WHAAAT? A
This Old Dragon on a Tuesday? What sort of shenanigans are these? It's true, it's Tuesday and this is Dragon #56 from December 1981! According to my notes, I have two copies of this one. Well, I only found one and it is missing the cover and the next pages. Also, there are lot "holes" in the magazine, things cut out for nefarious purposes (I assume), so I am hoping that my other copy is in better shape (but I doubt it). I popped in the Dragon CD-ROM to see what I was missing. First thing I notice is this great Phil & Dixie cover. Damn. That would have been cool to have really. Well lets get into what I DO have (remember what the rules are, if it is not in the magazine I have, I don't talk about it). It's December 1981, I am in Jr. High and this is This Old Dragon!
First glance, this is a different feeling magazine than what I would later get used too. Last week I talked about issue 84 as sort of the Dargon I was most used to. This one is similar, but there are differences too. Granted there is 2 years worth of development between these, but some of it might just be MY perceptions. I didn't own this Dragon back in 1981 and that was before I started buying them. They say the past is a foreign country and this is foreign land indeed.
Out on a Limb confirms we are in a foreign land. One letter wants TWO magazines at only $1.50 each, or if TSR
must be greedy, then $2.00 for one of them. Quick peek at the CD-ROM tells me this magazine costs $3.00 back then. We never knew how good we had it.
Ok, now the meat of this issue.
Singing a New Tune is all about a new Bard class. Jeff Goelz gives us a new, single classed bard based on the Welsh bard. There are a lot of good reasons to do this and this class looks good. The level progression feels like a mix of fighter and wizard. The bard gets Druid and Illusionist spells (not Magic User) though some spells are off the lists. I sorta remember this one but I know I never played it. I really want to now. Bards are fun.
Sage Advice follows with some advice on the PHB Bard. The interesting point for me here is that all these issues brought up are solved by the previous article. Granted the readers submitting these questions don't/didn't have this article.
Bill Howell is way ahead of the curve here with
Songs instead of Spells for the bard. This article also works out well with the first one. Now the bard is much more of a performance caster than what the PHB bard is or even the Goelz bard is. This presages the bards of 2nd edition and beyond. Frankly, I want to use all three to play a 1st Ed Bard again just to see how well this works. I know there are other versions out there. Maybe I'll run into them.
William Hamblin is next with
Map Hazard, not Haphazard. This long article (6 pages) is all about creating fantasy maps. It's cool and all, but I am not looking for that level of detail in my games most times.
One of the ads has something cut out of it that mars the next article.
A quick look through the CD-ROM and it looks like all the pictures of skulls were cut out of this issue. Over protective parent? Or did someone need to decorate their Trapper Keeper? I say it's 50/50.
The next article over is Gary's
From the Sorcerer's Scroll. The hole goes through some of the magic circles (which will be reprinted in module S4) and the introduction to the North Central Flanaess. Also a longer article and certainly interesting enough to Greyhawk historians. I am sure that all of these have been collected online somewhere.
There is the 5th annual AD&D Tournament Invitationaltional entry form. You can enter for Best Original Monster, Best Original Spell, Best Original Treasure or Magic Item and Best Original Trick or Trap.
Any idea of what entry won or who won them?
BTW, the pages of this magazine seem a lot thicker than later magazines. No surprise really, but I did notice it.
Mad Merc by Merle M. Rasmussen and James Thompson is the centerfold adventure. This time for Top Secret. It's a big adventure really. 20 pages. I am little surprised it is intact here.
Figuratively Speaking has a nice article on metal miniatures. Or I assume. The pictures were all cut out!
Ah. Here is something fun. Some new monsters. I love new monsters. We have the Shroom from Lew Pulsipher which I think was in White Dwarf too. (quick check, nope it did not). None of these jump out at me, but maybe I'll use them some day.
Off the Shelf features a sci-fi novel about the rise of Donald Trump.
Finally Wormy and What's New? are in full color!
I think Wormy had always been in color, but this is new for What's New.
Nice little trip to a foreign land. I am going to have to visit more often.
Want to see what I what I Was saying about White Dwarf from the same month? Check out
White Dwarf Wednesday for issue #24.
