No.7 October 1983 Adventure Games MagazineFOR30R MORE PLAYERS AGES 12 AND UP I arful eaaeceRe in an era ice mgt and ERS” game investigate the underworld of a fictional metropo! in the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and ‘Troubled !-The GANGBL 'S™ game includes a 64 page rulebook, a6 page module, a sheet of counters, and maps of Lakefront City. In the TSR tradition, the GANGBUSTERS™ role playing game will be supported by a range of exciting \ and challenging modules. ee eee Tegan Wien @ Overrerwaes ec smn tis INT MAKING ty 'TSR Hobbes in ase mbridge CBI 4AD Tel: (0223) 212517No.7 October 1983 Published by TSR UK Ltd Publisher Don Turnbull Editor : Keith Thomson Assistant Editor « Editorial Assistant ....... kim Daniel Features Assistant ... Mike Brunton Att escceee fesse Phil Kaye Paul Cockburn This month’s contributing artists: Jim Burns Jeremy Goodwin Rebecca ‘Anne Hamill Paul Ruiz lan Williamson Pete Young Sarah Hocombe IMAGINE™ magazine ie published monthiy by TSR UK Lie "Tae Mil Rathmore, Road. CAN BRIOGE C81 AD, Telephona: (0223) 212817 Talon 818761 IMAGINE magazine ts availabe from all good hobby shops end newsagents itis tae vase direct ftom the publisher by individual sub Back issues of IMAGINE magazin, where sti available, can be bought directly from the Dublsher forthe price of £180 ne postage and She or mee esues nan order are out of print 8 edit note wil be substituted whch rey be brchanged for cash or merchandie. rn the The issue of expiravion foreach subscription vl be printed an the subscribers mating, abot Changes of address must be noted to the publisher at least 20 days befor: the effective All material published in IMAGINE magesine ‘becomes the exclusive papery of he publisher ‘oro publication, unless specta arrangements Unless accompaniedbyasamped sat addressed fvelope of tuionnt sie” Under no eur foranyeveh submissions Published motel wl IMAGINE is a wade mak owned by TSR ie. All Fights on the publication of this magazine are Feserved. and nothing may be reproduced nt Publisher Copyeight 1983 by TSR UR (1d IMAGINE magazine gratefully acknow- ledges the support offored by its sister Publication. DRAGON magazine, pub- lished by our parent company TSA Inc. PO Box 756. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147, USA. Articles appearing in IMAGINE magazine may have previously appeared in that publication, IMAGINE magazine, October 1988 Editorial The minions are getting restless. Ihave managed to palm off — sorry, delegate — the writing of the Editorials in the last two issues and | had hoped to keep this going for some time but they are revolting! Issue 7 — gosh doesn't time fly — with the module, Beauty Is But Skin Deep, yet another splendid scenario from our Features Assistant and Pan Editor, Mike Brunton. Even more exciting is the new fiction from Graeme Davis, The Gypsy. Good things are in the pipeline for the future and, in particular, | look forward to the December, Christmas, issue. One of our illustrious readers seid that | might just as well write Rhubarb. Rhubarb, Rhubarb... instead of an Editorial because the few who bothered to read it would pay no attention anyway. Such is the power of the pen that the ideas expressed by the author may have effects far beyond their original intention, Take rhubarb for example — a plant of many properties. itis said tobe called after the river Rha, now Volga, indarkest Russia. tis ‘a medicinal root stock, purgative and subsequently astringent, and whatis more the leaves are poisonous, —and you can usea stew of itfor cleaning saucepans! Perhaps, | should take the idea of rhubarb for my Editorial and be purgative, astringent, poisonous and generally cleansing — it’s a lovely thought! We Keith Thomson Contents The Beginners’ Guide to Role-Playing Games, our feature for the new player, with Nie Novice Stirge Corner, by Roger Musson, a guide for the inexperienced player A Quest for the Perfect Game, by Robert Kern, an introduction to the DRAGONQUEST™ game . The Philosopher's Stone, by Anne Hamill part two of our prize competition, a second chance to win £40 worth of TSR products Competition Results: the winning answers to part one Mluminations, news from the world of games The Gypsy, original fantasy fiction by Graeme Davis Beauty Is But Skin Deep, by Mike Brunton, a two-person scenario for the DRAGONQUEST™ game...... woe 2 Players Association News, ‘@ magazine within a magazine, edited by Mike Brunton PAN Pipings Dispel Confusion Turnbull Talking Rubic of Moggedon .. cana 34 The Imagination Machine, by Mike Costello, our bi-monthly feature for micro users +35 Book Reviews, by Dave Pringle ..... 37 Tavern Talk, by Pete Tamlyn ... 38 Letters Page... 38 Fanzine Reviews .. ‘ =. 40 Clubs and Forthcoming Events .. . Tenasanasiccesoeen Tel Game Reviews, adventure games under the spotlight oFeaeyes Ad Rules? Who Needs Them? a reply to Noel Williams by Pete Tamlyn ... 45 The Sword of Alabron, Cartoon Adventure by lan Williamson .........47 Urcanny Tales, by Jim Burns . - covera \ \( a \\ BESINNERS §SUIDE fl eS UA ag nt au of ue cleric, a \ ‘wt \ soo PIES soppet Fantasy literat pon nent ure abounds with tales of brave Y saaasashnte | eitiyiate rire | manure tr ge of Or eather \ TE or hare) Ne eceeaasthe | magic-users and cunning the A and fee shit \ tains face, SH OC acide thieves, but these deeds are ag cat TORE ahs | HO er ure notrestricod to the novel. Players of strenght ecies OU fantasy role-playing games can brow as experience the thrill of exploration and combat as they participate in many different adventures, The above took place during such a game. Sue is the referee or Dungeon Master who has created the setting for the adventure and runs the game according to the rules. The other players each take the role of a fictional character, like an actor taking on the part of acharacter ina play. Pat is playing a cleric, Roy a thiet, Janet a fighter and Tony a magic user. The players are exploring the crypt of an ancient temple. They have just opened a heavy iron bound door Sue — The room is dusty, in the middle you see an intricately carved stone sarcophagus.” Pet — 'lltake out my Holy Symbol. There may be undead in here. IM A CLERIC OF LAW! ee 'STHENWE. 1 OTHER, AFTER BURNGDRINES |. You SIT DOWN AT A NEARBY TABLE AND GET AGQUAINTED... 2 IMAGINE magazine, October 198ce ee ee, af le | I WV yy ee or ae ROLE US Tony — ‘Putting my lantern on the floor | take out two vials of holy water Roy — ‘Ill move up for a closer look.” ‘Sue — ‘Roy, you notice a crack, 2” from the top running all the way round.” Janet — ‘I'l move the top slab. Sue knows from her room description that the slabis very heavy andean only be moved with the combined strength of two (or more persons. ‘Sue— ‘You soon realise that you won't be able to move it on your own.” Roy — "till push as well” ‘Sue— The slab slides back with a grating sound and the smell of death and decay watts up. Roy — ‘Leaning over the top I'm looking ‘Sue — ‘It's dark in there but you see something moving, a black skeletal hand reaches towards you. IMAGINE magazine, October 1983 ey Oa ete a WY Cie Ne) Roy — ‘I step back quickly and draw my sword, ‘Sue — ‘A black arm and body follows the hand. Pat — ‘I'm calling on the power of my ‘goddess to turn it. Tony —‘Andi'm throwing one of my vials of holy water.” ‘Sue — ‘As you two have been waiting 10 do so there's no need for you to roll initiative Pat rolls two dice and Sue refers to a special table for cleries which shows their chances of turning undead. Unfortunately she fails the required roll. Teny now rolls, and his score is checked on the combat table. He is more successful, scoring an easy hit. ‘Sue —‘Pat, you fail toturnit. Tony, you hit with the holy water. Roll adie to see how much damage you do.” Tony rolls his dice and Sue takes the ‘score off the wight’s hit points. NORA AND 1 wi] HAE OE OF THE lon, Yous pr) 40) © ON aT Tony — ‘I'm throwing the second one as well” Pat —"I'lltake aflask out of my backpack.” Roy — ‘I'll hit it with my sword.” Janet — ‘Iwill too. Before the players carry out their actions initiative throws are made. Tony throwing forthe players getsa 5, Sue rolling for the wight throws a 2, giving the players the first attack. Roy swings and hits, but lacking a magic weapon he does no damage to the wight. Janet's swordis, however, magical, allow ingherto hitit. She rolls and hits but does not destroy it. Tony throws his second vial and hits again Sue — Tony's damage destroys it.” Roy — treasure. I'm climbing in to get its We Jim Bambra From next month in these pages we will be following Nie Novice through a fantasy adventure, which begins below. we Misr STOP [THE RAS, WE LETS VOTE, ANTONE AGAR Vos? No, on. er3ser {ovr zeanamioi/Subscribe to = = yo magazine 12 Months Subscription Rates: UK & Ireland £12 (post free delivery} USA (AIR) 842 USA(SURFACE) $30 EUROPE (AIR) £21 £25 Please make your cheque or postal order (no cash or international money orders accepted) payable to TSR (UK) Lid. and send it tous at: IMAGINE magazine (subscriptions) The Mill, Rathmore Road, CAMBRIDGE CB1 4AD. ! \ | | | \ | Elsewhere | \ | | | Jvock cartrats PLease Iname ADDRESS. POST CODE MW evesucwcmoy ev meats) word to describe a magazine that publishes science fiction of this calibre. your local retailer to deliver or Mato Con cee eer Oren ty coer SOUTHAMPTON'S games stocked f and many oth latest Avalon Hill stocked PASTIMES I, Eas 0703-21789, TSR’s best cellars are best sellers. Re & paasorsd agua Diana & ed RETU N to “BROOKMERE DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® ENDLESS QUEST™ Books have made it to the top of the best-sellers list of children’s books in the USA. They're priced right and available now! ‘UrGeons & DRAGONS" and ENDLESS QUES Cyae TSE athlon, ine. All Rights Reserved.To have a bad plan is better than having no plan at all. the model should be the commando raid: short, sweet and to the point. = ee What distinguishes the successful player in the D&D® game from the unsuccessful? One factor, as | Suggested last month, is the import- ance of not taking unnecessary risks. ‘Thereis another, very. important consideration’ often ‘overlooked. by: novices, and thats planning, When you thing about, ite pretty much ‘common sense that a party which wan- ders around aimlesslyiis going te do less well in the long run than \a party which knows what it 1s doing because ‘it has thought out its actions in advance In chess, there is a maximthat johavea bad plan is better than having no plan atall, ‘and the same is perhaps alsotrue though with less force) of role-playing | shall now advance my version of the elements of planning in the D&D-game. One can distinguish three main types-of activity, and the party should agree in advance which course of action to pursue. The three types are: reconnaissance, attack and reconnaissance in force. Gather information The object of a reconnaissance trip is simply to gather information about the dungeon and identify likely targets for future attacks. Accordingly, all action should be geared to that end, unless exceptional circumstances arise. The party will put careful effort into mapping fan area of the dungeon, establishing routes in and out of the sector. Likely targets within the dungeon sector being investigated will be noted — does there seem to be treasure? How strongly guarded is it? Are there any means of getting it other than by a direct frontal assault? In the course of the expedition, combat should be avoided — concentrate ‘on what you are there for. Run away from wandering monsters if at all possible; do Not fight them unless you have to. Magicians should choose spells of a defensive nature—ones thatcanbe used to ward off unwelcome pursuers. Things like protection from evil, darkness, web and so on. Thase will be used to ward off encounters, so that with luck the party may eventually emerge without a single hitpoint lost. The other sort of spell to be taken on this sort of expedition is the detect spell, particularly detect gold and detect magic. These can be very useful ‘when it comes to identifying the best targets in the area being explored, IMAGINE magazine, October 1989 ‘The reconnaissance complete, the party ‘can then pore over their new maps and decide how to pursue the next mission, which willbe an attack. The model should be the commando raid: short, sweet and to the point. Pick one target; work out exactly how you intend to attack it, equip yourselves for the task, go straight in, hit iwhardy and then get out as quickly as possible, with the treasure. Evidently, this is the time for magicians to stock up, ‘with spells such as fireball and lightning bolt-— good offensive spells. Alternativ ly, other more specialised spells may be suggested by the detail of the attack plan Has the treasure chamber-two doors? If 'S0, cana phantagmal force be sent in one door while the party:sneaks inthe other? If the party has a-good choice of potions and scrolls available, this of course increases the possible options, Heating potions are especially useful in restoring ‘wounded fighters so that they can escort the party safely out of the dungeon, Similarly, clerical healing spells ars important here, Quit while you're ahead Once you have the treasure, get it out as quickly as you can. Even ifthe party is still fairly fresh, itis best to quit while you are ahead —get out what you have while you can, you never know what you might meet if you do not. You can always come back down later, In certain circumstances, it becomes possible or necessary to combine the ‘above two missions into one: the recon- naissance in force. The circumstances are these: it may be that the party is temporarily stronger than usual(a sudden influx of visiting players) but no previously identified targets are available, In this case it seams a shame to waste the extra strength on a pacific reconnaissance mission. @STIRGE Q S SX Wr One has to try and strike a balance between the reconnaissance and attack elements, dividing spells selected be- tween both offensive and defensive cate- gories, When a promising target is found, you should still give some thought to how you will attack it, though you have less time and leisure to make preparations. ‘Always look for an alternative to wading imina frontal attack. Frontal attacks cost characters. ‘Alternatively, in some adventure situat- ‘ons;@ party may find ithas to penetrate a A.page for the not-so-experienced adventurer by Roger Musson Stronghold that itcarromily 9ét inta ence (by bribery,-subterfugeor whatever). \In {this:case,-there-Is:no alternative but to make one tripoutofit-Gutbe carefullitis much=harder todo’ wellon such an expedition: Clear route to the exit There is one further thing to. add One consideration must-élways take’prionity ‘over any other in the plan: make Sure you have a clear route tothe exit. Ifyaur line of retreat becomes impassable-for any reason falling portcullises, etc) abort the mission and look for another exit atone. You may find you have to fight your way ‘ut, in which case itis far better todo so at full strength than when partly mauled from previous melees. If you find another ‘way out relatively easily, then you can go back to the original plan. But never get into a fight if you are going to have problems escaping, unless itis absolutely forced on you. Fighting costs hit points ‘almost invariably, and hit points are all that stand between you and 2 dead character. We Roger Musson Stirge Corner will provide more hints for players next month. If you find this feature useful, remember that back issues of IMAGINE™ magazine are available from TSR for £1.50.THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT GAME An introduction to the DRAGONQUEST™ game One of the surest ways to make enemies ‘among role-players is to take a stand in favour of one game over another. It usually leads to scowls, howls, and, unless the participants agree to disagree, several contusions and abrasions. ‘So, when | was asked to write an article introducing the DRAGONQUEST™ game to people perhaps more familiar with the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, I found myself in something of a dilemma. | started out in role-playing by getting into ‘@ campaign of the AD&D" game, but after some time we became frustrated, ‘we wanted more than it could offer. After examining several games, we decided on the DRAGONQUEST game. We began playtesting DQ supplements and adven- tures, and | gradually became involved in professional designing — I'm afraid | am ‘ot totally impartial! But even with my professional connect- ion to the game currently in limbo, | am still an advocate of the game. The offer of this article seemed the perfect soap box for me to proselytize. (My preferences are only that, mine. What want of @ role-playing game may not be what others want. So this article has taken on a different meaning. Both DO and the D&D® game have their appeal, but to different groups. Sotake this article in the spirit in which it was meant, and ‘make the final decision for yourself 6 The DAD game, itis generally conceded, is a very simple system to master. Someone who has never role-played before can create a character, or run an NPC, with an existing group and get the hang of the game fairly quickly. That's how I started, They handed me a halfling thief and sent me off with a group of adventurers. | caught on quickly. In fact, that first night | introduced the idea of climbing the wall next to any door we were about to open. In this way anything that was behind the door (and our DM loved to have things pop out of fresily ‘opened doors) would be off-guard, since there would be no target at floor level. The major factor that made the D&D game easy for me and others is that the maths is already done for the player. To find the chance to hit, consult a matrix: to find the chance to climb a wall, consult a chart. The maths involved with modifiers is very rudimentary. DO, though, requires a background in role-playing. The amount of equations ‘and combat formulae would frighten off beginners — or at the very least, be incredibly confusing. But, Ihear you ery, doesn’t that mean that Das slow-moving game requiring the constant use of a calculator or abacus. Happily, the answer is ‘no’. The majority of equationsare all worked outbefore tha actual play session begins. During the adventure there is very little adding and subtracting. But still, you cry again, even. though the maths is completed before playing, why use a system that requires 80 much preparation time and work? The answer is simple. The DRAGON QUEST game is @ much more flexible system than that of the D&D game, Most choices in the D&D gameare widespread and irrevocable. ‘The choice of character classes is one the player is stuck with, once made, (yes, a character can change classes, but the cost is high — I'venever met anyone who hasactually done it, except while working towards becoming a bard). There were times when | wanted to run a character with the combined abilities of a ranger and an assassin or thief. Unfortunately, the rules were adamant, and the game by Robert Kern was balanced so that such a character ‘would severely upset the game system. Consider for a moment, as | did, the abilities of some of the heroes of fantasy literature, They cannot exist using the rules of the D&D game. For example, in the DEITIES & DEMIGODS™ tome, Elric goes well outside the rules. Heisa(take a deep breath and try to get this out all at ‘once} 10th level cleric, 5th level druid, 16th level fighter, 19th level magic user, 10th level illusionist, and a 10th level assassin, Thisisn’texactly a combination a player character might achieve. In the terms of the DRAGONQUEST ‘game, Elric wouldbe a Rank 10 Alchemist, Rank 8 Beast Master, Rank 6 with a Hand and a Half sword, He would be at least Rank 4 in the skills of Assassin, Astro- loger, Courtesan, Military Scientist, Navi gator, Ranger and Thief. He would be an ‘adept of the College of Lesser Summon- ings, with at least Rank 15 in all the General Knowledge Spells and Rituals. and at least Rank 10 with the Special Knowledge Spells and Rituals (I should mention that the College of Lesser Summonings is notin the basic game, but was scheduled to be published in the DO supplement Arcane Wisdom) hope I didn't lose you with all the jargon, in the previous paragraph. There are many areas where the DQ and D&D games differ, many in subtle ways. For the purposes of this article, | shall deal with four basicareas: Character Creation, Skills, Combat and Magic. Character creation The DQ system for creating characters gives much control to the player. In the B&D game, | always folt at the mercy of the dice rolls. If | had a certain type of character in mind, | hoped the die would give him to me. | once rolled up a character who wound up with a Strength ‘of 4 — not very formidable, and he didn’t last long. My first character for DQ, a slightly larcenous but loveable elf named Pimm, was designed in my image rather than according to the vagaries of the dice, ‘The biggest limitation on charactersis the number of points the player gets to usein IMAGINE magazine, Ostabor 1983creating it. Basically the player rolls 2410. The result of this roll gives the player a number of Character Points between 82 and 98, The player divides these points among the six Primary Characteristics: Physical Strength, Manual Dexterity, Agil- ity, Magical Aptitude, Endurance and Willpower. There are ‘Secondary Char- acteristics such as Fatigue, Perception and Physical Beauty. Thes® Secondary Characteristics are rolled for, assigned, or derived from the Primary ones. The GM. ‘may add his own Secondary Character- istics to suit his own campaign. Pimm’s characteristics were about aver ‘age, ranging from 14 to 19. He was a Ranger and a Thief from the beginning. | Created him using the First Edition of the DRAGONQUEST game rules, and | gave him the oriental nunchukus and shuri- kens as weapons. My GM made things difficult by not having anyone else in town who knew how to make, repair or use these weapons, ‘They were later deleted from the second edition of DO since they did not strictly belong in the fantasy genre. By popular demand, though, plens were discussed to compile a supplement which would in: clude one skill or a number of skills that enabled characters to be Martial Artists This section would put these weapons and others into the game, Characters in DQ have aspects, which means they are sensitive to the subtle cosmic forces in the universe. Players rall to see exactly what their character's aspect is. It can be related to any of the four seasons, the sun, the moon, life or death. Pimm was Autumnly Aspected which meant that he got bonuses at certain times during that season, especial ly at the equinox. And he suffered negative modifiers during the spring Death Aspected characters can be fun in combat. The fall of one of the combatants bestows bonuses on that character's Base Chances. |wanted Pimm to bean elf. However, this choice involves a percentile dice roll, designed to limit the numbers of the non- human races. There was a 30% chance that Pimm would turn out to bean elf as | chose — the chance being based on how powerful the race's innate abilities will make the character. To be a giant, for ‘example, the player must make 06 or less fon percentile dice. Like all games, DO needs some restrictive rules to balance a campaign, although the GM can ignore these results and allow his players any race for their characters, While there are the standard choices of Halfling, Dwarf, Elf, Human and Orc, DO has two character classes not featured in the D&D game. Giants are whatthename implies. A Shape-changer is a human with the ability to turn into a specific animal at will. They are not quite lyean- thropes, since they retain their human wits, but they are nearly as invulnerable while in animal form, IMAGINE magazine, October 1083 Well, Pimm was an elf, which made it easy for him to advance in some skills, let him see in the dark, move more quietly, and gave him a chance to see invisible creatures. When | rolled for his birthright he turned out tobe the bastard son of poor trash.... not a very auspicious beginning, He started out with very little money, but ‘with more experience points with which|| raised his weapons skills. Once he hed purchased some armour, he was ready to 90. For those interested, Pimm was a very busy character; saving women, flouting authority, getting in and outof scrapes by using his wits, rather than by fighting. He met an unfortunate end when, whil climbing @ tower, he slipped and fell 100° to his death. C’est la vie, Skills In the D&D game, only one decision is necessary. If you choose your character tobea thief, you know then everything he will ever be for the rest of his or her existence. If you ever hanker after a change, it will be easier to start a new character than to re-start the old one, Asyour desires for your character change, DQ gives you the chance to make alter ations, In the beginning, your character ‘may have only one or two skills, but you can add as many as you like, and improve these skills as you see fit. This system does require some bookkeeping. There is the character's rank with that skill to determine the Base Chance for that ability. t may sound like a lot of work, but the computations are all done before play begins. Combat The First Edition of the DRAGONQUEST game contained a complicated combat system that required a lot of time and effort to get through. It required keeping track of Action Points. Every manoeuvre, attack, or spell casting used up a certain umber of Action Points, and for a GM to run several adversaries was a staggering prospect. When we re-did DQ and came out with the Second Edition, we threw out the entire combat system, and particularly the Action Points. Instead there is a Tactical Movement Rate which indicates how many hexes a character can move, and whether he can attack if he has moved, As a player I stuck with DQ despite the complicated system (even the Second Edition remained tricky) because of the variety of manoeuvres one has available in combat. Characters can attempt to Knock Out an opponent, Disarm him, Evade (with the chance of a ripostel, or number of other choices, Armour has nothing to do with deter- mining the chance of one combatant also the constant decision-making pro: ‘cess as tohow you wish your character to progress; your thief is never locked into his profession, There are sixteen skills outlined in the basic game, including Alchemist, Astro- loger, Beast Master, Courtesan, Healer, Mechanician, Merchant, Military Scientist, Navigator, Ranger, Spy, Thiet and Troubador — and the skills of Read ‘and Write Language, end Speak Language add considerably to the list since each language would be ranked individually Each skill has a set of abilities. Each has an equation that uses Characteristics and hitting another. Instead it absorbs a certain number of damage points. Shields do not absorb damage, they make a character harder to hit, depending on how skilled he or she is with the shield being used. Weapons do damage based ‘on the roll of a d10 plus that weapon's damage modifier. One of the neater aspects of DQ is the use of just ten-sided dice; there are no four-, six-, eight-, twelve- or twenty-sided dice. This could upset the Pythagorians in the audience, but it makes buying and reading dice much easier. Hit Point chauvinists — those of you who prefer the concept that higher level 7characters require more damage to kill may balk, but DQ does not have such system. instead damage is measured against a character's Fatigue, and when that runs out, against Endurance. This means that it takes about the same amount of damage to kill a neophyte character as it does to slay a veteran. The veteran is much harder to hit because he can Evade, This manoeuvre reduces an ‘opponent's chance to hit and is based on the defender's skill ‘And exceptionally low rolls produce better, (or worse!) damage results. ifthe number rolled is 18% of the Base Chance, the damage done directly affects Endurance, with none being absorbed by armour or Fatigue. A roll which is less than 5% of the Base Chance means that @ specific Grievous Injury may have been done to to the victim, These injuries can range from a cheek scar to having the heart punctured. Limbs can be lost... it can be very bloody at times. Karrak, my barbarian character, got intoa fight with an ore. The orc got lucky and struck @ Grievous Injury, cutting off Karrak’s left hand, The amount of damage required me to make a further Willpower roll to recover from the stun, With his hand lost, Karrak took further damage ‘each round from blood loss, anda Healer in the group wanted him to break off the fight so that he could staunch the bleeding. Karrak wenton, cauterising the wound inatorch flame, and he succeeded inkilling the orc. ‘What happened in the next round illus- trates another of DQ’s refinements. Karrak was hit for nine points of damage, but he only had three Fatigue Points left Since the rule is that a character cannot lose Fatigue and Endurance points from the same blow, he lost just the three Fatigue points. This idea introduces a handy buffer zone, that meansa character cannot die from just one shot, unless the blow was good enough to affect Endur. ‘ance directly and severely. In the D&D 8 game | often see beginner characters, who had the il-fortune to roll low when going for hit points, slain just minutes into their careers. Magic Nowwecometo the most interesting part of the DRAGONQUEST game. In the D&D game, a magic-user can use only so many spells as he can memorize, When one considers that spells go off, more or less automatically, itis a necess- ary balance. It still bothered me, though, since it severely limited any magic-user | ran on long treks, They were always having to run home to memorize spells from their books, unless they wanted to drag the weighty teme along and risk losing it or having :t stolen. It was all very inconvenient. DO's magic system is much more satis- factory. The character is considered always to know the spell, and to be capable of an attempt to cast it. However, it costs Fatigue Points to cast spells, 50 the number of times a caster can perform is limited, Fatigue is recovered by rest and relaxation, so it takes time to cast lots of spelis. There is more. Each Spell. has a Base Chance to perform properly. This chance is improved as the character rises in rank with that spell. If the spell fails the Fatigue points are used anyway. If the casting fails badly enough the spell may backfire. Spells may be cast either during combat rounds (within a five second period) or outside of combat at a leisure interval of one minute or more. In the combat attempt, any roll which exceeds the Base Chance by 30 or more indicates backfire. In other circumstances the roll must exceed the Base Chance by 40 for a backfire to occur. ‘backfire can do anything from using up ‘more Fatigue Points to strike the caster with a debilitating disease. Atone time an ‘Adept who had the spell which was vital to the mission was struck with amnesia, ‘Sometimes Fate plays a cruel trick on the valiant role-player. Instead of Saving Throws, spells may be resisted. Active Resistance isa conscious effort to block out the effects of the spell; it reduces the caster’s chance. Passive Resistance is a roll against the victim's Willpower to resist the effects after the spell is cast. The kind of resistance which can be used is outlined in the description of the spell There are thirteen ‘colleges’ of magic in the DRAGONQUEST game. They deal with the elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Air; the Heavens (Celestial Magics); general magics (Ensorcelments and Enchantments); Illusions; mental mani- ulations (Sorceries of the Mind); the dead (Necromantic Conjurations), Black Magics; demonology (Greater Summon- ings}; and counterspells (Naming Incan- tations). Three more colleges, Lesser ‘Summonings, Rune Magics and Shaping Magics were scheduled tobe publishedin the Arcane Wisdom supplement. A beginning Adept receives all the General Knowledge Spells and Rituals of that college. He must find another Adept (an NPC) to teach him the Special Knowledge Spells and Rituals. The number of spells and rituals a character may know depends upon the Magical Aptitude and Rank together with the ‘spells the character possesses, ‘An Adept is not restricted in the kinds of ‘weapons he may use, although carrying cold iron negates his ability to perform magic. Silvered, gilded and truesilvered weapons may be used by an Adept with very little or no effect on his casting abilities. The Choice The comparisons between the D&D and DRAGONQUEST games systems as | have shown them are such that | believe DQ to be more conducive to intense role- playing. However, the major difference ‘that makes this so is not mechanical, but conceptual. One of the most frustrating aspects of playing the D&D game was that | never knew what to expect. When I picked up a sword, it could just as easily transported me to the middle of Piccadilly as burst out into a chorus of “You Light Up My Life’ Most magical items featured in the modules were items to be found, no character of mine could ever have had ‘one made to order. Also, my characters were constantly being hit with powers or effects | had ever run across before. There was a constant influx of new monsters and ‘magics — itfeltlike lwas walking through a fun house rather than adventuring. My IMAGINE mogatine, October 1983character, presumably, had spent his early life in this world, and therafore should be as comfortable in it as !am in mine, Itis one of the tricks of fantasy literature that the reader may be confused, but the heroes never are. If | had wanted to be confounded and ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the magic, | would read, or see one of the many special-effects filled movies of late When | am playing @ character, the satisfaction is in doing the job, rather than in being a spectator. When we were revising the DRAGON- QUEST game it was decided that nothing inthe published adventures would violate the rules, nor would they include any- thing that could not be extrapolated from the rules. Any magical item would be invested with spells the players could find in the book, and traps would be of a recognisable nature if discovered. When | read through Beauty Is But Skin Deep, the DO mini-adventure that begins ‘on page 21 of this issue, | was pleasantly surprised. The designer used an existing spell in @ new and innovative way to create the mystery (| can’t say too much more without giving away the plot. When you read or take part in the adventure you will understand what | mean), We couldn't demand such adherence from a GM; he may put what he likes in his campaign. But the group | played with found the game more interesting and ‘real’ by sticking with this concept. It elevated the adventures above the usual hack and slay and forced us to use our wits. We role-played more and earned more experience points, The earning of experience points is another area where the games differ. In IMAGINE magazine, October 1983, the D&D game, the points are earned by fighting and killing or by grabbing up as much gold as possible. This makes players look for fights and forces characters into solving all problems with their weapons. The need for gold invariably convinces cone player to have his character try to short-change the others. {In DQ there is a base experience award for each character just for playing the session. The award can be modified by the GM based on his evaluation of their role-playing performanceand the success of the adventure, This system afforded me more freedom as a player. My less- than-brave elf, Pimm, would. have suf- fered greatly in the D&D game since he would be reluctant to enter into combat. In DQ, though, his penchant for talking his way out of a situation earned him bonus experience points when he was successful at it, Of course, he would occasionally have to ight, butit was more stimulating for me as a player to have to think on my feet rather than rely on hacking my way through a wall of flesh, |1do not run all my characters in that way: Karak would rather maim and settle differences by proving who is the stronger ‘or more skilled in combat. But itis nice to know | have the freedom of choice without any innate penalties for not going the way of mauled flesh. This concept has inspired some excellent role-playing. Players from campaigns where their characters were merely spectators have suddenly found them- selves incredibly caught up in the game when they have a chance to think rather than fight. A personal decision on the part of our ‘group was that the Player Characters. ‘would be the prime movers in the fantasy universe they were in. There would be very few NPCs who would be better than them, This made them the Conans, Elrics ‘and Gandaifsin the campaign. Of course, they also have the responsibility to succeed because no-one can come running to their rescue. For those interested in pursuing the D&D ‘game I should tell you there is good news and bad news. ‘The good news is that TSR now own the DRAGONQUEST game so that it no longer directly competes with the D&D game in the marketplace, and therefore can be given the full marketing and creative force that TSR can muster. The bad news is that there is very little ‘support material currently out since TSR has been ironing out the problems of transfer of ownership. But there is further ‘good news that the supplement Arcane Wisdom was ready to go when the takeover occurred. The further bad news is that TSR has no set date for its release If your interest has been piqued by this article and the adventure in the magazine, drop TSRa line and letthem know there is a viable market for DQ. Tell them | sent you. ‘We Robert Kern Robert Kern is a professional writer and designer. He co-designed The Camp of Alla Akaber, the introductory adventure ‘included in the Second Edition of the DRAGONQUEST™ game. He also de- ss and adventures for se, the science fiction role-playing geme, due out this autumn, for Vietory games. He enjoys his work and finds fantasy helpful when working as 3 political speechwriter.STANDARDS Dungeon Accesory Pac 1 £295. 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Headingley, Software and Games euce 51a Queen Street, Tel. 744235 Morley, Home computers, software, leeds board games, role-playing tel: 0552 522690 games and books 2KSPECTRUM At Last’s place we make you offers you can't refuse now under £100 Ring for more information We're worth a visit because = *We've the biggest range of Citadel figures for leagues around “We've board and adventure games for all ages from TSR, Games Workshop, Avalon Hill, Victory Games, GDW, Yanquinto ete. etc. We've probably the best range of software in the North - and we're improving all the time. *We've a growing range of computers, periph erals, upgrades and books. 10 Please mention IMAGINE magezine when repli to advertisomen‘The Philosopher's Stone. Restless, it was 6 those who enter where the Stone splayed out events of other times, other worlds. Like ail oracles, the of the events is- ‘was often obscure. But an cas aes aa ape picture overleaf might see more then mere scatteredimagesin the facets ofthe Stone Can you solve the mysteries of the Philosopher's Stone? ‘The picture of the Stone overleaf is the second in a series of four pictures which will appear quarterly, showing events in the careers ofa fighter, magic-user, cleric and thief. At the foot of this page you will find the story of the magic-user's search for the spell book of the mage who taught her, and the picture illustrates this The Magic-user Since cry tt mersing wh she asc Cp cl begun to srk on cores the andnge onthe cif wal ha become obvious thax by no meme oll the riches end wanes pcg cals al ey deer eo fo indied mare nto the sh rah. Onto the tet ome the san bectng drm ofr bach bt the fope the ths ome word nd vo the fen cceduksteyeceees ‘Stranger far — 1 see what you lok for ‘None come here but thy come prepare forts Das of power makes you sek hs Book ‘ine spells of ancient years pis one maps tox ‘The one distill from knowledge through the years ‘This book wil give you strength you dare not of ‘Bue you muse pay my pice efor is thine So give me my denand, or give ty lie ‘She stared at the insription above the passage- sway ant felt an uncharacteristic sensation of _foar shiver down her spine. Pompous ass, she tera regula if. Once gota Si meat tay een este (ast word. ‘This one was apparently still ‘gloating in fis grave. Bu it was good'to know that it was true the story she'd hard, that tere was a spell, a unique spell against which there could be no automate defence without equal research. Anew spell would giveits wielder such ower over others. Her ips curved upwards in sn acquisitive ‘smile. Whatever the Price, twas worth it And the omens had Been 900 IMAGINE magacine, Ooteber 1963 However, notallis clearly stated. In order to enter this month’s prize competition you must list the answers to as many of the following puzzles as you are able to decipher, how you decoded them and then complete the tie-breaker: The name of the mage. . The name of the magic-user. ‘The price set on the book. ‘The magic-user's alignment. Any other messages you found. Describe the mage’s spell and its effect (in not more than 100 words}. omnene The winner will be the person who has solved all of the first four problems (1-4), and the greatest number of the other messages (5). In the event of a tie, the contestant who offers the most con- vincing explanation of the nature of the spell (6) will be awarded the prize. The decision of the publisher will be final. As a Norther method: the woman fad said. ‘The faded carpets above ier fead swung jewel- Uke coloured shadows sparking across the cards ‘she field er, Bought these fom a traveller. The ‘action of your funds in sorting ther allows the carts 10 reveal your destiny — sex’ and she placed the cards then tured them. ‘Ah. now this card, the second the: = hiae's a obvious one, of course ~ i represents the mage you sex fi suppose it could Be, Soul ands ne represents secs ‘while the moon, tha’s mysterious matters, Intuition, magic ~ 50 that’s good, success in ‘mysterious matters todo with the one you seeR ‘And this one? You dia’t mention the sfeleton “Of that’s er — that's danger, you'll ave to face danger to find success! The woman wat erspiring, noticenbty. Sonist sere nia Sees Sreeacesee ae ieee mares poiecrceaans et oe 1 oh se nid to fers othe Sms ame: Day of wh a nce fcr of magi ond comb ltr of soo Neg feed of lo woe sige part grote cage goss an (Gin bode cpa ch of cron. er by Anne Hamill A prize competition based on the AD&D™ and D&D® games All entries should reach IMAGINE™ magazine by November 1st 1983. The results will be published in the January issue of the magazine, # 10, Winners will be notified by post. The winner will receive a voucher redeemable through TSR UK Ltd for goods to the value of £40. There runners-up prizes of £10 each. These vouchers can be exchanged for any products in the TSR or SPI™ range. the four parts of the competi the fighter, the magic-user, the cleric and the thief, the person who has solved most clues over all four pictures will receive an or picture by Anne Hamill based on this competition. _fiare fit onky the centre ofthe room, leaving the ‘walls in shadow. Above er, her ght faded into darfess. She Brought it closer t0 the wall ‘nearest her. In te centre a peg (adder ascended out of sight. 1 was flanked by gilded paintings i the customary manner of the houses of the load, showing servants Bearing gifs. She felt a quiver of excitement, near now, she could feat tat she was very near to te centre of power ifat fat Geen ier Gea magnet Somewhere ‘above fer lay te Book of Spells, up the ladder. 1F only she a’ fet so lethargl... 1 came to fr Slate tat ere was danger fare Wit sre finger she fumbled for fe oss tnd began to mate hist markings on her in the white clay. The owes - her Spl tie coloured sande wncve'y inn treat ater abot fer Ae the over ce closet things happened She fe suddenly tore ale, her body responding ewifiy once Imoreto er command anus onthe Finger of the big movement seemed atime of the carve gues that cin dormant ithe ral ‘wee avering pling tiemacves fie of he Tock washing ese at made som as ‘oft mi Wl apd movements sc pore snuinco symbols 0 suround fr. Aste fat Saracens apa enf andigtod tring offlome avs fen tne ached er ower ing forthe ote Her Css to 0 percent nd she intoned the words on te Conjuring wih free concentration the mage of HIM WHO PROTECTS. Ar enter far ge sith ening sounds anh agen cone fr rest 0 Bon "IMAGINE magazine, tober 19839 382 ae) IMAGINE magazin, October 1982COMPETITION RESULTS The Philosopher's Stone: The Fighter ‘And now, the part you've ll been waiting for, the results of the first instalment of the competition. We received an amazing 150-oddentries, of which 50% had the four main answers correct. We clearly made it far too easy! Around a quarter of those entrants also solved all of the other puzzles, which made the tie-breaker crucial. After long deliberations and discussion we unanim- ‘ously chose the explanation of the role of the woman offered by Patrick Brain of Street in Somerset, who wins a voucher for £40-worth of TSR products, and as runners-up, each winning a £10 voucher: Martin Abrahams of Wallington, Surrey JR Garnett of Harrow in Middlesex, and CANelson, also of Harrow in Middlesex. ‘Well done to these four, and especially to all the others who reached the tie-break stage — better luck next time! And don’t forget you stil stand a chance of winning the overall prize for solving the most puzzles inall four parts of the competition, And now, the winning answers. 1. The name of the sword is HARDSHIP, which the fighter worked out by reading the runic inscription on the sword, and. from a clue in the text, where the fighter's teacher told him ‘the man who'd wield that sword must not flinch from hardship’ 2. The message on the obverse of the ‘sword reads, ‘he who passes through these knows my nature and my Ni — the capital giving theclue to the means bywhich the name isrevealed inthe main message: ‘through Hunger Appetite: inst Resistance Determination; in Suffering ity: from Ignorance Perception:” 3. The name of the fighter is Tengakhan: this is coded in morse on his armour: ‘My name is Tengakhan now go away 14 4. The alignment of the fighter is Lawful Neutral, which is revealed in the text — the first letter of each of the first 13 lines and by the runic LN on his helmet. 5. The other messages to be found were as follows: Why don‘tyougiveup onthefighter’s belt b. Kilroy was here on his right arm c. What a nice person you are. Maybe we should give you a clue. On the other hand, maybe not on the pillar 4d, Lama mysterious dragon. Yoohoo, | can see you on the dragon's banner . BEGONE FOOL! HENCE! on the fighter's helmet 1. It is possible to solve this puzzle but not this way and, 4G. It’s notas easy as you thought it was going to be, is it? on the beads round the skull h. Look mate, don’t press your luck. Would we make it that easy? Who do you think we are, Oxfam? on the ‘medallion LEAVE NOW from the initial letters of the book titles i. Puzzles can beirritating onthehorse k. Here’s looking at you kid on the snake. Several people also noticed that the fighter had six fingers — or rather, five fingers and one thumb — on his right hand. This was unintentional and not a clue! For the tie-breaker, we were looking for an interpretation that did not invent too much, but rather analysed the woman’s role, accounting for her behaviour in the fighter’s dreams and her non-appearance in the actual confrontation with the ‘sword. Patrick’s winning explanation ran as follows: The unknown woman represents the Anima, the centre of all femi — emotional, intuitive, compassionate — within a man. Dreams often com- Pensate for lopsided conscious atti tudes Therefore tho Anima appoars his becoming utterly masculine, cruel defiant, and ruthless. Hardship has caused the fighter to deny his feminine nature. Thus, inhis dreams, he felthe mustkill the woman. Butnow, having completed his quest, he need no longer deny his compassion, etc, but rather embrace it, to become whole of him agai Of those entrants who did not even get the main puzzles, the most common mistake was over the alignment. Most people seemed to be working it out for themselves rather than looking at the text or the picture. In fact, very few of those who did answer this question correctly Used the textual clue. The most entertaining wrong answers from our point of view, as we ploughed through all the entries, came from th people who did not discover the fighter's name. Apart from the inevitable ‘Hero’ {and ‘Kilroy’, there were many bewildering variants — Bevan, Ben Gaul, Bohemian Sharky, Sviio, Reiko.... (Keep it up! It's so dull when everyone gets it right!) Now, if you have not already done so, why not turn back to the preceding three pages and start workng on Part Two of the competition: The Magic-user. It costs only the price of a stamp to enter, and (unless you are exceptionally good et this sort of thing) should provide you with hours of entertainment.psd io ee GOD a SEU LULA DoD The biggest news of late is, of course, the release of the new, revised edition of the Basic D&D® game, which is already inthe shops, andis reviewed on page 42 of this magazine. Yet thisis notail, Also reviewedin this issue is the revision of the GAMMA WORLD™ game, a greatly improved version of this game of the future. And an alternative future is revealed in the long-awaited and very impressive STAR FRONTIERS™ KNIGHTHAWKS"™game, Spaceships and intergalactic conflict — 2 tremendous package for £8.95, Lastly in this current crop of arrivals: XS - The Temple of Death, M2 - Maze of the Riddling Minotaur and GB3 Jeux de Role Ihave recently been sent copies of two French gaming magazines. Casus Belli has a glossy cover, 48 pages and numerous articles of interest to role- players. There is a Bushido review; a Japanese scenario which uses a mix- ture of Bushido and the AD&D game (Donjons et Dragons}, a Space Opera review and an article on ‘Bzzionikhs which translates roughly as Psionics. The second magazine, Runes, isnotso glossy but concentrates entirely on des jeux de role. There are reviews of Traveller, Space Opera, STAR FRONT- JERS game and Runequest, plus new rules and scenario suggestions. There a new characteristic — Le Sens de Humeur. I only | could read French Vd know what that meant. As a testimony to their Gallic good taste, they also include a brief review of IMAGINE magazine. They describe it as \..bien présenté et relativement iméressam, surtout pour les débutants (qui comprennent Fanglais!)'. This seems like a good excuse for a staff fact finding’ weekend in Paris. Transatlantic Tales Death on the Docks — which has been sitting on the docks for ages, it seems, Beyond, we enter time of myths and mysteries. The WORLD OF GREY- HAWK’ gazetteer revised edition, the AD&D™ Metal Miniatures, 01 - Gem and the Staff and L2 - Assassin's Knot are awaited, as are Monster Manual II and two SPI games, Gleam of Bayonets and Battle Over Brit Later still are scheduled GW3 - The Cleansing War of Garik Blackhand, GW4-Mind Masters, GB4-The Vanish- ing Investigator, U3 - The Final Enemy and B5 - Horror on the Hill, And if all that happens as we predict, we will be very surprised IMAGINE™ magazine thanks Doug Cowie for his assistance with these items. Scenario News There are a couple of new scenarios for SF fans to look out for. The Vanished is FASA's first supplement for their Star Trek game. Seems like the entire crew of Deepspace Research Station 39 has disappeared. If we can just prise that blonde away from Captain Kirk, we'll go and investigate. From FGU ‘comes Agents of the Rebellion. This is 2 Space Opera scenario pack set in the CSA sector of the Korrelian Imperium. The players find themselves locked into the struggle of the Underground Alliance. There are several adventures which ‘can be played independently or as a ‘campaign. The goal of the campaign is to further the cause of the Alliance rebels bya subtle use of the espionage skills of the players. Based on the normal level of subtlety displayed by most players (I'm loading with APDS'), ‘one trembles with anxiety for the ‘success of the revolution, Monumental Endeavour ‘A New York book dealer, John Bambach, isin the middle of producing anindex of all magazines. professional and amateur, that are devoted to role- playing games. Histraining inthe book trade made him anxious to establish some sort of order to his ‘zine collect- jon, so he made an index covering such things as weapons, armour, combat, character classes, magic, treasure, scenarios, etc. Itthen occur. redto him that sucha system would be useful tofellow gamers. Consequently he is now expanding it to cover every issue of every ‘zine that he knows about. The finished article will then be published. | wish him weil in his monumental endeavour. Just imagine the convenience of one single index to cover every issue of every pro and fanzine. J Bambach, you area hero sir. hope you prosper. Flagship Launch News has reached us of 2 new professional magazine, Flagship, tobe devoted to postal gaming, the launch dato of which is sot at the end of this month. A quarterly, 36-page publc- ation, itaims to cover the full range of postal games. The price will probably be £1.50 per issue initially, though subscriptions will be cheaper. For more details, contact Nicky Palmer at 7 Delehay House, 15 Chelsea Embank- ment, London SW3 4LA. More details are available of the forth- coming James Bond 007 RPG from Victory Games. There will be aboxed set comprising the Basic Game book, char- acter records and dice. This is known as the Basic Kit in the States but, curiously, the UK importers are calling it the De Luxe Kit. It will be £11.95. The Basic book will also be available as a separate item at £7.95, Also at £7.95 is the From Victory With Love Manual which s@ compendium of details of the weapons, vehicles and master spy gimmicks available to te would-be 007s. A Game Master pack (what are female refs supposed to use?) including referoe's sereen; plastic based, die-cut card figures and vehicles; an 11”x 17” gridded sheet for playing encounters on: and a pad of character sheets, GM Pack willbe £6.95. Finally, there will be wo complete adven- tures, Octopussy and Goldfinger, at £8.95 each, This all adds up to quite a hefty initial release in anyone's lang- tuage. Victory Games think they're onto winner, butof course tall depends on the quality of the game. Tie-ins with TV programmes of movies are not enough ‘on their own, as the sad fates of the RPG of Dallas and the board game of Escape from New York show all too clearly. IMAGINE magezine, October 1983 15FROM THE MAKERS CIVILIZATION ia A GAME OF THE HEROIC AGE Dia Mece Nea ‘A war game which you will lose you have too many wars. A game of trade in which mere wealth will get you nowhere. A game ‘of social, military and economic strategy. A ‘ame of noble endeavours and unspeakable disasters. A game without dice but with @ ‘reat deal of skill, A game worth learning From all good games shops. az ‘About . 2 £19-50 SCAM nea 4 240 In case of difficulty contact: HARTLAND TREFOIL LTD. 5 Chapel Lane, Blisworth, NORTHAMPTON NN7 3BU. HARTLAND GAMES WORKSHOP'S GAMES DAY ‘Come to Games Day on Saturday November 5th and Sunday November 6th and enjoy two days of adventure, board, computer and tabletop games 2 Dungeons & Dragons Prize Competition % Over 30 Trade Stands 2% Bring & Buy Stall a > Live Action Fantasy Battles with Treasure Trap caster 2k Refreshments, snacks and licensed bar opiacon™ wer" + The Great Games Day Auction 3 2 Painting Competition - single and mult-figure classes Sg oF + Fantasy and Historical Miniatures Wargaming ee Horticultural > Role-playing adventures for beginners + Competition and participation events featuring adventure, board and computer games 2% The Fanzine Stand 2k Eggocentral, the Games Players’ Register SATURDAY NOVEMBER Sth 10.30am - 6.00pm SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6th 10.00am - 5.00pm THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S NEW HALL, GREYCOAT STREET, LONDON SW1 ADMISSION £1.25 per day 16 Please mention RMAGINE™ magazine when relying to advertisementsThe Gypsy looked up as | came through the open doorway into his dark, incense-filled room. Ithad been a long time since we had last spoken, longer still since the placing of his enchantment, to which lowed my life more times than | could comfortably call to mind, A hundred years. It still disturbed me to think of it. For nearly twice a natural lifetime, the magic which he had woven that day had preserved me against the attack of swords, of sickness, even of time itself, Forty years since, and more, | had watched my beloved Valsana grow old and die, unable to gain for her the same protection that kept me helplessly watch- ing. The Gypsy had said that it was impossible, and had blinded me with alot of double-talk about the nature of his magies and the nature of the subject and their importance for the success of any enchantment. Atleast, that is what think he spoke of — alll knew was that itboiled down to the answer no. We had quarrelled and | had not seen him since, IMAGINE magazine, October 1989 Even then, the blight had begun. Inoticed it at first in small things. Sometimes | would absently pick up a cup which | had already drained, to find it full, and then it would somehow become empty when | remembered drinking. There were other things, difficult to explain, but somehow. wrong. Smailthings. But they had worried me. As | worried, the blight grew worse. Eventually people seemed to overlook me at times — occasionally at first, but more and more as the years went by. | had spoken to the Gypsy about it, butas usual he had filled me with words that I did not understand, saying that it was in the nature of the enchantment, and that nothing could be done about it. For my part, [had supposed that since his charm was against nature, itstrained the natural laws around me, so that at times they would break At last the blight had spread even to Valsana. Even she began to ignore me at times, and or the lastten years of her life she had never given any acknowledge: ment of my existence, That was when the Gypsy and | had quarrelied. It almost drove me mad. Still the blight spread, in new and more insidious weys, gnawing at the edges of my sanity. For the last fifty ‘years no living thing had acknowledged me. Nature had rejected me for my transgression. | had borne it for as long as I could, reminding myself that this was the price of the Gypsy’s charm, but now the price had become too high even for an eternity of life — if life it may be called, such an existence. ‘And so I had come back to the Gypsy. The bitterness of our quarrel over Valsana had kept me away for many years, but | had slowly come to realise that he would have woven the charm I desired upon her had he been able, for he had loved her almost as much as | — indeed, we had once bean rivals for her attention, and it hhad come perilously close to destroying ur friendship. Sometimes, in the depths of despair, |had wondered whether even the Gypsy would acknowledge me; per- haps the blight had spread too far, and | would be left raving impotently to myself. But finally I had come. | was desperate. | was lonely, 7The Gypsy — I never did know his name, for all that we had been friends and companions for longer than | cared to think of — smiled his veiled, half-mocking smile, and waved me to a chair which faced him across his parchment-littered desk. He poured two goblets of wine from the jewelled decanter at his elbow, passing one to me. We drank for a moment in silence, and I regarded him. ‘Time had been kind to the Gypsy. Or more probably magic had been kind on time's. behalf. He appeared no older now than when we had first met; his face and hair were untouched by age, although tho dark, polished stones of his eyes gave some indication of the years that had passed over him, but then they had always been so. His was a fey nature. | wondered briefly whether he was truly so ageless, or whether he had merely drawn on his appearance like a carnival mask for the eyes of those around him. Then he spoke. ‘tthas bean long,” he said, regarding the dark surface of his wine as if it held the secrets of life and death. “That it has,’ | agreed, ‘Too long.’ There was a pause, which became uncomfort able. Idid not speak, mainly because felt that he was trying to force me todo so. He had always seemed to look on the human race as a plaything for his obscure humour. When he eventually broke the silence, itwas for all the world as though he had merely been lost in recollection, “They were good days,” he said. I nodded. | couldtell from his deliberately roundabout manner that he had somehow sensed my desperation, and that he was toying with me. It was ever his way. ‘Good days," he repeated at length, ‘All but the bad ones, and those we have long since forgotten.’ He looked up at me with that unreadable but faintly unsettling “warned you that the price would be high,’ he said, “As was the value," Ireplied, almost trying to convince myself that this was so. ‘And still you regret,’ he said, refilling his goblet, ‘I remember the first time, after the placing of the charm,’ — the faintest trace of an ironic smile crossed his face —The disappointment on your face when thet sword did not wound you. Without the risk, the game was empty. “There were greater games,” | reminded him, ‘That would otherwise have been impossible.” ‘Ah, yes,’ he said, almost with a chuckle, “As you tried to recapture the thrill of the gambler. Chasing demons instead of brigands, always searching for something strong enough to break the charm, There ‘were times when | wondered if you would, even brook at the annihilation of the gods. Strange itis, that once immune to death, you should seek it with such passion, Stranger still, the time you nearly found it | must have stiffened slightly, for he ‘stopped in his reminiscences. That was ‘one time | had not wished to remember. When | thought | had recaptured the old thrill of battle, in that obscene temple, the ‘exultation had turned to cold fear in my stomach. invulnerability had made me a coward, “Itwas not long after, as | recall, that you retired, the Gypsy went on, ‘Loaded dice become tedious when the stake loses its value," | conceded, un- comfortable that he should find me so easy to read. ‘But I suppose it was no more than I should have expected." “And you, my poor young friend, played ‘always for the love of the game, but only ‘Strange it is, that once immune to death, you should seek it with such passion.’ expression that he used in place of @ smile, We drank a silent toast to the old days, good and bad. “One, though.’ he said after a while, ‘You would have undone.” | paused. He had done it again, Whether his powersallowed him to read my mind! did not know, but he did have the most unnerving habit of bringing out aperson’s innermost thoughts as casual pieces of conversation. On the other hand, | reminded myself, why else was it that | had visited him after so long. He was probably just trying to set me off balance. | remained silent, that seeming the best way to appear unperturbed, 18 realised once the game was spoiled.’ He smiled the indulgent, faintly irritating smile of one watching a small child realise its error ‘And can the game be righted?’ | asked, trying desperately to appear unconcerned. His voice told me that | had failed. ‘So, the price is too high, then?’ he almost purred. ‘Thad warned you from the start."I nodded: he had indeed warned me, but | had thought only of the prize of im- mortality. Any price would have been a bargain. Or so had thought. “After so long with Death grinning over your shoulder, you mourn the loss of his company?’ the Gypsy continued, almost as if he were trying to provoke me. ‘Will you surrender immortality because of mete tedium, or will yoube back for more enchantments as soon as you begin to grow old? ‘You warned me of the price,’ Icountered, But not of its nature. Eternity is of little Use toa madman. For the briefest instant | saw a chink in the catlike mask of the Gypsy’s com- posure. He leaned forward slightly ‘Tell me,’ he said, almost earnestly, ‘You have been experiencing — so to speak — things out of the ordinary? The lesser effects of the charm are little known: it has not been cast for several centuries. He was clearly interested. | was almost tempted to repay him in his own coin for the times he had toyed with me when | had needed his help or advice. The way he had reacted, as if| were nomore than the result of an interesting experiment, galled ‘me; but I needed his help now, and! could not afford to offend him. | explained as best | could about the manifestations of the blight, and tenta- tively mentioned my theory that the charm was sundering the laws of nature around me. The Gypsy listened, leaning back in his chair with his long fingers steepled and his eyes staring sightlessly int the wisps of blue-grey smoke which rose from his incense-burner. Occasionally he would stop me, and question me more closely about some Particular event or phenomenon; he ‘seemed tobe most concerned with what | had been thinking immediately before: hand or what | had expected to happen, but it was difficult to divine his purpose from his questioning. | answered him as well as | was able, and he would nod to himself in an abstracted manner before bidding me continue. When | had finished, he sat for a short time in contemplation. Although he offered me noexplanations, something in his manner told me that he understood the nature of the blight when at last his attention returned to me. In a way, | had expected no explanations; he had a way of explaining magic which denied all understanding, and the words would have been wasted, ‘I warned you that the price would be high,” he repeated, ‘But | must warn you that ‘the price of the unbinding will be higher still. It is always easier to break than to mend. | do have the ability to revoke the charm, but you must consider carefully before you ask me to use it.” If it Is worse than watching your own sanity trickle away like sand through an hourglass, it must be dire indeed,’ | said Alter his reaction to my mention of the blight, | more than half-doubted that he had known the price of his charm, That IMAGINE magazine, October 198being so, it worried me that he might not be aware of the full consequences of its unbinding. Having regretted one decision for more than a century, | was loath to pitch myself blindly into another. ‘The price is definite,” he assured me, ‘And | am fully aware of the effects.” Clearly he had sensed my doubts. "But to ‘explain them to you would almost certain: ly bring the unbinding upon you of itself ‘And that must be your decision.” His black ‘eyes bored intothe depths of my soul, and I could see that he wanted me to believe in his sincerity. | had long given up trying to establish whether this sincerity was genuine — you could never tell with the Gypsy. In any case, | knew that he would tell me no more; | would have to decide on my ‘own. [thought for long time — itwasan agonising choice to make, between the madness which threatened to engulf me land some unknown torment which he had assured me would be worse. But | knew that | could not go on as | was. At length I made my decision. “What this terrible price mightbe, thatitis. ‘worse than encroaching madness, Iknow ‘ot. | think that | must take the risk rather than add an eternity of recrimination to the slow insanity which already confronts me. You are the only person to speak to me for these many years, and the solitude is becoming more than i can bear. If the price of the unbinding be my very death, 0 be it; lam practically dead already.” The Gypsy looked at me sharply. His gaze ‘was uncomfortable, but |heldit. Atlength he spoke, apparently satisfied of my resolve. "Do you remember the words of my charm?’ he asked. “Their gist only. That no weapon or foe might harm me, that their blows should pass through my body as if it were mist. | sometimes wonder if you did not turn me. to mist, and | somehow failed to notice.” My weak attemptata jest fell dead on the velvet draperies. Perhaps the worst,’ | continued, ‘was that Valsana came to ignore me like all the others. Would that you could have done something for her, so that at least ‘we could have been together.” ‘And visit on her the same blight of which ‘you now complain?’ responded the Gypsy, his words as smooth asariposte in tierce. I could not answer. “Butno matter,” he went on, ‘Thatisinthe past, and no amount of longing may change it. Your mention of Valsana reminds me that it was shortly after your... happy union that | placed the charm. A powerful charm. Immortality and invulnerability, all men’s desire; a protection to rival the sanctity of the gods themselves. The price, as you have discovered...” IMAGINE magazine, October 1983, ‘But what of the unbinding?" I demanded, momentarily losing control of my im- patience. But knew there wasno point in trying to hurry him; he would tell me, or not, as he wished, and in his own time. “Patience,” he said. “You will understand. in good ime. At the time of which | speak, we had lately been rivals, as | remember. Butyour shoulders were the broader. You brought back gold and gems, | merely dusty old parchments. The result of our rivalry was a foregone conclusion, but | was angry. Love makes fools even of the wisest, Iwas beginning to understand. | had not realised the extent of his bitterness. "So youwove the blight into your enchant- ‘ment, to make me an outcast, ignored even by those I loved?" When | thought of what a jealous magician might do to those who had offended him, my blood turned to ice. His vengeance upon me had. been light. But he shook his head, almost sadly, No," he said, ‘that was merely an in- evitable side-effect. The charm | worked. was on your mind rather than on your body.’ I began to speak, but he held up a hand to stop me. "Your experiences were real enough, never fear,’ he continued, ‘but they proceed from the nature of the illusion. Yes, my handsome, muscular friend, the charm | placed upon you was illusion —a powerful illusion, but anillusion none the less. You believed yourself invulnerable, justas you believed yourselftospeek with others and live as men live. But that first sword killed you, and your body is now dust in some nameless crypt. And yetyou thought yourself alive, so that your deluded spirit saw itself eating, walking, ‘and talking with others, justas itexpected tosee these things. But from time totime, when you did not know what to expect, the illusion could provide you with no- thing. And so nothing happened. Or sometimes the background noise of your ‘own mind, your random subconscious thoughts, were taken as the basis for the reality which the charm gave you. That is the root of your affliction, and from there it has spread to your present unhappy condition, as uncertaintiesand anomalies have given rise to more uncertainties, just as ripples on @ pond spread and ‘multiply and interfere with each other. “So now you know why | could not name the price of the unbinding without bring- ing the unbinding upon you; for the tunbinding is the oblivion of death — the long-due quietus of your deluded soul, which only Iam able to see through the exercise of my modest skills.” Iwas not sure how much of this explan- ation | understood, buthis talk of my long- distantdeath irritated me. | was becoming tired of his games. “Can a formless spirit drink wine?” | demanded, draining my goblet and hold- ing it before his eyes. “Look again,’ he said quietly. My hand was ompty; the goblet stood untouched fon the desk where he had left it. He was tricking me again, | thought, toying with me when I sat before him helpless and desperate. | became angry, moved to strike him for his mockery, but even in that instant, his words reformed themselves in my mind, as if of their own volition, and they hung there, turning and glittering ike torchlit sword blades caught inthe frozen instant of striking. Illusion... reality.... death... spirit... they forced themselves in upon my mind. The last thing | saw was the unholy, malevolent triumph on his face, Then darkness took me. ‘e Graeme Davis 19Bop 95030 2508150, Te, Tare Fa ESDEVIUM GAMES _ | ** Sa Say ed LOW COST MAIL-ORDER SPECIALISTS ~ Cana ene SEE SISEST) Wiceslecton boards, lca & sts for CHESS, GO, SHOGL MAHJONG, ; BACKGauMon, Tar nEDS RUD NCS CUBES OCTAGONS. PYRAR Selection of Games, Rules & Accessories eenreeiks: eaea in the South CCTADEL, RAL PARTHA 0.87... 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