On the cusp between 1979 and 1980, Games Workshop was busy at work with their imaginative creations, including the 16th edition of their premier fantasy games magazine, “White Dwarf”. These old school editions are superior to their evolved namesake in every way. Join Rediscovered Realms as we explore this time capsule from the golden age of fantasy games.
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This Week’s Rediscovered Realms Theme Song:
In a world where the surface is being ravaged by cataclysmic destruction, a band of brave Dwarves delves deep to win back their homeland kingdom from its resident evil.
This was not only a time of transition between decades, but between D&D and its new-fangled “Advanced” replacement. It was a time when TSR still dominated the world with its recently released sci-fi Gamma World RPG and its Wild West RPG, “Boot Hill”, captured the imaginations of myriads. It was a time when loathed (but extremely popular) anti-heroes, like Thomas Covenant were in the mainstream and spilled over into book-adjacent adventures.
White Dwarf’s 1st edition hit the stands in June/July of 1977. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone evolved this UK gem from their 25-issue newsletter - “Owl and Weasel”, which began in 1975.
This era of White Dwarf marked the beginning of the focus on the big 3 RPGs of the time, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1977), RuneQuest (1978), and Traveller (1977).
Later editions (~ issue #93) marked the end of TSR coverage, and the beginning of purely Games Workshop products.
Like it’s Dragon Magazine counterpart, White Dwarf included short scenarios, letters, reviews, news, and user-submitted magic items, monsters, and glorious ads!
Let’s crack open this treasure chest in magazine form and see some of its highlights.
DID YOU KNOW?! ”Grombrindal the White Dwarf is also a special character for the Warhammer Dwarf army, whose rules are published only in certain issues of White Dwarf (being revamped for the most recent edition of the rules).
It is never stated who exactly the White Dwarf is, but it is implied[by whom?] that he is the spirit of Snorri Whitebeard,[citation needed] the last king of the Dwarfs to receive respect from an Elf.
The image of the White Dwarf has graced the cover of many issues of the magazine. The image was also used on the character sheet for the Dwarf character in HeroQuest.” - Wikipedia
^ Monsters from Stephen Donaldson’s “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” adapted to Dungeons & Dragons!
“Open Box” was the review column for SciFi and Fantasy games - all given a score . . .
. . . except for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide! Hmmmm …
^ A “Gamma World” adventure by Jim Ward!
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And now, for some monsters THAT ALMOST MADE IT INTO THE AD&D FIEND FOLIO!!!
I think it’s cool to see pics from gaming conventions of bygone days - you never know who you might recognize.
. . . and how things don’t really change all that much.
. . . especially when it comes to those damn Gelatinous Cubes!
Here are some Potions submissions from readers:
(I think people would pay good money for some of that “Follicle Philtre” potion!)
Any readers in the UK looking for someone to play old school D&D with? Well, maybe drop a line to some of these folks:
Our tour of White Dwarf #16 wouldn’t be complete without showing the full color add on the back cover.
1,000 points to anyone who knows who the beautiful gal in this Gamma World ad is.
Give up?
That is none other than Elise Gygax, one of Gary Gygax’s (co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons) daughters!
This ad was only run in several White Dwarf issues, so most US TSR fans never got to see it!
Well, what did you think about White Dwarf #16 - or other White Dwarf mags you read? Make sure to comment below!
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Blood & Stone Run Deep [Verse 1 - Soft, with minimal instrumentation] Deep beneath the mountain's might Memories of marble halls In the darkness, I recall What was taken, what was lost Standing silent, stone by stone Ancient echoes call me home Through the caverns, cold and stark Where my people left their mark [Pre-Chorus 1 - Building intensity] And I hear them calling From the depths below While the world is falling Time to make them know... [Chorus 1 - Full band, orchestral swells] Blood and stone run deep in these veins of mine Through the halls of home, where the pillars pine For the songs of old, for the hammer's shine Blood and stone run deep, it's our time to rise [Verse 2 - Heavy guitars enter] Claws against the chamber door Teeth that tear and talons score Battle thunder shakes the ground While the surface world burns down Forward brothers, steel in hand Make our final, fearless stand Monster's bones will pave our way To reclaim what's ours today [Bridge - Orchestral break, intense drums] The mountains crack and split apart The sky rains fire, the tempest starts But underground we'll make our stand While chaos claims the surface land [Final Chorus - Full intensity] Blood and stone run deep in these veins of mine Through the halls of home, where the pillars pine (Where the pillars pine) For the songs of old, for the hammer's shine Blood and stone run deep, and we'll rise, we'll rise! [Outro - Building to climax] Let them hear the dwarven drums Let them feel the mountain come Blood and stone... blood and stone... BLOOD AND STONE RUN DEEP!
It is interesting to see how interconnected all the different games and companies were in the beginning. Reading some of the old Dungeon magazines, even Battletechnology for those old MechWarriors out there, you see a "if we work together we all succeed" idea in the beginning.
I dug out my old copies of White Dwarf after I read this but they don’t go that far back!
Imagine bringing Thomas Covenant into the D&D world. Would that mean that your characters would need to be completely insufferable and mutter “Hellfire!” every time they spoke whilst having a “mouthful of ash” 😁
I found issue 85 of White Dwarf which brilliantly had Carl Critchlow doing a Thrud the Barbarian and Judge Dredd crossover!
Loved the song this week by the way . Great stuff 👍🏼
It is interesting to see how interconnected all the different games and companies were in the beginning. Reading some of the old Dungeon magazines, even Battletechnology for those old MechWarriors out there, you see a "if we work together we all succeed" idea in the beginning.
What a great find J.Q. 😃
I dug out my old copies of White Dwarf after I read this but they don’t go that far back!
Imagine bringing Thomas Covenant into the D&D world. Would that mean that your characters would need to be completely insufferable and mutter “Hellfire!” every time they spoke whilst having a “mouthful of ash” 😁
I found issue 85 of White Dwarf which brilliantly had Carl Critchlow doing a Thrud the Barbarian and Judge Dredd crossover!
Loved the song this week by the way . Great stuff 👍🏼