Dragon Magazine: Player Advice Collection Overview

This is the final post in the Player Advice Collection series. You can learn more about my Dragon Magazine reading project here.

Below you will find 41 articles divided into six categories: player advice, characters, equipment, magic, psionics, and procedures.

Each article has a rating between one and five stars, as well as final verdict: keep if I plan to include them in my final printed collection or drop if I don't. Click on the article name to be taken to the respective post where I reviewed it.

Article Category Rating Verdict
What good PCs are made of: Play characters with more substance than statistics Player Advice ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Notes From a Semi-Successful D&D Player Player Advice ★★★★★ Keep
Be aware and take care: Basic principles of successful adventuring Player Advice ★★★★★ Keep
Assessing, not guessing: How PCs can make their own value judgements Player Advice ★★☆☆☆ Drop
The six main skills: What AD&D game abilities mean in real terms Characters ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Realistic vital statistics: A new system for figuring heights & weights Characters ★★★★★ Keep
Short hops and big drops: Here's how far and how high characters can jump Characters ★★★★☆ Keep
Sight in the Darkness: An open-eyed look at infravision, the Underdark, and your PCs Characters ★★☆☆☆ Drop
The 7-Sentence NPC: A new way to bring nonplayer characters to life (in game, that is) Characters ★★★★☆ Keep
A new loyalty base: All the tables you need, all in one place Characters ★★★★★ Keep
Swords Slicing into a Sharp Topic Equipment ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Enchanting Weapons: Putting the “Magic” into Magical Weapons Equipment ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Always Wear Your Best Suit: Making armor and weapons unique for all characters Equipment ★★★★★ Keep
In Defense of the Shield: Shield-using skills in the AD&D game Equipment ★☆☆☆☆ Drop
Two Hands Are Better Than One: A handy guide on handling weapons Equipment ★★★★☆ Keep
Different Totes for Different Folks: Basic backpacks for every D&D game adventurer Equipment ★★★★★ Keep
“Oops! Sorry!” Spell interruptions can spell disaster Magic ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Spells between the covers: Details for delving into magical research Magic ★★★★☆ Keep
The Laws of Spell Design Magic ★★★★★ Keep
Paths of Power: A variant magic system for the AD&D game Magic ★★★★☆ Keep
The Color of Magic: Specialized spells for D&D game spellcasters Magic ★★★★★ Keep
Even Wilder Mages: If your wild-mage PC isn't strange Magic ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Good stuff for a spell: Magic focusing: a new dimension for possessions Magic ★★☆☆☆ Drop
Charging isn't cheap: How to make and fix rods, staves, and wands Magic ★★☆☆☆ Drop
The Mystic College: Magical academies for AD&D game sorcerers Magic ★★★★☆ Keep
Psionics is different... And that's putting it rather mildly Psionics ★★★★★ Keep
Overhauling the system: A three-part remedy for problems with psionics Psionics ★☆☆☆☆ Drop
And now, the pscionicist: A class that moves psionics into the mainstream Psionics ★★★★★ Keep
Spells can be psionic, too: How and why magic resembles mental powers Psionics ★☆☆☆☆ Drop
Psionics: Sage advice Psionics ★★★★★ Keep
Credit where credit is due: Elaborating upon the experience-point rules Procedures ★★★★☆ Keep
New charts, using the 5% principle Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
You've always got a chance: Using ability scores to determine success or failure Procedures ★★☆☆☆ Drop
When the rations run out: Characters don't live on hit points alone Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
Wounds and weeds: Plants that can help keep characters alive Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
Good Hits & Bad Misses Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
Magic resistance: What it is, how it works Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
A Hero's Reward: The hero-point system for the AD&D game Procedures ★☆☆☆☆ Drop
The fighting circle: Gladiatorial combat in the AD&D game Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
High Seas: Ships, fore and aft, in fantasy gaming Procedures ★★★★★ Keep
Same dice, different odds: Divided rolls add variety and uncertainty Procedures ★★★★☆ Keep

I've dropped 15/41 (36%) of the articles I've read. Not bad.

Here is the spreadsheet if you want to slice and dice the database yourself:

Attronarch's Dragon Magazine Reading List

Email me for password.

Next up is the Judge Advice collection. That one is twice as thick, so it'll probably take me a bit longer.

#Resource #DragonMagazine

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