Recently, there was a knock at the door which revealed a nondescript plain brown box on the front step. I stooped to retrieve it and before retreating back inside, could have sworn I heard the lowest of growls.
“Best not shake it then,” I mused.
Inside, I went seeking a pocket, no, better a bowie knife, to reveal its contents (and defend myself if necessary).
A few deft slashes released the sinewy adhesive bonds and a faint puff of smoke wisped overhead. Gripping my weapon tighter, I reached the other hand over, tentatively peeling back the flap, wondering who rolled the higher initiative . . . and there they were . . .
Two Dragon™ Magazines from a bygone era arrived freshly to my address.
“Oh yeah, this must be that adoption, err, subscription I was trying out”, I remembered. They both winked at me.
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To say that Dragon™ Magazine influenced my childhood would be like saying the 3 Indiana Jones movies (the Crystal Skull movie never existed in my world) were just ok.
I never acquired a ton of them - 10 in total - you could only really get them at game and hobby stores, and I wasn’t old enough to have wheels yet. And remember, this was an age before Amazon. I guess I could have subscribed, but most kids those days didn’t have that kind of cash!
(Adjusted for inflation, the $3.50 cover price in the late 80’s is the equivalent of $8-$9/magazine in 2023 dollars!)
But for the times when I could go with my brother and friends, this magazine would be a much sought after treasure.
(Featuring artwork from Clyde Caldwell & Luke Eidenschink!)
Dragon™ spoke and gave voice to the Fantasy RPG community of mostly so-called geeks, dorks, and nerds - no, it pretty much wasn’t considered “cool” or even acceptable back then like it is today. In fact, you were probably cutting your dating chances to about zero if you got caught with any of those strange-looking dice in your possession.
“Hey, that’s not a d20 in your Trapper Keeper, is it?”
But social-peer-danger aside, Dragon gave us vagabond dreamers & misfits a feeling of acceptance & community.
Beyond that, they were just plain cool!
The covers were masterpieces of fantasy with artists like: Larry Elmore, Ed Greenwood, Clyde Caldwell, Robin Wood, Keith Parkinson, Jeff Easley, Tim Hildebrandt, Brom, and so many more.
Just those covers alone were worth the price of admission. They instantly teleported you to realms of verdant mythical forests, deep caverns, brave heroes, comely maidens, fantastical beasts, all sprinkled with magic, discovery & adventure.
My Childhood Original 10 Dragon Magazines
The inside content was of course where the prime-rib dragon meat was. There were:
Fun columns and articles about playing Dungeons & Dragons™ and other popular role-playing games better.
Expansion rules which extended the “official” ones with additional character classes, magic items, abilities, treasures, creatures, etc. (That was our way of hacking/modding stuff!)
Short fantasy stories, always with a few amazing illustrations to pique your imagination further.
Humorous comic strips with a fantasy theme
Q&A sections to get your most burning role-playing rules questions answered (remember, we didn’t have Google, and you weren’t going to find these answers in the library!)
Amazing inserts: playing aids, posters, maps and even stand-alone board games.
I can just imagine that leaf-beast's mom: "Karl, come inside before you kech something from those strangers!"
Articles that made (role-playing) life more bearable
To me, though, one of the best parts was always the ads & classifieds. They were for fantasy products you would never have known about without the magazine. The classified ads were raw & unrefined, but those ads were glorious.
Play By Mail RPGs, Electronic Dice Gizmos, Pour Your Own Miniatures (lead included), Suits of Armour, Gemstones and apparently a Tank were all available with a self-addressed stamped envelope
It’s funny to me now, looking through these old ads and seeing history repeating itself in today’s age. There were ads about Middle Earth™, Marvel™ superheroes, Star Trek™, Star Wars™, DragonLance™, and other big intellectual properties that still have huge followings today.
Of course, there were also ads about exciting new fantasy books, games, miniatures, and supplements.
Look at the robed sage and the wisdom pouring forth from his gaze! No, don't look him directly in the eyes, Frodo!
Ooh, Dungeon Magazine! Definitely will be exhuming some of those for future articles
These products sparked & fueled many a Christmas/Birthday wish list line item, but failing acquisition, just the brief view of them would sustain creative juices and incite amazing discussions with friends.
“Did you see that new character class in the new expansion set?”
“Yeah, let’s make our own rules for it and include it in our next adventure!”
Boy, it was fun to hunch over those articles on nights and weekends to see what we could incorporate into our own games. (Because, again remember, if you were playing these games, you weren’t dating, and so had your nights & weekends fully available.)
So, when I saw an ad pop up a few months back for an old-school fantasy magazine subscription that sends random old issues, I just had to give it a try. (For anyone interested, I’m getting this through Chris Korczak who runs his own classic RPG bookstore at https://rpgrpgrpg.com)
I’ve really been enjoying picking these up after a stressful week of work (or losing a compelled duel) and disconnecting from our realm for a bit. Peering back into the past old-school fantasy glories and recapturing a bit of the joy & magic of that special time.
It’s funny, back in the day, I never really enjoyed reading the forums/letters from readers.
“I don’t want to hear about others’ opinions - I want to see the cool new stuff!”
But now looking at these time capsules with adult eyes, I find them fascinating! Reading between the lines you can infer cultural events and trends of their day, as well as experience the human connection of thoughts shared and feelings emoted. So neat that even though decades have passed, we still have the same curiosities, joys, and the same dreams.
The myriad writers and illustrators were so amazingly talented. It really was a golden age for this kind of fantasy fandom.
Always loved the comic strips - especially the ones that only made sense to those who played Dungeons & Dragons.
Never made it to a Gen Con, but explored the upper level for the Midas Orb several times...
I’m taking it as a personal mission to unearth, dust off, and shine an orb of light on these past paragons’ talents through future articles in this newsletter in a fun & interesting way for all generations who love this style of fantasy. You know, tastes great, less filling and all that.
Sorry, what is your question again? Has my life improved since these pet Dragons started arriving at my door? That’s an excellent question.
Well, other than the exorbitant cost of feed & lodging, claw trimming and dragon gland expressing (same story: inflation, supply chain, etc.), I have to say there’s an old joy rekindled within. A joy of discovery, a joy of adventure, a joy of camaraderie. A reconnection with myself and others through these recently arrived, fading yet still vibrant pages.
One of my close friends ended up getting several articles published in the magazine. Talk about amazing to see one of our own players adding to the glory of Dragon’s impressive array of articles. Unfortunately this fall we had a wildfire and the fire took out my entire DND collection including all of my Dragon magazines. Heart wrenching to walk among the ashes. Now begins the work of recollecting them all over again.
I would totally sign up for a subscription today. Wish it would come back !
One of my close friends ended up getting several articles published in the magazine. Talk about amazing to see one of our own players adding to the glory of Dragon’s impressive array of articles. Unfortunately this fall we had a wildfire and the fire took out my entire DND collection including all of my Dragon magazines. Heart wrenching to walk among the ashes. Now begins the work of recollecting them all over again.