Accessory - Strategic Review #2.1, MAGAZINES, Dragon Magazine
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THE STRATEGIC REVIEW
FEBRUARY 1976
We are pleased to announce that we have reached agreement with MINI-FIGS,
LTD., on a brand new line of D & D figures. The line is being designed by both
MINI-FIG and TSR, so finally you will have access to castings that look like the
monsters we describe. In conjunction with that, we are also working on a set of D
& D tabletop rules for figures. They will enable you to do on table top outdoor ad-
ventures, as well as army battles, and plan campaigns
accordingly.
If you got this in the mail, you should have noticed something. We have the
new mailing system completed. The number next to your name (to the right), is the
LAST issue you will receive under your present subscription. For some of the
newer subscribers, this number might be lower than you had anticipated. This is
probably because you sent us insufficient money to comply with the new rates.
However, if you feel that this is not the case, please let us know.
We are also pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with OLD
GUARD on EPT figures. Additionally, we are also working on a set of EPT
miniatures rules. Both lines promise to be of the highest quality, and a delight to
fantasy miniatures enthusiasts.
We will be beginning a letters column with the next SR. So now, besides sending
the answers individually, we will reprint the best letters to share with the readers.
Letters chosen for publication will entitle the author to an additional issue of SR.
Let’s sharpen up those quills.
By the time you are reading this, we will be partially into our new shop — The
Dungeon. (For real this time, by choice of naming, not by physical appearance.)
Terry Kuntz has really slaved in getting it into shape. We invite you to stop by
(Williams and Marshall Sts. in Lake Geneva) to admire his handiwork. And pick
up an item or two, naturally . . .
TSR continues to expand. Dave Arneson has joined us in Lake Geneva, full time,
and has assumed the mantle of Research Director. Mike Carr, of FIGHT IN THE
SKIES fame, will be joining us not long from now. He will become our controller,
and hopefully help us get our act together better. We are looking forward to the
addition of both these talented people to our ‘family’, and it augurs very well, for
you, our supporters . . .
The Jim Hayes credited on “What Price Gold and Glory?”, coming in SR 7, is the
very same Jim Hayes that painted the picture we plan to display in the Dungeon.
Jim is quite a talented fellow. We are anticipating more goodies from him.
We are still in need of good articles and artwork. Need you be reminded that Tim
Kirk and Harlan Ellison both got their starts in ‘zines? This is the place for all of
you frustrated authors to send your S & S, Fantasy, historical or whatever writ-
ings. We will be glad to give talent a start.
WARGAMING WORLD
Because of the abysmal response, our Holiday Special has now become our First-
of-the-Year Special. While they last, we are offering copies of D & D Vol.’s 1 and 2
for two dollars each. For the miserly sum of $4, we’ll send 1 & 2, put them in a
box, and throw in a set of pullouts. Now, I ask you, where can you get a better
deal?
CLASSIC WARFARE is now a reality. It has been a project of Gary’s for
over seven years, and the finished product shows it. It is by far the most
playable set of rules covering the period available. It should hold a great deal of in-
terest to those who are not into ancient miniatures, but do have an interest in an-
cient military history. The second half of the book “Historical Characteristics” is
chock-full of fascinating data and minutiae that is in itself enough to get you bit-
ten by the ancients bug . . .
Speaking of abysmal responses, the plan to have D & D seminars at GenCon
didn’t seem to create much excitement. To be frank, if we are to decide from the
response we have had by now, there won’t be one. If you want to have one, write
and let us know. We can’t read your minds.
Those of you that read FANTASTIC and/or AMAZING are probably beginning
to recognize our ads. We have found that readers of both those excellent mags
seem to be our kind of people. If you don’t usually read these ‘zines we suggest
that you look into them for excellent swords & scorcery and scifi!
We have received word of two upcoming conventions. The first is in Texas, Called
WarCon, it will be held at Texas A & M, College Station, Texas. Dates are April 9,
10 and 11, 1976. Try writing POB 6816, Ag. St., College Station, Texas 77844.
PUBLISHERS STATEMENT
The STRATEGIC REVIEW is published bi-monthly by TSR HOBBIES,
Inc, POB 756, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. It is available by subscription at the rate
of $3.00 per six issues. Single copies and back issues are available at 75 cents (#’s
1-3 at 50 cents) each, but availability of all back numbers is not guaranteed. (Sub-
scriptions sent to Canada are $4.00, back issues 75 cents or $1.00. Subscriptions
sent outside the US or Canada are $5.60, back issues $1.10. Payment must be
made in U.S. currency or by International Postal Money Order.) All material
published herein becomes the exclusive property of the publisher unless special
arrangements to the contrary are made.
Change of Address
should be sent as soon as possible and in any event not
less than two weeks prior to the first day of February, April, June, August, Oc-
tober and December, as applicable.
Unsolicited material cannot be returned unless accompanied by a stamped
return envelope, and no responsibility for such material can be assumed by the
publisher in any event. All rights on the entire contents of this publication are
reserved, and nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written per-
mission of the publisher, Copyright 1976 by TSR HOBBIES, INC.
The second is Michicon V, to be held June 11, 12 and 13,1976. Their preliminary
brochure looked good, and they promise D & D and EPT. It is to be held at the
Univ. of Detroit. For more information, contact Bill Somers, 1654 Chandler, Lin-
coln Pk., MI 48146, or call (313)-381-7152.
Don Horton has informed us that he is planning a PBM STAR PROBE game, to
last two actual years. It sounds pretty interesting. For more data, get in touch with
Don Horton, 16 Jordan St., Sacramento, CA 95826.
Brad Stock has sent us some material on a PBM fantasy campaign he is starting.
It sounds fascinating, and promises to combine elements of many different games.
Should be a real winner. To get the nitty-gritty, write: Brad Stock, 156 Lighthorse
Dr., Chersterfield, MO 63017.
The folks at MINIFIGS sure seem to be busy lately. They have added a new line
called WAR OF THE ROSES, and are in the process of extending and diver-
sifying their HUNDRED YEARS WAR line. Both of these lines hold great
promise for the Fantasy buff. They also say that they have retooled all of the
weapons in the ‘PB’ Ancients ranges. It was certainly needed, as the telephone
poles that many of the figures were burdened with were a bit ludicrous.
AH has announced that they are going to publish ALESIA in the coming year. At
long last, a very good game (at least the original was) is finally going to be printed.
According to Charles Pasco, who had the rights previously, AH has promised to
honor all the orders he received prior to selling them the game. It might be a good
idea for anyone that has moved since they ordered from him to drop him a post-
card to advise of your whereabouts. If the game remains essentially the same as
the original, it should have been worth the wait.
Editor
Timothy J. Kask
AFV Editor — Mike Reese
Contributing EPT Editor — M. A. R. Barker
Contributing S & S Editor — Steve Marsh
Art — John Seaton
Cover by R. Anderson
The hobby seems to be doing rather well, if the number of new titles in print is any
indication. New games are proliferating at an incredible rate, with the only
problem that of separating the wheat from the chaff. However, it looks to be an ex-
cellent wheat harvest . . .
Advertising rates upon request
2
THE STRATEGIC REVIEW
FEBRUARY 1976
THE MEANING OF LAW AND CHAOS IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS TO GOOD AND EVIL
by Gary Gygax
Many questions continue to arise regarding what constitutes a “lawful” act,
what sort of behavior is “chaotic”, what constituted an “evil” deed, and how cer-
tain behavior is “good”.
There is considerable confusion in that most dungeon-
masters construe the terms “chaotic” and “evil” to mean the same thing, just as
they define “lawful” and “good” to mean the same. This is scarcely surprising
considering the wording of the three original volumes of DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS. When that was written they meant just about the same thing in my
mind — notice I do
not
say they were synonymous in my thinking at, that time. The
wording in the GREYHAWK supplement added a bit more confusion, for by the
time that booklet was written some substantial differences had been determined.
In fact, had I the opportunity to do D&D over I would have made the whole
business very much clearer by differentiating the four categories, and many
chaotic creatures would be good, while many lawful creatures would be evil.
Before going into the definitions of these four terms, a graphic representation of
their relative positions will help the reader to follow the further discourse. (See #I)
Notice first that the area of neutrality lies squarely athwart the intersection of
the lines which divide the four behavioral distinctions, and it is a very small area
when compared with the rest of the graph. This refers to true neutrality, not to
neutrality regarding certain interactions at specific times, i.e., a war which will
tend to weaken a stronger player or game element regardless of the “neutral” par-
ty’s actions can hardly be used as a measure of neutrality if it will benefit the par-
ty’s interest to have the weakening come about.
Also note that movement upon this graph is quite possible with regard to
campaign participants, and the dungeonmaster should, in fact, make this a
standard consideration in play. This will be discussed hereafter.
Now consider the term “Law” as opposed to “Chaos”. While they are nothing
if not opposites, they are neither good nor evil in their definitions. A highly
regimented society is typically governed by strict law, i.e., a dictatorship, while
societies which allow more individual freedom tend to be more chaotic. The
following lists of words describing the two terms point this out. I have listed the
THE STRATEGIC REVIEW
FEBRUARY 1976
words describing the concepts in increasing order of magnitude (more or less) as
far as the comparison with the meanings of the two terms in D&D is concerned:
GOOD
(cont.)
EVIL
(cont.)
Honest
Dishonest
LAW
Reliability
Propriety
Principled
Righteous
Regularity
Regulation
Methodical
Uniform
Predictable
Prescribed Rules
Order
CHAOS
Unruly
Confusion
Turmoil
Unrestrained
Random
Irregular
Unmethodical
Unpredictable
Disordered
Lawless
Anarchy
Sincere
Bad
Helpful
Injurious
Beneficial
Wicked
Pure
Corrupt
The terms “Law” and “Evil” are by no means mutually exclusive. There is no
reason that there cannot be prescribed and strictly enforced rules which are un-
pleasant, injurious or even corrupt. Likewise “Chaos” and “Good” do not form a
dichotomy. Chaos can be harmless, friendly, honest, sincere, beneficial, or pure,
for that matter. This all indicates that there are actually five, rather than three,
alignments, namely:
Basically, then,
“Law” is strict order and “Chaos” is complete anarchy, but of
course they grade towards each other along the scale from left to right on the
graph. Now consider the terms “Good” and “Evil” expressed in the same manner:
LAWFUL/GOOD
LAWFUL/EVIL
CHAOTIC/GOOD
CHAOTIC/EVIL
NEUTRAL
GOOD
Harmless
Friendly
EVIL
Unfit
Mischievous
The lawful/good classification is typified by the
paladin,
the chaotic/good align-
ment is typified by
elves,
lawful/evil is typified by the
vampire,
and the
demon
is
the epitome of chaotic/evil.
Elementals
are neutral. The general reclassification of
various creatures is shown on Illustration II.
Kind
Unpleasant
THE STRATEGIC REVIEW
FEBRUARY 1976
Placement of characters upon a graph similar to that in Illustration I is
necessary if the dungeonmaster is to maintain a record of player-character
alignment. Initially, each character should be placed squarely on the center point
of his alignment, i.e.,
lawful/good, lawful/evil, etc. The actions of each game week
will then be taken into account when determining the current position of each
character. Adjustment is perforce often subjective, but as a guide the referee can
consider the actions of a given player in light of those characteristics which typify
his alignment, and opposed actions can further be weighed with regard to
intensity.
For example, reliability does not reflect as intense a lawfulness as does
principled, as does righteous. Unruly does not indicate as chaotic a state as does
disordered, as does lawless. Similarly, harmless, friendly, and beneficial all reflect
increasing degrees of good; while unpleasant, injurious, and wicked convey
progressively greater evil. Alignment does not preclude actions which typify a
different alignment, but such actions will necessarily affect the position of the
character performing them, and the class or the alignment of the character in
question can change due to such actions, unless counter-deeds are performed to
balance things. The player-character who continually follows any alignment (save
neutrality) to the absolute letter of its definition must eventually move off the chart
(Illustration I) and into another plane of existence as indicated. Note that self-
seeking is neither lawful nor chaotic, good nor evil, except in relation to other
sapient creatures. Also, law and chaos are not subject to interpretation in their
ultimate meanings of order and disorder respectively, but good and evil are not
absolutes but must be judged from a frame of reference, some ethos. The
placement of creatures on the chart of Illustration II. reflects the ethos of this
writer to some extent.
This brings us to the subject of those character roles which are not subject to
as much latitude of action as the others. The neutral alignment is self-explanatory,
and the area of true neutrality is shown on Illustration I. Note that paladins,
Patriarchs, and Evil High Priests, however, have positive boundaries. The area in
which a paladin may move without loss of his status is shown in Illustration III.
Should he cause his character to move from this area he must immediately seek a
divine quest upon which to set forth in order to gain his status once again, or be
granted divine intervention; in those cases where this is not complied with the
status is forever lost. Clerics of either good or evil predisposition
must
likewise
remain completely good or totally evil, although lateral movement might be
allowed by the dungeonmaster, with or without divine retribution. Those top-level
clerics who fail to maintain their goodness or evilness must make some form of
immediate atonement. If they fail to do so they simply drop back to seventh level.
The atonement, as well as how immediate it must be, is subject to interpretation
by the referee. Druids serve only themselves and nature, they occasionally make
human sacrifice, but on the other hand they aid the folk in agriculture and animal
husbandry. Druids are, therefore, neutral — although slightly predisposed
towards evil actions.
As a final note, most of humanity falls into the lawful category, and most of
lawful humanity lies near the line between good and evil. With proper leadership
the majority will be prone towards lawful/good. Few humans are chaotic, and very
few are chaotic and evil.
Considering mythical and mythos gods in light of this system, most of the
benign ones will tend towards the chaotic/good, and chaotic/evil will typify those
gods which were inimical towards humanity. Some few would be completely
chaotic, having no predisposition towards either good or evil — REH’s
Crom
perhaps falls into this category.
What then about interaction between different alignments? This question is
tricky and must be given careful consideration. Diametric opposition exists
between lawful/good and chaotic/evil and between chaotic/good and lawful/evil
in this ethos. Both good and evil can serve lawful ends, and conversely they may
both serve chaotic ends. If we presuppose that the universal contest is between law
and chaos we must assume that in any final struggle the minions of each division
would be represented by both good and evil beings. This may seem strange at first,
but if the major premise is accepted it is quite rational. Barring such a showdown,
however, it is far more plausible that those creatures predisposed to good actions
will tend to ally themselves against any threat of evil, while creatures of evil will
likewise make (uneasy) alliance in order to gain some mutually beneficial end —
whether at the actual expense of the enemy or simply to prevent extinction by the
enemy. Evil creatures can be bound to service by masters predisposed towards
good actions, but a lawful/good character would fain make use of some
chaotic/evil creature without severely affecting his
lawful
(not necessarily
good)
standing.
This column, to be known as TRIUMPHS & TRAGEDIES, will appear on a
semi-regular basis. The subject matter is subject to change as the purpose is to
provide reviews of various items; ’zines, games or whatever.
JAGDPANTHER doesn’t really belong with the rest of these ‘zines, but more
people should find out about it. This quarterly is available from Jagdpanther
Publ., POB 3565, Amarillo, TX 79106 for $9.00 per year. It is the equal in
professional quality to WARGAMERS DIGEST and CAMPAIGN (formerly
PANZERFAUST), both of which are far better known. (Neither CAMPAIGN nor
WARGAMERS DIGEST will be reviewed here, as that would be both foolish and
pretentious. We might as well review S & T or THE GENERAL.)
It is excellently printed on 8½
X
11 stock, with slick covers. It is a veritable
gold-
mine of information on boardgames. Each issue contains dozens of items:
vari-
ants, reviews, suggested rules changes, etc. It also contains and entire
game in
each issue. They will be hard to improve on a MAJOR TRIUMPH.
The rating system is relatively simple. There are seven possible ratings, given on
an overall basis. In descending order they are: MAJOR TRIUMPH, TRIUMPH,
MINOR TRIUMPH, UNDECIDED, MINOR TRAGEDY, TRADEDY and
MAJOR TRAGEDY.
Triumph refers to the Roman practice of recognizing great exploits, while tragedy
should be self-explanatory.
This issue’s topic is ‘zines.
From England comes OWL & WEASEL, a “monthly newsletter from Games
Workshop. For those of you that might not recognize them, they are our UK
FIRE THE ARQUEBUSIERS! is, “ . . . a fanzine of D & D, variants thereof, and distributor. They print on a rather small 4
X
5 size, though the printing is good. It
any and all other. . . fantasy wargames.” It is a new publication by Greg is a newsy item, with LOTS of games plugged, mentioned, advertised, etc. We
Costikyan, 1675 York Av., NY, NY 10028. Price is six issues for $2.50 or 50¢ each. have no idea of the rates, but you can find out by writing Games Workshop, 15
It is printed on 8½
X
11 stock, rather poorly. The copy we received was barely Bolingbroke Rd., London W. 14. Rate this a TRIUMPH in its field.
legible in spots. #1 contained a rather demented article on “Sex in D & D”, new
character types, a long article on spices and magic, and some other interesting FANTASIA TODAY is a “magazine of postal fantasy gaming.” It seems to be
items. It seems to show potential, and could well improve its rating of MINOR based on a massive game, using revised “Midgard” rules. The price varies with the
TRIUMPH.
size, so get in touch with Jim Lawson, Rm. 550 Henday Hall, Lister Hall, 116th St.
5
Continued on p. 15
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