Editor's Content Summary:
This month's kaleidoscopic cover comes to us from the talented Darlene Pekul, and serves as your first look at "Jasmine", Darlene's fantasy adventure strip, which makes its debut in this issue. The story she's unfolding promises to be a good one; stay tuned.
Holding down the middle of the magazine is The Pit of The Oracle, an AD&D game module created by Stephen Sullivan. It was the second-place winner in the first International Dungeon Design Competition, and after looking it over and playing through it, we think you’ll understand why it placed so high. Also helping to make May a special month is Mapping the Dungeons II Update, the last word (for now) in our ongoing search for players and DMs the world over.
In another debut, we're opening up Eye of The Dragon, a look at what's happening now and what the future holds in the game-hobby industry—another big step in the right direction, as TD strives to cover all aspects of gaming and the people involved in it.
Instead of one main feature this month, we have three. From the City of Brass to Dead Orc Pass is Ed Greenwood's literary look at the use of gates to move from plane to plane. If you'd rather stay right where you are and battle some new dragons, then Arthur Collins' article will fill the bill. Or, if a more "civilized" campaign is your cup of tea, Jeff Swycaffer and Paul Leathers present ways to make an urban atmosphere more exciting.
There are the usual batch of regular columns inside, led off by Gary Gygax's glimpse at the soon-to-be-released (yes, really!) World of Greyhawk in From the Sorcerer's Scroll. Just in time for Origins '80. John Prados looks at the Charles Roberts Awards in his Simulation Corner. Instead of more Giants in the Earth this month, Lawrence Schick and Tom Moldvay provide a look at how their offerings are prepared. Lenard Lakofka presents The Monties, certainly an ungodly group of deities, in Leomund's Tiny Hut. Divine Right designer G. Arthur Rahman continues the Minarian Legends with an examination of Elfland. Jean Wells has more answers to your questions in Sage Advice. Fantasysmith's Miniature Spotlight takes a short look at the long lance, and Kristan Wheaton goes Up On A Soapbox with a thesis on the theory of magic. A trio of new treasures awaits you in Bazaar of the Bizarre, and the Vulturehound is lurking in Dragon's Bestiary.
And there's more! Bryan Bullinger offers number two in his series of Squad Leader scenarios. Tim Jones shows how hard he thinks it ought to be to develop a new magic spell. Colleen Bishop presents an appropriate companion piece on Libraries, and F. C. MacKnight describes a complex combat system for his hybrid game based on Lankhmar. Nick Nascati takes us back in the past once again with another installment of Armies of the Renaissance.
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