DIFFERENT ee WORLDS MAGAZINE OF ADVENTURE ROLE-PLAYING GAMESYou don’t have to be a mathematical genius to enjoy adventure gaming. Ral Partha’s exciting new WITCH'S CALDRON’, CAVERNS DEEP’, FINAL FRONTIER” and GALACTIC GRENADIERS" can be piayed by beginners. Easy-to-follow game guide- lines and breathtakingly realistic game characters provide a new dimension to adventure gaming. Ral Partha’s exquisitely detailed miniature figures — Witches, Wizards, Were- wolves, Dwarves, Goblins, Spacemen and others — ‘come to life” in these four fascinating, WITCH'S CAVERNS CALDRON® ‘ DEEP® Magic, sorcery, witch- craft and wizardry. A Mortal combat between band of advent Dwarves and Goblins enters the witch's [air in labyrinthine sub- to capture her treasure { terranean passage- and fle to safety. They ways. Dwarves must defend their treasure and their lives from the Witch, Wizard, 10 Ad- us goblins. A fight venturers, eight Beasts. Package also contains two _to the finish, Package includes eight Dwarves, 12 six-sided dice, gaming instructions, playing aids Goblins, instructions, playing. aids and accesso- and accessories. #99-001. ries, two six-sided dice. #99-002. FINAL GALACTIC FRONTIER® GRENADIERS® Cosmic warfare to de- ‘An elite strike force of termine galactic domi; . the distant future nation. Earth-base: wages interplanetar TTerrans batle Aliens : Warfare aganat dis from a far distant dent space colonists. planet “with sophisti- Space cities and whole fated and deadly planets face annihila- weaponry. Package in- tion. Package includes cludes 18 Terran Attackers, 22 Alien defenders, 12 GALACTIC GRENADIERS®, 28 space colo- two six-sided dice, game instructions, playing nists, two six-sided dice, game instructions, play- aids and accessories. #99.003. ing aids and accessories. #99-004. Available at your local Ral Partha Dealer. RAL 3726 Lonsdale» Cincinnati, Ohlo 45227 » 513-271-4230 Authorized Canadian Agents: RAFM Co., Box 62, Paris, Ont. N3L 3E5 Winner of two "H. G. Wells Awards” atStarMaster Air screams around your ships as they enter the ‘atmosphere. Missile-launchers fire deafaningly to port ‘and starboard while almosphere-tighters drop in Shrieking dives from their hangers Below. Warriors, lightly clenching their weapons, check their pressure Suits one last time and climb in grim silence into their landing shutties. in the distance five more heavy Cruisers of your empire are tiring and unloading their ‘cargo, their hulls gleaming crimson in the light of the red sun above, This is not @ dril. Already laser and missile tire rom the mile-wide guardian fortresses below have turned the sky into an exploding nightmare of smoke, lire, and fragmented metal. Planes and shuttles twist and “dodge down towards @ landscape rapidly Becoming an inferno of flame and radiation, This 1s n0 mere raid. For years your people had explored nearby systems without violence, trading Technology to the primitive civilizations there in exchange for raw materials. Some species had even thought you gods. Then you met the Aeratang. Merciless, brutal, they destroyed your exploring ships and began 10 slaughter your colonies. But you found their home planet and launched the greatest fleet your kind ever built to-carry the war to your enemy. To fight for your very survival Wil it be enough? Starmaster is a correspondence game of galactic exploration, diplomacy, and conquest allowing for Interaction ‘not only Between each player and the Worlds of the galaxy, but between the players them- selves. 'New players begin further out from the Galactic Center than established players allowing them to develop themselves among equals. You may lead a owerlul reptilian race, carving out a vast empire of Colony and subject worlds, oF perhaps an insectoid species, engaged in a holy crusade to convert the galaxy to the worship of their many-tegged god. 'AS chosen ruler of your people, you must decide what diplomatic and military policies will be followed in order to lead your kind to dominance among the sentient beings of the galaxy. ‘The galaxies of StarMaster are a complete fantasy environment of solar systems, with geographies rang- ing from worlds near absoluie zero to worlds where, rivers of molten tungsten bubble, with technologies. spanning from rock-throwing cave-dwellers 10 ad- vanced Elder Races with near-godlike abilities. Nor is the StarMaster environment limited in terms of playing area. There are multiple galaxies allowing for extra-galactic invasions across the voids, ‘There are both natural and constructed gateways to (and trom!) other dimensions and parallel universes. ‘StarMaster is limitless in possiblites, bounded only by imagination! It is a game where, literally, anything is possible, ‘1979 Schubel & Son rc StarMaster offers these features '* Design your species as if you could have directed evolution to this moment ‘Design your homeworld in terms of temperature, atmosphere, and mass. ‘Choose your government and social order. You decide the production for all worlds of your empire, building colonizing ships, merchantmen, warships, warriors, and fortresses. ‘= Technology increases steadily, permitting faster, larger ships, deadlier weapons, and scientific break: throughs. ‘The galaxies are dotted with the ruins of Elder civil- zations lacking the strength to master the stars. Can you lead your world to greatness where so many others fell’shoet? ‘StarMaster may be entered for $10.00 which includes the first three turns, a rule booklet, and all necessary material (except return postage). Thereafter, turns are §2.50 each. If dissatisfied after the first turn. you may return the material for a full refund. A rule booklet may be purchased separately for $3.50. pone es ! 1 ! ! 1 ! ! ! 1 cae Schubel & Son : ! 1 I — ! —- ! ! =n = | iDIFFERENT WORLDS 7 CONTENTS EDITORIAL FEATURES ‘THE ROLE OF MINIATURES IN ROLE-PLAYING TEN DAYS IN THE ARENA OF KHAZAN iniature figures have been integral to role-playing by Ken St. Andre ...... to since the beginning. Indeed, both Gary Gygax and SOURCEBOOK REVIEW: CULTS OF PRAX Dave Ameson point to miniatures wargaming as by Richard L. Snider... . ee 13 the prime source of the mechanics in Dungeons & ‘Dragons. And anyone stepping into a game store can quickly CLORANTEON BIRFEDA YATE ELES see that collecting and painting miniatures is a major part of by ores 0 Wandeerd lec 14 T the hobby. The dollars spent on miniatures, paints, brushes, GLORANTHAN RUNE CALENDAR AND RQ TRAINING | and other supplies may be actully be more thin the sum RECORD SHEET spent on role-playing game rules, scenarios, magazines, and by Greg Stafford and John T. Sapienza, Jr. 15] gaming aids, Many now play RPGs simply as a result of their VARDY COMBAT SYSTEM PART 2 Snguing: “What do you do wih al these miniatures igure?” naa It atures, wellpainted, enhance any role-playing adven- pieces 16 1 ure, The visual contrast of one's character with a monster is FOUNDCHILD CULT important. Herein comes puppet theater, the acting out of a by Sandy Peterson sesssss10:24 Tole through a miniature figure, Different Worlds recognizes GAME REVIEW: IN THE LABYRINTH the value miniatures have in our hobby and will devote much by Steve Perrin . 27 J attention to them in this and future issues. ‘There are presently a plethora of figures available for role- playing and more are being released every month. We all have a favorite character of a certain race and sex, wearing a certain POWER GROUPS AND PLAYER CHARACTERS IN RPGS by James M. Ward... . +28 SYSTEM SNOBBERY type of armor and/or helmet, and wielding a certain weapon. ace | ee OTE NS Ee nthe fous sal eraser eee eee ee conunnes Re pepe ays figure with the proper features. With this issue, DW, with the help of John T. Sapienza, will stat on a project of adequately describing available figures, so DW readers will know exactly what is on the market. This is a long-term project. We hope it matches your wishes, Happy gaming, Zelaho Editorial ‘Sub Info/ Back Issues - Recruiting Board. . Beginner's Brew Metal Marvels. . Quick Plugs . Game Cons. « Lotter from Gigi Different Views. RSauun pei ARTISTS Front Cover: Cora L. Healy. Interiors: Scott Arquette, Liz Danforth, Mike Troller, Rick Becker, Alexis Gilliland, Buster Salinoa, Paul Jaquays, Patrick Jenkins. ‘bimonthly by Chaosium, Ine. double spaced with one Contents copyright © 1960 by Chaosium, Inc. All rights reserved. le: companied by self-addressed. Droduetton tn whole or in part Is forbidden without prior written con: submissions become the property of Chaosum, ne, hts rev ene {rom the publisher. Addrest sil correspondencet to DIFFERENT thor or srtist upon publication or rejection. Remuneration for artces is WORLDS, PO Box 6902, Albany, CA'98706, The number next to your _T-eant per word of published matter and artwork ls paid at a $20 per name is the lst issue in Your subscription. For address changes include printed page rte Ve, % page gets paid $8). Color covers are paid $50. few address, old ety, state, and zip code, and date effective ‘evertaing rates and trade inquires avaiable on request. Basic ad rate Tadashi Ehara editor. Lynn Wills, Steve Perrin, Grog Statford, John T. ‘3150 per page. Submissions tor consideration for publietion i DIF- Sapienza, Jr asociate editors, tudy Kraft contributing FERENT WORLDS are sccopted end encoureged. Artcies should be editors. Printed the USA 2 DIFFERENT WORLDSBack Issues Available Nr.1_Feb/Mar 1979. Nr.4 ——_AAug/Sep 1979 Beginner's Brew: Specialty Games. to Gold Beginner's Mages: My Life & Role-Play- Brew: Kirk on Karit 2: Em: chanted Weapons. Table: A Perspective on Role-iay: Wiahe's Guest; Letter trom Gil. DIFFERENT WORLDS PO BOX 6302 ALBANY, CA 94706 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Nr.5 Oct/Nov 1979 Us Sutcrpon s1050 iba we deve Gonna dco FC Sasa Paso Wo Sra aso fax otod A ea Sa lahat eee eect deine oe es Bae Reaaeicnechee Ne 3 $2000 Nr. $2.00 Sa A lee from Gigi Nr.6 —_Dec/Jan 1980 Gangster: An Overview: Super Rules tor Superhero: 2044; California residents add appropriate 6% or 64% sales tax (for back issues only, not for subscriptions). pustRauincoorer ENGLANO coma Dante eceaeahe Ga Wiss Comte [pe eon coal i ee en GPO Box rae salina Ra Se waco ae Western Australia 6001 London W6 0JD . te: ee Gosterner; A Letter from Gigh LOOKING FOR MORE R itt bi cd GAMERSIN YOUR LIFE? ecculling Ooatt Looking for other gamers? Dif- | sim Grunst ‘Steve List, David Blank {ferent Worlds will run notices for | 3 WiteFinesRa(Apt1) 80 Spnythor Ra Matha Our sears tat ate looking for | KFDI ss) UnmonmPAtinse Rit ou. oe | Buzzards Bay, MA 02 Gis) Union, RY 41091 ARS ET to eines SE (617) 888-5938 RQ, C&S, Traveller (606) 384-3350 ply send us your name, address | (517) ‘nen, Space Quest, RO. RO. BaD, Traveler, GW, C&S, (with zip!) andfor phone number | Cw. oeher fa? 1 Normandy Iroandgues Cee ee |. Game cub fede MD 30880 PT secs cane cu ae eee Boniane ee give your city, state, and zip. Give | 4 Witiock ave D&D variant Willkie South, Ae es Ee seat nos Cite in youre sepiserrted | Da0"so.one omer Ron bas meee i pe te. > Ret et I sn ter vues nett mee eneraleames!orboardwar | Soc Ray aseason games! e3 Let us know umber | 219 Ridgewood Dr RQ, D&D, fantasy games ‘Ken Hughes: ieee epee se, ee. tice to appear—maximum of six to. ‘Alan W Powell ‘Ann Arbor, MI 48104 eG coercion Maeda, Sa eee entero SF oes after pa aes ‘New York, NY 10016 (404) 457-7209 RS EE etl amne do not bara ie i setied » | 4861 Broadway (5-V) é 13516 238th St W Pema ee) ee vont ic: Destin Heetans eee | Snsrsn a se ines ul rte notion, Gant Ch Der Data ee aaa pes 2a a ka a5 Tee ae ian Becntes ease) on a Sears ees See deme ‘08D, Ta nee a een APR/MAY 1980BEGINNER'S BREVV THE COMPLEAT ADVENTURER Welcome to the second tabulation ofall the in Different Worlds 1 a year ago. These addi- more popular role-playing games (RPGs) and tions feect the heath of adventure gaming ‘magazines available. There has been many no- A new addition this year isa list of miniature {able additions tothe list originally published manufacturers who cast Tigures of interest to [RPGers, Write them for their catalogs and tell them Different World set you. This list is complete, as far as we know. If there are any errors or omissions, let us know. Atchive Miniatures T111 § Railroad Ave San Mateo, CA 94402 Star Rovers (in preparation) Batbos Game Co 1630 W Willow Long Beh, CA 90806 Fantasy Productions, Ine PO Box 27259 Indianapolis, IN 46227 Tas High Fantasy CChaosium, Ine PO Box 6302 Flying Buffalo, In (FBI) Albany, CA 94706 PO Box 1467 RumeQuest (RQ) ‘Dark Worlds (in preparation) ire RumeQuest (in prepartion) Scottsdale, AZ 85252, Tunnels & Trolls (T&T) Monsters! Monsters! (MIM) Starfaring . Erisan Games| PO Box 14358 Albuquerque, NM 87191 Promotions and Prizes Exealibre Games, Inc PO Hox 29171 Brooklyn Ctr, MN $5429 Adventures in Fantery (AIF) Game Designers Workshop (GDW) 203 North St Normal, IL 61761 En Garde! Fantasy Games Ui Traveller PO Box 182 Roslyn, NY 11576 Gamescence nivale & Sorcery (C&S) (01956 Pass Ra Bunnies & Burrows (B&B) Gulfport, MS 39501 ‘Flash Gordon & the Warriors of Mongo Knights ofthe Round Table tarships & Spacemen (S45) Space Patrol Villains & Viglantes (V&V) ‘Supertero 2044 Gangster! ‘Empire of the Petal Throne (EPT) Skull & Crossbones (Old West Gunfight GAMES “a igouis DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Grimoire Games PO Box 4363 Berkeley, CA 94704 Arduin Grimoire Heritage USA, Ine 9840 Monroe Dr (Bldg 116) Dallas, TX 75220, Star Trek Heroes of Middle Earth (in preparation) Legacy Press 217 Harmon Ra Camden, MI 49232 Legacy Metagaming PO Box 15346 ‘Austin, TX 78761 The Fantasy Top (TFT) Simulations Publications Inc (SPD) 257 Park AveS New York, NY 10010 Commando Dragonslayer (in preparation) TSR Hobbies, In (TSR) PO Box 756 Le Geneva, WI 53147 Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) ‘Advanced D&D (AD&D) Ganima World (GW) Metamorphots Alpha (MA), Star Probe Star Empires Boot Hil Tyr Gamomakers, Lid PO Box 414 ‘Arlington, VA 22210 ‘Space Quest ($0) Bushido DIFFERENT WORLDSMAGAZINES Alerums & Excursions (A&E) Gryphon Lee Gad Baron Publishing Co 3965 Alla Rd PO Hox 820) Los Angeles, CA 90066, La Puente, CA 91747 APADUD The Journal of the Travellers” Aid Society Robert Sacks PO Box 432 44861 Broadway (5-V) "Normal, IL 61761 ‘New York, NY 10034 The Judges Culld Journal (tIGI) and The Apprentice The Dungeoneer David Berman Judges Guild 24 Seguin St 1165 N University Ave Ottawa, Ontario Decatur, HL 62526 (Canada KI 6P3 The Lords of Chaos (TLOC) Nicolai C. Shapero 72858 Atlantic Ble ‘Alhambra, CA 91803, Sorcerer's Apprentice (SA) Flying Buffalo, Ine PO Box 1467 Scottdale, AZ 85252 Ares Simulations Publications, Ine 257 Park AveS ‘New York, NY 10010 The Dragon (1D) TSR Periodicals, nc ‘The Space Gamer (TSG) PO Box 110 PO Box 18805 Lk Geneva, WI 3147 Austin, TX.78760 White Dwarf (WD) 1 Dalling Ra Hammersmith, London W6 0JD England The Wild Hunt (TWH) Mark Swanson TI Beacon St Arlington, MA 02174 Wyrm’s Foomotes (WE) and Different Worlds (DW) Chaosium, Ine PO Box 6302 Albany, CA 94706 # MINIATURES Greenwood and Ball, Ltd Unit 27, Bon Lee Trading Estate Thornaby-on-Tees, Cleveland United Kingdom ‘Stan Johanson Miniatures 4249 E 177%h st Bronx, NY 10465 ‘Archive Miniatures TI11§ Railroad Ave San Mateo, CA 94402 Brosdsword Miniatures 1691 § Hidden His Pkwy Stone Mtn, GA 30088, Grenadier Models, ne PO Box 305 Springfield, PA 19064 130 W 26th St (502) New York, NY 10001 Citadel Miniatures, Led 48 Milgate Heritage USA, Ine MacCrea Miniatures Newark, Nottinghamshire 9840 Monroe Dr (Bldg 116) 80 Park st United Kingdom Dallas, TX 75220 fy Medford, MA 0215s Gamescience Hinchliffe Models, Ine McEwan Miniatures (01956 Puss Ra ‘4824 Memphis 840 W 17th St Salt Lk Cy, UT 84104 Gulfport, MS 39501 Dallas, TX 75207 ‘Tom Loback General Artwork Martian Metals, PO Box 388 Car Pk, TX 78613, Miniature Figurines, Lid PO Box Pine Pins, NY 12567 Ral Partha Enterprises 3726 Lonsdale ‘Cincinnati, OH 45227 APR/MAY 1980DIFFERENT WORLDS TEN DAYS IN THE ARENA OF KHAZAN A Tunnels & Trolls Campaign By Ken St, Andre The spider was about the size of «large dog, ‘and it ran across the sand of the arena Yer) ‘quickly. A polsonous pus.yellow saliva drool: 4 from Its clacking madibles, and a thrill of hhorror went through the crowd as it was the {first monster they had seen in several days. The victim stood in the center of the ar. na, lightly swinging his lai at about kneetev €l Carer of Gull was nota big man, Bui he ‘was not the easy meal thatthe spider thought he would be. A wisard would have noted the ‘magic emanating from him, especialy from @ ‘certain emerald that Carver had placed in an tron headband that he wore to Keep hs long ‘Brown hair from tumbling down into his his eves. ‘The spider reached its quarry and pounc ed, and at the sume moment Carver Brought ‘is fat crashing into it with a motion that was 100 fast 10 se. There was o sickening ‘lat that could be heard throughout the are: ina, and then the spider was only a Weless hairy blob. For good measure Carver hit it several times, until there was no chance that ft ‘ould still lve. Then he saluted the crowd ‘who were cheering him enthusiastically and exited to collect his winnings. CARVER OF GULL ‘The City of Gull on the Island of Photon Hes far south of Khazan and beyond the empire of Lerots'hh, Death Goddess. (Gull was re- ted by Mike Stackpole as solitaire adver re which i curently the top of the Tunnels 4 Trolls soltace line, withthe finest art, the mort adventures, and the highest price of all the solitaies) Carver of Gull, 2 former net ‘master inthe Arena of Gull, was used to fight Ing before crowds. He had sain many a man and sisen to the third level of proficiency in Warsiorhood when he came up against the one “handed man with the emerald, That had been his toughest fight, but in the end the fellow couldn't keep his balance on the bouncing net and Carver had triumphed, aiming te emer ald for his own. The jewel was enchanted — (Carver had taken it to a wizard for analysis — he learned that whoever wore ot caried it ‘would be fantastically lucky in combat. The ‘wizard offered him 1800 gold pices for it, but Carver refused. Tt occured to him that With the help ofthis gem he might be able to become a champion in Khazan, and so he left the City of Terrors, taking the long sea voyage to Khazan, fe had arrived with only 300 GP left, but ‘whem he leamed that the odds against him in the fast fight were 27 to 1, he had immediate- Iy wagered 200 of hie 300 GP on himself. And row he was a ich man, because in addition to ‘winning 5400 GP, his prize had also been Phenomenal: an additional $000 GP in ca, plus huge garnet worth 2000 GP, and twelve lverpped enchanted arrows. He took a lux- ‘rious apartment, had dhe garnet st alongside the emerald in his headband, bought afew ex ‘1a weapons and got ready for his second combat Mitokria the Ore, wizard. warrior of the Khaz: ‘an army came into the arena knowing thatthe ‘odds were 8 10.1 in his favor. His opponent, ver of Gull, a short fellow with a la anc «dagger didn't seem like any match for hi ‘He decided to enchant is scimitar and fight ‘the stranger, even though the spell would leave him a bit weak. It was a greet mistake ‘As the tall Ore closed with the shor, scar red warrior, the lal lcked out with Blinding speed and ripped the sword from his hand, ‘and in the next moment a knife was ured ‘deeply between his ribs. The Ore had not bothered 10 wear any’ armor, not having the sirength for that and speltcasting at the same lime." Unconscious from the shock, he was cried off tobe healed while Carver collected DIFFERENT WORLDSPRESENTS INSET: PHORON APR/MAY 1980 7another rich reward, What with bets and Drizes he made 21,000 GP on that one fight, ‘and his reputation was wel established orcs ‘The difference between Ores and men in the TAT world is not 30 great. It is sid that at some time far in the past Orcs could not stand ‘iret sunlight, but they no longer have that ‘weakness. About the same mast and height 3 men, Ores are recognized by thei lack of hhead and body hair except for vestigial eye ‘rows. Their sini ray of graysh-brown and tends to be rough and scaly, while their body ‘odor i something fierce and bestial. In 2 ‘World dominated by Humans, they tend to be regarded as monsters, but Lerowa"hh, Death Goddess of Khazan, has a fondness for mon- sters (being one herself) and discrimination on secount of kindred is sternly forbidden in royal Khazan. Most Ores are members of wan- dering nomadic tribes that inhabit the waste- lands. of the continent of Rhalph, or else dwell subterrineousl in the tunnel complex ce dat infest the landscape. They have better darkness vision than men and a far bet sense of smell and generally have litte fear of death or wounds ~ not being very imaginative "chug making excellent fighters. Few of ‘thom have the talent for maple, and those Who’ do. often make mistakes of judgmental xrors such ae Mitokris did when he chose to meet Carver with weapons instead of blasting hm at long range with a deadh-dealing spell Uke the “Take that you fend™ Carver's third fight was aginst a normal Ore- {sh warrior in chain mail and using a scimitar. The Ore looked like the superior fighter, be {ng both larger end armored, while Carver sil ‘chose 10 fight in his loincloth with only a {ail and ¢ dagger, the bettors of the city had earned thelr lesion and the odds now were jst astraght 1 to |. The Ore lasted fora few ‘minutes while Carver dodged his blade or par led it with hig dagger, but when the man from Gull finally struck, his flail wos just blur which ended in the Ores helmeted head, Which dlsintegrated upon impact. THE EMPIRE, ‘Knazan, largest clty ofthe Empire of Khazan, fs about 1000 years old. Te was fst but by the Wizard Khazan who ruled it until the year 666 of the city when he wat overthrown and slain by Lerota’hh and her hordes of Trolls and Ores, They came out of the Dragonfire Range of mountains which lies several hun- ‘red miles north ofthe city neat the northern coast. Other cies inthe ompire include Khosht (which ie the usual base for my own ‘ang of T&T plays: Beat Peters, Liz Dan- forth, Mike Stackpole, Steve Mealister, Usly John’ Carer, and others). Other known tis te Khmad, Knos, and Tharothar, not to men tion several others that no one has ever done anything with, Rhalph isa mountainous, drag fnahaped land that is. mostly. wilderness. Tribes of Elves lve in all the major forest teas, while wandering Ores people the sHeppes and deserts. The Trolls, Ofres, Giants, tnd Dragons tend to lurk in the more inacces- Sble mountains, such as the Khargsh range fast of the forest of Quender. Other races uch as Hobbits lie in isolated valleys or else lunderground in the vast caverns that dot the landscape, For an evl ruler, and there is no doubt that she is evil, Lerota’hn is remarkably be- nevolent, preferring to Keep most of her per ‘versions and bloodlust home in Khazan where very day is Arena Day. AS long asthe agreed ‘upon tribute continues to pout into her cof ers, she doot not molest the rest of ‘worid, If the tribute slackens, an enormous amy of Orcs, Trolls, Giants, and even Drag- fons will descend upon the unfortunate city fnd replace the curent power-sructure with Someone more loyal to Lerotrahh. There is hardly ever a general massacre of all inhabit- ants ~ if they killed everyone who would pro- ‘duce the weal that Khazan needs to survive? ‘Rogatine wat a Giant ~ an old hand at arena {fighting who had never been defeated. Size ‘was most of te Standing 30 feet tal, most of is opponents found themselves unable 10 reach higher than hs Knee, Dey found them: elves unable to strike any serious wound ur fil his enormous spatule shaped club came down to flatten them. Carver, however, was not about to get flat tened. He had purchased new weapon for this figkt, @ we0y-Dladed greatrword called @ Flamiverge. With it he meant to cut the giant off at the ankles, end once he hed him down, finish hi But the combat didn’t xo according 10 plan for either fighter. Fach time the Giant ‘rushed his club 10 earth the crowd would hheave a collective gasp, knowing that if that ponderous mais of sifveredged wood ever ‘Connected with the little man from Gull he ‘would be no more than a red stain on the Sand. But it never connected, for Carver dodged inwards towards the giants feet, act ‘ally running up on one and hewing with al his might atthe ankle [Now it must be mentioned that Rogaine wai io naked sae, and that even Giants can set Boots made for them inthe cy of Khas fn though I takes a whole cowhide foreach Toot.‘ wien Carer struck he was ng f0 it through thick lether ax well ax Giant lsh Sind bones and he fated. The sword remained stuck the Clan’ oo! leather and Carver ound himself dodging for his Wife at on enor ‘mous hand ried to gasp him. There came a thunder, of blows and stomps, with Carver flinging himself madly 0 ‘he Teft and right 10 evade them. Seven times Ihe dodged, but the last kick just nicked him ‘and flung him 15 feet through the air to land ‘om his back. Rogatine caught him in one step ‘and stopped t0 laugh as he aimed is enor ‘mous club for @kiling blow thar couldn't be waded. ‘Most of the crowd didn't se what happen. ed next. They were all focusing on the Glent ‘and not on his victim. To thelr amazement ‘he Giant let out a ringing shout of ain, clutched at his heed ond fell over backwards ‘witha thump that made ihe walls shake. Car- Yer stood up and brushed the drt off himself. ‘He verenched his lamberge out of the Giant's oot and gathered up the flail he had drop ped. Then he walked up 10 the head of he Gt ‘ant, tuaged aside the Rand that covered his face, and extracted hiss (aver) Tong, Poor Iy-balanced dagger, almost a short sword) {from Rogatine's eye It had gone into the hilt land penetrated 10 the brain, killing the Giant ‘almost instantly. It had Been the best most unbelievable throw of hs ie DIFFERENT WORLDSGIANTS Giants ae inherently magical creatures. They hhave to be just to survive, The square-cube Jaw of area and volume should make their ex: fatance imposible, but lke many of the mon sters of the T&T world they defy convention- al Earthly physes and flourish. For one thing, ‘they are not truly proportionately heavier 2c- cording to size. For another, their bones have the lightness and tenale strength of hihequal- ity steel instead of mere calcium, For tird, their blood is supereficient conductor of food and oxygen, being more lke an acid than the blood that lows in human vein. ven so, Giants are extremely rare among the population of the Empire of Khazan, well under 1/10 of 1% And, if they were not pro- fected by monarchs lke Lerotza'hh who likes {fo use them in her army, and by some ofthe ‘reat wisards who are the only gods of this World, they would undoubtedly have died out. Their average height is about five times that of a man while thelr mass and strength are both about 20 times as grea. Carver's next fight was with an Ogre. It ie hhardly worth retelling. He easly dodged its clumsy attack and one smash offal to head Stretched it out on the sand asa fatally 1t was a bad day for Osres in general. The very next fight pitted Shewolf of Khotkt, very famous female warrior against 10 of them. Carver admired the way she dodged their angry rushes and struck them down. Her Blows struck with superhuman force, and it ‘was clear to Carver and the ret of the watch ing crowd that Shewolf was « magically-aug. ‘mented hero. During the weeks thet Carver hhad been fighting in the arena Shewolf had a. 40 been making her reputation. She hadn’t lost a single fight, and she wes the frst person this year 10 win seven consecutive matches. The mare knowledgable fight fan were begin- ning to lay wagers a to whether she or Carver would be the first to fnish alten fights that {1 100k to become a Champion of Khazen SHEWOLF Shewolf was one of my frst characters, and the only one for quite a while to survive more than one or two delves. Originally, she was & farm gitl who went on her fast delve armed ‘only with aseythe. On one of her early adven- tures she picked up a wolf-eub mamed Gray Eye and the two combined to make a yry ‘AL the time of this fight, Shewolt had ‘been adventuring for almort 20 years of game time, figuring game time as five times as fast as regular Earth time. She was about 38 and hha achieved the 8h lve of watiordom. Het attbutes, nothing. unusual to begin with, ‘were now all well above normal: Suength 23; 1Q 24; Luck $6; Constitution $7; Dexterity 24; and Chacisma 26. Like RuneQuest and Dungeons & Dragons, Humans stating attr- ‘utes are bated on roll of 3D6, Unlike the other two systems, attribuies maybe in: creased indefinitely, Doth by magic won on fetves or adventures or by level bonuses ga fed when advancing a level. Thus, characters who survive to reach even the medium levels of advancement become uly awesome when compared to. basic monsters and. warior, while those who reach the upper levels be- ‘ome something staight out of Marvel comics ~ superheroes in a medieval sting APR/MAY 1980 Shewolf, whose greatest single magical benefit is a'suit of demon-armor (sale armor fla Red Sonya) that will protect her from {614 hits in combat. Ths armor is not conven- tional metal, but is truly a demon formed to fit her, and every hit the armor has to take is another point off the demon’s constitution. ‘Yes, readers, some truly wonderful things can tbe done with the magic availble in T&T, but if your number is up, you'll die no matter hhow well protected you may be. These bates farted off with a bad omen for Shewolt her lifelong companion, Gray Eyes, curendly 1 Sth level wolf, was Killed by an ordinary HU ‘man in his fst combat. ‘Since it was getting on toward the end of the ten fights he was due for, Carver decided t0 Protect himself alittle Better than he had for the previous conflicts. He bought himself « ‘good sult of plate armor, and aso had his fal enchanted BY the arena wizards for the next ‘combat. ‘But his next battle was a laugher. Fights in the arena are randomly determined, except {for the 8th, 9h, and 10th, and this time Car er found himself matched against a Hobbit “He was unpleasontly surprised however, when ‘the Hobbit managed to duck the fall end land (on Carver's chest madly hacking with a sax. Then the Human’s plate armor stood him in ‘ood stead, rurning all blows and breaking the Inife, while Carver strangled his furry footed attacker. He won no applause for that from ‘the crowd, and a small prize of 500 GP, but hhe cared not, for By now he was 50 wealthy ‘that arena awards were only trifle. He re solved to continue 10 buy enchantment for both weapon and armor in each fight 10 HOBBITS 1 doubt if Tolkien would recognize either Hobbits or Ores, the way we play them in T&T. Asige from being short and furry-foot- 4, there i akmost no other resemblance. Ven furesome and bold, Hobbits use their high dexterity ratings to be proficient with missle Weapons, expecially those requiring low Strength, such asthe ‘bola or crossbow. ‘Though Hobbits can seldom recock their own crossbows, there is usually some big fellow found 16 do it for them, and they make deadly masksmen. Comer's next fight was against an ordinary Human warrior. It was no contest, and again hhe wasted the money he spent on enchant ‘ments, but better safe than sory. ‘THE WORLD If you pit your average Marvel superhero against Your average maninhe-stueet, the Fight doesn't last tong enough to mention. ‘This also tends to be the case in T&T where one-sided combats are usualy resolved by the Game, Master saying “You killed them.” ‘There's no point i rolling dice when one side ‘or the other doasn't have a prayer. Although {Carver i only 4 3rd level warrior, Ue benefit that he gets from the magic emerald which t= ples his Luck actually makes him tougher than Shewolt who was at the Sth level, Pethaps 1 should say a litle more about the TAT world. Lam only talking about one tiny corner of it inthis artile — the Empire