Everyone has their “Golden Age”
when it comes to Dragon magazine and in reality it's no different
then say White Dwarf. A lot of one's views will be dependent
on just where you entered gaming. As I've discussed on this blog and
on sites like Dragonsfoot before, I was a late comer to 1st Edition AD&D in the
terms of its product run. I started gaming in 1982, but for years my
friends and I really mixed and matched stuff together as we explored
the game, in other words like a lot of kids I suspect we freely mixed
and matched 1st Edition and Basic and never thought twice about doing so.
So with that in mind I really didn't
start reading Dragon on a consistent basis until well after
many 1st edition gamers would consider Dragon to be on the
decline. To me this is puzzling because around #105 things started to
get really good, again from my perspective.
The run from about issue #80 till
around #170 fits my style of gaming perfectly: detailing out first
edition stuff (albeit late 1st) that I can easily insert into my 2nd edition games with little or no fuss.
To me there is little I have to change, it fits like a glove.
In a looser order here are
probably my top ten all time favorite Dragon magazine issues:
1. #134- Dragons. This issue is the
be-all, end-all when it comes to dragons and anything dragon
related. It's a great reference for amping up 1st
edition dragons and good dragon tactics in general. The cover is
pretty cool too, a bit weird now, but still cool.
2. #125- Chivalry. Back in the day I
was a huge fan of cavaliers and played them a lot, not for any
power-gaming reasons, but more for stomping foes into the dust in the name of king and country! Being the first book I bought with my own cash (aka Unearthed Arcana probably had something to do with it). In
terms of iconic images there aren't many more then a knight on
horseback, lance leveled. I think I wore out my copy back in the day
reading, and rereading this thing. Even the other articles not
dealing with knights are damn cool. As far as cover, look at that! A historical based Arthur, how cool is that? Couple this issue with
#118 (see below), the Arthurian characters from the Deities and Demigods (Legends and Lore) from 1st edition and you well
on your way to an Arthurian themed campaign.
3. #127- Call to Arms. This is just
as good as #125 in my book. There is so much meat in this you need
a fork and knife. Single-class fighters are probably my second favorite class
after fighter/mage. When you look at the options and idea starters
this gives the DM and players you can couple this with #125 and #119
for everything one would need for a strong feudal style campaign
akin to the Hundred Years War or a least a mythological one.
Again the cover on this is epic. I think I drew that cover multiple times as a early teen. There is so much going on. I especially love the one orc saying basically “Ok lets go at this one last time"!
4. #136- Urban Adventures. Damn this
cover rocks too, see a pattern here? Urban adventures are a very
under utilized part of the game in my opinion and often an area
where newer players simply see as a “store” to exchange stuff
for stuff they want from “shop-keepers”. What #136 does is give the DM a great
host of options and the article “50 ways to foil your players" in a
gem of an article in my opinion.
If that were not enough there is a great golem article, a very good Star Frontiers one and host of others. In short you can't go wrong with the options this issue gives you.
5. #138 Dreadful Tidings. This one
gets special mention for two reasons: a wide selection of
alternative undead types which I've used for years (Hungry Dead
anyone?) and the article on the plague. The rest of it is a bit
skimpy but the two articles more then make up for it.The cover isn't bad and has a good deal going on but for some reason it doesn't register with me.
6. #160- The City Never Sleeps. Tie
this in with #136 and you've got everything you need for down and
dirty city creation and defenses in a magical world. Thieves guild
articles, and others fill out the special section nicely. I especially like the maps of the Inn of the Last Call.
For issue #160 the cover is ok, not my favorite, but ok. The real meat in this one is the articles.
7. #123- Arcane Arts. This cover sets the tone and is a great tool to use for the magically inclined characters of the campaign world. The special section has three outstanding articles and the Arcane Lore section with fire related spells is fantastic. Of special note is the idea of the "Arcane College", a great tool for DMs to use when PC mages get to higher levels.
Legends and Lore has oriental heroes and the Marvel-Phile section has some of the heralds of Galactus.
8. #118- Competitions and Tournaments. Tie into #125 and Arthurian Britain (legendary not
quasi-historical) and away we go. Ever wonder about how to stage a tourney?
Wonder no more, follow the pointers in this section and you're well
on the way to a good framework for a fair, festival, what have you.
Also consider the article “The Fairest of the Fairs” #137 in
conjunction with this issue for further idea kick-starters.
Some folks will not like this issue as it contains the infamous article heralding the coming of second edition by Zeb Cook; who makes the cut in terms of classes and who doesn't... I'll leave it at that to cut down on the rancor.Personally I think Zeb did a great job and the grogs can go stuff it.
This cover is awesome and the last of the great chess series that ran for years by the artist Denis Beauvais.
9. #116- Maritime Adventures. Long
before “Of Ships and the Sea” I used this issue to great effect
as it covers everything needed for ships and sailing in a fantasy
setting. As I got older I still liked the idea behind it, but I've
never liked the the idea of SoL akin to HMS Victory in a world of high medieval tech. To me a cog or at most a caravel represents the
levels of seaborne tech for most worlds. And for me a caravel would be on the hogh side of maritime technology.
The cover is what it is: a picture of a red dragon mini with some smoke effects added. Nice, but not great.
2. #125- Chivalry. Back in the day I
was a huge fan of cavaliers and played them a lot, not for any
power-gaming reasons, but more for stomping foes into the dust in the name of king and country! Being the first book I bought with my own cash (aka Unearthed Arcana probably had something to do with it). In
terms of iconic images there aren't many more then a knight on
horseback, lance leveled. I think I wore out my copy back in the day
reading, and rereading this thing. Even the other articles not
dealing with knights are damn cool. As far as cover, look at that! A historical based Arthur, how cool is that? Couple this issue with
#118 (see below), the Arthurian characters from the Deities and Demigods (Legends and Lore) from 1st edition and you well
on your way to an Arthurian themed campaign.
Again the cover on this is epic. I think I drew that cover multiple times as a early teen. There is so much going on. I especially love the one orc saying basically “Ok lets go at this one last time"!
4. #136- Urban Adventures. Damn this
cover rocks too, see a pattern here? Urban adventures are a very
under utilized part of the game in my opinion and often an area
where newer players simply see as a “store” to exchange stuff
for stuff they want from “shop-keepers”. What #136 does is give the DM a great
host of options and the article “50 ways to foil your players" in a
gem of an article in my opinion.If that were not enough there is a great golem article, a very good Star Frontiers one and host of others. In short you can't go wrong with the options this issue gives you.
5. #138 Dreadful Tidings. This one
gets special mention for two reasons: a wide selection of
alternative undead types which I've used for years (Hungry Dead
anyone?) and the article on the plague. The rest of it is a bit
skimpy but the two articles more then make up for it.The cover isn't bad and has a good deal going on but for some reason it doesn't register with me.
6. #160- The City Never Sleeps. Tie
this in with #136 and you've got everything you need for down and
dirty city creation and defenses in a magical world. Thieves guild
articles, and others fill out the special section nicely. I especially like the maps of the Inn of the Last Call. For issue #160 the cover is ok, not my favorite, but ok. The real meat in this one is the articles.
7. #123- Arcane Arts. This cover sets the tone and is a great tool to use for the magically inclined characters of the campaign world. The special section has three outstanding articles and the Arcane Lore section with fire related spells is fantastic. Of special note is the idea of the "Arcane College", a great tool for DMs to use when PC mages get to higher levels.
Legends and Lore has oriental heroes and the Marvel-Phile section has some of the heralds of Galactus.
8. #118- Competitions and Tournaments. Tie into #125 and Arthurian Britain (legendary not
quasi-historical) and away we go. Ever wonder about how to stage a tourney?
Wonder no more, follow the pointers in this section and you're well
on the way to a good framework for a fair, festival, what have you.
Also consider the article “The Fairest of the Fairs” #137 in
conjunction with this issue for further idea kick-starters.Some folks will not like this issue as it contains the infamous article heralding the coming of second edition by Zeb Cook; who makes the cut in terms of classes and who doesn't... I'll leave it at that to cut down on the rancor.Personally I think Zeb did a great job and the grogs can go stuff it.
This cover is awesome and the last of the great chess series that ran for years by the artist Denis Beauvais.
9. #116- Maritime Adventures. Long
before “Of Ships and the Sea” I used this issue to great effect
as it covers everything needed for ships and sailing in a fantasy
setting. As I got older I still liked the idea behind it, but I've
never liked the the idea of SoL akin to HMS Victory in a world of high medieval tech. To me a cog or at most a caravel represents the
levels of seaborne tech for most worlds. And for me a caravel would be on the hogh side of maritime technology. The cover is what it is: a picture of a red dragon mini with some smoke effects added. Nice, but not great.
The whole issue is great by my
estimation and there really isn't a bad article in it.
10. #106. This was tough as I'm
tempted to pick the likes of #115, #145, #148, #167 or #178. I give
the nod to #106 solely based on the strength of the article “A Plethora of Paladins” The illrigger alone is so cool you can't go
wrong with it and the class has featured in my 2nd games.
In fact it was the illrigger that made me reevaluate kits and dump
them pretty much from my 2nd edition games entirely. I
find most of the NPC classes work just fine in 2nd and
you can easily use them with the likes of “Sages and Specialists”
which are more akin to NPC classes in presentation anyways.
The cover... while not a "chain mail bikini" it's starting to get close...
10. #106. This was tough as I'm
tempted to pick the likes of #115, #145, #148, #167 or #178. I give
the nod to #106 solely based on the strength of the article “A Plethora of Paladins” The illrigger alone is so cool you can't go
wrong with it and the class has featured in my 2nd games.
In fact it was the illrigger that made me reevaluate kits and dump
them pretty much from my 2nd edition games entirely. I
find most of the NPC classes work just fine in 2nd and
you can easily use them with the likes of “Sages and Specialists”
which are more akin to NPC classes in presentation anyways.The cover... while not a "chain mail bikini" it's starting to get close...
Honorable mention/Runner up status goes
to the likes of #99 (for the expanded sword system and troop tables)
#102 (Anti-Ranger), #119 (Druids) and #124 (Airborne Adventuring). The cover of #119 is especially awesome! #126 is another favorite of mine especially for the cover.
These issues for me were the “sweet
spot” of gaming articles an heavily influenced my gaming and my
perception of the game. It probably also explains why to some degree
2nd edition became such a non-issue to me; my group and I
were already mix and matching for years the various gaming systems.
When 2nd came out we continued to do so.
