Accessory - Dragon Magazine #059.pdf - Dragon Magazine - Surenae

March 1982

Dragon

Dragon

Vol. VI, No. 9

March 1982

There are a lot of nice things about

writing for a magazine that’s read by a

few hundred thousand people. One of

the less obvious “nice things” is this: If

we make a mistake, it doesn’t go unno-

ticed. At least one of those hundreds of

thousands of people will let us know we

goofed, and then we get a chance to set

things straight.

Case in point: Lauren Kingman of

Hyde Park, N.Y., wrote us to unmask

what he called “an attempt to reap ob-

scene profits from ignorant gamers (and

to successfully con the DRAGON’s editor-

in-chief).”

His gripe is with SPELLBINDERS, a

product of Orisek Industries. The set of

notebook/binders was one of several

new game-related accessories reviewed

by yours truly in issue #55 of DRAGON™

Magazine. The largest of the set, bearing

an $8.95 price tag, is, in Lauren’s words,

“neither original, new, or unique.... I can

detect no difference between SPELL-

BINDERS and what are known in the sta-

tionery trade as ‘easel-back presentation

binders.’ ”

Lauren chides me — and rightfully so

— for characterizing the product as

“original.” Honest, I never heard of an

easel-back presentation binder until I

got his letter. And now that I know, I

cringe when I scan the part of the review

that says, “Orisek Industries is a com-

pany that makes ‘How come nobody

thought of that before?’ products.”

Apparently, somebody had thought of

that before, and it was presumptuous of

me to suggest that the concept of the

easel-back binder originated at Orisek

Industries. I hasten to point out that the

company made no such claim.

Secondly, Lauren takes issue with the

price. “These binders have made my

DMing easier for a long time,” he writes.

“They can be bought at most stationery

stores for about $4.... I suggest that (a

DM) buy an easel-back presentation

binder and take the $5 he just saved and

apply it towards a game accessory whose

price is justified by development and

production costs.”

Since I’ve never seen an easel-back

binder in a stationery store, I don’t know

what Lauren’s getting for his four-dollar

investment. Maybe the SPELLBINDERS

notebook is significantly stronger or larg-

er or more durable than the average

easel-back binder. Maybe the differen-

ces, if there are any, make the Orisek

product worth its price. That decision is

up to the customer. In this case, all we

can really do — and should have done

four issues ago — is to let you know all

the facts when there’s a choice to be

made.

I’m far from convinced that SPELL-

BINDERS is “an attempt to reap obscene

profits from ignorant gamers.” Orisek

Industries is a small company that pro-

duces relatively small quantities of its

products. When you don’t manufacture

very many copies of something, each

one costs quite a lot to make. The com-

panies that make “normal” easel-back

binders presumably have a much larger

market for their product, and can afford

to produce more copies at a much lower

price per unit. Lauren has a right to com-

plain about the price, in a comparative

sense, but not the right to accuse any-

body of making “obscene profits.”

Surely other readers reacted the same

way as Lauren when they read the review

of SPELLBINDERS. I assume that to be

so, even though he was the only person

who called the mistake to our attention.

(If the stationery store in Hyde Park,

N.Y., is the only place easel-back bind-

ers are sold, I’ve just made a fool of my-

self twice over.) To Lauren and the oth-

ers like him, I apologize for my ignor-

ance. And this “ignorant editor” owes a

greater apology to all “ignorant gamers”

out there who might have been misled by

what was said, or not said, in the review.

Publisher.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake Jaquet

Editor-in-Chief.. . . . . . . . Kim Mohan

Editorial staff . . . . . . . . . . . Bryce Knorr

Marilyn Mays

Gali Sanchez

Sales.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie Chiusano

Circulation . . . . . . . Corey Koebernick

Office staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherie Knull

Roger Raupp

Contributing editors. . . . Roger Moore

Ed Greenwood

This issue’s contributing artists:

James Holloway Roger Raupp

Joe Lee Larry Elmore

Bruce Whitefield Phil Foglio

Steve Peregrine

DRAGON magazine is published monthly by

Dragon Publishing, a division of TSR Hobbies,

Inc. Subscription orders and change-of-address

notices should be sent to Dragon Publishing,

P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. Tele-

phone (414) 248-8044.

DRAGON magazine is available at hundreds

of hobby stores and bookstores throughout the

United States and Canada. and through a limit-

ed number of overseas outlets. Subscription

rates are as follows, with all payments to be

made in advance: $24 for 12 issues sent to a U.S.

or Canadian address; $50 U.S. for 12 issues sent

via surface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via air

mail to any other country.

A limited quantity of certain back issues of

DRAGON magazine can be purchased directly

from the publisher by sending the cover price

plus $1.50 postage and handling for each issue

ordered. Payment in advance by check or mo-

ney order must accompany all orders. Payments

cannot be made through a credit card, and

orders cannot be taken nor merchandise “re-

served” by telephone. Neither an individual cus-

tomer nor an institution can be billed for a sub-

scription order or back-issue purchase unless

prior arrangements are made.

The issue of expiration for each subscription

is printed on the mailing label for each sub-

scriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes of ad-

dress for the delivery of subscriptions must be

received at least 30 days prior to the effective

All material published in DRAGON magazine

becomes the exclusive property of the publisher

upon publication, unless special arrangements

to the contrary are made prior to publication.

DRAGON magazine welcomes unsolicited sub-

missions of written material and artwork; how-

ever, no responsibility for such submissions can

be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any

submission which is accompanied by a self-

addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size

will be returned to the contributor if it cannot be

published.

DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish-

ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rights

on the contents of this publication are reserved,

and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole

or in part without prior permission in writing

Hobbies, Inc. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848.

Second class postage paid at Lake Geneva,

Wis., and at additional mailing offices.

date of the change in order to insure uninter-

rupted delivery.

March 1982

Dragon

his issue of DRAGON™ Magazine is specially for

those of you whose versions of “fantasy” have more

to do with planets than planes of existence, more

with lasers than longbows. Counting the cover

painting and a spread of 23 pages inside, this maga-

zine has more science-fiction material in it than we’ve ever used

in a single issue before.

Our center 16 pages are filled with Exonidas Spaceport, a

setting described in meticulous detail by author Jeff Swycaffer

and designed for use in Traveller™ games. Rather than present-

ing one narrow situation for characters to figure their way into

and out of, Exonidas is a package of opportunities, an environ-

ment from which dozens of different sorts of adventures could

spring. Everything we and Jeff could think of is included in the

package, all the way from a diagram of the entire solar system

down to where everyone sits in the offices of Torman and Son.

Jim Holloway and his talented airbrush (or maybe that

should be “talented Jim Holloway and his airbrush”) provided

this month’s cover, a portrayal of the climactic scene from

Skitterbugging, a science-fiction tale which precedes the Exon-

idas section. Between the story and the spaceport is a page

devoted to descriptions of the people and things from the story

in Traveller terminology. Further connections are left for you to

make: Could the skitterbuggers prosper in a place like Hori-

theur? Are there mist wasps holed up in the hills of Theury?

All that talk about outer space doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty

of material inside for fans of the D&D® and AD&D™ games. First

and foremost among the “fantasy” features is From the Sorcer-

or’s Scroll, wherein Gary Gygax introduces you to the magic of

cantrips and provides official descriptions of two new AD&D

items, the Advanced Illusion spell and the Philosopher’s Stone.

We don’t need a fortune teller to be sure that A.D. Rogan’s

article on gypsies will be well accepted by AD&D gamers. The

historical and legendary characteristics of gypsies combine to

make a potent and playable new character type. Speaking of

potent, check out the Demonic Knights of Doom, as described

by Rob Kuntz in the debut of a new regular feature about

happenings in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK™ Fantasy Setting.

When one of these guys asks you whose side you’re on, you’d

better have a quick answer — and it better be the right one.

Following in the format of his articles on dwarves in our last

issue, contributing editor Roger Moore presents “The halfling

point of view” and “The gods of the halflings.” Just in back of

that seven-page section is a detailed story on particular poi-

sons from Larry DiTillio’s campaign that we hope you’ll find

easy to swallow.

Making up monsters is easy. Making up good monsters is

something else altogether, as Lew Pulsipher points out in

“Make monsters, not monstrosities.” After you’ve read about

Lew’s guidelines, turn to the Bestiary and see how well you

think this month’s monster makers have done.

A quintet of characters from famous fiction, ranging from the

(almost) ordinary to the extraordinary, are offered for your

edification in Giants in the Earth.

Reviewer Tony Watson gives his evaluations of Starfire III:

Empires and Demonlord in Dragon’s Augury. Chris Henderson

looks at new releases from the world of literature in the most

colorful installment of “Off the Shelf” we’ve ever published, and

two more pages’ worth of miniatures and other game accesso-

ries are covered in Figuratively Speaking. And miniatures are

also on Phil Foglio’s mind, as you’ll see in “What’s New.” Now,

get the lead out and start reading. — KM

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

Exonidas Spaceport: An adventure

for Traveler™ characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Giants in the Earth:

Sir Roger de Tourneville .............................. 11

Harold Shea ......................................... 12

Anthony Villiers ...................................... 13

Mark Cornwall ....................................... 14

Sniveley ............................................. 15

Dragon’s Bestiary:

Bleeder .............................................. 21

Stymphalian birds .................................... 22

Spriggan ............................................ 22

Convention schedule ................................... 67

Figuratively Speaking .................................. 68

Dragon’s Augury:

Starfire III: Empires .................................. 72

Demonlord . . . ........................................ 73

Off the Shelf ...... ..................................... 75

What’s New ............................................ 78

Dragon Mirth .......................................... 80

OTHER FEATURES

Gypsies: A curse or a blessing — or both!. ............... 16

The Great Kingdom and the Knights of Doom ............ 24

Skitterbugging — Futuristic fiction ...................... 26

Translating skitterbuggers into Traveller ................. 32

The halfling point of view ............................... 49

The gods of the halflings ................................. 52

Poison: The toxins of Cerilon ........................... 57

Make monsters, not monstrosities ....................... 62

REGULAR OFFERINGS

Out on a Limb — Letters from readers .................... 4

From the Sorcerer’s Scroll — The magic of cantrips ....... 6

Advanced Illusion and Philosopher’s Stone ............ 10

Accessory - Dragon Magazine #059.pdf

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