Dragon Magazine: Player Advice Collection
Last year I collected 143 most recommended Dragon articles into a reading list. Given the size, I divided them into three collections: Player Advice, Judge Advice, and Setting Advice.
Now I'll begin reading the first collection, Player Advice, with the intention of noting anything interesting and worthwhile. I plan to share my notes as I go, since others might benefit from them.
Here is the table of contents for the Player Advice collection:
- Player Advice
- What good PCs are made of: Play characters with more substance than statistics (Katharine Kerr, Dragon 96)
- Notes From a Semi-Successful D&D Player (James Ward, Dragon 13)
- Be aware and take care: Basic principles of successful adventuring (Lew Pulsipher, Dragon 79)
- Assessing, not guessing: How PCs can make their own value judgements (Lionel D. Smith, Dragon 104)
- Characters
- The six main skills: What AD&D game abilities mean in real terms (Jefferson P. Swycaffer, Dragon 107)
- Realistic vital statistics: A new system for figuring heights & weights (Stephen Inniss, Dragon 91)
- Short hops and big drops: Here's how far and how high characters can jump (Stephen Inniss, Dragon 93)
- Sight in the Darkness: An open-eyed look at infravision, the Underdark, and your PCs (Roger E. Moore, Dragon 211)
- The 7-Sentence NPC: A new way to bring nonplayer characters to life (in game, that is) (C. M. Cline, Dragon 184)
- A new loyalty base: All the tables you need, all in one place (Stephen Inniss, Dragon 107)
- Equipment
- Swords Slicing into a Sharp Topic (David Nalle, Dragon 58)
- Enchanting Weapons: Putting the “Magic” into Magical Weapons (Mike Nystul, Dragon 243)
- Always Wear Your Best Suit: Making armor and weapons unique for all characters (Gordon R. Menzies, Dragon 148)
- In Defense of the Shield: Shield-using skills in the AD&D game (Tim Merrett, Dragon 127)
- Two Hands Are Better Than One: A handy guide on handling weapons (Donald D. Miller, Dragon 127)
- Different Totes for Different Folks: Basic backpacks for every D&D game adventurer (Vince Garcia, Dragon 191)
- Magic
- “Oops! Sorry!” Spell interruptions can spell disaster (Donald Hoverson, Dragon 163)
- Spells between the covers: Details for delving into magical research (Bruce Heard, Dragon 82)
- The Laws of Spell Design (Ted Zuvich, Dragon 242)
- Paths of Power: A variant magic system for the AD&D game (Wolfgang Buar and Steve Kurtz, Dragon 216)
- The Color of Magic: Specialized spells for D&D game spellcasters (Dan Joyce, Dragon 200)
- Even Wilder Mages: If your wild-mage PC isn't strange (Joel E. Roosa & Andrew Crossett, Dragon 202)
- Good stuff for a spell: Magic focusing: a new dimension for possessions (John M. Maxstadt, Dragon 111)
- Charging isn't cheap: How to make and fix rods, staves, and wands (Peter Johnson, Dragon 101)
- The Mystic College: Magical academies for AD&D game sorcerers (James A. Yates, Dragon 123)
- Psionics
- Psionics is different... And that's putting it rather mildly (Arthur Collins, Dragon 78)
- Overhauling the system: A three-part remedy for problems with psionics (Robert Schroeck, Dragon 78)
- And now, the pscionicist: A class that moves psionics into the mainstream (Arthur Collins, Dragon 78)
- Spells can be psionic, too: How and why magic resembles mental powers (Kim Mohan, Dragon 78)
- Psionics: Sage advice (Dragon 78)
- Procedures
- Credit where credit is due: Elaborating upon the experience-point rules (Katharine Kerr, Dragon 95)
- New charts, using the 5% principle (Lenard Lakofka, Dragon 80)
- You've always got a chance: Using ability scores to determine success or failure (Katherine Kerr, Dragon 68)
- When the rations run out: Characters don't live on hit points alone (Paul Hancock, Dragon 107)
- Wounds and weeds: Plants that can help keep characters alive (Kevin J. Anderson, Dragon 82)
- Good Hits & Bad Misses (Carl Parlagreco, Dragon 39)
- Magic resistance: What it is, how it works (Penny Petticord, et al, Dragon 79)
- A Hero's Reward: The hero-point system for the AD&D game (Leonard Carpenter, Dragon 118)
- The fighting circle: Gladiatorial combat in the AD&D game (Dan Salas, Dragon 118)
- High Seas: Ships, fore and aft, in fantasy gaming (Margaret Foy, Dragon 116)
- Same dice, different odds: Divided rolls add variety and uncertainty (David G. Weeks, Dragon 94)
More to come soon...
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