White Dwarf: Issue #29

Issue #29 of White Dwarf (February/March 1982) features a cover illustration by Andrew George, depicting two dragons fighting with one another. It's a surprisingly mundane piece of artwork for WD in my opinion, but it's nevertheless well done. Inside, Ian Livingstone explains the origin of the magazine's name and it's as straight forward as one might have guessed. Since the then-nameless periodical was to cover both fantasy and science fiction, any proposed name would have "to reflect both those topics." He then explains that "a dwarf is a well-known fantasy character, and a white dwarf is a small, high density star. And that's all there is to it. Simple really when you think about it." 

The issue starts with a bang. Paul Vernon presents the first part of a multi-issue series entitled "Designing a Quasi-Medieval Society for D&D." The inaugural article focuses on "The Economy – Workers and Craftsmen." Over the course of three, densely-packed pages – in the tiny font I so strongly associate with White Dwarf – Vernon covers a wide range of economic topics, from occupations, apprenticeships, wages, quality of goods, and more. In doing so, he attempts to stay true as possible to both history and to the established rules of (A)D&D, hence the use of "quasi-medieval" in the title. All in all, I think he does a good job of what he sets out to do, though at times I found his discussions tedious (as I usually do in works of this sort). On the other hand, the simple fact that he raises questions about the wider societal implications of D&D's rules is worthy of praise.

"Lucky Eddi" by Oliver Dickinson is a work of fiction set in the city of New Pavis in RuneQuest's setting of Glorantha. I'm generally not a fan of "game fiction," but I make an exception for Dickinson's work, which is delightful. His stories, of which this is the first, depict Glorantha from the perspective of the rogues and ne'er-do-wells of New Pavis. The style is reminiscent of the works of Damon Runyon and is a lot of fun, especially if you don't mind your version to be much less self-serious than the setting has become over the years. Reading Dickinson's stories in White Dwarf were one of the reasons I started to re-evaluate my previous prejudices about RuneQuest. Re-reading the first installment in this issue was a joy.

"Open Box" reviews four interesting products, starting with GDW's Fifth Frontier War, which earns a rating of 8 out of 10. The licensed Traveller supplement SORAG (published by Paranoia Press) receives an even higher rating of 9 out of 10. Barbarian Prince by Dwarfstar is a favorite of mine, so I was glad to see that the reviewer thought quite highly of it as well (8 out of 10). The final review was of Chaosium's Stormbringer, which only received a 7 out of 10 – still a solid rating but not as good as I would have expected in the pages of WD. The main complaint of the reviewer, Murray Writtle, is that the game is not suitable for long-term campaign play, as "inglorious death" was all too common. I think that's a fair comment, though I'm not sure I'd consider it a flaw in the game.

Dryden Badenoch's "The Mudskipper" is a 100-ton multi-terrain vehicle for use with Traveller. It's a clever idea and nicely presented, complete with a map of its interior. "This Is, Of Course, Impossible" by Marcus L. Rowland is an article outlining the possibilities for "Time Travel in AD&D." Over the course of three pages, Rowland nicely discusses the topic at hand. He starts off with an overview of various interpretations of time and how each views divergences. He then moves on to methods of time travel, from magical to technological, before discussing the use of time travel in adventures and campaigns. Rowland even includes a bibliography of stories touching on the subject. All in all, it's very well done.

S. McIntyre's "Weed War" is a Ttraveller scenario set on a world in the Spinward Marches. The scenario concerns a struggle between various interests for control of a native species of seaweed that is useful in the production of certain pharmaceuticals. I like the adventure well enough, though the general set-up is a well-worn one in Traveller. Roger E. Moore described "Gray and Sylvan Elves" as a PC race for use with AD&D and Bob Lock does the same for "The Brownie." Fuddy-duddy that I am, neither of these articles thrilled me; I'm generally of the opinion that D&D should have fewer race options, not more. "Fiend Factory" offers up five monsters from "The Light Desert." None of them really grabbed my attention, but the artwork accompanying the article is rather good. Finally, we get a new approach to "Amulets & Talismans" in D&D from Lewis Pulsipher. In his interpretation, the items in question are more disposable and can be made by PC spellcasters to provide limited magical protections and related effects.

Issue #29 is a very good one, filled with all the content I remember from my time reading the magazine. I continue to be pleased by the number of terrific Traveller articles published in White Dwarf, as well as the presence of longer, more detailed pieces about specific (and often unusual) topics. The first appearance of Oliver Dickinson's Pavis stories is simply the icing on the cake.