No.

6 September 1983

Adventure Games,Magazine

* The Thief Acrobat

a new split class for the
light-fingered
* Jack Of All Trades
a scenario for the
D&D R, AD&DTM and
DRAGONQUESTrm
es
* Dome of Whispers
adventure fiction by Ian
Watson
 ILL I v L. I T U
LOA I t 201S

Relive the days of the 'Untouchables', when G-men battled gangsters. Be a private eve
or reporter y o u r choice of colourful characters in an era of mobsters and
bootlegging. Players in the GANGBUSTERS- game investigate the underworld o f
Lakefront City — a fictional metropolis i n the 'Roaring Twenties a n d 'Troubled
Thirties'. The GANGBUSTERS- game includes a 64 page rulebook, a16 page module,
dice, a sheet of counters, and maps of Lakefront City. In 7 M
the TSR tradition, t h e GANGBUSTERS- r o l e playing
game w i l l be supported b y a range o f exciting • ' s R
and challenging modules. T1tc,ttrteVtzr.t,
1982 TS8 Hobbies inc. 7 5 1 1 rights reserved.

1-111S1101/ N i l L MAIL TSR H o b b i e s (UK) L t d .

T h e Mill, R a t h m o r e Road.
The symbol TM represents trade marks owned
by TSR Hobbies Eloci.
LLCM C a m b r i d g e CR1 4 A D
Te l : ( 0 2 2 3 ) 2 1 2 5 1 7
 1 rE_
i

. .
TM

Editorial
Once again our modest and unassuming editor has stepped aside and allowed one
No 6 September 1 9 8 3 of more humble rank to pen these words. W h y he thought I w o u l d be ideal for
writing the editorial for the 'Thieves' issue, I don't know....
Published by
TSR U K Ltd This i s s u e carries t h e Thief-Acrobat class f o r t h e AD&DTM game, p a r t o f t h e
Publisher D o n Tu r n b u l l expansion o f t h e g a m e t h a t h a s already seen t h e publication o f t h e M o n s t e r
Editor K e i t h Thomson Manual 2 b o o k t h i s s u m m e r. O u r c o l o n i a l s i s t e r p u b l i c a t i o n , DRAGONTM
Assistant Editor P a u l Cockburn magazine, has carried many other additions, most of which have found or will find
Editorial Assistant K i m Daniel their w a y i n t o revisions o f t h e r u l e s books. T h e Cavalier class, w h i c h w e are
Features Assistant M i k e Brunton expecting t o p u b l i s h i n 1 2 o f IMAGINETm magazine, f e a t u r e s m a n y o f t h e
Art P h i l Kaye changes that are envisaged for the fighter classes. l o o k forward to hearing what
you think of the Thief Acrobat and the Cavalier; notwithstanding the mail w e had
This m o n t h ' s c o n t r i b u t i n g artists: concerning the Barbarian!
Emmanuel P a u l Ruiz
At a t i m e w h e n t h e D&DP g a m e has become the best-selling game in t h e UK,
Ian Williamson A n n e Hamill
ahead of S c r a b b l e and M o n o p o l y, m a n y of the m o r e experienced players are
Pete Young J e r e m y Goodwin asking ' w h e r e is the game going?' They can remember w h e n it was a part of a
Sarah Hocombe
hobby with a few hundred adherents s e r i o u s garners with an interest that went
beyond t h e m e r e p l a y i n g o f t h e g a m e . N o w , w h e n m a n y t h o u s a n d s a r e
discovering role-playing for t h e first time, and w h e n t h e A D & D g a m e is being
IMAGINErm magazine is published monthly by
expanded through a variety of 'official' and 'unofficial' media, these long-serving
TSR U K L t d , T h e M i l l , R a t h m o r e R o a d ,
CAMBRIDGE C B 1 4 A D . Te l e p h o n e : ( 0 2 2 3 ) garners are asking w h a t c o m m o n ground there can be between t h e m a n d t h e
212517. Te l e x ' 8 1 8 7 6 1 , game they play, and the newcomers and their versions.

IMAGINE magazine is available from all good

In the end, no matter what role-playing game you play or how you play it, you, the
hobby s h o p s a n d n e w s a g e n t s . I t i s a l s o
available d i r e c t f r o m t h e p u b l i s h e r b y reader of this magazine, are a participant in a hobby dependent upon inspiration
individual subscription. The subscription rate and imagination. You buy a cold set of rules — you transform it into a living world,
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is currently being added to or called the A D & D game will find its way into every
Back i s s u e s o f I M A G I N E m a g a z i n e , w h e r e
still available, can be bought directly from the campaign. But give things a try first, and then tell us what you think.
publisher f o r t h e p r i c e o f E 1 . 5 0 (inc postage Paul C o c k b u r n
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Contents
merchandise f r o m t h e publisher.
The Beginners' Guide to Role-Playing Games,
The issue of expiration for each s u b s c r i p t i o n our feature for the n e w player, w i t h Nic Novice 2
will b e printed o n t h e subscriber's mailing
label. Changes of address m u s t be notified t o Stirge Corner, by Roger Musson,
the p u b l i s h e r a t l e a s t 3 0 d a y s b e f o r e t h e a guide for the inexperienced player 5
effective c h a n g e t o e n s u r e u n i n t e r r u p t e d
delivery. The Thief-Acrobat, by Gary Gygax,
a n e w split class for characters with high strength and dexterity 7
All m a t e r i a l published i n I M A G I N E magazine
becomes t h e e x c l u s i v e p r o p e r t y o f t h e Dome of Whispers, by Ian Watson,
publisher p r i o r to publication, u n l e s s special original adventure fiction 1 1
arrangements a r e m a d e t o t h e contrary i n
writing.
Illuminations, news from the world of games 1 9
Jack of All Trades, by Roger Hall,
IMAGINE m a g a z i n e w e l c o m e s u n s o l i c i t e d
s u b m i s s i o n s of w r i t t e n m a t e r i a l a n d a r t w o r k a scenario for the D&D, A D & D and DRAGONQUESTlim games 2 1
at all times, H o w e v e r, no s u b m i s s i o n s will be Players Association N e w s ,
returned u n l e s s a c c o m p a n i e d b y a s t a m p e d ,
self-addressed e n v e l o p e o f s u f f i c i e n t s i z e a magazine within a magazine, edited by Mike Brunton
Under n o c i r c u m s t a n c e s w i l l t h e p u b l i s h e r PAN Pipings 3 1
accept r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r a n y s u c h s u b -
missions. Published m a t e r i a l w i l l be paid for Dispel Confusion 3 2
Turnbull Talking 3 2
IMAGINE is a t r a d e m a r k o w n e d by TSR Inc.
All r i g h t s on the p u b l i c a t i o n of this magazine Rubic o f M o g g e d o n 3 4
are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced Film Reviews, by Colin Greenland 3 5
in w h o l e o r i n p a r t w i t h o u t t h e w r i t t e n
consent of the publisher. Copyright " 1 9 8 3 by Chain Mail, by Brian Creese,
TSR U K Ltd. a n e w regular feature on postal gaming 3 6
I M A G I N E magazine gratefully acknow- Tavern Talk, by Pete Tamlyn 3 8
ledges the s u p p o r t o ff e r e d by its sister Letters, Clubs and F o r t h c o m i a g Events 3 8
publication, D R A G O N m a g a z i n e , Fanzines 4 0
published by our parent c o m p a n y TSR
Inc, P O B o x 7 5 6 , L a k e G e n e v a , European Illuminati 4 0
Wisconsin 5 3 1 4 7 , U S A . A r t i c l e s Game Reviews, adventure games under the spotlight 4 2
appearing in I M A G I N E m a g a z i n e m a y The S w o r d o f Alabron, Cartoon Adventure by Ian Williamson 4 6
have p r e v i o u s l y a p p e a r e d i n t h a t
publication.
Fair at Dragon Post, by Emmanuel c o v e r
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3 1
 \ \ \

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on the win- t h e y move ct to either siac of the,

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A taker by stealth
'Carefidly haltancea s e a and s k u l k e r i n s h a d o w s , t h e
aow acl9c, Toth drew out apiece a o or, their thief is a common character in
entweop
eredO W;T
the eaCty• A hey
Nom. fantasy l i t e r a t u r e . P l a y e r s o f
f wire, sail:1,119 i t aroma( the \ tioncel in the Cock anti a fat
fantasy role-playing games can
frame he a -whitlow open.room,
t a c tatcli (Ina' \ richly
ecutaaaresd fi9ttre hoicatti3 enjoy the thrill of carrying out daring
-gave clartect forward. _
plakc( the l i robberies using their skills to relieve
ctroppest sitetay into the WM 9m39ea tits; titerclautt white
Flai ack9oex the wealthy of their riches.
ata si9octaat for Ntacee to lain e viatc4 f Ms bacn.,
your t 'No \
him. Site quickly scatea the wall Imise or it's i n s t . 11
The adventure took place d u r i n g s u c h a
cata t h e t i Vo tftieVes 9rinitect• a t starta l i t e merchant itonacti,
game. Sue is the referee who has created
coca otherais
T . w a s the paws, Niacve rat-lova( far litma anti \ I the setting and runs the game according
cota the mercitant wontrat he Tork elosea tat', ctoor. 'Tftc keys to the rules. The players both assume the
back for at (east cutotaa hour. to the dust if you vaaie your afe role o f t h i e f a n d a c t a s t h o u g h t h e i r
mat no fast moves.' characters are in the situations described
T oth movea
m to the a aoor t by Sue. They both possess thieving skills
pressed ftis ear to the wood. tic Gitt9erly the tnocitant acutaect which t h e y u s e d u r i n g t h e a d v e n t u r e .
outt
ttocalea to Niacvc, satisftect that over a hey. Macve pustiect aim to When they use a skill Sue rolls dice and
compares the result to their skill scores to
there was no movement ill the -the Elea t i t t a secure(v b a
lianas and feet with a piece of determine whether they succeed or not.
114. Whit practicest et sv e sive
scatuica the duS a y ythe 6-ea. tier
a raa lVt I 8t t u &ao tiny to las -month cos- urea Anne (Maeve) and Alan (-Fork) are attempt-
IMMIMINk 1 1 tkUltrilitiM011
attelittall s a
w n
incora. A liattafterchief pus Ms
ing to rob a merchant's room w h i l e he is
necate in the loch; e beat silence, at a Guild meeting. Alan has successfully
awl removed it with (ter pliers. climbed t h e o u t s i d e w a l l w h i l e A n n e
to pick the loch. lt clict 'cork Op t h e Just to see 1
Sac boatt waits in the shadows below.
not open. clothesthstc(e, quickly tarew 1
them on the p o r arta searcheti Alan — 'I'm trying t o open t h e w i n d o w.
e stooaup s t g u a l - Can I r e a c h t h e c a t c h w i t h a n y o f m y
Cursitv3 sh for 0, secret 1attet-2
k a ct to Torli to try. Tile sauna of thief's tools?'
N.,1,
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footsteps was lama. Swiftly Sue rolls t w o dice and checks t h e score
\
\,,, l • against A l a n ' s O p e n L o c k s s k i l l . H e
,•••.;•., , , , N \ N N 'SAO,
succeeds and opens the w i n d o w.
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COWE,OYCHAFACTEK?

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-To Pt pl8teiNg
Alan — ' I ' l l s i g n a l t o A n n e t h a t I ' v e
opened it. Then I'll t r y to M o v e S i l e n t l y
into the room.'
Sue r o l l s dice t o see i f A l a n makes any
noise and if Anne can climb the wall.
Sue — 'Anne, you climb the wall with no
problem. A l a n you see a richly furnished
room with a four poster bed. A nightstand
is next to the bed w i t h a jug, a candle and
an ashtray on it. On the other side of the
bed i s a w o o d e n c h e s t reinforced w i t h
metal bands. The floor is covered by rugs
and f u r s . T h e r e i s a d o o r opposite t h e
window a n d y o u notice t h a t t h e area
behind the door is lit.'
Anne — 'Good. Looks like w e picked the
right w i n d o w. The door m u s t lead to the
hallway.'
Alan — 'I'll move to the door and listen.'
Sue r o l l s f o r A l a n ' s a t t e m p t t o H e a r
Noise. K n o w i n g t h e r e i s n o - o n e i n t h e
hallway, she ignores the dice roll and tells
Alan that he cannot hear anything.
Anne — 'I'll check the chest for traps.'
Sue rolls t w o dice and checks the result
with A n n e ' s Find Traps ability. She tells
Anne that she sees a needle in the lock.
BUSHIDOU5E5 I Fsc)LucKINcHARAcTER
ENERATIcIN.YOURol"ONTHESit%TAbLE
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BETWEENYOURSTRENGTH,DEFINESS,STIED,HEALT
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A n n e — 'I'll try and remove it. If I succeed
I'll pick the lock.'
Sue rolls the dice and is again successful,
the poison needle is removed! The t h r o w
to O p e n L o c k s i s , h o w e v e r, t o o h i g h .
Having failed, A n n e cannot try again.
Sue — 'Alan, as you move away from the
door you hear footsteps approaching and
the jingling of keys.'
Anne — 'I'll hide behind t h e door and
prepare to Backstab whoever comes in.'
Alan — 'I'll do the same on the other side.'
Sue — 'The door opens and a fat, richly
dressed man enters the room, carrying a
candle and muttering to himself.'
As t h e t w o thieves are trying t o Hide in
S h a d o w s by the door, Sue rolls dice for
each o f them t o determine w h e t h e r the
merchant notices them. He does not, and
Sue informs Alan and A n n e of this.
Anne — 'Is anyone w i t h him?'
Sue — 'No-one follows him into the room
and you can't hear anyone in the corridor.'
Anne — M o v e S i l e n t l y and take him
by surprise. I p l a c e m y h a n d o v e r h i s
0
AREHITPotINITSWORKED
OUTDIFFERENTLYADA1N?
4"1111/
mouth and put my dagger
against his back. I'm not trying to
wound him, only let him know that
I could do so easily.'
Sue rolls and tells A n n e that she has no
problems taking the merchant by surprise.
Anne — ' " N o noise o r i t is y o u r l a s t . "
Does he understand?'
Sue ' H e nods and you notice beads of
perspiration break out on his forehead.'
Alan — 'I'll check that the corridor is clear
and close the door.'
Anne — 'I'll jab the merchant in the back
and say "Give me the keys to the c h e s t . " '
Sue — ' H e r u m m a g e s a r o u n d i n h i s
pouch and pulls out a key.'
Alan — 'I get the key and try it in the lock
Anne — p u s h h i m o n t o t h e b e d a n d
attempt to tie him up with a piece of cord
from m y pouch. T h e n I s t u f f m y h a n d -
kerchief into his mouth to gag him.'
Sue — 'He does not resist so you have no
problem. Alan, you get the chest open and
see that it is full of clothes.'
I P J i m B a m bra
YES,BITPOINThARETHECARACTEK'5
HEALTH50DREPLOSA ? W U _ IFYOU
HAVEA HEALMIYOKEOF 21- AND
YOUR' EA 510AUM IYOUHAVE 241/IT
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3
 • 1111 , • M i m = E M M E N , IMMEMEEP — —

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If I were to hand you a colourless liquid,
that might make you very strong for five
minutes, or might kill you instantly,
would you drink it?
In the last f e w instalments of Stirge
Corner I h a v e b e e n d e a l i n g w i t h
matters more particularly of interest
to aspiring Dungeon Masters than to
players, so I now intend to redress the
balance a l i t t l e , a n d provide s o m e
advice on successful play.
One thing I should make clear right at the
start is that successful play does not have
anything to do w i t h going up levels faster
than anyone else — far from it! The most
successful characters you w i l l ever play,
those you w i l l remember longest, w i l l be
those with the most distinctively develop-
ed personae. Characters w i t h t h e i r o w n
foibles and quirks will 'come alive' much
more than those who are merely powerful
statistics on paper. A cretinous character
with a morbid fear of kobolds can be just
as m u c h f u n t o p l a y a s a s o u p e d - u p
Conan look-alike. I t provides a g r e a t e r
challenge too.
Staying Alive
However, f o r a c h a r a c t e r t o d e v e l o p
properly one thing is essential: survival!
To flesh out the persona of your character,
you need only exercise your imagination,
but to keep him or her alive long enough
to develop a h i s t o r y o f adventures, y o u
need a little c o m m o n sense and a bit of
gaming technique. Staying alive h a s i t s
own advantages, but in the D&D'' g a m e it
leads to the gaining of experience levels,
making y o u m o r e p o w e r f u l a n d b e t t e r
equipped f o r w i n n i n g treasure, a n d i n -
creasing your life expectancy.
Let me give you an example of some really
bad play to demonstrate h o w characters
can c o m e t o g r i e f needlessly. I s h o u l d
start b y s a y i n g t h a t m y c a m p a i g n i s
usually reckoned by players to be one of
the safest around --- casualties are very
low n o r m a l l y, p r o v i d e d p l a y e r s a r e n ' t
slily. T h e f o l l o w i n g episode w a s a v e r y
rare instance of a total wipe-out.
Some first-level characters were making
a foray into the first level of the dungeon.
Going t h r o u g h a s e c r e t d o o r n e a r t h e
entrance, t h e y t r a v e l l e d d o w n a l o n g ,
wide corridor. T h e n t h e trouble started.
The party split up, one part descending to
level two, t h u s making o n e strong party
into two weak ones. The hapless group on
level t w o s o o n m e t a s t i c k y e n d . T h e
others continued to explore the passages
of level one, eventually stumbling across
the entrance to the goblin lair, guarded by
a handful of sentries. W h a t did the party
'.'AGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
do? T h e y stood a r o u n d bickering l o u d l y
about whether to attack or not, While they
did so, one o f the sentries nipped o ff to
fetch strong reinforcements, and soon it
was t h e party t h a t w a s being attacked.
Despite being outnumbered, they fought
on u n t i l a l l b u t o n e w a s d e a d . H e
managed t o escape — t h e o t h e r s could
probably have done so too, had they even
tried. O u r l o n e w a r r i o r could have s u r -
vived at least, if he had retraced his steps
to t h e l o n g c o r r i d o r a n d exited v i a t h e
secret door. Instead, he started to wander
around, exploring rooms a n d eventually
he found one w i t h a m o n s t e r in i t of an
unfamiliar type. W i t h mind-bending stu-
pidity, h e r u s h e d i n t o attack i t single-
ha ndedly, and even persevered in hacking
at it w h e n he found he couldn't hit it (he
needed a magic weapon). The lessons to
be learned from all this follow as quickly
as his demise did.
Musson's Morals
Moral n u m b e r one: d o n ' t split t h e party
unless you absolutely have to. It markedly
increases the risk of fatalities.
Moral n u m b e r two: don't go deeper than
you can handle. Some players like to have
character after character commit suicide
in the deepest levels, hoping that one will
eventually make off with a big unguarded
treasure by a lucky fluke. This is bad play,
and should be discouraged, by witholding
experience level rises if need be.
Moral n u m b e r t h r e e : p l a n beforehand.
Don't have pow-wows down the dungeon
if you can avoid it, and certainly not within
earshot of monsters.
Moral number four: i f the party becomes
seriously depleted i n strength, e x i t fast,
Don't m e s s a r o u n d o p e n i n g d o o r s y o u
don't need t o — t h e r e might be something
nasty b e h i n d o n e o f t h e m . A l s o , t h e
•.1,--4
r •Cml V . i 2 A"
•••-••.'14. 442 Z 2 1 ;
• • • • • ' 4 , 2.1tLed'al"
longer you stay down, h e more chance of
meeting a wanderer that you can't handle
in your weakened condition.
Moral number five: don't get into unneces-
sary fights. With the D&D game's combat
system, almost any hand-to-hand combat
will c o s t y o u h i t points. S a v e t h e m f o r
when you really need them, either to win
the big treasure o r j u s t t o g e t o u t alive
when cornered by a dangerous wanderer.
A page for the
not-so-experienced
adventurer
by Roger Musson
I w o u l d add to the above, i n conclusion,
don't take risks. If you find a room w i t h a
battery of interesting-looking levers, m y
advice is to leave them alone! For every
one t h a t d o e s s o m e t h i n g u s e f u l , t h e r e
will b e t w o t h a t a r e electrified, o r t h a t
plunge you into a pit full of green slime.
It's just not worth it if you want to survive.
I k n o w players w h o go t o s u c h l e n g t h s
that t h e y w i l l never drink a n y u n k n o w n
potion lest is should be poison — and with
good cause too. Forget the game for the
moment; t h i n k of it like this I f I w e r e to
hand you, right now, a colourless liquid,
and tell you t h a t it m i g h t make you very
strong, o r p e r h a p s v e r y f a s t , f o r f i v e
minutes, or on the other hand, it might kill
you i n s t a n t l y, w o u l d y o u d r i n k i t ? N o ?
Well, that's probably the way any sensible
characters would think. Remember, there's
no reason w h y they should w a n t t o die
any more than you. Characters that don't
take risks (apart from the calculated ones;
adventuring, fighting, etc) m a y progress
more s l o w l y t h a n t h o s e w h o press a n y
button and turn any knob, but they tend to
live a great deal longer.
015 Roger M u s s o n
Stirge C o r n e r w i l l c o n t i n u e t o p r o v i d e
hints for players next month. I f you f i n d
this feature useful in gaining an apprecia-
tion o f role-playing games, r e m e m b e r
that back issues of IMAGINET" magazine
are available from TSR for f 1 .50s
5
NEW CAMPAIGN ADVENTURES
FOR RUNEQUEST
Griffin Mountain, the giant Rune quest Campaign
source-book, covers Balazar and the Elder Wilds
lands to the north of Prax. Now you can journey to
these harsh barbarian lands and encounter over 400
NPCs and monsters with Games Workshop's UK
edition of this popular Rune quest supplement.

VISIT THE DEADLY CITY

The Big Rubble is Chaosium's latest scenario pack and
companion to Pavis: Threshold to Danger. The Big
Rubble is a ruined city outside the walls of Pavis, the
home of outcasts, robbers and chaos creatures.
Adventure within if you dare.

Griffin Mountain, UK edition, E9.95 and The Big Rubble, E14.95 are available from better
games shops everywhere or direct from Games Workshop Ltd., 27/29 Sunbeam Road,
London NW10 6JP.

ES DRAGON
13YTE
51a Queen Street,
Morley, Leeds 27

TSR HOBBIES.
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6 Please m e n t i o n I M A G I N E . ' m a g a z i n e w h e n r e p l y i n g t o a d v e r t i s e m e n t s
A new 'split class'
for characters with
THE THIEF-ACROBAT
high strength
and dexterity
by Gary Gygax
This new official split-class for thieves marks a new point in the
development of the AD&DTM game system. Rather than being a
new c h a r a c t e r c l a s s a v a i l a b l e t o p l a y e r s a t t h e c h a r a c t e r
creation stage, t h i s class is m o r e akin t o choosing t o change
from one profession to another.

THE THIEF-ACROBAT

Any t h i e f c h a r a c t e r w i t h a m i n i m u m s t r e n g t h o f 1 5 a n d a
minimum dexterity of 16 may decide to forego normal thievery
to become a specialist, a Thief-Acrobat. The thief then leaves off
all practices w h i c h increase h i s o r h e r m a n u a l dexterity and
begins a r e g i m e n o f physical e x e r c i s e i n o r d e r t o b u i l d c o -
ordination, m u s c l e t o n e a n d balance. T h i s p r o g r a m o f g y m -
nastics precludes any further progress in the following skills:
pick pockets f i n d t r a p s
open locks r e m o v e traps
read language r e a d magic (never gained)

Skills ended a t 5 t h level, w h i l e n o longer improving, a r e n o t

forgotten, so they remain at the level (5th) which the thief was
when he or she began to specialise in acrobatics in conjunction
with his or her profession.

Character abilities
Tnief-acrobats with a strength of 16 or better and a dexterity of
16 or better add a 1 0 % bonus to earned experience.

Strength Ta b l e A d j u s t m e n t s f o r T h i e f - A c r o b a t s

Bonus for:
Standing Running
Strength High long long
score jump jump jump
16 1/2,
17 1/4' 1/4'
18 1/2, 1/2, 2'

Note regarding Strength Table III• All bonuses are used

to adjust the Thief-Acrobat Function Table detailed later.
The a d j u s t m e n t f o r strength, p l u s racial adjustments,
are added t o t h e base chance f o r success o r function
maximums found there.

Dexterity Table III: A d j u s t m e n t s f o r T h i e f - A c r o b a t s

Bonus for:
Dex. T i g h t r o p e P o l e T u m b l i n g :
score w a l k i n g v a u l t i n g A t t a c k E v a s i o n F a l l i n g
16 5% 1c'/0 2%
17 10% 5% 2% 3%
18 15% 10% 3% 5% 5'
19 20% 15% 4% 8% 10'
Note regarding Dexterity Table III: All bonuses are used r
to adjust the Thief-Acrobat Function Table detailed later. j This a r t i c l e w a s f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n
The d e x t e r i t y b o n u s e s h e r e a r e a d d e d t o t h e b a s e DRAGON- magazine, i s s u e 69,
— , J a n u a r y 1983, a n d is reproduced
chances for success or function maximums found there.
1982, E, G a r y Gygax. h e r e b y k i n d p e r m i s s i o n o f t h a t
Racial adjustments m u s t also be made. A l l rights reserved p u b l i c a t i o n ' s editor,

VAGINE magazine, September 1983 7

Race o f t h i e f - a c r o b a t characters least 10th level. It will require 6 full weeks of training to learn
A m e m b e r o f a n y character race m a y o p t t o specialize a s a the basic skills needed t o begin active practice o f the special
thief-acrobat. profession of thief-acrobat. Except as noted, the specialization
procedure is otherwise exactly the same as for a normal thief.

The p r i m a r y f u n c t i o n s o f a t h i e f - a c r o b a t a r e : 1 ) t i g h t r o p e
Character Classes Table II (Addition): walking; 2 ) p o l e v a u l t i n g ; 3 ) j u m p i n g . a n d 4 ) t u m b l i n g , I n
A r m o u r & Weapons Permitted addition t o t h e s e f u n c t i o n s , t h e t h i e f - a c r o b a t r e t a i n s t h e
Class A r m o u r S h i e l d W e a p o n s / O i l / P o i s o n abilities to move silently, hide in shadows, hear noise and read
Thief-Acrobat a s thief a s thief a s thief, plus staff languages acquired through to the 5th level of the standard thief
profession. A l t h o u g h t h e a b i l i t y t o r e a d m a g i c a l w r i t i n g s i s
never g a i n e d , t h e a b i l i t y t o c l i m b w a l l s i s s t i l l i n c r e a s e d
according to experience level.

T H I E F - A C R O B AT TA B L E I Tightrope w a l k i n g a s s u m e s t h a t t h e c h a r a c t e r w i l l u s e t h i s
Experience means to cross from place to place. The skill allows ascent of a
Experience p o i n t s Level Level title rope or beam at up to a 450 angle or descent at a slightly steeper
20,001 — 4 5 , 0 0 0 6 Burglar-Acrobat angle, all w h i l e upright and with hands free (in general). This is
45,001 — 7 5 , 0 0 0 7 Second-Storey Thief achieved by balance, muscle coordination, and superb reflexes.
75,001 — 1 2 5 , 0 0 0 8 Cat Burglar
125,001 — 1 8 0 , 0 0 0 9 Master Cat Burglar Pole v a u l t i n g includes any jumping w h i c h employs a leverage
180,001 — 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 10 Thief-Acrobat device to assist the individual in gaining height from momentum;
250,001 — 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 11 Master Thief-Acrobat ie a teeter board or springboard m i g h t serve as w e l l o r better
500,001 — 7 50 ,00 0 12 Master Thief-Acrobat than a pole in some cases. It will help to get quickly to the top of
(12th level) or over obstacles. It requires strength, dexterity and practice to
2 5 0 , 0 0 0 experience p o i n t s f o r every level beyond t h e 1 2 t h . improve.

Jumping includes all sorts of unassisted leaps — high jumping

The Thief A c r o b a t
Upon gaining sufficient experience points to achieve 6th level
ability as a thief, the character desiring to specialize as a thief-
acrobat must seek out a character already in this profession who
can provide training. The established thief-acrobat must be of at
and long jumps (both from a standing and running start) being
important here. T h e s k i l l r e q u i r e s coordinated s t r e n g t h a n d
continual practice.
Tumbling assumes all sorts of gymnastic skills—tumbles, rolls,
jumps, handstands and so on. These routines are then used in
attack, defensive evasion and in jumping/falling.

T H I E F - A C R O B AT F U N C T I O N TA B L E (plus racial adjustments)

Character T i g h t r o p e Pole High Long j u m p i n g : Tumbling:

level w a l k i n g vaulting jumping Standing R u n n i n g Attack Evasion Falling
6 7 5% 9' 4' 4' 8' 6% 10% 25%/10'
7 80% 91/2' 41/4' 41/2 81/2' 7% 15c/0 50%/10'
8 85% 10' 41/2 5' 9' 8% 2 0% 75'10/10'
9 90% 101/2' 43/4' 51/2' 91/2, 9% 25e/0 25%/20'
10 95% 11' 5' 6' 10' 10% 30% 50%/20'
11 100% 111/2' 51/4, 61/2' 101/2' 11% 35c/0 753/o/ 20'
12 100% 12' 51/2, 7' 11' 12% 40% 25%/30'
13 100% 121/2' 53/4' 71/2' 12' 13% 45% 50%/30'
14 100%1 13' 674' 8' 13' 14% 50% 75%/30'
15 100%1 131/2' 612' 81/2' 14' 15c/o 52% 20%/40'
16 100%2 14' 7' 9' 15' 16% 54% 40%/40'
17 100%2 141/2' 71/2' 91/2' 16' 17% 56% 60%/40'
18 100%3 15' 8' 10' 17' 18% 58% 80%/40'
19 100%3 151/2' 81/2' 101/2' 18' 19% 60% 20')/0/ 50'
20 100%4 16' 9' 11' 19' 20% 60% 40%/50'
21 100%4 161/2' 9' 11' 20' 20% 60% 60%/50'
22 100%5 17' 9' 11' 21' 20% 60% 80%/50'
23 100%5 171/2' 9' 11' 21' 20% 60c/0 20%/60'

Racial a dju stme nts:

Dwarf -5% -2' -1 -2' -3' +10% +5%
Elf +10% -1' +5% ,5%
Gnome -2' 1' -1 I/2' -4' +5% +5%
Half-elf +5% +5%
Halfling -2' -1' -11/2' -4' +5% +10% +5%
Half-orc — — +10%
1— Includes the ability to carry up to 1,000gp w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e in addition to normal load, or handle a moderate
wind w i t h no penalty to the chance of success.
2 — Includes t h e a b i l i t y t o c a r r y 1 , 0 0 0 g p w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e i n a m o d e r a t e w i n d , o r c a r r y u p t o 2 , 0 0 0 g p
w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e , or handle a stong wind.
3 — Includes t h e a b i l i t y t o c a r r y u p t o 2 , 0 0 0 g p w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e i n a m o d e r a t e w i n d , o r 1 , 0 0 0 g p
w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e in a strong wind.
4 — Includes the ability to bear up to 3,000gp w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e , or as in 3 above.
5 — Includes t h e a b i l i t y t o c a r r y u p t o 2 , 0 0 0 g p w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e i n a s t r o n g w i n d , o r b e a r u p t o 3 , 0 0 0 g p
w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e in a moderate wind, or bear up to a m a x i m u m of 4,000gp weight/encumbrance.
8 I M A G I N E magazine, September 1983
 -
II
1Pg
regarding Thief-Acrobat Function Table: Where applicable,
_ p e r c e n t i l e dice to determine success or failure of an attempt.
must not be greater than t h e percentage generated in
: - : e r to be successful.
Tightrope walking assumes that the character will be travelling
-'ore than 60' distance. M o v e m e n t rate is 6 0 1 r o u n d . If the
: E-.ance i s greater t h a n 6 0 ' , t h e n additional checks m u s t be
—ace M o d e r a t e w i n d s decrease chance o f success b y 10(Yo,
s:rong winds by 20c)/0. In strong, gusty conditions there is always
a 5 , chance of failure. In non- windy conditions a balance pole
increases t h e chance o f success by 10%. Failure t o perform
successfully means that the character falls to the area below,
taking damage accordingly.
Pole vaulting requires at least a 30' running start and a pole of at
least 4 ' greater h e i g h t t h a n t h e vaulter. The pole is dropped
when t h e v a u l t occurs. T h e vaulter can land feet-first atop a
surface of half or less height than the m a x i m u m height of the
pole v a u l t i f s o d e s i r e d , a s s u m i n g s u c h a s u r t a c e exists.
Otherwise, t h e vaulter lands, tumble-rolls, and is upright in 1
segment.
High j u m p i n g requires a t least a 2 0 ' r u n n i n g start. T h e h i g h
jumper clears t h e obstacle i n a near-horizontal position b u t
lands feet-first. If some elevated step, or a series of such steps,
enables the character to maintain rapid motion, it is possible to
high-jump f r o m s u c h a n elevated position j u s t as i f doing s o
normally. Alternatively, t h e j u m p e r can opt to land atop some
higher surface. This surface must be no more than 4' above the
level from w h i c h the j u m p is made, or 2' under the m a x i m u m
height for n o r m a l h i g h - j u m p i n g , w h i c h e v e r i s t h e greater. I n
either case, the thief-acrobat lands upright in 1 segment.
Long jumping is self-explanatory. A j u m p of any sort requires
only a s i n g l e s e g m e n t t o accomplish. A r u n n i n g l o n g j u m p
requires a n approach o f a t least 2 0 ' . I n standing jumps, t h e
thief-acrobat can leap forward up to the maximum distance, or
backward up to half the maximum distance, in order to attack or
avoid being in attack range, if this is deemed possible by the DM.
IMAGINE —3gaztne, September 1983
).,111,1 1 i II 1.11
All j u m p s a s s u m e t h e c h a r a c t e r w i l l l a n d u p r i g h t . I f t h e
character wishes to leap in an extended position, 2' of additional
distance can be gained, but the character will then land prone
and require t w o full segments to stand, A 3' extension can be
attempted, but this has a 25% chance of failure and a 3-segment
period of recovery; a 4' extension has a 50% chance of failure
and a 4-segment recovery and a 5' extension has a 75% chance
of failure and a 5-segment recovery period.
Tumbling routines have the following benefits. Attack adds the
indicated percentage to the character's chance for success in
hand-to-hand c o m b a t i n v o l v i n g g r a p p l i n g , p u m m e l i n g e t c .
Evasion enables the character to opt to evade direct attacks —
just as magical resistance would work with respect to magical
attack forms directed at the individual (or a relatively small area,
such as a f e w square feet, from w h i c h the thief-acrobat could
easily escape), or from melee combat — in the case w h e r e the
thief-acrobat h a s t h e initiative, b u t o n l y i n t h i s case. I n a n y
event, t h e c h a n c e o f success cannot exceed a base o f 60%,
adjusted for dexterity a n d / o r race, Evasion routines of any sort
require 1 s e g m e n t m a x i m u m t o perform. F a l l i n g percentage
indicates the chance for t h e thief-acrobat to take n o damage
from a fall of the indicated distance. Thus, at 6th level there is a
25% chance that the character will take no damage from a 1 0 '
fall. If damage is taken, the converse of the percentage to avoid
damage is used to find maximum damage. Again in the case of a
6th level thief-acrobat falling 10' and taking damage, only 75%
of normal (1d6) damage, rounded down, is taken. Note that at
9th level it is not possible for a thief-acrobat to take damage from
a 1 0 ' fall, and there is only a 25% probability of damage from a
20' fall. Again, only damage from the second portion of the fall's
distance w o u l d b e c o n s i d e r e d i f d a m a g e w a s i n d i c a t e d .
Example: a 2 3 r 6 level thief-acrobat is knocked o ff a t i g h t r o p e
and falls 60' to the rocks below. No damage would be sustained
if the fall were 50' or less, but in a 6 0 ' fall the character's body
reaches a high velocity, such that unless 20% or lower is scored
by the character on a falling roll, he or she will take 80% of the
usual amount of damage for a 60' fall, so it is 80% likely that 80%
of 6d6 damage would be taken. Falls of a distance longer than
the 'safe' distance for a particular thief-acrobat add their normal
9
increment of damage dice, regardless of elimination of shorter No m o r e t h a n t h e indicated w e i g h t s / e n c u m b r a n c e s c a n b e
distances. Thus, i n t h e example above, t h e 2 3 r d level t h i e f - borne b y t h e thief-acrobat a t any t i m e and w h e n w a n t i n g t o
acrobat f a l l i n g 7 0 ' i n s t e a d o f 6 0 ' w o u l d s u ff e r 8 0 % o f t h e perform the functions of the class (except for tightrope walking,
maximum damage for a 60' fall (80c/o of 6d6), plus 100% of 7d6. as o u t l i n e d i n t h e f o o t n o t e s t o t h e T h i e f - A c r o b a t F u n c t i o n
For an 8 0 ' fall, 1 0 0 % of another 8d6 would be added; the total Table). T h u s , l o o t w i l l t y p i c a l l y b e c a r r i e d i n a h a n d - h e l d
damage therefore would be 15d6 plus 80% of 6d6, container in order to be quickly rid of it and thus be able to vault,
jump o r tumble. N o backpack can ever be w o r n d u r i n g t h i e f -
T h i e f - A c r o b a t W e i g h t / E n c u m b r a n c e Table acrobat activities, other than during tightrope walking. Climbing
Experience B o d y - a s s o c i a t e d A d d i t i o n a l (carried) functions of the thief-acrobat assume that only the stipulated
level w t / e n c u m b r a n c e w i . / e n c u m b r a n c e weights/encumbrances will be borne.
6 4 5 0 g p 1 0 0 g p
7 4 6 0 g p 2 0 0 g p The t e r m A d d i t i o n a l (carried) w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e r e f e r s
8 4 7 0 g p 3 0 0 g p strictly to the weight borne w h e n tightrope walking. Since this
9 4 8 0 g p 4 0 0 g p movement is very slow anyway, such great encumbrance is of
10 4 9 0 g p 5 0 0 g p no m a t t e r, a s l o n g a s i t i s e v e n l y distributed a n d p r o p e r l y
11 5 0 0 g p 6 0 0 g p balanced. T h u s , a 1 4 t h l e v e l t h i e f - a c r o b a t c a n c a r r y a n
12 5 1 0 g p 7 0 0 g p additional burden of 1000gp w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e in tightrope
13 5 2 0 g p 8 5 0 g p walking, b u t c a n n o t e x p e c t t o m o v e f r e e l y d u r i n g v a u l t i n g ,
14 5 3 0 g p 1 0 0 0 g p jumping o r tumbling routines, o r even t o climb w a l l s w i t h an
15 5 4 0 g p 1 5 0 0 g p extra 1 0 0 - p o u n d load. A t 2 2 n d level, a 4 0 0 - p o u n d p e r s o n
16 5 5 0 g p 2 0 0 0 g p (perhaps a m a n i n plate mail) could b e carried o n t h e t h i e f -
17 5 7 0 g p 2 2 5 0 g p acrobat's back, but only so long as that individual did not move
18 6 0 0 g p 2 5 0 0 g p so as to t h r o w the thief-acrobat off balance.
19 6 2 5 g p 2 7 5 0 g p
20 6 5 0 g p 3 0 0 0 g p Other i n f o r m a t i o n
21 6 6 0 g p 3 5 0 0 g p In all other respects the thief-acrobat is treated as a thief. This
22 6 7 0 g p 4 0 0 0 g p includes followers, abilities, setting traps (at 5th level of ability,
23 7 0 0 g p 4 0 0 0 g p of course) and gaining experience.

Notes r e g a r d i n g T h i e f - A c r o b a t We i g h t / E n c u m b r a n c e Ta b l e : Thief-acrobats w i l l be part of the n o r m a l thieves' guild i f any

The term Body-associated w e i g h t / e n c u m b r a n c e refers strictly such characters exist i n t h e territory controlled b y t h e guild.
to t h e c l o t h i n g , accessories, a r m o u r a n d w e a p o n s o f t h e They c a n b e l e a d e r s o f s u c h organisations, s i n c e t h e y a r e
character. Consider the following example of this for a typical treated the same as a regular thief by their brethren.
character: " 3 Gary Gygax

Clothing (partial only due to armour) 20 gp w / e

Leather armour 150 Falling damage
Boots, soft 30 A revision of the method for determining falling damage
Belt 3 appeared in the same issue of DRAGONTM magazine, as
Belt pouch, large 10 follows. ' T h e c o r r e c t procedure f o r d e t e r m i n i n g f a l l i n g
Belt pouch, small 5 damage in the A D & D game system is to roll 1 d 6 per 10'
Cloak, hooded 25 fallen, c u m u l a t i v e . S i n c e a f a l l i n g b o d y a c c e l e r a t e s
Dagger and scabbard 10 quickly, t h e damage m o u n t s geometrically: 2 d 6 f o r t h e
Short sword and scabbard 35 second 1 0 feet fallen, 3 d 6 for the third 1 0 feet, etc. The
TOTAL 288 gp w / e maximum o f 2 0 d 6 i s t h e r e f o r e r e a c h e d a f t e r a f a l l o f
Balance for additional approximately 60 feet for most characters. A thief-acrobat
equipment a n d / o r loot: 162 (minimum) can o f t e n f a l l f u r t h e r distances, b u t t h e s a m e 2 0 d 6
GRAND TOTAL 450gp (maximum maximum should be applied.'
for 6th level)

10 IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
 j e l c o m e to the Dome of
W h i s p e r s , star-stranger. I
W am Istinbat. Please let me
_re m y s e l f that you carry no record-
:: a e v i c e s o r o t h e r i n s t r u m e n t s . T h e
- : j r to the Dome of Whispers may
: — a o n l y h i m s e l f , o r herself....
—ay leave your wrist computer here.
e will touch it.'
- b u r l y m a n s h e d h i s bracelet, a n d
-
at placed it on a shelf. The shelf was
e-wise e m p t y ; t h e r e w e r e n o o t h e r
- T: r s yet. Perhaps there w o u l d be n o
- the Dome.
at l o o k e d o u t f r o m t h e d o o r w a y
imagining the splendid view of the
—e, golden i n t h e m o r n i n g s u n , t h a t
stranger m u s t h a v e enjoyed a s h e
:ached up the road from Wakil City.
e Dome rose three hundred metres at
itszenith, and was a full kilometre around
its base. The area immediately surround-
- a Et was paved in turquoise marble, well
'CM by the scuff of countless feet down
,•,:rite millennia — though t h i s w a s one of
1--T•cse centuries when the number of feet
Pa s more easily countable. J u s t o ff the
a-ble stood a l i n e o f hutches, w h e r e
verders — poor brown folk with flashing
tee:- — w e r e o n l y j u s t n o w putting u p
E•-•utters, to hawk their holopictures,
z-;:: : e a b u n s , w i n e f l a s k s , f r e s h f r u i t ,
oowis of spiced goat's meat stew. Mainly
they supplied the guardians of the Dome
with food and drink; tourists were only a
IMAGINE e g a z t ne, September 1 9 8 3
sideline. A stall concession at the Dome
was a rare prize for a poor man; and only
to a poor man would it go by tradition. The
stall h o l d e r s w o u l d b r i n g t h e f o o d a n d
drink o v e r w h e n a b e l l tolled. l s t i n b a t
himself h a d n o t stepped outside o f t h e
doorway for perhaps a year.
The burly man fidgeted.
With a s h r u g , l s t i n b a t t u r n e d f r o m t h e
doorway to the outside world. He pulled a
cord w h i c h w o u l d s u m m o n a n o t h e r
guardian f r o m t h e c a t a c o m b q u a r t e r s
underneath the Dome. Twitching a taper
alight, h e preceded t h e visitor d o w n t h e
flight o f steps i n t o t h e l o n g d o w n w a r d
tunnel leading to below the mid-point of
lstinbat was a tall t h i n man, w i t h a long
nose, t h i n p u r s e d l i p s a n d e y e s o f a
startling violet hue: the face of a sucking
insect. His head was shorn, and he had a
creamy skin, much lighter than the norm
on t h i s world, blanched by long attend-
ance in the Dome. He held the taper high,
and thus they proceeded down the tunnel
in a cocoon of light.
'Will y o u b e staying i n t h e D o m e w i t h
me?' asked the visitor idly enough, though
the a n s w e r obviously m a t t e r e d t o h i m
intensely.
'A g u a r d i a n h a s t o s t a y — t h o u g h n o t
intrude. I shall station myself a fair w a y
off. You may take as long as you like. All
day, till dusk. I shall not get bored, with all
the voices speaking to me. I have hardly
heard the same one twice, in all my years
since I was a boy.'
'Hmm,' s a i d t h e v i s i t o r. O b v i o u s l y t h e
answer pleased h i m . W h a t private
message was he hoping to hear — or to
leave — i n t h e Dome? Ye t t h i s w a s n o
concern of lstinbat's, except in so far as it
had been a very long t i m e since anyone
had c o m e t o t h e D o m e f r o m a n o t h e r
world w i t h a s p e c i f i c p u r p o s e b e y o n d
simple curiosity.
As they walked, a second cocoon of light
approached t h e m . A s i m i l a r t a l l r o b e d
figure t h e w o m a n Tasamma — glided
past, with a nod to Istinbat, as routinely as
an ascending funicular railway cab passes
a descending one midway.
The t u n n e l opened i n t o a large circular
chamber, with several brass-bound doors
beyond w h i c h w e r e t h e l a b y r i n t h s o f
living quarters, and burial places. Once,
there h a d b e e n a h u n d r e d g u a r d i a n s .
Now there were scarcely twenty.
A w e l l - w o r n spiral stone stairway led up
into t h e D o m e itself. l s t i n b a t h e l d t h e
taper well clear of his body to illuminate
the steps; there were a hundred of these.
He noticed that the visitor did not puff or
wheeze as he climbed.
As the man stepped up into the centre of
the great bare floor of the Dome, lstinbat
twitched o u t the taper. It w a s l u m i n o u s
11
 enough inside. L i g h t diffused f r o m t h e
translucent eye o f t h e Dome, a n d f r o m
similarly t r a n s l u c e n t blocks i n s e t a t
regular intervals high around the walls —
or rather, the one wall. Faintly, from that
all-encompassing wall, the massed echo
of the whispers came to their ears like the
distant s u s s u r u s o f t h e s e a . I s t i n b a t
wondered what the wall would say to him
today....
In the southern hemisphere of the planet
Suf stood this famous Dome of Whispers:
famous in the sense that it was the only
thing by which most star people remem-
bered t h e p l a n e t S u f these days. M u c h
turbulent historyhad flowed through Suf
down t h e m i l l e n n i a — and ebbed a w a y
again, l e a v i n g S u f t o i t s o w n p r i v a t e
weave of events, of which nowadays only
a f e w t h r e a d s r e m a i n e d . Ye t S u f s t i l l
ticked on, even though the clock (as they
said locally) h a d n o hands; a n d t h e o l d
Dome e n d u r e d , t h o u g h c o m p a r a t i v e l y
little visited except by those native to Suf.
While i t still stood, t h e D o m e remained
one of the m o s t remarkable buildings in
all t h e s t a r worlds; f o r i t h a d t h e m o s t
peculiar accoustics o f any building ever
raised.
Whispering galleries existed elsewhere:
places w h e r e you spoke softly and your
companion heard you clearly hundreds of
metres away around the building. But in
the D o m e o f Whispers, alone, n o utter-
ance was ever lost. Whatever was spoken
there c o n t i n u e d o n a r o u n d t h e D o m e
forever, quietly, undiminished.
# guard: a k n o w l e d g e o f t h e s o u n d s o f
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12
This building of perfect proportions acted
as a superconductor — n o t o f electrical
current, b u t o f s o u n d w a v e s . P e r h a p s
there r e a l l y w a s s o m e t h i n g s u p e r c o n -
ductive a b o u t t h e u n i q u e quartz-veined
marble o f w h i c h i t w a s b u i l t — a n d
something piezoelectric too; perhaps the
slight compression caused by the impact
of sound waves s e t u p a c u r r e n t w h i c h
stored and reproduced t h e spoken w o r d
again a n d a g a i n a r o u n d t h e D o m e .
Perhaps. The guardians of the Dome had
never p e r m i t t e d a n y o n e t o t a k e t h e
smallest flake of a sample away nor bring
any k i n d o f m e c h a n i c a l o r e l e c t r o n i c
instrument into the Dome. It was all that
the Sufish had, this Dome. Better that it
should remain a prodigy, a marvel, t h a n
be explained away.
For millennia past the people of Suf, both
common and uncommon, and i n t e r m i t t -
ently t h e p e o p l e o f o t h e r s t a r w o r l d s
(generally uncommon) had come here to
whisper t h e s e c r e t o f t h e i r l i v e s o r a
confession or a prophecy. They had come
to swear a binding oath or a love pledge or
a v o w o f revenge. T h e y h a d c o m e t o
immortalise — for as long as t h e Dome
endured — t h e i r o w n i n s i g h t i n t o t h e
meaning of life.
During periods of Sufish decadence, the
Dome had been used as an oracle....
Around t h e perimeter o f the floor stood
various mobile ladders resembling pieces
of ancient siege-gear, Their wheels rested
on a track running right around the circuit
of the wall, These ladder-towers leaned
w e z , r those letters.'
backwards precariously, balanced o n a
support l e g w h i c h w h e e l e d a l o n g a n
inner track.
'I expected it would be noisier,' said the
visitor. 'Uh ....should I speak?'
'It's all r i g h t t o speak here. B e y o n d t h e
black marble line, three metres from the
wall, is where the effect occurs. You can
speak a n y w h e r e w i t h i n t h o s e t h r e e
metres, and be recorded at that very point
in the air. We don't really know how large
the capacity is — certainly not infinite —
therefore each visitor may make only one
statement, and then he must w i t h d r a w. '
'But you said that I could....'
'You m a y listen f o r as long a s you like.
With sealed lips, W h e n you r e m o v e t h e
seal, y o u m a y s p e a k j u s t o n c e . M o s t
people only have one real thing that they
need to say.' lstinbat plunged a hand into
his robes and produced a strip of adhesive
bandage. 'I am accustomed to silence, but
I m u s t ask all visitors t o seal t h e i r l i p s
during t h e Listening, t i l l t h e y w i s h t o
speak.'
The visitor nodded. 'Only one real thing to
say ....or to hear — it's quite true.'
And w h a t is y o u r real thing? w o n d e r e d
Istinbat.
The v i s i t o r s t a r e d a r o u n d t h e D o m e .
Twelve m e t r e s a b o v e t h e f l o o r w a s a
continuous inscription c u t in an angular
script; i t ran around t h e w h o l e circuit of
the w a l l . T h e inscription w a s repeated
exactly in the black marble of the bound-
ary line. The visitor pointed at it, sweeping
his finger along.
'It i s t h e w h o l e o f t h e a n c i e n t p o e m
known as the Ruby Yat,' said lstinbat, 'in
the old script of Suf. A poem on the theme
of m u t a b i l i t y a n d e t e r n i t y. V e r y f e w
people c a n r e a d t h e o l d S u f i s h s c r i p t
these days. Lovers sometimes match up
the angles of the letters, above and below
on the floor, as a w a y of marking w h e r e
they pledged their love. They copy down
the piece of text, w i t h o u t understanding
it. Even so, it might take them quite some
time t o find t h e exact point w h e r e t h e y
spoke, and the exact angle of their lips.'
'But can you read it?'
'Oh yes, t h a t is s o m e t h i n g else t h a t w e
'Will you read some of it for me? Please. I
will pay you generously,'
'Why should I need money? But I will read
it, if you wish. Come, w e will w a l k to the
beginning.'
'No, I already know the Ruby Yat by heart.
I am looking for one particular passage.'
'So, a friend has been here, perhaps? It's
unusual, to know the Ruby Yat by heart.'
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
 'It's handed down __in my family. But this
is the only example of the old script left.'
What f a m i l y w o u l d t h a t be? w o n d e r e d
Istinbat. Wa s this man a scholar?
Historians from off-planet had, from time
to time, eavesdropped on one voice, then
another, then the one after ....sifting the
equivalent of a ton of ordinary potsherds
to find, by chance, one golden brooch or
King's insignia, one historic confession or
c m They soon gave up, their heads full
t ' p e a s a n t l o v e - w o r d s , v e r b a l g r a ff i t i ,
pertentous s t a t e m e n t s b y t h e t o t a l l y
forgotten.
'What passage?' he asked.
And the visitor recited:
" O f my Base M e t a l may be filed a Key
That s h a l l unlock the Door to
Paradise."
E_7 that's wrong,' said Istinbat. 'It should
e 'I swear my vengeance upon Satpat
my Base M e t a l may be filed a Key
That shall unlock the Door he
howls w i t h o u t . " '
man's face darkened. ' Ye s , yes, o f
_..-se it is. H o w stupid of me.'
E..: if you memorise the whole poem, in
, f a m i l y ? I suppose changes creep
- 2 o r r u p t i o n s of the text.'
Yes. yes, they creep in.'
you k n e w you had made a mistake.'
231 t h o u g h t briefly. ' W h e r e t h e text
.e-ges, is that where you expect to find
7- — e s s a g e waiting for you?'
J...st s h o w m e w h e r e those w o r d s are,
au?'
a— doing you a favour, star-stranger....
And you don't want money. What do you
*ant?'
W h y, I am curious. Events do not happen
on Suf these days. I have a feeling t h a t
r-Ls is a n e v e n t . ' Istinbat f e l t a c u r i o u s
sensation, o f p o w e r. I t w a s an u n u s u a l
sensation, and not one that he particularly
cared for T h i s burly visitor was, perhaps,
accustomed to power ....or else he remem-
; o e r e d power. Here, however, amidst the
c t e of voices he was powerless.
aren't y o u v o w e d t o silence....
.!-Dat?' The visitor had n a m e d h i m , t o
iorce a relationship.
-Yes B u t a t t h e s a m e t i m e a g u a r d i a n
s curiosity about the myriads of voices
-ears.'
- h e could identify one o f them, is
--2a: themselves.
c h u c k l e d yd r R
y li y.
g h t' M
here
of s t is
p et o
hep rl e
MAZI N,E magazme, September 1983
immortality. I w i l l s h o w you. Seal y o u r
lips. Yo u m a y reflect upon t h e phenom-
enon of the Needle and the Haystack.'
'But you said you w o u l d stand a fair way
off.'
'And n o w you have involved me.'
Once across the black marble strip, it was
like dialling t h r o u g h t h e air-bands of an
enormous radio; catching a word here, a
phrase there, half a sentence s w i t c h e d
away by the least movement on their part.
Here was the archeological deep litter of
thousands o f y e a r s , c o m p r e s s e d i n t o
three m e t r e s o f w h i s p e r i n g a i r, e v e r y
millimetre of which clamoured for atten-
tion, begging to be heard.
Yet u n l i k e a n archeological s i t e , h e r e
there was no depth yardstick of time. So
here was a plea out of the deeps of time....
perhaps. Here, next to it, w a s a promise
from l a s t y e a r ....perhaps again. T h e r e
was n o d i s c e r n i b l e d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e
signal strength. It did not matter whether
the original speakers had cried out loudly
or murmured most quietly. Each whisper
had t h e same strength as t h e next. N o r
did t h e y overlap, h o w e v e r c r o w d e d t o -
gether they were. No-one talked anyone
else down. Each whisper was equal.
The visitor moved as i f h e w a s m o v i n g
through treacle, t h o u g h a c t u a l l y t h e r e
was no resistance except for the drag of
fascination.
He moved his head in tiny quantum jumps
from one whisper to the next. Ah yes, one
heard with the left ear or the right ear....
but never w i t h both a t once. O n e heard
inside the ear.
'Orelda, thee I love forever. D u s t
'....yaum e l - n n u s h u r. U n k n o w -
able.
'....anda k l a t h i r n p t o h o p t u v e n d '
saa....' What language?
to*
%.4,411T
Niarlysk,*
4g74; 4110N1
\\\
An a l i e n h i s s i n g a n d c r o a k i n g ,
never from a h u m a n throat....
and all his heirs, by all of mine, f o r
as long as our revenge is r e n e w e d
in this iota o f ever-air....' How long
did that blood feud last for? Or had it
merely just begun?
A n e r v o u s giggle: 'Well, w h a t do I
say?'
A crisp voice: 'This is Sully Hober-
man f r o m A l p h a C in t h e S u f year
5079. T h e p r o o f o f G a l o i s ' l a s t
theorem, w h i c h I have n o w found,
is as follows....' Wa s S u l l y Hober-
man r i g h t o r w r o n g ? W h o k n e w ?
Who remembered?
A primping voice: M a r q u i s
Enderby, w i l l n o w recite m y prize-
w i n n i n g ode w h i c h placed first i n
the C o n c o u r s e o f P o e t r y a t
Middles tar....'
'I'll m a r r y Lala w h a t e v e r h e r D a d
says..„'
And on. A n d on A n infinity o f voices.
Well, not an infinity; b u t very many.
lstinbat let the stranger listen for ten o r
fifteen m i n u t e s , t h e n laid a h a n d on his
arm a n d n o d d e d h i m b a c k a c r o s s t h e
black marble strip. Gently, h e detached
the adhesive strip from the man's lips.
'Now w i l l you satisfy m y curiosity, star-
stranger?'
The v i s i t o r g l a n c e d a r o u n d t h e D o m e
again, confirming t h a t it w a s still e m p t y
but f o r t h e t w o o f t h e m . H e flexed h i s
hands. Strong hands they were.
'I suppose I shall have t o r
And t h i s t h e stranger proceeded t o do;
and it began to dawn on Istinbat that he
had p u t h i m s e l f i n d a n g e r o f h i s l i f e .
Surely no-one would attempt to murder a
13

guardian in the very Dome itself? Still, as
the man spoke, Istinbat measured himself
against him..., unable, even so, t o bring
himself t o call a h a l t t o t h e stranger's
words. F o r t h i s w a s t h e Event, a n d i t
seemed a s t h o u g h I s t i n b a t h a d b e e n
waiting out his whole life to connect with
this moment.... of History.
The E m p i r e o f Ta j a l a m , a t i t s h e i g h t a
thousand y e a r s earlier, s p a n n e d s e v e n
worlds in the Praesepe Cluster, that mass
of stars five hundred light years from old
Earth f o r w h i c h t h e f a n c i f u l o l d E a r t h -
Chinese n a m e w a s ' t h e e x h a l a t i o n o f
piled-up c o r p s e s . ' R e g a r d e d w i t h a n
unromantic eye, Tajalam's Empire seem-
ed amply to merit the Chinese description.
Yet, despite his barbarities, Tajalam had
been a remarkable character who persist-
ed i n s e n d i n g o u t expedition a f t e r e x -
pedition into deepest space long after all
other e x p l o r a t i o n a n d p i o n e e r i n g h a d
slowed to a snail's pace.
He w a s s e a r c h i n g f o r n o l e s s t h a n
Paradise. A Paradise p l a n e t , w h i c h h e
believed m u s t exist s o m e w h e r e a m o n g
the millions of suns.
Perhaps it had to exist, simply to counter-
balance the hell of Praesepe.
And Paradise h a d been found.... s o m e -
where.... b y t h e l a s t a n d s m a l l e s t e x -
pedition. N o doubt i t spoke v o l u m e s f o r
the loyalty that Tajalam inspired, o r t h e
terror h e i n d u c e d , t h a t t h e e x p e d i t i o n
came back at all to tell him. Probably the
former, s i n c e b y t h e n h i s E m p i r e w a s
crashing about his head, and he w a s on
the run. Apparently he ran by way of Suf,
before eventually commiting suicide with
his ritual ruler's sword in the city of Clalb
on U s u l . F r o m s o m e personal q u i r k —
which t h o s e o f h i s d e s c e n d a n t s w h o
survived t h e p u r s u i n g w o l v e s h a d e n -
shrined a s a t r a d i t i o n — Ta j a l a m h a d
adopted the Ruby Yat as the basis of his
private battle-code and cipher system.
It w a s a s t r i c t p a r t o f Praesepe c u l t u r e
that a d e a d r u l e r ' s s w o r d s h o u l d b e
preserved i n p u b l i c f o r e v e r m o r e . I n
Tajalam's case, his enemies m i g h t have
felt like melting it down b u t not when it
was stained with his own blood. That final
act of his had sealed the s w o r d into the
stone of history forever. Thus his victor-
14
ious enemies took t h e s w o r d back w i t h
them t o Praesepe Prime, w h e r e it lay in
their central m u s e u m these days.
That s w o r d had an inscription on it: t h e
words which had pierced his heart....
'We didn't find that out, Istinbat.... not for
nine hundred years. We were scattered to
the s t a r s , a s f a r f r o m P r a e s e p e a s
possible, living u n d e r n e w names, often
living in poverty.'
'We?'
'The direct line of Tajalam. It's unusual for
a ritual ruler's sword to have an inscrip-
tion on it, you see. We believe the words
were inscribed s h o r t l y before h e killed
himself, a n d some t i m e after he passed
through Suf. They were a message to his
heirs, w h i c h h i s i m m e d i a t e heirs never
received.'
'They w e r e t h e k e y t o t h e p a r a d i s e
planet?'
'Exactly. A n d it's here. The celestial co-
ordinates to Paradise are here. N o w I've
slaked your thirsty curiosity, perhaps you
would t e l l m e , ' t h e v i s i t o r g e s t u r e d
impatiently, 'approximately where?'
'I w i l l h a v e t o remain alive afterwards,'
said Istinbat, hoping that he did not sound
as t h o u g h h e w a s begging f o r h i s life.
Though h o w c o u l d h e e n s u r e t h a t h e
remained alive?
No d o u b t , i n t h e l a s t t h o u s a n d years,
Tajalam's line had become more settled
in t h e i r w a y s , l e s s i n c l i n e d t o produce
exhalations of piled-up corpses. In some
not-unpleasant respects, t h e h u m a n
galaxy had run out of energy.
The visitor laughed.
'We shall see, Istinbat. We shall see.'
'You w i l l swear it, by.... yes, by the blood
of y o u r ancestors. O r I w i l l n o t tell you
where to listen.'
'Oh, very well. I so swear that you shall
live..., i f you can call this living.'
'Do not despise the Dome, star-stranger.
Has it not kept Tajalam's secret for you for
a thousand years?'
'Yes, actually that's the only good reason
for i t s existence! P l u s , I s u p p o s e , t h e
luring o f a f e w scraps o f t r a d e t o t h i s
backwater.'
Istinbat shook his head.
'There's m o r e t h a n t h a t . M u c h m o r e .
Here i s t h e e s s e n c e o f h u n d r e d s o f
millions o f p e o p l e . H e r e i s t h e l a s t
surviving breath of their souls, n o w that
they are dead. True, s o m e are vain a n d
some a r e f a t u o u s , b u t i t i s w h a t t h e y
were. A n d that's enough.'
'The door, man! Unlock the door. N o w ! '
Istinbat considered t h e inscription, t h e n
led the visitor half way around the Dome.
With h i s foot h e tapped t h e e n d o f one
word in the black marble. W i t h his finger
he p o i n t e d t o t h e corresponding w o r d
above. W i t h a m o c k i n g g r i n , t h e visitor
retrieved t h e b a n d a g e f r o m I s t i n b a t ' s
hand a n d s t u c k i t b a c k o v e r h i s l i p s .
Slowly, very slowly, he moved forward.
Supremely a l e r t , t h e b u r l y m a n s i f t e d
through a thousand voices — confident,
petulant, b r a s h , b o a s t f u l , y e a r n i n g —
before o n e h a r s h , regal v o i c e s p o k e t o
him; and he froze utterly. Until now, for an
hour and more, h e h a d been m o v i n g i n
infinite slow motion. Now he did not move
at all. He was a statue.
'I am Tajalam,' said the voice. 'My son! My
heir Tajasanid!'
But Tajasanid, son of Tajalam, was dead a
thousand years s i n c e — c a u g h t b y t h e
wolves, i n disguise, o n Praesepe P r i m e
itself.
'You seek the key that will unlock the door
to Paradise, as I sought it too. M e a n w h i l e ,
the e n e m i e s i n c r e a s e . T h e a s s a s s i n s
bestir t h e m s e l v e s . T h e c a r r i o n f o w l
gather. I know you, my son, and I love you.
How to save you f r o m yourself, as I w a s
never saved from myself? Let me tell you,
Tajasanid, that the forging of an empire is
simply f o r g e r y. I t i s t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f
counterfeit — whereas a single man may
become true gold himself. Remember our
battle-code command for wreaking havoc
and laying waste a world: 'Wilderness is
Paradise e n o u g h ! ' T h e r e i s n o a l i e n
paradise planet to inherit, my son, except
for t h e Paradise t h a t you w i l l m a k e f o r
yourself i n t h e w i l d e r n e s s o f exile, a n d
simplicity. H o w l n o w, m y heir, b u t heed
my w o r d s in time. I hope you w i l l learn
how w i l d e r n e s s m a y b e t r u l y paradise
enough. I learnt it too late — b u t I shall
write it in my blood for you to find. This is
my legacy. Farewell — and blessings!'
The visitor tore the seal from his lips, and
howled. He hit out at the air, as though he
could strike Ta j a l a m h i m s e l f across t h e
face, but his blows only met air.
Before Istinbat could intervene, the visitor
stepped b a c k a c r o s s t h e b l a c k m a r b l e
strip of his own accord.
continued on page 16>
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
 /SOUTHSEA
YOU ARE IN A
COLD, DARK MODELS
ROOM...
You hear a steady, regular shuffling sound and 1
an occasional g r u n t w h i c h tells y o u t h a t
something else is here with you. But you cannot
see what it is!
The hair on your neck rises in anticipation. You break
:ut in a cold sweat. Terror strikes deep into your very
You must act quickly — but what will you do?
STOCKISTS OF:-
Will you a ) Feel around the walls for a
light switch? (Turn to page
18) ALL L E A D I N G M A K E S O F W A R G A M E S ,
b) Draw y o u r weapon a n d FANTASY G A M E S F I G U R E S . FA N TA S Y &
strike blindly a t t h e u n - MILITARY.
named horror? (Turn t o
page 20) BY CITADEL AND M M H G &
c) Run for your life? (Turn to
page 29)
35 H I G H L A N D R O A D
SOUTHSEA
71ITTI to the page indicated in one of the above options S E N D 2 0 p S TA M P FOR P O R T S M O U T H - HANTS
-; find the results of your decision. P O S TA L C ATA L O G U E . P O 4 9 D A
OVERSEAS 5 0 p . ( 0 7 0 5 ) - 7 3 3 2 0 8

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Controlling himself, the visitor said to the
guardian, 'Didn't I say that there was only
one good reason f o r t h i s D o m e ' s exist-
ence? Well, didn't l?'
'What did Tajalam say to you?'
The visitor spat on the floor.
'Barbarian wisdom! N o w that that single
reason has gone, my friend, and now that
the r e a s o n f o r m y o w n l i f e h a s g o n e
together w i t h it... well, I did promise you
your l i f e , a n d t h e r e ' s s m a l l r e a s o n t o
break my promise now! So be warned, do
not remain in this Dome today. This Dome
is a trap for fools — for millions of idiots.
Here is the temple of folly of all the galaxy.
I do not suffer fools gladly, even though I
am one myself.'
The v i s i t o r s t r o d e a w a y t o w a r d s t h e
mouth of the spiral stairway.
'What do you mean to do?' cried lstinbat,
hurrying after him.
'I shall put an end to folly, honourably, as
Tajalam put an end to his own folly. Stay
out of this Dome!'
'But I guard this Dome.'
'Guard it from the outer doorway, t h e n ! '
'What can one man do?' Istinbat laughed.
He twitched his taper alight again. ' l a m a
fool too. I t h o u g h t this was an Event. It is
no event a t all. N o r are y o u r threats a n
event. You did not even speak them aloud,
so t h a t f u t u r e v i s i t o r s c a n h e a r a n d
wonder. Yo u o n l y h o w l e d l i k e a beast.
Your h o w l w h i s p e r s r o u n d t h e w a l l
forever, n o w, until time wears the Dome
away.'
lstinbat reached the base of the stairway,
where the visitor was necessarily forced
to w a i t for h i s w a y to be lit. Istinbat led
him quickly along the tunnel
'I h a v e t o l d y o u , ' t h e v i s i t o r repeated.
'You, w h o w i s h f o r a n Event. I p r o m i s e
you there will be an Event.'
Ignoring t h e w o m a n Ta s a m m a , s i t t i n g
inside t h e doorway, t h e visitor retrieved
his computer bracelet and strode a w a y,
16
141b,VUil,
brushing aside a f e w brown people w i t h
flashing t e e t h w h o r u s h e d t o h i m f r o m
their stalls,
lstinbat w a t c h e d h i m go. The visitor did
not look back.
Half an hour later, still sitting together in
golden s i l e n c e , I s t i n b a t a n d Ta s a m m a
saw a s m a l l hyperboat rise u p i n t o t h e
cloudless s k y f r o m t h e d e s e r t b e y o n d
Wakil City. But it did not shrink to a speck,
disappearing into space. Instead, it arced
above the city on a tight parabola, curving
back down towards them.
'It's out of control!' cried Tasamma.
Istinbat dragged her down the stone steps
into t h e d a r k n e s s o f t h e t u n n e l . T h e y
huddled where they fell.
A m o m e n t later, c a m e t h e crash o f t h e
explosion: a n a l m i g h t y t h u n d e r - s h o u t .
The t u n n e l f l o o r r i p p e d u n d e r t h e m . A
single brick fell onto lstinbat's back. Dust
choked their lungs.
Coughing, t h e y staggered b a c k u p t h e
steps again a n d o u t o n t o t h e turquoise
marble s p a c e , w h e r e v e n d o r s w e r e
running a n d crying o u t , t h o u g h a l l
apparently unhurt. The rise of the Dome
above t h e m all w a s intact. However, a s
l s t i n b a t a n d Ta s a m m a r a n t o g e t h e r
around i t , keeping a l o n g w a y f r o m i t s
base, t h e y s a w t h a t t h e w h o l e w e s t e r n
quadrant had been demolished. Pieces of
marble had been tossed about the sands
by the force of the explosion. The remains
of the hyperboat, scattered widely, w e r e
recognizable o n l y b e c a u s e t h e y w e r e
steel n o t stone. T h e D o m e w a s a g r e a t
yawning cave, n o w — a broken golden
egg.
As lstinbat trotted towards the great hole,
a voice assailed his ears, fleetingly.
'I'll marry Lala whatever...
And another K h a l w a t dar anjuman...
And a third / , Seloose o f Vega, swear...'
He stopped, a p p a l l e d , b e w i l d e r e d . Ta -
samma stopped too, cocking her tall thin
head.
The voices w e r e a l l escaping i n t o S u f ,
flying out of the hatched egg of the Dome
as though from a Pandora's Box, spread-
ing and reproducing themselves through-
out the suddenly increased atmospheric
volume. The phenomenon w a s as enig-
matic, t o Istinbat's m i n d , a s t h e D o m e
itself had been
Alone, h e scrambled o v e r t h e b a n k s o f
rubble in the face of a tidal bore of voices,
into the mouth of the cave.
He was nearly driven back by the pressure
of n o i s e , b u t t h e n q u i t e s u d d e n l y t h e
voices became a trickle, and ceased t h e
flood had flowed past him.
Istinbat stepped d o w n o n t o t h e f l o o r o f
the D o m e , a n d h u r r i e d t o w a r d s t h e
nearest intact stretch of wall. He crossed
the b l a c k m a r b l e strip, a n d f o u n d o n l y
silence there.
Which is why the planet Suf is known as
the W h i s p e r i n g W o r l d , o r t h e G h o s t
World, n o w a d a y s ; a n d w h y t h e b r o w n
people w i t h flashing teeth w e a r plugs of
wax i n t h e i r ears a n d converse i n s i g n
language; a n d w h y m o r e t o u r i s t s p a y
visits to Suf, to be haunted. Generally the
constant h a u n t i n g i s t o o m u c h f o r t h e
curious tourists, so that after the first five
or six hours they w i l l seek refuge in t h e
inappropriately-named D o m e o f W h i s p -
ers, w h e r e alone in all that world there is
utter silence.
That silence has its guardians, w h o w i l l
not a s a r u l e l e t v i s i t o r s s o m u c h a s
whisper anywhere inside their fractured
holy place. Though sometimes, for a truly
golden consideration, t h e y w i l l a l l o w a
person to shout aloud and hear his or her
voice v a n i s h u t t e r l y w i t h o u t e v e n a n
echo.
Nowadays there are a hundred guardians.
People a r e e a g e r t o e s c a p e a l l t h e
whispers in the world.
1440-Ian Watson
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
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a) Reaching s l o w l y b e h i n d
you, you find the switch on
the wall. Light floods the
room. There in front of you
sits a large, hairy creature,
engrossed i n a b o o k .
Drawing closer you observe
that the book is called Blue
Frog Tavern, o n e o f the
many s o l o adventures
available with Tunnels &
Trolls role-playing system.
As y o u h a c k o f f t h e
1111 creature's head, you realise
The most famous Marvel While the city sleeps, the that only this Tunnels &
character of all—Spider- blind adventurer Daredevil Trolls solo adventure saved
Man—battles the wodd's prowls the asphalt jungle you from certain death. You
weirdest foes every week in hunting the most danger- leave the room, determined
his own magazine, Spider- ous game — Man!
Man Weekly. Under the hand of to find out more. GOTO
Make sure you don't miss America's foremost strip
a single episode in Spidey's illustrator, Frank Miller,
life or death struggle with the world of Daredevil is a
the forces of evil, brought dark, shadowy domain of
to you by the wodd's top shadey underworld
writers and artists. characters and ruthless
Spider-Man Weekly criminals. Only one man
stands between the citizens
Britain's top super-hero
adventure comic — from of New York and the n y i N G B U F FA L O
all good newsagents! denizens of the Badlands P 0 Box 100, Bath Street,
NOW! • Daredevil! Walsall, W. Midlands l ' ' ' ,

18 Please m e n t i o n I M A G I N E T " m a g a z i n e w h e n r e p l y i n g t o a d v e r t i s e m e n t s
 61111V-JC
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Aramax the Gaul
While you've been sweating t h r o u g h
your favourite dungeon or swaggering
round t h e b a r s o f s o m e n o i s o m e
adventurers' t o w n , h a v e y o u e v e r
spared a t h o u g h t f o r o u r neighbours
across the Channel? There are plenty
of k e e n p l a y e r s o f t h e D&CY' g a m e
among t h e G a u l s a n d u n t i l r e c e n t l y
:hey have had to battle through English
-Jes as well as the more common
:-oblems o f m o n s t e r s a n d m a l i g n
—agic. Ever quick to improve the lot of
devoted players, TSR h a v e n o w pro-
duced a F r e n c h translation o f Basic.
aturally this has pleased the French
greatly and there are reports that other
manufacturers w i l l s o o n f o l l o w s u i t
with their own translations.
The A d v e n t u r e G a m e s scene i s cer-
:ainly buzzing in France. There are half
a dozen shops in Paris alone and quite
a n u m b e r o f magazines. Role-playing
:a nes r e c e n t l y r e v i e w e d i n d e p t h
ude B u s h i d o a n d V i l l a i n s a n d
Vigilantes. For some reason the rather
:cscure Bunnies & B u r r o w s seems to
:e. a F r e n c h f a v o u r i t e . T h e r e ' s n o
:oubt t h a t A d v e n t u r e G a m e s a r e
:ecoming truly international. Next stop
'•• :scow?
z•GINETm magazine would like to thank
Doug Cowie for his assistance
with these items.
Racing Cars
I C a r Wars Expansion 2 is now available
a: a r o u n d £ 2 . 2 5 — b u t w h a t a d i s -
appointment. I t c o n t a i n s t h e e x t r a
ic:unters a n d turning template a s
:-cmised, b u t no maps! According t o
7-e advance blurb there should be t w o
—aps t o a d d t o t h o s e i n c l u d e d i n
Sunday Drivers, giving a big extension
to the coverage of the town of Midville.
However, t h e r e are n o such m a p s i n
any o f t h e E x p a n s i o n s s e e n s o f a r.
Either they were left out of a batch by
mistake or the publisher changed his
rrind. S o make sure you have a good
: : < a t Expansion 2 before buying.
W i t h o u t the maps you are paying a lot
of money for some counters and a little
cardboard t u r n i n g t e m p l a t e . C a v e a t
emptorl
IVA N E magazme, September 1983
m
ilim
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ilimuom
Dice Dealing
We o l d t i m e r s c a n r e m e m b e r a t i m e
when polyhedral dice were a necessary
tool for games playing. Very functional
and more than a little difficult to obtain.
Nowadays they are marketed as being
desirable objects in their own right. You
can even b u y t w e e l i t t l e bags t o keep
them s a f e a n d s o u n d i n . T h e l a s t
blockbuster w a s t h e d 3 0 ( t h i r t y sided
dice). ' W h a t d o y o u d o w i t h t h e m ? '
everyone said, as they bought t h e m in
thousands. Now an American company,
the A r m o r y (who seem to be one of the
main culprits in t h i s dice proliferation)
Nippon Nuts
Bushido, t h e r o l e - p l a y i n g g a m e o f
medieval Japan, i s o n e o f t h e m o s t
popular 'hard core' games. However, it
is hampered by a paucity of scenarios
and s u p p l e m e n t s . S o f a r F G U , t h e
publishers, h a v e o n l y produced one.
This is Valley of the Mists, a 'scenario
pack'. A second pack, S h a d o w o f the
Ninja, was announced last year but so
far h a s failed t o materialise. G l o o m
and despondancy among Bushido buffs
everywhere. B u t all is n o t lost! Enter
stage left Nick Lund, flaxen-haired ex-
thespian and n o w supremo of Chron-
icle Miniatures. Grieved almost beyond
recall by the sight of deprived Nippon-
nuts, N i c k h a s g a l l a n t l y w r i t t e n a
Bushido a d v e n t u r e h i m s e l f ( w h e r e
does he get the time?). Subject to the
game designers approving h i s i n t e r -
pretation o f their creation, t h i s scen-
ario p a c k w i l l b e U K - p r o d u c e d a n d
available later this year.
Travelling Light
Just i n c a s e y o u h a v e n o t b e e n
properly confused b y Basic Traveller
being superceded by De Luxe Traveller
and t h e n r e a p p e a r i n g , f o l l o w e d b y
Hard B a c k Traveller, G D W have r e -
leased S t a r t e r Edition Traveller. This
is d e s c r i b e d a s a s t r e a m l i n e d a n d
revised version, intended for novices.
It includes special introductory mater-
ial plus the adventures S h a d o w s and
Mission on Mithril. Also announced is
Adventure 9, N o m a d s o f t h e Wo r l d -
Ocean, s e t o n t h e w a t e r w o r l d o f
Bellerophon.
iIh
t1
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have announced, with a certain flourish,
metal-plated d i c e ! A l l s i z e s c a n b e
obtained, p l a t e d i n e i t h e r c o p p e r o r
nickel.
They w i l l b e S i e a c h , w h i c h m e a n s
they'll be about 80p in real money. The
educated elite o f our hobby: G u a r d i a n
readers, computer programmers, mod-
ule d e s i g n e r s , a s s i s t a n t e d i t o r s a n d
similar riff-raff, w i l l s n e e r d o w n t h e i r
elegant noses but just you see — they'll
be first i n t h e queue to buy ' e m w h e n
they arrive. Funny things dice.
Chart News
It should come as no great surprise to
the majority of adventure garners that
the DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTM game
came top in t h e National Association
of Toy Retailers' (NATR) sales charts —
Board G a m e s c a t e g o r y — i n J u n e ,
above Connect 4, Scrabble and Mono-
poly. ' B u t i t i s n ' t a board game!' you
cry. H o w e v e r, s i n c e t h e r e ' s n o g r e a t
satisfaction t o b e gained f r o m b e i n g
top of a class of one, it's an acceptable
compromise.
More evidence that the hobby is on the
upsurge c a n b e f o u n d i n t h e b e s t -
selling book lists. Games Workshop's
Warlock on Firetop M o u n t a i n was top
of t h e C h i l d r e n ' s Bestsellers e a r l i e r
this year, w i t h F o r e s t o f D o o m a n d
Citadel of Chaos in 3rd and 7th places
respectively.
DUNGEONS& DERONS? DUNGEONS & ONAGONSe
FINDLESS Qt• EST'. 13001. E N D L E S S Q U E S T ' . ROOK
PI LI,It RS (I 1 ( E T U R N to
''L'INTEci/110 (•1100101ERE
;1-4-
firlib 4
*14-1-sl
BY ROSY b Y T E S
Meanwhile ISR's ENDLESS QUESTIm
books o c c u p i e d f i v e o f t h e t o p t e n
places in the Dalton Bookseller Juven-
ile Paperback B e s t s e l l e r L i s t i n t h e
USA i n A p r i l , i n c l u d i n g R e v e n g e o f
the R a i n b o w D r a g o n s i n f i r s t place,
Revolt o f t h e D w a r v e s i n 2 n d place
and Pillars o f Pentegarn in 6 t h place.
19
 TMRM'N,Jr
The Fantasy Role-PlayilIg Game
RuneQuest is the easy-to-play game o f fantasy role-playing, set
in the mythical world of Glorantha. It's a game world inhabited
by fighting men, gruesome monsters and savage non-human
races such as the vile, chaos-spawned beastmen, Broo.
Player characters begin as young commoners or noblemen
adventuring in a time and place where magic is real and heroes
are in demand. They can become powerful fighters, formidable
magic users or wily thieves - b u t only i f they survive the perils
of Glorantha. With RuneQuest, player-characters can even be
non-humans, players can accept the challenge o f thinking and
acting like mighty Trolls or mysterious Dragonewts.
The RuneQuest boxed set contains everything needed to begin
play: Basic Role-Playing, easy rules f o r the novice adventure
gamer; Rune Quest rules book, advanced rules for refereed
adventure; Apple Lane and the Rainbow Mounds, t w o intro-
ductory adventures set in Glorantha; Fangs , ready-to-roam
monsters and adventurers, and six polyhedral dice. A d d your
imagination and you can begin your adventure.

RuneQuest provides easy rules for beginning adventure

garners. 'Mere are solo adventures too.
RuneQuest is ideal f o r experienced players, bored with
dungeon adventure. Questworld is an adventure world which
will be developed by Games Workshop in association with
UK RuneQuest players.

SEE RUNEQUEST AT Y O U R LOCAL GAMES SHOP T O D AY

RuneQuest is published by Chaosium Inc. and printed and

distributed under licence in the U K by Games Workshop Ltd.,
27/29 Sunbeam Road, London NIVIO 6JP.

b) You feel your weapon slice

through something fairly
solid. A n agonised r o a r
invades your ears and light
floods t h e room. T h e r e
before you is a large, hairy
creature h o l d i n g t h e
shattered remains of a book
called The Misty Wood, one
of the many solo adventures
available with Tunnels &
Trolls role-playing system.
"Fiend", cries the creature,
"you ruined m y game".
"Go and b u y your own
copy!"
As y o u back o u t o f the
room, you wonder about
this Tunnels & Trolls solo
adventure which means so
much, e v e n t o h a i r y
monsters. Y o u l e a v e ,
determined t o f i n d o u t
more. GOTO
n y l NG B U F F A L O
P 0 Box 100, Bath Street,
Walsall, W. Midlands
•
Know, o prince, that between the
years when the oceans drank Atlantis
and the years of the rise of the sons
of Aryas, there was an age
undreamed of, when shining
kingdoms lay spread across the world
like blue mantles beneath the stars —
Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian,
black haired, sullen eyed, sword in
hand. A thief, a reaver, a slayer to
tread the jewelled thrones of the
Earth under his sandalled feet
The Nemedian Chronicles.
THE BmanutIAN
Follow the sword and sorcery
adventures of Conan the Barbarian in
each monthly issue of his own
magazine.
Available from all good newsagents!

/
20 Please mention IMAGINE'm magazine when replying to advertisements
 JACK OF ALL TRADES
adventure f o r 5 - 8 r e l a t i v e l y inexperienced D & D ,
I D & D r m or D R A G O N Q U E S I T " characters.
1. INTRODUCTION
- s adventure has been designed for use with the D&D, AD&D
DRAGONQUEST role-playing systems. It is intended that the
:-:-.–acters who take part in it should not be absolute beginners
- s h o u l d h a v e b e e n o n a f e w successful expeditions.
- . i o u s l y, t h e f e w e r a d v e n t u r e r s t h e r e a r e , t h e m o r e e x -
- e n c e d they should be and vice versa. The players, as distinct
–1 t h e characters, s h o u l d preferably be q u i t e experienced
--ough the adventure is possible for near novices.
bulk of the adventure description consists of information
- ch i s applicable t o a l l o f t h e g a m e systems. I n f o r m a t i o n
•L:11NE magazine, September 1983
by Roger Hall
development
by Graeme Morris
which is specific to one or more system is presented in one of
two ways:
(i) Details of the abilities of the non-player characters (NPCs) are
given s e p a r a t e l y f o r e a c h g a m e i n P a r t 4 — ' N o n - P l a y e r
Characters'.
(ii) Information occuring w i t h i n the main text is bracketed and
prefaced with Basic, A d v a n c e d or D Q as appropriate, eg '...they
will find a small brooch ( B a s i c / A d v a n c e d — value 50gp; D Q —
value 1 50sp.)'
IF Y O U I N T E N D T O P L AY I N T H I S A D V E N T U R E , S T O P
READING H E R E . A N Y K N O W L E D G E O F T H I S M I N I -
M O D U L E WILL R U I N Y O U R E N J O Y M E N T A N D T H AT O F
THE OTHER PLAYERS.
21
 JACK OF ALL TRADES
The mini-module is divided into 5 sections:
1. Introduction (this section).
2. Background — for the games master (GM) only — in w h i c h
The Knave (the principal NPC) is introduced and the events
leading up to the adventure are described.
3. The Plot — The Knave's plan for exploiting the adventurers.
4. Non-Player Characters — details o f t h e NPCs used i n t h e
adventure.
5. The Adventure — descriptions of the main events and their
locations.
6. The Knave as a Thief-Acrobat u s i n g this module to try out
the n e w split character class.
2. BACKGROUND
This adventure centres on a character known as The Knave; an
unscrupulous villain w h o lives by murder and theft.
Using the alias of Jack Summers, he recently set up an outlaw
band to raid cargoes going to and from the small trading town of
Roseberry (see map I). The outlaws have been using a deserted
hulk grounded in a backwater as their hide-out (see map lb and
section 4E). Using this as a base, they have been able to prey on
pack- and wagon-trains using the road to the west of the town.
Initially, the payment of bribes by the outlaws ensured that the
town w a t c h t u r n e d a blind eye, b u t soon s o m e o f the t o w n ' s
worried merchants formed a vigilante group in order to try and
find t h e o u t l a w s ' h i d e o u t a n d t o p u t a stop t o t h e raids. T h e
Knave, in the guise of a m e r c h a n t but using the same alias of
Jack Summers, joined in this group.
Recently because o f t h e c o s t o f b r i b i n g t h e w a t c h a n d t h e
strengthening of guards on the caravans, things have been bad
for the o u t l a w s and dissent in their ranks has begun to show.
The Knave (known only to the outlaws as Jack Summers) has
convinced h i s m e n t h a t t h e vigilantes are the root of all t h e i r
problems and has told them of a plan to get rid of the vigilantes.
He has not told them the second part of his plan t o get rid of
them and take all the goods for his own! Conditions tonight are
perfect to carry out his plan, there is no moon, there is a vigilante
meeting a n d t h e r e is a b a n d o f adventurers n e w l y arrived in
town.
3. THE PLOT
The Knave's plan is elegant and ruthless. If successful he will
dupe the adventurers into disposing of both the vigilantes and
the outlaws, taking losses themselves in t h e process, leaving
Jack to finish o ff the survivors and to make off with the loot.
The stages of his plan are as follows:
(i) T h e K n a v e w i l l i n t r o d u c e h i m s e l f t o t h e p a r t y a s J a c k
Summers, t h e merchant. H e w i l l tell t h e m about the outlaws
and will say that he has infiltrated the band
22
(ii) He w i l l persuade t h e adventurers to take part in a trojan-
horse-style r a i d o n t h e outlaws. T h e characters w i l l h i d e i n
barrels which will be taken by caravan along the west road. The
outlaws will attack, steal the barrels and take them to their lair
where the adventurers will emerge and attack the thieves.
(iii) In fact, the outlaw attack will be a sham and the barrels will
be taken to the vigilantes' headquarters w h e r e a meeting has
been arranged. The Knave hopes that the adventurers will kill all
or some of the vigilantes by mistake.
(iv) The outlaws k n o w of 'Jack's' plan up to this stage and will
help him w i t h it. W h a t they do not know is that The Knave will
have planted information at the vigilantes' headquarters which
will lead the adventurers to the outlaws' lair.
(v) The Knave intends t h a t the adventurers should attack the
outlaws. Then, he will finish off any survivors (from either side)
and make off with the valuables of both groups.
In general, and in particular if the plan should go wrong in any
way, The Knave will protect his own life first and foremost and
will have n o regard f o r t h e adventurers, t h e vigilantes o r h i s
erstwhile colleagues.
4. NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
A. T O W N S M E N
(i). B e r t Barleyman — Landlord of the Waxing Moon. He knows
The Knave only as Jack Summers the merchant and regards him
as an honest man. The Knave rents a room permanently in the
Inn and Bert is used to 'Jack' holding meetings there.
(ii). To w n G u a r d s — The To w n Guard consists o f 2 4 m e n in
three patrols o f eight each. T h e y a r e employed b y t h e t o w n
council to protect the inhabitants and to keep order. They are a
slovenly l o t , r e l u c t a n t t o r i s k t h e i r s k i n s a n d t h e y w i l l n o t
accompany the adventurers on expeditions outside t h e town.
This attitude is only partly the result of the men's personalities.
Their major motivation is the regular bribe which they are paid
by the outlaws. Recently the guards have been demanding, and
getting, more and more money for their co-operation. The bribes
are received from Phil Snatch, The Knave's o u t l a w lieutenant.
Three of the guards know Phil by sight but not by name. A l l the
guards receive bribe money. They know 'Jack Summers' only by
name and do not associate him w i t h the outlaws.
Town Guards (24 men in 3 patrols of 8)
Basic — AC 6 (leather and shield); NM; hp 1-4; # A T 1; D 1-6
(short swords); A L N; M V 90' (30'); M L 6
Personal treasure — each will have 2-12gp in mixed coins.
Advanced — A C 7 (leather a n d shield); FO, M V 9 " ; h p 1 - 8 ;
AT 1; D 1-6 (short swords); A L LN
Personal treasure — each will have 2-12gp in mixed coins.
D Q — Average characteristics for the guards are:
PS: 19 M D : 1 7 A G : 1 6 E N : 17
MA: 9 V V P : 12 F T : 21 P B : 1 0
PC: 8
They are armed w i t h broadswords (with w h i c h t h e y are r a n k
1-2), wear leather armour while on duty and carry small round
shields ( w i t h w h i c h t h e y are r a n k 0-1). T h e leaders o f each
patrol have M i l i t a r y Science skill rank 0-1. In addition, all the
guards w i l l h a v e 1 o f t h e f o l l o w i n g : d a g g e r 0 - 3 , u n a r m e d
combat 0-2, Horsemanship 0-2, Stealth 0-1, Thief 0-1. They will
each be carrying a personal treasure of 6-30sp.
(iii). M e r c h a n t s — T h e r e a r e m a n y m e r c h a n t s b a s e d i n
Roseberry, profiting from the trade along the east-west road and
the river. A w i d e range of goods are involved, including grain,
wine, beer, salt and cloth.
IMAGINE magazine, September 1983

They h a v e k n o w n T h e K n a v e (as J a c k S u m m e r s ) f o r a f e w
months, b u t t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f h i s c r e d e n t i a l s w h i c h t h e
merchants' guild carried o u t before admitting h i m caused no
alarm, and they have found no cause for mistrusting him since.
Some merchants will k n o w Jack better than others, of course,
but the general opinion of him is that he is an honest newcomer.
(iv) Vigilantes — Realising that the town guards are of little use
in combatting t h e o u t l a w s (but u n a w a r e t h a t t h e y are being
bribed), some of the merchants have formed a vigilante group
led by Owen Carter, an ex-soldier.
Following Jack's acceptance by the merchants's guild, he joined
this group and has since been strengthening his position within
: T h e other members o f this group k n o w little about Jack
zeyond his vigilante activities. He has been careful not to draw
attention t o h i m s e l f b y, f o r e x a m p l e , r e v e a l i n g a n y i n s i d e
knowledge of the outlaws. To date, the vigilantes have had as
much impact on the outlaws as the local knitting circle. They are
not professional investigators and, o f course, The Knave has
cept himself and his band well ahead of the vigilantes' plans.
espite their lack of success so far, the vigilantes are keen and
= m i n e d m e n — at least as a group. However, t h e y are not
:-ofessional fighters and will not risk their skins unnecessarily.
Owen Carter (vigilante leader)
Basic — AC 7 (leather); F2; hp 10; A- AT 1; D 1-8 (sword) or 1-4
:agger); A L L; M V 90' (30'); M L 9.
zersonal t r e a s u r e — 1 0 c p , 2 0 s p , 1 5 g p a n d a g o l d l o c k e t
:ontaining a portrait o f his wife) encrusted w i t h small g e m s
.alue 350gp).
Advanced — AC 8 (leather); E l ; M V 9 " ; hp 13; # AT 1; D 1 - 8
ong sword) or 1 - 4 (dagger); A L NG.
7-'ersonal t r e a s u r e — 1 0 c p , 2 0 s p , 1 5 g p a n d a g o l d l o c k e t
:ontaining a portrait o f his wife) encrusted w i t h small gems
.alue 350gp).
— Owen's attributes are:
14 M D : 1 7 A G : 1 6 E N : 2 0
'.'A: 10 W P : 17 F T : 2 2 P B : 1 7
PC: 9
He is armed w i t h a sabre (rank 3) and a dagger (rank 2) and
wears leather armour under his robes. His skills are: Merchant
5. Horsemanship 3 , Navigator 1, Read & W r i t e (common) 7,
Troubador 0, Military Scientist 2, His personal treasure consists
of 10cf, 20sp, 1 gs and a gold locket (containing a portrait of his
wife) encrusted w i t h small gems (value 700sp).
Other Vigilantes ( 1 0 men)
Basic — AC 7 (leather, if worn) or 9; NM; hp 1-4; A T 1; D 1-6
se.ord); A L L; M V 90' (30') or 1 2 0 ' (40'); M L 7.
Personal treasure e a c h will have 5-30gp in mixed coins plus
0-2 items of personal a d o r n m e n t (buckles, rings, clasps, pins
each worth 10-100gp.
Advanced — AC 8 (leather, if worn) or 10; FO; M V 9" or 12"; hp
1-8; - AT 1; D 1-6 (short sword); A L LG or NG.
Personal treasure e a c h will have 5-30gp in mixed coins plus
3-2 items of personal a d o r n m e n t (buckles, rings, clasps, pins
each worth 10-100gp.
D Q — The average abilities of the other vigilantes are:
PS: 15 M D : 16 A G : 15 E N : 1 9
MA: 12 W P : 13 F T : 21 P B 1 5
PC: 6
They are armed w i t h short swords (rank 0-1) and have leather
armour (although only three of them habitually wear it). A l l of
them will have rank 4-7 Merchant skill, Read & Write (common)
rank 3-8 and Horsemanship rank 2-4. In addition, each will have
VAGINE magazine, September 1983
JACK OF ALL TRADES
one o f the following skills: dagger 1-2, Navigator 1-2, Healer
0-2, M e c h a n i c i a n 1 - 2 , T h i e f 0 - 1 . Each w i l l h a v e a personal
treasure consisting o f 10-50sp w o r t h o f mixed coins plus 0 - 2
items o f personal adornment (buckles, rings, clasps, pins etc)
each w o r t h 20-200sp.
7.
A —
B. THE K N AV E (Jack Summers)
The Knave values his own life and profit above all other things.
He has lived a life of murder and theft, adapting and discarding a
string of aliases (usually taking the identity of one of his victims).
His plan a n d i n t e n t i o n s have been described previously. H i s
attributes are
Basic A C 4 (leather plus dexterity bonus); T6; hp 16; # AT 1;
D by weapon type; A L C; M V 90' (30'); M L see description; S11,
115 (speaks common, chaotic and hobgoblin), W9, D18 (+3 to hit
with missiles, -3 AC bonus, +2 on initiative), C12, Ch15.
Equipment — 6 concealed daggers, crossbow, quarrels, thief's
tools, k e y t o chest i n t h e o u t l a w s ' lair, b e l t o f i n f r a v i s i o n (a
special m a g i c a l i t e m w h i c h g i v e s t h e w e a r e r i n f r a v i s i o n —
range 90').
Personal treasure — 20sp, 30gp, 4 gems (800gp (x2), 2000gp,
4000gp) and an exquisitely made pack of ivory playing cards (all
knaves!).
A d v a n c e d — AC 4 (leather plus dexterity bonus); A 6 ; M V 9";
hp 2 8 ; " A T 1; D b y w e a p o n type; A L LE; S 11 , 115 (speaks
common, LE, hobgoblin, goblin and orc), W9, D18 (+3 to hit with
missiles, - 4 AC bonus), C12, C h i 5.
Equipment — 6 concealed daggers, crossbow, quarrels, thief's
tools, k e y t o chest i n t h e o u t l a w s ' lair, b e l t o f i n f r a v i s i o n (a
special m a g i c a l i t e m w h i c h g i v e s t h e w e a r e r infravision —
range 90').
Personal treasure — 20sp, 30gp, 4 gems (800gp (x2), 2000gp,
4000gp) and an exquisitely made pack of ivory playing cards (all
knaves!).
D Q — The Knave's attributes are:
PS: 16 M D : 2 0 A G : 21 E N : 19
MA: 7 W P 8 F T : 21 P C : 13
PB:17
The Knave is armed w i t h 6 daggers (used at rank 8) w h i c h he
conceals about his person, a short bow and arrows (rank 5) and a
garotte (rank 3). H e w e a r s leather a r m o u r and carries t h i e f ' s
picks and the key to the chest in the outlaws' lair. His other skills
are: A s s a s s i n 3 , M e r c h a n t 1, M i l i t a r y Scientist 3, R a n g e r 2,
Thief 7. He has a belt which has been invested with the Spell of
Nightvision (College o f B l a c k M a g i c s — S2). T h e s p e l l w a s
invested at rank 7 and has an 86% chance of success. There are
4 charges remaining. H i s other personal treasure consists o f
10cf, 2 5 s p , 4 g e m s ( 1 0 0 0 s p (x2), 2 5 0 0 s p , 8 0 0 0 s p ) a n d a n
exquisitely made pack of ivory playing cards (all knaves!).
23
JACK OF ALL TRADES

C. OUTLAW BAND

This group of argumentative thugs has only been held together

by Jack's authority and the profit which they can derive by
raiding caravans under his leadership. They have known 'Jack'
only since his arrival at Roseberry and are unaware of his true
name. They have no loyalty to him and would kill him without a
JACK OF
ALL TRADES
second thought if they discovered the latter part of his plan.

Phil Snatch ('Jack's' lieutenant)

Basic A C 7 (leather); F3; hp 13; # AT 1; D 1-8 (sword) or 1-4
(dagger); AL C; MV 90'(30'); ML 7.
Personal treasure — 21 gp, a key to the chest in the outlaws' lair
and a white silk scarf embroidered with gold thread (value
50gp).

Advanced A C 7 (studded leather); F3; MV 9"; hp 18; A• AT 1;

D 1-8 (sword) or 1-4 (dagger); AL NE.
Personal treasure — 21 gp, a key to the chest in the outlaws' lair
and a white silk scarf embroidered with gold thread (value 50gp)

DQ — Phil's attributes are:

PS: 20 M D : 15 A G : 14 E N : 19
MA: 9 W P : 12 F T: 21 P C : 7
PB: 14

He uses a broadsword (at rank 4) and a main gauche (rank 1). He

wears leather armour and has a.key to the chest in the outlaws'
lair. His other skills are; Horsemanship 2, Stealth 1, Thief 2. His
personal treasure consists of 40sp, a key to the chest in the
outlaws' lair and a white silk scarf embroidered with gold thread FIRST FLOOR
(value 100sp).

Outlaws (8 men)
Basic — AC 7 (leather); Fl; hp 1-8; # AT 1; D 1-6 (short swords)
or 1-4 (dagger); AL C; MV 90' (301; ML 8.
Personal treasure — each will have 2-20gp in mixed coins.

Advanced A C 8 (leather); Fl M V 9"; hp 1-10; # AT 1; D 1-6

(short sword) or 1-4 (dagger); AL NE.
Personal treasure — each will have 2-20gp in mixed coins.

DQ t h e average attributes of the outlaws are:

PS: 20 M D : 15 A G : 15 E N : 17
MA: 9 W P : 10 F T: 21 P C : 6
PB: 12

The outlaws use short swords (rank 1-2) and daggers (rank 0-1)
and wear leather armour. All of them will have Horsemanship
skill rank 1-3, and one of the following: Assassin 0-1, Spy 0-1,
Thief 0-1, Read and Write (Common) 0-2. Their personal
treasure will consist of 5-50sp worth of mixed coins.

5. THE ADVENTURE
The descriptions of the various stages of the adventure include
sections which may be read aloud to the players by the games
master. However, this should not be considered mandatory and
the GM should use other descriptions if desired.
GROUND FLOOR
A. MEETING WITH JACK SUMMERS VIGILANTE
Having travelled far in search of adventure you arrived barely HEADQUARTERS o 10 20 30
an hour ago this evening at Roseberry. You are approached in SCALE (ft)
one of the town's taverns by a man, apparently a trader, who
indicates that he has some information that may well benefit DOOR 1 0 0 1 = 1 1 1
you, and that if you are interested you should follow him at five
minute intervals to the Waxing Moon Inn and ask the barman WINDOW • 1 • 1
for Jack's room. Without awaiting your reply he leaves,
looking around anxiously as he goes.
la F O R E S T

24 IMAGINE magazine, September 1983

 THE REGION
I, AROUND
ROSEBERRY
(diagrammatic)

c:-\ MEETING WITH

Q ) JACK SUMMERS

0 THE WINERY
THE PHONEY
AMBUSH
rr-- T H E VIGILANTE
H'QUARTERS
(7.. T H E OUTLAWS'
HIDEOUT

ONE HEX = HALF MILE

VIEW FROM ABOVE LONGITUDINAL SECTION

DECKS

OUTLAWS' HIDEOUT

0 10 20 30
SCALE (ft)

PORTHOLE (closed) =REIM

111111i1V-AP ii•nro
111
,11111011101,
•tt111s1
i1_111 1 -1,
mosowN- •-_0- ,Is
stit1"-1
11:1
1'0•101
'1
01
-1111,013THOLE(open) 1 _ 1 1 = 1
loo•-11101212115r
•00-21

It)
magazine, September 1983 25
JACK OF ALL TRADES
The man is The Knave, alias Jack Summers. If the adventurers
take u p h i s invitation a n d g o t o t h e Wa x i n g M o o n Inn, B e r t
Barleycorn (the innkeeper)will direct them toJack's room on the
first floor.
Jack will be wearing leather armour under his robes and will be
armed o n l y w i t h h i s daggers. H e w i l l be wearing h i s magical
belt.
There is nothing in his room to give any impression that 'Jack' is
other than a merchant.
The grey mare which he uses in his merchant guise is stabled at
the inn and is similarly unincriminating. He has hidden his other
horse (a black stallion) and the remainder of his equipment near
the vigilantes' headquarters.
When you are assembled, the man addresses you.
'My name is Jack Summers, a merchant trading in grain and
wine. For some time my caravans, and those of my fellow
guildsmen, have been plagued by a band of outlaws.
'We have been powerless to stop them since the location of
their lair is unknown and our town guard cannot be trusted.
However, I have recently managed to contact these bandits,
pretending that I wish to join them. To prove that I am in
earnest, I have arranged for the outlaws to ambush a cargo of
wine which I am transporting on behalf of Stan Brewer who
owns the winery here i n Roseberry. I am t o lead two
wagonloads of wine from the town within the hour. I will be
ambushed and taken to the outlaw headquarters. It will be the
first time I have had knowledge of its location. If you aid me we
can wipe out the bandits and who knows, you may pick up
some valuable souvenirs from the camp?
'I have rigged some of the barrels to carry men; they are
weight-adjusted and will not be distinguished from the normal
ones. Once inside the hideout I can let you out to take the
thieves by surprise: they will be unwary while celebrating
another successful raid and you will easily rid the town of their
threat. Their goods will be yours and you will be acclaimed as
heroes.
'I had intended that some of the local lads should hide in the
barrels, but they could hardly be described as fighting men
and you are obviously better suited to the task. There is
sufficient risk already for my cart-drivers, but they know the
dangers and have volunteered for the job. They both know the
woods and will flee into them at the first hint of trouble.
'Will you help me?'
Immediately after he has finished there is a knock on the door.
He gestures to you to be silent, crosses the room and opens
the door a little. You can't see who's there but you hear a voice
say — 'It's on, Summers'. The door is closed and Jack
explains that the ambush has been confirmed.
26
The m a n w h o came to the door w a s in fact O w e n Carter, t h e
vigilante l e a d e r, c o n f i r m i n g t h e m e e t i n g , a n d t h e K n a v e
capitalised on the event.
B. THE W I N E RY
The winery is deserted. The building is in a quiet part of the town
and the yard has a high wall. Events in the yard will not be seen
or remarked on by passers-by.
Assuming t h e adventurers agree to The Knave's plan, h e w i l l
lead them to the w i n e r y where he will introduce them to Stan
Brewer, the proprietor, and the two cart-drivers w h o w i l l help
them into the barrels. Make sure that the player-characters take
only reasonable equipment into the barrels, no polearms!
The 'proprietor' is, in fact, Phil Snatch (Jack's outlaw lieutenant).
The cart-drivers are also members of the band. There are t w o
carts, each capable of carrying 7 barrels (a layer of 3 over a layer
of 4). The bottom 4 barrels on each cart have been prepared to
conceal t h e adventurers. If there are less than 8 adventurers,
Jack and the other men will take apparent care to make up the
weight of the unoccupied barrels.
The adventurers are quite able to get out of the barrels unaided,
but i t w i l l b e o b v i o u s t o t h e m t h a t t h e y w o u l d b e a t a
considerable d i s a d v a n t a g e i f t h e y a t t e m p t e d t h i s i n t h e
presence of hostile creatures ( B a s i c / A d v a n c e d / D i a — there
would be a 5 0 % chance of the party being surprised and they
would a u t o m a t i c a l l y l o s e i n i t i a t i v e i n t h e f i r s t r o u n d / p u l s e
thereafter). Jack's final words to the adventurers will be to point
this out and to warn them not to emerge except in emergency or
on his instructions.
C. THE P H O N E Y A M B U S H
Once the adventurers are installed in the barrels, the GM should
describe what follows. They cannot see out (a barrel supposedly
carrying w i n e cannot have a hole in the side) so they only hear
and feel the events. After the carts have been moving for about
one hour, a number of horses arrive, orders to stop the wagon
are shouted and the cart-drivers apparently flee.
The 'raid' w i l l involve 3 f u r t h e r members of the o u t l a w band.
They are on horseback, and bring 2 spare horses w i t h them.
There follows a pre-arranged conversation between Jack and
the outlaws. In it, the outlaws congratulate Jack on the success
of the raid and invite him to come w i t h them to the hideout to
meet the rest of the gang and to be fully initiated. Jack accepts
and the outlaws tell him that some of them will ride ahead of the
carts while others follow at a distance to cover their tracks. Jack
and one of the outlaws will drive the carts.
There is the sound of horses leaving and the carts beginning to
move once more. They travel a short distance further along the
road and then turn off to the right onto a rougher track. About an
hour after this, the carts stop at the vigilantes' headquarters.
D. T H E V I G I L A N T E H E A D Q U A R T E R S (see m a p s I
and la)
This is an abandoned wooden building beside a little-used track
about 6 miles from Roseberry. The building w a s originally an
inn, but few in Roseberry know of its existence.
The vigilantes spend p e r i o d s o f several d a y s o r m o r e h e r e ,
explaining their absences as business trips. They have made the
inn r e l a t i v e l y comfortable a n d h a v e b r o u g h t i n s u p p l i e s t o
sustain them during their stays.
IMAGINE magazine, September 1983

This evening, the group is expecting Jack to arrive with a load of
wine for the store. The real owner of the winery is a member of
the vigilante group and arranged for the winery to be empty
while Jack loaded his carts, unaware that his trust would be so
abused.
When the carts arrive at the inn, they will be taken into the
stables (room 1). The adventurers will feel the carts stop, hear
the doors open, feel the carts move again and hear the doors
close. Next, the outlaw driving the second cart will tell Jack to
leave the carts and to go with him to see the others. The two will
then leave and the adventurers will hear the side-door close.
The outlaw w i l l attempt t o leave through t h e store-room
window but The Knave will kill him quietly and bundle his body
out before going into the hall. The Knave will return to the
stables after about two minutes and will begin to help the
characters out of the barrel. Once about half of the group are
freed;
The side-door opens and a man steps in, saying 'Hurry up with
that wine, Ja....'. He stares dumbstruck at you. Quickly, Jack
grabs him and has a dagger at his throat in a flash. 'Get the
rest!' he snaps, pointing through the open doorway.
The Knave did not intend this intrusion to happen but he will
capitalise on it by killing the man and then slipping away while
the players are occupied.
His plan is that the adventurers, thinking that they are in the
outlaw camp, will kill the vigilantes for him. The first part of his
plan will then be over and the second part will begin.
Before he slips away, Jack will plant information on the clothing
of the vigilante he has killed. I t will consist of 2 pieces of
parchment, the first saying 'Suspected Codename of Outlaw -
Knave', and the other being a map, entitled 'Suspected Location
of Outlaw Hideout'. The map marks with a cross the position of
the hulk which the outlaws use as a hideout.
Even if the adventurers manage to kill all of the vigilantes, they
should still discover their error in attacking them since the
merchants' identities will be clear from the documents etc
which they carry.
KEY TO ROOMS IN THE INN
1. Stables — There are 11 unsaddled horses here; which
belong to the vigilantes. The Knave's horse is hidden in the
woods behind the inn.
2. Pantry/Storeroom — This room is used to store foodstuffs
and the other portable equipment and stores of the inn. In
addition to the new stuff brought by the vigilantes, there is also
:he residue of the previous occupants.
VAGINE magazine, September 1983
JACK OF ALL TRADES
3. Kitchen S i n c e they are unused to fending for themselves,
the vigilantes have done only the minimum amount of work
necessary in the kitchen to make it usable.
4. Hall — This was the main room of the inn. Stairs run up the
western wall, leading to a gallery which runs along the northern
and eastern sides. The doors of the inn's upper rooms open out
onto this gallery.
With the exception of the vigilantes killed by The Knave, the
entire group w i l l b e assembled i n t h i s room w h e n t h e
adventurers are freed from the barrels. Only Owen Carter and
three of the other vigilantes habitually wear armour but all bear
arms while at the inn. The room's only furnishings are a long
table around which the vigilantes are gathered, and the chairs
on which some of them are seated. Stacked against the eastern
wall are the vigilantes' packs and saddles.
The vigilantes will not have heard the demise of the outlaw or
their comrade, nor will they be alarmed by the unhurried
footsteps of a small number of people in the store and kitchen.
They are generally wary, however, and unexpected noises will
not go unnoticed....
5. & 6. Bedrooms—These rooms are mostly empty, containing
only a little broken furniture etc. left by the previous occupants.
The vigilantes have not reoccupied these rooms.
7. D o r m i t o r y — This room has been swept clean b y the
vigilantes and now contains their bed-rolls.
E. O U T L AW S ' H I D E O U T (see maps I and lb)
For their hide-out, the outlaws have chosen an old cargo-boat
which lies grounded by the bank of a tributary of the main river.
It has been there for many years, and it is a damp, uncomfortable
place to live. Apart from this, however, i t is ideal for their
pupose. Only the infrequent users of this backwater even know
of the hulk's existence and, with one exception, they take no
notice of it. The exception is the crooked captain of a cargo-boat
which plies the main river. This captain brings a long-boat up
the back-water once a month in order to buy any goods which
the outlaws have stolen. He then re-sells these goods at a profit
far from Roseberry.
Even at their most alert, the outlaws' system of watches was lax.
Tonight, however, they are keeping no watch at all, confident
that the vigilantes have been destroyed.
The positions given for the outlaws in the key below assume that
they are unaware of the adventurers. If the alarm is raised, of
course, the outlaws will attack the party en masse. The outlaws
wear armour and carry weapons at all times.
KEY TO THE HULK
Note that the hulk is grounded on the river-bed at an angle of
about 10 degrees to the vertical. All of the timbers of the hull are
damp but the dampness is worse on the lower decks which are
rotting. T h e boat w i l l n o t burn without, f o r example, t h e
presence of burning oil — and then only reluctantly.
The portholes of the boat are all about 18" square and have
wooden shutters which may be locked from the inside. Most of
the portholes on the side nearest the bank are closed.
Between the hulk and the bank, the river is only about a foot
deep. However, the bed here consists of a layer of soft mud (see
cross-section, map lb) which makes an effective moat. The
usual means of boarding the hulk is along the lower part of the
boom which rests on the bank. If looked for, the foot-prints on
the bank near the boom and the marks on the boom itself
(caused by the outlaws climbing on it) will easily be seen.
27
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30 Please mention IMAGINE."' magazine when replying to advertisements

 SPECIAL
PA O F F E R S DMYPLAYERS
ASSOCIATION
Please note that the following offers
are available only to members of the
D&D® Players Association. Details of
the PA are on p33 of this magazine.

BARGAIN BASEMENT

The Bargain Basement (lair of the infamous Karen) is
the place where we consign all the stock which, for some
reason or other, can no longer be sold as 'perfect'. The
degree of imperfection varies from a missing shrink-wrap
to the lack of a page in a module, for example, The items all
have two things in common, however, they are all on sale
at amazingly reduced prices and none of them is rubbish,
PA members can obtain an up-to-date list of available
Bargain Basement items by sending an SAE to Bargain
Basement at the address given below, Don't forget to
quote your PA membership number.
RPGATM Module 1 — RAHASIA
A 16-page D&O module designed for 5-8 characters of
levels 1-2, Price f 2.00, post free.
Rahasia the elven maid faces a fate worse than death at
the hands of an evil human. Rahib, who has taken over the
Temple o f t h e Sacred Black Rock, cursed i t s elven
servants, and lured Rahasia's father and her betrothed
into his clutches. You are Rahasia's last hope. Can you
brave the Temple's perils and mete out Justice to Rahib?
'R SERIES' MODULES
The 'A series' AD&DTa adventure modules are produced
by the RPGAT" organisation in the USA and are available
in the UK only to PA members. Each module was designed
for use in a GEN CON t o u r n a m e n t and is suitable for
normal campaign play as well as including extra details
and pre-rolled characters for tournament-style use
Ri - TO THE AID OF FALX
A 16-page module designed for 6 characters of levels
5-9. Price f l .50, post free.
Falx the silver dragon, much to his chagrin, needs some
human aid. The dark powers that control a nearby set of
tunnels have stolen five potions of silver dragon control!
Can the adventurers find the potions before nightfall?
R2 - THE INVESTIGATION OF HYDELL
A 32-page module designed for 5 characters of 5th
level. Price /1.00, post free.
Slinks a r e obedient, semi-human slaves a n d a r e
apparently content with their lot. They are protected by
law, owned by the wealthy and approved of by the church
authorities. Can you sneak into the old ruins to find out
who or what slinks really are and where they come from?
R3 E G G OF THE PHOENIX
A 32-page module designed for 5-8 characters of level
5-9. Price f 2.00, post free.
In the lonely town of Northending, the council has called
paladin Athelstan to their aid. The fabulous artifact known
as the Egg of the Phoenix has been stolen by evil beings.
'MILL DAYS'
The next Mill Day is on Saturday, 10th September;
anyone thinking o f attending t h e following month's
session should note that it will take place on October
22nd, not on the 29th as previously announced.
Mill Days are open to PA members only. There is no fee
but places must be booked in advance. For details, write to
•Players Association Mill Days' at the address below,
enclosing an SAE,
PA PINS
These are half-inch diameter brushed steel badges
carrying our Dragon's-Head logo. They will double as a
lapel badge or tie-pin and will discreetly identify you as a
player and PA member. Price f 0.95 each, post free,
PA T-SHIRTS
White cotton T-shirts with full-colour design of a dragon
towering over the D&D symbol. Available in S, M and L
(please state size when ordering). f 3 50 each, post free,
PAN BACK ISSUES
It always happens No sooner does a magazine come to
an end than its back issues become collector's items. PA
members can obtain back issues of PANs 1-12 for £0.50
each or f 5 00 for a set of 12, post free.
Offers are open to PA members only. Orders to:
PA Special Offers, T S R U K Ltd, T h e M i l l ,
Rathmore Road, CAMBRIDGE CBI 4AD.
Remember t o include y o u r P A membership
number w h e n ordering. A l l offers subject t o
availability.
September 1983
NEWS
THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE BRITISH
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
PLAYERS ASSOCIATION
PA N PIPINGS
Revolutions....
There comes a point in transfers of power
by constitutional means, when the talking
has to stop and the shooting begin. Such
a time has come at TSR UK.
In common with all previous holders of
the office of PAN Editor, Graeme Morris
has stepped down and gone to greater,
more lasting fame, as an ex-editor.
For too long the legitimate aspirations of
the rest of the staff — breathing without
asking permission, lunch hours etc —
went without answer from this monstrous
tyrant. The Day of the Revolucion dawned.
In h i s acceptance address t o t h e as-
sembled staff (and his military advisers
from IMAGINET" magazine) E l Nuevo
Presidente said: 'I shall, of course, do my
humble best in the role of Editor. Dissi-
dents will be freed when the time is right,
and when the political climate settles
down elections may be held on a limited
basis. My people, things will get better!
One day there will be bread and T2!'
Secretary of State Thomson later denied
all knowledge of the presence of forces
from tile rest of the magazine and claimed
that the Revolucion — sorry — 'Legitimate
Transfer of Constitutional Power' was a
purely internal affair, but that aid could be
made available at a later date for policing
operations.
And Revisions
Among other items found in the rubble of
the Editorial Palace were two things of
considerable interest to all D&D players
and members of the PA.
The f i r s t o f these w a s a mysterious
document covered in illiterate scrawl —
obviously the work of GM. When decipher-
ed it proved to be some future plans for
the Players Association.
The PA Newsletter w i l l remain a s a
section in IMAGINE magazine. The re-
sources of time, manpower and material
do n o t allow PAN t o re-emerge a s a
separate entity. However, a news broad-
sheet will be printed quarterly and sent to
PA members. If you are a PA member, the
first should be in your hands within a
month or so. Some of the material will be
familiar B a r g a i n Basement, PA offers,
Mill Day details etc — but the rest will be
new and unique to the broadsheet — a
separate editorial, smaller pieces o n
specialised aspects of the game and some
form o f competition, w i t h pre-release
copies of modules as prizes.
The second item was the n e w revised
D&D® Basic Set, ('Oh no!' I hear you cry,
'not again!'). This isn't really a revision of
the rules as such, although some details
have been tightened up considerably, but
a revision in presentation and emphasis.
The Basic Set now contains two books, a
Players Manual and a Dungeon Masters
Rulebook, which contain all the inform-
ation necessary to start playing the game
from scratch. Of interest to established
players will be the details of what is to
come for the D&D game. The Expert set is
to be revised as well, and the Companion
Set will eventually be published, covering
character progression from 15th to 25th
levels. Beyond the Companion Set is the
Masters Set, detailing the game up to the
36th level. The new sets will be advertised
when they are available, so please do not
order them until then.
And Finally, The Truth....
Graeme has been shifted into production
of full-scale 32 page modules. Those of
you w h o have played i n a n y o f t h e
AD&DTM Open Competitions at Games-
Fair will know that his adventures will be
worth the wait. GM will continue to argue
with me over Dispel Confusion answers,
and write mini-modules for the magazine.
Now, I wonder how I get control of the
editorial column a t t h e f r o n t o f t h e
magazine....
$t6 Mike Brunton
31
DISPEL CONFUSION
Dispel Confusion i s a question a n d
answer column intended to help hobby
garners overcome problems they have
had with game rules.
At present, we can only help with games
produced by ISR; while our answers may
not be fully 'official', we have contact with
the designers themselves. In future, we
hope t o cover games other than TSR
products, by getting answers from those
who make and design them.
But we always need questions - so send
your queries to.. Players Association
(Dispel Confusion), TSR UK Ltd, The
Mill, Rathmore Road, CAMBRIDGE
CB1 4AD.
DUNGEONS & D R A G O N S ®
and ADVANCED DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS® games
Q. W h a t is the meaning of 'standard'
when referring to a monster's magic
resistance? (Advanced)
A. M a g i c resistance has three types of
rating for monsters:
'Standard' means that the monster is
entitled to all relevant saving throws
against whatever spells are being
used against it, in exactly the same
way that characters are allowed a
saving throw against spells.
A percentage rating is the chance of
a spell cast against t h e monster
failing outright. This is in addition to
any saving throw that the recipient of
the spell is entitled to. The percentage
TURNBULL TALKING
Thanks to the many good readers who not
only saw my point about the 'pub game'
(issue 3) but wrote in with multi-legged
pub names (no thanks to he who wrote
saying t h e piece w a s t h e depths o f
banality, since he obviously missed the
point — please engage eyes and brain
before putting biro into gear).
By a long way, the clear maxilegger so far
is 'The Light Brigade' spotted by Robin
Allen. Over 31/2 thousand legs in one pub
is surely unbeatable if your house rules
32
chance given is for a spell cast by an
l l t h level magic-user. The chance is
modified by 5% for every level differ-
ence of the caster e g a 50% magic
resistance bonus for a spell cast by a
1st level magic-user. This means
that 0% magic resistance is really
quite formidable.
'Nil' magic resistance indicates that
the unfortunate monster is not even
entitled to a normal saving throw.
Q. W h e n a cleric turns undead crea-
tures in a confined space such as a
room, what do the undead actually
do? For h o w long are the undead
turned? (Basic/Advanced)
A. U n d e a d monsters successfully turn-
ed by a cleric normally flee as far as
possible. I n a confined space t h e
undead will cower in a corner as far
away as possible from the cleric who
turned them.
The duration of the turning is differ-
ent in each game. In the Basic game
undead are turned away for 1-10
rounds, and in the Advanced game
the turning lasts 3-12 rounds. At the
end o f t h i s p e r i o d t h e u n d e a d
monsters return (or stop cowering)
but are subject t o further turning
attempts by the cleric.
Q. T h e rules state that daggers have a
fire rate o f two per round. Is this
applicable t o daggers i n hand-to-
hand fighting or not? (Advanced)
A. T h e use of the term 'fire rate' makes
it clear t h a t t h i s applies only t o
allow this interpretation. I must now work
out why mine don't, just in case Gary
Gygax spots it first. Where is it? Well, why
on earth should I tell?? Thanks, Robin.
Switching s h a r p l y t o another topic,
though I ' m n o t going t o pick u p t h e
gauntlet discreetly dropped by Kim Daniel
in issue 5 (discreetly? Who am I kidding? I
heard the clang two offices and a flight of
stairs away!), I do share her regret that
the adventure gaming hobby is i n the
main a male enterprise. At the moment,
that is — I am not the only one to hope this
will change.
There i s n o obvious reason w h y this
should be so. Even i f Kim's final con-
tention is right t h a t females are better
players than the fellows —that's all to the
good in role-playing games which are co-
operative rather than competitive. When
Lord Chevasse (one of my newer char-
acters, and a nice chap really) is faced
daggers used as missile weapons —
assuming that sufficient daggers are
available. A dagger can make multi-
ple melee attacks per round, once a
fighter who wields it is of sufficiently
high level.
Q. I n the Players Handbook i t states
that monks attack on the same com-
bat table as thieves, yet in the DMG
(p74) it states that monks attack on
the same combat table as clerics and
druids. Which is correct? (Advanced)
A. T h e Dungeon Masters Guide always
supercedes the Players Handbook in
cases where the rules appear to be
inconsistent.
Q. A r e drow elves psionic or not? The
FIEND FOLIOTM Tome and the G and
D series modules list this ability as
'unknown'. (Advanced)
A. W h e t h e r drow elves are psionic or
not is up to the DM in any particular
campaign. D r a w a r e a l r e a d y a
singularly powerful and flexible group
of monsters for adventurers to deal
with, and this should be borne i n
mind when the DM decides on the
matter of psionics.
Life for characters would not be as
rich if all such mysteries were com-
pletely explained.
Q. D o druids have the same wisdom
bonus f o r spells as clerics? (Ad-
vanced)
A. A s a sub class of cleric, druids do
indeed get the wisdom bonus for
with gruesome death i n Dave Tant's
latest a n d most fiendish adventure, I
want a good character nearby to drag him
to safety. It matters nothing whether that
character is run by male or female.
Certainly I have played in D&DO games
with good female players and mediocre
female players; there are a few really bad
male players but I have not yet met a
female in that category. The only female
DM my characters have encountered is a
pretty good DM, whereas male DMs can
be good, bad or anywhere in between (in
contrast, female drivers are either good or
dire — there doesn't seem t o be any
middle ground).
Kim touches on wargames and has half a
point here too. War is traditionally a male
preoccupation (though Brunehild w a s
allegedly a pretty aggressive cookie and
Boadicea didn't spend much time at home
minding the kids), hence wargaming is
PAN. September 1983

remembered s p e l l s . P a l a d i n s a n d
Rangers do NOT get a bonus for any
exceptional wisdom score when they
become eligible to cast spells.
Q. Are characters of chaotic alignment
evil? (Basic)
A. Alignment i n t h e B a s i c g a m e i s
handled i n a m o r e s i m p l e m a n n e r
than in the Advanced game.
The r u l e b o o k s t a t e s t h a t c h a o t i c
behaviour is w h a t w o u l d be termed
'evil' b y c o n t e m p o r a r y s o c i e t y —
paramount self interest, little concern
for the welfare of others, acting upon
spur-of-the-moment decisions etc —
although m u c h o f t h i s t y p e o f b e -
haviour w o u l d h a v e b e e n q u i t e
acceptable to a medieval nobleman.
Chaotic characters need not necess-
arily commit 'evil' acts all the time in
a D8,1D g a m e , b u t t h e i r unpredict-
ability w o u l d m e a n t h a t t h e i r b e -
haviour was less than honourable for
most of the time.
male-dominated. B u t h o w d o e s t h i s
square w i t h t h e observation t h a t w a r -
garners are generally pacific people w h o
Nould s h u n r e a l w a r b u t w e l c o m e
ntellectual c h a l l e n g e s o v e r a g a m e
Doard? O n t h e o t h e r hand, t h e r e a r e n ' t
any female chess grandmasters, as far as
am aware.
In the end, I believe this phenomenon is
more the product of habit than any other
'actor. There is nothing in D&D or in many
-2ther role-playing g a m e s w h i c h m a k e s
:nem male preserves. Indeed male players
sometimes r u n f e m a l e c h a r a c t e r s a n d
vice versa. I a m n o t convinced t h a t t h e
same i s t r u e f o r c e r t a i n t y p e s o f r o l e -
laying game; the espionage role-playing
game, such as the TOP SECRETim game,
probably appeal less to the fair sex,
3 ace Modesty Blaise and Emma Peel, and
guess t h e s a m e i s t r u e o f t h e G A N G -
3USTERSTm game (who, male or female,
.vants to role play a moll?).
:-AN, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
0. Are the n u m b e r of h i t points w h i c h
can b e c u r e d b y t h e p s i o n i c m i n o r
devotion c e l l a d j u s t m e n t t h e maxi-
mum w h i c h c a n b e c u r e d p e r day?
(Advanced)
A Our interpretation of this discipline is
that the number of hit points cured is
the m a x i m u m w h i c h c a n b e c u r e d
per d a y b y a n y p a r t i c u l a r p s i o n i c
character — t h u s a 4 t h level c l e r i c
could cure 20 hit points per day using
this discipline, a s s u m i n g t h a t t h e
strength point cost could be met. This
use of the discipline does not disallow
the c u r i n g o f disease b y t h e s a m e
method.
Q. C a n an elf be a split-class assassin?
(Advanced)
A N o . The allowable split classes for an
elf a r e d e f i n e d o n p a g e 1 6 o f t h e
Players Handbook, and an assassin
combination i s n o t a l l o w e d . T h e
concepts i n h e r e n t i n assassination
are not really compatible with elves.
I L t Graeme M o r r i s & M i k e B r u n t o n
Simply, I believe that fewer females play
games than males. Full stop. This has no-
thing to do with sex-typing, the liberation
of the 'female or male porcine chauvinism.
It's j u s t a f a c t , s o f a r a s m y o w n
observation goes. S i m i l a r l y I guess t h a t
male drivers and female primary school
teachers are in the respective majority.
It's e n c o u r a g i n g t o s e e s o m e c h a n g e
already. In the three years of GamesFair
the n u m b e r o f f e m a l e d e l e g a t e s h a s
quadrupled (and t h a t ' s n o t j u s t 1 t o 4!)
and there has been a girl in each final o f
the AD&DTM O p e n C h a m p i o n s h i p ( b y
skill, n o t because w e fixed i t t h a t way).
Here's hoping for further change — after
all, both 'sides' w i l l gain in enjoyment of
the hobby.
" 5 Don Tu r n b u l l
(The reason f e w e r w o m e n play games is
because we spend so m u c h time attend-
ing t o m e n ! Proof: I ' m t y p i n g u p D o n ' s
blinkered observations. - KD)
PA
MEMBERSHIP
The PA i s a c l u b for all players o f role
playing g a m e s particularly t h e D & D ®
and A D & D T M g a m e s . S i n c e i t w a s
founded i n 1 9 8 1 , t h e PA h a s b e c o m e
the country's largest D&D club, and now
has t h i s 4-page section i n IMAGINETm
magazine. The benefits of membership
include:
* F r e e badge, sticker and personalised
'credit-card style' membership card.
* S p e c i a l o ff e r s available o n l y t o PA
members, including the 'R' series of
modules a n d Bargain B a s e m e n t —
your c h a n c e t o b u y d a m a g e d - b u t -
usable s t o c k a t g r e a t l y r e d u c e d
prices. F u l l e r details o f t h e special
offers are given on page 31.
* F r e e postage a n d p a c k i n g o n m a i l
orders from TSR UK Ltd for UK and
BFPO members.
* D i s c o u n t s on tickets f o r GamesFair
hobby conventions.
* L i s t i n g s of PA members in your area
(send SAE).
Membership of the PA costs E2.50 per
year f o r n e w U K o r B F P O m e m b e r s
(E2.00 for renewals) and E 5 . 0 0 (or US
$10) f o r o v e r s e a s m e m b e r s . A l l y o u
have to do is fill in this coupon and send
it to:
PA Memberships, TSR UK Ltd, The Mill,
Rathmore R d , C a m b r i d g e C B 1 4 A D ,
England
together w i t h a cheque or postal order
made payable to TSR UK Ltd.
Li P l e a s e enrol me as a n e w member of
the Players Association. I enclose a
cheque/PO f o r E2.50 (overseas
E5.00 or US $10).
10 P l e a s e renew my membership of the
PA. I enclose a cheque/PO for £2.00
(overseas f 5.00 or US $10).
My PA number is
Name ( M r / M r s / M i s s / M s )
Address
I d o / d o not w i s h my name and address
to be available to other members.
(* delete as appropriate) 1 6
33
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34
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PAN, September 1983
 Firm Review
This m o n t h Colin Greenland takes a
look at some of the latest films on the
sci-fi/fantasy circuit: A n d r o i d ,
Something Wicked This Way Comes
and o f course - Return o f the J e r k

In the old days mad scientists always had arrival of the 'Autumn People', by train, at incandescent i n h i s f i n g e r s a s h e
labs a t t h e t o p s o f t o w e r s (really m u s t dead o f n i g h t , w i t h a l l t h e g a u d y a n d crumples it and casts it irrevocably away.
have been mad a l l those stairs to climb sinister paraphernalia o f Dark's Pande-
every t i m e you forgot a test tube). A f t e r monium C a r n i v a l . J o n a t h a n P r y c e i s Oh, yes, and then there is R e t u r n o f the
that, they worked in secret subterranean nicely nasty as M r Dark, t h e devil w h o Jodi (Fox, U). The pantomime continues.
hideaways. N o w they're back on high, in brings r e a l e v i l t o G r e e n t o w n , a n d Hooray for the rebels! Boo for the Empire,
orbital space stations. A n y t h i n g for a bit especially i n t o t h e l i v e s o f y o u n g W i l l now b u i l d i n g a n o t h e r D e a t h S t a r. W i l l
of privacy. Halloway and Jim Nightshade. His Carni- they never learn? Is Han Solo still alive?
val o f f e r s p e o p l e i n s t a n t e s c a p e f r o m How will he escape the sluglike clutches
The year i s 2 0 3 6 , t h e scene i s Te r r a c o their humdrum lives — but at a price they of Jabba t h e Hutt? Is Darth Vader really
Station ULC53, t h e m a d scientist i s D r were n o t b a r g a i n i n g f o r. D a r k a n d h i s Skywalker, Snr? All is revealed, as neatly
Daniel, played by Klaus Kinski, every bit
as c r a z e d a n d m a s t e r f u l f o r d i r e c t o r
Aaron Lipstadt as he ever was for Werner
Herzog. The film is A n d r o i d (New World,
15). D r Daniel's Cassandra 1 Project, t o
make t h e perfect android, h a s officially
been terminated since the robot revolt in
Munich. But you k n o w these mad scient-
ists.... Nothing w i l l stop Daniel n o w, n o t
even i n t e r r u p t i o n b y t h r e e d a n g e r o u s
convicts on t h e run. In fact, h e sees the
surprise visit as a chance to steal the life-
force o f o n e o f t h e m t o a n i m a t e Cass-
andra,

Android i s a n e a t little film, s h o w i n g

what can be done on a small budget with
ingenuity and care. It is nothing new in SF
cinema — even the plot-twists have been
cribbed f r o m o t h e r movies, p a r t i c u l a r l y
Alien a n d B l a d e R u n n e r, t h o u g h n o
acknowledgement i s m a d e t o R i d l e y
Scott. T h e o r i g i n a l t h a t L i p s t a d t d o e s
honour is Fritz Lang's Metropolis, w h i c h
is i n S t a t i o n U L C 5 3 ' s video archive. D r
Daniel even looks just like the villainous
Rotwang. B u t the star of Android is Don
Opper a s M a x 4 0 4 , t h e doctor's l o n e l y
assistant, w h o has never m e t a w o m a n
until the convicts arrive, and who dreads
that w h e n Cassandra i s operational, h e
will be out of a job a n d worse.
SOMETHING WICKED THIS W AY C O M E S 1 9 8 3 Wa l t D i s n e y P r o d u c t i o n s .
Walt D i s n e y Productions introduce Ray The Dust W i t c h (Pam Grier), t h e ethereal e m i s s a r y of evil f r o m a m y s t e r i o u s travelling carnival
Bradbury to the big screen in S o m e t h i n g despatches a t a r a n t u l a to find W i n a n d Jim.

Wicked This Way Comes (Disney, PG). It

an obvious pairing: both partners have
made a m i n t o u t o f m i n i n g t h e h e a r t o f
America s p e c i f i c a l l y t h e dreams and
nightmares o f boyhood i n t h a t f r i e n d l y
little old t o w n i n t h e mid-West. ' S o m e -
times a m a n can learn m o r e from o t h e r
men's dreams than he can from his own.'
This is a faithful adaptation by the author,
full o f lines like that, r i c h w i t h w i s d o m
and s e n t i m e n t a n d w h o l e s o m e c o u n t r y
goodness w h i c h i s all a b i t m u c h f o r an
ageing city cynic like me, though I remem-
Der being spellbound by Bradbury's tales
too, w h e n I were a lad.
Well, as usual, in Greentown, Illinois it is
1930 — October, t o be exact, t h a t m o s t
Bradburyan o f months, and t i m e for the
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
roustabouts 'destroy people by granting
their dearest wishes' n e a t , that. And in
the transformations and fantasies of the
story, special effects team Lee Dyer and
Steve McEveety really go to the limit.
This i s o n e f o r t h e SFX connoisseur, a
visual feast. Oddly, among all t h e grand
displays t h e transdimensional carous-
el, t h e maddening M a z e o f Mirrors, t h e
cataclysmic tornado — the scene w h i c h
has g r i p p e d e v e r y b o d y ' s i m a g i n a t i o n ,
from Bradbury himself to the most jaded
movie critic, is a little one. Dark corners
Will's f a t h e r i n t h e t o w n l i b r a r y a n d
torments him with the vanished years. As
he tears page after page from the book of
Holloway's l i f e , e a c h l i g h t s u p b r i e f l y,
as Shakespeare used to do it, in accord-
ance w i t h t h e m a s t e r - p l a n o f G e o r g e
Lucas, ably executed by director Richard
Marquand. M u c h t h e tightest a n d m o s t
exciting o f t h e t r i l o g y, w i t h e x c e l l e n t
matte-work and modelling, though some
of the superimposition is still a bit rough.
You w o u l d think a series like Star Wars,
fuelled b y p u b l i c a d o r a t i o n , c o a s t i n g
along o n t h e h y p e r d r i v e o f i t s o w n
hyperboles, w o u l d get inexorably worse.
It is not. It is getting better.
.01,k5 Colin G r e e n l a n d
Co/in G r e e n l a n d w i l l r e t u r n t o r e v i e w m o r e
films i n i s s u e 8 . N e x t m o n t h D a v e P r i n g l e
strikes b a c k w i t h a n o t h e r s e l e c t i o n o f n e w
book releases likely to be o f interest adventure
garners.
35
CHAIN MAILbyBra
i nCreese
Anew bi-montlity feature about the postalgaminghobby
DIPLOMACY
The w h o l e h o b b y o f p o s t a l g a m i n g i s
based on the board game Diplomacy, so it
seems natural to start my series on postal
games w i t h this game, the (postal) daddy
of them all.
Like m o s t g o o d g a m e s , D i p l o m a c y i s
essentially very simple. There are seven
players, e a c h r e p r e s e n t i n g a m a j o r
European p o w e r a t t h e t u r n o f t h e
century. T h e p l a y i n g a r e a i s a m a p o f
Europe divided i n t o provinces; typically
there a r e f i v e o r s i x p r o v i n c e s t o a
country. Certain o f these provinces a r e
designated Supply Centres — and these
are the provinces that count.
Considered as a War Game, Diplomacy is
childishly simple. The object is to control
over h a l f t h e S u p p l y Centres i n Europe
(18 out of 34). To do this you have armies
and fleets w h i c h move one province at a
time. Combat is simplicity itself, units can
combine i n a n action, t h e greater c o m -
bination w i n s forcing the loser to retreat
his or her unit. There are certain strategic
and t a c t i c a l i d e a s w h i c h c a n b e c o n -
sidered, b u t t h e g a m e a t t h i s l e v e l i s
extremely straightforward.
The g r e a t achievement o f Diplomacy i s
the concept o f ....diplomacy. I n s t e a d o f
playing in turns, all players submit 'orders'
simultaneously. A deadline is set (say 20
minutes i n a face-to-face game) and all
orders m u s t b e g i v e n i n a t t h a t t i m e .
Secondly you are encouraged, indeed you
have to talk to the other players. Because
you s t a r t as one o f seven equal p o w e r s
and aim to be bigger than the rest you will
need t h e h e l p o f o t h e r players. T h e y,
similarly, w i l l n e e d y o u r help. This h e l p
may b e l o w - k e y — n o t attacking e a c h
other — o r , m o r e o b v i o u s l y, a c t u a l l y
supporting each other's units in attacks.
The 20 minutes will be spent negotiating
with the other players, but as the moves
are revealed together, y o u do n o t k n o w
whether they are telling the truth. W h e n
the orders a r e revealed t h e m o m e n t o f
truth arrives, and it is a rare game indeed
in w h i c h the very first set of orders does
not see a couple of pale faces and cries of
'stab!'.
Playing D i p l o m a c y f a c e - t o - f a c e i s a n
exhausting business; a f t e r t h e f i r s t f e w
hours (a typical game may last about 18
moves) t h e w i n n e r i s l i k e l y t o b e t h e
person w i t h t h e greatest energy rather
than o f t h e h i g h e s t creativity. Logistics
can t e n d t o be a problem, a s t h e Triple
Alliance squeezes into the loo to avoid the
Russian w h o sits sulkily on the stairs. M y
first ever attempt at the game came to an
36
end w h e n my great plans were overheard
through t h e dining r o o m hatch! Playing
by p o s t , h o w e v e r , a l l o w s d e a d l i n e s
several weeks apart giving as much time
as you want for strategic planning, letters
and phone calls. It really is an ideal game
for p l a y i n g b y p o s t s i n c e t h e g a m e i s
improved by the longer deadlines, w h i l e
the simultaneous revelation of orders is
ideally catered for by the zine format; the
basic game also needs virtually no change
to i t s r u l e s f o r adaption t o postal p l a y.
Indeed, a l l t h a t i s required o f someone
running p o s t a l D i p l o m a c y i s a f a i r l y
simple s e t o f ' h o u s e r u l e s ' t o c o v e r
eventualities such as orders posted before
the deadline but being delayed.
Most postal zines provide opportunities to
play Diplomacy. H o w, t h e n , s h o u l d y o u
decide w h i c h one to play in? In m y v i e w
Diplomacy i s a g a m e t h a t r e q u i r e s a
reasonably r e l i a b l e p r o g r e s s b u t w i t h
sufficient t i m e for the diplomatic aspect
(letters, phone-calls etc). I like there to be
about three weeks from receipt of the zine
to the next deadline — any less and I tend
not to bother writing the necessary letters
and d e p e n d i n s t e a d o n a l a s t m i n u t e
phone call. I also dislike having to wait too
long f o r t h e adjudication ( t u r n r o u n d i n
Diplomacy parlance); o t h e r w i s e I l o s e
momentum — or in one game I'm playing,
forget w h y I ordered the moves I did! A n y
regular, efficient zine is a good place to
play the game.
One or two zines have set themselves up
as b e i n g f o r t h e e x p e r t . T h e s e a r e
characterised by very harsh G M i n g (the
GM is t h e one w h o r u n s the game) and
house r u l e s . I n t h e s e zines, expect n o
mercy i f y o u r p e n s l i p s w h e n w r i t i n g
orders, or if they arrive by the second post
on d e a d l i n e d a y r a t h e r t h a n t h e f i r s t .
There a r e also o t h e r zines w h i c h e n j o y
the d e v i o u s a s p e c t o f t h e g a m e a n d
actively e n c o u r a g e i m a g i n a t i v e c o u p s .
This is a controversial area. The world of
postal Diplomacy can be an unscrupulous
place. If you write a letter to B saying that
you i n t e n d t e a r i n g C a p a r t , d o n ' t b e
surprised if B photocopies your letter and
sends i t t o C f o r you! T h e r e h a v e b e e n
,
IJiplamacq
many famous coups in t h e past, usually
involving i m p e r s o n a t i n g e i t h e r a n o t h e r
player o r t h e G M , o r s e n d i n g o u t f a k e
copies o f t h e z i n e y o u a r e p l a y i n g i n .
These t h i n g s do happen, t h o u g h n o t as
often as you may expect at first.
Avid games-players s h o u l d b e w a r n e d
that once you have played Diplomacy, no
game is the same again. The essence of
the g a m e i s t h a t t h e w e a k e r p o w e r s
should always band together against the
stronger ones, t h u s redressing t h e
balance; t h e r e are f e w games i n w h i c h
this p r i n c i p l e c a n n o t b e a p p l i e d , a n d
committed Diplomacy players can always
be spotted at the Monopoly table, pointing
out t o t h e holder o f M a y f a i r t h e advan-
tages of an alliance against the holder of
the Old Kent Road....
Diplomacy i s a n i d e a l s t a r t t o p o s t a l
gaming. You can play in almost any zine,
the mechanics are very simple and o n e
game does not take up a vast a m o u n t of
time. A typical game will take between 18
months a n d t w o years and c a n provide
you w i t h any amount of joy and probably
horror as well. Truly, Diplomacy must be
considered one of the great games of our
time.
UV Brian Creese
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
 STEVEJACKSON ) 1 4 ta
MINIATURES

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Please mention IMAGINE'm magazine when replying to advertisements 37

Well i t h a d t o h a p p e n s o o n e r o r l a t e r.
With A c o l y t e r u n n i n g t o f i v e - w e e k l y
deadlines a n d IMAGINErm magazine t o
monthly ones, the time must arrive when
the t w o c o m e i n t o c o n j u n c t i o n . Q u i t e
what the astrological significance of this
is I'm n o t sure, b u t the effects are fairly
drastic. Here am I, r u s h i n g around trying
to get my 'zine out on time, and I suddenly
remember that I have to do a Tavern Talk
as well. A h well, things could be worse.
When you're reading this, and my dead-
line f o r i s s u e 8 c o m e s a r o u n d , I ' l l b e
somewhere i n t h e w i l d s o f Scotland on
my honeymoon. Gods only know what I'll
write about then, but I doubt that it will be
FRP!
Anyway, t o business, i t ' s apology time.
Remember i s s u e 3 ' s l e t t e r c o l u m n ?
Awful, w a s n ' t it. I expect most of you sat
there aghast, wondering who these idiots
were a n d w h y t h e y w e r e so fulsome i n
their praise of my witterings. The answer
is simple: t h e y w e r e all fanzine editors,
and the reason they were buttering me up
so much is that they want me to mention
their n a m e s a n d 'zines i n t h i s column.
Tough: a n y o n e w a n t i n g t h e i r n a m e s
dropped here has to do something news-
worthy, a n d w i t h t h e departure of M a r c
Gascoigne there are precious few person-
alities t o gossip about. T h e y a r e t r y i n g
hard, t h o u g h . M a t t Q u a r t e r b r a i n h a s
managed t o m a k e h i m s e l f notorious b y
turning up at The Lamb and talking louder
than anyone else and Steve Norledge of
Te m p e s t u o u s O r i f i c e s e e m s t o b e a
graduate o f t h e B r i a n D o l t o n School o f
Self-Publicity t h r o u g h C o p i o u s L e t t e r -
Writing. But in search of really good copy I
have t o t u r n o n c e m o r e t o t h e p o s t a l
games hobby.
Pete Doubleday is crazy. Subscribers t o
his fanzine will know this already. Its title,
The Thing on t h e M a t , has that special,
Lovecraftian air which suggests not only
the unspeakable, indescribable and u n -
nameable (good phrase t h a t , M r L a n g -
ford), but quite possibly the unreadable as
well. It is, by w h i c h I mean t h a t I f i n d it,
difficult t o read m o r e t h a n a f e w pages
without collapsing w i t h laughter. T h i n g
isn't to everyone's taste — Doubleday has
such e l e g a n t c o m m a n d o f t h e s e a m i e r
side of the English language that the 'zine
acts a s a + 5 a m u l e t o f p r o t e c t i o n v s
members of the Moral Majority b u t it is
crazy, because Doubleday is, because I
have the proof.
Picture, i f y o u w i l l , a n ' h a r d w o r k i n g '
history student at Oxford just about to sit
his finals. And history finals at Oxford are
38
still serious — 100% of your degree rests
on t h e m . U n d e r t h o s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s ,
most editors would give their 'zines a rest.
Not Doubleday — h e p u t o u t a n o r m a l
issue ( i f T h i n g c o u l d e v e r b e c a l l e d
'normal'). Why? Because he's crazy, and
because he had something to tell people
— he stood for Parliament. N o w Polling
Day was just two days after his last exam,
so campaigning and revision w e n t hand
in hand. I repeat, he's crazy. Unfortunate-
ly, the good burghers of Oxford w e r e not
over-enamoured w i t h t h e c a n d i d a t e o f
the C e r e b u s t h e A a r d v a r k p a r t y a n d
awarded h i m s o f e w crosses t h a t m y
newspaper s a w f i t o n l y t o l u m p h i m
together w i t h t w o f e l l o w eccentrics a s
'Others' w i t h o n l y 2 0 7 v o t e s b e t w e e n
them. Obviously the world is not yet ready
for t h e c o n c e p t o f f a n z i n e e d i t o r s i n
Parliament. B u t people should b e m o r e
kind to lunatics, don't you think?
In the interests of public safety I a m n o t
allowed to give an address for Thing on
the Mat. Besides, Doubleday has a froth-
ing h a t r e d o f a l l t h i n g s r o l e - p l a y i n g ,
matched o n l y b y h i s f r o t h i n g h a t r e d o f
everything else in the world except Bruce
Springsteen and Phillip K Dick. I f you're
really interested you'll find the address in
20 Years On.
Remember my comments about the pro-
fusion o f TM and 'c s i g n s t h a t adorn t h e
names of TSR products? Well the sarcastic
comments c o n t i n u e t o g u s h f o r t h i n
fanzine r e v i e w s o f IMAGINE magazine.
One that caught my eye was this piece by
John Harrington in Take That You Fiend:
'the constant "hands o ff " warnings after
every m e n t i o n o f TSR-related products
destroys the friendly ambience created by
the rest of the publication. There is, I feel,
an i m p l i e d c o n d e m n a t i o n t h a t anybody
who p l a y s a n FRP g a m e b y a n y o t h e r
company is a witless heretic'. Now I could
say, ' W h a t do you expect from someone
who plays Tunnels and Trolls', but Chris
Harvey would sue me and anyway I think
TSR's m a r k e t i n g d e p a r t m e n t c o u l d d o
with the feedback.
Finally, w i t h S o l I I I h a v i n g c o m e a n d
gone, a n d g o t i t s e l f o n t o R a d i o ' s
'Platform 9 ' , r e d u c i n g J a n i c e L o n g t o
hysterics at the mere thought of Trekkie-
ism in the process, an idle thought occurs
to me. Is it not time we had a proper FRP
fan convention? I mean, GamesFair is all
very well, b u t w e can't expect to rely on
'Uncle D o n ' s ' generosity for everything.
SF fans can do it, Diplomacy players can
do it. W h y not us too?
IOU Pete Tamlyn
letters letters letters letters....letters letters. letters
Letters
IMAGINElm magazine invites its readers
to w r i t e on any subject that m i g h t be o f
interest t o o t h e r adventure garners.
Correspondence s h o u l d be addressed to
IMAGINE magazine (Letters), T h e M i l l ,
Rathmore Road, C a m b r i d g e C B I 4 A D .
Letters a p p e a r i n g i n t h i s c o l u m n a r e
edited for length.
We h a v e p r o v o k e d a f a i r a m o u n t o f
comment on the thorny subjects o f role-
playing, realism and rules:
R. S t e v e n s o n , E s s e x : O f a l l t h e r o l e -
playing g a m e s I've played, n o t o n e can
truly g e t y o u i n a r o l e - p l a y i n g m o o d
unless you are fortunate enough to know
talented D M s o r p u t i n t h e a m o u n t o f
effort needed to be in h a r m o n y w i t h t h e
game. R u n e q u e s t and Tu n n e l s & Tr o l l s
succeed in cutting down game mechanics
to the m i n i m u m so you can g e t on w i t h
the actual role-playing.
Mike L e w i s , B r o a d s t a i r s : T h e r e a s o n I
said that the AD&Drm game wasn't a role-
playing game is because, if played to the
letter o f t h e r u l e s i t c a n ' t b e . I w o u l d
define a n R P G a s a g a m e w h e r e t h e
player is free to play a character with full
depth o f r o l e visualised, w i t h a c t i o n s
taken by the character depending on that
character's make-up, emotions etc.
Taking A d v a n c e d t o t h e l e t t e r o f t h e
rules and playing it w i t h all official r u l e s
such a s alignments, c h a r a c t e r classes,
etc i t is n o t a role-playing g a m e b y t h e
above definition. A player does not play a
unique character b u t h a s a c h o i c e o f a
meets....clubs & hobbymeets....clubs & hobbymeets c l u b s
Clubs & Hobbymeets
Rowan Wilson, of 7 Rozledene, Hindhead,
SURREY G U 2 6 6 T W, telephoned t o ask
us to enquire if players in the G u i l d f o r d
area if they are interested in setting up a
gaming club. Rowan is particularly inter-
ested in the Traveller game, but any RPG
would do. Anyone who thinks it might be
a good idea, should contact Rowan at the
above address.
The Phantasmal Forces Fantasy G r o u p
meets every Thursday night at 7.30pm in
the N A L G O c l u b , 2 0 L o r d S t . W e s t ,
Blackburn. The ' i n f o r m a n t ' i n t h i s case
was one S m u r f Esq, w h o gives his mate
G. Pearson (tel: Blackburn (0254) 665898)
as contact.
A n e w contact has been a n n o u n c e d for
the G l a s g o w h o b b y m e e t , p r e v i o u s l y
advertised in this column. Wallace Nicoll,
194 Hawkhead Road, Paisley, G l a s g o w
(tel: 0 4 1 - 8 8 9 - 7 0 4 2 ) has all the details.
And there is now a second London 'meet,
Beastmeet, a t t h e ' D u k e o f A r g y l l ' i n
Brewer Street, Piccadilly, on odd Fridays.
Contact B r i a n D o l t o n , 9 4 Wa d d i n g t o n
Avenue, Old Coulsdon, Surrey CR3 1C1N.
IMAGINE magazine, September 1983
'et ters ...letters...letters l e t t e r s l e t ters....let ters. l e t t e r s . ietters....letters...letters....letters....letters....letters....letters....letters....letters....letters....letters.„.letters...,letters.. l e t ters....leters..„let ters...letters

number of set characters (classes) each yers. These people give the A M I D game a weapons' table so at fourth level they can
of w h i c h is then f u r t h e r sub-divided into bad n a m e . S u c h players do n o t use t h e hit c r e a t u r e s h i t o n l y b y +1 o r b e t t e r
alignments. All this is artificial. game as it was designed to be used, as a weapons.
tool. M a n y people play the rules, not the
But isn't it all artificial? The argument has role-playing game. Richard Egan, Bristol: I was surprised to
been expressed before that devices such The o n l y r e a l d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n see that 'Barbarians may be of any non-
as character classes help players to role- various RPGs (if played properly) is their lawful alignment'. Surely many barbarian
play, r a t h e r than a l l o w i n g them to r u n a background flavour. I t has nothing to do tribes w o u l d b e s t r i c t l y l a w f u l , a s i n
series o f m u l t i - t a l e n t e d super-beings. with w h e t h e r you have parries or not or Africa, a continent whose history I have
Then again, i f the players need that MUCI1 whether h i t p o i n t s a r e fixed. I t a l w a y s studied i n d e p t h . T h e o b s e r v a t i o n o f
help, m a y b e t h e y a r e n ' t very good ro/e- makes me cringe w h e n people say that a inheritance, a n c e s t o r w o r s h i p , t h e a l l -
p/ayersanyway. I just thought I'd say that combat system is unrealistic. A l l t h a t is powerful t r i b a l c h i e f , t h e w i t c h d o c t o r,
before Pete Tamlyn did. important is that an acceptable result is leadership b y r i g h t o f c h a l l e n g e a n d
reached quickly so that the skilled player human s a c r i f i c e s a l l s u g g e s t a l a w f u l
Mike L e w i s , ( a g a i n ) : I t h i n k t h a t D o n wins and the thick player loses. neutral a l i g n m e n t . S u c h p e o p l e w e r e
Turnbull really misses the w h o l e drift of scared witless of offending superstitions,
the realism argument. It is not so m u c h Whatever h a p p e n e d t o co-operation castes a n d m o r e s t h a t b u i l t u p a v e r y
that the games should represent the real between p l a y e r s ? M o r e t o t h e p o i n t , lawful society.
life s i t u a t i o n — t h a t c a n ' t a p p l y i n a supposing the skilled player is playing a
fantasy situation, obviously. The point is dense f i g h t i n g m a c h i n e o r t h e t h i c k I'll be g l a d w h e n people s t a r t m o a n i n g
that games should have an inner logic, so player is playing a super-genius? I don't about the Thief-Acrobat instead.
that everything slots together and stands think we've heard the last of this.
as a whole. A game based in a 'realistic' Paul Vale, D a r t f o r d : Don Turnbull seems
world i s f a r m o r e s a t i s f y i n g t h a n o n e We haven't heard the last of the Barbarian to b e l i m i t e d i n h i s f i e l d o f vision. H i s
where r e d d r a g o n s m i x f r e e l y w i t h either.... rejection o f e v i l a s a n a l i g n m e n t f o r
vampires on city streets. player-characters i s a l i t t l e l a c k i n g i n
Niall G o r d o n , P e t e r b o r o u g h : Yo u r ver- foresight. In one campaign I successfully
M a t t Quartermain, Crawley: It has been sion o f t h e B a r b a r i a n c h a r a c t e r c l a s s play an anti-paladin (Best of Dragon, vol
said that introducing people to ERP via the contains one omission and one h o w l i n g 2). I admit it is not very easy but I enjoy the
game o f f t h e s h e l f generates a c e r t a i n error. From DRAGONTM magazine, issue power afforded me by the class.
amount of literal-mindedness as regards 67, y o u o m i t t e d t h e i m p o r t a n t l i n e
rules. Thank Bahamut for Roger Musson's 'Barbarians do not need training to go up I'm not sure I've anything to say about this
latest Stirge Corner for pointing o u t the levels.' letter i n p a r t i c u l a r, b u t P a u l M a s o n ' s
folly of rules lawyers. The only real w a y 'They need n o m a g i c w e a p o n s t o h i t article in issue 4 s h o w e d that there can
people can be introduced to the hobby is magic-laden monsters such as gargoyles, be value in playing evil characters. I don't
via an introduction from others. demons or golems.' This line appeared in think 'power' is what he meant.
issue 67 as a general statement but you
Steve N o r l e d g e , W e s t W i c k h a m , Kent: printed it as a rule. Barbarians in fact use
Roger M u s s o n i s r i g h t about rules l a w - the ' c r e a t u r e s s t r u c k o n l y b y m a g i c Letters edited by Paul Cockburn

,ents....events....events....events....events....events e v e n t s e v e n t s e v e n t s . . . . e v e n t s . e _ n e x t issue...Alexi issue....next issue....next issue....next issue .next Issue....next i s s u e _

Events Next Issue

Last c a l l f o r M y t h c o n . T h i s f a n t a s y c o n v e n t i o n DRAGONQUESTrm special!
takes place on the weekend of 16-18th September
at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham. There will be a
D&D g a m e c o m p e t i t i o n , g u e s t s o f h o n o u r, * Beauty Is But Skin Deep
videos, a d e a l e r s r o o m a n d o t h e r attractions. A module for the
Send a S S A E t o To n y Buck, 1 5 8 W e s t Wa y,
Raynes Park, LONDON S W 2 0 8LS for details.
DRAGONQUEST game
But hurry!
* A n Introduction to the DRAGON-
Anyone living i n Essex m i g h t like t o k n o w
QUEST game, b y Robert Kern,
that on Saturday 2 2 n d O c t o b e r o n ,
the first ever gaming conve t i o e d one of those behind the game.
by Pentacle Pro I I b n g place
between 0 o find o u t the
d I s n act R . S t e v e n s o n , T h e plus
F Baker, Eyfield Road, ONGAR, Essex
C O H W
* T h e Gypsy, a story of vengeance and
Schizophrenics are probably looking forward to the weekend of eerie power, by Graeme Davis
5-6th N o v e m b e r. G a m e s D a y ' 8 3 w i l l b e a t t h e R o y a l
Horticultural Hall, London, w i t h the usual array of gaming and The Philosopher's Stone, part two of our prize
dealers. N o r t h e r n M i l i t a i r e takes place at Oldham Civic Hall,
(details f r o m H i n c h c l i f f e M o d e l s , 2 1 S t a t i o n S t ; M e l t h a m ,
competition
Huddersfield), w h i l e 1 0 minutes away, in Oldham Parish Hall,
off St Mary Way, Ta m e s i d e Science Fiction M o d e l l i n g Society The Imagination Machine a d v i c e for micro
has a show of models, full-size costumes and games. Contact J garners; Ta v e r n Ta l k ; PA N ; n e w s ; r e v i e w s ;
R Maley, 6 3 M o u n t Rd, Gorton, M a n c h e s t e r M 1 8 7BZ. Lastly,
letters; the Sword of Alabron; Stirge Corner and
Novacon, the SF convention w i l l be at the Royal A n g u s Hotel.
Contact Chris Donaldson, 46 Colwyn Rd, Beeston, Leeds 11.
lots more.
VAGINE magazine, September 1983 39
zines fanzines....fanzines....lanzines....lanzines.•Janzines....fanzines....fanzines...•lanzines....fanzines

Fanzines
Another look through our monthly collect-
ion o f a s s o r t e d p u b l i c a t i o n s f r o m t h e
amateur end of the hobby. O t h e r editors
should note that the only thing stopping
their zine being similarly exposed is the
fact that they never send us a copy.
Mad P o l i c y 8 5 a n n o u n c e d a price rise.
Richard Walkerdine, 144 Stoughton Road,
Guildford, SURREY GU2 6PG has had to
put the price of later issues up to 18p. Has
the Zine Poll c o s t so much? It seems to
have dropped Richard i n t o trouble over
the eligibility rules he announced for the
poll. Mad Policy runs Diplomacy, Formula
1 a n d Finchley Central (sic).
Gazfinc 2 c a m e i n t h e s a m e envelope,
although i t is n o w independent. This i s
the place to play Finchley Central, and the
place to find o u t w h a t the game actually
1op f r o m R i c h a r d B a i r s t o w, 2 0
Queen's Drive, Guildford GU2 6PP.
EUROPEAN
Psychopath 7 s h o w s c o n t i n u i n g style.
An En Garde, El Nabisco zine from M i k e
Dean, Rm38b West Park Hall, 3 1 9 Perth
IrCillgt/lI7VA(11m
Road, D u n d e e D D 2 1 N N f o r 3 5 p . T h e
letters c o l u m n i s spicing u p nicely, a n d
the GamesDay North r e v i e w was neatly V w ideas for the popular game,
done. Worth a look.
by Geo': Hogan and Cathy Pash
Zine To B e Believed 1 4 concerns itself
most w i t h developments i n t h e h o b b y,
and with its myriad Diplomacy, 1829, and
others f r o m N i c k Kinzett, 11 D a l e w a y
Road, Green Lane, Coventry CV3 6JF.
Greatest H i t s 1 0 8 w i n s t h e a w a r d f o r
journalistic coup of the month with 'Irving
Goes T o G a m e s F a i r ' , a b l o w - b y - b l o w
account o f t h e Reading event, a n d very
funny. T h e coup? Well, a s I r e m e m b e r,
Irving d i d n ' t a r r i v e u n t i l t h e m i d d l e o f
Sunday afternoon, so he missed 80% of it.
Pete Birks, 3 9 Handforth Road, L o n d o n
SVV9 OLL knows h o w he did it.

A c o l y t e 4 8 arrived on time, even though N M R 4 0 arrived from Brian Creese, 256

Pete Tamlyn found himself writing it and
his column for this magazine on the same
weekend. His article on paganism i n 4 7
has stirred up some flak; in fact the letters
column is great reading. This is the issue
where Ian Marsh showed that he is a TSR
lackey in the making. Diplomacy, Sopwith,
and many other games from 6 Broughton
Close, Bierton, Aylesbury HP22 5111
Take T h a t Yo u F i e n d 8 h a s stolen t h e
Acolyte style of having the games material
in a separate section, clearly a sign o f a
weaker stapler, since Acolyte is thicker.
The election post-mortem and FRP ideas
are separated b y a s w i p i n g r e v i e w o f
IMAGINE-Nil m a g a z i n e , p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e
bits that say TM and * . J o h n Harrington,
The Porch, 82 Hacton Drive, Hornchurch,
Essex RM12 6DP sent it to me; send 35p
and help him buy the rest of his house.
Walamalaysia Gazette 31 i s pretty thin.
An En G a r d e zine w i t h o n l y 5 pages o f
reading m a t t e r f r o m D a v e Thorby, 2 0 0
Lavender Hill, Enfield, Middlesex.
War M a c h i n e 1 9 c o n t i n u e s i t s u s e f u l
service t o t h e micro-fans. Reviews, tips
and programs from Mike Costello, Emjay,
17 Langbank Avenue, Rise Park, Notting-
ham N G 5 5 B U ; f 1 2 a n n u a l l y f o r 1 2
issues. A useful zine. A n d from the same
address....
Wa r g a m e N e w s 6 tries to offer the same
service to wargamers. £ 7 for 1 2 issues.
Joint subscriptions are available.
40
Canbury Park Road, Kingston, Surrey KT2
6LG. B r i a n i s t h e l a t e s t r e c r u i t t o o u r
posse o f contributors and t h e results o f
his labours are on page 36. If you w e r e
that impressed NMR has hobbynews, the
pub guide part 10b, reviews, letters and
Diplomacy and Railway Rivals among the
games.
Hopscotch 3 2 comes from A l a n Parr, 6
Longfield G a r d e n s , Tr i n g , H e r t s H P 2 3
4DN, the latest recruit to somebody else's
posse of contributors. Alan is going to be
writing for Games Gazette, w h i c h m u s t
prove a good step for that magazine. Why
didn't we get him?
Astradyne 6 0 closed o f f a successful
Soccerboss season. Just like J i m m y Hill,
Ian L e e ( 4 9 F l e e t A v e n u e , U p m i n s t e r,
Essex) will be back before you k n o w he's
gone.
Ansible 3 3 s h o w s that gaming fanzines
aren't the only ones to have polls w h e r e
outsiders c a n ' t u n d e r s t a n d a n y o f it. I f
you're interested i n t h e f a n e n d o f SF,
contact Dave Langford, 9 4 London Road,
Reading, Berkshire RG1 5 A U .
Fantasy Advertiser 79 is excellent value
for c o m i c f a n s a t 4 0 p . F o r t h c o m i n g
comics, reviews, news and a RPG column;
from M a r t i n L o c k , 3 M a r l o w C o u r t ,
Britannia Square, Worcester WR1 3 D P.
Lastly, our new membership of the British
Science Fiction Association (E7 pa) has
brought u s V e c t o r 1 1 4 , t h e c r i t i c a l
journal o f the BSFA, Paperback I n f e r n o
vol 6 , n o 4 , a r e v i e w v e h i c l e f o r S E
paperbacks a n d M a t r i x 4 7 w h i c h i t s e l f
proved t h a t g a m i n g fanzines a r e n ' t t h e
only ones with funny names. Fandorn o f
the O p e r a ? D e t a i l s o f t h e association
from Sandy Brown, 1 8 Gordon Terrace,
Blantyre, Lanarkshire G72 9NA.
_W. Paul Cockburn
Illuminati, the game of world conquest by
stealth a n d g u i l e h a s b e c o m e q u i t e a
successful p r o d u c t f o r S t e v e J a c k s o n
Games of Austin, Texas. It offers just the
right m i x t u r e o f g o o d o l d - f a s h i o n e d
competition a n d p l a i n s t u p i d i t y t h a t
enthrals gamers everywhere. B u t for us
cultured Europeans it contains a problem.
All those Americanisms.
It i s n ' t cards like Democrats o r t h e F B I
that cause the problem — I mean, w e all
read the Grauniad, don't we — but w h a t
is the Fred Birch Society? What happened
to t h e Unions, t h e Railways, t h e G a m e
Companies?
Geof. Hogan and Cathy Pash have come
up w i t h t h e a n s w e r — t h e E u r o p e a n
Illuminati. C o m p l e t e l y c o m p a t i b l e w i t h
the existing game; these new cards give a
new f l a v o u r t o t h e c o m p l e x c h a i n s o f
control t h a t typify a n y session o f w o r l d
domination. W e d o n ' t c l a i m t h a t t h e s e
offerings are the complete answer, nor do
we c l a i m t h a t S t e v e J a c k s o n h a s l o s t
sleep w o r r y i n g a b o u t t h e i r e f f e c t o n
Trans-Atlantic relations, but you can give
them a t r y i n t h e privacy o f y o u r o w n
bunker, and perhaps you can t h i n k up a
few ideas of your own. We were disgusted
that t h e G L C w e r e n ' t a l l o w e d t o g i v e
money to Weird groups anywhere on the
table a n d t h a t T S R w a s n ' t e v e n
mentioned! Let us k n o w w h a t you t h i n k
they missed.
IMAGINETm magazine gives p e r m i s s i o n
for the opposite page to be reproduced for
gaming purposes.
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
 THE S A M A R I TA N S THIRD WORLD TRAINS
R=0 for weird groups Communist or Govt. attack at +4

Power 0 / 2
Resistance 4
Income -1 Government

THE VAT I C A N G AY L I B E R TA R I A N S
+4 to c o n t r o l / d e s t r o y I.S.A +2 on any attempt to control moles

Power 6 / 4 Straight Power 2

Resistance 6 Peaceful Resistance 4 Liberal
Income 6 Conservative Income 1 Weird

THE M O L E S SPECIAL E V E N T ETHNIC R I O T E R S

+2 on any attempt to control Govt +2 to destroy Govt. (any attempt)
Royal W e d d i n g / B i r t h / A n n i v e r s a r y

Resistance 6
Communist
Fanatic
[ —
N
4 1

All o t h e r players m i s s o n e t u r n a n d p a y Resistance 4 Violent

Income 2 Liberal player of card 2 M B for souvenirs Income 0 Criminal

CHARITIES IRISH S E C TA R I A N A R M Y SPECIAL EVENT

Money o n c a r d m a y b e u s e d t o f i n a n c e +2 to influence Republicans or Democrats
another c a r d s attack (any attempt) Recession

Power 0 / 2 Power 4 Fanatic

Resistance 4 Resistance 6 Violent All other players reduce income by half for
Income 1 M B from each player Income 4 Criminal one turn. Oil multi-nationals disassociate

1 P r

BRITISH F I L M I N D U S T R Y THE G.L.C.

ED
Eal:E=1=
TA ) E q 4 1 3
Power 1 Power 4 / 3 Government
Resistance 3 Weird
1 R eIncome
s i s t a n+
c3e / -45 (50%
L chance)
i b e P er a ca e f lu l Income 4 Liberal

LOBBYISTS OLD S C H O O L TIE DR. W H O

+2 on any attempt vs. Govt. +2 on any attempt to control G o v t . / S t r a i g h t +4 o n a n y a t t e m p t t o d e s t r o y Tr e k k i e s
w i t h o u t need of Whispering Campaign

Power 2 / 2 Peaceful
Resistance 6 Conservative Resistance 1 Weird
Income 4 Straight Income 1 Fanatic

'.'AGINE magazine, September 1983 41

 THIEVES' WORLD: RPG playing aid
This is, w i t h o u t doubt, type o f c i t y w i t h a l l t h e p r o b l e m s For a f u l l e r p i c t u r e o f t h e c i t y a n d i t s
the most comprehensive associated w i t h a subject people o f the people, the Thieves' World series of books
RPG playing aid that I have edge of a military empire. There is bribery, edited b y Robert A s p r i n c a n n o t b e t o o
seen. T h e b o x c o n t a i n s t h r e e murder, drug addiction, prostitution and highly recommended: t h e r e a r e f o u r a t
maps a n d t h r e e b o o k l e t s ; t h e all types of fraud and petty crimes; there present, 'Thieves' World', 'Tales from the
maps s h o w the city of Sanctuary, its are gangs both of adults and of children; Vulgar Unicorn', 'Shadows of Sanctuary'
streets a n d buildings, a n d t h e n l a r g e there are the forces of law and order and and 'Storm Season'. They are published
scale d e t a i l o f o n e p a r t i c u l a r area, t h e the powerful factions of smugglers, mer- by ACE but, being American imports, are
Maze, a n d i t s u n d e r g r o u n d labyrinth o f chants and organised crime; there is the only available f r o m a l i m i t e d n u m b e r o f
cellars, sewers and tunnels. The booklets wide gulf between the rich and powerf6I retail outlets; t h e o n l y o n e I k n o w o f is
are: the Games Master's Guide, contain- and t h e poverty stricken a n d desperate. Forbidden P l a n e t , 2 3 D e n m a r k S t r e e t ,
ing plans of the more important buildings, There i s a n a m b i t i o u s a n d e n e r g e t i c London W C 2 , b u t t h e r e m u s t b e o t h e r
fairly c o m p r e h e n s i v e e n c o u n t e r a n d middle c l a s s , i t s e l f s u b d i v i d e d m a n y sources about the country.
incident tables a n d s o m e n o t e s o n t h e times. There is magic of several kinds as
•: organisation of the city itself; the Players' well a n d m a n y c h a r l a t a n s p r a c t i s i n g There is plenty of information in this pack
Guide, containing a less detailed map and upon the credulous. for the DM to make a really first rate and
notes o n t h e s t r u c t u r e o f t h e c i t y, i t s exciting city for the players, fleshed out by
••• The true adepts are a curiously mixed and their collective imaginations and perhaps
history a n d d e v e l o p m e n t , a n d i t s p r o -
minent citizens a n d transients; a n d dangerous group and adventurers would coloured b y t h e books, i f y o u c a n g e t
:••• Personalities o f S a n c t u a r y, c o n t a i n i n g do well to remember the adage, 'meddle them. T h e s e t m a y seem a l i t t l e pricey
notes o n n e a r l y 1 0 0 c h a r a c t e r s a n d not with the affairs of wizards for they are — w h a t isn't these days? b u t it is worth
statistics f o r n e a r l y 4 0 o f t h e m a j o r subtle a n d s w i f t t o a n g e r ! ' T h e g o d s every penny.
inhabitants, transients, g o d s a n d m o n - themselves are very active in Sanctuary .010J C C o n n e r
sters f o r m a t t e d f o r n i n e d i ff e r e n t RPG with f r e q u e n t clashes between t h e Thieves' World, a boxed set w i t h t h r e e
systems (DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTM, various mythoses, especially those of the maps and three booklets, is published in
both Basic and Advanced, Adventures in ancient kingdom and the empire. the U S A b y Chaosium I n c a n d i s d i s t -
Fantasy, Chivalry a n d Sorcery, D r a g o n - ributed in t h i s country by Games Wo r k -
quest, T h e F a n t a s y T r i p , R u n e q u e s t , One thing that should strike the players in shop, 2 7 - 2 9 S u n b e a m R o a d , L o n d o n
Traveller, Tunnels and Trolls). There are a scenario involving Thieves' Wo r l d i s N W 1 0 6JP. Price f 14.95.
not many monsters (non-human, that is) that although t h e r e i s m u c h crime, l a w
• and t h o s e t h a t d o e x i s t a r e u n d e r t h e
and order is very much in charge. Be it the
•:• control of the gods or principal magicians. official l a w o f t h e e m p i r e , t h e v a r i o u s
religious or merchants' courts or just the
But what is Sanctuary? Well, first, w h a t it rough j u s t i c e o f t h e streets, c u s t o m i s
•••• is not! It is not an ity-pretty fairytale town important and breaking the rules, written
of h o n o u r - b r i g h t heroes, beautiful p r i n - or u n w r i t t e n , r e q u i r e s payment, o f j u s t
cesses and wicked, but easily defeatable, money if fortunate, but often with fingers,
villains. The detailed descriptions of place whole limbs, bodies (if sold into slavery)
•:' and character show a decaying, medieval or even lives.
•••:•:•••••••••:•:•••••••:•:•:••••:•:•:•:.:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:••••:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• •••• • •• • •• • • : •
%.•:•:•••:•:•:•::::::::••••:•:•:•:•:•:••••••••••:•:•:•:•:•:••••• • • • • • • • • .•:•:• • :•
•••••••••••••••
SOLOQUEST
Soloquest is the first solitaire adventure who w i n t h r o u g h t h e D r e a m q u e s t
book f o r C h a o s i u m ' s R u n e q u e s t . T h e are rewarded by the god, those who
three adventures contained in t h e book, fail l o s e P O W and h a v e t o w a i t a
namely 'Dreamquest', ' P h o n e y S t o n e s ' year before trying again.
and ' M a g u ff i n H u n t ' , offer a good select-
ion to start the series. In 'Phoney Stones', characters are
asked t o f i n d o u t w h o i s selling
In 'Dreamquest', the character is offered false s t a t u e s o f Issaries. T h i s
the chance to re-enact the conquests of adventure requires more than a little
his or her god (characters of experience thought and is most enjoyable. One minor
50-60% are most suitable). error I d i d f i n d i n t h e U K printing i s on fact that
page 47, section 716, which should read: the R Q c u l t s a r e
As the n a m e implies, these quests take 'If he befuddles you, go to 7 1 7 : A thinking referred to frequently, but the
place i n t h e land o f dreams, w h e r e t h e player with a character of 60% experience book carries no warning of this. If you
character will face four randomly chosen should find the culprit. I didn't.... haven't g o t t h e C u l t s o f P r a x , i t w i l l
foes, each o f w h i c h has preset instruct- lessen the entertainment value offered by
ions, eg 'Attack anyone who is not a Tusk The last adventure, 'Maguffin Hunt', sets this book.
Rider. Be friendly to Elves.' These serve to you o u t t o recover t h e stolen M a g u ff i n ,
give v a r i e t y t o a n y subsequent adven- and to bring back the culprits who stole it This apart, Soloquest is a nice addition to
tures with different characters. (dead or alive). This is the toughest of the the Runequest family. I l o o k f o r w a r d t o
three adventures — characters o f less the sequels
After s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t i n g than 6 0 % w i l l m e e t t h e i r makers pretty 010 Trevor Graver
four Q u e s t s , t h e c h a r a c t e r soon. A s w i t h ' P h o n e y S t o n e s ' , i t i s
must f a c e a special foe, suggested t h a t y o u r u n t h r o u g h t h i s Solo quest, a Rune quest solo adventures
which should be adventure once only. book is available from Games Workshop,
enough t o g u a r a n - 2 7 / 2 9 Sunbeam Road, L O N D O N N W 1 0
tee t h a t f e w All in all, Soloquest offers good value for &JP It costs £4.50. Reviews of Soloquests
survive. Those money. I h a v e j u s t one reservation; t h e 2 and 3 w i l l follow shortly.

IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3 •

DRAG ONHUNT
- s simplistic 2 t o 6 player fantasy
-dgame is based around the kingdoms
L‘-awan, w h i c h have long been terror-
- b y Brimstone t h e Dragon. Each
or aims to control a kingdom by using
-esources to slay Brimstone, and only
s w h e n t h i s i s achieved. F i r s t t h e
. o n m u s t b e w o u n d e d t h r e e times,
- c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n players w i l l o c c u r
-r-71y t o p r e v e n t s o m e o n e e l s e k i l l i n g
- s t o n e first; t h e r e i s l i t t l e scope f o r
or co-operation.
- - e concept behind D r a g o n h u n t , and its
- 7ellent, colourful physical presentation
a pleasing first impression w h i c h
- a i n t a i n e d during the first f e w moves.
E_7 sadly this is not sustained deeper into
when t h e p r o b l e m s o f t h e g a m e
s7em become noticeable.
--r-e are good points: These include the
--- °ate sequence of play which meshes
ueil, e n a b l i n g s m o o t h , p r o m p t , t u r n -
: -etiOn. T h e n t h e r e i s B r i m s t o n e w h o ,
•7 -:7eived as a Smaug-like dragon, makes
- - e g a m e m o n s t e r. I t s m o v e m e n t i s
- - _enced by each player except when it
enraged; a t t h i s p o i n t i t b e c o m e s
_- 73ntrollable a n d m o v e s a t r a n d o m .
- e o n combat is always unpredictable,
oh is good. The climactic death-battle
:erween Dragon and h e r o / knight is well
:--szed using a different combat system,
77 the Dragon having the slight edge.
--:::!,ther credit is the 10 'fantastic-beings'.
F__-ech has u n i q u e attributes, a n d players
e for control of them so as to use these
scecial abilities to their advantage. Thus
--e. 'beings' tend to have a major influence
- :lay:
--'ortunately player-units are not so well
s e d . Players select a card numbered
- -- 7 to 12 to decide w h o goes first, the
.est u n t i e d s e l e c t i o n g a i n i n g t h i s
sntage. The problem w i t h this is that
selected c a r d r e p r e s e n t s t h e t o t a l
_-Der of movement points a player can
:end between his or her entire force of
_nits. This is completely inadequate. It
_ ts in most units never being moved
E magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
•-• ••••••• • ••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••• • • • • • • • • • •
1tit
LEGEND
OF
ROBIN HOOD
Before an examination of the game
itself, it might be useful to take a look
at what you get for your money:
The game is packed in a convenient 6 " x
9" box w i t h f a i r l y average artwork. T h e
playing b o a r d i s r a t h e r n e a t i n t h a t
although i t is 1 7 " x 2 2 " it comes in one
piece; this is achieved by having folds and
cuts in the right places. The idea seems to
work, b u t h o w i t stands u p t o repeated
use remains to be seen: The a r t w o r k oi
the board is good, and a useful feature i
the inclusion of tables around its edge -
and makes the m o u n t i n g o f a campaign a noteable exception, however, is a char
nigh i m p o s s i b l e ; a n d v i r t u a l l y f o r c e s showing the sequence of events in each
players to move their strongest unit, the turn. T h e c o u n t e r s a r e t h e u s u a l c a r d
hero, and to conduct solo raids with him. •••••••••• board ones. A l t h o u g h t h e inclusion o f a
die i s noted o n t h e box, t h i s i s absent
Naturally, this adversely affects the player Instead, you are provided with numberel
unit combat system, which is poor anyway counters and instructed to draw them ou
due t o t h e m a n y irrationalities a r i s i n g of a cup!
from certain rules: Some rules treat units
as individuals, while others treat them as The game itself is for two players. One, a
a mass of men. Furthermore, a player of Robin Hood, m u s t fulfil t h r e e out of four
•••••••
greater s t r a t e g i c a b i l i t y c a n n o t b r i n g listed v i c t o r y criteria s u c h a s m a r r y i n g
weight of numbers to bear, for all 'battles' ••••••••••• Maid M a r i a n o r r e d u c i n g t h e s h e r i f f ' s
are s i n g l e u n i t d u e l s w h i c h t e n d t o b e treasury by robbing rich nobles or bishop
even a ff a i r s resolved b y lucky die rolls. who pass t h r o u g h t h e land. T h e s h e r i ff
This gets extremely tedious, for there is player m u s t endeavour to stop him, ani
•:•••••••
just nothing of 'heroic fantasy' about it. wins if he can do this until turn thirty, or
kills Robin before then. An average game
There are other problems: the concept of ••••••:•' . lasts between one and two hours.
•:•••••••
cottages i s n o n s e n s i c a l , a s t h e y c a n
never be attacked as hostile units, even Provision i s m a d e w i t h i n t h e r u l e s f o
though u n i t s inside can attack out, a n d most o f t h e e l e m e n t s c o n t a i n e d i n t h e
wounded units are instantly teleported to Robin H o o d stories, e g t h e t a x a t i o n o
their home cottage to be instantly healed. villages by the sheriff, the archery contest
The r u l e s a r e n o t e n t i r e l y s o l i d a n d capture, r a n s o m a n d k i l l i n g o f leaders
contain some shady areas, and doubt can Robin's c o m b a t s w i t h L i t t l e J o h n , W i l l
be cast on the acceptance of Arawan as a Scarlet a n d F r i a r Tu c k before t h e y a r e
fantasy realm. Overall there is too much recruited to his cause, and the r e t u r n o f
stylisation, t h e h a l l m a r k o f a n abstract King Richard.
rather than a fantasy game: Each kingdom
is c o m p o s e d o f a c a s t l e , v i l l a g e a n d Initially, the sheriff player has the uppe
cottage o f exactly t h e s a m e shape, a n d hand, b e c a u s e R o b i n m u s t r e c r u i t t h i
set symmetrically around the map edges; ::•:•••••• other o u t l a w leaders and 'merry m e n ' t(
players s t a r t e q u a l , h a v e t h e s a m e his cause. The tables are turned later in
countermix and the same objective. The the game, however, w i t h Robin having a
end r e s u l t is t h a t t h e r e is n o individual slight advantage. C o m b a t o c c u r s w h e t
character and identity t o t h e kingdoms; two o r m o r e opposing u n i t s a r e i n t h e
they lack soul. same box. I t i s resolved q u i c k l y d u e t o
drastic combat tables, but it is designed t(
The designer's notes state that ' D r a g o n - : mimic battles by having archery, melee
h u n t is more than just a game, it is a real and personal combat phases.
fantasy e x p e r i e n c e : : : T h i s i s t r u e , b u t •::.
unfortunately, given m a n y of the incon- The Robin Hood stories could be resolve(
sistencies, p l a y m e c h a n i s m s a n d c o n - into a good game — I w o u l d not say thii
cepts, t h e r e i s too m u c h f a n t a s y i n t h e was it, but if you like t w o player games,
worst sense of the word. this one is not bad.
OP Robert Hulston ••:•:•:• th-6 M i k a n o n "
•••••••••••••
D r a g o n h u n t and Robin H o o d are both supplied by Avalon
3 H i l l , 6 5 0 H i g h Road, N o r t h Finchley, L o n d o n N 1 2 ONL.
Dragonhunt costs E l 1.95 and Robin Hood costs £4.95. o;&
ck".••
co 0 " : 7 - e : • 1 '
43

TORCHLIGHT FANTASY PRODUCTS
With t h e a m o u n t o f a t t e n t i o n t h a t h a s
been lavished o n p r o d u c i n g f i g u r e s f o r
the D&DF- g a m e market over the last few
years, it is surprising no-one has thought
of providing three-dimensional dungeon
accessories before n o w ; n o w t h a t t h e y
have, it seems to have occurred to several
manufacturers at the same time!
To r c h l i g h t ' s range comprises a series of
dungeon kits cast in w h i t e resin, w h i c h
can be assembled to make realistic scale
dungeons — m i n u s r o o f , o f course, t o
facilitate play. Each pack contains an area
of floor, t w o inches w i d e f o r a corridor,
MINIATURES
more f o r a r o o m , a n d appropriate w a l l
length. The floor i s grooved to a l l o w the
wall to be stuck in place, and each piece is
sculpted t o r e p r e s e n t s t o n e s l a b s o r
flagstones.
The variety of pieces available is sufficient
to allow for most possibilities, and w h e n
assembled and painted t h e sets do look
most attractive, a n d t h e c o r r i d o r s a r e
wide enough and the walls low enough to
allow figures to be moved quite easily.
Prices vary from 60p for two 2" x 2" floor
spaces m i n u s walls, to £5.75 for an 8 " x
8" ' m a s t e r c h a m b e r ' s e t w i t h f u l l
accessories. A l s o f r o m To r c h l i g h t i s a
selection o f a s s o r t e d t r e a s u r e c h e s t s ,
bones and other dungeon debris, cast in
resin but in much the same style as their
metal c o u n t e r p a r t s a n d c o n s i d e r a b l y
cheaper. In all, a very useful range which
will add a degree of visual realism.
14.5 Ian J K n i g h t
Torchlight Fantasy Products can be con-
tacted at 23 Clifftown Road, S o u t h e n d on
Sea, Essex, t o f i n d o u t w h i c h i s y o u r
nearest stockist.

Essex M i n i a t u r e s h a v e established a n
enviable reputation in the field of 2 5 m m
historical figures, and they've now turned
their attention to fantasy subjects. As yet
their r a n g e i s l i m i t e d t o a selection o f
adventurers, one or t w o exotic monsters
and a small tribe of dwarfs, but the quality
is sufficient to whet the appetite and raise
hopes for more to come.
Among o u r s a m p l e s w e r e a v e r y nice,
clean-lined Centaur, firing a bow, a magic
user with staff and large spell-book, and a
selection of dwarfs. The latter came in a
ESSEX MINIATURES
variety o f poses, c a r r y i n g a s s o r t e d
swords, h a m m e r s a n d c r o s s - b o w s a n d
dressed to varying degrees in armour.
The general sculpting style is similar t o
Citadel, w i t h plenty of rascally character,
notably o n e pot-bellied, bearded f e l l o w
with a c r o s s - b o w, h a t s e t a t a j a u n t y
angle, l o o k i n g l i k e a c r o s s b e t w e e n a
sixteenth c e n t u r y G e r m a n m e r c e n a r y
and s o m e t h i n g f r o m S n o w W h i t e ! T h e
command set was particularly inventive,
especially the standard-bearer wielding a
huge boar's head on a pole.
Prices vary from around 26p for a single
figure t o 65p for a pack of three dwarfs.
My o n l y complaint i s t h a t t h e bases on
some of the figures are a little small t h e
Centaur i s v e r y u n s t e a d y a n d a p t t o
overbalance. To those of you accustomed
to m o u n t i n g f i g u r e s o n c a r d bases t h i s
will not, however, be a problem.
l k Ian J K n i g h t
The E s s e x M i n i a t u r e s c a t a l o g u e i s
available f r o m 3 B a y C l o s e , C a n v e y
Island, Essex SS8 OAF.

Our latest samples from the ever-prolific
Chronicle include a selection from t h e i r
Hobgoblin r a n g e , a l r e a d y s o c o m p r e -
hensive that you can build up a fair sized
war b a n d w i t h o u t d u p l i c a t i n g a s i n g l e
figure.
The f i r s t t h i n g t h a t strikes y o u i s t h e i r
sheer presence. They have a bulky, squat,
powerful look, loaded with beefy menace,
which is hard to ignore. Everything about
them s e e m s s o l i d , f r o m t h e m u s c u l a r
physiques, just visible between the plates
of thick iron a r m o u r and w e i g h t y chain-
mail, to the long, heavy, slant-eyed, pug-
nosed brutal faces. T h e r e i s a clarity o f
definition a b o u t t h e s c u l p t i n g a n d t h e
casting w h i c h m a k e s every r i v e t i n t h e
armour and every stud in the shield seem
remarkably real.
CHRONICLE FIGURES
Modelled in a variety of lumbering poses,
they a r e i n d e e d f e a r s o m e adversaries,
armed w i t h a f r i g h t e n i n g s e l e c t i o n o f
broad, s h o r t s w o r d s , s p i k e d c l u b s a n d
polearms. Chronicle's figures t e n d to be
chunkier t h a n t h e s l i m , m o r e d e l i c a t e
American-style m o d e l s o f s o m e o t h e r
manufacturers, and in this range it could
scarcely be m o r e appropriate. The Hob-
goblin chieftain i s a real gem, d w a r f i n g
his underlings, posed w i t h his shoulders
hunched, h e a d t h r u s t f o r w a r d , t e e t h
bared i n a bad-tempered snarl, a h u g e
sword in each hand — excellent!
Marginally more genteel are some of the
additions t o C h r o n i c l e ' s o t h e r r a n g e s ,
including a half-orc adventurer, poised to
swing an axe, and laden with a convincing
array o f back-pack, daggers, shield a n d
other accessories; a r a t h e r e n e r g e t i c
mummy; and a suitably repulsive w i g ht,
bent d o u b l e n u r s i n g a s w o r d t h a t h a s
seen b e t t e r d a y s a n d t h r u s t i n g o u t a
sunken-eyed skeletal face.
Considering the amount of detail and the
many deep undercuts, Chronicles's f i g -
ures a r e remarkably f r e e f r o m f l a s h o r
casting lines. They've developed a v e r y
distinctive character of their own, and the
quality seems to improve w i t h each n e w
release. Thoroughly recommended.
Allo Ian J K n i g h t
Chronicle c a n b e c o n t a c t e d a t U n i t 14,
Engineer Park, Factory Road, Sandycroft,
Clwyd CH5 2 0 0 f o r details o f products
and suggested purchase sources.

RUNEQUEST CHARACTER/ADVENTURE SHEETS

Another g o o d i e f o r R u n e q u e s t players: t h e
character s h e e t s a r e l o o s e l y b a s e d o n t h e
Sapienza M k 4 character sheet (which appears
in all editions of the RO rulebook). These sheets
are laid out with ease of play in mind; block lines
help to separate different sections of the sheet,
the weapons section has been sub-divided so
that missile weapons and shields can be found
quickly.
The adventure sheets w h i c h come four to a
sheet — a r e u s e d t o s a v e m e s s i n g u p y o u r
nicely documented character sheets. Whenever
you g o adventuring, t r a n s f e r t h e b a s i c s t a t s
44
o n t o a n adventure sheet and this will save
c o u n t l e s s erasings or crossings out as you lose
H P s o r P O W, t h e r e b y giving extra l i f e t o t h e
c h a r a c t e r sheet.
One minor glitch appears on the sheets; the hit
location r o l l s f o r R a n d L a r m h a v e b e e n
reversed (they are missing altogether from the
adventure sheets!). This could lead to confusion
until you decide which charts to use. Runequest
Character/Adventure Sheets are sold together
on a pad o f 3 0 / 8 0 sheets and w o r k o u t a l o t
cheaper than photocopying. They look nice too!
Trevor Graver
IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
t ,
THEPARTYARERESTN
I GIN

46 IMAGINE magazine, September 1983

 HE ORCPATIKOL HAVE HAD A HARD DAY. NOW INSULTS
sst AUCHTER COMEBACK.
METHINKS THE k e t LIKE THAT TO CION40)(XiOUS (CHIEFLADSO TO SPEAK)
SAFFLICTED WITH SOME
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IMAGINE magazine, S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 3
47
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GROWLSUCHTER.---- - i n t s ,
\\

HE CANNOT STAND EANWHILE,OVER THEI3RIOQE

ALONE- WE AlkE 111-( rl'WHERE WERE YOU.?J/
'IOUAUGi-Mg CWI HEREwEREyou.?ri
clAqlifIREWEkE-
ATK4
i A7AD-DuM
SPEAK FOR v 7-- • r
UKSELF

S THE LITTLE SCOTSMAN PLUNGES INTO l i g ST IAN

WrITIS A g l o o m FALLS ON THE PARTY.
: _ 0 11 0 , 7 1 / f e y, 11 0 ; ' , , , o g a s t

GOOD,NO W E ONLY
HAVE TO SPLIT THE
TREASURE THREE

KHAZAD-DOOOP

WHAT A SHAME
HE WAS A bRAVE
Win\ OR,MAYGOD
REST HIS LITTLE
SOUL...

THEY DONT SEEM

VERY UPSET BY THE
LOSS OF THEIR LEADER
THOOCf11DO THEY?
NOT EXACTLY THE IDEAL
TIME TO STARTN4LiNCT
WITH FEATHERS, OR
SWEARING INCONESE NIGHTSWIFT
48 IMAGINE magazine, September 1983
IRA ISI111!ORS11
WHOLESALERS &
DISTRIBUTORS OF
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Please m e n t i o n I M A G I N E " ' magazine w h e n y o u reply t o a d v e r t i s e m e n t s

P r i n t e d b y T A V I S T O C K P R E S S ( B E D F O R D ) L T D M a n t o n L a n e , B e d f o r d M K 4 1 7 P G . Te l e p h o n e : ( 0 2 3 4 ) 5 8 5 1 7 . ISSN 0 2 6 4 - 1 3 9 9
 COMPLETELY
REVISED

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®

BASIC SET
The Original Fantasy Role Playing Game

"Your first step on the

road to Adventure!"
This is a game that helps you imagine. • Progammed adventures for easy learning and HOURS
of FUN
"As you whirl around, your sword ready, the huge red fire-
breathing dragon swoops TOWARDS you with a ROAR!" • The PLAYER'S GUIDE for beginning characters—
See? Your imagination woke up already. Now imagine: with simple and expert combat rules, magic spells, and
this game will probably be more FUN than any other role playing tips
game you've ever played! • The DUNGEON MASTER'S HANDBOOK—full of
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game is a way for us to treasures, monsters, and dungeons
imagine together—like reading the same book, or • All the Dice you need — Six different kinds included,
dreaming the same dream. But it's a book that YOU can with marker crayon
write, without putting a word on paper — just by playing
a D&D® game.
This New Popular Edition has been completely revised to TSR UK Limited
include ONE-PLAYER GAMES as well as group games The Mill Rathmore Road
for Players and Dungeon Masters.YOU can start playing Cambridge C134 l A D
RIGHT AWAY! Telephone Cambridge 0223 212517

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a registered trademark owned by ISR Hobbies, Inc,