Thoul's Paradise

Art by Liz Danforth

The most recent iteration of Tunnels & Trolls– the Kickstarter funded “Deluxe” edition (dT&T) – was made available to backers scant days ago. Evidently, “several folks have pointed out a few corrections that need to be made” and last minute edits are being applied. Your humble host noticed something that may or may not be addressed.

In T&T– as in several other games – attribute scores are determined by rolling 3d6 and finding the sum. However, T&T adopts a “TARO” mechanic: triples add and roll over. If the 3d6 roll generates triples, the dice are rolled again and added to the triple result. If the second roll is triples, the process repeats and can do so ad infinitum. (I guess, technically, it should be “triples roll over and add” because there's nothing to add until the dice are rolled again.)

Anyway, a character with a triple-enhanced attribute is known as a “specialist,” discussed in Section 3.34 (page 18). A sidebar discusses the probability of triples:

For the curious, there is a 1 in 36 chance of triples happening for any given attribute – less than 3%. Although you get eight opportunities – once for each attribute – the overall odds remain 1 in 36 because each roll of the dice is independent of the previous rolls.

If the word “overall” is removed, the statement is indisputably true. For any given attribute, the chance of rolling triples is 1-in-36 (i.e., 2.77% rounded). Since each attribute roll of 3d6 is an independent event, the odds do not change; the chance remains 1-in-36. However, the use of “overall” in connection with “eight opportunities,” implies that the chance of a character having a 'triple' result for any of eight attributes is 1-in-36. This implication is not true.

Welcome to the thrilling world of conditional probability. The graphic below attempts to show the probabilities associated with obtaining exactly one set of triples when rolling for eight attributes. Of course, it's possible to roll more than one set of triples when generating a character, but for the sake of demonstration let's look at just one 'branch' of the probability tree. The roll for the first attribute is either triples or it isn't. Regardless, the chance of the roll for second attribute being triples is still 1-in-36. Within the 97.23% probability of the roll for the first attribute not being triples, there is a 2.70% chance (i.e., 0.9723 ÷ 36) of the roll for second attribute being triples. Thus, there is a 5.47% chance (i.e., 2.77 + 2.70) that exactly one of the first two attributes will have a 'triples' result. By continuing this process, we discover there is a 79.83% chance that – for a course of eight attribute rolls – none of the rolls will be triples. Looking at it another way, an average of one-in-five T&T characters will be a specialist.

Of course, just because triples are rolled for a given attribute doesn't mean that the final value will be exceptionally high (or even better than average). A 'triple' roll could result in a final value as low as 7.

Section 12 of the dT&T rules is titled “Elaborations” and described as “Rule expansions, alternate ideas and additional suggestions...” We are told that “basic specialists are more about 'flavor' of background and role-playing than about special abilities.” In Section 12, however, specialists are presented as a distinct character type. ('Type' is the T&T equivalent of class.) If a character is to be a specialist type:

The player will...invent the character's special qualities related to the unusual attribute...Ideally this will be done with the cooperation and consent of...[the] Game Master to maintain overall balance with other players in the group.

An example type is presented for each primary attribute. They typically call for doubling the dice total when making a saving throw with the specialized attribute in certain circumstances; however, players are encouraged to be inventive when establishing specialist abilities. Although designed for T&T, there's no reason the concept can't be applied to other games with attributes determined by 3d6. Here are some examples:

Strength– The sample strength specialist is called a strong one. A strong one could be a character “whose spirit is strong in a way that translates into the ability to exert force in times of need.”
Constitution– Sensitives have “one or more of their physical senses developed to an unusual degree.”
Dexterity– Examples of dexterity specialists include rangers, acrobats, craftsmen, and athletes. In T&T terms, rangers are characters that have “an uncanny skill with ranged weapons.”
Speed– Although a martial artist specialist can be based on other attributes, the rules discuss the possibilities of a speed specialist martial artist. Some examples speed-based martial art “styles” include “disabling moves and takedowns,” “Evading or redirecting an opponent's strikes,” or “catch[ing] missile weapons in flight, or bat[ting] them aside.”
Intelligence– A mastermind specialist “has a better memory, a nimble wit, a swift insight into the implications of minor details, and a greater ability to solve problems.”
Wizardry– “There are many different types of specialist magic-users possible: healer, combat mage, cosmic controller, and others.” Although specialist magic-users cannot understand magic beyond their specialty, they need not be taught the spells of their specialty. “When their abilities reach the point where they can learn a spell..., it unfolds in their mind like a flower.”
Luck– The sample luck specialist is called a gambler. When making a saving throw regarding a calculated risk, a gambler doubles the dice result.
Charisma– Leaders“take charge of situations and groups...In game terms, charisma saving throws often determine a character's success leading others.”

From 1982 through 1997, Flying Buffalo produced a series of 'CityBooks' that detailed a variety of urban establishments – complete with maps, NPCs, and scenario ideas. The covers displayed the phrase, “a game-master's aid for all role-playing systems.” Today, we would just use the term 'system neutral'. Given its generic nature, guidelines were necessary to adapt the CityBook to any given set of rules. To this end, “a six-level coding system” of quality was implemented; each 'level' corresponding to a percentage range.

Given the diversity of magic systems in fantasy gaming, it is impossible to assign specific spells or powers to any magic-using NPC in CityBook. However, spells or powers can be broken down into categories of magic, regardless of what game system you use.Mike Stackpole devised the “8C's System” in order to provide GMs with a better understanding of the magical capabilities of NPCs. In this system, each “C” corresponds to a particular category of magic: Combat (“used primarily in an offensive/defensive manner in combat”), Curative (“used to heal wounds, cure diseases, stop poison damage, etc.”), Clairvoyant (“used to detect things: secret doors, magic, hidden or trapped items, etc.”), Conveyance (“Teleportation, levitation, flying, telekinesis spells, etc.”), Communication (“telepathy, translation, hypnosis, magic reading spells, etc.”), Construction (“uses matter or energy to 'build,' e. g. wall spells, protective fields, stone-shaping spells, etc.”), Concealment (“serves to hide or misdirect, e. g. invisibility, illusion, shape-shifting spells, etc.”), and Conjuration (“produces a condition or entity, e. g. light spells, weather control, demon-summoning spells, etc.”).

The recently completed Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls divides magic into ten schools (after the fashion of the Universarium of Learning in Knor). According to page 100, “The ten schools of magic used in dT&T are directly derived from FBInc's Citybook publications.” The schools are listed below. The parenthetical names “are merely examples as are occasionally used in places like the Universarium (some openly, some mockingly behind the backs of the practitioners...).”

Clairvoyant (College of the Illuminated Mind)
Combat (Academy of Applied Force)
Communication (Academy of the Echoing Forum)
Concealment (The School You Don't Know About with the Classrooms You Can Never Find)
Conformation (School of Bodily Functions)
Conjurations (School of Creative Invitations and Reality Realizations)
Construction (The Technical College of Fabrincantations)
Conveyance (The Exalted Union of Hod and Cask Translocation)
Cosmic (Esoteric Lyceum of Splendiferous Wonderment)
Curative (The Caring Ones)

Obviously, the two additional schools are Conformation and Cosmic. The Conformation school includes...

Spells that can alter shape, form, makeup, or attributes of living beings (although some undead magic also falls into this category). Shapeshifting spells that actually alter the body fit here; illusions of same fall under Concealment.

Cosmic magic regards...

A broad alteration of reality, and (because every scheme of magic needs one) this is also the dump category for things that doesn't fit anywhere else.

In the 8C system, the Conjuration category served as the repository for misfit spells.

In the recently released Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls, Section 7 (“The Hostile Opposition”) offers the following statement:

In fantasy role-playing games, as in all storytelling of heroic derring-do, the good guys battle the bad guys. The forces of order verses (sic) the forces of chaos. If you want to invoke the shade of Joseph Campbell, it’s because solar heroes must slay the evils lurking in darkness to restore light to the world. It is the quintessential Us versus Them...
For better or worse, 21st Century relativism complicates this simple equation. Monster rights have become civil rights in the Empire of Khazan, and Trollworld harbors many sentient beings who don’t consider themselves monsters...They may, in fact, consider the armies of the “good kindred” to be the monstrous ones when they come rampaging through their territory and looting their dungeon homes.

(See Eric Goldberg's essay, “A Hole in the Ground,” for a similarly 'teratocentric' viewpoint.) The “good kindred” (also known as the humanoid kindred) consist of T&T's standard array of player character races: humans, elves, dwarves, fairies, leprechauns, and hobbs. However, T&T has never been adverse to 'monsters as player characters'; there are even published adventures intended exclusively for 'monster' characters. For the 'non-good' kindred, T&T uses the term illkin. (I would have gone with fellkin.) The entirety of Section 7 is only three pages; Section 13 (“Other Playable Kindreds”) provides 23 pages of details about the other sentient races of Trollworld.

The “illkin” are divided into three categories: familiar, less common (or “scarier”), and extraordinary (or “terrifying”). For familiar illkin, “Charisma ratings emphasize personality first...,” while for extraordinary illkin, “Charisma ratings reflect implied threat of force...” Regarding the in-between category, 'less common' illkin, “Charisma ratings immediately favor neither personality nor force, but fear or disgust can be triggered very easily.” Among the ranks of the familiar illkin, there are centaurs, gnomes, selkies, vampires, et al. The less common illkin include (but are not limited to) harpies, 'flesh' trolls, minotaurs, and policani (like a centaur, but think 'dog' instead of 'horse'). In the extraordinary illkin category, we find gargoyles, demons, ghouls, 'true' trolls, et al.

Section 13 includes at least one paragraph of information on each of the illkin. Among various interesting tidbits, we learn that gnomes have a “rather bipolar mix of clever wackiness and entrenched bitterness.” Also, their collaborations with dwarves “inflate gnomish perseptions (sic) of themselves as one of the unsung greats...” Rapscallions – “disreputable hobbs...notable but for their scraggly hair and squinty dark eyes,” were known in prior editions as “Black Hobbits.” Kobolds are “natural shapeshifters, but their choice of forms is limited to small animals like cats, dogs, foxes, and small children.” Also, kobolds “can briefly project their consciousness into small fires...and both speak and listen.”

Finally, in Section 14, we are given a discourse on Trollworld languages. We are told:

Many character types are mentioned here that do not appear in the playable list of non-human kindreds. These sections were originally generated at completely different times. Because both lists are optional elaborations, we did not try to reconcile the two lists for this book.

Well, the authors can't claim they were pressed for time.

Included in this section is a language chart designed for a d100. Given that one of the game's design goals was not to require 'non-standard' dice, this represents a complete betrayal of everything Tunnels & Trolls stands for. In the fifth edition, Ken St. Andre wrote, “I've tried to keep only 6-sided dice in use in T&T, but multi-sided dice are becoming more available, and I feel their use in this table is somewhat justified.” In the deluxe edition, no 'justification' is offered. Just how hard would it have been to create an equivalent table for six-siders? Not hard at all. In fact, below is a 'd6-ified' version of the dT&T table.

The dT&T language table has some differences from earlier versions. Instead of “Orcish,” we have the more politically correct “Uurrk” (also called Uurrkish). Whereas balrogs (now known as “balrukhs”) and dragons once had distinct languages, they now both speak “flame-tongue.” Similarly, goblins and gremlins had separate languages; now there is merely “Gobble.” Leprechauns used to speak the same language as gremlins; apparently, they now speak an Elven dialect.

'The Low Tongues' previously had separate listings on the language chart; now they are grouped as 'animal languages'. Cats and dogs had different languages; now they share “blood speech.” Once they had separate languages, but now pigs and pachyderms share “herdspeak.” “These are not really language names,” dT&T assures us, “but simply descriptions covering a wide variety of noises and body movements made by such animals when they are communicating.”

Although it does warrant a paragraph on page 204, “Wizard Speech” is not listed on the dT&T language table. Fifth edition T&T– where Wizard Speech is listed on the language table – provides the following definition:

Wizard Speech, despite its name, is not known to all wizards. As a natural linguistic ability it is so rare that less than 1% of the population of the world knows it. There is a 13th level spell, however, which can unlock the ability to use Wizard Speech in any sentient being.

(In dT&T, the spell is 10th level.)

As mentioned previously, DragonRaid did not find much favor in the Christian community, despite the fact that game's primary intent is to promote Christian growth. Opposition to the game was seemingly due to the inclusion of “magic.” The sentiments of anti-D&D spokesperson Sharon Sipos were presented in a 1986 newspaper article:

Sharon Sipos, a Chesterfield County housewife and mother of two who has spoken out against the game on about 30 radio and television programs throughout the nation, believes D&D is not merely a game, but an "alternate lifestyle." Mrs. Sipos said she is engaged in "a spiritual battle," led by the Lord.

She is opposed not only to Dungeons & Dragons, but to all fantasy role-playing games, including a "Christian" version of D&D called Dragon Raid. She said Scripture is used as magic in that game, which she believes is associated with the occult.

Unfortunately, since we don't have exact quotes from Mrs. Sipos; we must assume that the article's author accurately conveyed Sipos' meaning. Alas, the “spiritual battle” faltered as D&D encroached upon popular culture during the past three decades. Role-playing games are no more of an “alternate lifestyle” than golf and Christianity is not incompatible with D&D. I noticed that the Christian Gamer's Guild had a booth at Gen Con this year. (Maybe it's a regular thing, but this is the first year I noticed it.)

That “magic...is associated with the occult” may not be an astounding revelation, but it exemplifies Sipos' logic. The occult is bad and magic is associated with the occult; therefore, magic is necessarily bad. This is akin to saying: arson is bad and fire is associated with arson; therefore, fire is necessarily bad. If magic in a Christian RPG is bad, then what is an appropriate level of tolerance? Harry Potter? Stage magicians? Fairy tales?

Sipos was correct when she said that DragonRaid uses Scripture as magic. Players can recite bible passages which cause effects such as starting a fire or temporarily increasing a character's attribute. For instance, Ecclesiastes 11:1 (i.e., “Cast your bread upon the waters...”) gives a character “enough food for one day.” To be clear, this is not “real life” magic. In a flyer/letter included with the boxed game, DragonRaid creator Dick Wulf wrote:

It's good to memorize Scripture. You never know when you'll need to recall God's truth. Though scripture always works powerfully, it does not work magically in real life. In DragonRaid, however, Bible passages sometimes have mysterious effects in order to create a fun incentive for memorizing scripture. This means when your character says a verse or passage from the Bible by memory, the OverLord provides help. It is in no way meant to encourage the study or practice of magic. Using magic in any way, for any purpose, is absolutely forbidden (see Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

(The peculiar use of bold type is just as it appears in the original.) These 'magic' verses are called WordRunes. They each have a difficulty level, a requisite attribute minimum, and restrictions on when they may be used. Difficulty level based upon the number of words in the passage. WordRunes of difficulty level one have less than twenty words; higher difficulty WordRunes have more. Each character has a 'Sword of the Spirit' rating that indicates the highest difficulty level of WordRune that the character can utilize. However, as the character's Sword of the Spirit rating increases, WordRunes of lower difficulty levels are no longer available. A character “may not use a WordRune more than three levels below his Sword of the Spirit rating.”

In addition to creating a magical effect, a successful recitation of a WordRune provides the character with “maturity units,” a form of experience points. Typically, Sword of the Spirit and the requisite attribute each get one maturity unit. Once twenty maturity units are collected, the applicable rating or attribute increases by one step. Maturity units can also be earned by completing adventures; however, characters can also lose maturity units by “being caught in a dark creature sin enchantment” or “by being disobedient to the OverLord.”

All DragonRaid players are expected to use WordRunes. Of course, the main purpose of the WordRune mechanic is to help the players become better Christians by memorizing Bible verses (thereby, one supposes, understanding them and applying them to real life situations). Yet this is a mechanic where the character benefits from the player's effort – not due to role-playing or rolling dice or even spending narration points (or whatever). Imagine employing this mechanic as the standard means of spellcasting in some other role-playing game. The Bible need not be used, but the text should be appropriately atmospheric. (I would consider using the works of William Blake – spiritual without being oppressively religious.) Any character would be capable of magic, but only if (and to the extent) the player worked to memorize and recite the material.

Not surprisingly, the Dungeons & Dragons television series from the Eighties prompted various merchandizing efforts. Among the affiliated products are two sticker books released in the United Kingdom. Aside from the requisite stickers and scenic pages upon which the stickers could be posed, each book has a simplistic choose-your-own-adventure type narrative that employs the imagery of the stickers. There are also maps...or things that purport to be maps. The word “map” appears in the lower, right-hand corner of each example, but it looks self-conscious, as though uncertain if it really ought to be there. Actually, each example is an array of illustrations of locations; some of the locations are mentioned in the adventures. While perhaps not altogether accurate, “map” nonetheless possesses the dual advantages of brevity and convenience.

In the first adventure, from 1985...

Kelek, who is an evil sorcerer, has stolen THE FORCE! THE FORCE is a strange power held in a star-shaped crystal. It is the magic which makes this world possible by separating it from the other world which you know outside.

Anyway, Kelek “has broken the crystal into several pieces and hidden them.” The objective is to recover the pieces. When the stickers representing the pieces are properly arranged on the map, each “points to a letter in one of the names on the map – and they spell out a message!” Through this means, the reader/player successfully completes the adventure.

In the second adventure, from 1987, the naughty Kelek has “stolen and hidden” the Spirit King's “magic armour and sword.” The objective is to recover these items. The sticker representing the Spirit King's mail shirt is to be placed on the map as is evident below.

The 'maps', as presented, may not be especially useful for a role-playing game setting. However, the illustrations could easily be incorporated into a more traditional map graphic. For a crude example, I have taken a map of Indonesia, shifted it around, and 'reversed' land and sea. I have used the illustrations to create a border around the map, with lines pointing to their precise positions. Borneo has become “Black Lake,” so I expect the scale to be somewhat less than that associated with Indonesia.

My Amazing High Fantasy Adventure

Jeffrey C. Dillow

I will be releasing two new books this month from the world of High Fantasy. But before I talk about those books, I would like to give you a few highlights about my most amazing adventure with the role-playing game, High Fantasy. I hope you will find most of this story interesting and very familiar to your own RPG experience. One thing that I have noticed since writing the game in 1974; however, is that "trolls" sure have gotten a lot bigger since then.

My adventure begins in 1974 at Indiana University and then continues today in New Jersey where I have spent most of my life. You see, I am a Hoosier at heart wrapped in the attitude of a Jersey Boy.

Like most of you, I picked up the first publication of Dungeons and Dragons and tried to play it. I found it to be a beautiful concept, but very flawed and nearly unplayable. Now we are talking about the original edition. Slow down "trolls", this is not meant to be disparaging of the well thought out and fun game Advanced Dungeons and Dragons that came later.

In high school, I played every board game available. I also created games, including a world social event game that was taught in my high school as a social studies elective. So, when I picked up the first edition of D&D, it seemed unfair and out of balance. In game theory there needs to be a balance and a fairness for the players. One of the things I saw early on was that the Wizard character was more powerful and not equal in gaming terms with the other characters. Weapons were not historically accurate in their abilities, ranges, etc. Again, these were flaws I noticed among others and as we all know, were fixed in later editions.

I wrote my own set of rules at Indiana and played and tested them with friends at the school's gaming clubs. I had no intention of ever publishing.

After graduating college, two of my closest friends and avid High Fantasy players passed away suddenly in a boating accident. My wife and I took the game to the local copy business and printed up 100 copies with a beautiful orange cover where I drew the artwork. There are two amazing facts in that last sentence; one, I never drew anything in my life until then and the cover looks like it; and two, my wife was one of the earliest RPG female game players. So there non-believers. There were actually good looking women playing RPG right from the beginning.

We took our game around to conventions where we set up a large gaming table filled with handmade castles. We had complete working models of all of the adventures that were published later. We took the money made from sales and reinvested to print more booklets. We started to get noticed. We started to have lines waiting at our booth to play the game.

I think we got up to about 1,000 copies sold when we got our first big break. An Indianapolis company called Twinn K saw us and wanted to diversify their chain of products. Who was Twinn K you ask? Twinn K was the largest distributer of racing tires and accessories in the world. I guess I should also mention I am talking about "slot cars". As slot cars were vanishing, they needed to diversify. Most importantly, through the kindness of the owner we went from selling products locally to suddenly being distributed to every hobby store in America over night! We ditched my hand drawings, went to black and white, and then quickly moved to glorious full color.

Now we were selling! Now we could take those adventure stories we had been playing and publish those, also in glorious color. (Fortress Ellendar and Moorguard)

If you stayed with this story so far hang on because it is about to take off.

Reston Publishing noticed we were selling about 5,000 copies with each printing and offered to take over our publishing. Who is Reston Publishing you ask? Reston Publishing is Prentice Hall. At that time and maybe still today, Prentice Hall was one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. We had no choice but to leave the very good and kind folks at Twinn K and move our publishing. With Reston Publishing in charge, we went from every Hobby Store in America to every Book Store the next day.

That is about the time D&D, who was now being distributed by Random House, took notice. Arneson had left TSR and was suing his co-authors company. This was tough. Random House distribution did not like Prentice Hall distributers and there was a lot of discussion with Book Stores about where and how our books should be displayed compared to AD&D.

Are you still with me? Now the adventure becomes fantastic. At this point in my life my wife and I are still in Indianapolis. We were now making a meager living publishing and expanding our line of books. From my original hand drawn cover we were now starting to commission Jim Steranko for cover art. He did our "Wizards and Warriors" cover and posters. He also did a second commission, but it was stolen from the offices of Reston right before "Goldchester" was published. That is a fantastic story onto itself. I will tell it later.

So a guild of wizards noticed my books in the bookstores. These wizards lived in New Jersey and worked for the David Sarnoff Research Center in Princeton. Wait a minute. I am mixing up my gaming terms with real life. These wizards were actually referred to as "Fellows" and research scientists in real life. What is the David Sarnoff Research Center you ask? It was the premier "think tank" in America for consumer electronics owned by the RCA Corporation.

Why were these wizards...I mean scientists interested in me? Well, if you look through the old reviews of my line of books, I almost always get high praise for my adventures. One of these adventures in particular, "Murder in Irliss," had caught their eye. This is a play-your-own adventure. Unlike other adventures, it is very complex in its making. Even more important than that, I had written another adventure called "Circle of Truth" that was about to be published. It is incredibly complex in its structure. I did not know it at the time, but one of the scientists told me I based the structure of the book on "State Event Processing" whatever that is supposed to mean. All I know is that I wrote it and it was perfect for "Interactive Movie" making. And interactive movies and advancing digital media is what all the wizards were interested in at that time.

My wife and I moved our little family to the Princeton area and went to work on advance uses of interactive media. So what happened? Why did I disappear for thirty years? Why am I releasing a new book now?

It has been over thirty years and I did not even know anyone remembered my books until my grown children found blogs and references on the internet. If there really is any interest I will publish the answers in part two of this blog. I promise I won't wait another thirty years to answer your questions.

In the meantime, dare to start a new adventure by checking out our website at www.highfantasybooks.com and remember to like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/highfantasybooks. Our new books are set to be released on August 25th and will be available on Amazon.

My Amazing High Fantasy Adventure
Part 2

Jeffrey C. Dillow

The next part of my amazing High Fantasy adventure might be hard to believe by most of you. It certainly is hard for me to tell. To get through it, I will rely more heavily on RPG terms. This way you will instantly understand what I am saying and I can move the story along more quickly. You should also know that my character's name when I role-played was Eru, a high level warrior, and my wife's character name was Enchantra. I know, Enchantra....really! It is a name I have long been stuck with using in my books no matter how much I dislike it.

This part of the adventure involves two vast armies, a High Dark Lord, treason and treachery that expands over decades, and a Glamour so strange and powerful it baffles science today. You don't believe me, do you? I don't blame you. It is all true and not just in High Fantasy. It is true in real life. My life. So fantasy gamers, be of stout heart because at the end of this story you will believe.

The year is 1984 and my friend Paul and I are traveling back on a train from New York City. We just had one of the most unbelievable experiences in both of our lives. Earlier that month, we sent a copy of one of my books to be reviewed at a company called Rankin and Bass. This group had done a lot of animation work on Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and more recently The Last Unicorn. Rankin and Bass both agreed to meet with us. The meeting went very well and they told us they were willing to work with us to create an interactive movie. They said they would put up a million dollars if RCA would match it and use NBC to move the product. We were stunned. We had just shook hands on a deal that our "Fellows" in the lab would have to like. It was exactly what we had all been working towards. We were going to make the first interactive video for RCA and it came with outside funding!

We could not have been more wrong. From the beginning, we were met with a lukewarm reception. Our bosses went off to huddle and talk about it. Weeks passed, then months went by while upper management talked it over. In the meantime, my fellow wizards were making "Point of View" bobsled videos, detective videos, and more. I finally pushed for an answer and was told "no!" Not "why", just "no." I was devastated. This was the first time in my adventure when I had met such an obstacle. I quickly became despondent and started consorting with the wizards to try and resolve this impasse. I became so consumed with getting the permissions to make the first High Fantasy interactive movies that I completely missed the two dark armies that were marching against us and the vast destruction they were leaving in their path.

The first army advanced on my publisher, Prentice-Hall. It was called Gulf-Western and at first seemed innocent enough, but things began to change rapidly with my publisher in Reston. Again, I was too consumed and isolated in the comfort of my own lab to pay much attention to what was going on in the outside world. All I knew at the time was that my William Morris agent and my editor could not provide much help in working on a deal. Editors began leaving or resigning at Prentice-Hall. It became very clear Gulf-Western was interested in Prentice-Hall for their textbook publishing. Textbooks were sold by the millions - millions and millions, steadily every year. Computer books and vanity projects like High Fantasy were sold by the tens of thousands. A few short months later, Reston Publishing was gone. It was sacked by the first army and burnt to the ground.

I did not see the second army, headed by the High Dark Lord, approach either. This army and its Prince were well-known, but their movements were more secretive. You see, just a few months after Reston Publishing was sacked, the King of RCA betrayed his kingdom for a few pieces of gold.

To understand this part of the adventure you need to know that the founder of RCA, David Sarnoff, broke away from a company called General Electric decades before. RCA was GE's major competitor in America for consumer electronics. Sarnoff had spent his life fighting off GE and winning.

In a clandestine meeting, Thornton Bradshaw, our King, lowered the drawbridge and opened the gates to a large invading army headed by a High Dark Lord known in those days as Neutron Jack. He went by the name of Jack Welch and earned his reputation for eliminating people while leaving only the buildings standing after acquiring a company. RCA's long sworn enemy marched through the gates without a fight.

Just months apart, both kingdoms were sacked and the wizards in the labs knew they would be coming for us soon.

Two armies and a Dark Prince as promised at the beginning of this blog. Did you forget about the Glamour?

At exactly this time (we are still talking about 1985) Enchantra was stricken by an "unconceivable glamour". Her left side became completely paralyzed. The Great War wizard was stricken and she was going down fast. Multiple sclerosis was wreaking havoc on her nervous system.

Hold on now, fellow gamers. We all have read enough fantasy to know what fantasy gamers do in these bleak situations.

Eru draws his sword. We fight!

The great wizards at the RCA labs flee. These "True Ones" were working on digital codecs to compress video into a digital signal that could be pushed through wires. This is before the internet. These types of magics will not be needed for years! GE had wizards, but their focus was forced on making cheaper toaster ovens. There would be no place for wizards like the "True Ones" at GE.

I grab Enchantra, who has three babies clinging to her robe, and fight my way out. I hack my way from Princeton and head north. There, I find another enclave of wizards in Morristown. These were not as high a level of wizards as the ones in Princeton, but they were willing to take us in and shelter us for a brief time. At that time, I worked for AT&T Electronic Education and Training. These wizards had an idea that the computer might someday play a role in education. They called their magic "Distance Learning."

My focus shifted from fantasy to survival. Day by day, we survived. Days turned to months and then years. I could not stay at AT&T for long. After a while, I ventured out on my own as a "Sellsword".

The greatest medical scientists of our time know almost nothing about MS. There are no potions or elixirs to remove this glamour. But did I mention that Enchantra is a war wizard?

Slowly, the eye patch was put away for good. Feeling and sensation started to come back. The cane, "Shefast" her wizard's staff, still hangs ready if the need arises. Today, for the most part, "Shefast" remains in the mud room.

Everyone is safe again. We are all alright. This is after all, "My most amazing High Fantasy Adventure." In my world, everything works out.

So that at least partially explains what happened and why it has been over 30 years since I have even thought about fantasy. As I am sure we all can agree, "stuff happens". I am sure stuff has happened to you too.

So why now?

Surely I am forgotten; a tiny footnote somewhere.

Well, those clinging babies are grownups now. Now they are starting to ask questions. They got on the internet and started finding references about me. Amazon has an author's webpage that lists some of my books. My daughter, who is a better writer than I ever was, wants to write. The others want to help.

I grabbed some of the old charred manuscripts and began to rewrite. Jennifer, my daughter, has added her voice to this adventure by writing a Young Adult novel.

So here we are back at the beginning. I am, once again, making all of the artwork. "Can't someone help me find that lost Steranko?" I think we can all agree; however, that my covers are a lot better this time. Many of the early RPG developers are gone. It might be time now to take a look back. We plan on releasing two books this month. It might be time to take a deep breath, to dream for a little while and let our imaginations go.

DragonRaid uses ten-sided and eight-sided dice, but refers to them as “StarLots” and “Shadow Stones,” respectively. This is their story:

          At the time of The Great Rescue, when the OverLord of Many Names returned from destruction to raise the protective Peaks of the New Beginning, viscious dragons of the Legion attempted to fly over the erupting, upheaving mountains. Raging fire came from their terrible mouths. But as they flew higher and the air grew colder, freezing the dragons' breath in mid-air, a remarkable thing happened. The flames crystallized and plummeted to the bottom of the steep gorges.
          Soon after the Great Rescue, the OverLord began to send His people, the TwiceBorn, into the Dragon Lands. On the northern side of the Peaks of the New Beginning, LightRaiders found the wonderful crystals of many colors. Each gem had ten sides, with a star encased in the center (recognized to be the OverLord's own birthmark). Naming them StarLots, they collected them for the use of the TwiceBorn.
          It did not take long to discover the power that lay within. And since that time, the StarLots have been used to help LightRaiders survive in the Dragon Lands and raid the serpents' strongholds.
          From time to time, StarLots have also come into the hands of dark creatures and dragon slaves. But once touched by those with uncovered evil, the lovely StarLots turn into dark-colored, eightfaceted Shadow Stones – and the star within disappears.

The StarLots that come with the game are translucent. With regard to “the star encased in the center,” the rules state, “You will clearly see this star if you hold the StarLot up to the light and look through it end-to-end.” Despite what the foregoing story suggests, StarLots and Shadow Stones do not have an in-game presence. In terms of game mechanics, “The StarLot is the crystal used primarily by good forces to shape characters or decide outcomes; the Shadow Stone is used by evil forces for their random determinations.” Incidentally, the Shadow Stone is also used for dragon slaves, humans who are the victims of evil.

Actually, use of the StarLot is not reserved exclusively for LightRaiders. All weapons do 1 – 5 or 1 – 10 points of damage, regardless of who wields them.

When creating characters, players use a StarLot to generate Ability Ratings for Character Abilities (or Character Strengths as they are sometimes called). These Character Abilities form the foundation of every LightRaider.

In combat, when a LightRaider attempts to strike an opponent, the result of a StarLot roll is added to the character's Weapon Ability. If this amount is greater than the sum of the opponent's Battle Ability and the result of a Shadow Stone roll, then the LightRaider is successful. Likewise, when an opponent attempts to hit a LightRaider, the result of a Shadow Stone roll is added to Battle Ability. However, for the LightRaider, the result of a StarLot roll is added to the character's 'Shield of Faith' value. If the opponent's amount exceeds the LightRaider's, then the opponent hits. As is evident, player characters get a slight advantage against opponents of equivalent ability.

StarLots are also used as percentile dice for “Success or Ability” checks. A 'Success Grid' (printed in the rule books and on the character sheets) indexes Ability Rating (y-axis) against Difficulty Level (x-axis). The intersection of Ability Rating and Difficulty Level provides a number that must be equalled or exceeded on the dice. There are ten percentiles between Difficulty Levels and five percentiles between Ability Ratings. For instance, the intersection of Ability Rating 6 and Difficulty Level 5 is 60. For the same Ability Rating, Difficulty Level 4 is 50. For Ability Rating 7 and Difficulty Level 5, the number is 55. Ten is the lowest number presented in the grid and 95 the highest. For Ability Rating 2 or less, a Difficulty Level of 7 (or more) is impossible to overcome. Similarly, for Ability Rating 2 or less, a Difficulty Level of 10 the highest level cannot be attempted by any Ability Rating less than 9. Unfortunately, the rules do not provide advice on how to determine Difficulty Levels. We have but one example: A character hears a noise and tries to determine what caused it – either a chipmunk, a bear, or an orc. The Adventure Master says that “the noise has a Difficulty Level of 4.”

By the way, no other mention is made of the OverLord's birthmark.

Earlier in the week, I received my copy of Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls. Although I have previously written about the Wizards Guild, while looking through the pages of this newest edition, I realized more can be said. First, here is a statement made by T&T designer Ken St. Andre back in 2012, when dT&T was first contemplated:

...magic items are...commonly available and...often sold to warriors. It's all part of the power struggle between different factions and guilds.

Next, we must look into Trollworld's history. “Wizards of enormous power, almost gods” along with their “subject races” (including dwarves and humans), started to arrive at Trollworld through “dimension-spanning gates” over 70,000 years before the 'current' Tunnels & Trolls setting. After twenty millennia, the 'Wizard Wars' began; concluding 45,000 years later. At that time, 829 “great wizards, beings of such power that they find themselves unable to be harmed by their colleagues,” met in an assembly. The “god-wizards agree[d] to retreat to their own limited domains and no longer strive to dominate Trollworld” and to allow the subject races “to seek their own destinies.”

Not quite a thousand years prior to the “current age of events and places as shown in Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls” occurred the “Magic Plague.” During the Plague, “The cities of the Dragon Continent experience[d] a great upsurge in crime, most of it committed by criminals using magic powers.” Khazan – a prominent wizard – founded the Wizards Guild so “that wizards should have training and ethics and someone to be responsible to.” The Wizards Guild is...

...an organization for the training and betterment of wizards everywhere. The guild, at its own expense, to train and care for any child with magical abilities. Along with sorcerous training, the guild also trie[d] to impart ethical training...

Although Khazan is an elf, the Wizards Guild is run by humans and page 170 suggests that each race – or “kindred” – has its own Wizards Guild. This is odd in that leprechauns “are rarely on good terms with the official Wizards Guild...” (Edition 5.5 of Tunnels & Trolls specifically states that “Leprechaun lords won't allow the Guild to open branch offices in their area.”)

Additionally, guilds other than the Wizards Guild have access to magic spells:

These guilds have gained knowledge of spells useful to their profession and will teach them to guild members – even including citizens – for exorbitant prices. Some of these spells are virtually the same as wizards' spells, while others have developed in different directions. Thus the Carters Guild knows a spell for controlling draft animals; the Smiths Guild knows one for heating and softening metal; the Farmers Guild knows one for making it rain, and so forth. Magic is ubiquitous in Trollworld.

Although ubiquitous, Trollworld magic is hardly static. As stated in an earlier post, there are ten schools of magic in dT&T. In the seventh edition of Tunnels & Trolls, “magic...was divided into four broad schools...” Such changes in the rules are reflected in the 'backstory' of the setting. Originally, casting a spell temporarily depleted points of the 'Strength' attribute (as a measure of fatigue). Eventually, a new attribute was added: “Wizardry is the measure of how much kremm (magical potency, also called mana) that [a] character can store and channel for purposes of magic.” The Trollword Timeline (dT&T page 272) tells us that...

Khayd'haik, the trolf (half troll, half elf, with Trollish ancestry predominant) wizard explains his new understanding of how to use kremm, and within a few years this new understanding of magic fills the world. No longer is Strength used to power spells. The new attribute of Wizardry has been identified and isolated from Strength, and spells are now powered by WIZ.

We are also informed there may be variations in magic in different parts of Trollword. For example, page 98 states, “There are rumors that luck is used in place of wizardry in a far distant land!”

Theoretically, the Wizards Guild could provide all manner of magical accessories at appropriate, substantial prices; however, this could easily throw “the game's playability out of whack.” Even though magic may be ubiquitous, it is not necessarily harnessed easily; fashioning “really reliable magical artifacts” is seemingly a lost art. However, “Today's wizards have relearned the basics of enchanting less powerful items but even the Guild's archmagi cannot ensure top-quality products that perform with the reliability of a spell cast by a competent magician.” According to page 142, “Due to the warpage of reality represented by [magic] items, it is recommended that no character be allowed more than one...per character level.” Additionally, “Carrying more than this results in interference waves and quantum entanglement, with unpredictable results.” As St. Andre wrote, “[I]f everything is magic, then nothing is magical.”

The DragonRaidNew Player Briefing defines dark creatures as “Non-spiritual beings that follow the dark strategies of the dragons.” Additionally, “They were exiled to the world of EdenAgain by their societies on other planets.” Many of the dark creatures are indistinguishable from standard fantasy 'opponent' races, except that they came from technologically advanced civilizations. Still, on EdenAgain they live a medieval existence, doubtless due to the mechanizations of the insidious dragons. Here are stories of some of the dark creatures.

A “greedo”

Greedo (a.k.a. Itchyfinger)

According to the LightRaider Handbook, “Greedoes were exiled recently from the planet Werj.” On that planet, “bartering replaces buying and selling.” On Werj:

...green greedoes secretly invented a way to better their lot. They called their new methods “bargaining” rather than “bartering,” and they began to stretch the truth when they negotiated. Trusting that all was done in honesty, greedoes of other colors had no idea that they were being cheated.

The Overlord of Many Names did not like this because, “When He created the greedoes on the planet Werj, He intended them to be fair and to use their superior knowledge of business practices to watch out for those of lesser ability.” Then perhaps 'greedo' wasn't the best name He could have given them. Anyway, when the other greedoes caught on to the perfidy of their verdant brethren, they exiled the green greedoes to EdenAgain. Specifically, they were sent away in “properly equipped spaceships...that were programmed to self-destruct one hour after landing on EdenAgain.” We can assume that the other races of dark creatures were sent to EdenAgain in a similar fashion since that would explain the lack of spaceships and other advanced technology in the Dragon Lands.

Although, the greedoes'“hands and feet are equipped with razor-sharp claws,” the main threat they pose to player characters is the Unearned Wealth Enchantment. Said enchantment “causes you to cheat others and thereby lose your Joy.”

Fluster Beast

Occasionally, the twelve intelligent races of the planet Kumoz send 'mutations' to EdenAgain; specifically, the results of “when unholy mating occurred between bear-like animals and ostrich-like birds.” These dark creatures are called fluster beasts. A fluster beast...

...has the body of a small bear, but has two ostrich-like heads. The body is covered with feathers instead of hair. This beast has the claws of a bear, which are its main method of attack and defense. Also, fluster beasts can attack with their two heads by pecking, even at two different enemies simultaneously.

The two heads constantly disagree with one another. The spell fluster beasts cast, “the Double-Minded Enchantment...can affect any Character Strength, depending on the particular confusion generated...”

Selfoe

On the planet Armech, selfoes – gray humanoids with pointed ears – serve the OverLord of Many Names. However, some “degenerate selfoes began to do good things for people, but not for the glory of the OverLord.” Apparently, performing good deeds is 'degenerate' behavior if done for any reason other than to promote the OverLord's glory.

Eventually, the citizenry became angry with the selfoe do-gooders, being jealous for the OverLord of Many Names. They knew His power and goodness cured the sin contamination that was preventing [the degenerate] selfoes from having a pure heart. So angered did they become that they exiled the self-focused selfoes to EdenAgain.

Get it? 'Selfoes' are 'self' focused. On EdenAgain, selfoes are nomads “commissioned by the evil dragons to draw people's minds away from the OverLord of Many Names.” Selfoes expound “that anyone may know the OverLord by living a life full of good deeds” and “that sin and dragon slavery are imaginary.”

Mound Orc

Apparently, these dark creatures are called 'mound' orcs because “LightRaiders who travel through their territory have reported great stacks of bones, a status symbol of how much sorrow and suffering they have caused to others.” We are informed that mound orcs, natives of the planet Uory, “turned evil early in their history and were exiled to EdenAgain before most other dark creatures.” This suggests that orcs were not originally evil and that most of the orcs on Uory are not evil (or else the evil orcs could not have been exiled). Perhaps mound orcs possess the capacity for good? Perhaps they are deserving of the Christian considerations of compassion and forgiveness? Well, no. The OverLord (a.k.a. Jesus) wants you to kill orcs.

The only good orc is a dead orc. LightRaiders are to destroy these creatures whenever they come upon them. Chivalry is of little value. They can be killed...even when they are sleeping. This is because they have most likely caused tremendous pain and suffering for others...and will cause more if you permit them to live.

Orcs have leather-like, gray-brown skin; also, “Large yellow, almond shaped eyes and big pointed ears.” When you slit the throats of sleeping people who have “most likely” caused pain and suffering, I guess it's easier when they have different skin coloration and facial features. Jesus must love murderhoboes.

Art by Janny Wurts

There was once a time when Mayfair Games published role-playing game material. In fact, in some of their advertisements, they used the slogan, “We're the other company!” (Other than TSR, that is.) Among their efforts was a series of sourcebooks called 'Role Aids'. One of the earlier entries was Dark Folk (1983), including sections for gnolls, goblins, kobolds, orcs, and trolls. Each section contained essays and information about the particular race as well as an adventure featuring said race. Several writers contributed to the book, but the only cover credit was:

With ORCS by ROBERT LYNN ASPRIN

Asprin, as the creator of Thieves' World, was a major selling point at the time. However, Asprin did not write the entire section about orcs, but only a patronizing article which came to about one full page. Here are some of his speculations regarding orcs:

Orcish alliances prevented orcs from killing one another, which caused a population explosion and an attendant depletion of resources. The orcs'“solution” to this state of affairs was cannibalism.

While not inclined to eat plants, orcs have a use for fungi – or at least a particular fungus. According to another part of the orc section (i.e., a part not written by Asprin):

Their favorite drink is fermented from a fungus that grows underground in abundance. Flavored with blood, this beverage, called Groog, is nauseating to all other races, and has been known to incapacitate a non-Orc imbiber for 1-4 days.

On the world of EdenAgain, there are five known continents; three of them are inhabitable. The largest of these, Talania, is where the action of DragonRaid takes place. Of the other continents, we know nothing. According to the back cover of the LightRaider Handbook, Talania “lies in the northern hemisphere, between latitude 65°N and 27°N.” In terms of scale, we are told that the range of the Western Peaks is over “1200 miles long.”

In the south-west of Talania, the 'Liberated Land' is situated. As indicated in a previous post, the Liberated Land is the refuge of the TwiceBorn – the servants of the OverLord. In fact, the OverLord adjusted Talania's geography for the purpose of protecting the Liberated Land from the perfidy of dragonkind. Specifically, “the continent erupted with a a mighty roar into a mass of billowing, crumbling earth that rose higher and higher.” Thus The Peaks of the New Beginning were generated, separating the Liberated Land from the Dragon Lands. The peaks reach “altitudes of over 26,000 feet...” On either end of the peaks, “On the west and east, the range is framed by cliffs that plunge to the sea in shear, breathtaking drops.”

From the sea, the Liberated Land is protected by the Mist Barrier:

This unusual bank of steam is about five miles wide. It extends to the southwest through the Gulf of the Stars and into the Western Sea for a distance of some 1000 miles. It also stretches southeast through the Misty Sea, Sea Hag Straights and Mandel Bay to end 1000 miles in that direction. It is caused by the heat of a volcanic fissure on the sea bed, opened and constantly maintained by the OverLord. The fierce heat of the lava turns the water into clouds of steam; violent “seaquakes” and occasional volcanic eruptions reach the surface of the water. This, combined with the continual boiling of the sea, makes this barrier very hazardous for humans to cross. Dragons cannot penetrate it at all – their fires would instantly be extinguished and they would die ingloriously.

LightRaiders infiltrate the Dragon Lands by means of the Passage Lakes. A portion of the introductory adventure describes this in the OverLord's Own Words:

...you will find a lake called Mt. Challenge. Once you are ankle deep in this Passage Lake, you come out of a Hollow-Tree in the northern part of Highland Forest. As you know, this is the way I have decided to bring My LightRaiders into the dangerous Land of the Dragons.

LightRaiders have an incomplete knowledge of the Dragon Lands (even though the TwiceBorn originated there). Included among the features of the Dragon Lands are:

Swamp Labyrinth: “On the mouth of the Snake River, this large swamp is the result of a curious phenomenon: Because the river flows north, its head waters thaw in springtime while the lower river is still frozen. Thus the area experiences devastating floods every year.”
Ghost Moors: “Fearful, gloomy moors, alternating between rocky outcroppings and treacherous bogs. Mists often overhang the area. It is aptly named, for ghastly apparitions inhabit the Moors.
Lawless Basin: “A vast expanse of sun-baked desert. Sand and rocks for grotesque shapes, and cactus is the predominant vegetation.”
Frost Islands: “Bitter cold in the winter; the northernmost islands are rocky and bare, where toward the south are large evergreen forests. A few dragon slaves live here.”
Black Forest: “Named for a rare tree – the black spruce – which is found only here. The humans are primarily woodcutters. Some timber is taken on the difficult trip across the Stone Hills and down Troll River to be used in ship building, as it is highly valued for this purpose.”

In closing, any fantasy role-playing campaign worth talking about has a wacky numismatics system and DragonRaid does not disappoint.

Art by Willy Pogány

In a prior post, I briefly summarized the procedure of combat in DragonRaid. All player characters are LightRaiders. When attacking an opponent, a LightRaider's 'Weapon Ability' value is added to the result of a roll of the StarLot (i.e., 1d10). The 'Battle Ability' the opponent (who is presumably not a LightRaider) is added to the result of a roll of a ShadowStone (i.e., 1d8). The totals are compared. If the total of the LightRaider exceeds the total of the opponent, damage is subtracted from the 'Physical Vitality' of the opponent. When an opponent attacks, the same procedure is followed except the LightRaider's 'Shield of Faith' value is added to the StarLot result. If the opponent's total is higher, the LightRaider takes damage.

'Shield of Faith' and 'Weapon Abilities' are derived from 'Character Strengths' (briefly touched upon here). The 'Shield of Faith' is merely one article of the 'Armor of God':

Belt of Truth: This represents the extent of what the LightRaider has learned from the 'Sacred Scrolls'. The rating is equivalent to that of the Knowledge ability.
Breastplate of Righteousness: This “represents the extent to which the OverLord's righteousness has been worked out in the LightRaider's life.” I'm not sure what that means but it helps a LightRaider “resist invitations to impure acts.” Anyway, the rating matches that of LightRaider's 'Goodness' Strength.
Shield of Faith: This protects LightRaiders “from all conventional weaponry, such as swords, axes and arrows, and protects...from physical attacks from dark creatures.” It also works against dragon fire. The rating is the average of all nine Character Strengths.
Helmet of Salvation: This “gives LightRaiders their hope of eternal life in the Everlasting Kingdom.” I have no idea what this is supposed to accomplish in game terms. The rating is the same as that for the Hope Ability.
Sword of the Spirit: This represents “the Word of the Almighty” and establishes which WordRunes a given LightRaider may use. The rating always starts at 1 and can only be improved by spending twenty 'Maturity Units' per increment. (Maturity Units are like experience points.)
Boots of the Gospel of Peace: This represents “the LightRaider's readiness to get involved in bringing peace, reconciliation or rescue.” The rating is calculated by averaging the Love, Joy, Peace, Goodness, and Faithfulness Character Strengths. It is possible for the Boots to “sustain...[a LightRaider] even when his courage has failed.” As can be seen, 'courage' is not capitalized in this quote, so I cannot be certain that it refers to the 'Courage' Character Ability (see below).

In calculating a LightRaider's combat skills, there is a distinct formula for each weapon. For instance, a LightRaider's skill with swords is determined by finding the sum of Courage, Endurance, Solo Battle, and Agility, then dividing by four.

Courage and Endurance are Character Abilities that are derived from Character Strengths. 'Courage' is the average of Love, Joy, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control. To calculate 'Endurance', one must first add together Joy, Peace, Faithfulness, twice Patience, and twice Self-Control; then, divide the total by seven. Incidentally, “Endurance (EN) is the ability to accept physical punishment in doing strenuous activities over a period of time, or to endure hardships such as lack of sleep, food and water.”

'Solo Battle' is an interesting ability:

This is not a weapon, but an ability that is used whenever a LightRaider must face an enemy without the company of other fighting members of the TwiceBorn. Reflects the psychological impact of being alone in battle.

Solo Battle is determined by adding twice Courage to Peace and Endurance; then dividing by four. So, in terms of percentages, a LightRaider's skill in wielding a sword consists of the following abilities:

Why should Peace account for more skill with a sword than Love? Tying Christian values to weapon skills can be nothing but an arbitrary process. Regardless, including Solo Battle in the formula for the sword (or any) weapon ability is peculiar. Given its description, Solo Battle is intended to be a penalty imposed upon those who stray from the herd. As a penalty, I would just have the player roll a Shadow Stone instead of a StarLot. Formulas for some other weapon abilities are:

Hand-to-Hand: The average of Solo Battle, Self Control, Courage, Endurance, Strength, and Agility.
Longbow: The average of Hope, Vision, Strength, and Quiet Movement.
Flail: The average of Hope, Courage, and Endurance.
Dagger: The average of Courage, Self Control, Solo Battle, and Agility.
Quarterstaff: The average of Hope, Courage, and Self Control.

Damage is subtracted from Physical Vitality, which is half the sum of all 'Character Strengths'. There are “five degrees of injury.” Even the slightest amount of damage means the character is wounded and must succeed at a Difficulty Level 3 Endurance check in order to travel. Characters with only six to ten points of Physical Vitality remaining are 'seriously wounded' and the Endurance check to travel is at Difficulty Level 8. With five or less points of Physical Vitality, the character is 'critically wounded' and cannot travel or fight. Characters with only one to three points of Physical Vitality are unconscious and when Physical Vitality is reduced to zero, the character is dead.

Aside from 'normal' combat, DragonRaid offers two types of optional 'advanced' combat. 'Half-swing' combat is just like normal combat, but only half the usual amount of damage is inflicted. In 'critical swing' combat, there is a ten percent chance of any successful strike being a critical hit. If a strike is determined to be a critical hit, the Critical Hit Chart (reproduced below) is consulted.

Art by Keith Parkinson

I am, of course, speaking of Chert and Gord. Oh, wait, no I'm not.

Since Dungeons & Dragons was inspired by the swords & sorcery literary genre, the natural next step was to model – in game terms – concepts and characters from that genre. Also, since Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories form a veritable cornerstone of that genre, an adaptation of that duo was inevitable.

In the earlier days of Dragon magazine (or The Dragon as it was then known), Lawrence Schick and Tom Moldvay contributed a feature called 'Giants in the Earth' wherein notable heroes of fantasy were presented in D&D terms. Of course:

These heroes are all in some fashion exceptional, and thus they deviate a bit in their qualities and capabilities from standard D & D. Also, most originated in other universes or worlds, and so were not bound by the same set of restrictions that apply to the average D & D character. Some are multi-classed, for example. This system has been used to describe the skills and abilities of the characters as they appear in the literature, even though some of these combinations and conditions are not normally possible. In addition, some minor changes have been made in order to bring them in line with the game and to enhance playability.

The rules were such that special accommodations were necessary to portray the characters. Because they come from “other worlds or universes,” they are “not bound by...[D & D's] restrictions.” This would seem to be explanation enough, but the apologia continues with reference to how the characters “appear in the literature” and the necessity of brining them “in line with the game.” Yet, just as the rules are open to interpretation, so are works of fiction and the characters within. Over the years, Lankhmar's finest rogues have been depicted as D&D characters in a variety of ways.

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser were given the 'Giants in the Earth' treatment in the twenty-seventh issue of The Dragon (July, 1979). Here is Fafhrd's listing.

(The) Dragon #27 (July 1979)

Notice that, just as there is a percentage for 18 Strength, there are percentages associated with 18 Dexterity and 18 Constitution. Here, Fafhrd is a 20th level fighter/8th level thief. However, “Fafhrd's youth was spent as an apprentice skald” and he “retains some of his training as a skald, and in this respect he can be treated as a second level bard (without the druidic spells).” Also, Graywand, Fafhrd's weapon, is treated as a +2 sword.

Deities & Demigods™ Cyclopedia

The following year, the Deities & Demigods Cyclopedia was published with a different version of Nehwon's favorite sons. Here Fafhrd is a 15th level ranger/13th level thief/5th level bard. His linguistic aptitude is described: “he can read and write all of the major ones of Nehwon and there is an 80% chance he will understand any obscure one he is exposed to.” Also, he “is able to climb walls and hide in shadows with a +20% over his usual thiefly base.” His wisdom has dropped by one and his Armor Class is 3 instead of zero, but at least he has gained a hit point and his strength has increased from 18(94) to 18(00). Additionally, Graywand is no longer a magic sword, but the name of any bastard sword he carries.

Lankhmar: City of Adventure

In 1985, the pair appeared in the Lankhmar: City of Adventure sourcebook. Schick, in his Heroic Worlds, claimed this was “one of the best settings for AD&D.” The characters are presented in three power levels, described as age groups. Fafhrd is still a ranger/thief/bard, but he doesn't use any spell abilities. Also, as a thief, his level has decreased substantially but “he climbs as a 15th level thief and is not subject to any modifiers for ice and snow when cling (sic).” He also gets +3 on any saving throw against cold. His strength has diminished to 18(75), his intelligence reduced to 15, and his wisdom has fallen to 10. His dexterity became 17, his Armor Class 6, but his constitution increased to 19. No mention is made of his affinity with languages.

Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser

Finally, in 1996, TSR published Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. Instead of a mere sourcebook, it was a distinct, boxed set role-playing game. The system was a simplified form of – and eminently compatible with – 2nd Edition AD&D, but it is interesting that TSR created a 'starter set' using the Lankhmar setting. It was then possible to represent the pair of heroes without 'altering' the rules. The characters are still presented in terms of three power levels, but Fafhrd's only class is 'warrior'. Also, his wisdom has descended to 9. Because of his background, he has “a +3 bonus when attempting a climbing proficiency check” and “a +3 bonus to survival (arctic) proficiency checks.”

(The) Dragon #27 (July 1979)

The Gray Mouser was originally presented as an 18th level fighter/thief with 18(63) intelligence and 18(00) dexterity. With this incarnation, the Mouser has a +3 cloak of protection. Both of his weapons, Scalpel and Cat's Claw, are considered to be +3 weapons. In addition, the Mouser is very adept with the sling, which he can fire very quickly and accurately (+3 to hit, 3 times per melee round).

Deities & Demigods™ Cyclopedia

In Deities & Demigods, The Gray Mouser has turned from Chaotic Neutral to True Neutral and is considered a 15th level thief/11th level fighter/3rd level magic-user. The Mouser's wisdom has declined and his intelligence is 18 (no percentile), but all of his other attributes have increased. Just as with Fafhrd, his 'magic items' are now considered to be conventional.

Lankhmar: City of Adventure

The Mouser's abilities have subsided somewhat in Lankhmar: City of Adventure, with a reduction in every score save dexterity and constitution. His aptitude as a magic-user has a ceiling of 3rd level regardless of 'maturity'. “He is extremely streetwise,” the description attests, “particularly in Lankhmar, receiving a +2 bonus on all rolls for finding information, bargaining and dealing with bureaucratic systems.”

Lankhmar: The New Adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser

The only change of abilities in the Mouser's next version is a reduction of wisdom from 11 to 9. Interestingly, just as his magic-user level is frozen at third, so has his thief level become static at seventh. Wait...the listed class is not 'magic-user' but 'black wizard'. The distinction is not cosmetic as it is with 'fighter' and 'warrior', the 'black wizard' class is a product of the Lankhmar setting.

According to the character class description: “Those who study black magic have learned to manipulate – though not necessarily master – the essences of death, decay, and even evil itself.” (As might be expected, this is in contrast to the 'good' magic of white wizards. Since there is no cleric class in the Lankhmar setting, spells normally reserved for clerics have been appropriated by the white wizards.) Because of their nefarious activities, black wizards suffer “afflictions.” When a black wizard reaches fifth level – and at every level increase thereafter – a roll is made upon the affliction table. Oh, you would like to see this table? Your humble host obliges. In the decades prior to Dungeon Crawl Classics, here is how 'corruption' was handled:

If, for any given level, an affliction is rolled that was applied to the black wizard at an earlier level, “the sorcerer has managed to avoid disfigurement for the time being and does not have to roll again until another level is earned.”

LightRaiders (i.e., player characters in DragonRaid) have ten Character Strengths (listed here). There are also abilities derived from these strengths. All LightRaiders have Courage, Endurance, Hope, Knowledge, Listening, Quiet Movement, Vision, Wisdom, Evade Enemy, Recover From Injury, and Resist Torturous Investigation. “Wisdom,” for instance, “gives men good judgment in determining a course of action.” On the other hand Knowledge “consists of understanding gained by experience, as well as the amount of information gathered over one's lifetime.” A character's knowledge 'level' is determined by finding the average of Joy, Patience, Goodness, and Faith.

Extrapolating the “Fruit of the Spirit” to concepts like physical capabilities and weapon use is an arbitrary exercise. For example, Vision is determined by finding the average of Patience, Faith, and Hope; Listening is figured by adding Patience and Self-Control to twice Peace and dividing the total by four. A derived ability only improves to the extent that its constituent 'strengths' increase.

There are also elective abilities of which each LightRaider is allowed to have three. Among these are abilities that allow a character to use certain weapon types: Battle Axe, Military Fork, Spear, and War Hammer. A character has an Ability Level of 1 for any of these elective abilities “not specifically chosen.”

Blend With Surroundings– “the ability of a LightRaider to blend into a natural setting.” With an ability level of 10, a character “has a good possibility of making himself almost invisible in wide-open places.”
Climb Skillfully– Self-explanatory. “A character with a (Climb Skillfully) Ability of 10 may be able to climb up polished stones that have no handholds.”
Converse With Animals– similar to the Talk with Locals ability (see below), “except that it involves communicating with non-talking animals” (as opposed to talking animals). A character having this ability of level one – the default – “may have trouble communicating with animals.”
Hatred Of Evil– “a burning desire to destroy evil in any form.” When attacking dark creatures, a character with this ability deals more damage and has an enhanced chance to hit Love is included in the formula for figuring this ability.
Merciful Compassion– “a feeling of deep sympathy for another's suffering or misfortune.” This ability “is necessary in order to help a dragon slave or a fellow LightRaider in trouble.”
Persuade Foe– “the ability to talk an opponent into doing something you want him to do.”
Righteously Mingle With Evil– “a character's ability to resist being soiled in evil surroundings.” With an ability level of 10, a character “can attempt to go into the most evil situation and yet avoid being tarnished by his association with evil beings.”
Sense Evil– “the ability to sense evil coming from dark creatures or dragon slaves.” At ability level 10, a character “may even sense traces of evil in creatures who are basically good.”
Talk With Locals– “the ability of a character to talk with the people living in a certain locality.” I guess this means 'speaking with NPCs' (assuming the NPCs live somewhere). A character at the highest ability level “has a good way with people and can probably communicate with a hostile person without getting angry.”
Track Enemy– “the ability to follow a creature.”
Water Movement– “can be classified as one's swimming ability,” but just calling it 'Swimming' was apparently out of the question.

It is evident that some of these abilities substitute for actual role-playing.

By meeting certain requirements, a LightRaider may adopt a special role, most of which grant useful benefits. For example, a character with sufficiently high scores in Endurance, Righteously Mingle With Evil, Hatred Of Evil, and Self-Control can become a member of the OverLord's Guard. It is assumed that starting characters will not have special roles but given the random nature of character generation, the possibility exists. One assumes that a character can only qualify for one special role at a time; however, this is not expressly mentioned.

The special roles are as follows:

LionWarrior, WolfSoldier, and BearKnight– Characters in these roles have a telepathic connection to a particular talking animal. If the lion or wolf is killed, the OverLord does not give a replacement; however, the character may “take up another special character role.” Although not specifically stated, this would seem to apply to bears, as well.
AnimalMaster– A character in this role can have two to four non-talking animals. There is no telepathic connection. “If these animals are lost or killed, the AnimalMaster may not replace them for one year.” Available animals include rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, owls, muskrats, lynxes, foxes, skunks, deer (either stag or doe), rock goats, beavers, and porcupines. Eagles, Black Bears, and Badgers are also available but count as two animals each.
Renewer– This is the healer of DragonRaid. The Renewer can use the Renewer's WordRune (Isaiah 53:5) three times per day. Each use heals a number of Physical Vitality points equal to the Renewer's 'Recover From Injury' ability. A Renewer can heal the same character more than once and can even heal him (or her) self.
Knight of the Way– This is what many games would call a ranger. Such a character “automatically receives a permanent bonus of 2 in each of the following areas: Track Enemy...Evade Enemy...Blend With Surroundings.” Of course, a character must already have high scores in these abilities in order to qualify for this role. The description states, “A Knight of the Way may specialize in one particular environmental setting,” but the benefits of specialization are not mentioned.
OverLord's Guard– Otherwise known as an AppearanceChanger. A character in this role can change his or her outward appearance twice a day “into the form of other men or women.” Having adopted a different form, “the LightRaider is undetectable by any creature except dragons.” Whether or not dragons automatically detect an altered form is a matter of conjecture.
RescueMaster– Characters in this role have “been taught to overcome great obstacles and difficulties to rescue someone or something.” On becoming a RescueMaster, a character “receives a permanent bonus of +2 in his Climb Skillfully, Blend with Surroundings, and Water Movement Character Abilities.” Similar to the 'Knight of the Way', a character must have high levels in this abilities before becoming a RescueMaster.
RaidLeader– A RaidLeader is, in essence, a party leader. Of course, a group of LightRaiders can have a 'leader' even if none of them qualifies for this the RaidLeader 'special role'. According to the rules, “There can be only one RaidLeader in a party.” If more than one LightRaider qualifies as a RaidLeader in a given party, they “roll a Starlot” to get the job. The benefits of being a RaidLeader in terms of game mechanics are not listed but “The OverLord will judge the RaidLeader for his faithfulness to his team, especially in the area of humility.”
Guardian of the Light– Only LightRaiders who have “achieved a perfect 10 in all nine Character Strengths” may become Guardians of the Light. “This should be the goal of every LightRaider.” Like the RaidLeader, there are no 'game mechanic' benefits associated with this role. Usually, Guardians teach and assist other LightRaiders; rarely do they go on missions into the Dragon Lands. This would seem to be a 'role' for retired characters.

Art by Pierre Loti (1872)

The following Robert E. Howard poem, "Easter Island," was published in the December, 1928, installment of Weird Tales.

In reality, the mo'ai face inland. I supposed we must extend some degree of literary license to Mr. Howard.

Cartography by Geoff Valley & Curtis Smith

In a recent post, I had occasion to reference the Lankhmar™: City of Adventure sourcebook, published by TSR thirty years ago. Of interest to me are the rule changes made to bring standard first edition Dungeon & Dragons more in line with the milieu of Fritz Leiber's setting.

In Deities & Demigods™, the gods of Nehwon are treated like other gods; they are listed with movement rates, hit points, experience levels, and other attributes which seem incongruous with the nature of deities. In the Lankhmar sourcebook, gods are treated as abstract entities. Gods have a Cultural Rank, Area of Influence, Worshippers Alignment, and Symbol. However, there are two instances where gods have “physical manifestations” and additional, appropriate information (Number of Attacks, Size, etc.) is provided for encounters with player characters.

Note that a god doesn't have an alignment, but the alignment of the god's followers is specified. 'Area of Influence' refers to the geographical area of Nehwon where a god exerts power. (These areas can overlap.) 'Cultural Rank' is the “power” of a god relative to other gods (within the context of the city of Lankhmar).

Characters of mortal disposition – including player characters – have Social Levels, which “generally represent how important an individual is regarded by others in [Lankhmar].” The Overlord of Lankhmar has a Social Level of 15, the highest level possible. According to page 74, “A Player Character's Social Level is equal to 1/3 his level of experience, with a maximum of 10.” Some situations are listed which can modify Social Level. For instance, spending “at least twice as much money as folk of the equivalent [Social Level]” raises Social Level by one; a public display of cowardice reduces Social Level by one.

Non-player characters who do not have a character class “have a social level established by their profession and their level of accomplishment within the profession.” The descriptions of the various guilds indicate the minimum Social Levels of guild personnel. For instance, with regard to the Moneylenders' Guild, an apprentice has a minimum Social Level of 2; a journeyman, a level of 3; a master, 5; and an official, 6.

Social Level affects the results of encounters. When using the Encounter Reaction table of the Dungeon Masters Guide (p. 63), “Each level of difference [between the PC and the encountered NPC] gives a 5% modifier (up or down, as appropriate) to the encounter reaction dice roll.” Also...

When a PC encounters members of the city guard that would otherwise accost the character, there is a 10% chance per Social Level of the character (except for level 1) that the guards will ignore the character and go on about their business. Thus, a character of SL 4 has a 30% chance of avoiding a guard encounter.

The characters of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser “must spend twice as much to maintain the same social level as normal inhabitants of Lankhmar...[and] twice as much to attain the next social level compared to most Lankhmarians.” Unfortunately, no table is supplied that indicates the amount of money a person of any given Social Level spends to maintain that level or advance to the next higher level.

Also, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are “susceptible to the charms of beautiful women.” If Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are being used as player characters and they do not “act as if charmed in the presence of a woman with a [high] Charisma,” their Social Level can be reduced. For Charisma 18, the loss is 1 – 6; for Charisma 16 or 17, there is a 50% chance of losing 1 – 6 Social Levels.

It seems reasonable that a couple of adventurers would need to spend more money than 'normal' people in order to attain and maintain social status; 'normal' people are embedded in the community while adventurers have a tenuous connection. Yet a reduction of Social Level for failure to succumb to feminine wiles seems a bit forced. The 'susceptibility' of the Mouser and Fafhrd is a matter of role-playing. Should good role-playing be rewarded or should lack of role-playing be penalized? (Or both?) I am inclined to offer a carrot rather than brandish a stick; however, in this case we are dealing with established characters with a distinct idiom. As such, it may be appropriate to impose a penalty when that idiom is not respected. Still, in my estimation, Social Level is an unfitting target of that penalty; a reduction in experience points is more suitable. Does that sound too severe? Either embrace the role or play an original character.

On Earth, we have Halloween. In Talania– the setting of DragonRaid– there is the Night of the Scarlet Moon:

Every year the two light moons are eclipsed for five minutes by the Scarlet Moon, Moluno...Every baby born to a dragon slave during the eclipse is declared by the dragons to be a sorcerer. The helpless infant is removed from its home and taken to the School of Witchcraft that lies deep in the Forest of Horrors. There he is trained from his earliest hours in the art of sorcery, and his life is wholly given over to the dragons.

To the TwiceBorn, such a fate is horrific, but it is a cause for celebration in the Dragon Lands. Rescue of the Sacred Scrolls, the second adventure for DragonRaid, begins on the Night of the Scarlet Moon; however, the adventure has very little to do with the events that occur on said night. Yet perhaps we should look at the first adventure before discussing the second.

DragonRaid's introductory adventure, The LightRaider Test, begins with the player characters having just graduated from DragonRaider Academy. They come across a bottle containing a message written by none other than the OverLord of Many Names. The message asks if the characters want to engage upon the LightRaider Test. If they agree, the writing on the paper changes into a new message with instructions to proceed to the Dragon Lands. There they meet a non-player LightRaider, a “man of another race.” While on a mission, the LightRaider's partner, Gareth, was captured by goblins. The OverLord is sending the LightRaider home. It becomes the player characters' purpose to rescue Gareth. Before parting, the LightRaider gives the PCs a pouch of “magic tablets,” most of which are supposed to “produce good results.” So, DragonRaid explicitly endorses experimentation with strange pills. Among the various effects, one tablet “makes character invisible until midnight” and two tablets “make a golden bow appear with 3 arrows (of silver shaft and golden points).”

Anyway, the adventure proceeds linearly through a series of scenes called 'sequences'. There is a combination of combat, puzzle solving, role-playing, and the use of WordRunes. As an introductory adventure, it does what it's supposed to do – give players (and the Adventure Master) hands-on experience with the essential processes of the game. Eventually, the player characters rescue Gareth and learn the purpose of his failed mission. Gareth and the other LightRaider were supposed to rescue another LightRaider, Zekion, and “some portions of the Sacred Scrolls.” This is the set-up for the second adventure.

Interestingly, the adventure has a 'sequence' to be used should a player character die. Such a character finds himself (or herself) “in a beautiful grove of trees.” Not much happens. Before the character enters the “golden castle” of the afterlife, he (or she) can try to hear the screaming of the damned from “a chasm that drops for an infinite distance.”

The DragonRaid adventures are more like 'choose your own adventure' books than those for traditional role playing games. This is forgivable in an introductory scenario but is grossly unsophisticated otherwise. Take for instance the beginning of Rescue of the Sacred Scrolls. In the middle of the Night of the Scarlet Moon, each player character individually suffers a “compulsive feeling” to find one another. Each PC separately finds “a parchment and a small leather bag” outside his or her home. Then, according to the player briefing...

...you are distracted by a small group of people gathered around a lamppost at the end of the block. They look familiar. Yes, they are your friends! You run down the street toward them and soon you are all together.

How can anyone see a small group before that group gathers? I mean the first two characters have to meet before a 'group' forms. Anyway, the characters learn that pieces of parchment and the bags (which contain money) were provided by the OverLord. The pieces of parchment provide instructions for the characters' mission. After being flown to the Dragon Lands by winged horses, the PCs encounter a talking stag whose name, “Horasis, comes from a Greek word meaning 'the act of seeing,' or 'a vision.'” Horasis might as well wear a conductor's cap since his sole function is to prod the player characters along the designated course of the adventure.

Strangely, non player characters use game terminology in conversation. A deer – one other than Horasis – relates to the PCs a message from the OverLord, “It pleases Him to reward each of you with 2 mu for Faithfulness.” A “mu” is a maturity unit, which is what DragonRaid characters earn rather than experience. Faithfulness, of course, is one of the DragonRaid Character Strengths.

Just as with The LightRaider Test, there is a 'sequence' for dead characters in Rescue of the Sacred Scrolls. Yet characters who die in the second adventure have an entirely different experience than those who die in the introductory adventure. After dying in Rescue of the Sacred Scrolls, a LightRaider 'wakes up' in a “small meadow or glade.” This 'sequence' can result in different encounters depending upon the player's choices. One encounter is with 'good' goblins from planet Arkor. There are specific rules for role playing a conversation with these goblins:

Neither of you can role play anything negative: no fear, no accusations, no threats, no fighting, no disputes, etc. You will most likely have to inform the player of this, but first let him try without your help. If he does not understand, then there will be a slight shock when you inform him of the role play requirements.

Other afterlife encounters include a Q&A session with unicorns/angels or seeing “the throne of the High One and His OverLord of Many Names.”

Art by Peter Laird

Had Tom Moldvay lived, he would have been 67 years old today. At Thoul's Paradise, we typically celebrate Moldvay's birthday by focusing on one of his contributions to role-playing games (of which there are many). Today, however, we look at Moldvay's fiction. It is your humble host's understanding that the well-read Moldvay aspired to be a fantasy novelist. Alas, his only entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database is for a short story, Black Lotus Moon, published in the Dragontales anthology.

Dragontales was “An original collection of fantasy fiction and art, presented by the publishers of Dragon magazine.” The 78 page volume was edited by Kim Mohan who, at the time (August 1980), was assistant editor of (The) Dragon. Moldvay's story is accompanied by art supplied by Peter Laird, before he gained fame and fortune as one of the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Another Dragontales artist, Kevin Siembieda, would go on to produce the TMNT RPG.)

One of the characters in Moldvay's story is a “black-haired, gray-eyed barbarian...clad only in a fur loincloth.” He claims to be of the “Aesir” tribe from “the northern mountains.” We also learn that he has “been a mercenary in more kingdoms than you have fingers to count with.” During the story, this barbarian and two accomplices (one of them a woman) infiltrate a tower to gain treasure. This may sound familiar, but Moldvay isn't being derivative – he's toying with readers' expectations.

Anyway, the protagonists – two 'thieves' named Tamara and Saris – recruit the barbarian, Arngrim Wolfbane, as an equal partner in a venture to loot the tower of Gorilon, an immortal wizard. Gorilon sleeps only once a month, during the night of the full moon. On these occasions, he “retires to his sanctum in the tower to inhale the fumes of the black lotus.” (Hence, the source of the story's title.) Central to the plot is the knowledge that...

...while he sleeps, his treasure is protected by safeguards which he claims a clever and daring individual can overcome, as long as the thief uses no magic. He could easily make the tower impregnable using his magic, but the standing challenge to thieves amuses him.

One of the safeguards is a “demon-monster” (shown above). Prior to the beginning of the story, Saris found the testament of a thief who tried to raid Gorilon's tower hundreds of years previous. The document explains that “only a physical attack will kill the demon.” This is the reason the two thieves bring the barbarian along.

A significant portion of the story details the trio's foray into the tower and Moldvay's role-playing game mindset is evident. Many sections of the narrative could easily be an account of player characters exploring a dungeon:

          They tapped the walls for secret doors, and scanned the floor...One by one, each twist and turn was eliminated until only a single dead end remained.
          Tamara crept forward, sweeping her spear in front of her to check for traps. An inch from the end wall, the spear tip vanished. Tamara continued to push the spear forward. It disappeared inch by inch until nearly all of it was invisible. When Tamara pulled the spear back, it slowly reappeared, complete and intact.
          “The end wall is an illusion,” Tamara said.

Did Moldvay create a story from a gaming scenario? Perhaps it was the other way around.

The protagonists survive the tower and get away with some treasure but the story doesn't end well for the ersatz Conan, as shown below.

Art by Peter Laird

Before engaging upon an exploration of The Arduin Adventure, it is necessary to understand the beginnings of Arduin.

In 1977, prior to the release of the Advanced D&D books, Archive Miniatures published Dave Hargrave's The Arduin Grimoire. This work was followed by several other volumes and adventures, but those later books are not the subject of this post. In the “Forward,” Hargrave presented the book as an amateur effort with no intention “to replace or denigrate any other fantasy role playing supplement or game, either professional or amateur.” There was an unstated presumption that the Grimoire required the Dungeons & Dragons rules as a foundation. In terms of appearance, the Grimoire was quite amateurish and doubtless was a seminal influence on the ambiance of Encounter Critical. However, to its credit, the Grimoire featured the early artwork of Erol Otus.

As a supplement, The Arduin Grimoire included new classes, new spells, new magic items, new player character races, new monsters, and an assortment of other new rules. The advertisement reproduced below appeared in issue #6 of The Dragon (April 1977). Counting its covers, the Grimoire indeed spanned one hundred pages. There was something on every page, even if only artwork, but we must indulge “jam-packed” as an article of hyperbole. In your humble host's salad days, photocopies of the special abilities charts and the critical and fumble tables made the rounds and were accorded “official” status without quite knowing their provenance. The special abilities charts had titles like “Special Abilities Chart for Thieves, Monks, Ninja, Highwaymen, Corsairs, Assassins, Traders, Slavers, and All of Those with a More or Less "Secret" Nature” and included results such as “+1 to all character attributes but –2 versus all magic (even clerical)” and “Woodsman, +1 dexterity, +3 with all missile weapons, hide like angels.” The critical table included effects like “Forehead...Gashed, blood in eyes, can't see” and the fumble table had results like “twist ankle...lose first attack, and one half of agility/5 min.”

The Arduin oeuvre is unabashedly 'gonzo'. One of Hargrave's goals was to provide options and inspiration beyond the standard “Tolkeinian” [sic] paradigm. In a section of the Grimoire titled “Notes on Player Character Types,” Hargrave lectured readers about limiting themselves to “classical” character tropes:

Never will you hear the complaints of Brownie infantry squad as they whine about that stupid half-ogres cheshire cat that keeps looking at them and licking his chops. And never is such a lonely word. Don't be lonely, take a troll to lunch. The world is a small place but is even smaller still in relationship to the myriad worlds of the entire Alternity (alternate eternities). Do not be a small player from a small world, embrace the whole Alternity and give the different types a chance. I think you will find that the world your game is in will become a lot more fun if you do.

Tunnels & Trolls Revisited

The Ten Schools of Magic in Trollworld

Civil Rights in Trollworld

Magic in DragonRaid

The Realm of Dungeons & Dragons

My Amazing High Fantasy Adventure (Part 1 of 2)

My Amazing High Fantasy Adventure (Part 2 of 2)

Of StarLots and Shadow Stones

The Wizards Guild in Trollworld

Dark Creatures of EdenAgain

The Dietary Habits of Orcs

Talania

Combat in DragonRaid

The Two Most Famous Rogues of Fantasy

Character Development in DragonRaid

Easter Island

Some Notes on Lankhmar

Adventures in DragonRaid (SPOILERS)

Black Lotus Moon (SPOILERS)

Take a Troll to Lunch