Editor's Content Summary:
This month’s cover illustration is by John Barnes, who also did the dragon renderings which appear on TD #33 and Best of The Dragon. The cover is a lead-in to our latest tale of Niall of the Far Travels, written by Gardner Fox, called The Cup of Golden Death.
In the "dungeon dressing" department, we offer a couple of unusual ways to spice up a playing environment. Allen Wells discusses the application of tesseracts, and Tom Moldvay provides descriptions of planetary correspondences, which can be used to lend a consistent theme to any fantasy milieu.
It’s no secret how Top Secret came into being-not any more, since Jerry Epperson' acquired some information from the files of designer Merle Rasmussen and delivered it to TD in the dark of night. Speaking of designers, John Ball has time-warped an article to us from England, in which he sets forth strategy and tactics for 4th
Dimension.
If you didn’t think Fritz Leiber and Harry Fischer had vivid (and devious) imaginations before, you will after seeing "Fafhrd and Mouser in the Dungeon," a cruel, cruel puzzle with which F.C. MacKnight concludes his series on Lankhmar. Other special articles include Jon Mattson’s variant method of assigning spells to nasty NPC Magic-Users, and an "adventure story" by Lewis Bryson which proves, over and over again, that good things come in little packages.
And there are the usual regular features, adding even more to TD’s variety and diversity. Len Lakofka scrutinizes dragons, and offers new types of his invention, in Leomund’s Tiny Hut. Fantasysmith’s Notebook tells all about a special new award to be given out at Origins ‘80, and how you can compete for it. Glenn Rahman, co-designer of Divine Right, continues the Minarian Legends series with The History of Mivior, illustrated by brother Ken Rahman. Gary Gygax tackles an assortment of issues in From the Sorcerer’s Scroll - including the last word (perhaps. . .) on female dwarves and beards. Just in time for another disbursing of trophies, John Prados gives us information and observations about the Charles Roberts Awards in Simulation Corner. Our resident buttonpusher, Mark Herro, refights the Civil War and battles the Klingons in The Electric Eye. Kevin Readman’s illuminating beastie, the Flolite, is the newest addition to Dragon’s Bestiary.
Saving the most colorful for the last, your trip through the pages of TD #38 will end with the second installment of Jasmine and the first episode of another thrilling tale of Finieous Fingers and company.
Tucked away inside these 72 pages are two other very important items: the rules and regulations for TD’s expanded International Dungeon Design Competition, and a ballot for readers to have their say in who gets the 1980 Strategists Club awards. We think your vote does make a difference, and we hope you feel the same way.- Kim
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