Dragontales

"Dragontales" was a collection of short stories, edited by Kim Mohan, assistant editor of Dragon magazine, and published in August, 1980 (Mohan became editor-in-chief of Dragon with issue #49 (May, 1981).

Dragontales (August, 1980).  Wraparound cover illustration by Mike Carroll (credited in Dragon #46, pg. 73)

Dragon magazine's inaugural editor, Tim Kask, made it a point to include short fiction (a decision some readers failed to appreciate).  Although pieces varied in quality, they succeeded in fueling the imagination.

"Dragontales" includes ten short stories, by both male and female writers and artists (some of whom would gain significant acclaim).  The stories range from straight swords & sorcery to humorous or more introspective tales.

The Wizards Are Dying by John L. Jenkins

Illustrations by Jim Holloway

A party of adventurers band together to stop a lich.  AD&D game fiction, with multiple references to AD&D character classes, races, spells, and monsters.

Reviewed by Michael Curtis, here (March 7, 2011).

Dragon's Fosterling by Ruby S.W. Jung

Illustrations by Mary Kay

A young maiden is captured by a dragon, and plots her own escape.  Traditional fantasy tropes, re-interpreted through a feminist lens.

Reviewed by Michael Curtis, here (March 10, 2011).

Out of the Eons by Gardner F. Fox

Illustrations by Kevin Siembieda

A swords & sorcery tale concerning Niall of the Far Travels, whose previous and subsequent exploits were published in Dragon magazine (as reviewed on Grognardia).

See also the Gardner F. Fox completed library, which includes the Niall of the Far Travels anthology.

Reviewed by Michael Curtis, here (March 27, 2011).

Sir George by Carl Parlagreco

Illustrations by Wayne Geehan (I think this is his website)

A darkly humorous take on the story of Sir George and the Dragon.

Parlagreco also wrote:

"Another View of the Nine-Point Alignment Scheme" in The Dragon #26

"Good Hits & Bad Misses" in Dragon #39
"Bowmanship Made More Meaningful" in Dragon #58

Reviewed by Michael Curtis, here (May 3, 2011).

Black Lotus Moon by Tom Moldvay

Illustrations by Peter Laird (of later TMNT fame)

A swords & sorcery tale set in Biazaan (spelling close to "Biazzan" in the Empire of Thyatis on Mystara, as discussed in this thread on the Piazza).

Tom Moldvay was editor of the soon-to-be-released 1981 Basic Set.

Reviewed on Thoul's Paradise, here (November 5, 2015).

Honor Among Thieves by Roger Moore

Illustrations by Greg Holder

A tale involving two thieves.  Another piece of gaming fiction, heavily rooted in AD&D.

Moore's first article for The Dragon was "Meeting Demogorgon: Last great acts of defiance and cowardice" in The Dragon #36 (April, 1980), cowritten with Jeff Spitler.

He also published "Cloud Castles" in Dragon #39 (July, 1980), became a contributing editor with issue #45 (January, 1981), joined the editorial staff with issue #75 (July, 1983), became editor with issue #115 (November, 1986), and was founding editor of Dungeon magazine (1986).

Ice Dream by David F. Nalle

Illustrations by Chris Roth

A short, thought-provoking story, told in the style of a cautionary fable.

Nalle also created the Ysgarth FRPG and wrote "Blood Tribute" in Pegasus #6.

In the Darkness, Hunting by Janrae Frank (this is her website)

Illustrations by Darlene

A tale of a warrior woman who must portray herself as a man.  One of the best stories in the anthology, and years ahead of its time.

"In the Darkness, Hunting" was later included as part of a short story anthology.

Frank also wrote "Amazons of Antiquity" in Sorcerer's Apprentice #16 (1983) and contributed to the "Citybook II" Port 'o Call" (1984) supplement.

Just Call Me Albert by Martin Mundt

Illustrations by William Loebs (now a comics legend)

A humorous tale of a cleric in search of a specific object for his patron.  Another piece of gaming fiction, heavily rooted in AD&D.

Birth of a Wizard by Marie Desjardin

Illustrations by Mike Romesburg

Although one of the shorter entries, "Birth of a Wizard" is exceptionally well-written and another one of the better stories in the anthology.

IDDC II - Advanced Division

TSR Periodicals' Second International Dungeon Design Competition (IDDC II) was divided into Basic and Advanced Divisions.  (Basic Division entries were covered, yesterday).

List of IDDC II - Advanced Division winners, appearing in Dragon #53 (September, 1981).

The IDDC II - Advanced Division winners were announced in Dragon #53 (September, 1981).  The top three Advanced Division entries were published in "The Dragon".

As might have been expected, the overall quality of the entries took a distinct step up from the previous contest. What was not expected was the great increase in quantity — nearly 200 entries were received for the AD&D™ division of the contest, and every one of them had to be looked over before we could make even the most preliminary selections.

Dragon #53 (September, 1981)

First Place:

Howard de Wied (Boston Mass.) "The Garden of Nefaron"

"The Garden of Nefaron" (16 pages) by Howard de Wied was published in Dragon #53 (September, 1981).  Title page and interior illustrations by Jim Holloway.

"The Garden of Nefaron" is the only AD&D adventure I'm aware of that involves psionics (one of the monsters encountered includes a ki-rin).

A new monster, the "guardian" is described (a magical construct), as well as a new magic item "Merithus' Mist Maker".

Finally, the properties of "psychogems" are described (a powerful NPC is trapped within a psychogem, a form of crystal prison, similar to that in revised module B3).

Second Place:

Michael Malone (San Diego, Calif.) "The Wandering Trees"

"The Wandering Trees" (16 pages) by Michael Malone was published in Dragon #57 (January, 1982).  Title page illustration by Harry Quinn.  Interior illustrations by Quinn and perhaps Jim Holloway.

"The Wandering Trees" is more of a mini-setting, than a dungeon adventure.

It’s a change of pace, in a lot of respects, from what we have come to call a “normal” module. (Which is about as hard to define as a “normal” game player...) And it worked out sort of nice that our special inclusion for the chilly month of January is an adventure through a forest that is alive with greenery (and other things besides!)

From "Cover to Cover" in Dragon #57 (January, 1982)

The adventure was reviewed here, on Dragonsfoot (September 23, 2019).

Michael Malone also wrote module B8 "Journey to the Rock" in which the PCs need to locate one half of a magical talisman.  ("The Wandering Trees" might be a good location for the other half!)

Third Place:

Jennie M. Good (Groton, Conn.) "Quest for the Midas Orb"

"Quest for the Midas Orb" (11 pages) by Jennie Good was published in Dragon #61 (May, 1982).  Title page and interior illustrations by Jim Holloway.

"Quest for the Midas Orb" involves a two-level dungeon and includes a description of the Midas Orb, a powerful magic item.

Fourth Place:

Douglas Selph (El Cerrito, Calif.) "Obeatus Vigilard"

This adventure was never published.

Fifth Place:

Michael H. Reitzel (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) "Catskull"

This adventure was never published.

IDDC II - Basic Division

TSR Periodicals' Second International Dungeon Design Competition (IDDC II) was divided into Basic (specifically Holmes Basic) and Advanced Divisions.  (Advanced Division entries will be covered, tomorrow). 

Ad for the "Second International Dungeon Design Competition" appearing in The Dragon #38 (June, 1980) - #40 (August, 1980).  Deadline was September 1, 1980.

The IDDC II - Basic Division winners were announced in Dragon #50 (June, 1981).  The top two Basic Division entries were published in Dragon magazine.

First Place:

Mollie Plants (Morgantown, W. Va.) "The Chapel of Silence"

"The Chapel of Silence" (8 pages) by Mollie Plants was published in Dragon #50 (June, 1981).  Title page and interior illustrations by Roger Raupp.

"The Chapel of Silence" is a gem of a little adventure.  I've run it twice, and both times were tremendous fun.  (It's also well suited for convention play, which I plan to capitalize on, some day.)

Author Mollie Plants had previously won first place (along with Ned and Bert Plants) in the "Mini-Dungeon" category of the second Judges Guild dungeon creation contest, for "The Treasure of Barlawn", published in Judges Guild Journal #16 (Aug/Sept 1979).*

*a pair of NPC thieves, "Primo" and "Gundo" appear in both adventures

For more on "The Chapel of Silence" see the review on Dragonsfoot, here, along with my play report, here.

Second Place:

Kevin Knuth (Fond du Lac, Wis.) "The Creature of Rhyl"

"The Creature of Rhyl" (8 pages) by Kevin Knuth was published in Dragon #55 (November, 1981).  Title page and interior illustrations by Harry Quinn.

"The Creature of Rhyl" bears many stylistic similarities to module B1 "In Search of the Unknown" (including the need to more fully stock the adventure, prior to play).

The scenario has been adapted for the Eamon computer-based role-playing game, as well as Neverwinter Nights.

See my review and play report on Dragonsfoot, from back in 2009.  (I ran it again in 2014, with a few upgrades.)

Third Place:

Susan K. Topa (Utica, N.Y.) "Ziggurat of the Adepts"

This adventure was never published, and attempts to contact the author have been unsuccessful.*

Fourth Place:

Paul Haase (Bellevue, Wash.) "Adventures in the Far Isles"

I corresponded briefly with Paul Haase, several years ago.  Although he didn't keep a copy of his adventure, he recalled that it involved "a shipwreck as a small dungeon where the tide alternately exposed and blocked access".

Fifth Place:

T. Scott Kennedy (Tinton Falls, N.J.) "Harrowhouse"

This adventure was never published, and attempts to contact the author have been unsuccessful.*

*for more on attempts to track down the Third, Fourth, and Fifth place entries, see "Holmes - the "lost" adventures", on Dragonsfoot

The Temple of Poseidon

"The Temple of Poseidon" by Paul Reiche III was published in Dragon #46.  In designing the adventure, Reiche drew upon the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith to achieve a particular mood.

"The Temple of Poseidon" (16 pages) by Paul Reiche III was published in Dragon #46 (February, 1981).  Illustrations by Susan Collins.

Reiche and artist Erol Otus were high school friends.*  Together with Mathias Genser, the trio published OD&D supplements with illustrations by Otus, such as "Booty and the Beasts" and "The Necromican" (Fantasy Art Enterprises, 1979).

*see Grognardia interview, here; also Papers at the Strong, here

"The Temple of Poseidon"* is a well-designed, inventive, high-stakes adventure that gradually develops its Lovecraftian theme, then spirals downward into horror and madness.

*see my review on Dragonsfoot

There are similarities with module WG4 "The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun".  Both begin as one kind of adventure, and suddenly develop into another, Weird Tales-inspired one:

Years ago this area was found to have incredibly high mana, the power on which all magic feeds.  To take advantage of this natural wonder, my ancestors built this temple on top of the mana source.  How were they to know that they were not the first?  How were they to know that beneath our stone corridors there resides another complex, built by darkly evil inhumans in millenia past?  The earthquakes must have awakened them, and now they rise again in their attempt to conquer the world for their evil lords!

excerpt from the journal of the arch-priest, from "The Temple of Poseidon"

However, whereas the black cyst in the Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is regarded as anti-climactic by some, the secrets beneath the Temple of Poseidon are more like something out of Chaosium's "Call of Cthulhu" RPG.

In the middle of the chamber stands a shiny, black, four-sided pillar that reaches up into the darkness above you.  All four sides of the pillar are covered with grotesque runes and hieroglyphics.

Paul Reiche III, from "The Temple of Poseidon"

Reiche introduces several new monsters (the stats for which are embedded in the room descriptions, rather than collected together in a separate section at the end):

Cannibal Carnation, Carrion Crawler (Aquatic), Devil Wyrms, Efreet (Pasha), Living Statues, Myconymph, Screamers, Sand Squid aka "Subsilicate Cephalopod" (similar in some respects to the Groundsquid from Dragon #39), Spiders (Giant/Sea)

The climax involves a race against time, as the adventurers attempt to prevent the inhuman Priests of the King Ythog-Nithlei from releasing their alien King Ythog-Nithlei from his ancient captivity.

Other Settings:

Despite having been designed for use with AD&D, there's an undeniable BX* vibe to this adventure (Tom Moldvay was likewise heavily influenced by the Weird Tales triumvirate of Howard, Lovecraft and Smith).

*it would be very easy to run "The Temple of Poseidon" using BX and a copy of the 1e Monster Manual, as necessary details for adjudicating new monsters are provided in the text

"Poseidon" should be replaced with "Protius", based on the mythological sea-god "Proteus" (a better fit for the adventure, given his oracular attributes).  Protius "the Old Man of the Sea" is a Mystaran immortal.

Proposed location for "The Temple of Protius" on an island in the Kingdom of Ierendi in the BX "Known World" setting.

The "Temple of Protius" could be situated within the sea-cliffs of a large island close to Karameikos.  A suitable hook for the adventure might be that the PCs have been hired to determine the whereabouts of a Thyatian noble or Minrothad merchant.*

*Karmeikan/Thyatian nobles (room B), Minrothad merchants (rooms C/D)

The sea routes from Specularum to the islands to the south are indicated on this map from the 1983 Expert Set.  (The island in question was named Safari Island, sort of a Jurassic Park, in GAZ 4 "The Kingdom of Ierendi").

The International Dungeon Design Competition

TSR Periodicals' International Dungeon Design Competition (IDDC) was advertised as "A Contest for Advanced D&D Dungeon Designers and Masters of Writing, Designing and Imaginative Skills".  The top three entries were published in "The Dragon".

Ad for "The International Dungeon Design Competition" appearing in The Dragon #21 (December, 1978) - #23 (March, 1979).  Deadline was extended to May 1, 1979 in The Dragon #24 (April, 1979).

While the 1e Monster Manual (1977) and 1e Players Handbook (1978) were available, the 1e Dungeon Masters Guide wouldn't be released until August, 1979 (although a 9-page "Sneak Preview" was published in The Dragon #22.)

The winners of the IDDC were announced in The Dragon #32:

The easiest decision, surprisingly enough, was on the winner, which we are proud to present in this issue. Judging an endeavor such as this requires a great deal of subjective evaluation, and we felt the the more judges we had, the less important that aspect would become. As it turned out, all of us were in complete agreement as to the winner. All of the finalists were strong entries in more than one area. The winner, though, had the best combination of imagery, imagination, design, deviousness, and originality in one package.

The Dragon #32 (December, 1979)

The judges were Tim Kask and Jake Jaquet (editor and assistant editor of "The Dragon", respectively) with input from the design department at TSR.  Decisions regarding second and third place were more difficult, possibly accounting for the multiple honorable mentions.

First Place:

Karl Merris (San Diego, CA) "The Fell Pass"

"The Fell Pass" (16 pages) by Karl Merris was published in The Dragon #32 (December, 1979).  Title page illustration also by Karl Merris.

Legend and Introduction:

Along the caravan routes that tie the Cities of the West to the Kingdoms of the East, many tales are told of the mountains called the Towers of the Sun. One of these legends concerns a dark road said to be hidden among the twisty trails that spiderweb the mountains. Into the earth the road leads, into and through a series of vast caverns filled with treacherous traps and cunning monsters.

"The Fell Pass" from The Dragon #32

The Fell Pass may be situated within any mountain chain in a DMs campaign world.  It is divided into three major sections (the West End, the Lower Caverns, and the East End).  Room descriptions are interspersed with tips for the DM and entertaining commentary by the author.

Although clearly written using the AD&D Monster Manual (one encounter involves jackalweres) and AD&D Players Handbook (a 10th level NPC cleric has AD&D spell progression, including "flame strike"), "The Fell Pass" has an undeniable, freewheeling, OD&D aesthetic.

Author Karl Merris recounts its gaming origins, in a post on Facebook:

The original Fell Pass from my campaign was a much larger and more empty location than what you find in the module. Given the constraints of the contest, I had to cram my favorite bits close together, so as published it seems overly crowded. Please imagine long galleries of shadow connecting each of the encounters.

Some of my favorite bits: "Poisonous" snakes whose bite acts like a potion (inspired by a comment by WC Fields: “I always carry a small snake.”). Casrac the Mountain-Splitter, a willful weapon that deliberately seeks strong but stupid wielders. The "Geyser Djinn." The Treadmill.

Karl Merris (July 10, 2014)

The adventure was reviewed here, on Dragonsfoot (June 17, 2018), and appears to be best suited for character levels 5-8, based on comments in the thread.

(Module X5 "The Temple of Death" (1983) by David Cook includes a section called "The Great Pass", which is similar in certain respects to this adventure.)

Second Place:

Stephen Sullivan (Sharon, MA) “The Pit of the Oracle”

"The Pit of the Oracle" (16 pages) by Stephen Sullivan was published in The Dragon #37 (May, 1980).  Illustration by Jeff Dee.

"The Pit of the Oracle" describes the town of Narrion and surrounding lands, a mini-sandbox, similar in style and presentation to the wilderness area described in the original version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" (1981) by Jean Wells.*

*Sullivan was hired by TSR in September, 1980 and is credited, along with Edward G. Sollers, with editing and production for the original version of module B3.  He reminisces about assisting Wells on the module in this post on Facebook

The implied setting* for the adventure is the same as in the D&D comic ads (for which Sullivan wrote most of the scripts):

I was really writing the D&D comics as if they were set in my game world of ILLION, though not in any specific place, and Narrion and the rest of that adventure as well.  Heck, I wrote Pit of the Oracle while I was in college, before I went to work at TSR, so clearly it was/is more my world than anything from TSR.  (Though the editorial change of my white box Balrogs into far more powerful demons probably completely unbalanced the setting!

Steven Sullivan, from a thread on the Piazza (August 1, 2021)

*also the setting for Sullivan's "Twilight Empire: Robinson’s War" comic, illustrated by John Hebert, and published in Dragon starting with issue #156 (1990-1994).  The strips were collected and released in graphic novel format in 2011

Sullivan makes excellent use of the "Featured Creature" from The Dragon #7 (June, 1977), a monster which didn't make it into the 1e Monster Manual, as well as "the Jarkung" from Creature Feature Contest #1, published in The Dragon #14 (May, 1978).

A rudimentary map of the town of Narrion is included, as well as a table of rumors and legends, an imaginative two-level dungeon, table for wandering monsters, and new monsters (elemental demons/gremlins, and a unique monster, "the stalker").

The adventure was reviewed here, on Dragonsfoot (December 19, 2017).

Third Place:

David Luther* (Denver, CO) “The Halls of Beoll-Dur”

*co-authored by Jon Naatz, Dave Niessen, Mark Schultz

"The Halls of Beoll-Dur" (16 pages) by Dave Luther et al. was published in Dragon #41 (September, 1980).  Illustration by Roger Raupp (signature is "Roger" in Tengwar script).

"The Halls of Beoll-Dur" describes a three-level dungeon, the former stronghold of a dwarven clerical order, built into the rim of a volcano.  It is designed for characters of at least 8th level or greater.

The adventure has a Tolkienesque feel, although lacks a specific hook.  (It seems to be intended as an adventure location the party stumbles upon while exploring in the wilderness.)

The characters may encounter a dwarven god, based on Zeus from "Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes" (the relevant passage is reproduced).*

 *"Deities & Demi-Gods" was released around August, 1980.

The adventure was reviewed here, by Fractalbat (February 18, 2014).

(Solo module XS2 "Thunderdelve Mountain" (1985) by William Carlson is a similar adventure.)

Honorable Mention:

Richard Cambra (Aurora, CO) “Death Keep”

David Craig (Tacoma, WA) “The Demon Orb”

John Hopper (Chester Springs, PA) “The Pyramid of the Jaguar”

Gay Peyre-Ferry (Media, PA) “Heimdallson’s Hall”

Kenneth Ritchart (Boulder, CO) “The Castle of the Thusinsu”

Grant Sigsworth (Coronado, CA) “The Logic of Chaos”

Gerald Strathmann (Waukegan, IL) “The Stronghold of the Black Earl”