Editor:
I have some comments on the first issue of The
Dragon. First, though, I want to recommend Stith
Thompson’s Motif Index of Folklore Literature to
any D & D referee who is looking for new ideas. The
multi-volume book is rare, but invaluable if you can
find a copy in a large library. It lists virtually all
motifs appearing in the myths and legends of most
western countries, in great detail. It is well organized
into sections such as “Magic,” “The Gods,” and so
on. Just going through the volume on magic can give
a referee many ideas for magic items and episodes in
the wilderness, and there are other volumes nearly as
useful.

Sincerely,
Lewis Pulsipher
[edit]


Sirs,
In partial response to Mr. Pulsipher’s letter
October ‘76): I really cannot see what his problem
is. He himself acknowledges his debt to Stith
Thompson for many magical items and wilderness
episodes, so when he states that fiction is a total
waste of time, it leaves me wondering. Now I agree
with his statement that one could probably find better
material elsewhere, yet if The Dragon ceases to
publish these stories, many new writers would be left
out in the cold. After reading his letter, I don’t think
that Mr. Pulsipher would object to that at all, but in
doing so, he is actually cutting his (and our, collective)
throat. Just how does he think that all this got
started? Yet allow me to regress for a moment in
order that I might elaborate on this point.

To begin with, Mr. Pulsipher seems to have forgotten
one of the fundamental rules of existence,
namely that you have to take the good with the bad.
Not all (perhaps none) of these writers are going to
be Malorys or Tolkiens, but one should still give
them a chance (at least tolerate their efforts) in the
hopes that they one day might achieve that higher
plateau of artistry. For these are the people that enable
the genre to survive, and I think that Mr. Pulsipher
should be thankful to them for enabling him
to stand upon that height of literary excellence from
whence he dispenses his wisdom. But how, you may
ask do they enable him to do so? Why, by being the
pile, of course. Perhaps Mr. Pulsipher has forgotten
just who he is standing on. But then, pure air always
was a little thin, and, as such, liable to go to one’s
head.

Sincerely,
Garth Wilcoxson
Ard-choille!
(The Dragon #5)

Hear! Hear! Ed.



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Dear Sirs,
Allow me to congratulate you on your new
magazine, as well as to order a copy of The Dragon
#1. Although not a D&D player myself, I still find
many of the articles and rules most interesting.
However, I begin to wonder where it will all end. My
meaning is this: I fear you are going to become
bogged down in such a plethora of rules, sub-classes,
etc. that, if all are used, the game could easily become
practically unplayable. I wonder how many
players use more than a tithe of them now? Overcomplication
can be as bad as oversimplification.
I’m not saying it should be a game for the lowest
common denominator, but it’s not impossible to
foresee a loss of interest in it due to its becoming almost
incomprehensible. The most successful games
are those which do not require one eye on the game
and the other on a rule book. They’re also the most
enjoyable.

I must at this point disagree with the readers
who oppose fiction in The Dragon. Frankly, I would
like to see much more. I was especially pleased to see
Gardner Fox writing for you. I find his heroes to be
considerably more original than most of the “Conan”-
types most other authors offer us. I missed the
first installment of “Gnome Cache” but the
author’s writing seems to be improving from the second 
to the third. If he keeps up, he may be another
L. Sprague DeCamp (who Ernst’s writing seems to
be resembling more and more). It was also gratifying
to see you’re offering new writers a chance to submit
their works.

Yours truly,
Mike Lueders
[edit]
(The Dragon #5)


The purpose of THE DRAGON is to provide a
forum for communication pertaining to fantasy
gaming. (By fantasy, I include S&S, SF and roleplaying
as well as boardgaming.) I certainly don’t
recommend that every DM adopt every item that I
publish. I just publish them so that discriminating
DM’s can pick and choose as they see fit, within the
confines and limitations of their campaigns.


    The D&D field is sharply polarized between
those who feel that every single contingency should
be anticipated (and rules already laid out) and those
that prefer to pick and choose the elements of their
campaigns, and wing it whenever new alternatives
present themselves. I try to satisfy both of these dissimilar
camps, as well as those in between the two
poles.

ED.

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The Strategic Review

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7	D&D is only as good as the DM	Hints for D&D Judges: Towns	-	-