Issue 10 starts us off with some fantastic cover art. Maybe the best we have seen so far. It unites the two themes of Sci-fi and Fantasy well.
The editorial is a mix bunch, attendance at Game Day and the release of the new AD&D Player's Handbook and the late release date of the new "AD&D Referee's Guide". Doesn't really have the same ring to it as DMG does it.
Plus the shipping costs of WD overseas is going up due to the fall of the Dollar. Must have been the Carter Era.
We have some new magic items for Tekumel.
Nine new monsters for Fiend Facotry, of which only one graduated to the Fiend Folio. The others though are worth looking at. In particular a couple of interesting skeletons and a couple of cats.
Some traps sent in by readers. I have never been over enamored with traps. They have their place, but I never fetishized them like other players/game masters.
As promised we have a collection of letters on realism in the game. These are the same arguments that we have today, so I guess we will always have them.
Next up is a combat simulation/duel game called "Light Sword". Which were light sabers with the serial numbers filled off. It looks interesting enough and could be used with any sort of melee combat. The thing I thought was odd was the art. The first is a man's face with a nondescript sword next to it, the next one is a topless woman in a loin-cloth with two "light daggers". The artist took the time to make sure her breasts were properly shaded, but her hair is just an outline. Not sure what was the though process on this one.
Open Box this issues gives us the boxed set of Gamma World (9/10) and the AD&D Player's Handbook (10/10). Worth the read just get that feeling again when everything was new.
More on the Experienced Traveller by Mike Ferguson. Chapter 3 of the Valley of the four Winds follows.
We end the issue with 7 pages of ads. The most so far.
Not a stellar issue, but a solid one. The Fiend Factory continues to give me entertainment and I am thinking a Fiend Folio 2 of updated monsters that didn't make the cut would be a fantastic fan-book.
I think I know what the thought process was on that one. I don't necessarily endorse it, but I think I understand it. :)
ReplyDeleteTwo of those Fiend Factory cats made it into the Fiend Folio under different names. The Familiar became the Guardian Familiar and the Warlock Cat became the Hell Cat.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking a Fiend Folio 2 of updated monsters that didn't make the cut would be a fantastic fan-book.
ReplyDeleteI made a list of the monsters from issues #6-13 that didn't make it to the FF - which is the cutoff point. Fiend Factory continued for dozens of issues after that, so there would be a lot of material to draw from for a FF2.