‘Thanks to all’

Dear Kim,
Sincere congratulations on DRAGON™
issue #62! I thought it was quite exceptional
from its Elmore cover right through to the
scurrilous “Wormy” (and I’ll deal with Tramp
for that in my own way!) and amusing “What’s
New?“. Thanks to all the staff and the contributors
for such an outstanding issue. It is going
to be hard to top the work you are producing
— not that it needs to be, but I know that all of 
you are always striving to do more. I await
future issues with great anticipation. A few
comments on the contents are in order:

The various dragons were interesting. I particularly
liked the “Faerie Dragon” — with a
few modifications it could become a part of
the AD&D™ game. Likewise, the article “Evil
Dragon Armors” was well done, although the
reason why armor from green dragon hide
would protect one against gas, when no armor
so does, is not stated. Can the Learned
Author help us out there? GANGBUSTERS”
game is going just like its name from early
reception. I can only say that I look forward to
playing in someone’s campaign.

From an AD&D game standpoint, I must say
that Ed Greenwood’s “Pages from the Mages”
was outstanding! It is exactly the sort of thing
which should be encouraged. Ed was quite
careful to make spell alterations either less
effective than the originals, or else he added
some other complication to balance the
change. Astute! Great work!

NPC classes never thrill me, for they typically
end up as a class for player characters
—especially when it is an NPC class purported
to “balance” the game against powerful
players. In my view, good DMing is what balances
a game, and everything else is dressing.

Roger Moore shows flashes of real brilliance.
His “Half-Orcs” and “The Gods of the
Orcs” were good. Parts were very good. Roger’s
difficulty comes when he attempts to read
things into the game which are not there, or
when he bases his assumptions about some
AD&D game race upon the works of an author
not connected with the game. I feel it necessary
to caution readers that Mr. Moore’s work
is interesting and well done, but it is by no 
means “official” AD&D material. (Roger, if
you’d clear this through us, that status could
alter.) Overall, the whole series is outstanding,
but a few flaws keep it from the status it
could have.

TOP SECRET™ gaming is growing rapidly
in popularity. I am a fairly recent convert myself.
I haven’t read the module you included in
#62 “Chinatown: The Jaded Temple”, because
my Administrator would frown on that.. . . Len
Lakofka’s answer for harassed merchants is
okay, although I might suggest even stronger
measures. The last feature, “Zadron’s Pouch
of Wonders,” was an example of a fine idea
improperly executed. The item is absolutely
unusable as presented. Any sound DM will
recognize that. There is far too much benefit
to be gained from the item, too many aberrant
magic items available, to allow the item into a
good campaign. But, with a bit of reworking
the Pouch could become a favorite — along
with a bag of beans and a wand of wonder.

You fellows aren’t kidding when you call the
magazine a game aid. For that I thank you on
behalf of RPG enthusiasts everywhere. Now,
as I said earlier, what are you going to do for
an encore?!


E. Gary Gygax
Lake Geneva, Wis.
(Dragon #64)