Dogs of War

(White Dwarf #86)

Chris Fenton’s overview of merc life splits them into two types: experienced vets and bravos. Most are bravos, opportunistic fighters prone to looting when work runs dry, fueling the profession’s bad reputation. Vets, with at least five years of service and their own gear, despise bravos, who in turn fear the vets. Most mercs are middle-class backgrounds, as poor families can’t afford training and nobles avoid the harsh life. Vets prefer mounted roles, often owning their warhorses. They follow orders without swearing fealty, picking up languages, customs, and regional knowledge as they travel.

Mercs with < five years’ experience, often neglect training without an officer’s oversight, wasting time gambling and brawling. They tend to die a lot. Most mercs are under 30.

Assuming European conditions, work is seasonal. Campaigns run from early summer, between planting and harvest, with garrison duty in late summer and autumn. Winter leaves many unemployed. Short, 4-month contracts typically start with training in April, invasions in June, and peace in July.

Mercs sign on in small groups or singly during spring training. Slackers end up in "bravo" or "fodder" units—first-year survival rates hover around 20%. New monthly wages are provided that are higher than AD&D’s list but cover officer and sergeant costs. Less experienced troops often require the purchase of equipment. Cities offer roughly one merc for hire per 200 residents.

New Monthly Wages accounting for sergeants and officers

Mercs operate under their own code. Commanders can refuse missions, enforce their own discipline, and are not bound by local laws. Desertion and endangering comrades are capital offenses. Unpaid mercs often turn outlaw, plundering the lands they were hired to protect.

This is a keeper. The realistic take on merc life will be useful when players reach the domain game and look to recruit an army to clear hexes. 

Thieves’ Den

(Imagine #24)

Imagine magazine targeted young novice players, and its main legacy is the rich city setting, Pelinore. Venetia Lee’s take on Thieves Guilds stood out enough that I figured I would take a look.

What’s it about?

Lee presents a thieves' guild not as a centralized location—too vulnerable—but as a decentralized network of mutual aid and exploitation. A cell structure ensures survival even if a branch is eradicated. She explores the guild’s use of child thieves, drawing inspiration from Oliver Twist, and suggests pairing PCs with young apprentices.

She emphasizes the importance of a legitimate cover and examines how thieves operate in lawless cities, including the role of street gangs. The guild exists for training, information sharing, leadership enrichment, and organizing bribes. When designing a guild, she advises considering law enforcement strength, societal attitudes toward crime, city corruption, and the guild’s alignment.

Lee advocates a secretive cell system where members know only their immediate contacts. She estimates 5-15% of the population is involved in or adjacent to the guild, with most being child pickpockets or fences; only a small fraction are true thieves. She recommends detailing only the branch the party interacts with. The article also covers meeting places, spell use in crime, and how authorities counteract/control magic.

Finally, she provides a structured pickpocketing system with five tables covering opportunity frequency, target selection, failure consequences, pursuit mechanics, and hiding attempts. The system works well in practice.

Is this a keeper?

It’s fine. Some solid historical research and a useful pickpocketing system, but the article is long and padded. It’s not a ‘best of’.

A Guide to Dungeon Mastering. Part II: Monsters & Magic & Part III: Some conclusions

(White Dwarf #35 & #36)

I’m combining two articles to wrap up the Lew Pulsipher articles I picked out to read. High hopes!

What’s it about?

In Monsters & Magic, Lew advises against random monster and magic item placement. Avoid homogenous monster groups—balance encounters as you would a party. Consider how monsters interact—slaves, allies, enemies—and place them accordingly. Intelligent monsters should use light to see beyond infravision. While you can kill PCs anytime, that’s not the point - stick to the game's increasing level of difficulty inherent in the dungeon. Monsters should use their magic items, not stash them in chests, and magic should be rare to prevent PCs becoming overpowered headaches. Lastly, don’t be too generous with spell interpretations—high-level magic-users can dominate if unchecked.

In Some Conclusions he reiterates that monsters can do whatever players do. Don’t expect player self-restraint—rein them in. If an item or ability unbalances the game, talk to the player and persuade them to give it up. He also pushes for high-level characters to retire into landownership, then spends too much time discussing ways to get people to stop playing high-level PCs. Clearly, high-level play isn’t his thing, but actively discouraging it seems unnecessary.

Is this a keeper?

Yes—Monsters & Magic is the stronger article, but neither is a “best of.” Too much focus on dismissing high-level play. You can see the groundwork for his Beyond the Rule Book – Procedure and Style Tips, which is the better read.

A Guide to Dungeon Mastering. Part I: Setting up Adventures

(White Dwarf #34)

Lew Pulsipher tends to repeat his advice, making it hard to track where certain tips originated. Hopefully, this Dungeon Mastering series offers some fresh insights.

What’s it about?

Lew suggests generating ideas by reading the rules and considering their implications—what would you do as a beholder? He recommends carrying a notebook to capture ideas immediately, even if they sit unused for months, and reading fiction and folklore voraciously. Borrowing from other DMs and players is encouraged.

He describes two types of adventures: scenarios built around the characters and site-based environments like dungeons. He advises novices to stick with site-based adventures since they’re more resilient to mistakes. I agree they’re more robust, lacking even the hint of rails.

Preparation is key. He recommends pre-rolling wandering monsters, tracking time carefully, and using index cards for quick reference. Status effects should be noted in advance, and miniatures help clarify combat.

For treasure and experience, he suggests adding variety with ancient coins, art objects, and valuable information. Heavy treasure creates logistical challenges. He notes that few use the DMG’s leveling system due to its high gold costs, so he only applies training fees from levels 5+. For advancement he recommends 2 adventures x the level you're going to as about right and believes high level play is broken. In his view, a good DM maintains control with slow advancement and low character deaths.

In closing, he replaces the initiative system with a custom approach and advises against using burning oil.

Is this a keeper?

Yes. Lew’s advice on keeping a notebook, reading widely, favoring site-based adventures, and varying treasure is all solid. While I don’t agree with everything, this is a ‘best of’.

Banditry Inc - A Referee’s Guide to Thieves Guilds

 

(White Dwarf #76)

White Dwarf’s best era for AD&D-focused content spans issues 10–40, with later issues featuring broader system-agnostic material. Here, Olivier Legrand explores thieves guilds—an underdeveloped aspect of the core game.

What’s it about?

The article frames thieves guilds as medieval mafias. Not all thieves are members—muggers operate independently—but specialists like locksmiths and burglars are typically involved. PC thieves, unless incognito, are approached within 24 hours and blindfolded before meeting the guild. Membership requires signing a contract outlining duties and benefits; betrayal means assassination, refusal means exile.  

Guild members owe a 20% cut of all thefts, though it’s unclear if dungeon loot applies. I’d prefer this fee folded into training costs to avoid bookkeeping and player frustration. The guild offers jobs, but this feels best suited to one-on-one sessions, as many party members are not suited to a guild job session. Interestingly, the guild won’t rescue captured members—though I’d allow the guild to have jailers ‘on the take’.

Legrand details guild hierarchy: lieutenants oversee districts or operations (kidnapping, racketeering, recruitment), and the Guildmaster could be anything from a noble with a double life to a crime lord who is either feared or praised by the poorer townsfolk based on how cruel and ruthless they are. The article covers street-urchin apprentices, instructors, specialists, and the make-up of a spy network, with contacts in inns and shops to protect informants. It also explores guild headquarters, political ties, rival factions (merchant guilds, local authorities, assassins), and internal power struggles.

It's worth noting that the guild structure outlined feels less secretive than a cell-based one that I often see. 

Is this a keeper?

Yes. This article not only explains a guilds operation and structure but also provides neat guild based adventure hooks. This is a ‘best of’.

Monsters Have Feelings Too

(White Dwarf #38)

Oliver opens with a story showing a contrast: a dull goblin ambush versus a well-planned evil party assaulting a merchant caravan. His point? There's no reason monsters shouldn’t be as tactical as players.

What’s it about?

Monsters—aside from the undead and constructs—value their lives and shouldn’t attack without reason, whether it's racial hatred or sadism. Oliver states 'If a monster can achieve its aims without resorting to out-and-out violence, and therefore putting its life at risk, it should do so'.  Animals are noted as not attacking things that aren’t easy kills. He makes the oft repeated point - if players use oil and poison, so can monsters. He concludes by suggesting you bring the monsters to life just as the players bring life to the PCs.

The article then shifts as Graeme Davis presents ‘Extracts from the Uruk-Hai Battle Manual’. It's a fun brief read and the heart of the article. This well-written, practical guide covers lair defense: terrain, sentries, alarms, force composition, morale, spellcasters, and traps.

Is this a keeper?

Yes. The opening is fine, but the Uruk-Hai Battle Manual is essential, packed with actionable advice for organizing humanoid lairs. A definite ‘best of’.

The Naked Orc - A Study in Orcish Society

(White Dwarf #53)

A short article on Orc’s with lots of evocative John Blanche artwork to fire the imagination.

What’s it about?

Art inspires the reader and elevates RPGs. Russ Nicholson and John Blanche make White Dwarf feel so much bigger. In this article Rufus Wedderburn looks to move orcs beyond their Monster Manual depiction towards Tolkien.

The article introduces various orc types: cowardly Snaga slave-orcs, disciplined Soldier Orcs, elite Uruks, and the fearsome Olag-Hai (an orc-troll hybrid). Stats are provided for males, females, and children—except for the Olag-Hai. However, I find the stats questionable. A base movement of 15’ makes orcs faster than all player races without explanation, though this is easily adjusted. Soldier Orcs are given 2–4 HD, making them too strong for a level 1 party; they will have to fight Snaga instead. 

The various breeds of orc are described, as are the types of leaders they look to, favored weapons and armor, and combat tactics. It also details clan composition, breaking down the ratios of males, females, children, and different orc types.

Is this a keeper?

Yes. Orcs are given variety and fleshed out, returning them to their Tolkien. It provides a model for expanding on a staple humanoid and keeping them credible across levels. This article helps establish orcs as a formidable force in your world—more than fodder, but a rival civilization. I'm adding it to the 'best of'.

Town Planner - Part II: Designing towns and cities

(White Dwarf #32)

Paul Vernon's 'Town Planner' series continues this time looking at the layout of towns and cities.

What’s it about?

Paul looks asks did the town grow from a village or is the town planned? If planned, it’s likely owned by a noble, church, or merchant group, often near a castle, abbey, or river crossing. Like villages, towns need an economic foundation—trade is their lifeblood. Streets are often named after trades (e.g., Pot Row, Fish Row). Fairs occur outside town up to twice a year, with shops closing for the event - all trade occurs at the fair. Water access is crucial for transport and sustenance, and agriculture surrounds the town. Shops cluster at the center or near gates, while wealthier stone buildings, the guild hall, and the court dominate the heart of town. Religion, town walls, and a castle are common features. 

Cities house admin/govt buildings, palaces, a prison, and a larger military presence. In a D&D world, they might also feature magic colleges, monk and bard trainers, adventurers’ guilds, a mint, libraries, theatres, an arena, or even a zoo—depending on the campaign's flavor. A socio-economic breakdown of a medieval town is provided:

• 30% poor
• 30% upper working class (wealth ~50gp)
• 30% lower middle class (wealth 100–500gp)
• 7% middle class (wealth 500–2000gp)
• 3% wealthy (>2000gp)

For a who’s who, start with detailing the government and powerful nobles. Fighters run the military, often with retired adventurers as trainers. Magic colleges have their own staff, temples should note the highest-level priest, and assassins’ guilds exist but require official sanction to be plausible. Thieves’ and Assassins guilds would have “forbidden lists,” and large cities could have multiple competing thieves' guilds. Paul goes into impractical detail with keying the town.

Is this a keeper?

No. The level of minutiae is overwhelming and not gameable. The series is losing me.

Town Planner - Part I: Designing and running villages

(White Dwarf #31)

Paul Vernon kicks off this well-regarded series with a focus on authentic medieval village design.

What’s it about?

Villages need an economic base—usually agriculture, livestock, or resource extraction (mining, fishing, forestry). Strategic locations, like crossroads, a mountain pass or river crossings, may also provide the reason for the village existing. Fresh water is essential. Without an economic base you don’t have a village.

Monsters in the area should have marked lairs, hunting ranges, and encounter chances within that range, but their territory shouldn't overlap with frequented village areas.

Village layouts revolve around key features: a village green, pond, moated manor, mill, guildhall (if a thriving cottage industry is present), bakehouse, or wine/cider press. Instead of taverns, expect ale-wives; inns only appear on trade routes. Other structures might include a toll-house and stocks. A religious edifice is setting optional but typically present.

Paul details villager roles, social structure, trades (weaver, miller, carpenter, smith, etc.), and services. Stone is reserved for churches and manor houses—other buildings are wooden with thatched roofs, spaced apart with their own plots. Markets, fairs, festivals, and seasonal impacts on village life are covered, along with ideas for petty rumors/gossip and village encounters.

Is this a keeper?

Yes. Heavy on medieval realism, with useful insights into village function and design, but also a lot of minutiae keeping it from the 'best of' list.

The Dungeon Architect Part III: The Populated Dungeon

(White Dwarf #27)

Last in the series. Roger Musson tackles the challenge of filling a dungeon with monsters and treasure.

What’s it about?

Roger sees dungeons as a fallback when inspiration runs dry, offering routine through reconnaissance, mapping, target identification and looting. At the same time dungeons feel productive—yielding XP, treasure, and items—the real work lies in populating rooms, which can be daunting with hundreds to fill.

A fully random approach is quick but unsatisfying, often failing to balance risk and reward. If using randomness, he advises tweaking results and placing treasure deliberately. His preferred method is structured: determine the percentage of occupied rooms, generate encounters and treasure, then assign manually to ensure logical distribution and variety.

For unprepared areas, he suggests an Emergency Room Register—a list of 20 pre-made rooms with monsters, loot, and details. If the players enter an unprepared space, roll a d20 and pull from the list.

Joke dungeons, he warns, can easily derail immersion.

Treasure can go beyond gold and magic items. Maps should reveal parts of the dungeon more often than lead to new sites. False maps can misdirect players into traps. Documents—clues, riddles, or descriptions like “I hid the Widowmaker in the oval room past the Hall of Wights”—are a sort of treasure. Minor magic items, like a Badge of Orc Impressing, serve as flavorful, low-impact rewards. Keep a list of minor loot to reward clever searches.

To make a dungeon feel real, monsters should have lairs and finite populations—30 orcs means 30 orcs, with no replacements. Patrols, guards, and any magic items should be used, and off-duty monsters should roam. Dungeon denizens should interact, and conflicts independent of the players can make the dungeon feel real, where things happen.

Is this a keeper?

Yes. Lots of good actionable advice. This is a ‘best of’.

The Dungeon Architect Part II: The Constructed Dungeon

(White Dwarf #26)

Roger Musson discusses dungeon layout—rooms, corridors, and traps - with an emphasis on disorienting the party.

What’s it about?

Musson favors large dungeons, settling on 200 rooms a level (fewer below 4th level) to provide plenty of treasure for leveling before descending and opportunities to get lost.

Verticality: With 40' between levels, he suggests pits, galleries, sloping floors, and high passages starting near the ceiling. Including large multi-level features (e.g., a vast circular hall with galleries) adds verticality while giving access to new levels. Thieves should have chances to climb.

Fast Access: He suggests teleportation for quick lower-level access. The teleportation system should be accessible from the dungeon entrance.

Traps, Corridors & Water: Corridor traps should be suspicious but mostly harmless. Consider water like rivers and subterranean lakes - make some rooms only accessible via waterways. Corridors should feel as rich as rooms, with statues, alcoves, and interesting debris. They can be barricaded and held by various factions.

Getting Lost: Irregular layouts with varied passage widths, curves, and odd angled junctions complicate mapping.  Trapdoors, one-way doors, portcullises, and teleport traps can disorient players, forcing them to explore unfamiliar territory. Shifting dungeon layouts, with rooms moving/rotating as the players explore, can heighten confusion but risk frustrating players unless they can disable the mechanism.

Is this a keeper?

The advice on room count, verticality, water, and corridors is solid, but the heavy focus on disorienting players feels excessive. Shifting the adventure's goal to "getting out" works occasionally but shouldn't define the dungeon. Is a difficult to map dungeon that desirable? Not a "best of."

The Dungeon Architect Part I: The Interesting Dungeon

(White Dwarf #25)

Roger Musson argues that NPCs and their plots are the key to creating an interesting and fun dungeon.

What’s it about?

Musson critiques the “randomly generated dungeon,” where encounters are assembled without thought or flavor, resulting in a dull, procedural experience. While this might seem like a straw-man argument, I’ve played in dungeons like this, so the criticism holds weight.

 

He compares D&D not to a game but to a pastime like fishing: while the objective may be to catch fish—or gain treasure—the true goal is to enjoy the experience. Rules, treasure, and dice alone aren’t enough; creative play is essential.

For time-pressed DMs, Musson presents the dungeon as a reliable fallback but insists it should be treated like a novel, with characters and plots driving the experience. A compelling dungeon starts with a strong cast of NPCs who are as dynamic and active as the players. Their plans and actions generate interest, and the interplay between NPC goals and player decisions creates the best moments of gameplay.

Musson categorizes NPCs into four groups: the creators of, or reason for, the dungeon, its inhabitants - why are they there, how do they survive, notable figures in nearby areas - how do they tie to the dungeon, and rival adventurers. Each group is given a series of questions to help tease out dungeon related content. These characters provide context, drive plots, and make the dungeon feel alive. The success of a dungeon, he argues, is how many interesting characters it has, it's all about plans and plots.

Is this a keeper?

Yes, though it’s not making my “best of” list yet. The focus on NPC-driven design offers a fresh perspective when contrasted with procedural dungeons. While I’ve played plenty of adventures where NPCs weren’t central and enjoyed them, I see Musson’s point. I’ll need to reflect more on how this fits into my own approach.

The Alchemist

(White Dwarf #20)

Tony Chamberlain expands on the alchemist outlined in the DMG.

What’s it about?

This article provides rules for generating alchemists (levels 1-6, most at level 3), predominantly human, not as a playable class but as NPCs to flesh out your hired help. Alchemists can cast a limited selection of spells (e.g., slow poison and legend lore), with costs comparable to those in the DMG.

Expanding on the DMG, where alchemists assist with potion creation, this article allows them to help craft all magic items. It details laboratory equipment, costs, and rules for reducing item creation time by up to 50%. However, time reduction feels unnecessary—potions are already quick, and enchanting items takes around 10 days if DM requirements are met. Notably, alchemists can oversee work for 1-4 days, letting supervising magic-users or clerics step away temporarily.

Where the article stumbles is in its handling of risk. Each month, an alchemist must save vs. spells or trigger a lab explosion, with effects ranging from costly lab repairs to death. A level 3 alchemist has a 15% chance of dying monthly, while a level 1 has a 25% chance—making the profession absurdly perilous. You are going to want to hire a level 5 or 6 alchemist as they can be expected to survive the still regular lab explosions. The article doesn't vary the cost of hiring an alchemist by their level but you should do this as the DM.

Anything insightful?

• Alchemists as limited spellcasting for hire offer an alternative to temples or town wizards.
• Breaking alchemists down by skill level is a useful addition.
• Allowing brief supervision absences is a practical touch for gameplay.

Is this a keeper?  

I want to like it. It needs more work. Explosions, while fun in theory, happen too often, making an alchemist's life ridiculously deadly.

An introduction to Dungeons & Dragons - Part III: The Spell-Using Classes

(White Dwarf #25)

The third installment of Lew’s five-part series provides an overview of playing spellcasters in Dungeons & Dragons. Articles like this, offering advice on gameplay, always catch my interest.

What’s it about?

Lew emphasizes that magic-users (M-Us) are entirely reliant on their spells, suggesting they should make up 25% of a party, ideally with plenty of elves. He stresses the importance of protecting them—useful advice for beginners, though something they’d quickly figure out on their own. The article describes various roles for M-Us, such as the commando who uses flight and invisibility to infiltrate, or the information gatherer who employs ESP and charm spells to get the lay of the land. While the strategies are sound, they don’t go beyond what a player might deduce by reading the spell descriptions—something I wish one of my players in particular would do! For players who don’t bother reading through all their classes spell descriptions, this article is a helpful starting point.

On clerics, Lew notes they’re less popular than M-Us or fighters, possibly because they’re seen as weaker spellcasters. He suggests clerics should make up 20% of a party and outlines less roles than the m-u, reflecting the clerics protective focus spell list. Druids receive only brief mention, focusing on the animal friendship spell and a favourable comparison of dogs versus first-level characters.

Anything insightful?

• Lew’s suggested class distribution percentages for a balanced party are intriguing, though his reasoning isn’t clear.

Should I share this with my players? 

For new players, maybe.  Experienced players, no - they will know all this already. The article is too broad in scope and would be stronger if it focused on early-level gameplay rather than an overview of spellcaster roles and spells across the levels. It doesn’t make my “best of” list.

Armed to the Teeth

(White Dwarf #65)

More weapons, finally a two-handed axe, a pavise, a flaming oil alternative and soft-soap?

What’s it about?

M J Bourne introduces new weapons and unconventional tools, including the misericorde and poniard—grappling daggers with favorable WvAC outcomes in surprise situations or grapples. Since the two are nearly identical, only one feels necessary.  We finally get a two-handed axe, though it underperforms compared to the two-handed sword, making it a suboptimal choice. The sword-breaker, a one-handed weapon with a spring mechanism, is more suited to a Renaissance setting and offers a harder disarm attempt than the ranseur (requiring you hit AC 6 instead of 8). Other additions, like blowguns, boomerangs, and the Gallic angon spear, are thematic but mechanically weak.

Then things turn interesting as the article introduces chemical warfare with Quicklime. Similar to an oil flask, those hit must save vs. poison or be stunned for 2–5 rounds. Splash damage is unclear, but I’d rule it out. Soft-Soap, a historical tool used to repel boarders, creates a slippery area where foes must save vs. dragon breath (with modifiers) or fall prone. It’s not clear how Soft-Soap is deployed - are we carrying buckets into the dungeon? Both Quicklime and Soft-Soap feel overpowered; the saves should be easier, and Quicklime’s duration should be reduced. Finally we get the Pavise which counts as a shield when firing from behind it - so just +1 AC. Missed opportunity. 

Anything insightful?

• I like the misericorde/poniard as weapons useful in grapples. I’d apply their superior WvAC to attacks verse prone targets as well. I think Trent has a better handle on this with his take on daggers in Heroic Legendarium.

Should I share this with my players? 

No, not unless you want Quicklime bombs and buckets(?) of Soft-Soap in your game. The poniard is worth borrowing, but overall, Armed to the Teeth doesn’t make the “best of” list.

Useful Dungeon Equipment

(White Dwarf #12)

Lew explores creative uses for equipment, revisiting ideas he later expanded on in Dragon magazine. Was the original better?

What’s it about?

This article focuses on practical equipment ideas with rules and prices for the items discussed. Lew provides costs for silver plating weapons and explains their use, which is genuinely helpful. He also covers niche topics like bronze weapons for dealing with rust monsters, fire arrows (arrows wrapped in oiled rags), and blessing weapons for encounters with rakshasa. 

There are creative ideas like a hollow wooden tube for breathing underwater. While ideas like the bracketed droppable torch, the odd doorstop design, the clever two dead rats (to befriend or distract monsters), and the fake dust of choking are later reused in his Dragon article.

Lew ends by advising DMs to not let players get away with too much on the item front and warns that abuses of the powerful flaming oil bomb and poison should be responded to in kind by the monsters. Lew knows there are abusable parts of the game and encourages you to de-escalate them with the players before they ruin the fun.

Any new insights?

• The inclusion of costs and gameable rules for items, such as silver-plated weapons, are appreciated.

Should I share this with my players? 

I think so. It’s got some of his ‘best’ equipment ideas and doesn’t push the envelope like his Dragon article. It's a short article that's more hits than misses. Even so, it's not making it to my “best of” list.