to their
own line of products, be it games or
earth-moving equipment. These publi-
cations are called “house organs,” and
many times are at least in part financed
by the company they cover.
DRAGON magazine is not a house or-
gan. We sell advertising to many differ-
ent companies advertising many games
and game-related products. We run arti-
cles on many different games produced
by many different companies. If it seems
at times like we concentrate on certain
games or game companies (for example,
TSR Hobbies), it is only because those
products have, proven their popularity.
I personally have a great interest in
games simulating building railroads (let’s
hear it for the Rail Baron™ game and
1829), and I would even pay $5 an issue
to receive such a publication. If anyone
cares to take a stab at it, I’ll be your first
lifetime subscriber. Unfortunately, it will
be the life of the publication, not mine.
There are financial realities to consider,
and the potential audience for such an
exclusive publication would be so limit-
ed as to doom it from the start or, at best,
limit it to substandard quality.
The point to all this is that DRAGON
magazine is not all things to all people, it
probably never will be, and anyone that
claims a publication to be otherwise is
either very optimistic or very foolish.
What DRAGON magazine intends to be
is as many things to as many gamers as
possible.
Merry Christmas, and we hope we live
up to you what you expect of us.
This issue’s contributing artists:
Phil Foglio
David Trampier
Roger Raupp
Chuck Vadun
Alan Burton
Mary Hanson-
Roberts
Harry Quinn
Bruce Whitefield
DRAGON magazine is published monthly by
Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR Hobbies,
inc. The mailing address of Dragon Publishing
is P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147; tele-
phone (414) 248-8044.
DRAGON magazine is available at hundreds
of hobby stores and bookstores throughout the
United States and Canada, and through a limit-
ed number of overseas outlets. The magazine
can be purchased directly from Dragon Publish-
ing by subscription. Rates are as follows, with all
payments to be made in advance: $24 for 12
issues sent to a U.S. or Canadian address; $50
U.S. for 12 issues sent via surface mail or $95 for
12 issues sent via air mail to any other country.
A limited quantity of certain back issues of
DRAGON magazine can be purchased directly
from the publisher by sending the cover price
plus $1.50 postage and handling for each issue
ordered. Payment in advance by check or mo-
ney order must accompany all orders. Payments
cannot be made through a credit card, and
orders cannot be taken nor merchandise “re-
served” by telephone. Neither an individual cus-
tomer nor an institution can be billed for a sub-
scription order or back-issue purchase unless
prior arrangements are made.
The issue of expiration for each subscription
is printed on the mailing label for each sub-
scriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes of ad-
dress for the delivery of subscriptions must be
received at least 30 days prior to the effective
date of the change in order to insure uninter-
rupted delivery.
All material published in DRAGON magazine
becomes the exclusive property of the publisher
upon publication, unless special arrangements
to the contrary are made prior to publication.
DRAGON magazine welcomes unsolicited sub-
missions of written material and artwork; how-
ever, no responsibility for such submissions can
be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any
submission which is accompanied by a self-
addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size
will be returned to the contributor if it cannot be
published.
DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish-
ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rights
on the contents of this publication are reserved,
and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole
or in part without prior permission in writing
from the publisher. Copyright 1981 by TSR
Hobbies, Inc. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848.
Second class postage paid at Lake Geneva,
Wis., and at additional mailing offices.
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December 1981
Dragon
p in the land where DRAGON™ magazine is born
anew each month, it’s wintertime again. But in the
middle of this issue of the world’s warmest gaming
magazine, there’s nothing but palm trees and sun-
shine. Well . . . almost nothing. There’s a funny-
looking island, which is really Alulu, and there’s a whole lot of
excitement and intrigue ahead for TOP SECRET® agents who
take on MAD MERC, a 20-page adventure created and devel-
oped by Merle Rasmussen (author of the original TOP SECRET
rules) and James Thompson (a.k.a. Pong), Merle’s sidekick in
subterfuge. MAD MERC is the longest (20 pages) of the three
modules for the TOP SECRET game that we’ve published, and
it’s the first agents’ adventure that has been in these pages
since issue #48. Is it the best of the three? We’ll leave that to the
spies to decide.
You’ll run into Phil Foglio no matter which end you start from
this month. Besides providing our cover painting, which Phil
titled “The Critic,” he also fills the last page on the inside of the
magazine — a snazzy, seasonal “What’s New©” which is pre-
sented in color for the first time on page 80.
This month’s feature section is anchored by an in-depth look
at the AD&D™ bard class; it’s tough to be one, but even tougher
to beat one. “Singing a new tune” is our title for Jeff Goelz’s
collection of suggestions on how the class could be rede-
signed. Also in the section is an article by Bill Howell advocat-
ing a new set of “Songs instead of spells” for the bard, and a
Sage Advice column containing all the answers we could find to
all the questions you could think to ask about bards.
The bard articles, like almost everything else you’ll read in
this magazine, are unofficial and not intended to be taken as
rule changes, or even recommended rule changes. Something
that is official every time it appears is From the Sorceror’s
Scroll, the column composed by the creator of the AD&D game
system, E. Gary Gygax. Gary’s latest words of wisdom include
official definitions of magic circles and other protection devi-
ces, plus a detailed look at the past and present history of the
north central section of his own Greyhawk campaign, from
which the WORLD OF GREYHAWK™ Fantasy World Setting
was drawn —
“must” reading for anyone running a campaign
within the borders of the Flanaess.
Coming up with a logical, sensible, fully detailed map of your
campaign area is not an easy task, but it is made much less
taxing if you enlist the assistance of none other than the United
States government. “Map hazard, not haphazard” is William
Hamblin’s informative essay on how to obtain topographic
maps of the real world and how to put them to good use in
gaming.
There’s another slice of short fiction inside — “The Doctor,”
J. Robert Dunkle’s unorthodox and somewhat unsettling ac-
count of a strange malpractice trial — or maybe malpractice
isn’t a strong enough word....
In observance of the gift-buying season, we’ve provided eight
pages of review articles to give you some Christmas shopping
choices: four assessments of games and game accessories,
plus five pages of observations by book reviewer Chris Hender-
son on what’s available to be taken Off the She/f. In observance
of your unquenchable appetite for new monsters, there’s a trio
of new residents in Dragon’s Bestiary. And in observance of
nothing in particular — but well worth observing — is a three-
page installment of Wormy. Happy holidays! — KM
Contents
SPECIAL ATTRACTION
MAD MERC: The Alulu Island Mission
A new TOP SECRET® adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Minarian Legends — The monsters of
Minaria
............ 25
Figuratively Speaking — More miniature photos.......... 58
Dragon’s Bestiary
Shroom ............................................. 60
Colfel ................................. .............. 61
Gem Vars ............................................ 61
Dragon’s Augury
Survival/The Barbarian ............................... 64
Dawn of the Dead .................................... 65
The Argon Gambit/Death Station ..................... 66
Fighting Ships ....................................... 66
Off the Shelf — Fantasy & SF book reviews .............. 67
‘Tis the season ...
— Literary gift suggestions ........... 69
Simulation Corner — The philosophy of design .......... 72
Wormy — Three colorful pages ......................... 76
Dragon Mirth — Cartoons .............................. 79
What’s New? — Color, for one thing ..................... 80
OTHER FEATURES
Bards: Examining the AD&D™ character class
Singing a new tune — Redesigning the bard ............. 5
Sage Advice — Questions & answers on the class ....... 9
Songs instead of spells ............................... 10
Map hazard, not haphazard — “Real” fantasy maps ....... 12
The Doctor — Fiction by J. Robert Dunkle ............... 52
More treasure for Eric’s dragon — Painting champ ....... 59
REGULAR OFFERINGS
Out on a Limb — Letters from readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
From the Sorceror’s Scroll — More Greyhawk goodies. . . . 18
Convention calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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