Dragon Magazine Retrospective: My Favorite Issues and Why They Still Matter

 

Everyone has their “Golden Age” when it comes to Dragon magazine, and in reality it’s no different than 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 latecomer to 1st Edition AD&D in 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 it 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 no particular order here are my top ten all time favorite Dragon magazine issues with their overall themes.
 

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 played quite a number 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 powerful than 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 the 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’re 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

Again, the cover on this is epic. I think I drew that cover multiple times as an early teen. There is so much going on. I especially love the one orc saying basically “Ok, let’s go at this one last time!”

 
4. #136- Urban Adventures - Damn, this cover rocks too — see a pattern here? Urban adventures are a very underutilized 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” is a gem in my opinion.

If that were not enough, there is a great golem article, a very good Star Frontiers one, and a 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 than 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 okay, not my favorite, but okay. 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 this 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, or 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 2nd 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 given the circumstances.

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 idea of Ships of the Line 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 high 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 Edition games.

In fact, it was the Illrigger that made me reevaluate kits and dump them emtirely much from my 2nd Edition games. I find most of the NPC classes work just fine in 2nd Edition and you can easily use them with the likes of “Sages and Specialists,” which are more akin to NPC classes in presentation anyway.

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 and 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 the various gaming systems for years. When 2nd Edition came out we continued to do so.

Gygax & Arneson vs. Jobs & Raskin: The Unsung Co-Creators Behind Big Revolutions

Who and Who?

Most people in the gaming world know the name Gary Gygax, but fewer recognize Dave Arneson. Likewise, in the tech world, Steve Jobs is a household name—Jef Raskin, not so much.

But the parallels between these two pairs are worth considering.

If you’re curious about the early days of personal computing, Andy Hertzfeld’s site is an incredible resource. He was one of the original eight creators of the Macintosh, and his behind-the-scenes stories offer a glimpse into how the Mac came to be. You can even find the iconic 1983–84 photo of the team there.

Jef Raskin was the one who originally envisioned the Macintosh project—until Jobs took it over and radically changed its direction. Sound familiar?

In the early days of D&D, Arneson showed Gygax some of his early ideas. Gygax ran with them and expanded the concept into something bigger. The tricky part is: we’ll never really know how much of what became D&D was Gary’s and how much was Dave’s. My gut says it was a mix—each pulling from different sources, shaping the foundation together.

In both cases, one figure became the face of a revolution, while the other became a footnote—despite having sparked the original idea. And in both cases, the full story is messy. In Arneson’s case, legal disputes kept parts of it sealed. In Raskin’s case, his original vision for the Mac can only be glimpsed through later projects like the Canon Cat, a fascinating what-could-have-been.

None of this is to discount Gygax or Jobs. Gygax’s genius was in pulling together disparate influences into something greater. Jobs had a vision that changed the world. But both men stood on the shoulders of others—collaborators, visionaries, and unsung pioneers.

So here’s some food for thought: How do we measure creative credit? How do we honor the sparks and the flames?

I encourage you to read more about Dave Arneson and Jef Raskin. Let me know what you think. Am I way off, or closer than I realize?

Who and who, you may ask?

Most people in the gaming world know the name Gary Gygax, but fewer recognize Dave Arneson. Likewise, in the tech world, Steve Jobs is a household name—Jef Raskin, not so much.

But the parallels between these two pairs are worth considering.

Dave Arneson, co-creator of D&D

If you’re curious about the early days of personal computing, Andy Hertzfeld’s site folklore.org is an incredible resource. He was one of the original eight creators of the Macintosh, and his behind-the-scenes stories offer a fascinating glimpse into how the Mac came to be. You can even find the iconic 1983–84 team photo there, along with updates on where the team was as of 2012.

Jef Raskin was the one who originally envisioned the Macintosh project — until Steve Jobs took it over and radically changed its direction.

Sound familiar?

In the early days of D&D, Arneson showed Gygax some of his early ideas. Gygax ran with them and expanded the concept into something much bigger. The tricky part is: we’ll never really know how much of what became D&D was Gary’s and how much was Dave’s. My gut says it was a true mix
— each pulling from different sources, shaping the foundation together.

In both cases, one figure became the face of a revolution, while the other became a footnote — despite having sparked the original idea. And in both cases, the full story is messy. In Arneson’s case, legal disputes kept parts of it sealed. In Raskin’s case, his original vision for the Mac can only be glimpsed through later projects like the Canon Cat — an interesting “what might have been.”

None of this is to discount Gygax or Jobs. Gygax’s genius was in pulling together disparate influences into something greater. Jobs had a vision that changed the world. But both men stood on the shoulders of others: collaborators, visionaries, and unsung pioneers.

So here’s some food for thought: How do we measure creative credit? How do we honor the sparks and the flames?

In 1985, both Steve and Gary lost control of the companies they helped create. Perhaps a blog post for another time.

I encourage you to read more about Dave Arneson and Jef Raskin. Let me know what you think. Am I way off, or closer than I realize?

Peter Jackson and Faramir: How the Movies Missed the Mark on Tolkien’s Most Noble Character

As a family, we’ve been sitting down and watching the Lord of the Rings movies, and the kids have really enjoyed them. My son, being younger, has fidgeted around a bit, but my daughter has watched all the way through.

Last night we finished The Two Towers. As a quick aside, she likes (as I do) both Samwise and R2D2. There are a lot of parallels there, and maybe I’ll cover that down the road. But back on topic…

As we watched The Two Towers last night, I took another look at Faramir and how much Peter Jackson bungled the character — or at least the context of the character as written by the good Professor.

Tolkien is on record as saying that of all the characters, Faramir is the one he identified with most — a personification of his own values. Before I get into this, I’ll state upfront that I enjoyed the movies immensely. Most of the changes made sense within the constraints of film (the Elves at Helm’s Deep being a good example). I’m not a rabid purist, and no, all you fatbeards, Tom Bombadil still sucks and is entirely unnecessary, certainly for the movies.

I’m not that unreasonable. But in the case of Faramir, it looks like even Jackson realized he erred in the theatrical cut and tried to “correct” some of it in the extended edition of The Two Towers.

Peter Jackson missed the whole point of Faramir and the two sons, Boromir and Faramir. It’s easy to say, and I don’t think there will be much disagreement here. For those not in the know, here’s a quick recap, as these three characters all revolve around each other beyond their familial ties.

Denethor (played by John Noble)), the last Steward of Gondor. The Steward of Gondor is just that — not a king, but the caretaker of the throne. Flawed, slightly unhinged, and certainly no better for using the palantír, Denethor has major blind spots concerning his two sons. He can see no fault in his eldest and no use for his second.

Boromir (played by Sean Bean), eldest son of Denethor. Especially well portrayed in the movies by Sean Bean. He tries to claim the Ring from Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring but dies protecting Merry and Pippin. In the end he realizes his error, but in his own way he shares some of his father’s flaws. I don’t see this as a fault. He is not weak in willpower per se — it’s just that he is no Faramir.

Faramir, younger son of Denethor, well portrayed in the movies by David Wenham. In the books Faramir is likeable, eager to please, focused, well-meaning, and above all just and even-tempered. He is also very much a martial character. But as written by Jackson in the theatrical cut, he totally misses the mark.

To what am I referring, in a roundabout way? In the extended DVD version of The Two Towers, where we meet Faramir, we see how badly Jackson failed to understand this seemingly minor character as Tolkien wrote him.

Faramir is depicted as succumbing to the power of the One Ring and willing to hand it over to his father. The problem is that Faramir was the one character Tolkien wrote who the One Ring had no sway over. Think about that statement for a minute. Of the entire myriad of characters that appear in the books, it is Faramir alone who is immune to it. (Bombadil doesn’t count — he’s so nonsensical he’s in his own category.) In the books even Sam considers the possibilities for the brief time he is a ring-bearer, but not Faramir.

With the extended version of the movies it gets worse, in my opinion. Jackson basically admits two things with Faramir. One, that the movie needed something else, with the shift of some scenes from Two Towers to Return of the King. So some of it was dictated by the needs of the film. Okay, on that level I understand what he did.

Two, he is on record (paraphrasing here) as saying “having someone immune to the power of the Ring lessens its effect.” (Double blink. Double facepalm.)

Well, Peter, maybe you missed the whole point entirely — even with the changes in your version of the story. In fact, if you had taken a step back you would have seen it plain as day.

Rather than have Faramir trying to prove himself in the movies (“a chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to prove his quality”), you should have considered who and what Faramir was. Instead of having Faramir trying to be just like his older brother and win his father’s love, it’s as simple as comparing the three and how Denethor treats his sons.

Consider that the “prized” eldest son fails and is tempted by the Ring, thereby not justifying the faith his father places in him. This makes it an easy contrast when his second son — the one he has no use for (“Do not speak to me of Faramir, I know his uses and they are few”) — is actually, at least in these terms, superior to his brother.

Instead of rushing to make Faramir the kid brother who desperately wants to prove himself to his father, it would have been better to use Faramir directly out of the books. It was such a simple, powerful contrast that I don’t know how he could have missed it. I think he fails to give the moviegoer credit here.

I can’t state it any better. Jackson created a wonderful set of movies and I have no doubt about his zeal. But on this one thing he whiffed — and whiffed badly. He and his wife/writing partner Fran (who took an excessive glee in my opinion) in mangling some key parts of the story missed the point of Faramir entirely.

Perhaps even more so than Frodo,, Faramir has a Galahad quality to him. Faramir was designed to be immune to the Ring, but for a reason that Jackson missed entirely. Faramir succeeding where Boromir failed highlights the differences between the two brothers and the flaws in Denethor’s powers of observation.

Jackson could have used this masterfully but didn’t. Denethor grossly underestimates Faramir, and as a result highlights his own failings all the more — and by contrast, those of Boromir. If there is any doubt, consider this:

Page. 280, The Two Towers, The Window on the West- "But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo." 

One would think that this is hardly open to interpretation, Peter.

The changes to Faramir greatly alter his character and cheapen him in my honest opinion. In essence, he is dumbed down simply to keep things consistent in the movies. Most moviegoers will never know of this, but for those who have read the books it leaps off the screen as a clear example of missing the mark on a small but important part of The Lord of the Rings. No wonder some have dubbed him “Filmamir.”

For more about Faramir and some details on Jackson’s thoughts on why he changed the character in the movies, check here: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Faramir or here: http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Faramir

What is your take on Faramir in the Lord of the Rings movies? 

THAC0: The Great Divide? What the Hell?

F (ExTSR) is Frank, as in Frank Mentzer, longtime cohort of Gary Gygax, writer of the Red Box (1983) of D&D Basic and one of the few active folks from the advent of TSR and the role-playing age on Dragonsfoot (which is now no longer the case).

There are people who think of THAC0 solely as a 2nd Edition AD&D creation when in fact according to Frank it predates 1st Edition and may even have been in common parlance around the time of the Lake Geneva Campaign. And again for those that don't know the Lake Geneva Campaign was THE grand-daddy of them all in terms of RPGs campaigns; it was the one that Gary DM'ed and well, pretty much wrote AD&D as we know it.

Now on to THAC0 itself: THAC0 stands for "To Hit Armor Class (Zero)."

In 2nd edition AD&D in melee combat, one rolls a d20 and compares it against their THAC0 score. For example if your THAC0 score is a 18 and you roll a 14 you would hit Armor Class 4. In other words, straight up on the die with no modifiers THAC0 represents the roll you need to hit AC 0 on a d20. In a nutshell that's all there is to it. So why is it that people look like this when you bring up the subject of THAC0 in gaming circles?

"Is it THACO or THAC0? I don't see the difference...

Seriously, simple math is that hard folks? The only argument that I can see possibly being made is for a unified mechanical rule of later editions which THAC0 is not. But, then again 1st and 2nd Edition has lots of wonky bits to it anyways. 3rd edition and later did tidy up stuff, but abandoned this one when it wasn't broken. Plus I'm not a fan of a single mechanic simply for its own sake, but can see the utility in some systems.

Maybe its the seemingly "weird" subtractions say for speed factor where lower is better. Sure AD&D (both 1st and 2nd) are not consistent whether high or low rolls are good or bad.

But the next time somebody starts squawking about the "difficulty" of simple math and unified mechanics being superior just point out they can, you know...do math. For the older grognard crowd point out that THAC0 appears in their "Ye Olde Holy Book" aka the 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide written by Gary Gygax. For those who want to save vs disbelieve its right there on pages 196-214.

Be prepared to save vs. long winded diatribe regarding about how Gary didn't really like it. Dudes... shut the Hell up, it's in the freaking book, your book no less.

And if you are having issues? Here is a great breakdown of how THAC0 works.

The Definition of Badass? One name: Tom Cody

 

Start with a killer tagline:

“A Rock ’n’ Roll Fable. Another time, another place.” Check.

Make your entrance to a moody, neon-drenched soundtrack? Check. (Guitar by none other than guitar god Ry Cooder? Hell yes.)

Kick the crap out of some outclassed punks, slap a knife-wielding chump like you’re Ike Turner, take his blade, hand it back… and do it again? Check.

Out-awesome the Honey Badger? Out-kick Chuck Norris and the internet combined? You better believe it.

That’s Streets of Fire. That’s Tom Cody.

Cooler than cool, tougher than leather, and walking straight into legend.

Suffice it to say: the sheer bad-assery of Tom Cody can barely be contained by Streets of Fire — arguably the greatest movie of the 1980s (and let’s be honest, possibly all time). The beatdowns he dishes out are many, creative, and deeply satisfying. And here’s the thing — he’s an anti-hero you can actually root for. Why? Because unlike the try-hard brooding types, Cody isn’t rebellious just to stick it to “The Man.” He’s not doing it for the ’tude. He’s doing it because someone’s gotta clean up the mess.

He steps off the subway in a trench coat — and unlike the cosplaying try-hards at your local game store, he actually pulls it off — then immediately proceeds to lay waste to the Roadmasters for threatening his sister. (See above for details on the ass-kickery/bad-assery.) The knife-slap scene is cinematic gold, and the ensuing skull-busting with a hat rack? Chef’s kiss. Just to drive the point home, he tosses them through a plate-glass window like yesterday’s trash… then jacks their ride for good measure.

Tom Cody doesn’t walk away from trouble. He walks into it — and leaves a trail of wreckage behind.

The whole crux of the plot? Tom’s got to rescue Ellen Aim — played by a 20-year-old Diane Lane who somehow manages to look both like the girl next door and a rock goddess at the same time — from the clutches of Raven Shaddock and his goons, the Bombers. Raven, by the way, is played by Willem Dafoe in full vinyl-overall menace mode. And if Tom Cody is the baddest man in town, Raven is the unhinged yin to that yang — pale, intense, and the kind of guy who probably hisses when he talks to himself in the mirror. 

Raven, by the way, is played by Willem Dafoe in full vinyl-overalls menace mode. And if Tom Cody is the baddest man in town, Raven is the unhinged yin to that yang — pale, intense, and the kind of guy who probably hisses at his own reflection in the mirror.

Naturally, Ellen is Tom’s old flame. So when his sister writes him a desperate letter begging for help, he shows up like a trench-coated avenger.

Enter Billy Fish — Ellen’s sleazy, whiny promoter/manager/placeholder-boyfriend — played by Rick Moranis in full proto-Weasel mode. Billy, realizing his golden goose just got snatched by a biker gang that makes the Misfits look like the Monkees, coughs up 10 grand to hire Tom. Big mistake? Big win? Both.

Before kicking off the mission, Tom swings by Pete’s garage — and Pete’s got an arsenal that makes Commando look like a yard sale. Tom arms up, Max-style, only cooler — and with actual personality — and rolls out with McCoy (Amy Madigan), a tough-as-nails ex-soldier who drinks hard and punches harder. Together they head off into the neon-noir city in the Roadmasters’ stolen ride, which is still the coolest vehicle this side of the Batmobile.

Destination? Torchie’s — the Bombers’ grimy HQ and dive bar of doom. What follows is pure Cody: infiltration, devastation, and an unreasonable amount of explosions. But first, he pauses for a classic “look through the window” moment as the synthy love theme swells and he gazes at Ellen in captivity like some kind of rock-and-roll knight. Then it’s back to business.

Despite being outnumbered something like 1,000 to 1 (give or take a few leather-clad creeps), Cody wrecks house. McCoy chips in, sure, but let’s not kid ourselves — this is the Tom Cody show. Explosions. Butterfly knife action. More explosions. Ellen gets rescued. The Bombers get humiliated.

But before they ride off into the neon-lit night, Raven steps out of the shadows for some classic villain banter. It’s tense. It’s theatrical. It’s shirtless. Foreshadowing? Absolutely. That’s your Chekhov’s sledgehammer moment right there.

The real showdown? Oh, it’s coming. And it’s gonna be glorious.

The ride back? Oh, just your standard post-rescue hell-ride featuring cop cars, roadblocks, and Tom Cody going full Mad Max on a motorcycle. He doesn’t just dodge the law — he shreds it. One second he’s gunning through the night like a leather-clad ghost, the next he’s lighting up squad cars like it’s the Fourth of July.

Then, just to flex, he stops a moving bus with his bare hands. Because of course he does. Who needs physics when you’re built out of raw narrative dominance? He and Ellen trade words, fire, and unresolved romantic tension — and even though they’re on the same side, it’s clear their ride-or-die status hasn’t quite synced up yet. She’s got rockstar fire, he’s got trench coat rage. It’s messy. It’s great.

"What did I do that was so wrong?" Tom: "Nothing..."

 

Back in Richmond, the aftermath unfolds. Cody gets the girl — the unreal Ellen Aim, and shows her what a real street knight looks like. The ten grand? Just a footnote. He grabs only what’s needed to pay McCoy her cut, because class. And because Tom Cody doesn’t do this for the money. He does it because he can.

And then? Then? It’s time for that long-awaited showdown with Raven. Not a brawl. A reckoning. They meet like modern gladiators under industrial floodlights, and Cody puts him down — hard. Could’ve ended him. Doesn’t. Because Cody’s that guy. He’s the guy who walks the line and still somehow stands taller than the rest.

And as the final act plays out, we get the bittersweet farewell: Cody kisses Ellen goodbye while she sings “Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young” — a volcanic eruption of Jim Steinman bombast that sounds like Meat Loaf got struck by lightning at a prom. It’s Wagnerian Rock at full tilt — so glorious it should come with a health warning. 

As sung by Ellen Aim 

“I've got a dream 'bout a boy in a castle
And he's dancing like a cat on the stairs
He's got the fire of a prince in his eyes
And the thunder of a drum in his ears
I've got a dream 'bout a boy on a star
Lookin' down upon the rim of the world
He's there all alone and dreamin' of someone like me
I'm not an angel, but at least I'm a girl.” 

To quote Kung Fu Panda: “Ahhh!!!!… he’s too awesome!!!!!!!”

So forget brooding capes, magic swords, and regenerating mutants. Tom Cody doesn’t need healing factors or destiny. He needs a trench coat, a pump shotgun, and a reason.

That’s it.

Alignment? Chaotic Good (with strong Chaotic Neutral vibes). Class? Level 15 Fighter. Weapon Specialization? Hat racks. Butterfly knives. Motorcycle-based law defiance. And most of all? Ass-kicking.

Tom Cody. The definition of badass. End of story.

Redwall: A Heartwarming Classic Fantasy Read for Kids and Adults Alike

I've had this book on my shelf for years after picking it up for a dollar at an old bookstore. I didn’t actually read it until last summer, and that was a major mistake on my part. It was the perfect easy, comforting read after finishing A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin.

Brian Jacques does a great job, understated by no other way to say it: The Redwall series is well done.

Now that my daughter is reading at an ever-increasing rate, I think it’ll be on her radar soon. I’m really looking forward to sharing it with her. It’s a wonderful introduction to fantasy: well-told, not overly violent (very cartoonish in that regard), and full of heart.

The story follows the classic “unlikely hero on a voyage of self-discovery” trope. In this case, it’s a young mouse named Matthias instead of Luke Skywalker. There are even interesting parallels: the ghost of Martin the Warrior guiding Matthias is reminiscent of Obi-Wan. Instead of a galaxy far, far away, the setting is Redwall Abbey and its surrounding countryside, populated by mice, rats, badgers, birds, and other creatures, each with their own distinct perspectives.

Brian Jacques was incredibly prolific, writing 22 books in the main series plus several more set in the same world.

Right now I’m starting Mattimeo. If you haven’t read the Redwall series yet, I give it a strong thumbs up. This first book in particular gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

(One quick note for new readers: the series jumps around in time. Check the wiki or publication order if you want to read chronologically.)

The Shortest Print Run in D&D History – And Why I’m Not Golf-Clapping at 4e’s Funeral

So long 4th edition, we hardly knew ya!

To be quite honest, I really don’t care what edition (or game) someone wants to play. 3rd edition D&D? Castles and Crusades? Lamentations of the Flame Princess, or anything in between? It’s not my cup of tea to rain on someone else’s parade. Now if we are talking FATAL then yeah, that goes out the window.

Enter the anti-2e crowd.

Suffice it to say my opinion of them is about as high as a kobold in good standing, which is to say, not much. And now that leaves the abuse that’s sure to come your way. My best defense against these clowns is a good offense.

With that said, I feel a strange kinship with 4th edition D&D fans right now. A four-year print run for the “current edition” of D&D is shockingly short. Wow, the shortest of them all actually. 4th edition has officially taken the mantle of whipping boy.

I’m not going to golf-clap at the funeral in classic grognard style, though. Your game might not have been my game, but I have a good deal of sympathy for you. My best advice: go on the offensive. When grognards tell you your edition sucks, point out the very real flaws of 1st edition AD&D (there are plenty). Don’t let them fool you. Initiative, horrible organization, psionics, and more, there’s plenty of fodder there. And this is from someone who likes 1st Edition very much.

Am I promoting edition wars? Some might see it that way. But I like to point out that most of us 2e folks were generally “live and let live”… until we got online and ran into the rabid neck beards (see definition #6). Then we learned real quick. Want proof? There are people online who actually believe Terrible Trouble at Tragidore is somehow representative of 2nd edition module quality.

Meanwhile, they’ve never laid eyes on the run of Dungeon magazine from issues #18–81, which rank among some of the best modules of all time. Modules like The Iron Orb of the Duergar, The Mud Sorcerer’s Tomb, and Kingdom of the Ghouls are insanely great to name but a few.

If you stay the course for your favored edition, then by all means do so, and don’t let anyone tell you different. Your game is not my game, but I can’t help but feel a kinship. Your edition is now going to be the least supported of them all:

• 0e, Basic, 1st, and 2nd are more or less interchangeable despite what anyone may think.
• 3rd had a mountain of material, and Pathfinder can easily fill the gap.
• That leaves 4th on its own island…

I say this because it looks like 5th edition is (allegedly) going back to its roots. Time will tell there.

In closing its going to be a lonely road, but if it's your course steer it: "Second star to the right... and straight on until morning."

(Yes I know it's from Peter and Wendy.)