Sorcerer's Apprentice

Sorcerer's Apprentice : Issue 8 - Fall 1980

TROLL TALK: Editorial by Liz Danforth

Rogue's Quest : Mini-Solo Adventure by Antony Dismukes

Troll Teasers : Puzzles by E. L. Frederick, Ken St. Andre

Where do you meet ... ? : CONTEST

But Are There Dungeons in Russia? : Review by Mark Zutlwff

Queries & Quandaries : Column

Arcane Graffiti : News, Clues and Reviews by Michael Stackpole

Letters to the Editor

The Bells of Shoredan : Fiction by Roger Zelazny

The Bigger They Are : Article by Michael Stackpole

Daring Dungeon Design : Article by John M. Momson

Troll Talk by Liz Danforth - Fall 1980

It happened about 4:00 one morning. Ugly John Carver, Pat Mueller, and I were suffering from all-night exhaustion and the approaching deadline of the very first issue of Sorcerer's Apprentice. It was generally acknowledged that SA needed some sort of comic relief in the form of a cartoon or strip, and we agreed that Ken's editorial column should be graced with some creature or emblem suited to his inherent zaniness. Philosophic, with a ghastly dark mirth, Grimtooth was begat upon the world. (His name came later, courtesy of Catherine Francis). A grisly sort he is, but a monster among monsters. Well, the strip died after SAl, but the grimacing little beggar of a troll continues to wreak his horrors upon the small, helpless and unsuspecting, in the truest traditions of monsterdom, from the comers of these pages . . . for those of you who wrote and wondered.

Speaking of writing, there are more and more of you out there sending us letters. We really love it, and we read each and every letter. Your letters of praise go a long way to brightening up a few of the drearier days; letters of criticism aren't half as pleasant but spur us to either correct a situation or at the very least, watch for it in the future. Feedback from you, our readers, is something we genuinely need and want.

But . . . (and you knew there was a "but" coming, didn't you?). Letterwriting, like everything else, takes time. There are no secretaries to take dictation, no messengers to run about for us - so the time we spend writing letters can't be spent working on new projects. Almost everyone who writes us wants to know when the next solo will be out, or the next SA, or the next GM adventure . . . and if everyone got an answer written in reply, we'd never complete anything!

In short, we'll always listen. But we can't always answer everyone. We have more than two dozen projects which we hope to finish by this time next year - solos, Pocket Adventures, GM dungeons large and small, Grimtooth's Great Book of Traps (coming along nicely), and plenty more. We want to get them to you because we think you're going to enjoy them. While you might also enjoy receiving a two-page letter, you won't get much playing time out of it . . .

If you have a burning question, criticism, or compliment, by all means send it along. If we can, we'll answer it. If not, check the next published letters column - or, if it's a question about the T&T rules, check "Queries and Quandaries" (that's what it's specifically set up for, and Mike's asking for more questions already). Most of all, please be patient. There's nothing so aggravating as receiving a letter on Monday, and getting another on Friday from the same person, wondering why the Monday letter wasn't answered yet. We're not ogres sneering at all and sundry, nor elvish mages to snap our fingers to complete a task instantaneously. For better or worse, we're human, and that's not likely to change in the near future.

If you don't believe we're human, come see us at a game convention! Flying Buffalo attends most of the larger cons, all across the country. Walk up to us at the dealer's table, introduce yourself, and if for some reason we can't talk then, we can find time. Mike, Ugly John, and I usually run T&T games at the cons we attend, as do Rick Loomis and Eric Lane - and we're more than willing to talk about the rules, answer questions, and respond to criticisms. We look forward to seeing people at cons - and there's usually enough time to hold the discussions that if written would take 25 pages of letters.

Hope to hear from you!

-Liz Danforth

Liz Danforth is an artist, writer, and game developer. Her fantastic art and editing skills are a prime shaper of Tunnels & Trolls.
Visit Liz Danforth's website:
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In This Issue

We are proud to offer another tale of Dilvish of Dilfar, by the master word-weaver Roger Zelazny. The Bells if Shoredan immediately follows the events of Passage to Dilfar (reprinted in SA5). Stephan Peregrine is the capable illustrator; his name and talent are well recognized among those with a taste for fine fantasy art.

For GMs, Michael Stackpole offers strategies to deal with that most awful denizen of the tunnelworks - the Mega-Character. Paul Jaquays punctuates the commentaries with suitable satire. John Morrison offers a tongue-in-cheek look at the pitfalls of designing your own dungeons, and Mark Zutkoff presents a review of the Spy-vs. -Spy game, Top Secret. We have more Troll Teasers to wrack your brains on . . . and a CONTEST worth $25 in FBInc products and services, if you can correctly identify 26 drawings!

Finally, if you enjoy the Dilvish tales, watch for new releases from Ballantine Books. They will publish the first Dilvish novel, initially entitled The Changing Land. Also, sometime in 1981, all the published Dilvish short stories will be appearing in a single volume. Look for 'em!