Dragon Magazine 022.pdf

February, 1979

Convention Schedule 1979

Dun Dra Con IV (Feb. 17-19) at the Villa Hotel, 4000 South El Camino Real,

San Mateo CA. All-night dungeons. Fantasy Films. Fighting Demos. Tourna-

ments. Registration Fee — $10.00. Contact: DDC IV, 386 Alcatraz Avenue,

Oakland, CA 94618.

GENCON South (Feb. 17-19) at the Jacksonville Hilton, Jacksonville,

Florida. D&D. Boardgames. Miniatures. Contact: Carl Smith Jr., 5333 Santa

Monica Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207, or call (904) 733-3796.

Emperors Birthday Convention VIII (Feb. 24) at Holiday Inn, 2725 Casso-

polis St., Elkhart, Indiana 46514 (Indiana Toll Rd., Exit 9). Dungeons and

Dragons. Miniatures. Dealers. Militaria Display. Pre-registration — $3.00. At

door — $3.50. Phone (219) 293-4298 for details or write R. Hagerty, 525 Mid-

dlebury St., Apt. 302, Elkhart, IN 46514.

Mon Con III (March 30 - April 1) at Morgantown WV. Science Fiction. Fan-

tasy. Comix. Movies. Games. Star Trek. Contact: Mon Con III, Conference

Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506.

Spring Revel (March 31- April 1) at American Legion Hall, 735 Henry Street,

Lake Geneva, WI 53147. Dungeons and Dragons. Miniatures. Boardgames.

FITS. Rail Baron. The whole TSR crowd will be there. Registration Fee $2.00.

No game fees. Contact Joe Orlowski, Spring Revel, P.O.B. 110, Lake Geneva,

WI 53147.

Tippacanoe (and Fantasy Too) Game Convention. (May 4-6) Guest

Speakers include Gene McCoy (Wargamers Digest), Duke Siegfried (Heritage),

Tom Shaw & Don Greenwood (Avalon Hill), Bob Blake (Winner of the 1st D&D

Masters Tournament), Lou Zocchi (Designer of Luftwaffe, and Battle of Britain).

Contact: John Hill, P.O.B. 2071, W. Layfayette, IN 47906.

The Great Canadian Games Adventure (May 18-21) at Ottawa University,

King Edward Street, Ottawa Ontario, CANADA. Tournaments, Seminars.

Games from Europe, England, and Canada (as well as the U.S.). Dealers.

Films. Auditions. 100 rooms on campus, costing from $6.00 to $12.00 a night.

Room reservations must be made before May 1. Registration fees are $8.00 be-

fore April 1 and $10.00 thereafter. Phone (613) 745-2073 for details or write:

CANGAMES 79, 201-360 Dundas St., Vanier Ontario, CANADA, K1L 7W7.

Michicon VIII (June 1-3) sponsored by the Metro Detroit Gamers at Oakland

University, Rochester, MI. Contact Metro Detroit Gamers POB 787, Troy, MI

48099.

GENCON XII (August 16-19) at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Wood Rd.,

Kenosha, WI 53140. This could be THE convention of 1979. Over 20 dealers.

Over a hundred tournaments, tournies, and scheduled demonstration games.

Not to mention seminars, open gaming, and workshops. Pre-registration before

June 30 — $10.00. At door — $15.00. Special GENCON XII Information

Packet available in April. Contact Joe Orlowski, GENCON XII Coordinator,

POB 756, Lake Geneva, WI 53147.

ORIGINS 79: TO BE OR NOT?

As this issue goes to press, we have not received a single shred

of information regarding ORIGINS 79. Rumors, however, have

been rampant. As we are not in the habit of publishing rumors, we

will not share any with you at this time. We will, however, share

with you what we feel to be the most reliable account of what

seems to be going on. Be advised that we freely state that some of

this is unsubstantiated, all of it is the result of sleuthing we have

done, or deductions we have made in light of oft-conflicting

stories and accounts.

At first, reports had it that the con was to be in a giant motor-

lodge in or near King-of-Prussia, PA. The lodge was supposed to

be managed by a wargamer, and all the details were being worked

out. (This bit of information was printed in a couple of publica-

tions.) It was to take place in July.

The latest information has it that the con has been relegated to

tiny Widener College, in Chester, PA, and is in June.

Judging from the lack of planning that seems to be going on, it

would Seem that the whole thing is much too iffy. lf the organizers

are still this vague at this late date, we caution anyone considering

it to be very flexible, and not commit your summer schedule

around what could become a non-event.

— The Magazine of Fantasy, Swords & Sorcery, and Science Fiction Game Playing —

Table of Contents

The cover isn’t the only strange thing about this issue. I haven’t the foggiest

idea where to begin, so let’s start with the physical aspects of the magazine you

now hold in your hands. First, its much bigger than a normal TD or LW, 12 to 20

pages bigger then usual. Although it may not look like it, it’s actually two

magazines. This issue is an experiment, and you, the reader, can be judge and

jury and determine its future. For the first time, we have bound in an insert.

The insert is not your usual ad or subscription plug — it’s a survey question-

naire complete with POSTAGE PAID response form. All we are asking of you is

about 10 or 15 minutes of your time to let us know a few things about you, about

how you feel about TD and LW, your impression of this experiment, your gam-

ing preferences and a few other odds and ends that we hope will give us a better

understanding of you and what you want to see in forthcoming issues.

If your response to this combined format is favorable, we intend to put out a

56+ page issue monthly, very similar to this one. Contents will run about

50/50, although many articles are impossible to limit in category. A good case in

point is the article on assassins in this issue. It was slated for LW, but is of great in-

terest to role-players as background. The polearm article also falls into that amor-

phous middleground — part history, part background.

We will be using a new physical layout, with all articles in a specific area

grouped together under one division of the magazine, similar to the layout we

have utilized in this issue.

In short, we think that we will become a more desirable magazine, covering

all of wargaming inside the same cover.

You can tell us if you think we’re wrong; send in the survey response form.

For those of you that didn’t get a card, because you don’t subscribe, let me

fill you in on what happened to the non-existent Jan. issue. As you know,

magazines work months in advance. In late November, I went into the hospital

for two days for a little surgery to have my mouth rebuilt (no, it’s not bionic) that I

figured would only make me lose a couple of weeks. Was I wrong! Between the

after effects of the surgery, and the healing hassles, and a follow-up minor

surgery, and a most welcome heavy weight-loss which really debilitated me, I

lost over six weeks of working. The schedule being a shambles, we hit on the idea

of combining two to get back on track. The more we mulled it over, the more at-

tractive the combination idea became, and you have the end product of that ex-

pediency in your hands. Subs are in no way affected, as the numbering system

has always been the key on TD and LW subs, and the numbers have picked up

where they left off.

We have some extraordinary material in this issue. We were able to prevail

upon the parent organization to provide us with some material from the unfin-

ished Adv. D&D® Dungeon Masters Guide. The charts and table provided,

plus the other accompanying material should prove invaluable to DMs, especial-

ly in view of the fact that the book is not due to be published until GenCon in

August.

Speaking of DMs, we have compiled the results of the First International

DM Search, and are printing that list in this issue. I was rather dismayed by the

rather light response, considering how many D&D players there are, and based

on sales of D&D. Perhaps the next one will be more extensive.

My next issue will be a regular TD. We can’t afford to wait for the survey

data, so we will be printing one more; perhaps the last under that format. If we do

decide to go with the new format, all existing TD and LW subs will be filled with

the new magazine, so current subbers will be getting a dividend.

Cont’d on page 54.

Convention News

...................................

The First Assassins James E.

Brunner ..................

The Irresistible Force Gary Gygax

.....................

Armies of the Renaissance Nick Nascati

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Reviews

Mike Cur, Gary Gygax, Dave Minch ...................... .

Mapping the Dungeon

..............................

. 18

Dungeons and Dragons

What It Is and Where It Is Going Gary Gygax

.........

. 29

4th Dimension

Allan Hammack ......................

. 32

ADD® Sneak Preview.

..............................

. 33

Stalemate at Kassala

John Gosling ................... .

Finieous Fingers J.D.

Webstors ......................

. 49

The Nomenclature of Pole Arms Gary Gygax

...........

. 50

Publisher E. Gary Gygax Art Dept. Dave Sutherland

Managing Ed. T.J. Kask David A. Trampier

TD Editor T.J. Kask Tom Wham

LW Editor Joe Orlowski Circulation Mgr. Joe Orlowski

If your mailing label says TD22, LW13 — This is your last issue.

Publisher’s Statement

THE DRAGON is published monthly by TSR Periodicals, a division of TSR Hobbies, Inc., P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva, WI 53147.

It is available at better hobby shops and bookstores, or by subscription. Subscription rate is $24 per 13 issues. Single copy and back issue price is $2.00, but availability of back issues is not guaranteed. Subscriptions outside the U.S. and

Canada are $28 per 6 issues, and are air-mailed overseas. (Payment must be made in U.S. currency or by international money order.) All material published herein becomes the exclusive property of the publisher unless special

arrangements to the contrary are made. Subscription expiration is coded onto the mailing list. The number to the right of the name. prefixed by “LW” or “TD” is the last issue of the subscription. Notices will not be sent.

Change of address must be filed 30 days prior to mailing date.

Unsolicited material cannot be returned unless accompanied by a stamped return envelope. and no responsibility for such material can be assumed by the publisher in any event. All rights on the entire contents of this publication are

Second-Class Postage paid at Lake Geneva, WI 53147

February, 1979

THE FIRST ASSASSINS

James E. Bruner

Sultan Sanjar awoke from a deep untroubled sleep with a pervad-

ing feeling of exultation. Each dawn brought his invincible army so much

closer to the mountainous lair of his relentless enemies the Assassins.

Within days, he mused, the Assassin citadel on the Rock of Alamut

would lay in smoking ruins and the Assassin leader Hasan, called by his

disciples the Master, would be writhing under the skilled knives of the

royal torturers.

As he was savoring these and less kindly thoughts his eyes focused

on the dagger: its long straight blade protruded from the pillow scant in-

ches from where his head lay, gleaming gently in the diffused morning

light. With a shriek he scrambled out of bed calling frantically for his

guards. After a thorough search of the pavilion had turned up no lurking

killers Sanjar ordered the puzzled guardsmen to depart and drew the

dagger from beneath the covers. With trembling fingers he removed the

scrap of parchment impaled on the needle-pointed blade. The note

contained but a single word, a command:

and be thankful your life will be spared.

As the ambassador finished speaking the corners of Hasan’s mouth

drew upwards in the semblance of a smile. He nodded almost impercep-

tibly to a young man standing next to the spokesman and while the am-

bassadors lept back fearfully the youth drew his long dagger from his belt

and drew its razor edge across his own throat. The body flopped at the

feet of the horrified ambassadors in a spray of blood. Smiling openly

now Hasan turned and nodded at a man stationed on the fortress wall

who lept silently into space to meet his end on the jagged rocks more

than six hundred feet below. Satisfied, Hasan turned back to the

stupefied ambassadors and announced that he had sixty thousand more

followers not unlike the two that had just died.

The ambassadors were still struggling to regain their composure

when they rode back into the Sultan’s camp to finalize the terms of the

agreement. In exchange for a large amount of tribute and immediate

withdrawal the Assassins would agree to refrain from proselytizing in the

Sultan’s domains and put their unparalled intelligence service at his

disposal. Sanjar hurriedly agreed to the terms and departed for the

relative safety of his capital.

Under the single blazing eye of the merciless sun the sultan’s ambas-

sadors made their way up the slope towards the brooding hulk of Ala-

mut. The place was well named the “Eagles’ Guidance.” Its bulk rose six

hundred feet from the surrounding plain, a natural eyrie detached from

the mass of mountains behind it. Varying in width from thirty to one

hundred and twenty-five feet along its four hundred and fifty foot

length, it hovered like a titantic bird of prey over the sweating ambassa-

dors. Even without the massive man-made walls and towers the Rock of

Alamut was a natural fortress. As the ambassadors climbed closer to the

single gate they decided that the sultan had made a wise choice in at-

tempting a negotiated peace before beginning a seige.

The heavily timbered gates swung inward without a sound and the

ambassadors passed into the chill shadow of the gate-house. In the

blinding sunlight of the courtyard beyond they could make out row

upon row of tall hardy youths clothed alike in red tunics and white

trousers. On the steps leading to the main keep stood an old man whose

erect posture belied the white of his hair and the map of wrinkles that

made up his face.

Hasan, Master of the Rock of Alamutand leader and founder of the

Order of Assassins, motioned the ambassadors forward with a flick of

one thin hand. Gathering their courage the ambassadors strode forward

and stopped at the base of the steps. Their spokesman stepped forward

to deliver the magnanimous terms set forth by the Sultan: acknowledge

the Sultan: acknowledge the Sultan as rightful ruler, abandon Alamut,

Hasan Sabbah the Iranian

In 1078 A.D. Hasan Sabbah the Iranian arrived at the House of

Wisdom in Cairo. The House, founded some seventy-four years earlier,

was the principal school for missionaries of the Ismaili branch of the

Shiite sect of Islam. Born Ca. 1050 in Ray, five miles north of Teheran in

the shadow of the Elburz Mountains, Hasan had been an early Ismaili

convert. By 1074 he was serving as a deputy dai under Attash, chief dai

of Irak and western Iran. The dais were the lsmaili teachers or “Sum-

moners to the Truth” and were found throughout the length and

breadth of the Islamic world. At the House of Wisdom Hasan hoped to

delve deeper into the mysteries of his religion aided by some of the great-

est religious minds of the day.

The Ismailis are a branch of the Shiite sect of Islam whose beliefs

combine elements of the Islamic faith with Greek, Persian, Syrian, and

Babylonian philosophy. It has attracted followers from all religions and

walks of life. The central Ismaili belief is that God is incomprehensible to

everyone. Only the imam, or leader, may interpret, ellucidate, and ap-

ply the Koran. The office of imam is hereditary and he is considered om-

niscient and infallible. The imam is fiercely obeyed by the faithful who

are guaranteed reincarnation until a heaven of perfect wisdom is at-

tained.

Negotiate!

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