Dragon Magazine #8

TSR Periodicals released Dragon #8 in July 1977. It is 32 pages long and has a cover price of $1.50. This issue features the planes, mutant monsters, and the first-ever "Featured Creature" contest!

The cover, by Bill Hannon, depicts a magician holding a fantastical beast in his hand. Hannon, who painted the cover for Dragon #1, was editor Tim Kask's art teacher at college. Interior art includes contributions from Dave Sutherland and Tom Wham, with Hannon also providing several illustrations for the featured fiction.

The magazine opens with "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D" by Gary Gygax, which defines the metaphysics of planar existence in D&D. It includes a multicoloured planar diagram that resembles abstract art more than a rules chart! The idea of planes (defined as different realities or alternate dimensions) has long been a trope in fantasy fiction, and Gygax's conception of them seems to have been heavily influenced by writer Michael Moorcock. With a few changes (such as Gladsheim becoming Ysgard), this information was included in the Player's Handbook, published the following year.

Tony Watson's "The Development of Towns in D&D" is a practical guide that aims to make urban settings just as compelling as dungeons. Watson covers everything from street layouts to marketplaces, temples, and taverns, with suggestions for random townies and quirky NPCs. It's rudimentary compared to modern town generators but was probably revelatory to many Dragon readers at the time. Watson published numerous articles in various RPG magazines over the coming years.

"The Finzer Family" by Harry O. Fischer is a magical romp through suburban life, where a family of magicians uses old spells and clever tricks to handle bullies, popcorn, and the occasional hippogriff. It is a charming tale that benefits from vivid characterisation, although its meandering pace will put some folks off. This story is part one, with the conclusion appearing in Dragon #9. Fischer was co-creator of the famed Lankhmar setting with Fritz Leiber, although he has few writing credits of his own.

There is a one-page "Introduction to Gamma World," with no by-line but almost certainly written by Jim Ward, who designed the game. It takes the form of an in-world historical record chronicling humanity's collapse from a utopian 23rd-century society into apocalyptic ruin through ideological polarisation, terrorism, and the mysterious doomsday group known as the Apocalypse. TSR published Gamma World later in 1978.

Robert Kuntz contributes a "Re-Evaluation of Gems & Jewelry in D&D," with carat tables, material modifiers, and new gemstone types. It's an obsessive, simulationist take on treasure that adds flavor to loot rolls but may be too fussy for most tables.

"So, You Want Realism in D&D?" by Brian Blume is a tongue-in-cheek method for calculating character stats that reflect the player's attributes. For example, your Strength score is the amount of weight you can bench press divided by 10. Want to know your Wisdom score? Subtract your weekly hours spent playing D&D from 20! It's a fun piece that captures the playful tone of early Dragon. In later years, these sorts of articles would appear in the April edition.

The inaugural "Featured Creature" contest invites readers to create statistics and background for a new monster based on a typically bizarre Erol Otus illustration. The prize is $25 and possible publication. Reader contributions remained an essential source of Dragon material for many years.

Finally, "Still More Additions to MA" by Jim Ward presents ten new mutant plants and ten new mutant animals for use in Metamorphosis Alpha. The stats are basic, but some of the creatures are imaginative, ranging from the deadly Jawed Lily Pad to the whimsical Blumer, a flying carnivorous tulip.

And that's a wrap! The production values remain modest, but it's a strong issue with lots of gameable content. The planar article by Gygax is the clear standout. Next month, we have the special hoards, more Finzer fiction, and the fastest guns from fiction!

An earlier version of this column originally appeared in EnWorld. Old issues of Dragon Magazine are available on the Internet Archive.