Heroes Magazine #8, Honor Amongst Thieves

When last I wrote about issue #7 I suggested that the issues began falling apart after that one. I had forgotten about this issue. It is very much the  calm before the storm of decline. This issue comes close to the very early  issues in the level of content. It is not as good but it is better than the the  previous and even issue #5 if you take out the city insert.

The issue has a number of articles that are Powers & Perils related which is a  nice after a long run of RuneQuest heavy issues. Not that there is anything  wrong with RuneQuest it is just that mixing it up is nice. The articles on the  Sea of Tears and Shadow Magic are particularly interesting and would be things  that could be incorporated easily into other systems by a GM if desired.

The issue also features an article for Lords of Creation. The article deals with  Dragonslayers and provides statistics for them. It also provides information on  the various dragons that they slew to earn the moniker of Dragonslayer. There  are also some RuneQuest specific portions which include a new and expanded  character sheet. I can't recall what the previous one looked like so I can't  speak to how "expanded" it was.

The Powers & Perils articles make the issue but the articles for other game  system are worth reading as well. The magazines can be found cheap so I would  pick them up just for reference material if nothing else.There aren't too many  more after this one.


Published: 1986
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "Expanded RuneQuest Character Sheet" by John T. Sapienza, Jr.
- "Fatigue and Damage Changes for RuneQuest" by Jonathan Tweet
- "A New Look at Sorcery" (RuneQuest) by B. L. Humphreys
- "Dragonslayers" (Lords of Creation) by William Wilson Goodson Jr.
- "The Sea of Tears" (Powers & Perils) by Richard Snider
- "The Priesthood" (Powers & Perils) by Richard Snider
- "New Skills for Powers & Perils) by Richard Snider
- "Shadow Magic" (Powers & Perils) by Richard Snider
- "Talents for RuneQuest" by Andrew Scott MacKenzie
- "Is Your Character Normal? (Conforming P&P Characters to Their Land)" by Mike  Olson
- "Tips for Tyrants: Imperial Tactics for Freedom in the Galaxy" by Trevor L.  Bynum
- "GM Friends" (RuneQuest) by Jonathan Tweet
- "Shield Law" (RuneQuest) by Morgan Woodward
- "Details, Details" by Craig Barrett



Spell:

Honor Amongst Thieves

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: None
Area of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

When this spell is cast the magic user causes all in the area of effect to  suffer damage. The amount of damage suffered will be determined by each victims  lack of dexterity.

When the spell is cast DM will need to determine the Dexterity score of all in  the area of effect. Each affected individual will then suffer damage based on  their Dexterity score subtracted from 18. The damage will be equal to that  number plus a d6 for each point of difference as well. The victim is entitled to  a saving throw versus the d6 damage and if successful suffers half damage.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.

Heroes Magazine #7, Stomach Through It

Heroes #7 begins the second volume of the magazine. For those not familiar with  the magazine I will spoil this for you. The magazine will not finish this  volume. This issue of the magazine is the last one before you really start to  see that things were going south fast.

This issue is not one that has a lot of value unless you are a fan of RuneQuest.  This does not mean that it does not have value for those not playing RuneQuest  but most of the issue is dedicated to the flagship of Avalon Hill games. This  issue seemed like the magazine transitioned from a Dragon type of magazine to a  Dungeon type of magazine. There was also a problem with the issue and it not  having everything that it said it would in the table of contents.

The adventures are all good and these can always be converted. There are two  larger adventures designed for RuneQuest and then a shorter one designed for  Powers & Perils. The other item of note was a good article for RuneQuest on a a  new clan called the Ostrich Clan. This may not be to everyone liking but I found  it had a few points that I could borrow for use elsewhere.

This may have been the weakest of the issues so far as there was not much here  other than the items I noted. Even the items that had become standard fare such  as the discussion on James Bond were not present in this issue. There also  appears to have been a missed year in publication as the others were 1984 and  this jumps to 1986. It is still worth buying as you should be able to pick it up  cheap.

Published: 1986
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "The Ostrich Clan: Animal Nomad Tribe of Prax" (RuneQuest) by Mike Dawson
- "Journey to Falderbash: A RuneQuest Adventure" by Bill Williamson
- "Gruug's Cave: A RuneQuest Adventure" by Alan LaVergne
- "Three Quests for Curses: A Powers & Perils Adventure" by Mike Olson
- "RuneQuest Hit Points" by John T. Sapienza, Jr.

Listed in the Table of Contents but not appearing were

    Heroes Etcetera by Morgan Woodward & Jonathan Tweet
    Expanded RuneQuest Character Sheet by John T. Sapienza, Jr.



Spell:

Stomach Through It

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: None
Area of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

When this spell is cast the magic user causes all in the area of effect to  suffer damage. The amount of damage suffered will be determined by each victims  lack of constitution.

When the spell is cast DM will need to determine the Constitution score of all  in the area of effect. Each affected individual will then suffer damage based on  their Constitution score subtracted from 18. The damage will be equal to that  number plus a d6 for each point of difference as well. The victim is entitled to  a saving throw versus the d6 damage and if successful suffers half damage.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.

Heroes Magazine #6, Discretion Is Valor

Having written about issue #5 earlier my attention today will be on issue #6.  This is the final issue of the first volume of the magazine. The overall value  of the magazine seems to fluctuate up and down more so than perhaps Dragon  magazine did at that time. This is very subjective though and to the gamers that  played the Avalon Hill games specifically RuneQuest this may not be the case.

The major reason to pick up this issue will again be RuneQuest related. There is  an adventure that is included in the magazine that can be used for RuneQuest or  with a little work could be adapted to another game. The real gem of the  magazine is the setting of Fonrit. The setting is where the included adventure  takes place but oddly enough is not located on the Fonrit map.

The issue continues the History of the Lunar Empire series which is a good read  and will provide the DM with some ideas to incorporate into their campaign if  desired. The other RuneQuest item of note should have been the Gods of Glorantha  preview except is was just a calendar and the calendar in RuneQuest is pretty  simple. The art included between the seasons were nice though. I did not recall  them from Gods of Glorantha and will have to find my copy of that to make sure  they were included.

There are a few other articles of interest including a very lengthy write up on  Dragon Pass and then a shorter offering for Dune. The issue is worth picking up  just on the strength of the Fonrit offering in my opinion though.


Published: 1984
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "History of the Lunar Empire: The Fifth (or Hone-eel's) Wane" by Greg Stafford
- "Advancing the Game: Commentary of Expanding the James Bond Rules" by Robert  Kern
- "Dragon Pass: Mastering the Unique and the Strange" (RuneQuest) by Brett  Murrell
- "New Skills for RuneQuest" by Greg Stafford and Sandy Petersen
- "The Big Hit: A RuneQuest Scenario" by Sandy Petersen
- "Preview of Gods of Glorantha: Gloranthan Calendar" (uncredited)
- "The Land of Fonrit" (RuneQuest) by Greg Stafford and Sandy Petersen
- "RuneQuestions" by the Chaosium staff
- "Nordic Magic and Madness" (RuneQuest Vikings) (uncredited)
- "The Winds of War Coriolis Style" (Dune boardgame) by Tom Snider
- "From Magic Markers to Mystic Tape" by Nick Smith
- "The Care and Feeding of Hungry Villains" by Criag Barrett
- "Simple Combat for RuneQuest" by Steve Marsh
- "A Matter of Gravity" (Lords of Creation) by William Goodson
- "Gaming My Way: Instant Cures for Campaign Crashes" by Quentin Long



Spell:

Discretion Is Valor

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: None
Area of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

When this spell is cast the magic user causes all in the area of effect to  suffer damage. The amount of damage suffered will be determined by each victims  lack of wisdom.

When the spell is cast DM will need to determine the Wisdom score of all in the  area of effect. Each affected individual will then suffer damage based on their  Wisdom score subtracted from 18. The damage will be equal to that number plus a  d6 for each point of difference as well. The victim is entitled to a saving  throw versus the d6 damage and if successful suffers half damage.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.

Heroes Magazine #4, Twas Beauty

Next in the ongoing look at Heroes magazine is issue #4. This issue stepped the  game up again from the dip I suggested that occurred in the third issue. This  issue is still not up to the same level as the first two issues but it does have  good material in it. The material is still all Avalon Hill specific but it can  be used as is for those games, converted or used as inspirational material.

Glorantha is a setting that I have always held in high regard and it may be, my  conjecture only, the longest running continuous retail setting out there. That is  just my supposition though and if anyone knows for sure it would be great to  hear about the validity of that statement.

I mention Glorantha because the two best portions of this article are RuneQuest  related. The first is a write up on three deities from Glorantha. This is  apparently the first time these have appeared as official material but may not  be the only place they appear. The other item for RuneQuest is "The Wolfrunners"  a scenario written by none other than Sandy Peterson.

The third item that I think is of overall use is the additional material for the  dueling rules for use in Lords of Creation. The previous issue had introduced  the rules and now we are presented with write ups and statistics on some of the  great swordsmen from history and literature for use with those rules. This very  much put me in mind of the Boot Hill article in Dragon that gave numbers for the  great gunfighters. Even without the numbers or use in the dueling rules some of  the information was new to me and was a fun read.

There was another part of the magazine that would be of interest to those that  play Freedom In the Galaxy. This is a board game that I own but it was purchased  in the shrink-wrap so I can't bring myself to open it. This provides a good  overview of the game and some additional material. The other articles in the  magazine are still all good but the highlights are the ones above.

Published: 1984
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "The Coming of the Vikings: A Preview of the Next RuneQuest Product" by Greg  Stafford
- "More Accessories for Agents: The Newest Devices from Q Division" by Greg  Gordon
- "Pirates, Buccaneers & Highwaymen for Lords of Creation Dueling Rules" by Tom  Modvay
- "The Design of Octopussy" by Neil Randall
- "Gods of Glorantha: Orlanth, Hykim & Mikyh" (uncredited)
- "The Wolfrunners: A RuneQuest Scenario" by Sandy Petersen
- "Galactic Freedom: It's What the Emperor Wants, Doesn't He?" (Freedom in the  Galaxy boardgame) by Charles E. Duke
- "Science Fiction for the Wargamer" AH's Freedom in the Galaxy" by Nicky Palmer
- "A Primer for Combat" (James Bond 007) by Gerry Klug
- "Equal Time for Lycanthropes" by Quentin Long
- "To Challenge the WIzard's Quest" (Wizard's Quest boardgame) by Thomas Boeche
- "Gloranthan Pottery: First Wane" (uncredited)



Spell:

Twas Beauty

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: None
Area of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

When this spell is cast the magic user causes all in the area of effect to  suffer damage. The amount of damage suffered will be determined by each victims  lack of comeliness.

When the spell is cast DM will need to determine the Charisma score of all in  the area of effect. Each affected individual will then suffer damage based on  their Charisma subtracted from 18. The damage will be equal to that number plus   a d6 for each point of difference as well. The victim is entitled to a saving  throw versus the d6 damage and if successful suffers half damage.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.

Heroes Magazine #3, The Pen Is Mightier

The third issue of Heroes is was a little bit of a let down for me from the  previous two issues. There was a continuation of the ongoing article series on  alien races for Lords of Creation. This has been in all three issues and looking  back this might be something worth review by DMs if they want to expand their  games with different races.

The only real gem in this issue was the Dueling rules for Lords of Creation by  Tom Moldvay. It was presented as a pull out game but I think it could be adapted  for other games. The rules are fairly detailed and since I have not had a chance  to use them I am not sure how much they might slow a game down. They are still  nice to have and it might even be something that could be played as a stand  alone venture as more of a beer and pretzel type of game.

The magazine features a few other articles and though there is nothing that is  terrible there is also nothing that stands out to make me say this is as good an  issue as the other two I have reviewed previously. This is not to say that  another reader may not find a hidden gem for their own uses.


Published: 1984
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "Accessories for Agents: The Newest Devices from Q Division" by Greg Gordon
- "Alienating Yourself--Seven Science Fiction Races for Lords of Creation: Part  Two" by Tom Moldvay
- "Creepy Critters: Insects for RuneQuest" by Sandy Petersen
- "James Bond 007: The History of the Game" by Gerry Klug
- "Careful Character Generation in Powers & Perils" by Richard L. Snider
- "Musketeers, Swashbucklers & Crimson Pirates: Dueling Rules for Lords of  Creation" by Tom Moldvay
- "Adventures in the Forest Primeval: Exploring the Mystic Wood" by Matthew  Pirrone
- "Weapon Masters of the Western Lands" by Richard L. Snider and David Kuijt
- "A Ship for RuneQuest: Waertagi Fastship" by Greg Stafford
- "Too Many Monsters" by Craig Barrett
- "How to S.C.I.M Successfully" (Review of S.C.I.M.M.A.R.S. computer game) by  David Kuijt
- "Gaming My Way" by Quentin Long
- "What's What & Where's Where in Glorantha" by Steve List
- "Worldview: Republican Fallacies" by Hal Heydt



Spell:

The Pen Is Mightier

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: None
Area of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

When this spell is cast the magic user causes all in the area of effect to  suffer damage. The amount of damage suffered will be determined by each victims  lack of mental aptitude.

When the spell is cast DM will need to determine the Intelligence score of all  in the area of effect. Each affected individual will then suffer damage based on  their intelligence subtracted from 18. The damage will be equal to that number  plus  a d6 for each point of difference as well. The victim is entitled to a  saving throw versus the d6 damage and if successful suffers half damage.


Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.

Heroes Magazine #2, Might Makes Right

Issue #2 of Heroes magazine picks up right where issue one left off. This issue  features a pair of items that really make it stand out for me though. The first  is the articles on the personalities from Elric. I strongly advise anyone who  has not read the books and will eventually to avoid this. If you do not plan on  picking them up then this will provide you will an understanding of the  characters and for the DM ideas for some great NPCs. This I am also connecting  with the different Elric scenarios which are designed for the Elric game which I  have always felt was an underrated gem.

The largest article in the magazine is the Doom Manor adventure that was written  for Powers & Perils. It consumes almost half of the magazine and is worthy of  that much space. The only problem with the adventure is that it is written for  Powers & Perils which means that most people will never have had the chance to  play it. I think that this adventure is very deserving of a conversion to either  a universal format or better yet some version of D&D prior to 3e. This adventure  alone makes the issue worth picking up.


Published: 1984
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "The Making of Goldfinger, the Roleplaying Adventure" by Robert Kern
- "Alienating Yourself: Science Fiction Races for Lords of Creation: Part One"  by Tom Moldvay
- "History of the Lunar Empire, Part Two: Skyburn and the Coming of the  Conquering Daughter" by Greg Stafford
- "Of Hordes and Heroes: The Personalities of Elric" by Glenn Rahman
- "The White Wolf's Revenge: More Elric Scenarios" by Jeffrey K. Seiken
- "Doom Manor" by Richard L. Snider
- "What Does a Hero Want: A Selection of Artile Topics for Heroes Magazine" by  Heroes staff
- "War Fleets of Glorantha: Or, Cement Ships and Leafy Sails" by Greg Stafford
- "Hero at Work: James Bond 007" by Neil Randall
- "Once More Against the Hun" by David Kuijt



Spell:

Might Makes Right

Level: Fourth
Range: 9"
Duration: None
Area of Effect: 6" Radius
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Halves

When this spell is cast the magic user causes all in the area of effect to  suffer damage. The amount of damage suffered will be determined by each victims  lack of physical prowess.

When the spell is cast DM will need to determine the Strength score of all in  the area of effect. Each affected individual will then suffer damage based on  their strength subtracted from 18. The damage will be equal to that number plus  a d6 for each point of difference as well. The victim is entitled to a saving  throw versus the d6 damage and if successful suffers half damage.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.

Heroes Magazine #1, Command Appearance

I have written about an issue of Heroes magazine before. It was issue #5 and I am not sure why I picked that one over this one. As I have talked about in the past old magazines are like miniature time capsules for me. I love reading one and seeing what was new and hot at the time the magazine was printed. I have a great Science Digest magazine from 1965 with an article by Asimov on life in 1990.

Heroes was the house magazine for Avalon Hill and as a result talks about Avalon Hill products. There are quite a few great Avalon Hill products so this is not a bad thing though it is limiting. Being the first issue there are also some housekeeping issues such as telling potential contributors what to submit.

The magazine starts strong with a pair of articles on the History of the Lunar Empire and A Traveler's Guide to Donara. I have always been more than a little intrigued with the Powers & Perils game. I purchased it when it first came out and could never get a group interested in playing it. The setting for the game seems to be a rich one based on the article on Donara.

The two other highlights for me were the Lords of Creation adventure by Tom Moldvay. I am not sure that I would ever have call to use it. I own Lords of Creation but it is not something that I have ever felt the urge to run. I would love to play it sometime but it is not a game I want to GM. The concept is good but there are others in the genre I would pick first. That being said the adventure reads well and has so many tables to use in other ways. The review of Telengard also intrigued me. Back in 1984 here is a 50 level megadungeon. The review suggests that each level has over 10,000 rooms and hallways. That may be a slight exaggeration but even if it is a tenth of that number I want a map of the beast. The ad for Telengard got me as well. There is something about the map. It is on page 42 if you can find a copy of the magazine.

Overall I have found the Heroes magazine to have well written articles and material I can use even if I don't play the game it is written for. You can find them periodically on eBay and sometimes even in runs which makes it nice. I would suggest picky them up but then I am a magazine freak apparently.


Published: 1894
Pages: 48

Contents:

- "History of the Lunar Empire: Zero Wane" by Greg Stafford
- "A Traveller's Guide to Donara" by Drachir Redins
- "So What's So Great About Powers & Perils" by Richard Snider
- "Amoeba Wars: An Analysis" by Mike Bennighof
- "Survival Run of the Starnomads (A Lords of Creation Adventure)" by Tom Moldvay
- "What Does a Hero Want?: A Selection of Article Topics for Heroes Magazine" by Heroes staff
- "RuneQuest: New Face for an Old Friend" by Greg stafford
- "Down in a Darkling Dungeon (A Review of Telengard)" by Mike O'Brien
- "Dune Scenario: The Ixian Jihad" by Kenneth W. Burke


Spell:

Command Appearance

Level: Third
Range: 9"
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: One Creature
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 3 Segments
Saving Throw: Negates

When this spell is cast the magic user compels the target creature to assist  them. The sole function of this assistance will be to get them to the base of  operations for the highest "boss" they know of.

The DM will need to determine who the highest ranking official the target of  the spell might know. The spell is also limited in scope to the immediate  location the target is in. The smallest scale would be a dungeon level or  perhaps an entire dungeon. Even if the guard in the town knows the location of  the king 200 miles away he will not take the party there but he might take one  to the mayor or at least the commander of the garrison.

While under the spell the victim can not combat the party. It will take them to  their leader but they do not have to do it in the safest manner though the route  must be basically direct. When the location is reached the target will then turn  around and proceed at the fastest pace possible to the location the spell was  cast at. Once there they are free to act as deemed appropriate.

The spell does not grant any special communication ability with the target of  the spell. The victim will know what they are expected to do though and act  accordingly.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the write ups last,  were all written up or conceived of back in the 80's so the terminology may not  appropriate for anything other than 1e and depending on how well I did back then  it may be slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of spells  that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :) Please feel free to  comment on them but try not to be too hard on me. If anyone wishes to use these  in anything they print please let me know in advance and all I ask is proper  credit.